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

[Wendy Carter]

I wouldn't say that about either of them, their videos are first and foremost entertainment, they're not meant to be taken too seriously. I can't comment so much on Ben, but James when out of character clearly loves that era of gaming, and AVGN was made because of his reverence of it, not to rip the nostalgia googles off and expose how much it all sucked. Is him taking off the rose tinted glasses a part of it? probably, but I'd argue that AVGN mocks anyone that cares too much about this stuff. I don't remember who said this, but a part of the comedy comes from the fact the Nerd's a loser, he's raging at two decade old games and companies that everyone, likely including those that made them have moved on from. Yet he treats them as if they're the biggest issue in the world, because they're his world, unlike everyone else he never moved on, he's never accomplished anything else. Everything about AVGN's a mockery, it doesn't have a message condemning people for their tastes, it's just meant to celebrate retro gaming by showing how weird it is in a entertaining way.

Also I don't get why you're using CWC as a example here, sure he exposed himself to the world with Sonichu. But ultimately that's but a portal showing what he thinks of the world around him, gaming had nothing to do with the actual problems with his life. The main problems being his fucking shitty parents that refused to do what was best for him, and a lack of good friends to help him out. Having some angry gamer guys tell him that his favorite game was shit wouldn't change what really mattered, it just would've maybe made him less funny.

In my opinion, Ben is an entertainer first and a critic second. Not reviewer, critic, he calls himself exactly that. He doesn't play a game and give it a score, instead he plays a game and points out whatever flaws he finds (sometimes even more or less negligible or personal, like the usage of full 3D graphics instead of 2D in Bloodstained), because everyone can say what's good about a game. The only game from the top of my head that managed to avoid Yahtzee's wrath is the original Portal. Ben himself is rather cynical and grumpy, so I'd imagine he cranks these personality traits of his up to 11, throws in some good jokes, points out some things that could've been improved in the game from the perspective of an amateur game designer (from what I know his games are decent enough, so he probably has some idea as to what the majority of people would prefer in their video games), and - voila! - you got a pretty concise, funny summary of the game. Not always 100% accurate, but usually hits the mark. Ben does love the old games just as any other average Joe, but he's usually able to see flaws that can't be ascribed to things like "old tech".

James's AVGN is the opposite of Zero Punctuation. Whereas Yahtzee uses his own exaggerated personality traits as one of the aspects of the show, James instead becomes the opposite of himself as a way to riff on terrible games of old. I haven't watched AVGN for quite a while, but he, along with Yahtzee, is one of the remnants of the old Internet, and the fact that he's still very popular more than a decade later, as well as the fact that he does other things besides AVGN is very commemorable. Many Internet personalities are forgotten within a few years, but people like these will be remembered for a long time as pioneers or heralds.

 

[Duncan Hills Coffee]

In my opinion, Ben is an entertainer first and a critic second. Not reviewer, critic, he calls himself exactly that. He doesn't play a game and give it a score, instead he plays a game and points out whatever flaws he finds (sometimes even more or less negligible or personal, like the usage of full 3D graphics instead of 2D in Bloodstained), because everyone can say what's good about a game. The only game from the top of my head that managed to avoid Yahtzee's wrath is the original Portal. Ben himself is rather cynical and grumpy, so I'd imagine he cranks these personality traits of his up to 11, throws in some good jokes, points out some things that could've been improved in the game from the perspective of an amateur game designer (from what I know his games are decent enough, so he probably has some idea as to what the majority of people would prefer in their video games), and - voila! - you got a pretty concise, funny summary of the game. Not always 100% accurate, but usually hits the mark. Ben does love the old games just as any other average Joe, but he's usually able to see flaws that can't be ascribed to things like "old tech".

Not to mention, he said it himself in an early review (I believe it was BioShock), that no one likes it when he's nice to a game.

I do agree that Yahtzee's at least more able to see flaws in older games. Take the recent Blood review for example; one of my favorite YT entertainers right now is Civvie 11, who adores the fuck out of Blood. Yahtzee managed to point out stuff that Civvie glosses over, such as the game introducing its difficult hitscanners so early in the game. It was interesting to see an alternate perspective even while both views are overall positive.

 

[The tired cat]

In my opinion, Ben is an entertainer first and a critic second. Not reviewer, critic, he calls himself exactly that. He doesn't play a game and give it a score, instead he plays a game and points out whatever flaws he finds (sometimes even more or less negligible or personal, like the usage of full 3D graphics instead of 2D in Bloodstained), because everyone can say what's good about a game. The only game from the top of my head that managed to avoid Yahtzee's wrath is the original Portal. Ben himself is rather cynical and grumpy, so I'd imagine he cranks these personality traits of his up to 11, throws in some good jokes, points out some things that could've been improved in the game from the perspective of an amateur game designer (from what I know his games are decent enough, so he probably has some idea as to what the majority of people would prefer in their video games), and - voila! - you got a pretty concise, funny summary of the game. Not always 100% accurate, but usually hits the mark. Ben does love the old games just as any other average Joe, but he's usually able to see flaws that can't be ascribed to things like "old tech".

James's AVGN is the opposite of Zero Punctuation. Whereas Yahtzee uses his own exaggerated personality traits as one of the aspects of the show, James instead becomes the opposite of himself as a way to riff on terrible games of old. I haven't watched AVGN for quite a while, but he, along with Yahtzee, is one of the remnants of the old Internet, and the fact that he's still very popular more than a decade later, as well as the fact that he does other things besides AVGN is very commemorable. Many Internet personalities are forgotten within a few years, but people like these will be remembered for a long time as pioneers or heralds.

Pioneers and heralds? Yeag, not really. Even with my bias for Ben aside, I honestly cannot see the guy being remembered as time passes on, maybe he'll be recalled among groups of various hipsters or idiots obsessed with nostalgia who'll quote mine his shit to make themselves seem smart, but sure not in the eyes of the more mainstream crowd who'll just move on and forget about the guys existence.

 

[Memento Malum]

The only game from the top of my head that managed to avoid Yahtzee's wrath is the original Portal.

He also loves Dark Souls, Silent Hills 2 and Painkiller. But yeah, I don't listen to ZP to hear him compliment a game, I like to hear him dismantle my favorite games piece by piece.

Even when I disagree with him, his points are usually pretty well on the nose. For example, he dinged Dishonored for not having an engaging player character. But Dishonored is about problem solving, exploring, and being a magic ghost (at least how I play it), so I don't mind the lack of character on Corvo's part. He's 100% right, but it doesn't matter to my enjoyment of the game.

RIP his Let's Drown Out series though. Having a more positive person as the foil to Yahtzee's cynicism was wonderful.

 

[The tired cat]

He also loves Dark Souls, Silent Hills 2 and Painkiller. But yeah, I don't listen to ZP to hear him compliment a game, I like to hear him dismantle my favorite games piece by piece.

Even when I disagree with him, his points are usually pretty well on the nose. For example, he dinged Dishonored for not having an engaging player character. But Dishonored is about problem solving, exploring, and being a magic ghost (at least how I play it), so I don't mind the lack of character on Corvo's part. He's 100% right, but it doesn't matter to my enjoyment of the game.

RIP his Let's Drown Out series though. Having a more positive person as the foil to Yahtzee's cynicism was wonderful.

Hm, enjoying watching someone dismantle the things you like. Is that like a strange form of self hate or masochism?

 

[Memento Malum]

Hm, enjoying watching someone dismantle the things you like. Is that like a strange form of self hate or masochism?

Uh, no. It's about learning more about the things I like. Seeing how others who dislike them would criticize them teaches me what exactly I like, and leads me to a better understanding of myself.

Or it's just that I think Yahtzee is funny and I like to laugh at the jokes. Take your pick.

 

[Wendy Carter]

One day late, but hopefully not too late yet. Latest review's subject is Judgment (sic!).

Judgment - Escapist Magazine

This week for Zero Punctuation, Yahtzee reviews Judgment, a Sega action adventure spin-off of the Yakuza series. It is time for Yahtzee to pass judgment.

www.escapistmagazine.com

Spoiler: Judgment review summary

Judgment is an action-adventure game set in the universe of the Yakuza series. You play as Takayuki Yagami - a detective investigating series of murders that seemingly target the local Yakuza.

The game features various mini-games where you do detective work, such as tailing a suspect or looking for clues. Yahtzee's gripe with those is the fact that they're generally too easy and/or straightforward. Tailing someone means just hiding from their line of sight when they stop to look around. Looking for clues generally means you have to pick an item that fits any given situation the most. Yahtzee also notes that a man with unkempt hair wearing a leather jacket and very tight jeans seemingly following someone would look very suspicious, especially in the world of Yakuza, where everyone wears various flamboyant disco outfits. But overall Judgment is very similar to the titles of the universe it's set in - you can participate in many various side attractions, beat the snot out of people using your bare hands or various pieces of the environment, like benches or bicycles, and much more.

The lack of Kazuma Kiryu, the main character of most titles of the Yakuza series, or a Kazuma Kiryu-like protagonist makes the game less remarkable than it probably should be. Kazama's ability to look super serious even in the silliest of situations made for great comic relief, and Judgment lacks that. The game is less campy, and as a result less hilarious, both intentionally and unintentionally.

An overwhelmingly neutral review.

I also forgot to mention, but seeing as BRTV is fully finished, you can download it here.

 

[The tired cat]

Honestly, I'm not gonna shit on the guy. But I'm gonna disagree with the part saying how the game needed Kyrui, it's not that. It's just we've gotten used to Kyriu because he was the main hero of the six (was it six?) Yakuza games, so when the new guy comes in I think that 1. He has some really big shoes to fill up; 2. If they are gonna make more Judgment games than probably we'll get used to the new guy as much as we did with Kyriu.

 

[X-Shaped Weeaboo]

Yahtzee has said a lot of things I disagree with and can be a bit pretentious sometimes on his worst days, but the man has my undying respect since he called the Resistance: Fall of Man games good. (Well barring 2 but even that game was better than the average shooter.)

 

[TowinKarz]

He has my respect for not going SJW-gamer even as literally everyone around him drank the kool-aide and keeled over. You'll never hear him complaining about lack of representation as a flaw of a game and ultimately hates fanboys and doesn't take himself too seriously.

I watch Civvie less for an honest appraisal of a game and more for the fact he's got an endearing MST3K styl where it's fun to watch him riff, he doesn't overload the commentary with edgy BS or gratuitous swearing, has a few good running gags (Oh, HI Randy! Fookin' RAW! Sewer Count: 37) and he, likewise, doesn't care about proving to anyone he's not a secret GG agent..... funny how you rise to the top when you don't inject political bullshit into your gaming vids OR make a deal of NOT doing so, simply because the modern progressive paradigm demands you pick a side.

 

[Duncan Hills Coffee]

He has my respect for not going SJW-gamer even as literally everyone around him drank the kool-aide and keeled over. You'll never hear him complaining about lack of representation as a flaw of a game and ultimately hates fanboys and doesn't take himself too seriously.

One of the more interesting things about Yahtzee is that he's one of the only critics out there who doesn't give a free pass to games that tackle mental illness. He brought it up when discussing Hellblade and Celeste, and in both cases he was less than impressed and gave the impression that he doesn't believe that the games should be praised for just tackling mental illness. I've seen so many people praise those two games for their themes of mental illness (Raycevick, a guy I otherwise respect, claimed Hellblade was the most important game of 2017, and I've seen numerous people praise Celeste for its protagonist's struggle with anxiety and depression), that it was actually refreshing to see someone point out their faults.

 

[LightDragonman1]

To be honest, I do prefer it when he goes more positive when reviewing a game, as I find it to be a change of pace from his usual scathing critiques, even though I do enjoy those as well.

 

[Wendy Carter]

This week's topic is another game of the "lovecraftian horror" genre named The Sinking City.

The Sinking City - Zero Punctuation - Escapist Magazine

This week in Zero Punctuation, Yahtzee reviews The Sinking City, a Lovecraftian open-world game that seemingly has no concept of pacing.

www.escapistmagazine.com

Before you proceed either watching or reading, please take a look at the following video:

Thank you for your time, you may now proceed.

Spoiler: The Sinking City review summary

The Sinking City is an action-adventure mystery/horror game developed by Frogwares. You take on the role of Charles Reed - a detective who came to the fictional city of Oakmont to find explanations of terrifying visions that have been plaguing him.

There are many flaws to the game. The general oversaturation of "lovecraftian horror" game genre is one of them. Bad pacing is a problem as well, as you descend deep into the sea that the Old Ones inhabit very early. The cityfolk openly admitting that they're worshiping the eldritch abominations and turning themselves into merfolk makes the mystery of discovering what exactly is happening unsatisfying and pointless. The horrific monsters attacking you seem very mundane to the locals, as if they were just some common city rats. The sanity mechanic, where you are attacked by imaginary monsters if it's low enough, is replenished very fast by hugging the nearest wall, which makes it more of a nuisance than anything. Open world makes journeys from point A to point B last longer than needed, and the environment isn't varied enough to make it interesting. NPC's appear out of thin air and sometimes can be seen floating over the supposed surface they're walking on (albeit one could interpret that as some sort of space magic).

The very few positives of the game generally come from the developer's many years of making Sherlock Holmes games. The clues don't automatically appear on the map, so the player has to mark them himself. The in-game stories are good and the player has to draw conclusions from the facts known to him and evidence possessed using a very extensive menu, so you have to use your brain quite a bit during the gameplay.

A generally negative review.

 

[Wendy Carter]

The big release drought has settled in, so this week's subjects are two indie games - My Friend Pedro and Sea of Solitude.

My Friend Pedro and Sea of Solitude - Zero Punctuation

This week on Zero Punctuation, Yahtzee reviews My Friend Pedro and Sea of Solitude. My Friend Pedro is goofy fun, but Sea of Solitude falls falt.

www.escapistmagazine.com

Spoiler: My Friend Pedro and Sea of Solitude review summary

My Friend Pedro is a 2.5D shoot-em-up game developed by DeadToast Entertainment and published by Devolver Digital. Sea of Solitude is an adventure game developed by Jo-Mei Games and published by Electronic Arts.

My Friend Pedro - The game's biggest positive is its combat mechanics. The shootouts are very dynamic, the slow-mo aspect allows for great maneuvers and tricks, kicking various environmental objects at the enemy allows for more strategy of approaching enemies, dual-wielding aspect is very well-developed.

While the game's combat mechanics are extremely well-made, all other aspects of the game are somewhat lacking. The story is extremely barebones, the main character is a blank slate, the humor consists of many "lol so random" moments. The game somewhat ditching dual-wielding weapons for double-handed weapons makes the dual-wielding weapons almost useless, while acknowledging that sewer levels are terrible right before having a sewer level doesn't make you look as much self-aware as it does an asshole.

Despite all of the above negatives, My Friend Pedro is a decent time-waster that you will probably play through once, then forget it existed entirely.

An overall positive review.

Sea of Solitude - Sea of Solitude is a indie game that strives to be more of an experience than a game. You play as a girl named Kay, who swims in a boat around the ocean filled with monsters and dilapidated buildings. The game is supposed to be extremely metaphorical, but instead it says spells every single thing for the player, not letting them absorb the atmosphere or think about the things happening on the screen. It's probably enjoyable to someone who can tolerate the game spelling everything for you and Kay's attention-craving personality.

An overall negative review.

 

[Zbk3VmLfujjzjxBd43tL]

Acclaim Entertainment Hall of Shame - Zero Punctuation

This week on Zero Punctuation, Yahtzee reviews the history of Acclaim Entertainment, and especially all the things that seemed to go wrong.

www.escapistmagazine.com

I watch ZP out of routine since I've enjoyed him for almost a decade but this has to be one of the most hilarious videos he's done in years.

 

[The tired cat]

Ya know, I wont lie his video on rebel galaxy did make me wanna boot up 1st game I have on GoG.

 

[Pissmaster]

Just a heads up, his review on Modern Warfare secretly contains a review for Disco Elysium.

Of course he loved it. Surprisingly said it's not his GOTY, though.

 

[The tired cat]

Aaan back to on his track of "Watch me shove my political opinion/humor into my reviews! Because I'm tots professional guys!"

 

[HeyYou]

Just a heads up, his review on Modern Warfare secretly contains a review for Disco Elysium.

Of course he loved it. Surprisingly said it's not his GOTY, though.

The first segment was genuinely weak, the game does have nicer Russians and they're straight up carry overs from the original Modern Warfare. He should have mentioned the campaign missions that were a step above usual Call of Duty fare too.

 

[Pumpkin Girl IRL]

Aaan back to on his track of "Watch me shove my political opinion/humor into my reviews! Because I'm tots professional guys!"

The CoD series has always been shamelessly political. Stop being the embodiment of Kotaku in Action, ya dork.