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[SovanJedi]

...eh, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, it's what he does.

To return one of his own quotes, it's like getting angry at a dog licking its own testicles. I've gotten over his mad tirades against all walks of gaming life and wish him well in his segregated region of the intarwebs and his loyal fanbase, who believe he is the only person telling us the honest truth about gaming anywhere, ever. It's old, I've moved on, and so should anyone else that doesn't like him.

 

[MMaRsu]

Comon ! Don't be naive pal ! Do you seriously think that games like Assassin's Creed 2 deserve 4,5/10 ?
Do you seriously think Mario kart 7 or Kid Icarus deserve 5/10 ? If those games are average games, then the whole industry is made of average games.
There's reviewers who gives low score just to make talking about them. If you believe the contrary, then you're just naive.

Destructoid or that clown ( sterling I think his name is ) that writes for them on behalf of AC2 is either trolling or that site is a complete joke. I have never visited the site aside from the AC2 review and I don't mean to go there ever again.

Sites like Destructoid may give out low scores for controversy like the AC2 score but I refuse to believe reviewers/magazines do this on a regular basis. Do you think EDGE is too elite and only gives bad grades because they want people talking about Edge? Of course not man. Like I said Destructoid is a joke site.

Also, we see a lot of "Nintendo is doomed" "Nintendo going third party" "Nintendo should go iOS" or any other articles/statement like this. Did you see those equivalents with Sony or Microsoft ? I don't think so.

Please show me some posts from the last month that had any of these statements. Or articles from other sites for that matter.

I agreed with every single word they wrote about AC2. That game was horrible.

Oh come on, it was better in ALL aspects when looking at it from AC1. If you cannot see that honestly you must have been temporarily blinded while playing it. Sure you may not enjoy it, but a 4.5 is for a game that's honestly broken and in pretty much no way enjoyable.

These are titles worthy of a 4.5, not AC2. Even presentation wise that game deserves above a 5.

The first words out of his mouth following that were describing Kid Icarus as a "shit game for twats."

Please don't try and portray Yahtzee as some deeply sincere, utterly even handed and unbiased critic being picked on by the Nintendo fanboys, because no one will agree with you, least of all Yahtzee himself.

Uhm certainly not deeply sincere, but inbiased critic? YES. I don't think at all he's biased towards a single company. I think he enjoys GOOD GAMES.

Where did you get from my post I was painting him a a deeply sincere critic? LOL

Whereas I'm mildly annoyed by Yahtzee fans dogmatically holding him up as the One True Voice and taking his word as gospel, right down to agreeing with him on a game that they've done nothing with but watch a gameplay video or two; particularly considering that his main complaint (the controls) are not something that can be accurately assessed by watching gameplay.

The gameplay didnt look interesting to me, the controls were not something that I even cared about while watching. And wtf does it even matter on what basis I decide the game is not for me? I will gladly take Yahtzee's word over many a reviewer, but I don't hold reviews up as some holy grail on which I decide if I buy a game or not.

 

[GhostTrick]

I agreed with every single word they wrote about AC2. That game was horrible.

Really, I'm not a fan of Assassin's Creed, but seriously, calling this game an "horrible game" means you don't know what is an "horrible game".

 

[drspeedy]

people hate on Yahtzee? This concerns me...

They know the persona is all in good fun, right?

 

[GhostTrick]

Destructoid or that clown ( sterling I think his name is ) that writes for them on behalf of AC2 is either trolling or that site is a complete joke. I have never visited the site aside from the AC2 review and I don't mean to go there ever again.

Sites like Destructoid may give out low scores for controversy like the AC2 score but I refuse to believe reviewers/magazines do this on a regular basis. Do you think EDGE is too elite and only gives bad grades because they want people talking about Edge? Of course not man. Like I said Destructoid is a joke site.



Please show me some posts from the last month that had any of these statements. Or articles from other sites for that matter.

I'm not saying that ALL reviewers do this. I'm just saying some reviewers are starting to do like this.
About those statements, just look at this:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gamification/is-wii-u-the-new-sega-dreamcast/452
http://www.destructoid.com/pachter-suggests-the-wii-u-may-be-nintendo-s-dreamcast-223757.phtml
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2011/12/23/nintendo-i-love-you-but-its-time-to-switch-to-ios/

And there's a lot more. Also, may I recall all those rumors saying Wii U will be underpowered etc ?

 

[Petrichor]

people hate on Yahtzee? This concerns me...

They know the persona is all in good fun, right?

I don't mind jokes at the expense of games or game devs as long as they're actually funny, and that's the problem with yahtzee: he's a poor man's charlie brooker.

 

[diffusionx]

Really, I'm not a fan of Assassin's Creed, but seriously, calling this game an "horrible game" means you don't know what is an "horrible game".

It looked pretty and wasn't buggy but it takes a lot more to make a competent game (I would score a competent game a 5 or 6). Everything else about it was trash. This thread isn't actually about Assassin's Creed, but I think in general the gaming media is far too kind to too many games. It's like you are spotted 7 out of 10 if your game boots up and your character does something when you press a button.

Oh come on, it was better in ALL aspects when looking at it from AC1. If you cannot see that honestly you must have been temporarily blinded while playing it. Sure you may not enjoy it, but a 4.5 is for a game that's honestly broken and in pretty much no way enjoyable.

No, see, I disagree - "honestly broken and in pretty much no way enjoyable" is more like a 1 or a 2. I didn't find AC2 enjoyable at all. I think the game, honestly, was just as bad as AC1, just in different ways. Even the few things AC1 did right (like the assassination stagings) were completely bungled in AC2. The stuff AC2 added was mostly terrible. It was a bad game and I was honestly flummoxed by the warm reception it got.

 

[Shiloa]

Oh come on, it was better in ALL aspects when looking at it from AC1. If you cannot see that honestly you must have been temporarily blinded while playing it. Sure you may not enjoy it, but a 4.5 is for a game that's honestly broken and in pretty much no way enjoyable.

These are titles worthy of a 4.5, not AC2. Even presentation wise that game deserves above a 5.

This is so beyond clueless I don't know what to say. By what means does an arbitrary number over 5 automatically get assigned to certain games? I'd be willing to be I've had more fun with certain shovelware titles than some blockbusters. How the hell do you assign 4.5, a totally meaningless number, to things you've never played?

 

[MMaRsu]

This is so beyond clueless I don't know what to say. By what means does an arbitrary number over 5 automatically get assigned to certain games? I'd be willing to be I've had more fun with certain shovelware titles than some blockbusters. How the hell do you assign 4.5, a totally meaningless number, to things you've never played?

Pff I just typed in shovelware in google and copy pasted it, fuck I'm just trying to make a point.

I will just bail out of this topic, goddamn internet warriors wont let up.

And 5 because it's the half of 10 review scale.. For me personally all the amazing details, the atmosphere etc in AC2 is enough, I could walk around for hours and just absorb the atmosphere and it was amazing. But whatever.

 

[Riposte]

Is that Christopher Walken on the cover of "Balls of Fury"...?


Anyway, the only really annoying thing about this is that if IGN is incompetent then it is a mistake worth picking at, if Yahtzee is incompetent it is humor. Yahtzee can be a comedian over a critic if he wants and that doesn't bother me, but what does bug me is when people try to act like he is saying us from the videogame journos. He is just as bad, and honestly probably a lot worse (the level of his incompetence is the exception to the rule when it comes to published reviews, e.g. IGN's God Hand). Trying to tell me we should cut him some slack because he is more negative usually makes you look real silly. That's simply the contrarian in you taking the reins and dumbing down your critical thinking.

I don't mind jokes at the expense of games or game devs as long as they're actually funny, and that's the problem with yahtzee: he's a poor man's charlie brooker.

Damn... he really is, isn't he? lol

 

[Mael]

Destructoid or that clown ( sterling I think his name is ) that writes for them on behalf of AC2 is either trolling or that site is a complete joke. I have never visited the site aside from the AC2 review and I don't mean to go there ever again.

Sites like Destructoid may give out low scores for controversy like the AC2 score but I refuse to believe reviewers/magazines do this on a regular basis. Do you think EDGE is too elite and only gives bad grades because they want people talking about Edge? Of course not man. Like I said Destructoid is a joke site.



Please show me some posts from the last month that had any of these statements. Or articles from other sites for that matter.



Oh come on, it was better in ALL aspects when looking at it from AC1. If you cannot see that honestly you must have been temporarily blinded while playing it. Sure you may not enjoy it, but a 4.5 is for a game that's honestly broken and in pretty much no way enjoyable.

These are titles worthy of a 4.5, not AC2. Even presentation wise that game deserves above a 5.



Uhm certainly not deeply sincere, but inbiased critic? YES. I don't think at all he's biased towards a single company. I think he enjoys GOOD GAMES.

Where did you get from my post I was painting him a a deeply sincere critic? LOL



The gameplay didnt look interesting to me, the controls were not something that I even cared about while watching. And wtf does it even matter on what basis I decide the game is not for me? I will gladly take Yahtzee's word over many a reviewer, but I don't hold reviews up as some holy grail on which I decide if I buy a game or not.

Am I the only one finding it funny that the guy arguing for Yahtzee's right to review however he wants is giving shit to another critic because he didn't grade one of his beloved game as well as he think it should be?

 

[MMaRsu]

Am I the only one finding it funny that the guy arguing for Yahtzee's right to review however he wants is giving shit to another critic because he didn't grade one of his beloved game as well as he think it should be?

Yahtzee's reviews are all in good fun. Sterlings reviews read like a child wrote it. They are meant to be taken seriously. Yahtzee's reviews? Not so much.

I'm also certain there were plenty of faults in his AC2 review, but I havent read it in years.

 

[Mael]

Yahtzee's reviews are all in good fun. Sterlings reviews read like a child wrote it. They are meant to be taken seriously. Yahtzee's reviews? Not so much.

I'm also certain there were plenty of faults in his AC2 review, but I havent read it in years.

Then I'd say Yahtzee is actually as good as the guy you're railing, I mean I won't critic his reviews based on whether or not they're accurate but more on whether or not it's actually funny, witty and relevant.
Most of the time, they're painfully not.

 

[Hari Seldon]

I love Yahtzee's reviews and he is usually completely spot on with his criticisms.

 

[Sadist]

So yeah. I understand his gripes with the controls though.

 

[Criminal Upper]

Yahtzee's reviews are all in good fun. Sterlings reviews read like a child wrote it. They are meant to be taken seriously. Yahtzee's reviews? Not so much.

I'm also certain there were plenty of faults in his AC2 review, but I havent read it in years.

If Yahtzee's reviews aren't MEANT to be taken seriously, why are you taking them seriously, and saying that KI sucks? Despite you know, not playing it, and not really knowing anything about it aside from two gameplay videos?

I don't get it.

 

[28 Posts Later]

ARGUING ABOUT JOKE CHARACTERS!!!! RAAAAAGH!!!

The problem with Yahtzee is that even he doesn't seem to know how to play his character. One minute he has a column that discusses game design [Extra Punctuation I believe it was called, no idea if he still writes for it], is making an indie game, deriding the gaming media and so forth; the next minute he's claiming he has to be overly negative to keep people watching [but then you have certain videos that contradict that], and uses his column to taunt those that disagree with his opinion with childish glee.

He plays both ends, as you can see from this thread. You have some that argue his opinion is genuine and should be respected, others that claim it's all an act. His hardcore fans switch between the two when appropriate. If Yahtzee himself doesn't seem to know what he is how should the general audience?

He has stated he's trying to ape Charlie Brooker, whose shows, whilst satirical, likely do display Brooker's opinion on the topic at hand. With Yahtzee I'm never quite sure if he genuinely feels that way or if he's playing up to a negativity quota he feels he has to meet for people to find the content entertaining. Brooker [at least on screenwipe] wasn't as cynical and due to the content discussed not as repetitive with his complaints.

 

[MMaRsu]

If Yahtzee's reviews aren't MEANT to be taken seriously, why are you taking them seriously, and saying that KI sucks? Despite you know, not playing it, and not really knowing anything about it aside from two gameplay videos?

I don't get it.

JESUS CHRIST

Where did I say it SUCKS?

I SAID IT DIDNT LOOK THAT GREAT TO ME.

Just because Yahtzee's reviews arent meant to be taken a 100% seriously it does not mean he has no valid criticisms.

I don't get what ME not liking what the game looks/plays like has to do ANYTHING with ZP or Destructoid, I don't write reviews, I just posted something saying the game did not look great to me. Not based on ZP's review, but based on gameplay videos I have checked out, which is good enough to get an impression of the gameplay.

Honestly Im baling out this thread is like a ban waiting to happen :x you guys just dont get it.

 

[Criminal Upper]

JESUS CHRIST

Where did I say it SUCKS?

I SAID IT DIDNT LOOK THAT GREAT TO ME.

Just because Yahtzee's reviews arent meant to be taken a 100% seriously it does not mean he has no valid criticisms.

Whao, calm down there buddy!

So, to summarize:

His reviews are not meant to be taken seriously.

But they're still valid.

He starts the review saying that the game is made for twats.

Which is a valid point.

But don't take that seriously.

Honestly Im baling out this thread is like a ban waiting to happen :x you guys just dont get it.

I guess we don't.

We take things too seriously.

 

[WallJump]

Game was ridiculously good. Best action game I've played in years. Too bad he couldn't enjoy it like I did.

I used to watch his stuff all the time because I thought his shtick was hilarious. Then I just stopped for some reason. Maybe I just got tired of all the hate? It's so cool these days to piss all over someone else's product under the guise of "critic", maybe I just got tired of people getting famous for it.

Yahtzee is trying to have his cake and eat it too, with "don't take my reviews too seriously because it's just my shtick, but yeah, take it seriously anyway". It's a double standard I've grown to hate in blogging.

 

[MMaRsu]

Whao, calm down there buddy!

So, to summarize:

His reviews are not meant to be taken seriously.

But they're still valid.

He starts the review saying that the game is made for twats.

Which is a valid point.

But don't take that seriously.



I guess we don't.

We take things too seriously.

Sorry man I'm just pissed at my posts being taken out of context or worded differenly all of a sudden.


So, to summarize:

He makes reviews in a jokingly fashion which you should NOT decide if you want to buy the game on, but he does offer valid criticisms in most of those reviews.

 

[Exterminieren]

I don't mind jokes at the expense of games or game devs as long as they're actually funny, and that's the problem with yahtzee: he's a poor man's charlie brooker.

He's admitted he's heavily influenced by Brooker in the past.

This is no bad thing, but I'd argue that they're separated by the fact that Brooker's vitriol comes from a sense of optimism about the industry he's writing about (TV), and his ability to praise programmes even if they aren't totally flawless- Doctor Who, 24, hell, even early Big Brother. He's not afraid to approach a topic without cynicism if he doesn't feel it deserves it; note his superb analysis of Oliver Postgate's work, a sort of reviewing that Yahtzee wouldn't touch with a bargepole. His accentuating of the negatives in his reviews serve to contrast against what he likes, unlike Yahtzee, who has a long and noted history of marginalising or ignoring positives he finds in games in favour of harping on about the negatives.

I find both men's bodies of work hilarious, but I think Brooker is streets ahead of Yahtzee in terms of being a critic.

He's called a few games, "a shit game for twats."

Yeah, I know he has. Doesn't make it any less antagonistic when he does it this time.

I may not agree with the vitriol that some Nintendo/ Kid Icarus fans have clearly been applying in the comments, but Yahtzee's no idiot; you expect a backlash when describing a portion of the viewers as twats. This is hardly surprising.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

How does playing a video game, even on a desktop, give you back pain? I'm having a hard time visualizing this.

 

[Akainu]

The first words out of his mouth following that were describing Kid Icarus as a "shit game for twats."

He's called a few games, "a shit game for twats."

 

[SmokyDave]

He makes reviews in a jokingly fashion which you should NOT decide if you want to buy the game on, but he does offer valid criticisms in most of those reviews.

I agree with this. Yahtzee is there for when you finish a game and you want to hear his rant and whether it lines up roughly with your experience. He often points out genuine foibles / annoyances.

I knew there'd be fallout after I heard the KI review. It seems some groups take this sort of thing very seriously indeed.

 

[Boss Doggie]

Shockingly, his impressions have a tendency to be subjective.

With that said, criticizing him has a tendency to be a catch 22.

"I thought his review is crap."
"Well it's not supposed to be a review."
"Yeah, even if he's supposed to be funny, I just couldn't laugh at it."
"Don't you see, it's supposed to be like that!"

I find it hilarious though, that his fans are blind that they employ the same things they accuse to the other fans.

 

[Mr. B Natural]

Shockingly, his impressions have a tendency to be subjective.

With that said, criticizing him has a tendency to be a catch 22.

"I thought his review is crap."
"Well it's not supposed to be a review."
"Yeah, even if he's supposed to be funny, I just couldn't laugh at it."
"Don't you see, it's supposed to be like that!"

I find it hilarious though, that his fans are blind that they employ the same things they accuse to the other fans.

Wait, who said this?
They're criticisms. Yes, they're suppose to be funny with a mouthful of truth added. Nobody is mad at anyone for not finding him funny.

 

[Boss Doggie]

Wait, who said this?
They're criticisms. Yes, they're suppose to be funny with a mouthful of truth added. Nobody is mad at anyone for not finding him funny.

You should look at that ZP thread. I recall seeing them post there

 

[ScraftyDevil]

but he does offer valid criticisms in most of those reviews.

 

[Jokeropia]

The general response to Yahtzee's reviews is a good demonstration of why Nintendo fanboys are particularly insufferable.

Rule of thumb; calling out any specific group of fanboys as especially bad is generally a sign of personal fanboyism.

 

[Boss Doggie]

Rule of thumb; calling out any specific group of fanboys as particularly bad is generally a sign of personal fanboyism.

Exactly - those people clamoring that are hilariously "Yahtzombies" who would defend him tooth and nail.

 

[Eppy Thatcher]

He's always pretty funny. Even when he shits on some of my favorites.

It's like watching Penn and Teller: Bullshit - It's easy to be all about it when they go off about how dumb religion or Ghandi or racism is or whatever... but then it gets to how you are raising your kids or your political views or something that you hold dear then all of a sudden they aren't funny or their show sucks? .. nah.. just don't hold so tightly to your little personal preference opinions and most of his stuff is freakin great. I mean shit he tore some of my favs apart at the seems but I still laugh. Even if he is making a mountain out of a molehill the molehill is USUALLY a legit issue a lot of people will have with the game...

and it sounds like the controls in general for Icarus are pretty easy to make fun of ... soooo...

 

[ScreenSplitter]

People who click on a Zero Punctuation review of their favourite games thinking positive things are going to be said are really missing the fucking point.

 

[Marlowe89]

I think a rather humorous thing about this thread is that it plainly reveals upfront that some people do, in fact, go on message boards to complain about games they've never played.

 

[Des0lar]

His Kid Icarus review is the most accurate one I've seen, schtick or not, but whether I agree with his reviews or not, or he hates on a game I like or not, it doesn't make a difference to me. I'm generally entertained either way, because the pussy game media at large loves to give games passes, and I'm glad to hear one person who gleefully eviscerates products left and right without a care. It's his schtick, but because game journalism is such a mess, it still feels fresh by comparison. The game media at large is the one that is impossible to take seriously.

He may not be for real, but his reviews are still the only one I can actually learn something from. His reviews are far more true than most "review" sites.

 

[Drencrom]

Just watched the episode, entertaining as usual. I don't get why some people took this particular episode so serious, it's pretty much like any other 'review' he done (except the few ones he's either indifferent or pleased). Also why are some insistent that he's biased btw, he's hating on nearly every game.

lol @ little angel twat

 

[Akainu]

I think a rather humorous thing about this thread is that it plainly reveals upfront that some people do, in fact, go on message boards to complain about games they've never played.

Did you not play Fez? Is that why you edited your post?

 

[Boss Doggie]

Just watched the episode, entertaining as usual. I don't get why some people took this particular episode so serious, it's pretty much like any other 'review' he done (except the few ones he's either indifferent or pleased). Also why are some insistent that he's biased btw, he's hating on nearly every game.

It's more on being predictable that he's losing (well lost) his laugh-out-loud-ness.

 

[Marlowe89]

Did you not play Fez? Is that why you edited your post?

I was pointing out that Fez fits the indie bill. I wasn't complaining about it - ultimately, I realized that the subject of whether Yahtzee is biased or not is one forever doomed to run around in circles.

And what's with all the "lol little angel twat" posts? Are you people seriously that easily amused?

 

[Conor 419]

Bar the fact he does.

 

[PolarBearsClub]

Not sure why people assume that his reviews are just one big joke. Yeah, they are funny, but it's not hard to be funny and honest if you are good at writing. Dude freely admits when he likes a game. The Dragon's Age review comes to mind: he complained about the lack of anything original, poked fun at the story, but said that it was still a fun game that he gladly put a ton of hours into. Yeah he is joking when he says a game makes him want to light is dong on fire, but I think he's being 100% serious when he says that the game has a shit control scheme.

I don't always agree with him, and a lot of things that drive him crazy I don't really have a problem with. I am cool with that. Videogames need more critics that nitpick. Several "universally praised" games shouldn't come out every year.

 

[ScraftyDevil]

Bar the fact he does.

C'mon, man. He even admitted in his Portal review that he nitpicks and actively seeks out elements he doesn't like just so he can make jokes about them.

I stopped taking his opinion seriously once he started attacking and insulting the intelligence of certain fanbases. No matter what walk of life you're from, that's just childish and cruel.

 

[Gravijah]

i was under the impression that he was playing a character.

 

[jooey]

i was under the impression that he was playing a character.

no, he really does wear that hat in public

 

[Sapphire Dreams]

I agree with him, I take his reviews into consideration for the most part.

 

[krameriffic]

I like listening to his rants even though he has taken huge dumps on my most favorite games. If we are allowed to mention people we think has a schtick that got tired fast, it's avgn, IMO.

I feel that the quality of the AVGN's videos has dropped significantly. He no longer seems to be genuinely pissed off at the games he's reviewing, he's just making a video review of them where he pretends to yell about stuff. It's like he's become an impersonator of himself, and he's bad at impersonating a guy who gets mad at games.

Production values, HD video and a higher level of analyticity about the games he's reviewing (as if anyone gives a shit about analyzing 20 year old Nintendo games) have overtaken the schtick that make him good. AVGN lost his soul. Yahtzee does basically the exact same thing he has done for the last 5 years, which is a bad thing in its own way.

I don't see why he bothers responding.

The crazy Nintendo/Sony fans will always be fucking crazy. Nothing you say or do will change that. Many GAF threads have taught me this.

This can be extended to the fans of ANY game, not just company. I still have nightmares about the levels of pure unadulterated stupid on display in the Uncharted 3 review thread.

 

[Kokonoe]

Just tried out this game, and stopped 10 minutes in due the controls. I usually give games quite a bit of time, but I agree that the controls are pretty bad.

 

[ghibli99]

Just tried out this game, and stopped 10 minutes in due the controls. I usually give games quite a bit of time, but I agree that the controls are pretty bad.

I gave it an hour last night. Wanted to chuck my 3DS. Could not, for the life of me, find a control layout (even customized) that felt good. I'm a left-hander, though, so I think the problems are exacerbated in my case.

 

[Don'tBeWeird]

Yup, I too, couldn't get on with the game at all. I played it for fifteen minutes, then put it down. Haven't touched it since.

 

[Jenga]

dear yahtzee:


please make more games, i enjoyed them