'Splosion Man

[Zamn]

You know, I never thought I'd say this as I understand Zero/Extra Punctuation's purpose as a ranty/comedy/semi-review thing, but this is just downright trolling, even for Yahtzee.

Yes, certain jokes get old and overused, and yes, sometimes certain things live off of nothing but pop culture references. But you know what? Live and fucking let live.

I know plenty of very intelligent people that find random pop culture references hilarious, sometimes out of context. It's just their sense of humor. It doesn't neccessarily show their intelligence level. And yet so many people don't see that and decide to write a fucking article calling everyone who enjoys the occasional random joke and reference an idiot. Not only is this insulting to a point above and beyond anything Yahtzee has every said before, but I have to say I'm shocked that the Escapist editors allowed this on here. It's nothing but trolling.

Now, I have nothing against people that don't find that stuff funny, but the people that start insulting those who do just piss me off. Congrats, Yahtzee, you're now on a very small list of people I know that think this way along with a pompous ass that thinks he's the hand of God and a stoner that does nothing but ***** all day and call himself a "bro".

EDIT: Also, I hope you realize you probably just insulted more than half of your core audience. Good job.

People seem assume this subjectivist view that all opinions are equally valid as fact. There is no reason that Yahtzee can't be critical of other people's senses of humour. In humour, as in all else, some people just have bad taste, it's not rendered automatically good by their entitlement to their own opinion. A right to an opinion is not a right to be immune to all criticism of it.

Agreed, but this article is beyond criticism. He called them idiotic. That's a very horrible sweeping generalization.

And no opinion is valid as fact, which is why someone in a (sort of) celebrity position shouldn't be acting like his opinion is fact. That's exactly what's going on here. He has this mindset of "I'm right, and everyone else is wrong" here.

You say you agree with me but you actually don't. The whole point is that you can argue that your opinion is right and someone else's is wrong because all opinions are not equally valid.

 

[ZeroMachine]

You know, I never thought I'd say this as I understand Zero/Extra Punctuation's purpose as a ranty/comedy/semi-review thing, but this is just downright trolling, even for Yahtzee.

Yes, certain jokes get old and overused, and yes, sometimes certain things live off of nothing but pop culture references. But you know what? Live and fucking let live.

I know plenty of very intelligent people that find random pop culture references hilarious, sometimes out of context. It's just their sense of humor. It doesn't neccessarily show their intelligence level. And yet so many people don't see that and decide to write a fucking article calling everyone who enjoys the occasional random joke and reference an idiot. Not only is this insulting to a point above and beyond anything Yahtzee has every said before, but I have to say I'm shocked that the Escapist editors allowed this on here. It's nothing but trolling.

Now, I have nothing against people that don't find that stuff funny, but the people that start insulting those who do just piss me off. Congrats, Yahtzee, you're now on a very small list of people I know that think this way along with a pompous ass that thinks he's the hand of God and a stoner that does nothing but ***** all day and call himself a "bro".

EDIT: Also, I hope you realize you probably just insulted more than half of your core audience. Good job.

People seem assume this subjectivist view that all opinions are equally valid as fact. There is no reason that Yahtzee can't be critical of other people's senses of humour. In humour, as in all else, some people just have bad taste, it's not rendered automatically good by their entitlement to their own opinion. A right to an opinion is not a right to be immune to all criticism of it.

Agreed, but this article is beyond criticism. He called them idiotic. That's a very horrible sweeping generalization.

And no opinion is valid as fact, which is why someone in a (sort of) celebrity position shouldn't be acting like his opinion is fact. That's exactly what's going on here. He has this mindset of "I'm right, and everyone else is wrong" here.

You say you agree with me but you actually don't. The whole point is that you can argue that your opinion is right and someone else's is wrong because all opinions are not equally valid.

Don't try and put words in my mouth. I do agree with you, I think people are entitled to their opinions, but Yahtzee doesn't. That's the issue I have with this article.

 

[Jirlond]

This post is kind of Hypocritical due to this....

http://www.splitreason.com/productdetail.php?id=683#
http://www.splitreason.com/productdetail.php?id=582
http://www.splitreason.com/productdetail.php?id=680
http://www.splitreason.com/productdetail.php?id=685 - this one comes in three differant colours
http://www.splitreason.com/productdetail.php?id=579
http://www.splitreason.com/productdetail.php?id=581
http://www.splitreason.com/productdetail.php?id=580

Infact I think you have the most T-shirts etc. on there Ben.

He isn't saying you shouldnt reference jokes - just there is a limit to when it becomes not funny. They are also yahtzee jokes not references.

 

[Desert Tiger]

"You don't save often. You are careless."

"Actually, this game is just really fucking easy."

 

[purplegothchick]

This is the total opposite of what everyone I know (Local) seems to think about it.
but they're mostly idiots, so what does it matter? at least it's to the point and saving my money for something valuable.
and if it incorperates a lot of references, I'm not sure I'd want it anyway

I enjoyed 'Splosion Man but I don't get most of the references (I've yet to play Portal, working on it) so I merely enjoy it for the daft thing that it is, rather than overdone quotes. Lucky me!

 

[TimeLord]

http://www.splitreason.com/product/509

I have this t-shirt, therefore Yahtzee hates me right?

But yes I do think the cake jokes are overdone, I don't mind the Companion Cube ones though

 

[theultimateend]

I think the major problem with cake and cube and any other reference "joke" is that you never hear them out of the mouth of someone who is actually funny.

Case in point is my half ton brother in law who never says anything funny. He just references things. Over and over all you hear is him quoting some game, occasionally its a game that hasn't been in context for the gaming community in a decade.

He's one of those people who fails so hard socially that it is no wonder what 8-10 hours of his day now consist of playing second life.

I don't mind reference jokes...just please christ get some unique material of your own too.

 

[Talonhand]

Yes it was funny. Yes I still quote the cake is a lie from time to time, but seriously? Can no one in the game industry come up with their own damn jokes? oh and

EDIT: Also, I hope you realize you probably just insulted more than half of your core audience. Good job.

True, but doesn't mean he has a point. Like I said, devs need to come with their own damn jokes. But isn't this what has told us before? How the game industry is a bunch of copypasta off of other games?

 

[ValentineBlacker]

Portal is something else that the fans have nearly ruined for me before I even got a chance to play it. Yeah, so I'm 18 months behind, who isn't?

I got another spoiler for you then: in the end, you die, we all do..
Does that mean you'll refuse living just because you know how it ends ?

So imho, play the game and find out for yourself if you like it or not, don't listen to the smegheads

I will, I've got it on Steam 8D.

 

[yosophat]

Hey Yahtzee why do you criticize "randomness" as a way to be funny when you yourself are random; comparing menstruating women falling of a building to demonstrate the break in action, "flow", in Burnout Paradise.

 

[The Random One]

Portal is something else that the fans have nearly ruined for me before I even got a chance to play it. Yeah, so I'm 18 months behind, who isn't?

I got another spoiler for you then: in the end, you die, we all do..
Does that mean you'll refuse living just because you know how it ends ?

So imho, play the game and find out for yourself if you like it or not, don't listen to the smegheads

It's not so much that I know how it'll end. It's just that the jokes in Portal are only funny because they come out of the blue. They fall flat if you're expecting them. It's hard to explain to someone who didn't have Portal spoiled to them. To use your metaphor, it's not knowing that you will die, but rather coming to know, with one hundred percent certainty, that you will die in a traffic accident: everyone can live normally knowing that they'll die, but if you knew that you wouldn't be able to live normally because you'll be deathly afraid of cars.

OK, it wasn't a very good metaphor. I tried.

On another topic, SOMEONE HAS INSULTED YAHTZEE ON THE INTERNET, I MUST DEFEND YAHTZEE

On yet another topic, xkcd has a rather more relevant comic on the topic [http://xkcd.com/16/].

 

[VanityGirl]

I'm absolutely glad he brought the annoying tendancies of internet jokes to light.
Honestly, "the cake is a lie" gets kind of old after someone has said it to you 500+ times. Similar to how everyone quoted Borat after it came out.
Thank you Yahtzee.

And as for what another member said earlier in this Extra Punctuation. (He pulled up ZP tees). I don't think ZP had been bastardized like the rest of the jokes out there. I mean, I don't know how many people would understand (outside of the escapist) me saying "press X not to die".

 

[Woem]

Whatcha talkin 'bout Willis [http://www.vgcats.com/comics/extras/stillalive.php]?

 

[wildpeaks]

It's hard to explain to someone who didn't have Portal spoiled to them.

Actually, I watched the ending of the game on youtube (and before that, all the official teasers of the game) before I even played it, and at the time I wondered why people were so extatic about it. It's only after playing it that I could grasp what's really going on, so imho you can enjoy something even if you had spoilers.

Same thing with the latest Harry Potter movie, I think everyone here knows the guys get killed by the other guy (not mentionnning names, just in case), even those who don't care to know about it, but it's only when reading the book or watching the movie that you really get why.

But I think that depends of the people.

OK, it wasn't a very good metaphor. I tried.

That was a good methaphor, I liked it

On yet another topic, xkcd has a rather more relevant comic on the topic [http://xkcd.com/16/].

I'm not too fond of the monty python actually *expects to be banned any minute now for daring to say that*
I don't even crack a smile at the Ministry of silly walks sketch whereas I can be "rofl" with an episode of Red Dwarf :/

 

[gh0ti]

Referencing 'The Cake is a Lie' is rather like owning a Zero Punctuation T-Shirt with a humorous saying, no?

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I'm just glad none of the funny bits in Saints Row 2 have become a meme. That would break my blackened heart.

Oh god, don't tempt fate... forums filled with 'Could you turn the TV back on, please?'

Ironic how we had yet another Portal Cake thread only this week...

 

[Cptn_Squishy]

Well, I definately remember killing off the first ridiculously easy boss and yelling 'See you at the party, Richter' as it fell to...umm...whatever a robot falls to. So yeah, it does vomit out as many nerdy references as it can get its hands on. I really dont see him saying 'The list is life' from Schindler's List or 'Too many notes' from Amadeus any time soon.

Which is sad, because no one seems to be impressed with my 'Persepolis' lunchbox or 'Das Boot' mousepad, either.

I picked up the game because, even though Im a big Portal fan (and would buy the fan-made prequel if it came out on XBLA), it just looked like a bunch of cathartic, dopey good fun. While you dont get the satisfying Batman-fist on Harley-face, you do get the satisfaction of simply blowing shit up.

That being said, this is probably the only 2D game on God's Green Earth that has friggin camera angle issues! How the hell does THAT happen?!

Anyway, on an unrelated note: Yahtzee, hasn't it gotten to a point where game publishers WANT to send you games by now? I mean, while your Painkiller review did great things for People Can Fly, I doubt your Halo 3 review hurt Bungie at all. I swear I read a review (I think it was in Game Informer) that actually said 'Its flaws are not enough to prevent it from getting a perfect score.' Friggin WHAT?!

 

[obliterate]

Well I agree...ripping off Portal is totally retarded...The game is one of a king...and know this...

 

[Tequila Shot]

I think Yahtzee was spot on even without using over-the-top anger on the makers. It's similar to any fanbase of a game/film/tv show. Remember Dave Chapelle, who I still raw about quitting *sniff*) got really ticked off when everyone who walked up to yelled, "I'm Rick James *****!" At what point does liking or refrencing something cross the line into being a mindless, babbling loser who can't type anything without a Pulp Fiction quote?

 

[DRADIS C0ntact]

"I believe that what people call 'love' is a combination of herding instinct, peer pressure, need for security and good old-fashioned lust."

Throw addiction into that mix and you're right on the ball.

First the herding instinct/lust get people to be attracted to each other. Once the instinct part wears off (which it does) people have become so used to their partner's habits and them being a part of their lives that they start to feel like their lives will no longer be complete without one another.

After a breakup, people often show the same symptoms as a junkie or smoker trying to kick the habit. Some fine examples would be replacing the old addiction with a new one (the rebound) or staying clean for a while and then running back to the old drug. (getting back together or stalking)
Even if someone finds a new person to get addicted to, it will still be like using a different drug, they'll miss the old addiction until they've completely worked it out of their system.

Peer pressure and the need for security are rather redundant in this context, since the need for security most people have was created by the image implanted by their peers.
Theres no denying the peer pressure part either. Open any book, turn on the tv, play a game, listen to the radio and all you read, see and hear about is everyone and their dog finding 'true love'.

Also, before anyone claims this is just some random pessimistic theory written by a bitter and lonely man, and they've experienced true love, all of the above has been proven by actual scientists and psychologists doing thorough research.

So, uh...does that mean that I'm a crazy person if I genuinely like to be alone?