"Zero Punctuation" and "Dev Diary" by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw - The only thing worth watching on The Escapist

[WULULULULU]

While journos burning out having to play a new game each week is definitely a thing, it might also just be that he's absolutely right. Most modern AAA games are shit.

As for ZP itself I still watch every episode. Now that Giant Bomb is dead it's probably my #1 source for video game reviews and how I even hear about most of these games coming out. Sure, not every episode is a banger, but he's consistent enough and I know what he likes and dislikes. Our tastes have never perfectly aligned, or even closely aligned. I like a lot more systematic/slow-paced games than Yatzhee does. But I know when to ignore him and when to pay attention.

In Yahtzee we trust.

Do not forget that Indies also tend to dip into shit territory. Remember Moonlighter?

 

[cummytummies]

Do not forget that Indies also tend to dip into shit territory. Remember Moonlighter?

Most indies are definitely crap, but the thing is there are the worst games you've ever played and the best games you've ever played in that giant pile of indie games.
And no, I haven't gotten around to Moonlighter yet, I did grab it when it was free on EGS.

 

[Evil Peter Griffin]

Wonder what would happen to the Escapist if Yahtzee quits?

 

[WULULULULU]

Wonder what would happen to the Escapist if Yahtzee quits?

You are dead, not big souprice

 

[Marissa Moira]

Wonder what would happen to the Escapist if Yahtzee quits?

They bring Movie Bob back and get 80 billion new subscribers, finally giving the gaming public what they've demanded for so long.

 

[Pissmaster]

Wonder what would happen to the Escapist if Yahtzee quits?

 

[George Lucas]

I was reminded of this guy and looked to see what he was up to. Disappointed to see he’s doing the same shit he was doing over ten years ago. I’m guessing he’s not as popular as he used to be. The internet’s moved on. Continual negativity was funny after the tard-rage of earlier reviewers (AVGN, Spoony, Urinatingtree), but the internet has long moved past that.

Does he actually wear a fedora while playing games?

 

[The tired cat]

I was reminded of this guy and looked to see what he was up to. Disappointed to see he’s doing the same shit he was doing over ten years ago. I’m guessing he’s not as popular as he used to be. The internet’s moved on. Continual negativity was funny after the tard-rage of earlier reviewers (AVGN, Spoony, Urinatingtree), but the internet has long moved past that.

Does he actually wear a fedora while playing games?

Nah, he apparently stopped wearing it ages ago. Funny thing is, well the video is all he has in terms of revenue, his books might sell but I assume they are only really popular among his fans. As fo his popularity...eeeeh...I'd say whom he mostly attracts now hipsters who jack off to anything indie-related while shitting on triple-A projects, cynical/bitter assholes who go about "Back in OUR day's gaming used to have soul and creativity!!!" types.

 

[DeadwastePrime]

I'd say whom he mostly attracts now hipsters who jack off to anything indie-related while shitting on triple-A projects, cynical/bitter assholes who go about "Back in OUR day's gaming used to have soul and creativity!!!" types.

so /v/

 

[Mike Stoklasa]

"Back in OUR day's gaming used to have soul and creativity!!!"

But that's true.

 

[Pissmaster]

ZP's still good enough to watch every once in a while, but its best years are long behind it, and his videos are all either shitting on AAA publishers or signal boosting whatever arthouse indie tripe caught his eye, all with a dash of mandatory politisperging towards the Correct™ targets to boost his social credit score.

 

[George Lucas]

But that's true.

Idk what era of gaming you’re referring to, but when I think of Golden Age of gaming I think of Galaga and Super Mario Bros. Not exactly tomes expressing groundbreaking themes of love and philosophy.

Meanwhile Nintendo (a company Yahtzee has always had an irrational hateboner for) made Three Houses in like 2019. It’s no piece of art IMO but it’s sure miles ahead of typical weeb trash and whatever indie-game-of-the-week is popular on Steam.

Good and bad games happen in every era. We just forget about the bad ones. (I bet you forgot Haze was a thing, didn’t you?)

 

[Mike Stoklasa]

Idk what era of gaming you’re referring to, but when I think of Golden Age of gaming I think of Galaga and Super Mario Bros. Not exactly tomes expressing groundbreaking themes of love and philosophy.

Meanwhile Nintendo (a company Yahtzee has always had an irrational hateboner for) made Three Houses in like 2019. It’s no piece of art IMO but it’s sure miles ahead of typical weeb trash and whatever indie-game-of-the-week is popular on Steam.

Good and bad games happen in every era. We just forget about the bad ones. (I bet you forgot Haze was a thing, didn’t you?)

Shut the fuck up, George Lucas. You hack fraud!

 

[SocialDislocationAuto]

I was reminded of this guy and looked to see what he was up to. Disappointed to see he’s doing the same shit he was doing over ten years ago. I’m guessing he’s not as popular as he used to be. The internet’s moved on. Continual negativity was funny after the tard-rage of earlier reviewers (AVGN, Spoony, Urinatingtree), but the internet has long moved past that.

Does he actually wear a fedora while playing games?

Yeah the internet moved on to wispy voiced three hour long diatribes that all sound like they're shooting for an oscar the entire time- At least with Yahtzee I never got the impression he had moved himself to tears talking about Skyrim or whatever. Not really a videogame guy anymore but I respect him a bit in his work ethic, where I saw so many like him implode/get wrapped up in screwball ideology/sink into self pity because they're "just so burnt out guys" the guy religiously puts out his meal ticket every week and seems like he had decent success in his other ventures (his gay bar notwithstanding), has a family and didn't start taking hormones. I appreciate consistency. Know Urinatingtree is a fucking sportsball outlet now, that was a 180.

 

[Celebrate Nite]

Yahtzee does an Extra Punctuation in video format about why he never gave Undertale a Zero Punctuation

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

Yahtzee does an Extra Punctuation in video format about why he never gave Undertale a Zero Punctuation

Urgh, it's basically the usual ball gargling review of the game where the word "subversive" is thrown every 2 lines. Undertale is just baby's first quirky jrpg with some meta elements (though a well made one). There isn't a deep message and the anti-violence message falls flat when you take into account it only works because it's a video game, so the player can reload if he dies. But if you reload to actually see what choices the game gave you then you are literally hitler.

 

[ARghEAT]

Urgh, it's basically the usual ball gargling review of the game where the word "subversive" is thrown every 2 lines. Undertale is just baby's first quirky jrpg with some meta elements (though a well made one). There isn't a deep message and the anti-violence message falls flat when you take into account it only works because it's a video game, so the player can reload if he dies. But if you reload to actually see what choices the game gave you then you are literally hitler.

I feel like game reviewers especially enjoy games that try to do something different because it's their job to play games. An ordinary gamer might go through one story-based game in a month while also playing a few multiplayer games they enjoy, regularly (e.g. CS:GO, LoL). On the other hand, Yahtzee, for example, has to plow through the whole game in a week while also leaving time to write and produce the game's review itself on top of handling other commitments (family - infant child and wife, other programmes for the Escapist, and so on).

It'd probably get really boring to review the same sorts of games over and over again especially when you have to write something new and at least somewhat funny every single time. It's like a food critic having to eat the same meal but with slightly different condiments over and over again - they'd probably bored enough of the taste that something new, no matter how mediocre, would still be a refreshing change.

 

[Marissa Moira]

Urgh, it's basically the usual ball gargling review of the game where the word "subversive" is thrown every 2 lines. Undertale is just baby's first quirky jrpg with some meta elements (though a well made one). There isn't a deep message and the anti-violence message falls flat when you take into account it only works because it's a video game, so the player can reload if he dies. But if you reload to actually see what choices the game gave you then you are literally hitler.

Undertale's message is CHIM

That's it, it explains what CHIM is but without the fun gameplay or exploration like Morrowind.

 

[BrokenWokenBespoken]

Idk what era of gaming you’re referring to, but when I think of Golden Age of gaming I think of Galaga and Super Mario Bros. Not exactly tomes expressing groundbreaking themes of love and philosophy.

Meanwhile Nintendo (a company Yahtzee has always had an irrational hateboner for) made Three Houses in like 2019. It’s no piece of art IMO but it’s sure miles ahead of typical weeb trash and whatever indie-game-of-the-week is popular on Steam.

Good and bad games happen in every era. We just forget about the bad ones. (I bet you forgot Haze was a thing, didn’t you?)

He did mention that the PS2 era a good one since it was when Sony peaked in terms of games being innovative and varied vs right now wheres its troon and critic friendly AAA blockbuster games while doing their utmost hardest to kill Japanese devs interest on the console if their names are not Bamco/Konami/Capcom/FROM/Sega

 

[Ira the Weatherman]

He did mention that the PS2 era a good one since it was when Sony peaked in terms of games being innovative and varied vs right now wheres its troon and critic friendly AAA blockbuster games while doing their utmost hardest to kill Japanese devs interest on the console if their names are not Bamco/Konami/Capcom/FROM/Sega

Tbh he also said that the PS2 had so many memorable games because it had good third party support, meaning the sheer volume of games released for it was massive. For each quality game you had five shovelware bugfests. So that kinda torpedoes the whole ''games used to be better'' argument, we just remember the good ones more vividly.

One thing he does mention alot is the lack of auteur-driven game design these days, which, though coloured through rose-tinted glasses and likely influenced by his own personal misgivings, isn't entirely inaccurate. Then again, he did shit on Richard Garriot, David Cayge and TLOU for being terrible, so maybe he's just inconsistent. A lot of mechanics he seems to like in games aren't just good mechanics, they're good mechanics of old games. The few shooters he praises are those that deliberately mimick the more arcadey elements of late 90s/early 2000s run-n-gun games, like Painkiller and Resistance 3. He's definitely no stranger to the nostalgia goggles.