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

[30+GameOvers]

His political views were pretty mild even into 2016, I think it would be best described as "Bush-era liberal". The real issue is the quality of reviews. A lot of the late 2000s/early 2010s stuff was pretty accurate as far as actual review content went.

I have never met anyone who called any COD game "racist" before, aside from Yahtzee that is. I think we're well beyond a "Bush-era liberal" and him just being a wanker, like I said. People simply tolerated him more when he was funnier.

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

I have never met anyone who called any COD game "racist" before, aside from Yahtzee that is. I think we're well beyond a "Bush-era liberal" and him just being a wanker, like I said. People simply tolerated him more when he was funnier.

Nah it was a popular straw man for journos since the late 2000's, on "how dare a conflict waged in the middle east involve only shooting middle eastern people", starting once criticizing Desert Storm 2 was politically safe. Same as the massive criticism raised against Resident Evil 5 for shooting black people in Africa.

 

[30+GameOvers]

Nah it was a popular straw man for journos since the late 2000's, on "how dare a conflict waged in the middle east involve only shooting middle eastern people", starting once criticizing Desert Storm 2 was politically safe. Same as the massive criticism raised against Resident Evil 5 for shooting black people in Africa.

Resident Evil 5 sure, that was a big deal and arguably the first modern "woke" controversy in gaming. COD, on the other hand, I have never heard anyone call racist in any context, and I played the franchise all the way from the first one in 2003. Maybe there were a few isolated pockets of retards here or there talking about mission X in a game Y, but generally, nobody who played the games ever called them racist. "Journalists" don't count, since they are not human beings and nobody cares what they think.

 

[whatever I feel like]

He always despised CoD-type shooters and had generic "Obama-supporter" views.

 

[BetterFuckChuck]

Don't you worry--he's still capable of pulling out the "hot" takes.

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theres something so funny to liberals who ignore the economic hardships of working people for four years and then go "damn Trump's back in, people will suffer NOW!" bitch they cant afford gorceries and there's multiple major wars right now

He always despised CoD-type shooters and had generic "Obama-supporter" views.

Obama was pro-all those wars, he has "guy who hates new labour vaguely but not enough to support corbyn" views. youre all missing out that british contrarianism to america colors most of his opinions

and yea this "cod is racist because you shoot brown people" is the kind of unnuanced take that nerdcubed and yahtzee have purely because they view those games as military industrial complex games. yahtzee has said before he thinks that theyre trying to make it seem like the war on terror was as justified as ww2. ofc. that ignores all the anti-war themes of modern warfare, but thatd require analyzing the themes instead of going all impotent brit at anything yankee

 

[The tired cat]

and yea this "cod is racist because you shoot brown people" is the kind of unnuanced take that nerdcubed and yahtzee have purely because they view those games as military industrial complex games.

I mean, they're not wrong since the US military was involved with CoD games. It explains why MW2 and 3, Ghosts, Black Ops 1-2-Cold War, MW2019 and MWII are sucking off the US so goddamn hard.

 

[Aaron Costello]

and yea this "cod is racist because you shoot brown people" is the kind of unnuanced take that nerdcubed and yahtzee have purely because they view those games as military industrial complex games. yahtzee has said before he thinks that theyre trying to make it seem like the war on terror was as justified as ww2. ofc. that ignores all the anti-war themes of modern warfare, but thatd require analyzing the themes instead of going all impotent brit at anything yankee

you dont even fight brown people a lot of the time. Nazis, Japanese, Russians, PMCs, and then the Browns. also the space people in infinite warfare.

 

[Cryogonal2]

Yahtzee has always had conflicting political opinions with regards to how he shoves them into his reviews. He says that JK Rowling is a cunt, but he acknowledges that he's saying it to appease the people who would have his balls for doing a Hogwarts Legacy review in the first place. He also doesn't like the censorship in the Dead Rising Digital Remaster, saying that you should "Put a hand-wringing disclaimer at the start putting Speedy Gonzales in the proper context of his time" instead of "wearing a bowler hat and talking in a Glaswegian accent." I like the latter example more than the former, but I also don't really give much of a shit about if the edgy shock jock reviewer aligns himself on the correct side of the political autism spectrum aside from the occasional cringe I get from his stupid opinions. I guess he could stand to be a bit less cringe-worthy.

 

[30+GameOvers]

and yea this "cod is racist because you shoot brown people" is the kind of unnuanced take that nerdcubed and yahtzee have purely because they view those games as military industrial complex games. yahtzee has said before he thinks that theyre trying to make it seem like the war on terror was as justified as ww2. ofc. that ignores all the anti-war themes of modern warfare, but thatd require analyzing the themes instead of going all impotent brit at anything yankee

He did actually admit that COD4 had surprising anti-war themes, and that even the "good guys" were fucked in the head(Americans think they're in their own little war movie, SAS are amoral psychopaths who will slit your throat in the dark).
Every COD review after that was just one joke "You shoot brown people, RACIST!"
If Yahtzee had any edge, it got dull after 2008. His very first reviews are distinct from his later ones, I would say from 2009-2022 onwards he's pretty much the same mediocre liberal "comedian" who can get a few good jokes on a good day, then after that he just became an insufferable, lazy retard who turned up his whining to 11. Very overrated, especially since unless you know something about the game he's reviewing before hand, you will not understand anything he's talking about...and if you already had prior knowledge of the game, it was likely because you played it or saw another review, in which case his video is useless.

 

[Xarpho's Return]

Very overrated, especially since unless you know something about the game he's reviewing before hand, you will not understand anything he's talking about...and if you already had prior knowledge of the game, it was likely because you played it or saw another review, in which case his video is useless.

I'm not going to hold that against him. Generally, people listen for personality and not for objectivity. Listening to someone sperg about a video game you've never heard of is boring and confusing, listening to someone sperg about a video game you're already familiar with is also boring because chances are their take on it is something you already know.

This also affects podcasts hard as well, especially when people talk about movies or TV shows, and describe everything that happens, which you either won't care about it, or already saw the TV show/movie in question.

I should also clarify that "listening for personality" only applies if you're relatively consistent with your content and/or your schedule. The fastest way to lose fans is to slack off on content (while taking Patreon money anyway) and being an abrasive SOB whenever possible. This is where Yahtzee has actually done very well where others have failed. Despite the deteriorating politics-in-videos situation, Yahtzee has done remarkably well with scheduling and consistency.

If you look at fellow ex-coworker Jim Sterling, he was already damaged goods in 2016 as far as personality and character went, it wasn't until he trooned out that his popularity plummeted. (I suspect Jim's in on the Patreon pay-each-other scam, his patrons have more than doubled since November 2016; compare current, screenshot below for posterity), but he's making $2k less than he used to. Despite looking completely repulsive and sounding just as bad, I suspect the reason Jim's still afloat is he still turns out content on a regular and consistent basis.

edit: screenshot in question (I use a scriptblocker, that's why it looks weird)

 

[BetterFuckChuck]

Someone please find the clip of him getting mad at the "game journo difficulty option" snark

 

[Xarpho's Return]

Holy shit, his latest video shills a Blu-ray you can buy with all of his Fully Ramblomatic videos from this past year from starting. At least when Homestar Runner did that sort of thing, it was kind of worth of it because everyone still used optical media, and it was Flash, and by and large it was watchable stuff.

It's his end of the year Best/Worst/Blandest 2024, so here's the stuff if you don't care about the video.

Best:
5. Astro Bot
4. Metaphor: ReFantazio
3. Cryptmaster
2. Another Crab's Treasure
1. Pacific Drive

Blandest:
5. Phantom Fury
4. Dragon Age: Veilguard
3. Wuthering Waves
2. V Rising
1. Star Wars: Outlaws

Worst:
5. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
4. Slitterhead
3. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
2. Assassin's Creed: Black Flag retard edit: Skull and Bones
1. South Park: Snow Day

At the end he shills Starstruck Vagabond, his "real" GOTY.

 

[The tired cat]

Worst:
5. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
4. Slitterhead
3. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
2. Assassin's Creed: Black Flag
1. South Park: Snow Day

Why is black flag on the list? That game came out in 2013? What, he didnt have any other games for the list?

 

[Xarpho's Return]

Why is black flag on the list? That game came out in 2013? What, he didnt have any other games for the list?

I totally misread that and it's actually Skull and Bones.

 

[Übertroon]

Putting dragon age veilguard on blandest instead of worst is tranny apology cope

 

[Jerri's Kid]

Perhaps I didn't give Pacific Drive enough of a chance, but I don't understand why he likes it so much. It's first person but they didn't have the money to animate a lot of stuff so most of your actions are behind a progress bar (which is one thing I didn't like about The Long Dark). The characters you encounter are really cringe and talk in that goofy millennial-style dialogue that detracts from what should be a spooky game. Most of the game is watching a progress bar while you collect scrap and then hoping your car doesn't crash when you get to the exit. It also ran like ass compared to other games with similar graphics. Maybe he's attracted to all the different lgbtwtfbbq decor you can plaster to your car?

 

[electrician's apprentice]

Worst:
5. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

I completely forgot this game came out. is it that bad?

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

3. Cryptmaster
2. Another Crab's Treasure
1. Pacific Drive

It's not even an interesting indie list, just shit that got mems status.

Wuthering Waves

You could make the joke that modern journos react to anime tits like vampires to a cross.

Worst:
5. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

I completely forgot this game came out. is it that bad?

The only thing I remember is that Nintendo fans here had a lot of cope about it. Though that's pretty much their default reaction to any new Nintendo game after 2017.

 

[The tired cat]

You could make the joke that modern journos react to anime tits like vampires to a cross

I dunno, Id react the same to another shitty gacha game, anime tits be damned.

The only thing I remember is that Nintendo fans here had a lot of cope about it. Though that's pretty much their default reaction to any new Nintendo game after 2017.

Well either that or trying to defend Nintendo whenever it dicks em or anyone else.

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

I dunno, Id react the same to another shitty gacha game, anime tits be damned.

Maybe, but the content of his review was entirely "le anime tits bad", not really paying attention to the gacha elements because god forbid he actually puts an effort towards anything outside his comfort zone.
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