True DP Confessions: Super Castlevania 4 [Archive] - Page 2

exit

10-22-2009, 10:51 AM

I still consider Castlevania II one of my favorite NES games, I can understand some of the hate, but I will agree that some of the recent negative attention it has gotten is pretty silly.

Got a few more

- Friday the 13th is a pretty fun game.
- I hate Adventure Island
- Starcraft is boring
- Any Final Fantasy past 9 (other than 8) are a complete waste of time.
- The recent Ghostbusters game sucks and felt completely unbalanced.
- Alex Kidd in High Tech World wasn't that bad of a game, up until you got to the weird Ninja part and then the ridiculous event you had to trigger to get the Sega ad they called an ending.
- ET is not the worst game ever made.

I like Spelunker for the NES, I find the game to be graphically charming and each time I play it I have fun. I've seen Spelunker joked about/called crap plenty and even a few times (if I recall) I've read that the game is considered a joke in Japan (?). I don't even have some weird nostalgia for it either, I honestly had never played the game before 1998/1999 or so.

I've never heard anything negative about the game, in fact they recently just made a re-make of the game for the PSN called Spelunker HD and it's gotten good feedback. Spelunker is one of my favorite NES games that I discovered within the past couple of years thanks to emulation and I was delighted when I found a copy of it at Gamestop when they did a liquidation on all older games a year or so back.

PresidentLeever

10-22-2009, 10:55 AM

- Starcraft is boring

Multiplayer with evenly skilled players is better than sex imo.

Aussie2B

10-22-2009, 12:51 PM

I'd like to get a NES style repro of Spelunker 2 made one of these days, even though I've never played it.

I wouldn't bother; it's a vastly different game. Not bad for what it is, but if you're looking for a similar experience, it's not so great at filling the bill. This is one case where it would probably be wise to emulate and give it a try first.

kupomogli

10-22-2009, 03:05 PM

I like Spelunker for the NES, I find the game to be graphically charming and each time I play it I have fun.

They have a remake of Spelunker for the PS3 with online gameplay. Too bad I've always thought Spelunker was a pos, so it's basically another game on the system I don't care about.

http://www.blogcdn.com/playstation.joystiq.com/media/2008/10/425_490_5ywesg.jpg

vivaeljason

10-22-2009, 03:36 PM

- I hate Adventure Island

Thank you! I'm not alone! I never understood the love for the Adventure Island series...definitely not a fan.

And I agree that E.T. was in no way the worst game ever made. Was it fun? No, but it wasn't as hideously awful as everyone says.

Baloo

10-22-2009, 03:38 PM

Deadly Towers is bad, but it's far from the worst NES game. The worst I've played will always be Jim Henson's Muppet Adventure: Chaos at the Carnival. The game was incredibly boring, glitchy as all hell, no fun, and, of course, led to the downfall of the Muppet franchise (alright, maybe not that one, but still, it's a rough game).

Oh, Chaos at the Carnival isn't that bad. It's just really frustrating.

Like Adventures in the Magic Kingdom. That Pirates of the Caribbean level is such a pain in the ass!

vivaeljason

10-22-2009, 03:42 PM

Oh, Chaos at the Carnival isn't that bad. It's just really frustrating.

Like Adventures in the Magic Kingdom. That Pirates of the Caribbean level is such a pain in the ass!

The difference is that I *enjoy* Adventures in the Magic Kingdom, because while the levels have variety, they're never boring, the control is decent, and the overall game is fun.

Ed Oscuro

10-22-2009, 09:38 PM

I was responding to Sabz5150 comment of "I liked Simon's Quest. There, I said it.", which implies that it's some sort of shocking thing to actually like Simon's Quest. I'm not suggesting something as preposterous as claiming no one disliked CV2 prior to AVGN, but there is definitely a distinctly different atmosphere surrounding the game now.
Well, I'm just disagreeing that there wasn't already this perception online, going back years, that it was bad. Hell, if you remember DocPan, I remember when that guy was telling me that Bloodlines was terrible! The funny part is that - fixating only on the difference in style between it and other games in the series - I agreed with him! It's certainly not close to being the best game in the series, so I don't see how it's shocking that people would not be able to appreciate its good bits.

tl;dr The Internet makes everybody stupid (at least a bit). AVGN did not invent that, he's just riding the momentum.

They have a remake of Spelunker for the PS3 with online gameplay. Too bad I've always thought Spelunker was a pos, so it's basically another game on the system I don't care about.

http://www.blogcdn.com/playstation.joystiq.com/media/2008/10/425_490_5ywesg.jpg
The Irem-produced arcade versions I really rather hate. It's not smooth at all. I guess I'll try out the NES version, but I'm not expecting anything as glorious as Spelunky or La Mulana.

HYB

10-24-2009, 06:18 AM

These are nothing radical, but here we go.

- I've never played space invaders or pac man much, and neither do I own any variations of either. I do enjoy the space invaders formula games a lot though, so I play them a lot online.
- I too, like CV 2.
- In turn, I can't say hate, but I dislike Order of Ecclesia.
- I hate Little Big Planet. The game is SO boring, I fell asleep once when playing it.
- I really like shooters, but I don't actually own any.
- I found SOTN really easy and boring.
- I've only completed a handful of CV games.
- The only NES games I've completed to this day are Megaman 2 and Super Mario Bros, which I haven't been able to complete since I was 3.
- I take video game tattoos for the fun of it, not neccessarily because I play something a lot. I just happen to like the imagery and designs (like space invaders for example).
- I hate any MMORPG with a burning passion. Yet I find myself strangely attracted to WOW.

That's all I can come up with, for now.

Old_Skool_Fool

10-24-2009, 01:10 PM

OOooh. Video game confessions... Interesting...

You're not a criminal for not liking Super Castelvania 4. I think its more criminal that Nintendo managed to slam the word "Super" onto the begining of the title thus making people think there is a Super Castlevania I-III

Some things I would like to confess:

- I first played Super Mario Bros. 3 when I got All-Stars in 1994 and finally beat SMB3 a few months ago...
- I despise the critically acclaimed PC game, Myst.
- I played Contra for the first time a week ago.
- I LOVE NIGHT TRAP!

I can't agree with the Super Castlevania 4. I think as a followup title from an 8 bit system that SC4 was a true demonstration of where technology was going. Imagine if with today's technology that classic platformers still held consoles by the balls? We would probably have alot more brandable franchises that the publsihers can milk! Not to mention some kick ass games!

OH... I LOVE NIGHT TRAP!!! ----Watch Out for the AUGERS!!!--------

kupomogli

10-24-2009, 04:46 PM

- In turn, I can't say hate, but I dislike Order of Ecclesia.

This.

I love Castlevania but Order of Ecclesia is easily the worst of the exploration titles.

Nearly every area in OoE is a straight line to the next area. Either that or a winding way from point a to point b. The gameplay is just putting a weapon in each hand and then hit X and Y as fast as you can switching your attack back and forth until the enemy dies because the enemies are retarded as hell and they'll be dead before they attack.

OoE sucks.

Jisho23

10-24-2009, 05:08 PM

kupomogli

10-24-2009, 07:29 PM

The odd thing; I can't understand why I don't like the game! I can't pinpoint any one single thing that is actually BAD about the game. I just don't like it.

It could be that Super Mario World is so flat. Unlike on Super Mario Bros. 3 where the world itself isn't just a straight line, you have alot of areas you go up and down with the world. Most stages in Super Mario World are just a straight line to the right, nearly all of them you could actually fly across if you wanted to.

Yoshi's Island fixed that with level design that was much better and far more explorative like Super Mario Bros. 3.was.

BetaWolf47

11-02-2009, 01:05 AM

Ok, here's one:

I really don't get Super Mario World. I'm not sure if its something wrong with me, but I not only think its probably on the bottom of all the 2d Marios (Mario 2 notwithstanding... and even there I actually do like SMB2 over world) but there are probably upward of 20-25 games on the SNES I would rather play than Super Mario World. And that number is liberal.

The odd thing; I can't understand why I don't like the game! I can't pinpoint any one single thing that is actually BAD about the game. I just don't like it.

The bolded segment leads me to agree with kupomogli about this. Other than the castle and ghost houses, SMW was a lot of running in a straight line. While the platforming elements are there, it doesn't have quite the adventure element as SMB 2 & 3.

Nonplus

12-01-2009, 12:07 AM

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.
I despise Symphony of the Night. I hate 2D games that expect me to explore every aspect to get somewhere. I get lost easily, a crime of which I am guilty of in real life.
I dislike the Tomb Raider games and never thought Lara Croft was pretty.
I haven't gotten into a Grand Theft Auto game since the third. Nothing's really changed, so I don't see a point in playing.
I have an easier time playing manic shooters than traditional ones. With traditional shooters expect you to cramp big ships into small gaps, while bullet hell generally has you maneuvering small craft through small passages.

thetoxicone

12-01-2009, 02:56 PM

Wario is awesomeness.

I definately agree with this so much so that I have wario tattooed on my leg.

The difference is that I *enjoy* Adventures in the Magic Kingdom, because while the levels have variety, they're never boring, the control is decent, and the overall game is fun.

This leads me to a confession that when I was a child I rented Adventures in the Magic Kingdom and as a joke put a swear word as my name. My mom happened to walk into the room and read the game text and somehow I got her to believe that it was in the game and not my doing.

Various Confessions:

In response to this thread, I don't recall ever playing Super Castlevania 4(though I've always wanted to)

I love the gba video cartridges (hell, I even hunted down the special game and video version of Lizzie McGuire 2 because it had a video on it)

I to this day still enjoy playing race drivin' and hard drivin'

I enjoy bill laimbeer's combat basketball and used to play it for hours on end when I was young and still play it occasionally to this day.

there are probably many more but those are the first to pop in my head.

Franky

12-02-2009, 04:30 PM

Here's my confession: I never enjoyed any of the 3D Zelda games, except the Wind Waker. Don't know what it was about that game that was different, but all the other really annoyed me to the point that I haven't finished any of them.

blue lander

12-02-2009, 05:48 PM

Wind Waker's the only 3D Zelda game I could ever really get into too. I liked Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time, but I found myself getting bored with them about halfway through. I had no problem finishing Wind Waker before my interested waned, though. Maybe it's shorter?

I could never get into Super Mario World, either. I didn't own a SNES back in the day, but I did play it at a friends house once or twice. It just didn't grab me like SMB3 did. I didn't care for the graphics, and the levels never seemed "real" like I needed to explore every corner. I bought the game a few years ago but I've never been able to will myself to finish it. I loved Yoshi's Island, though, probably one of my favorite platformers.

But back to the topic, I think Super Castlevania IV is okay, but it definitely wasn't what I expected. I don't recall playing it when it was new, but I have played it quite a few times in the last few years. It's not bad, it's just not a step above Castlevania III. It's just a simple side scroller like Castlevania I but with bigger graphics and a few special effects.

Ed Oscuro

12-02-2009, 06:11 PM

I'd like to point out that, in the latest MAME Club, I've been having fun with Surprise Attack, which does a lot of Mode 7 style sprite scaling and a bit of rotation, but not in as flashy a way as Super Castlevania IV. It was released a year earlier. Very interesting. On the one hand, I miss some of the wow moments of Super CV IV; on the other, it's nice in this tough, all-business game to have challenge instead of distractions.

I don't think the chandeliers belong in [a list of pointless Mode 7 moments in Super CV IV). I mean, I'm just as irked by people going gaga over the mode 7 stuff as much as the next guy (especially because there are so many better things about CV4 to focus on), but the chandelier room still makes for a tense, uncomfortable segment, despite that I know it's easy, and it's still an interesting jumping sequence. In comparison, the rotating room has no gameplay at all considering you simply hang there, and the spinning room after that has virtually no level design as it's basically a straight empty path, with the occasional worthless skeleton or mindless jump.
I agree with this entirely. I often mention the chandeliers, but yeah, they aren't the worst moment. I slammed (again in the Surprise Attack thread) the way the two layers work in Super CV IV, as Simon slowly switches from one layer to the other (and his sprite moves "up" a bit to get to the higher level, as I recall). It still manages to look polished though, and gameplay-wise it's not terrible.

It's certainly less offensive than all the foliage in Super Contra arcade hiding enemies (I love it, but it's definitely a cheap trick).

I can't agree with the Super Castlevania 4. I think as a followup title from an 8 bit system that SC4 was a true demonstration of where technology was going.
Despite what I wrote above I also think this is true. It just looks snazzy as heck most of the time.

Imagine if with today's technology that classic platformers still held consoles by the balls? We would probably have alot more brandable franchises that the publsihers can milk! Not to mention some kick ass games!
I think developers have become better with branding in recent years. Sparkster / Rocket Knight Adventures is a bad example; possibly so are some of the classic PlayStation third-person platformer franchises like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, because the franchises got milked and started being developed (as I understand it, I can't say this from personal experience) on the cheap. In the old days there were lots of characters and franchises developed with no careful thought given to creating a marketable character - some of these, like Ryu Hayabusa of Ninja Gaiden, have had staying power that businesses are now making good use of. I don't have any issue with creating games quickly, as they did in the old day,s, but if you take the trouble of creating a franchise or character you ought to get some use out of it beyond just games.

Nintendo led the way here, of course. They were far ahead of Sega and everybody else. Sega never really caught up but they've come closest. Sony has always treated the PlayStation series as the means to their goal of having a unified entertainment station so they can push home theater, products from their movie (lol) and music divisions, and so on. This was a goal back in 1994 and even with Blu-Ray they've not really captured the public imagination beyond "it's a games console with a movie player inside at a good price," whereas the original PlayStation was a games console with a CD player. What captures peoples' imaginations are storylines, characters, and (increasingly the theme nowadays) new ways of playing, and Nintendo has always understood this.

Lucifersam1

12-03-2009, 10:16 PM

Got a few more

- Friday the 13th is a pretty fun game.

This is SO true. We used to play it all the time when we were kids.

1. I made a CD of SCV4 music and used to listen to it on the way to work.
2. SCV4 is my fave CV and I have played through it dozens of times.
3. I hate RPGS; Although I loved FFI way back, I despise it now.
4. I thought EVA from MGS3 was hot.

Astrosmash

12-04-2009, 04:57 PM

Fun topic. I don't think any of my "video game confessions" are that embarrassing, but here's a few offhand...

-I generally enjoy playing the first Super Mario Bros. much more than Mario 3 (except two-player; I like 3's two-player mode more). In turn, I like 3 way better than Super Mario World.
-I also like the first Sonic the Hedgehog much more than its sequels.
-I never really cared for Kid Icarus.
-I think Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an interesting if severely flawed game - I kind of "get" what the designers were trying to do with it, even if it didn't come out that well.
-I like the NES Jurassic Park game better than the Genesis one.
-I bought Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu (NES), Mr. Chin's Gourmet Paradise (GB), Who Shot Johnny Rock? (SCD) and Urban Yeti! (GBA) solely to own games with those titles.
-I think paddle controllers should make a comeback.
-I never liked the N64 controller.

Okay, the last two actually are kind of embarrassing...
-I own Make My Video: Kris Kross (SCD) and Britney's Dance Beat (PS2).
-I own a Tiger Game.com.

vivaeljason

12-04-2009, 06:12 PM

-I like the NES Jurassic Park game better than the Genesis one.

I think the NES Jurassic Park game is the best of the bunch; I think it was one of the last really good NES games and is often overlooked because it came late in the system's life-cycle and most had moved on to the Genesis and SNES by then.

Malon_Forever

05-16-2012, 02:24 PM

Had to bump this thread because I just finished Super Castlevania IV for the first time today. Got my wisdom teeth out, so I've actually had time to game. Those last levels are pretty damn hard. I'm looking at you room with the spiked circle following you all the way up.

Edmond Dantes

05-16-2012, 03:49 PM

Before I go Usher Raymond and give you all my confessions, let's be serious here for a moment. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, likes Myst, save for people who think that boring multimedia experiences count as games.

... I liked Myst :puppydogeyes:

Other confessions:

* I love System Shock 1 but hate System Shock 2.
* Couldn't stand Baldur's Gate.
* Even though I'm a Sega Genesis loyalist now, I actually almost gave the system and all my games away when I was a kid.
* The last Zelda game I liked was Ocarina of Time. I haven't liked any of them since.
* I never liked Pokemon, except the anime for the short time when anime on TV was a novelty. The games were just boring.
* I didn't play Fighting Games as a kid, all the ones I'm into now are recent discoveries.
* I like the American Street Fighter and Mega Man cartoons.

There.

05-16-2012, 05:39 PM

After re-reading this recently bumped thread I'm puzzled.

I take video game tattoos for the fun of it

What the heck does that mean?

Edmond Dantes

05-16-2012, 05:51 PM

Sounds like he meant "make" instead of "take."

kedawa

05-16-2012, 07:58 PM

Either that or he's a skin collector.

Aussie2B

05-16-2012, 08:40 PM

Uh, if I remember correctly, HYB is 1) female, and 2) not a native English speaker. So maybe lay off the obsessing over people's choices of words when it clearly says under their username that they're from a non-English speaking country?

05-17-2012, 08:14 PM

Because seeking clarification about one intriguing choice of words found in a single sentence in an otherwise well written, descriptive, typo free, and in-depth post is "obsessing".

Designing (making) flash, taking (pictures) of finished work, and actual tattooing (making) are three totally different things.

Edmond Dantes

05-18-2012, 01:00 AM

I think he's right though--this thread was more fun when we were talking about "Confessions" and not worrying what some person actually said.

So to get back on track:

* I like Hydlide. Kind-of. At least I don't think its hate is deserved.
* I like the NES version of Metal Gear, though its not as good as the MSX version.
* as bad as he is, I actually found some of Irate Gamer's reviews entertaining (here's where you run me off with pitchforks, folks)
* I don't like Pat the NES Punk (insofar as I find a lot of his reviews kinda boring)

Not sure there's anything else I could say that really amounts to anything.

SpaceHarrier

05-18-2012, 02:57 AM

I find Castlevania Dracula X (SNES) much more appealing than critical darling Dracula X: Rondo of Blood.

Emperor Megas

05-18-2012, 12:59 PM

I've never ended a single Zelda game.

Edmond Dantes

05-18-2012, 08:42 PM

I've never ended a single Zelda game.

So you're cursed to play Zelda for all eternity or what?

(Yeah I know, nitpicking...)

SpaceHarrier

05-18-2012, 08:49 PM

Well I've never beaten Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, or 3...

camarotuner

05-18-2012, 10:16 PM

- I also like Simon's Quest it's my favorite of the original 3
- I can't get past the "ball of death chasing me" level of Castlevania 4
- Nor can I beat casltevania 1 or 3
- I think the Jaguar version of Doom is the best one as I find the lack of music scary as hell
- The first time I found the Alien queen in AvP on Jaguar I jumped back from my tv and dropped my controller it scared the shit out of me
- I cannot get ANYWHERE in Zelda 2. I have beaten every other Zelda game on every system but can't get 10% of the way through 2.

This thread is awesome.

Shriek of the Mutilated

05-19-2012, 08:22 AM

- It's almost a cliche thing to say by now, but yeah, I'm yet another one of those people, who never spent much time with Zelda games. I'm not sure why, though. I actually do like some Zelda clones, like Dragonstone, or Gunple, but to me, there's just something completely unappealing about the actual Zelda games. Can't really put my finger on it.

- I played my first Pokemon game when I was in my mid-twenties... and I liked it.

- I think the Fallout series should have died with Fallout 2.

- Not a big fan of Super Mario Land. I vastly prefer SMB3 and Yoshi's Island, and actually perceive SML as somewhat of a disappointment. [EDIT: Of course I meant Super Mario World, not Land.]

- I have an unhealthily strong affinity for Hellgate: London.

- I struggle with most fighting game A.I.'s. Well, I *suck* tremendously at fighting games, let's put it that way.

- I actually own a legitimate copy of Limbo of the Lost.

- I wish they'd bring back Cool Spot. I friggin' love Cool Spot.

as bad as he is, I actually found some of Irate Gamer's reviews entertaining (here's where you run me off with pitchforks, folks)
Meh. I'm not a fan myself, but to be honest, I've never understood the sheer severity of the hate this guy seems to provoke, no matter what he does. YouTube is chock full of video game commentators far worse than him, in my opinion.

Aussie2B

05-19-2012, 02:53 PM

Edmond Dantes

05-19-2012, 04:26 PM

Video reviewers can be hit or miss. I like Happy Nerd because he tends to be informative and make you actually want to play games. As for AVGN I like some reviews, but it annoys me when its clear he just sucks at a game or he's deliberately getting stuff wrong (his complaints about Friday the 13th's map screen have always annoyed me because he tries to make it sound so confusing, but it really isn't). The momnt when he got killed by the Orange Sylvester in Bug's Bunnys Crazy Castle is also a source of annoyance. When his show became more skit-focused, it became very hit or miss--I find ROB and Nintendo World Champs enjoyable but usually I dislike the skit episodes.

This all being said, I like video reviews more than written ones. Even being badly done, a video simply conveys more information than a text description does. I can work out how a game works from seeing it in action, but a still photo can be vague, and a description without any pictures is even worse. Besides, text's biggest flaw is that it invites a lot of laziness--text is the medium of instant gratification after all--while even the laziest video takes at least some doing. Those little kids who just point webcams at screens notwithstanding.

I can understand why Irate Gamer is loathed--he DID do a lot of seedy, underhanded stuff--but yeah, there are far worse reviewers out there.

Aussie2B

05-19-2012, 04:50 PM

Text invites laziness? It's the medium of instant gratification? What bizarro world did we just enter? I think you have it all completely backwards. Pretty much anyone will tell you that the shift from written to video reviews was BECAUSE of laziness. Kids these days want to watch a 5 minute video and turn their brains off, like people do with TV. People are more and more getting too lazy to actually bother reading something (which is why when it comes to written reviews with scores, people often obsess over the score because they were too lazy to actually read the review and understand what the score really means). There is absolutely nothing about written reviews that is "instant gratification". And when it comes to actually writing a review, how on earth is that lazy? Yes, when you make a video, it takes set up and knowledge of how to produce and edit film (if you're doing a decent job of it), but writing a truly good review takes a tremendous amount talent and skill too. If you're talking some kid's random comments on a message board, sure, that can be lazy, but that's not a real review and writing real, quality reviews is a lot of work. You must know absolutely jack about writing if you think otherwise.

Shriek of the Mutilated

05-19-2012, 05:18 PM

his complaints about Friday the 13th's map screen have always annoyed me
I feel this way about his Dick Tracy review. He goes on and on about how there are no health items, and how the game is so hard, he's been playing it for twenty years without even solving the first case, when really all he had to do was press "Select" to use that damn heart he had found.

Overall, though, I don't really think of what he does as "reviewing" anyway. It's more like a comical re-enactment of childhood frustrations, nonsensical curses and angry outbursts included.

The 1 2 P

05-19-2012, 09:25 PM

Well I've never beaten Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, or 3...

While I have beat those three I have never beaten Super Mario World or Super Mario 64.

j_factor

05-19-2012, 11:41 PM

I don't know what's more controversial, liking Irate Gamer's reviews or my own stance of hating ALL video reviewers. Yes, including the AVGN. I don't find any of them the slightest bit funny or entertaining, and they suck at being informative and insightful by and large too. So if you're not a good entertainer, and you're not a good journalist, you've basically failed as a game reviewer. Worse yet, a lot of these people seem... how should I put this... a bit off. I don't find much pleasure in watching or listening to creepy mouth-breathers who seem like the only social interaction they have other than through Youtube is with their moms.

I know it's making me go the way of the dodo, but I still much prefer written reviews.

I agree with you 100%. A good written review will proofread and edited multiple times. Most video reviews just blather on.

I also HATE -- with a burning passion -- when I attempt to watch a video of gameplay footage and the video starts with some voice going: "Okay, today we'll be playing... blah blah blah". Fuck you. I just want to watch the game, not listen to your shitty voice.

While I'm at it, what is up with the zillions upon zillions of "Let's Play" videos? Who actually watches this stupid shit? What a waste of time.

Edmond Dantes

05-20-2012, 05:53 PM

Yes, text invites laziness, because the tools are included with every computer and for most people it's just "open wordpad and start typing."

It's not just game reviews I've seen it in. When I read a lot of modern literature, prose strikes me as lazy, clumsy, and like it seriously wishes it were a Hollywood movie instead of a book, and clearly the writer doesn't have much of a vocabulary so the actual text gets boring pretty quick. As compared to greats like Tolkien and Dumas, who clearly knew how to spin a word or two and keep it compelling.

I agree when text is done right, its done awesome, but the same can be said for videos, but even when a video is done badly you can still actually see a game in action. When text is done badly you're left with a jumbled, confused and nonsensical mental image full of typos and lacking in commas. Sort of like my post just now.

Some Let's Plays are okay--I remember watching a Sonic 2006 one which was pretty funny--but on the whole yeah I find them to be pretty lame. Those are an example of something that's popular only because it's percieved as taking no skill or effort to make (I seem to recall people actually criticized the Nostalgia Critic for doing one for this exact reason).

Drixxel

05-21-2012, 11:53 AM

Yes, text invites laziness, because the tools are included with every computer and for most people it's just "open wordpad and start typing.

It's not just game reviews I've seen it in. When I read a lot of modern literature, prose strikes me as lazy, clumsy, and like it seriously wishes it were a Hollywood movie instead of a book, and clearly the writer doesn't have much of a vocabulary so the actual text gets boring pretty quick. As compared to greats like Tolkien and Dumas, who clearly knew how to spin a word or two and keep it compelling."

I see what you're getting at, the relative mediocrity of many written works, but blaming a lazy author? As Aussie2B was saying, writing done right is a practiced skill and even an art. A middle schooler's GameFAQs-calibur written review is more an indication of the author's minimal writing experience and lack of constructive feedback received than it is sloth. Something like a Dan Brown novel laden with typos and grammatical errors, there's an argument there for laziness or ineptitude on the part of the author & editor.

Let's Plays are often annoying, but longplays and narrator-less video walkthroughs are boss.

j_factor

05-21-2012, 12:39 PM

Yes, text invites laziness, because the tools are included with every computer and for most people it's just "open wordpad and start typing."

No different for videos, except you say out loud what you typed in wordpad. If you even type it up beforehand at all, and aren't just saying things off the top of your head.

It's not just game reviews I've seen it in. When I read a lot of modern literature, prose strikes me as lazy, clumsy, and like it seriously wishes it were a Hollywood movie instead of a book, and clearly the writer doesn't have much of a vocabulary so the actual text gets boring pretty quick. As compared to greats like Tolkien and Dumas, who clearly knew how to spin a word or two and keep it compelling.

I agree when text is done right, its done awesome, but the same can be said for videos, but even when a video is done badly you can still actually see a game in action. When text is done badly you're left with a jumbled, confused and nonsensical mental image full of typos and lacking in commas. Sort of like my post just now.

When I see some text that is full of typos and lacking in commas, I recognize that literally within one second and move on. It takes longer to decide a video is rubbish, unless you simply decide they all are. Really, that's my problem with videos generally -- they take too much time. I read faster than (most) people talk, to say nothing of unnecessary video intros, segues, etc.

I also prefer to read the news rather than watch it. Perhaps that's related.

Let's Plays are often annoying, but longplays and narrator-less video walkthroughs are boss.

Yeah, I find longplays useful. But I never sit down and watch a whole one. Still, when I want to see a game in action, that's the type of thing I look for, not video reviews.

Drixxel

05-21-2012, 12:54 PM

Yeah, I find longplays useful. But I never sit down and watch a whole one.

Definitely, I've rarely watched one start to finish, but skimming through a longplay is an easy and practical way to see something specific in action when I might not have the game on hand. Otherwise, I tend to just throw on longplays in the background, it's a little more lively than listening to OSTs.

Edmond Dantes

06-01-2012, 04:39 AM

Reviving this thread because I have another "confession," though I don't know how serious or controversial this one is.

It goes back to the Game Reviewers:

I... don't like Yahtzee/Zero Punctuation. The guy is even less legitimate than the Irate Gamer IMO, and he in fact has many of the same problems--his complaints are inconsistent (he bitches about some games being too easy and yet in some videos he claims that games should be easy), he often judges games based on only five minutes of play and gets important facts wrong, sometimes he complains about odd things that make no sense (he apparently couldn't work the grappling hook in Bionic Commando Rearmed--see his XBLA Double Bill review), but what makes it all worse is that you don't actually see any gameplay in his reviews, just his yellow-and-white animations which get tiring to look at very quickly. The only saving grace is that sometimes he's funny, although more often he comes off as just whiny. I'm not sure I'd call Yahtzee the worst reviewer, but he's certainly the least deserving of his fanbase.

RulerStabInTheEye27

06-01-2012, 01:26 PM

/////

Drixxel

06-02-2012, 04:45 PM

I... don't like Yahtzee/Zero Punctuation. The guy is even less legitimate than the Irate Gamer IMO, and he in fact has many of the same problems--his complaints are inconsistent (he bitches about some games being too easy and yet in some videos he claims that games should be easy), he often judges games based on only five minutes of play and gets important facts wrong, sometimes he complains about odd things that make no sense (he apparently couldn't work the grappling hook in Bionic Commando Rearmed--see his XBLA Double Bill review), but what makes it all worse is that you don't actually see any gameplay in his reviews, just his yellow-and-white animations which get tiring to look at very quickly. The only saving grace is that sometimes he's funny, although more often he comes off as just whiny. I'm not sure I'd call Yahtzee the worst reviewer, but he's certainly the least deserving of his fanbase.

Conversely, I feel that Yahtzee's stuff is to the point, biting and loaded with wit. He doesn't need to show gameplay footage because, well, these aren't conventional game reviews and you probably already know what the game in question looks like, it's probably better to think of Zero Punctuation as a series of opinion pieces concerned more with airing grievances and making amusing observations than being thoroughly researched and unbiased video journalism. I find great entertainment in Yahtzee tearing into a AAA game, he never spares the rod when tackling gameplay deficiencies. If all you want is a straight, evenhanded game review, Zero Punctuation's not the place to look.