Zero Punctuation: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

[Sylocat]

Let's see here... a half-dozen never-before-seen people who "just now registered" in order to lavish praise on Yahtzee and join the Nintendo-bashing, and another half-dozen new faces who "just registered" to say this was "the first Yahtzee review I didn't like"... yes, it's just another Wednesday at The Escapist.

 

[Poptart Fairy]

I've figured out what I love more than the anti-Yahtzee/pro-Yahtzee factions.

The bloody loons that flip between loving him and hating him, often for arbitary reasons. They'll laugh their backside off at a game getting slagged off, but then it happens to one they like and OH GOD YAHTZEE YOU STUPID HACK. Then of course we have those screeching OH MY GOD YOU OFFEND US WITH YOUR JOKES ABOUT MANGA yet snicker at jokes involving black people or the Japanese.

>.>

Consistency, people.

 

[Stomp224]

Hehehe, a particularly awesome review!
Unfortunately it hasn't convinced me not to buy it when it (FINALLY) appears in the UK. My wallet is magnetically drawn to anything with that bloody hedgehog in it...... cunning move Nintendo.

 

[Monodi]

PS: Marth is coming for the DS soon btw, you should play Fire Emblem if havent

 

[Forsooth and Pi]

Don't look at my post count and discout it immediately, I've been watching ZP since Bioshock. Neither am I fandboy of any sort.

I watch ZP for two reasons: (1) Funny comments about games and (2) *relatively* objective reviews of games I woulnd't have heard of otherwise (Psychonauts, Condemned) while at the same time seeing the games I like be discussed through the viewpoint of someone other than me who is into the opposite spectrum of gaming(FPS and PC gaming) as I am (console adventures/RPGs).

Now, I knew Yahtzee would hate Brawl. I knew he would spew pure bile after that first protracted "Ugh" because I had a feeling he was being pestered nonstop to review it. I am actually sad he reviewed it now - all it would lead to was more frustration and hate for this game for the sole reason that he was forced into it. I was not expecting this review today, either.

But to avoid discussing the game itself, or elitism, or something else retarded that would lead to this topic's degeneration, I want to ask something about the review itself - that IS what this topic is for, right?

Now that I've got the prelude out of the way... is it just me, or was this not really a 'review' in the slightest? Normally Yahtzee bashes the game, but he comments on the mechanics, the story, the gameplay, the quirks, the pitfalls, the benefits... and you come out with some understanding of what the game is like. He gets valid points across. I just watched the review again, and he did not bring up many points about the game at all! Maybe a handful of comments at best, but nothing substantial. It was just full of hatred for this game and everyone who made him do it. Sure, I laughed a bunch of times, but he did not 'review' the game. I came out of this review with nothing I didn't know beforehand - something in direct contrast to literally every other review he has done - just the knowledge that Yahtzee (A) truly hates fighting games almost as much as JRPG's and (2) He abhors being forced to review a game.

Am I the only one to see this as not a 'review', but more of a hate-rant? Or am I in the minority on these boards (which I must admit I don't post to often, though I do lurk a lot).

I agree, and judging from a few other posts I don't think we're the only ones. There's probably a little bit of a "fanboy" in me who doesn't like seeing the game bashed thusly, but I knew the kind of reviews Yahtzee gives and that aside from Portal, he has criticisms for every game. I laughed at his bashing of J-RPGs and MMORPGs, even though they are some of my favorite games, because his statements are so damn accurate! This one just lacked any real substance, and it felt like he was angry more at the fanboys who support the game than the game itself.

 

[gigirizzi]

One more thing... if Yahtzee had actually went a little more in depth, I'd be interested to know his opinion on some of the others modes, such as:

1) The Coin Launcher
2) Stage Editor/Designer
3) Home Run Contest
4) Multi-Man Melee

Easy, they all suck big time.

 

[lindsay40k]

I'm a big fan of the SSB series, and I agree with a lot of the criticism this review has to make of SSBB. Locked characters and stages, eurgh! Fanservice single player is all well and good, but really we don't need to be forced through it.

That said, complaining about the presence of characters not widely known outside of Japan is a bit of a dumbass contradiction from someone always complaining about all the franchises that are not released outside of Japan.

And anyone who wants to claim that random button mashing is a viable strategy in fighting games really needs to either learn how to play fighting games, play against people who know how to play fighting games or stop pretending they have informed opinions about fighting games. (And no, memorising a moves list does NOT equate to knowing how to play fighting games.)

Sure, there are some fighting games that are button mashers, but I don't get that vibe from the SSB series. I've had some helluva good duels on it, and I'm hoping the throwing system has been sorted out for this one.

STILL no playable Ridley... that's the biggest downfall for me ;-;

 

[gigirizzi]

This review was terrible, but not because of your opinion of the game. As you yourself pointed out, there was no real point in your reviewing the game as we all already know whether or not we want to purchase it.

No, the real crime here was the lack of funny. I watch Zero Punctuation because it is hilarious, and while I may not always agree with you on everything in general I don't really care because of the high entertainment value. This week you fell down.

Sure, making fun of people who enjoy playing fighting games a lot and becoming good at them is swell and all, but there really isn't enough to make fun of. A lot of this week was simply you insulting the people who asked you to review the game and, while perhaps somewhat justified, it lead to a very uninteresting, boring video. Swearing and dropping giant letters on people is funny and all, but it isn't THAT funny, and that really was all this video had going for it.

You had some great gags - the repetitiveness meaning you should be able to unlock Bill Murray, and the recurring gag where you killed your multiplayer friends and ate their flesh (though it got a bit old after a while, around the time of THAT guy gag I suppose). And while repitition can be good, in this case, like in SSBB's case, it just didn't pay off and lead to an overall lamer experience. And the Gametraders Rubina thing at the beginning just got obnoxious.

I think you spent too much time rawring about how angry you were at having to review the game, and not enough time actually reviewing/insulting the game and coming up with funny gags. So in the future, don't take requests which you're going to resent if it is going to lead to a video as poor as this week's.

This review was the most hilarious of all.

Do you know what's even even more hilarious than that?

Tasting sweet fanboy tears such as yourself.

 

[Pandax]

Dang, I was hoping he'd tell us who the fuck Marth is, because even I don't know.

dude Marth was the main character of the first fire emblem game released in japan only, but i actually like brawl, it is best played with a group of four friends and just let crazy shit happen.

 

[ripper_hugme]

Well I feel dirty, I never actually realised that I am a fanboy of Nintendo (I knew I was Metroid fanboy).

I would like to note I was with the pile of laughing pricks when I first heard of the wii, but I stopped abruptly when I heard it had motion sensing control.

Now I'm off to drag my wood chopping axe to Yhatzee's house, and teach him the meaning of 'R to defend'.

 

[Cosmitzian]

Marth (pronunciation: MAHRT) is a Thuringian municipality in the district of Eichsfeld in Germany, in the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Haustein-Rusteberg.

Easy! >.>

 

[gungrave45]

gold! pure fucking gold review!

 

[stompy]

I know quite a few friends who actually are gonna hate Yahtzee for this... Though, I myself have to agree with Titanium Dragon; not because I like SSBB, but because I laughed a lot more during Condemned than this review.

- A procrastinator

 

[smileyboybob]

i agree with indigo dingo. Sometimes the reviews are funny, but lately i just feel as though hes just hating on games. Yes, i hated brawl and i agree with everything he said but it just wasnt funny. Isnt that what its supposed to be about, the humor?

 

[VeryOblivious]

How was this funny?.

Are you reeeaaaally going to try to discuss why someone laughs at this review? I thought, from your previous post, that you still had some neurones left. I think they all died.