de-rez: News

[Logie--bear]

FROM FULLYRAMBOMATIC.COM (Yahtzee's blog):

"Zero Punctuation this week is Burnout Paradise, as you probably already know. Yes, driving games aren't the most widely played of genres but I'm making a conscious effort to do things other than first person shooters all the time.

Oh yes, and those guys at the 'other' Escapist video series, De-Rez, have made a quaint little video in which I fall victim of parody. Ha, ha, ha, those crazy guys. I take their jabs with good humour and sincerely hope they don't inhale any Drano anytime soon.

In all seriousness you should check out De-Rez's videos, they're pretty funny when they're not desperately beating jokes into the ground like they're trying to drill for oil OH SNAP YOU JUST GOT SCHOOLED MOTHERFUCKERS

No, really, those guys are cool.

- Yahtzee"

My own opinion is you had it right with Resident Evil and you're going downhill again now

 

[illumin8]

made me laugh. cant wait for the next one.

 

[SimzNI13]

Yatzee on Buckfast. Nice

 

[Thisusernameisjustanotherwasteofspace]

Awww, isn't it cute. They're trying to be funny.

A little more constructive critisism wouldn't kill you...

The Super Mario reference was great. The second half of the Max Payne joke was also great, but the first half was "meh". And the Yahtzee bit was just not funny in my opinion :/

My own opinion is you had it right with Resident Evil and you're going downhill again now

Agreed. Try harder guys, you just need to invest more work into your jokes. Show the script to other gamers you know, and see if they laugh. The RE thing was quite good, it made some very good points concerning the game itself, even though you should have emphasized the gameplay issues (like the camera thing), instead of the character (we got the idea that he was a complete idiot, no need for more than 3 jokes concerning that).

You got a lot of potential, don't throw it away. While I don't expect a "Zero Punctuation", I do expect at least 90% of the 7 minutes I spend watching the video to be worthwhile, not 50%.

 

[Drong]

Well your definitely getting much better and it really feels like you are getting your stride now, I really liked the idea of a news format as it meant you could do a number of different games rather than just one, you might want to consider making that a permanent staple or at least something you throw in there from time to time, I thought the Max Payne bit was particularly good.

Now in the spirit of constructive criticism I'm going to bring up a few points that in my opinion could improve things.

Now most seriously and as some people have mentioned before the sound levels need some work (really needs better sampling but thats going to be more expensive equipment so just get the levels sorted for now)

You do also tend to flog the jokes to death and then get a necromancer round to resurrect them just so you can start flogging them again, most of your audience on here are not thick and we get it the first time.
Try and be a little less obvious and throw some little extra subtle jokes in along with the main ones as this would add allot to it, we like that, when we get them it makes us feel smart and if we miss them then it adds to the replay value (probably not the best representation but watch the film airplane for examples of this, jokes within jokes within jokes)
It's better to tell lots and have some fall flat than to rely on a few good ones, even if a joke a real groaner then it can still raise a smirk.

More actors...you guys need to rope some more people into this with you, go and ask people of set up local auditions for interested people in your area through the escapist or have them e-mail you or something.
Try and find people who are natural behind the camera and can seem like they are just being themselves even when they are being someone else as in some scenes some of you seem ill at ease, and in that same vein relax when you are on screen and have fun with it (I don't think you need telling on the fun part but just remember it)

Set yourselves up a small external site to help promote de-rez as a brand and to expand upon the skits, you could set up some feedback or forums on there to get ideas and feedback from fans on things they would like put in the show and it's also somewhere you could get help with the technical bits if you wanted it, the internet is a fantastic knowledge base and if you can get your own little portal on it then you can filter the shit and look for the gems.

You have good ideas so keep at it and I eagerly await more stuff from you in the future, good luck.

 

[portuga-man]

Like some other viewers have said, i think you hit the peak with resident evil. This one was good, though.

The max payne part was the best, imo. But, like some other viewers said, sometimes you try too hard. The mario joke, for example: "five turtles squashed, like someone had actually jumped on them" --> you don't need to tell us that much. most of us get it. you could've cut that part and passed on to "man with red overalls and italian mustache. i think he's a plumber, because he offered to clean my pipes" ---> but, again, there's too much information. you could've just said "man with red overalls and italian mustache, who offered to clean my pipes". It's a second clue for anyone who didn't get the "turtles being squashed" part, and it delivers the punchline.

 

[Russ Pitts]

All questions and/or comments can be directed to [email protected]

 

[Muzz]

One word of advice; Microphone! Your ever fancier effects are meaningless without one.
Good stuff with max pain and the zeropunctuation animation bit though.

 

[Logie--bear]

I think the thing that made the RE video work was that you used some subtle humour, rather than slapping the viewer in the face saying "LAUGH DAMN YOU!!"

You made the atmosphere reflect the games quite well mostly, with the music etc. which made it good.

What I think you're doing now is thinking "Let's make some jokes that are slightly related to gaming and throw them at the viewer repeatedly"

Pacing, subtlety, good script writing, actual humour and intelligence are your friends, don't be afraid to use them

 

[DaMunky89]

I mean, you've got to give them props for the effort and all, but compared to the level of class seen around the rest of the website, de-rez slapstick just doesn't measure up. While I hope Yahtzee shreds them sometime soon, I doubt he'll stoop to their level.

 

[Brian Name]

Lmao, was Yahtzee drinking a bottle of that fine tonic wine we know as Buckfast? Priceless.

 

[joefresh1]

Meh

 

[sathie]

News was okay. You got the Max Payne bit spot on with all the exagerated facial expressions, and i burst out laughing when "Yahtzee" randomly shouts Yahtzee all the time. Think that's more me thinking that Yahtzee should indeed be like a Pokemon though, and only be able to say his own name

Other than that it was a bit meh though. I haven't watched any but this and the RE one, so maybe you got hugely better, but it's still too long and not funny enough for a lot of it.

 

[Zera]

that was my first de rez i have seen. it was better than i thought, i laughed a bit at the half life 3 thing. I guess de rez in now worthy of my calendar now

 

[Darkpen]

ha ha, loved the yahtzee bit.

 

[the_geordie]

Why do these videos suck? I thought The Escapist had some eye for quality, but apparently not. Maybe even I could make some half assed videos not even worth putting on YouTube and get hosted here.

Maybe you should read the other comments on this video - its strange the way you're view seems to be in the extreme minority! Anyway, why don't you make a video and forward it to the escapist for review.

 

[Lightwave7871]

Why do these videos suck? I thought The Escapist had some eye for quality, but apparently not. Maybe even I could make some half assed videos not even worth putting on YouTube and get hosted here.

Maybe you should read the other comments on this video - its strange the way you're view seems to be in the extreme minority! Anyway, why don't you make a video and forward it to the escapist for review.

Just because a few people have spoken up, contrary to popular opinion doesn't make them wrong... And coming up with a "if you don't like it maybe you could do better argument" immediately is invalid, because if what you're saying is don't criticise unless you can do better, then that presumes you're never going to criticise anything... Movies, Music, TV, News, Reviews... because your rationale unless you can make it you can't comment on it...

Personally I didn't find this video funny, with the notable exception of the drunk Yahzee (SP?) stumbling about a field.

If you want criticism beyond the internet staples of "it sux" I'd say that, the production values are low to none, that much is obvious, and normally isn't necessarily a bad thing if the script, the gags, the editing or the acting are up to scratch... But for my money they weren't.

Taking the mick out of Max Payne isn't exactly cutting edge ground breaking humour, even back when it was released, ditto for the obvious gag about Mario jumping on turtles; on paper it might have seemed funny but the gag was delivered flatly, the punchline about who was doing it was signposted from a mile off and the protracted "Well he was a plumber..." descriptive run up to that punchline robbed the gag of any humour at all. At this rate I can guarantee jokes about vivisection labs being raided to rescue monkey's from balls, battery farming Chocobos and a manga characters handy GQ / FHM grooming guide to best hair gel products for maintaining that spiky hair do.*

As someone mentioned earlier on this page, the jokes are just flogged to death. They should be snappy, get in get out, kind of jokes; not three minute monologues driving the joke well beyond its natural life.... Even the EA joke about hypnotizing the audience, it wasn't a great joke but it should have lasted till the end of the first line "We hypnotise our audience subliminally in our demos" or something like that, that's all that needs be said not continue it on with the "no one would buy our crappy games" addendum, it doesn't improve matters it just makes the scene linger, when we should have already moved on, not gotten so bored we noticed the pattern on the clapped out sofa behind the "EA exec".

All in all, this kind of video humour can be found by the bucket load on YouTube and a lot of it is a damn sight more funny, slick and on the pulse of the market they're catering to. De-Rez, for me at least, comes across as the kind of home made "funny" video that prior to the internet, would never have been seen, except by those who made it (and who presumably thought the whole thing was pant wettingly funny) and their families.

The Escapist are clearly looking for another ZP, but in De-Rez I don't think they have it at all.


*De-Rez guys you can have those for free with my blessing!

 

[Zephyr618]

Yahtzee "totally wasn't offended by the recent de-rez video"

right...