Jimquisition: Too Cool To Be Cool

370999

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I always thought some of the best parody was when you are completely sure if the creators were actually being serious.

That said I quite like this video, one of the best of the series so far, IMHO.
 

mjc0961

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Nov 30, 2009
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Sonic's "attitude" was cool when it consisted of him getting bored if you were just standing still for too long and he started looking at the screen while tapping his foot impatiently. Once he got voice acting, it did get embarrassing. Need I say more? [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0tuHtLFeDE&t=52s]
(Jim's right, BTW. It's funnier if other characters point out how stupid that is instead of taking it seriously. [http://www.themysticalforestzone.com/insonicnia/?id=190])

The difference between Duke and Sonic though is that at least Duke Nukem Forever has a chance to be good and make the Duke franchise one worth continuing after so long.

emusega said:
I think it's a little sad that you need to point out that your persona is meant in an ironic way. Not because you want to, but because people wouldn't get it.
Indeed. That zing right in the middle towards all those people who take the video persona to seriously was great.

CINN4M0N said:
If what you say is true, it's everyone else who is missing the point of Duke. Pretty much all of his fanbase does take him seriously and act like he's a great character. People parrot off "I've got balls of steel." and "I'm here to kick ass and chew bubble gum, and I'm all outta gum." like they're scripture or something. People do treat Duke as an idol, so if you're sure that they aren't supposed to, then nearly everyone is missing the point.
 

ShadowKatt

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Espsychologist said:
Jim fails at funny again.
I agree whole heartedly. I believe there was even a poll that asked the escapist if they wanted to keep this feature, and the highest vote was "NO".

And here we are, so poll = petition, and no one takes internet petitions seriously.
 

Dice Warwick

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don't agree, Duke is already a parity on himself, It's just that in his world he is a hero, so he is taken very seriously. If he was self deprecating, it would take away from what people love about that character. Duke is not an idiot, but he a shovanistic jackass who save the world, so everyone just roles with what he dose.

BTW the game has yet to come out, so we don't exactly know where the comedy will go.
 

Ragsnstitches

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A man who likes to get sucked off by 2 school girls? If we're talking legal here, then he isn't an Icon... he's a legend!

Besides, I think (as some above have pointed out) you're missing the point. It's not just the Duke who's a (supposed) parody, but the entire world of Duke Nukem. Everyone in the game follows duke like he's some sort of messiah, yet we as the observers see them worshipping a Macho moron. Compare to all those other games were you play as some sort of unstoppable badass who saves the world or kills enemies in legendary numbers, but at no point do you get recognition for it (Gears of War, Call of Duty [any "realistic" war game really] generic shooter A and generic shooter B). In Dukes world, the complete opposite happened and everyone reveres him as a living Deity. It's part of the parody.

The bad jokes are just an old aesthetic they carry over... in a sense it's almost parodying itself by doing so.
 

Xanadu84

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I don't mind Jim. I agree frequently, and disagree with him in reasonable ways the rest of the time. And I would agree with his idea about coolness...but seriously, you think that Duke Nukem is played straight? No, not a chance. The point was brought up about Pitchford saying that Duke was supposed to be taken seriously, but I believe I remember that statement, and that was not what Pitchford was saying. He was saying that the game you are playing is basically from the perspective of a loudmouthed, arrogant, testosterone overdosed, arrogant meathead, so naturally, that's how you, the player sees him. Your looking at the world through this egomaniacs eyes. But the player sees the satire...well, maybe Jim doesn't. And you know that's fine, I'm sure there's an interpretation I believe of something that is downright stupid, I won't fault Jim for missing one example of the obvious. But I do have to point out that what Jim is saying is hurt by the absence of irony and self-mocking is positively dripping irony and self-mocking out of every pore.

Of course, if Duke were being played straight, it would be a pretty terrible game, ill give you that.

::Edit:: it just occurred to me...Jim doesn't see the satire behind a person acting like an arrogant idiot in self-parody? The irony of that is almost enough to make me think that this entire episode is just an excersize in meta-humor. Maybe he does see the irony in Duke Nukem, and this is all just a clever joke.
 

viranimus

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I respect the show is getting better. Hell even this ep is not bad. I pretty much disagree with it, but doesnt make it bad.

I think what you have to consider about Duke is the epoch from which it came from. Back then it was social commentary. There was a distinct thread of emasculation and Duke to some degree stood to remind people of what masculine traits were. It did so by over exaggerating it, because part of the problem was that men had became too diminished as it was and far too long had been ignored.. Its sort of what culminated at the end of the 1990s with the film Fight Club, which was the testament of railing against emasculation.

This is a big reason why Duke nowadays seems so comical. Hell even in the 90s his over the top antics were in fact comical, but in this day and age there is no possibility it will play off to the same type of response. This is because society in the decade since the last installment has vastly changed. Specifically we are in a society that both accepts and applauds emasculation. Every day we come a step closer to the point when men and women are (at least mentally, though some guys are trying real hard to look like flat chested women for some reason) indistinguishable. In a society that cheers faux enlightenment and blind acceptance, Duke seems little more than an unevolved knuckle dragging troglodyte relic of a bygone age. Its a shame that people dont realize the point of Duke was to try to steer masculinity back onto the proper course and avoid exactly what society has since become.


Either that or we can stop trying to apply relevance and symbolism to video games, and take Duke for what he was always supposed to be... a caricature, and remember, ITS JUST A GAME!
 

mjc0961

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ShadowKatt said:
I agree whole heartedly. I believe there was even a poll that asked the escapist if they wanted to keep this feature, and the highest vote was "NO".

And here we are, so poll = petition, and no one takes internet petitions seriously.
Because a poll that not all viewers of the show will see and be able to vote in should be taken seriously, amirite? For example, I don't think I saw that poll. Where is it? I'd love to vote for keeping the show, because I've been enjoying it.

If you want it to go away, stop watching. Shows go away when they don't get enough views (I still miss you ENN [yes I know about Checkpoint already, no need for 50 people to quote this and link me kthx]), not when people who don't like it come together and complain. Watching it week after week to keep whining in the comments about how much you hate it is only helping keeping it alive because you're giving it more views.
 

CheckD3

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Ya know, I think this is the point where I actually like his videos. Sure, they're somewhat trollish, and his attitude gets in the way, but it's a valid point to be made. And hell, whether you agree with it or not, at least it's something we don't hear most people talking about.

The 4th episode is where I didn't want to crush my skull in at the videos, because it started becoming more of a different view on lesser talked topics, rather than the same thing being ranted upon by everyone. You can't deny that at least the topics are new and interesting.

And as gamers, especially in the fight we're in now, sometimes having different perspectives like this give us an arguing point. Or at least someone to quote as different than us, because not all games are mindless kiddies killer simulators that will cause us to be rapists because we all think exactly the same
 
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Wait, we're supposed to take Duke seriously? Huh?

Why would anyone take him seriously? I mean...your argument makes perfect sense, but I never took him seriously to begin with.

And I don't know about Sonic being more "lame" in Colors. I prefer the term "real". As in he's not a flawless superhero, he's the ADD ridden child-like totally-not-serious hero that we knew he always was. And that still makes him one of my favorite characters.
 

jovack22

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I feel as if his episodes are getting better.
His topics are more relevant and he actually has something to say unlike his first couple of episodes.
 

Gentleman_Reptile

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Fucks sake....you know Jim I might actually listen to what you say when you stop referencing yourself in every episode.

It's not funny, your not being self aware or clever, your just wasting your breath.

The subject matter and your opinions on them are not my biggest problem with your show. It's the fact that you are just completely fucking unfunny.

It's too painful to watch, this is the last time I am ever clicking the play button for a Jimquisition.
 

Valthek

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Compared to the other episodes, I liked this one far better. The obvious undertone of self-parody worked perfectly and I couldn't help but snicker at some of the comments.
Jim's... eh... unique style works really well here, underlining the (occasionally valid) points he makes.

If this series continues in the way that it's going, it'll end up being good. (I sense a hyperbole or possibly a bell curve here)
 

FallenTraveler

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yesjam said:
i think this series is leaps and bounds beyond what it was in the first few weeks.

I more-or-less agree with Jim, however, irrelevant 90s sonic in the 2010s? That's way too meta for Sonic's core demorgraphic.
this is still the first few weeks.

I don't see how duke nukem is played straight, the game isn't saying we should admire him, it's saying the whole world is stupid for following such a man. I honestly don't think duke is played straight, but whatever. I still don't think duke is a character that anyone would actively look up to.

As for sonic- what do you people expect? they're trying to reach the 8 year old market.
 

pepitko

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I agree, the forced coolness is getting old in this day and age. I loled at the self-targeted irony. And the calmer mood of the episode seems much more fitting to the series than the previous ranting.
 

Limecake

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I played Duke on N64 when I was just a kid, the world that duke lives in is ridiculous the whole thing seems pretty tongue-in-cheek to me. Duke's goal of 3d was to save babes, not the world just the good looking women.

I see the point Jim is making, that Duke while being this over the top character is taken seriously in his own world. but from the outside Duke's world looks just as ridiculous as it really is.

I agree with Sonic though, it's why the Ninja Turtles hasn't aged well since the 80's or 90's. but I've considered sonic dead since the 90's anyway.
 

Gentleman_Reptile

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viranimus said:
I respect the show is getting better. Hell even this ep is not bad. I pretty much disagree with it, but doesnt make it bad.

I think what you have to consider about Duke is the epoch from which it came from. Back then it was social commentary. There was a distinct thread of emasculation and Duke to some degree stood to remind people of what masculine traits were. It did so by over exaggerating it, because part of the problem was that men had became too diminished as it was and far too long had been ignored.. Its sort of what culminated at the end of the 1990s with the film Fight Club, which was the testament of railing against emasculation.

This is a big reason why Duke nowadays seems so comical. Hell even in the 90s his over the top antics were in fact comical, but in this day and age there is no possibility it will play off to the same type of response. This is because society in the decade since the last installment has vastly changed. Specifically we are in a society that both accepts and applauds emasculation. Every day we come a step closer to the point when men and women are (at least mentally, though some guys are trying real hard to look like flat chested women for some reason) indistinguishable. In a society that cheers faux enlightenment and blind acceptance, Duke seems little more than an unevolved knuckle dragging troglodyte relic of a bygone age. Its a shame that people dont realize the point of Duke was to try to steer masculinity back onto the proper course and avoid exactly what society has since become.


Either that or we can stop trying to apply relevance and symbolism to video games, and take Duke for what he was always supposed to be... a caricature, and remember, ITS JUST A GAME!
Why do you not have your own show? That was so well worded and intelligent that you make Jim look even shitter by comparison.

Yeah I'm not his biggest fan. He annoys the hell out of me.
 

9Darksoul6

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So the costume, the sunglasses, the background and all that... it's not your ego after all, it's a joke.
Let me tell you something: you're not funny, at all - to a point which people get confused about whether or not you're actually trying to be funny (you must get really frustrated for having a total lack of sense of humor, which is by the way the main problem of this specific video; you wouldn't call your audience "fucking idiots" otherwise) - being a joke makes even it worse.

Also: 'being ironic about being ironic' can easily be interpreted as being 'ironic about being ironic about being ironic'; I know speaking like that makes you a happy man, but maybe you should consider adding a fourth layer of irony; that way maybe you won't even know if you mean something or the exact opposite...
...or maybe both - right? that would make perfect sense; like saying "I'm the perfect life form".