Zero Punctuation: Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

[Dangerious P. Cats]

The comment about monkey running with Trip and slave headband thing isn't going to ruin the game for me when I play through it again, not merely because it's funny, but also because it's very possibly true.

I really felt that the camera should have copped more abuse in this video given how aweful it was. I even suspect that your inability to fall off ledges was to stop rapid camera shifts and poor fixed camera angles from sending you to mineville or lava town constantly. How hard is it to get a camera right anyway? it's not like there's been 3D gaming for over a decade now so that developers can work it out or copy someone who's worked it out.

Also I can believe that the limited likeness to Journey to the West was some kind of plot to get away with an otherwise original setting. A post apocalypse game where a broken down city with mostly warm greens rather than brown, grey and brownish grey that wasn't based on the same mythos as Dragon Ball and Monkey Magic would cause rioting from the anti-imagination league or something.

 

[RedBeta22]

Awesome! Best ZP in quite awhile. I totally agree about the ending, WTF it doesn't make sense!

 

[FallenMessiah88]

Getting sucked off in a windtunnel eh? Sounds kinky!

 

[Ddgafd]

I've had this game for a while and I refuse to play past the past with the crane. Not because that part is particularly annoying, but because I've had enough with this game's bullshit. Climbing walls is impossible on my TV and the combat is fucking impossible to do if you're against more than one opponent. Also Trip's AI can go fuck itself. Jumping in the middle of five robots, goddammit!

 

[La Barata]

Did anyone else see the cartoon version of this as a kid? It was *EPIC*

 

[NicolasMarinus]

So I guess this review isn't going to drive Odyssey's poor sales!

 

[wolftypex]

haha van halen reference

 

[tyriless]

do[/i] real reviews, that's not his job and that's not what people watch his videos for. You don't watch these vids if you want an actual opinion of the game, you watch them for a laugh, to hear about all the bad bits of it explained with hilarious vulgar analogies. The real humour comes from knowing that all or most of his criticisms are based on fact. For example; even though I actually really like Enslaved, it's still hilarious to hear him describe the platforming the way he did in this video, because I experienced it myself and thought similar things while still enjoying the game as a whole.

TL;DR: if you want a real review, watch something else, or better yet, demo or rent it and form your own opinion. If you want to laugh at hilarious analogies, watch Yahtzee.

Tearing down other peoples work is still criticism, even if he really is amusing about it. He does reveiw games and what he says does shape the opinion of the veiwer. I certainly would not avoid a game he dismisses ( if I did, I never be able to play anything since Infamous). However, in the past, there was a mix of praise and disdain in his criticism, and now he seems to be in a rut of disliking everything he comes across. Don't get me wrong. I love his rants and delivery. His cynicism and wit bring on a wry smile almost every episode. If it didn't I wouldn't be watching. However, I also would like to know what he enjoys a little more. All I ask is a splash of color to contrast with that dark stain of his soul.

 

[qdr]

Dear Yahtzee,
I'm writing this comment from a really distant place - Kazakhstan, Almaty.
I've been watching your game reviews for quite a while, ever since accidentally stumbling upon an article about you, full of LOVE at russian ED - lurkmore. I kinda find it a little bit hilarious that the big U.S.S Sellout you mentioned in one of your first vids gets a huge boner on you (various parodies in other Escapist series). The thing is, I'm sitting all alone, drinking me favorite Tullamore Dew, (hope you know what pure awesomeness it is) and I kinda thought - damn, I would really, really like to see you reviewing one of the most story-driven-shitty-gameplay game ever - Tim Cain's The Bards Tale. Seriously, if you never played it GO PIRATEBAY IT, NOW, AND DO A FUCKING REVIEW OF IT, LIKE NOW!!!

P.S.: On a side note, when is your Mog World be available to CIS or at least Europe\Russia.
P.S.S.: Please, Please let it be better, than "Yahtzee against the world, or how was that comic called"

 

[FuQ Halo]

I am so confused. Thank you for taking one for the team. I'll pass on this game.

 

[sumguitardude]

Best review ive heard of this game yet, brilliant^_^

 

[Psychee]

Well, I'm glad he mentioned that the characters are likeable because that's one of the actually great things about the game. Despite the kickass review it's really not a crap game. Not something you play through more than once though.
Its strong points are Design, Voice acting and the characters. There are really only three though which is kinda lame.

 

[qdr]

Oh, and by the way, nobody gives a flying duck about this game anyways, since FALLOUT came out like TWO weeks ago.

 

[Kserijaro]

And come to think of it Fail Ninja Theory is making new DMC

 

[GroundBreakah572]

I'm glad he mention how this game was NOTHING RELATED TO JOURNEY TO THE WEST!!

Anyone wanna tell me why Western culture has this fascination with that story?

Leave that story to Damon Albarn, Ninja Theory...

Since when do you decide who can use a story as an inspiration? Don't be such a dick
just because you don't like it. Sheesh, talking about butthurt people.

I think I have a good reason why that can be summed up in three simple letters: D-B-Z.

You don't say, Captain Obvious B-[

And come to think of it Fail Ninja Theory is making new DMC

Dude, you don't have to buy it if you don't like. It is a DLC... which means free to buy, but not necessary. It is just an add-on to the game, nothing else. Why is this so hard to understand for some people?

Oh, and by the way, nobody gives a flying duck about this game anyways, since FALLOUT came out like TWO weeks ago.

Maybe, but not everyone likes Fallout.

Theolos88 had a good point: Yhatzee sometimes mentions good things, but his goal is not to critique but to lampoon for comedic effect, so sometimes you get the feeling he's trying to tell you the game's good without actually outright saying it.

How about you stop with the cynicism and the "I'm So Witty" attitude? I'm really sick of that around here. It's spoiling the enjoyability of the forums

Both of you, Theolos and you, are wrong. He is not a real reviewer therefore his reviews have no weight. A real reviewer take a look at both sides of the object and does not rant only about the negative point with curse words. This trent of Angry reviewers totally blinded people and stop them to think about the subject, because they think that they are right, which is wrong, because, like I mentioned before, their reviews have no weight. If you want a REAL reaview, read it in the magazines or on trustfully websides, which take it seriously to inform people about games. But to say that Yahtzee as like the Nostalgic Critic or Spoony is a real critic is more than silly and shows that you have no idear about the definition of a reviewer.


As for me, I like the game and disagree with Yahtzee.

 

[samaugsch]

Oh, and by the way, nobody gives a flying duck about this game anyways, since FALLOUT came out like TWO weeks ago.

Maybe, but not everyone likes Fallout.

He's just mad because Yahtzee decided not to review Fallout: New Vegas this week (not that I wasn't hoping he would, too, but I'm not going to get mad about it. Instead, I'll just hope he'll do it the week after ^.^).

 

[DeimosMasque]

I starting to have an issue with Yahtzee and his criticism. He recommends nothing. I am all for him verbally dressing down the excesses of this industry but a critic tends to recommend something now and then. Now, I am not asking for him to go easy, but for Christ sake, he needs to find something he likes. The last game I remember him recommending was Bioshock and that came out years ago. Even in that case, he said something along the lines that, it didn't suck too bad so it must be GAME OF THE YEAR. Without any positives recommendation, his reviews tend to be less criticism and more observational humor. There is no purpose beyond his humor if he can't, once in a while, stake his rep on a game that he thinks is actually good. No flames please, or personal attacks. I am just looking for other thoughts on this issue.

There was also No More Heroes 1, Saint's Row 2, and a few others. But mostly he just does critiques on games, not reviews.

 

[Sergei Andropov]

I actually liked both the highly original way the adapted the story (or rather the premise) of Journey to the West and the ending, but I can definitely see how it might come out of left field for a lot of people.

 

[tyriless]

I cannot disagree more with anyone that states does not review games (@ Deimos: critiquing a game is the same as reviewing them). In fact, you do him a disservice when you state he is doing something else. Yahtzee gives a clearly defined opinion on the failures and the success of the game, while also giving his overall impression of the material. He even goes for a summary of what he said in the end, to ensure you know how he felt about the content. The fact he does all this and keeps his curmudgeon humor going is a small miracle. Besides you getting into the semantics of whether he is or not a game reviewer does not aide in his defense that he has been on a rather strong negative streak over the last year. As an audience member, I would like for him to bring something forward that he has enjoyed because I refuse to believe that considering all the console, PC, and downloaded titles, he has not found a gem every couple months or so.

I actually do appreciate the contributions of repliers about Saint's Row 2 and Infamous. I forgot about some them. However, these games came more than a year ago. Even if he did manage to eek out a mostly positive assessment of a game over the last year it has been drowned in a deluge of disdain and bile. He puts out an average 3 videos a month (estimate including time off and other nongame material) and let's say that he likes one game a year (his average it seems) that is a 36:1 ratio. Let's say my average is conservative and bump that up to 18:1. It's still pretty lopsided.

 

[DeimosMasque]

Yahtzee himself states himself as a critic not a reviewer.

And his "highly negative streak" is what he always does, it's not anything new.