Monday, November 14, 2011

EPISODE 60: "NINJAMAGEDDON" (aka "The Mailbag Show")

Episode 60 can now be viewed by EVERYONE here! Did you're questions make the cut? Watch it and find out!

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

Darn, my question didn't get answered. Oh well, great episode bob, but I think the fight scenes would have been more effective if the whole fight was at the end of the episode rather than in pieces throughout. Also, wish we could have seen the cyrothinker's head sliced off like the reference suggests. And let me guess, Chaos Emeralds next,right?
Great work.

Ed

Josh said...

I know I should probably post something more constructive, but all I could think about is that you and I have the same toaster (or whoever's toaster it is).

Actually, I do have one thing. Mailbag was whatever, you answered questions that's how that stuff works. To have a more over-the-top Ninja fight you should have killed them a whole bunch of times. It would give it a very old-school martial arts movie feel with endless identical enemies and hey they're made of straw so any stabs can just be shrugged off right?

Anyway, good work I'll keep on watching.

Andrew said...

My question got answered! I'm internet famous now, right?!

Furore said...

Dear Mr Chipman,
I haven't commented in a while - not because you didn't merit comment, but because of crazy life things sapping my health bar.
But! Here's my fifth-of-a-dime.

I find that your entries into the canon of Intarwubs Reviewars remain among the very strongest, and for gamers, the most important.

Ever since RevRants finished, and ExtraCredits got exiled to PA (HOORAY PATV!), your show is more important than ever.

But this mailbag episode is my favourite for about a year now. I just got done with a GO archive trawl, from the start up until roughly the AntiThinker saga (I only stopped there because it was recent history to me). And I really think this is your strength when it comes to this show, among your many shows (all of which I watch and enjoy).
I love it when you stick to the topic, give your opinion, do your research, distinguish between objective and subjective factors, and manage that sweet balance between INFORM and ENTERTAIN.

Uh. Okay. I've tried to lead to a point, but I wonder if I have one.
If not, take this: DUDE! SWEET!

Kyle said...

*your

Kyle said...

Episode 6 was the first episode of yours I ever watched, and is probably one of my favorites. Really looking forward to what else you might have to say.

Great episode, man. (this one, I mean)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for answering my question, Bob. It's been great watching you all through the years, and I plan to keep on watching.
I hope to get myself on the Webosphere one of these days with videos about the things I love. Know that you continue to inspire overthinkers everywhere.

-75percentg

webfox100 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
webfox100 said...

Could those gems be chaos emeralds which would lead the GO on a quest to collect all 7 to become SUPER OVERTHINKER? Maybe not...

pointPi said...

I was fairly surprised you answered Latin America on my question. Let's hope the next AAA game addressing the Mexican drug war actually is from Mexico rather than say Poland (I'm looking at you, 'Call of Juarez').

Anonymous said...

Game consoles will not end as a separate device, but as a system-on-a-chip integrated into your TV itself.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the Muslim answer, but I feel like I need to point out one big exception. Assassin's Creed. That is all.

ScrewAttackSamus said...

I do agree that there is no one way to tell a story in a game. Hell, one of the best narratives I've seen this gen is in the Blazblue series and that's told via nothing but text and talking heads.

Morality systems are also getting to be an overused gimmick that doesn't amount to much. So far the only time I ever saw it affect stuff later (y'know, BESIDES the ending) in a game was with Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together.

And yes, Islamic culture needs some more heroes.

KevinCV said...

I'm actually kinda glad you didn't pick mine. It was a spur-of-the-moment nerdy question that just sprung to mind. But whatever, I still enjoyed this vid. Looking forward to the next one, Bob. Keep up the brilliant work! Still kinda wondering where you got that awesome Goomba shirt, though... XD

Smashmatt202 said...

You got to answering those questions and releasing this video relatively quickly... I'm impressed.

Ooo, the "Oversword", real creative name.

The Overthinker's cloud looks different than before... A lot more puffy, and three-dimensional...

How did the Overthinker know where to meet the ninjas? Also, pointing out that they spend an awful lot of time in daylight is COMPLETELY POINTLESS, giving the colors they wear. But then again, completely pointless just about sums up the storyline altogether, so I guess it fits.

I love how pathetic the ninajs are. XP

Does Pyrothinker really think a stick is going to stand a chance against a sword? Well, yeah, I suppose if you wield it well enough, it's a worthy weapon, and since the Overthinker is a fat nerd with no REAL combat experience whatsoever, I guess it's an even match-up. Also, why does Cryothinker have an axe? It doesn't look particularly Eastern...

Whatever, lets get to the questions... actually, MovieBob hasn't done another mailbag episode for his Big Picture episode yet. Maybe he should.

WHOA! That was abrupt! Fighting ninjas, then suddenly, with no introduction, he gets to the question! Okay, then...

Moral Choice... I like what Yahtzee says about them, namely that it either comes down to good or bad choices and not real moral choices that really makes you think about your actions, but rather, it makes you think about what kind of ending will I get, or what special items will this action give me. Although for me, personally, I usually go with the good choices, regardless. I'm a good guy at heart.

Oh GOD do I hate G4... Oh well, so much for a TV network about video games. :/

Black & White Bob answering the IP question? Is that supposed to be, like, inside of his mind or something?

Oh yeah, sound! Like voices! I try watching Marz Girl on TGWTG, but her voice annoys my so much that I can't watch a whole episode! It's funny, sound has ALWAYS been one of the most important elements of any visual or audio medium, but no one really things about it... I remember watching how they would make up sound effects for classic movies and old radio shows. A lot of creativity went into them!

Oh man, a Toad video game would be AWESOME! But aside from Wario's Woods, he hasn't really played the hero much, save Super Mario Bros. 2. :(

I can TOTALLY understand why Bob does his own thing here, and really, he can, I mean, it's his show, and like he said, it's experimental, so he can decide what works and what doesn't work. Personally, I don't think the storylines or "original characters" work... But I freaking LOVE the GWhiz stuff, and he should TOTALLY do more of that! XD

Quick-time events... The scourge of gamers everywhere! >:(

It's true, Bob has ALWAYS been a love him/hate him kind of guy, and all of his material reflects that. What bothers me is that he's trying to shoe-horn in some stupid, lame storyline into what was once a more thought-provoking show with some mild humor to it. But now I guess we have The Big Picture for that, so there you go.

Smashmatt202 said...

He DOES have a point, thought, in that there was more negative feedback over his more "classic" style of Overthinking than the storylines, which now are mostly mild annoyances, since there's still mostly overthinking and I've pretty much accepted that Bob's going to do his own thing and I shouldn't bother trying to convince him otherwise.

Super Mario Bros. 3? A perfect game? Oh GOD I hope he answers me question next!

I see Bob agrees with Jim Sterling about the way publishers deal with used games... bastards.

Poor Pyrothinker, I actually feel bad for him. :(

"It's MAGIC, BITCH!"

Wait, so what happened to Cyrothinker? Isn't he going to try an attack the Overthinker for killing his brother? Also, should Ivan already know what that Red Thing is? Or at least what it MIGHT be?

Mmm, okay, when might see a sequel to Pr0n! Cool! Also, most of his older episodes I don't really like revisiting, ironically enough, because he seemed a bit too immature looking back at them.

The way Islam and Muslims are represented in games reminds me of how Indian/Native Americans were represented in television and westerns back in the day... Kind of hard to watch them again... At one day in the future, we'll do the same for these kinds of games.

Mm, difficulty... I like Jim Sterling's take on them when he talked about Kirby's Epic Yarn.

Wow... It's scary to think that there will be no video game consoles in the future... But no matter what, I'll still try and support Nintendo no matter what shape or form they take.

WHOA! The Cryothinker's roll there looked a little painful...

Um... "Gamer Entitlement"? What's THAT mean? Nevermind, I don't think I want to know...

Oh, wow, a third country with as much influence on the video game industry as Japan and the US? That would be AWESOME! No really, I like that idea. I think it's great that there will be more of an input from other nations and their ideas in an interactive medium like this, to see some new and different, you know?

Honestly, I never really thought of Latin America. Hell, that didn't even come to my mind until Bob mentioned it.

OH OH OH OH! MY QUESTION! HOLY CRAP, HE ANSWERED MY QUESTION! Thank you so much! :D

"What the best way to tell stories in video games? There is no right way." Good answer! ;)

Nice mailbox, we should do this again sometime! And once again, thanks for answering my question.

I wonder if that Blue Thing will play a roll in a future Overthinker episode... Actually, these storylines are getter better, and after I got over my knee-jerk reaction to it, I think I've actually come to accept and enjoy these... if only to make fun of how stupid they are. I'm actually looking forward to the quest of finding out the origins of those jewels... I guess I'm finally having fun, like Bob is making these things.

BTW, that Desmond guy's a real pal for helping you film this stuff, it's nice to know you have good friends who will help you with your videos.

And your brother is awesome as always.

Anonymous said...

I thought you going to say that the reason why Pyrothinker doesn't set himself on fire was the fact that he was running under "video game logic", which in itself doesn't make any sense.

But I admit, "Magic" is way more funny.

Anonymous said...

>Dark Souls too hard for moviebob

confirmed for casual

assman said...

I know where the gems come from! Look for a statue of a tiger with missing eyes.

Fandango said...

Dude, you said islam is misrepresented in games and then you show Assassin's Creed. Smooth move, genius. asscreed is prolly the one game that does Islam right the most.

theGamingBeast said...

As much as I know that you wont awnser this, here is my two cents.

This episode was pretty good and I personally like the storyline segments, and enjoy the work you put in into your Captain N homage. The questions were well picked, with one exeption. I dont care you didnt choose my question, my problem is rather you havent awnsered a single question relating to the minority of your fanbase, PC Gamers. I dont know if you are going to read this, but hear me out:

You yourself said that one has to try to view the world from alternative viewpoints. "Gamers" does not mean exclusivly console gamers, it means anyone who games (meaning rpg, board, wargames etc), but at bare minimum it means PC gamers, when you are talking about virtual games. Computer games and Console games are more or less the SAME thing! Yes there are some major differences. But Consoles are computer made for gaming and a computer can be made into a potential console. I understand its "not your thing" but if you talk about the gaming culture, the gaming industry and the game as a medium, you simply must incorporate computer gaming. Youre the one always talking about how bad xenophobia and discrimination is, so please .live up too youre word.

This is just my opinion, and this doesnt mean I don't like youre show or you as a person (which I cant do since I havent met you) its just a constructive critique that I wanted to get rid of.

Keep up the good work and may the Deathmug of Doom be with you. ;)

Dr. Thinker said...

You said that Nintendo will become a third-party game creator in the future.

Well, if I recall something that happen around the time of Sega's switch to third-party game creator and got asked that same question.

I don't know if the following quote is correct version.

"If we stop making consoles, we exiting the game market."


Chew on the above phrase and rethink your answer that question.

Logging off,
Dr.Thinker

P.S. Good show anyway. Kept up the good work.

Antonio Black said...

Wow.
The credits sequence warped me back to a simpler time for a moment. I felt the nostalgia wash over me. Credits sequences will never be the same...

Popcorn Dave said...

Good episode, I think the Q&A worked a lot better than the Big Picture one you did a while back, since you got into the meat of the matter a bit more. Some pretty good answers actually! Between this and today's Big Picture it's nice to see you back on form again.

I especially like your idea about enemies surrendering, running away or making suicide runs depending on how violent or forgiving you were in earlier missions. I'd like to see a Gears of War type game subtly slip it in as a behind-the-scenes AI mechanic, although I think realistically it would mostly boil down to metagaming as players tried to figure out which result was "best" instead of which one fit with their moral values. But hey - that's gamers for ya.

You might want to consider games with "faction" based moral choice systems, though. They're a slightly more simplistic version of what you outlined, with your choices being rated according to how much each faction approves of them rather than a binary good/evil scale.

Jannie said...

Not much to say, was a relatively inoffensive episode again.

I will say this, I completely disagree that a gaming network wouldn't work. I think it would--you just need to make a REAL network, no "tips and tricks and cheats" or shit like that but real shows.

Pick some indie company, follow them for a while as they try to make a game, or even a famous one like Valve or Gearbox or whatever, make a reality show of it. Have you HEARD some of the stuff that happened during the Duke Nukem Forever development? Or LA Noire? That'd make an awesome reality tv show.

Or get, say, Madden experts to play a live sports game on Sundays, and have frequent live gaming segments like Screwin Around over on ScrewAttack. Every day or every week, get EA to go along with it so during the, I don't know, MW3 Hour every week only EA trailers and games are advertised and the same for say Nintendo games or whatever so as to make money off it too.

Go to all the cons, run your own, follow the people setting them up. What does it take to make E3? Show it every year, and then do a live show from the floor, and have content for On Demand where you can see trailers and stuff you missed. Same with, say, Comic Con or PAX and so on.

Get shows like, well, like this or Extra Credits and Spoony Experiment or Angry Joe and have them come on and do their shows weekly as thirty minute episodes. Get well known reviewers like Jim Sterling and Ben Crenshaw, hell even you Bob, to do pow wows and report gaming news and give reviews on games. Follow the live events like the debuts of new games and do live shows from the store where they sell.

Do documentaries on gaming people like Gabe Newel (of Valve) or bios on famous gaming voice actors like John St. John from Duke Nukem or John DiMaggio from Gears of War.

I could go on...you get the idea. There is a wealth of stuff to talk about besides giving people cheat codes and shit. Frankly it'd be an awesome network.

Jannie said...

Oh and also, really, what the fuck was with using Richie Rich as a "entitlement kid"?

Montana Max? Ok. Princess Morebucks? Sure why not.

Richie Rich? Really? REALLY!!?

Richie Rich was a wonderful kid. He was rich as fuck, hilariously so, and all he ever did was help people and be nice to folks he didn't even know and use his money to help those in need. He was the archetypal Spoiled Sweet character who basically cared about his friends and family more than money and put his dick on the chopping block for them every other day in some wacky adventure.

If he has a sense of entitlement then Jesus Christ was a downright snob!

Jannie said...

Ghetto edit: Also my video fucked up in the last five minutes so I don't know if he answered my question or not though I doubt it. I also don't know if there were any questions after that I may or may not have wanted to comment on, so whatever...

Trilliandi said...

Heeeey Bob, completely unrelated here, but PETA just turned their crazy-ass lazer sights on your best friend in the whole wide world... just thought you oughta know...

Popcorn Dave said...

Oh yeah, could you turn off the auto-play on this video? It's really annoying having an unskippable advert start playing every time I just want to check the comments section.

Oh yeah, and tell ScrewAttack if they want to "go pro" they need to start using a video player that's worth a damn.

HolyJunkie said...

I wouldn't have expected that reference at the end of the credits. Godfrey Ho is a god among men- Pff... BAAHAHAHAA

Ron said...

oh my god have you seen this?

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/peta-slams-mario-over-fur-suit-211025773.html

Misterprickly said...

Shouldn't there be a 3rd gem?
Isn't that how these kind of "story based games" work?

Anonymous said...

a follow-up on pr0n.... I totally called it that you'd do another episode on the portrayal of women in games, but damn, I wasn't expecting you to bring it up so shortly after your Other M re-visit (albeit, not an official statement on when, or even if, it will get made). Here's hoping you cover my curious little question on hentai games when the time comes.

Jordan Klein said...

I like your argument about Latin America, and I definitely agree that countries like Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and possibly Mexico are rich enough to become major video game producers over time.

Renan Greca said...

I'm from Brazil, and I definitely think the country has the potential to become a major player in the industry. But we have to stop focusing on cell phone games, first. :P

@Aiddon: Another game whose title is based on Queen songs? I knew of Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen (two songs from Queen II), but I had never heard of Let Us Cling Together, which is a song with Japanese lyrics (Teo Torriatte, the original said).

ScrewAttackSamus said...

Tactics Ogre is the sequel to March of the Black Queen. The creator (Yasumi Matsuno) is a HUGE fan of Queen, probably surpassed only by Arc System Works' Daisuke Ishiwatari

RaikuNH said...

Shin Megami Tensei has Deities from Islamic and Middle Eastern culture in general, and they're not treated as if they're gonna kill everyone like how Modern Warfare portrays Muslims.

Logan.Barnett said...

I'm not trying to be an Epeen waving douche, but Dark Souls isn't that hard. It takes a very specific, very cautious and observant play style, and without that you'll get rocked, but I wouldn't call it hard.

Catherine is something I would describe as stupidly difficult.

Anonymous said...

Moviebob,

Don't mean to get all mushy on you, but it strikes a chord deep in my heart that someone out there knows bad 70's kung-fu movies, the intro to Ninja Gaiden, the ending credits to contra (nice how you synced the "game over" tune to when the credits stop scrolling once "PRESENTED BY SCREWATTACK.COM" hits the centre of the screen) and is able to distill that into an internet show.

Anonymous said...

@RaikuNH: but Shin Megami Tensei's not an American mainstream FPS, now is it?

Chazz said...

As awesome as the Ninjas were, I can't help but think it would be a wasted opportunity if more didn't show up. Geothinker, Aerothinker, Hydrothinker, Ferrothinker, Florathinker, Faunathinker...There are just so many possibilities! (Don't worry, only joking...mostly.) And don't worry Bob, no matter what some people say, there are fans who like the storyline stuff. Myself included. Can't wait for the next episode!

Slydes said...

I don't think anyone expects you (Bob) to discard your integrity for the sake of pandering to anyone. I think I speak for everyone when I say that it's respectable that you want to do your thing first and foremost and not change your work to make anyone else happy. I don't have any problems with you making a narrative serial. What I disapprove of is that you've taken that narrative (Which could easily stand alone as its own show) and you've put it in The Game Overthinker. It's like if the encyclopedia had comic strips every three pages in it. It just doesn't mesh.

I haven't watched TGO in about a year now (Since the storyline issue began.) I don't want to watch your skits, but I would love to watch your video game analysis material. Unfortunately it's not worth it to me to have to skip through every episode to find what I'm looking for.

I would love to have solid episodes of TGO to watch again without the skits, and I'm sure you have a lot of fans that would love to be able to watch the skits as their own series. Please consider this, as you could maintain your integrity and please a lot of your fans.

The Sexy Techie said...

Dear Mr. Overthinker,

You said that if you could re-do an episode, you would re-do episode #6 (pr()n) I was wondering if you would like the opinion of an actual female gamer(s) to help further you commentary on the subject if you choose to do re-do it.

I could help provide some information/opinion for such an episode.

Thanks!