Honorable and Dishonorable Mentions

[Jaqen Hghar]

About Darksiders, a game that takes the best parts of a lot of great games, put them together into a fun romp of a game... how can it be bad? I finally got it during the Holiday Steam sale, and man, I had so much fun with it. Sometimes I just want to play a serious bad ass who doesn't flinch no matter what, carving a bloody swath through the ranks of demons and angels alike.

Definitely one of my favorite games of 2010, even though I never got to play it in 2010. The rest of my list can be found: here [http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/durandir/best-of-2010/46-49299/], if anyone is wondering.

Sometimes I feel kinda sorry for poor old Yahtzee. So many hours of enjoyment lost because of being way to critical. But then I remember that that is why the videos are so much fun. Keep on being miserable Mr. Yahtzee. Keep it on for us.

 

[Scarecrow]

Mass Effect as a series still gives me this feeling of strangeness I can't quite put my finger on.



That's because Mass Effect 2 is the Avatar of video games, it's a video game made by a cooperate committee, done right! It has enough of everything to get every gamer interested, but no real depth to fill a niche. It's not really a shooter, it's not really an RPG, it's not really a story based game, and it's not really sandbox. It takes all the best qualities of every genre and throws them into a blender, and with millions of dollars to back the game up, the developers are able to make it look as slick and polished as any other AAA title.

Is Yahtzee insinuating that Bayonetta was an honorable mention?

sounds about right to me

No, unless a game with boobies sticking out (being its only memorable feature) can be considered honorably...lol

I would not agree with you and that. But calling it the Avatar of video games is a insult to both the game and video gaming as a whole.

 

[Scarecrow]

I'm glad Mass Effect 2 wasn't in your video. It's a stinking pile of mediocrity that neither deserves to be in a top 5 list or bottom 5, only to be forgotten by history. I hated Mass Effect 2's guts, I really did.

Mass Effect 1 had some nice things going for it and I genuinely felt ME2 could improve upon them. Instead, they pissed boiling oil in their eyesocket. Run of the mill shooter mechanics, RPG elements you'd have a hard time spotting with a magnifying glass, terrible characterization and more.

The characters in ME2 are bad for 2 main reasons. First, they're too many (12!) and second the game couldn't possibly make you spend enough time with them to make them interesting. Persona 4 had some of the best characterization in any video game ever and it had 7 characters total. It spent close to 30 of the 50+ hours you're going to spend playing it, focusing on them. How can ME2 possibly hope to bring to life 12 characters in the barely 15-20 hours you're going to spend with it, even moreso considering there's gameplay involved too? The only decent ones were the ones that made a return appearance from the original.

And the plot of the game, without wanting to give too much away, is basically 1. Wake up 2. Go get some mates 3. Go stomp on a big baddy's face which will accomplish absolutely nothing 4. End of game your actions may or may not matter in ME3. See you again in the next game! -BioWare

Why did I know that one of these kinds of posts where going to come up here?

 

[hem dazon 90]

THERE'S Alan Wake. He seemed to like it a bit more than other games in his review, so I was a little sad when it wasn't in the top five. Seeing it here made me happy.

Alan wake shoulda been #1 if only because the poets of the fall did the soundtrack

 

[Aurora Firestorm]

Of course Yahtzee wouldn't like Heavy Rain. He hates cutscenes, and the entire game is a cutscene. I still think it's better than almost every single game he claims to like in his review...

Although this now tells all the Mass Effect fans why he didn't go with ME2.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Dear Yahtzee, I hope to god your house is built on a very high hill at the moment...

 

[Vault101]

I might be weird but I usually don't have a problem with charachters in Video games, even the ones form fallout, speaking of which Im a little surprised he didn't mention Fallout NV

as for ME I love them both, I really don't understand what problem people have with the gameplay for the second one, first one it was ok but I think in the second one they tighened it up and improved it alot,

and I dunno but ME is the most replayable game Ive ever had, I mean Im replaying for the 3rd time even when I still have 3 more games I havnt finished, I think that says somthing the first one is far from perfect but the second one is very close to perfect

 

[Vault101]

I'm glad Mass Effect 2 wasn't in your video. It's a stinking pile of mediocrity that neither deserves to be in a top 5 list or bottom 5, only to be forgotten by history. I hated Mass Effect 2's guts, I really did.

Mass Effect 1 had some nice things going for it and I genuinely felt ME2 could improve upon them. Instead, they pissed boiling oil in their eyesocket. Run of the mill shooter mechanics, RPG elements you'd have a hard time spotting with a magnifying glass, terrible characterization and more.

The characters in ME2 are bad for 2 main reasons. First, they're too many (12!) and second the game couldn't possibly make you spend enough time with them to make them interesting. Persona 4 had some of the best characterization in any video game ever and it had 7 characters total. It spent close to 30 of the 50+ hours you're going to spend playing it, focusing on them. How can ME2 possibly hope to bring to life 12 characters in the barely 15-20 hours you're going to spend with it, even moreso considering there's gameplay involved too? The only decent ones were the ones that made a return appearance from the original.

And the plot of the game, without wanting to give too much away, is basically 1. Wake up 2. Go get some mates 3. Go stomp on a big baddy's face which will accomplish absolutely nothing 4. End of game your actions may or may not matter in ME3. See you again in the next game! -BioWare

I think your suposed to spend a little more than 20 hours playing, but meh you don't like it good for you

 

[Gruchul]

RPG elements you'd have a hard time spotting with a magnifying glass

Did you honestly miss all of the dialogue? The bit where your choose how your character acts and responds to the world around them? While most of your criticisms are perfectly fair opinions, this one is just silly.

OT: I liked how honest you were in your top 5s about playing them recreationally. I'm a little disappointed more reviewers aren't so upfront.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

Editor's Note: "This week we dedicate our magazine to Minecraft."

Do I smell a ZP on that game cooking?

I hope not. Yahtzee is only any good when he's reviewing games he wants to review, and since he's spoken against reviewing Minecraft before, I have no reason to doubt that he has not changed his mind now.

 

[Mysnomer]

Is Yahtzee insinuating that Bayonetta was an honorable mention?

sounds about right to me

No, unless a game with boobies sticking out (being its only memorable feature) can be considered honorably...lol

Because it's not like the combat was an excellent continuation of the DMC style, and the cinematography was definitely not amazing or cool. Oh, and it had no new or fresh ideas, too. Yep, not worth an honorable mention, no~~~~pe.

In all seriousness, if all you know about Bayonetta is that it's sexualized, the depth of your knowledge, not the depth of the game itself, is what's in question.

But hey, tomato, tomato (That really doesn't work when typing...)

To imply the short "o" sound in the alternate pronunciation, I suggest typing it "tomahto".

 

[Lonewolfu571]

"whose portrayals of heroic characters make me want to knock their pearly white teeth out with a chunk of concrete on the end of some bent rebar"

Since when is Yahtzee a Nightkin?

 

[Bretrayer]

Yahtzee likes Super Meat Boy?

Holy shit.

Hope this means we get a review for it some time soon.
Hopefully.

 

[Brett Alex]

Maybe I'm desensitised to such things but I'd like to think I'm not and it was the games fault for not engaging me.

Were you playing with the volume off or something?

I was physically cringing and dropped the controller as soon as I was done. Until I

Spoiler

picked it back to cauterise the wound with the hot rebar, wherein I winced again.

Not to call you a soulless robot, but considering how so many people seem to be taken in so viscerally by that section, it's probably more to do with you not engaging with the game than failure on part of the designers.

 

[NaramSuen]

There were some problems with core mechanics of Mass Effect 2, but it still delivered some of the best gaming moments for me this year. My biggest complaint is something Yahtzee touched on in his original review, the fact that you have this entire universe to explore, yet it still feels small. For all the complaints the long corridors, elevator rides, and the Mako missions got, they did instill in the player a sense of vast open spaces.

Anyway, nice insight into the top 5 bottom 5 process.

 

[metal mustache]

I might be weird but I usually don't have a problem with charachters in Video games, even the ones form fallout, speaking of which Im a little surprised he didn't mention Fallout NV

I'm guessing if we were to mention that game in one of lists, it would be in list of disqualified games, as it is exactly the same as fallout 3 (didn't you see his review of NV?)

 

[metal mustache]

don't you remember how much he hates other people? i can picture yahtzee as a nightkin, although he talks pretty quickly for one.

 

[ksn0va]

First of all, one rule I decided on early in the creation of my top 5 was that any expansion pack sequel (as in, a sequel that plays virtually identically to the previous game just with different levels and a few new mechanics) would be automatically disqualified, no matter how much fun they were.

-Yahtzee

This pretty much sums up Dead Rising 2. Weird he didn't disqualify it.

 

[brumley53]

I felt the same way about Mass Effect 2. Actually, I feel that way about all Bioware games: like I really could've just as well read a novelization of the game and walk away with the same entertainment value.
They put a lot of emphasis on story but you don't really own the story like you do with something like Fallout 3. So you're left wondering "what the hell do you need me for?"

The problem I noticed is the whole universe revolves around Commander Shepard everything they say is "Oh commander shepard you saved the world" "I love you commander shepard I want your babies" and "I'll turn gay for you commander shepard". The part where most of the love interests would change their sexual orientation just for shepard was where it seemed odd for me.

 

[snave]

Good to know I wasn't the only one who groaned audibly when seeing Super Meat Boy's "random" humour. Heck, until the good reviews started flowing, I hadn't even considered buying it, and this is coming from a guy who 100% beat ever Jumper game. Thing is, I'd seen the previews with the "random" humour and pretty much thought what Yahtzee described above. That left me doubting. Next I read the audacious claims of gameplay touted as innovative yet to me surprisingly similar to Jumper and this left me extremely doubtful. Finally I tried the Flash predecessor and discarded it almost immediately over its terrifyingly sloppy controls and bug addled nature. At this point I just wrote it off in my mind as a popularist cash in on a niche genre of game, something akin to 'Splosion Man.

Ultimately, I'm VERY glad the overwhelmingly positive reviews persuaded me to pick it up, at full price even (see, reviews CAN have affect purchasing decisions). Super Meat Boy is an immensely satisfying game, and all the horrid bugs and PC performance issues aside (to run lag-free, it has higher system requirements than Oblivion, no really), the gameplay has done little but fill me with glee. It's absolutely wonderful and those replays are just as joyous as Yahtzee implies above.

Yet I still groan every time the game arbitrarily forces me to listen to the "WARP ZONE" cry and a random little humour tidbit video just to retry a level. That "funny" thing about not using a gamepad still irritates me upon startup (yeah, blame performance lag on the choice of peripherals guys, real mature reaction to known bugs). Seems desensitising yourself to some of the OTT "random" junk wears thin after the 20th viewing.

And I think this brings me to the crux of this post, and a rebuttal to some of the comments above: Random only works when theres restraint and content interpsaced with it. To those saying sweet irony, the ZP videos _usually_ manage this. Sometimes they don't and those are very much the videos that fail to hit the mark. In Super Meat Boy however, the gameplay and the videos/storybits are split the heck apart, so they are treated invidiually on their own merits. The story lacks any cohesion (took me too long to realise that the monsters in Hell and Rapture were your previous deaths, a potentially hilarious joke were it pitched better) and those good bits fade away in the signal to noise ratio. Instead of stealthily slipping in references, they're, oft quite literally SCREAMED in your face. Subtlety is lost. I realise fully well that's meant to be part of the joke, but consider the requisite age to understand these references and you can see why it suddenly just kinda falls flat.

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