Zero Punctuation: The World Ends With You

[twilight_dweller]

The translators were very good. I was particularly pleased with the Ouendan reference they snuck in.

 

[smallharmlesskitten]

wheres the email adress gone

 

[rougeknife]

wheres the email adress gone

... holidays?

Yathzee?s birthday should be a long weekend. I might just want an want another excuse to get on the piss, but hey, its as good a reason as any for a public holiday.

 

[Iori Branford]

I think it's basically what you think is more fun and how much thinking you want to do
1) pure reading, with which you'll go for a book or visual novel (which is essentially a novel with voices for the characters and pictures for every page), and you'll be thinking throughout.
2) lots of reading but just enough flashy stuff and gameplay to keep you from thinking most of the time, with which you'll turn to JRPG or Anime.
3) not so much reading but a good (sort of) story none-the-less and lots of gameplay to keep your mind occupied, in which case RPG. And last but not least
4) as little reading as possible, which then becomes any other genre.

In short, how much of a novel do you want it to be.

I find it weird (though it is his opinion) that Yahtzee call gaming an art form while so heavily criticizing JRPG. I personally think the writers of GOOD JRPG stories are making more of an artistic expression than any other game except good writers of visual novels. For the amount of art present in a game I say it's ranked #1 visual novels, since they are put under games and not novels for some reason #2 JRPG #3 WRPG and then advanture games and then everything else.
The good ones of course. The bad ones are either Hollywood Flicks or, in the case of visual novels, porn.

Though of course it's been a while since I played JRPG.

If long-winded digital teen pulp fantasy aspires to be more art than real games, it should maybe try getting some real writers (to both write and translate) who actually have a decent command of their art. Which Yahtzee does. Those keyboard-bangers at Square Enix, Bethesda, etc...not so much.

You demand interactive storytelling...

...by people who know how to tell stories, part of which is knowing how much is too much.

 

[DystopiaSticker]

You demand interactive storytelling, yet you HATED Mass Effect.

DURR.

You're right, Lori. I'm sure there's just a small, insignificant amount of people who thought the Mass Effect story was brilliant. It obviously sucked because it had too much to tell. God I hate it when the writers are thorough and make some of the more unnecessary information optional to read.

Dicks.

 

[privatehuff]

I've really started to wonder what qualifies Sir Yahtzee de Nada Punctuacion to hate the entire jRPG genre... Has he played FF3j, FF6, FF7, FFX, and Xenogears? Shining Force I & II? From tactics and disgaea? Ogre-battle to suikoden[sic]? Valkery Profile? That newer Arc the Lad (twilight whatever)? I'd love a "retrospective" on one or all of these during this season-of-bugger-all's-coming-out ^^

 

[meisnewbie]

I am entirely convinced that I hate myself on some extremely fundamental, basic and unhealthy level.

I do not profess to having played many jRPGs, nor being an affici- aficdo- EXPERT on the
genre.
My experience is limited to a misguided run in with Tales of Symphonia, two failed attempts at finishing two Final Fantasy games, one Shadow Hearts game, two Nippon Ichi SRPGs and Persona 3.

THIS IS ENTIRELY IRRELEVANT TO THE POINT OF MY POST.

which is

uh

I think

that one thing

Visual Novels

yeah.

Sure they're like CYOAs

with minimal (read non existent) gameplay
extremely linear progression (OH GOD)
and other things that I'm too bored to explain to the uneducated (THAT WOULD BE OTHER PEOPLE LOL)

But still

Ever17 > Any of your favorite games

 

[Tooky]

Well... I was one of the people that recommended TWEWY for a review, breaking my long-held code of silence that I would never be one of the bleating morons who e-mails Yahtzee demanding he review particular games, slamming his previous reviews of games I like and generally blowing smoke up his arse... he has more than enough fanboys to do that already. The irony that he commands an army of blind-rabid-fanboys to rival Nintendo appears to be lost on him at this point but I digress.

I effing love TWEWY despite only being roughly 40% of the way through it... I think the game is bloody genius and the combat and game mechanic so original and dynamic that I want to tell everyone around me to buy a copy of it immediately... but that's me.

I recommended it for review because whilst I was playing it I was thinking "Here's a title currently receiving critical acclaim for being an amazing new addition to the JRPG genre as well as one of the best titles for the DS to date... not to mention being quite possibly one of the most unashamedly Japanese games to ever see a Western release... Yahtzee would make mince-meat of this game, regardless of whether he ended up liking it or not."

So I e-mailed him with a few points about why I think he'd make an awesome review of this game and was stoked when I saw he'd reviewed it this week.

My verdict: mediocre review at best.

In all honesty, I couldn't care less whether he liked the game or hated it with a burning passion... all I wanted to see was him relentlessly crucify the game in a hilarious manner.

As it stands, the review, whilst damning, wasn't all that funny... the jokes, of which there were few that weren't just lame-bashing of JRPG cliches and game conventions which, for Yahtzee, is basically re-treading old ground... felt rushed and hardly thought through.

Perhaps birthday celebrations left him feeling a mite fuzzy and unable to produce his usual manic monologue.

Anyway, personally I feel a little disappointed by this weeks review, especially as I was looking forward to it so much... but such is life. They can't all be winners.

Happy belated birthday, Yahtzee.

[edit: censored my own potty-mouth]

 

[L4Y Duke]

I must admit I like JRPGs a lot more than a lot of you guys. Two of my favourite RPGs are from Japan, those being Suikoden and Wild Arms.

That's not to say I dislike western RPGs, I also thoroughly enjoyed KotOR and TESIV: Oblivion.

Oh, and also: Did anyone else notice that his sketch of TWEWY 'doing things differently' to other JRPGs had the glasses and hair of the guy who made the Some Punctuation [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XSpPIBvjN4] review?

Finally, with the new format, I can't drag the progress bar any further forward than 8 seconds in, so everytime I manually rewind, I see 'Zero Punctuation reviews The World Ends With You', with the lyrics immediately going "Oh, yes he is!". That, alone, made me laugh.

 

[DreamerM]

I've just discovered Zero Punctuation.

You are very intelligent, Yahtzee. The metaphors, parallels, and jokes you make are all very funny. The problem is I have no time to laugh. What's the point of comedy if I can't enjoy it and laugh at it? I don't think this pacing does anything for your content. Oftentimes I'll miss really good, complex lines or jokes because it went by at the speed of light. I know it's your gimmick but it's still just a gimmick and honestly I think it's numbing your creativity.

This is why I usually watch Yahtzee's reviews numerous times: some of the jokes go by so fast you'll never catch them otherwise. The pause button is your friend.

 

[Le' Moog]

Challenge Anika!! and happy birthday yahtzee

 

[Daymo]

The second i saw you were reviewing this game i knew you were going to criticise the combat.

 

[DantehMan]

You can't not a love a nice obscure British joke!

Good work Yahtzee! and like everyone else who has posted,,,, well the odd few that arnt rambling on about JRPGS,,, Happy Birtday! Its nice to get the odd day off ^_^

 

[Odjin]

As much as I disagree with the hate of JRPGs and so on, I find that this review was great. Of course Yahtzee has many valid points, though I wonder if he looked at Another Day. It practically makes fun of itself right there, since the whole chapter is a huge satire. In any case, I looked at the review merely for Entertainment purposes, since I've already beaten it and developed my own opinions. Still...I find it odd that every time I think of a good game for Yahtzee to review, I doubt it initially, then, next thing I know, it's the latest review (see No More Heroes). I doubted that TWEWY would be reviewed because it was a JRPG, but I was wrong again. Next thing you know, he'll review something like Phoenix Wright just for kicks...I wish...

In a more positive note, Happy Birthday fellow Fedora-wearing comrade! If I knew you better, I'd actually send you the latest Fedora I picked up while I was at New York City.

Nothing wrong with PW. At last they did something differently and they did it well. One of the few Japanese originated games that I can recommend despite the few issues ( like logic-holes and the useless life bar ). Although I would like to see how he thinks about this game especially since it's not a JRPG ( as it is more sort of an Adventure not an RPG ).

 

[Justin Hayabusa]

I find these topics funny. Had Yahtzee said, "I think TWEWY is a solid RPG. Everyone with a DS should pick it up." or something to that extent, everyone would agree.

Gotta love Yahtzee fanboys.

^^^ This. If everyone would stop for one second and think for just a moment, you'd probably remember that about 95% of american RPGs don't let you contribute to the story either. In fact, nearly every game in every genre has you hobbling over from point A to B while your chiseled, square jawed space marine or equivalent shoots cookie cutter enemies only to have a few words of pre-determined dialogue, only to end up at the same final destination no matter what you've done prior to the endgame. Pick your genre, it's still true. If it takes a JRPG to make this obvious to most gamers, then surely you've been playing with your hands over your ears. Or not recognizing that Yahtzee's reviews also double-up as good trolling and everyone rushing to S his D is just plain lulzy.

Haw hee haw hee haw.

I've just discovered Zero Punctuation.

You are very intelligent, Yahtzee. The metaphors, parallels, and jokes you make are all very funny. The problem is I have no time to laugh. What's the point of comedy if I can't enjoy it and laugh at it? I don't think this pacing does anything for your content. Oftentimes I'll miss really good, complex lines or jokes because it went by at the speed of light. I know it's your gimmick but it's still just a gimmick and honestly I think it's numbing your creativity.

And if you are THE Egoraptor, this is sheer wankery. Did you forget about Metal Gear Awesome 1's pacing or were you too busy counting bills from 2's t-shirt sales?

(protip: don't get mad, because I love your shit and bought a shirt)

 

[darthur]

Okay, the majority of people here ragging on JRPGs have little enough idea what they are talking about. How do I know? Well one big clue is most of them start by saying they have never heard of TWEWY. In particular, people saying JRPGs are all the same have probably played little enough outside of FF, and saying all JPRGs are similar because all FFs are similar is like saying all American games are similar because all GTAs are similar. In truth, there is basically nothing in common between, say, Final Fantasy and Super Paper Mario or Earthbound.

Some random comments:
- Stories are all the same? Even bringing this up will surely make me sound super-uncool, but I would argue the main plot of even "kiddy" JRPGs like the Kingdom Hearts series (mainly KH2 and KH:CoM) are more original and more interesting than the vast majority of American RPG plots, certainly including every BioWare game I've ever played (basically everything before Mass Effect).
- Can't control the personality of your main character? True, but this drawback also allows for much more cohesive and personalized storytelling. Besides, the American answer of choosing between good vs evil has now become as repetitive and as gimmicky as anything in the Japanese market. Especially since it likely causes you to forget about character altogether and just "role-play" one decision at a time so as to optimize equipment.
- A lot of stock characters? To some extent, yes. But mainly, this is a problem with people only playing FFs where all characters are made by one guy, and he has trouble coming up with original ideas each game. And, uh, this isn't exactly unique to JRPGs. Or have you never met the evil wizard from American fantasy games?
- Most JRPGs involve saving the world? Well yeah. See also: RPGs from any culture, and indeed, most video games from anywhere.
- Linear? Yep. This is a personal preference - maybe it bothers you, maybe it doesn't. In general, non-linear equates to two things: the good path or the evil path gimmick, or the you can do things in different orders idea. The first is a gimmick, the second can be done badly as often as it can be done well, and in particular, it can lead to not having a cohesive purpose in the story - i.e., just explore until you win the game. There's also non-linear in the sense of optional content of course, but JRPGs have never shied away from that.
- Too many cutscenes? Well there are a lot usually. JRPGs have movie elements. No denying that. But the cutscenes are almost always well done and are usually skippable (helpful after deaths or on second playthroughs), so this is not a bad thing for a lot of people. If you want to be shooting off heads 95% of the time, yes, you picked the wrong game. But it's not like cutscenes should prevent most people from enjoying themselves except in extreme cases.
- Turn-based combat? Usually. Extra level-grinding required? Often not - all that is required is to (a) not run from fights, (b) not skip through areas quickly, and (c) learn how to use your abilities. If you want 100% completion, well then all bets are off, but meh. There certainly are action JRPGs out there too. See for example, Super Paper Mario, Kingdom Hearts, or Okami among recent games.
- Bad translations? Eh, when's the last time you've really played a JRPG? Translations have been fine since the Final Fantasy 3/6 days.

Not that I think anyone really cares. Shrug.

PS: The review was funny as it always is.

 

[Psychedeliasmith]

I got the pink clue - where's the helicopter?

Still can't decide if I want this game, it looked interesting and I don't mind a fair bit of grinding but that bit about the maths/shop really set my teeth on edge.

Also, what's with this ghastly 'OMG you sad fanboy' response to anyone who likes anything that's popular? Is sneering so important? When you die, nobody goes 'Well done! You made cheerful people feel like idiots and didn't enjoy yourself at all, here's an award.' Miserable bunch of nipples.

 

[Malmer]

I'm currently kicking myself throught a couple of non-jrpg (non-gay) RPG's, Kotor 1 and Kotor 2.
Being a couple of hours into the second now, I'm beginning to wonder why I started in the first place, because it sure does feel like a chore...
Oh yes, because it's made by the same guys who made the only RPG's I ever enjoyed, Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale.
That, and it's games that "everybody" must have played.
And it's Star Wars.

I won't get tricked into RPGs as easily next time =(

 

[Undead Dragon King]

Well done, Yahtzee. I salute your GH abilities, I still haven't beaten GH2 on expert.

 

[thetragicclown]

Now this is freaky. Having played TWEWY near-relentlessly, I jokingly asked myself only the other week "I wonder what Yahtzee would say if he reviewed this? Ha! Like that will ever happen. We all know he hates JRPGs with the burning fury of a thousand suns."

Then lo and behold...

I enjoyed the game and am currently working to get all the little secrets, tidbits and other unlockables; something I could never be arsed to do that in any other JRPG. I found TWEWY a nice variation on the standard JRPG formula, and the game even has moments where it makes fun of the genre's cliches ("Squall syndrome", I'm looking at you).

I also immensely enjoyed this review because it was highly entertaining, Yahtzee made valid points about the game, and I'm not a drooling Nintendo fanboy with a Game & Watch lodged in their cerebellum.