Monday, February 27, 2012

Episode 66: "Why Do You Love Video Games?"

Here it is, now live for ALL AUDIENCES at ScrewAttack. For a quick refresher, here is the FilmCritHulk article from BAD which the main premise of his episode is affectionately ripped-off from...



So, about this episode...

I really like this one, and believe it or not it came together all at once: I've been pretty sick the last few weeks, and as such a significantly more elaborate episode (in terms of central topic and bookends) that was originally planned to be #66 fell a bit behind in production. I didn't want to make everyone wait any longer than they'd waited already, and it occured to me that A.) nobody had done a "gamer" version of the Hulk-spawned "Why You Love" meme and B.) it would be an easier to script to read/edit with my in-and-out vocal chords since it'd lack run-on paragraphs. Also, I got the sense it could really be something special, but naturally that's up to you to judge.

So I did it up, spent a day compiling the 200+ images (a new record!) and put together some short "filler" bookends that don't necessarily "advance" the narrative but at least they 're-up' everyone on NecroThinker and the Video-Zombies; along with giving me an excuse to 'borrow' that wicked-cool ending animation from "Golden Axe."

62 comments:

alexandrite said...

Thanks for ruining ICO, jerk.

Actually, I'm not really mad and I've owned a copy of the game for enough time that I could have beaten it so I have no one to blame but myself. For the game to have had such an impact, it must have been a hell of a ride up to the end. Life's about the journey, after all.

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to post to laugh at the people who paid ScrewAttack money to get early access to a video of a dude listing all of the robots in Mega Man.

Haw-haw!

Sabre said...

I didn't like this video. I just don't find someone listing off random things they like without giving reasons or analysis interesting or entertaining.

Also, I think it's funny someone who, jokingly or not, did a bit about lesbians and large racks, but is screaming about all gamers being sexist.

Unknown said...

I started preparing to groan when you started listing breasts, but then you hit me with the awful joke. You're forgiven... this time.

Anonymous said...

Damn, I feel dumb for posting to laugh at the people that paid ScrewAttack to see this early now.

I posted just after the Mega Man thing, I didn't know it was going to get worse when you started listing of women's "rack"s.

lordoffaceplam said...

Because of you Bob :)

Sssonic said...

Y'know, I'll be honest. I don't think this episode should work; the Film Critic Hulk version had the benefit of having opening and ending paragraphs which laid out a compelling context for WHY these movie moments mattered so much.

Nonetheless, I admit, you pull it off nicely. It starts a little rough, and I'm afraid the "list every last Robot Master" joke didn't do much for me, but the bait-and-switch you pull with the "racks" bit was pretty nice, and overall, there are too many examples listed, even the specifically personal-to-you ones, that I relate to very strongly for me NOT to enjoy the episode overall.

In fact, if I may contribute one more that's really stuck with me decent it being fairly recent?

(WARNING: SKYWARD SWORD SPOILERS)

Because the language of God is Music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHbfru0okMo

http://youtu.be/GL5I8cqRR0k

Daniel R said...

Amazing, Bob
I honestly teared up about halfway through.
Hope you don't mind I chip in; I mean, people wrote in their own reasons in Hulk's article so I assume we can do the same here.
Sorry if this goes a bit long...

Because of the first time I beat the Elite Four when I was six.

Because of that moment when you’re playing a co-op game and you and you’re friend reach total, complete, silent synchronization.

Because of the Keyblade, Gunblade, Hidden Blade, SoulCalibur, SoulEdge, Energy Sword, Buster Sword, Dragon Sword, and Master Sword.

Because of the hours I’ve spent TALKING about Mass Effect with my Cousin.

Because El Shaddai reinvigorated my faith.

Because of the accumulated weeks I’ve spent playing Smash Bros with my friends.

Because Solid Snake wrote Watchmen!

Because of staying up till after bedtime to beat Ocarina of Time with my older Brother.

Because Wind Waker ferried me across the sometimes tumultuous waters of Pre-Adolescence.

Because Twilight Princess helped me realize the meaning, responsibilities, and privileges of being a full-fledged grown up.

Because Skyward Sword helped me come to grips with my bisexuality.

Because I can’t let you do that Star Fox!

Because of Bob Chipman, my favorite Internet critic.

Because Batman Arkham Asylum is the perfect blend between the new Nolan gritty and the old West camp.

Because of that one strange night when all of my friends just watched me play God of War 3, and everyone started gasping and wooting as if they were watching a movie.

Because I need scissors 61!

Because of Pokémon Snap getting me interested in photography.

Because of Infamous 2’s heroic ending.

Because of Slippy, Navi, Hope, Tails, Raiden, Fi and every other character millions found annoying but I found endearing.

Because of Metroid Fusion.

Because the first time I played Wii Sports, I spent the next 6 hours playing with my Brother and Father.

Because of Super Monkey Ball bringing me closer to my older Sister.

Because of that one time while playing FF13, when I caught myself repeatedly clearing out a hallway over and over. Until I got to a certain point where I just let myself go into the atmosphere and mechanics and for a few short minutes everything else disappeared and it was just the game and me.

Because the first level of SMB3 teaches you the fundamentals of the game without you even realizing it.

Because of Sakurai, Kojima, Spector, Ueda, Yokoi, Boon, Kondo, Romero, Newell, Jaffe, Schafer, Swift, Suda51, and Miyamoto

Because this new medium has an incredibly bright future ahead of it and I simply can’t wait to watch it get here.

Arturo said...

Because Bayonetta satisfies on every possible level

Anonymous said...

Bob, that last one about Mario talking you off the edge? ... I know that feeling.

Because Mario and Peach is STILL a better love story than Twilight.

Because I'm closer to my Totodile than I am to most people in my family.

Because I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power.

Because I've saved the world, the galaxy, and even the universe.

Because gaming can be a hobby, but it can also be a lifestyle, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Fawfulcopter said...

Sir... this was amazing. I wouldn't say this was the best Game Overthinker episode. But it made me laugh, and it made me cry. I cannot recall crying at any sort of show, movie, or yes, counter-culture video game philosophy internet show by a film critic, since Steve left Blue's Clues.
But this time, these were not so much tears of sadness as they were tears of awe. You have created something beautiful. Despite the fact that nearly every one of your references was before my time, I got them all. You had the childhood I wish I was having right now. I'm sure you would disagree, but I grew up with the Gamecube. I love the Gamecube, yes, but I would have given so much to have grown up on the NES instead.

Also man, I give no shits about what other people say, the plotlines are awesome and you should have more. Bookends are dumb and lame and short. Personally, I liked the NinjaThinker Saga, because so often you would break up the monotony of bludgeoning us with your point with fight scenes.
I was really looking forward to RetroThinker, because he seemed like a story that could work in much the same way, but instead of action, it'd be comedy. That didn't work out, although I don't really mind. NecroThinker... is a cool idea, I love the concept, but it'd be cooler if instead of zombies, he was retroactively changing history? Instead of resurrecting dead game legends, make it so they never died.

I laughed, I cried, I lost 40 pounds. Five Stars, Would Watch Again.

Unknown said...

Because of Geno's Flash.

Because of Mallow.

Because of Bowser's Chain-Chomp

Because I beat Smithy.

Because of an Amazing Mirror.

Because of Metaknight's Revenge.

Because of King DeDeDe's Revenge.

Because of Dynablade.

Because of Yo-Yo Kirby.

Because of Wheelie Rider Kirby.

Because I saved the galaxy as Luigi.

Because of Rosalina.

Because of "Peaceful Days" from Chrono Trigger.

Because I renamed the Epoch and called it TARDIS.

Because of Namine.

Anonymous said...

Because of Shenmue.

Hammbone said...

Im sorry bob. but i cant watch anymore of your vids. Screwattack has one of the worst players ever. ive spent the past 3 hours trying to load this episode, im at 1:16... i dont know if this is because im not an advantage member, but never the less i dont mind waiting for your episodes, so ill just wait till it hits youtube.

Unknown said...

Because Arcturus Mengsk has to pay for what he did to Kerrigan

Because my dad taught me "no one walks away from a goldmine" in Warcraft 2

Because it took Link three days to save the world... and also an eternity

Because I chose Squirtle and my brother chose Charmander yet he always won

Because Knights of the Old Republic WAS the prequel we deserved

Because Tails made player two AWESOME!

Because I had to make the hard choice in Mass Effect

Because I had to make the hard choice in Mass Effect 2

Because Diablo 2 turned Diablo's story into a tragedy

Because Link sucks in every Super Smash Bro's game, and I wouldn't be caught dead playing anyone else

Because Falco saved me at the last minute

Because I'll never let Dogmeat follow me, it would be too painful to watch him die

Because it was too painful to drop that companion cube into the incinerator

Anonymous said...

Really ought to tell you Bob- you DO save Yorda. It's not even a secret ending. Just run along the beach for long enough.

Anonymous said...

Because I can feed a Greek city on nothing but onions.

Because I can win a battle of thousands with a margin of twelve men.

Because I can defeat a force of two thousands with three hundred men.

Because of all the times I've conquered Europe.

Because of all the dedicated geeks modding for TotalWar

Because I can unite the Holy Roman Empire or split Ming China apart.

Because I know where Hot Springs, Golkonda, Begmender and Kurpfalz are.

Because I know who the Macaromanni, Sibir, Dacians, Chagatai and Vijayanagara where.

Because I can colonize the universe with laser-armed seeds.

jojjo

Ted said...

I didn't find this episode entirely nessicary. We all know why you like games, Bob: you've always been pretty transparent about that part. I could tell as soon as this started that you were pretty much gonna list every single NES/SNES game ever made and how something being weird or different is reason enough for it to be considered awesome. In that respect, this was more of a "Why I Loved My Childhood" than a "Why I Love Videogames." And there's nothing wrong with you loving your childhood, (I loved mine, too,) but since your audience already knew this there wasn't any reason for us to hear it again. I know that NES nostalgia is a big thing for you and not for me (mostly because you grew up with the NES and my earliest gaming years were with the N64, GBC, and GC,) but every time I see people gushing over all that stuff that, at least to me, hasn't help up nearly as well as they think it did, I just sigh and shake my hand. There are a lot of reasons I love games, whether it was encountering Red at the top of Mt. Silver, or seeing Sonic and Shadow team up, or hearing Kazooie's one-liners, or watching Luigi lead a victory parade. However, there is one big reason why I hate games:

Because gamers and game-makers can't let go of the past.

I didn't need to know why you love the games of the past. What I wanted to know was why you would love the games of the future.

Anonymous said...

Because of catching a legendary with a mere Poké Ball.

Because of shooting a portal at the moon.

Because of reliving 2002 by escaping the city and running from a giant truch with SAW BLADES in front of it.

Because of the 120th star.

Because of reuniting a couple, minutes before the Moon collides with the planet's surface.

Because of attaching balloons to random things in GMod.

Because such news fills my heart with rainbows!

Because of confronting Andrew Ryan.

Because of WarioWare. Just... WarioWare.

Because of playing a Simpsons piss-take of GTA, that was actually funnier than the show was at the time.

Because that land won't be Hyrule. It will be YOUR land!

Because somebody made a game based on D-Day, starring dinosaurs.

Because of finding out who you were actually playing as in Braid.

Because of Enderman and Creepers.

Because of Let's Playing.

Because of earning the Happening Star, the Mini Game Star and the Coin Star when the bonuses were being given, when you thought for sure that thieving Luigi was going to win.

Because of the beautiful, expansive, infinite nature of this medium.

Because, perhaps, one day, when the stigma of gaming being a children's medium, or a brain rotting medium is gone for good, the likes of Ocarina of Time and Portal will be seen in the same light as the Godfather, Ben-Hur and Citizen Kane, as War and Peace, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Or at least, that's what one can hope for.

Sabre said...

"Because gamers and game-makers can't let go of the past."

And we shouldn't. The past has some great things, as does the present.

The problem when it comes to retro isn't that retro exists, is that it's viewed through rose tinted glasses and thus removed from the present. Streets of Rage 2 is a classic, and games like Goldeneye had a huge effect in their day. These times should be remembered and shared.

The problem is that retro gamers do so to the point where they ignore the present, dismissing all games as grey brown shooters and the people who play them as racist, sexist teenagers. Then overcompensates by holding retro to standards that never existed.

JeffBergeron said...

I'm not one to do a shameless plug, but since many people already did their own version of what you did (which I mostly enjoyed, BTW), I feel like it's okay for me to show what you inspired me to write.

http://jeffbe.tumblr.com/post/18429926816/why-i-love-video-games

Nice work, Bob. You get on my nerves half the time, but this kind of episodes remind me of why I still read/watch you.

PadMasher said...

You know, I could go all day about all the great moments I've had playing video games but, the one real I love video games (which probably applies to most of us) is escapism. My childhood was shit and video games (and anime to an extent) were the only things that made it more bareable.

That being said, I think the fact that such creative minds are able to express thoughts and feelings through interactive virtual worlds is the true beauty behind video games and what their truly capable of though, to say that video games haven't reached their full potential is an understatement.

I look at the kind of crap we play (especially nowadays) and listen to people like Bob complain about what's wrong with our culture and I gotta say, it's no mystery why people don't really consider video games art. I'd argue that the term "art" is ridiculously pretentious and shouldn't determine the value of the medium but, I do want games to be taken more seriously.

I don't really know how we'd go about making people like say Roger Ebert see the time we captured Specter, the time we freed the Wind Fish, the time we saved the world from Professor Gerald's grudge, the time we beat Soul Calibur 2's arcade mode on Ultra Hard, and so many other moments the same way we do but, before we even try, we need to have less shit to complain about.

I'm sure most of you know gaming culture needs to grow up. Hell, Bob's "rack" joke just reminded me how poorly developers must view women. It's shit like that that's holding us back from "Citizen Kane" status.

ScrewAttackSamus said...

Because Yasumi Matsuno makes Bioware look like amateurs.

Because Samus has always been (and will always be) sexier than Bayonetta.

Because Blazblue can have its cast include a squirrel girl, a kung-fu-kicking werewolf butler, a gothic lolita vampire, a cyborg samurai, a psychotically affectionate robot girl, a magical girl parody, a loudmouth ninja, and a...squiggly and still have probably the most compelling narrative I've seen this generation. And it's a FIGHTING GAME.

Because Keiji Inafune is wrong about Japan making awful games.

Because Asura beat the crap out of a boss the size of a planet.

Because pretty boys like Sephiroth, Alucard, Jin Kisaragi, Link, and Denam Pavel are 10 times more badass than lunkheads like Kratos and Marcus Fenix.

Because Poison is now playable.

Because Chrono Cross shows that there were consequences.

Because Nintendo proves idiots WRONG.

Because Zelda proves idiots wrong.

KevinCV said...

Another great vid, Bob. I loved hearing your reasons for why you love video games. I have numerous reasons why I love video games. I'll list several of them here in no particular order:

1. Because heroism and villainy come in all forms, regardless of gender or species.

2. Because eating something lets you take on their powers.

3. Because attorneys can be protagonists, too.

4. Because Wind Waker takes place in a post-apocalyptic Hyrule.

5. Because of the limitless imagination.

6. Because of Let's Players like Chuggaaconroy who point out the hidden gems.

7. Because of the "Mother" franchise breaking the mold on what kind of stories games can tell.

8. Because of people like Bob Chipman who aren't afraid to admit they're biased in favor of one gaming company, and continue to stand their ground when people give them shit about it.

9. Because of my older brothers, who got me into gaming at a young age.

And lastly, the most important one:

10. Because it's fun.

Botman said...

Because Yasumi Matsuno makes Bioware look like amateurs.

Because Keiji Inafune is wrong about Japan making awful games.

Because pretty boys like Sephiroth, Alucard, Jin Kisaragi, Link, and Denam Pavel are 10 times more badass than lunkheads like Kratos and Marcus Fenix.



Because Bob knew better then to put such incendiary, biased, Anti-Western views like these in an episode with this kind of theme.

Smashmatt202 said...

STILL doesn't make sense that Retro... er, "Necrothinker" somehow knows about Ristar and Bubsy when he's SUPPOSED to have been frozen by 1990. Yes, I AM going to keep pointing that out, because dammit, if you ARE going to stick to the storylines, you could at least work out on the details, since your special effects and acting sucks, there's nothing to distract us from the lack of coherent thought... Aside from the overthinking, which is pretty much why we're here.

I DID check out FilmCriticHulk... I don't like having to read all-caps. :/

Why you like video games? Sounds like fun!

So... Why do I like video games? I don't know... I guess I like how anything is possible with them. With movies, there are certain norms that have to be present, but with video games, I like how uniqueness and complete-random-bizarre happens can be the norm... At least the way they used to be.

Because Nintendo, I suppose. And Sega, sort of of...

Because you can play as a cowboy armadillo (and so can you with Dillon's Rolling Western, available for $9.99 on the Nintendo 3DS eShop!)

You get to play AS the shop-keeper in Dragon Quest 4? I need to play that game sometime! :D

Really, most of what Bob mentioned can pretty much be applied to me, but not all. :/

Also, how exactly do Popo and Nana "save the world"? Last I checked, they only collected vegetables on an ice mountain. And they didn't really do much in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, so I don't know what he's talking about. :/

That said, I'd KILL to see Nintendo make another Ice Climber game, but give it a MASSIVE update like Kid Icarus!

Okay, the one part I fully disagree with is the whole "rack" business. Not gay or anything, I just don't like the idea of oogling someone's breasts like a pervert, it makes me feel uncomfortable.

You know, in those states of depression similar to Bob's, Mario usually doesn't talk me out of it... Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash do! ;)

And my mom. <3

Phantom Menace joke? I love that, just because of the idea that so many Star Wars fans will not only get it, but be pissed off at being reminded of The Phantom Menace! XD

What's that game, at the end of the video from?

Eh, anywhat, good episode, fun times!

Anonymous said...

Because Skyward Sword helped me come to grips with my bisexuality.

If you don't mind me asking, in what way? Was it a character in the game that helped you realize?

As for why I love videogames:

Because OoT taught me that sometimes, the hero doesn't get the princess at the end - and that that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing.

Because FF VI got me interested in steampunk settings and the aesthetics.

Because FF IX made me emotionally invested in a character whose only distinguishing features were two, shining yellow dots for eyes.

Because the names of the summons/eidolons/espers/aeons/guardian forces in the FF series made me interested in reading up on world mythology and folklore.

Because FF VII(and by extension, Advent Children)+ FF VIII got me to embrace my inner slash fan.

Because I wanted to catch them all.

Because the Legacy of Kain games got me interested in vampire lore.

Because the Zelda series and Final Fantasy series inspired me to create my own worlds, characters and stories.

Because Let's Play videos allowed me to experience games that I wouldn't have the time/dare to play myself.

Because Koji Kondo's and Yoko Shimomura's melodies will never leave my head.

Because Mario Party, Mario Golf and (the first)Super Smash Bros gave me hours of fun and entertainment.

Because seeing Anju and Kafei reunited, just hours before the moon falls, made all the painstaking work before it worth it.

Because the Monkey Island games made me want to learn english.

Because of Ryu, Nina, Bo, Karn, Gobi, Ox, Bleu/Deis, Bow, Katt, Sten, Rand, Jean and Spar.

Because of Angela, Hawkeye, Duran, Charlotte, Lize and Kevin.

Because Kingdom Hearts II made Mickey Mouse a badass.

Because of Super Play and LEVEL.

Because of Grim Fandango.

Because of my older brothers who got me into gaming in the first place.

Because of all the great fanartists who puts so much love and effort into creating and sharing works of their favorite characters.

Because of people like Bob, James Rolfe, the Video Games Are Awesome guys, Extra Credits and many more.

Anonymous said...

I wasn't gonna comment unless someone else mentioned that they teared up a little. Cuz yeah, this may have opened the floodgates a little. Nostalgia is a powerful thing.

So, yeah. Thanks, Bob. Thanks for reminding us why we do what we do.

Anonymous said...

Because my gun has a chainsaw attached.

Because my boot sends bad guys into slow motion.

Because I can fight space zombies with power tools

Because I can fight regular zombies with power tools

Because fuck the Reapers.

Because fuck the Enclave.

Because fuck dragons.

Because I will be King of New Vegas

Because Captain Price made mutton chops cool again.

Because of Hans Zimmer

Because of Frank Klepacki

Because FUS RO DAH!

Because I've had enough of your disingenuous assertions *PAWNCH!*.

Because Ramirez does everything.

Because you should fear Alma

Because of magic grappling hooks.

Because of bionic arms.

Because my friends never left me 4 dead.

Because psychic powers let me explode people's heads, light them on fire, and throw them at killer cyborgs.

Because I got to destroy all humans.

Because of The RYNO

Because finally being able to BUY the RYNO (jesus christ...).

Because of Minecraft.

Because. I. CAN.

REPTILE 0009 said...

Because of getting to 10th prestige.

Because of going on a insane killstreak.

Because of getting my first nuke.

Because of being to being able to kick Yun and Yang's cheap, scrubby a**.

Because of going to battle with my squad.

Because of going to battle alone.

Because of 360 no-scope quad kills.

Because of S&D clutch victories.

Because of ripping Locust to pieces with a chainsaw.

Because I like modern weapons.

Because haters are going to hate.

MovieBob said...

@Smashmatt,

If it helps, I figure that NecroThinker doesn't know who those characters are himself; but that he doesn't need to because a zombie is a zombie is a zombie.

Also, RetroThinker was technically wandering around in the present since The Sharkcade was destroyed; which was a significant amount of time prior to his actually appearing in the story; so it's possible he's had some time to learn of what came and went while he was frozen.

Daniel R said...

@Anonymous 12:53

I may have exaggerated a bit.
Actually it was a combination of both Skyward Sword, Final Fantasy 13 and the song Who'd Have Known by Lily Allen.

The possibility first came up late at night while listening to the aforementioned song. I caught myself fantasizing about a boy while listening to it.
I had a mini freak out about the whole thing and largely decided to ignore it and pretend it never really happened.

Then while playing FF13 I found an attraction to the character Hope (I'm a year older than him just so you know it's not creepy) that I later realized to be romantic. I stopped playing the game almost immediately, insisting I was straight. I was largely confused by the situation because I still find girls attractive and I just didn't consider the possibility of bisexuality.

Finally while playing Skyward Sword I found the same attraction for Link that I did for Hope. Rather than immediately abandoning the game like i did for FF13 I leaped forward. I simply kept playing because this is Zelda, I'd be dammed if I was gonna let something like sexual confusion (Ghirahim didn't help by the way) stop me from playing it.

So I kept on playing up until the end, by that point I had pretty much accepted my attraction.
But it didn't really hit me until the the last time Link was reunited with Zelda. I saw both Zelda and Link in the same way. That moment hit me like a stone, "I'm not straight, but I'm not Gay. I'm not attracted to a gender, I'm attracted to a person. And thats ok"

Glint said...

...Because war never changes.

Fallout was the first RPG I've ever played.

El Pibe Progre said...

Half the time I can't agree with a word you say, the other half I think you might be the second coming of Jesus.

Today.. You made me drop tears of joy, and nostalgia. I can totally share those feelings you expressed.

Why do I love videogames?

Because they taught me that eating my mushrooms will make me big and strong enough to save a Kingdom (Super Mario Bros)

Because they taught me that a man and his gun can save the world from an alien invasion, and look cool while doing it (Duke Nukem)

Because they transported me to new dimensions of pure ass-kicking gothicness, to fight the forces of evil, whether alien or demonic (Quake)

Because fighting on motorcycles can be a lot of fun, specially if there are chains or baseball bats involved (Road Rash)

Because they introduced me to the fun of uncensored violence, mystical powers and fighting skills
beyond the realm of this Earth. Because they made me believe color-coded ninjas were normal and totally made sense (Mortal Kombat)

Because controling a blue spiky creature through green fields of cartoon awesomeness was a BLAST. Oh, and they also taught me what a Hedgehog is. (Sonic)

Because they let me play with the comic book heroes of my childhood (Marvel vs. Capcom)

Because they let me travel to the past and experience the great battles of history (Age of Empires)

Because my childhood cannot be described without the phenomenon that marked a generation, that made graphics almost irrelevant, that created levels of obsession and fanboyism yet to be matched. Because I GOTTA CATCH'EM ALL (Pokemon)

Because The Lord of the Rings is not the only good medieval fanstasy epic tale. Because Orcs can be the good guys, Humans can be jerks, Paladins are overrated, Shamans are underrated, Elves can be purple feral amazons, and steampunk goblins can perfectly fit in a feudal world invaded by alien demons (Warcraft).

Because only videogames can mix historical crusades, ancient alien astronauts, genetic memory sci-fi and stealth and assasination protagonists and end up with a masterpiece (Assasin's Creed).

Because only a videogame can give the unique experience of exploring the philosophy and consequences of objectivism while immersing in an underwater city-state killing genetically altered freaks using both guns and superpowers gained through the aforementioned gen-engineering (Bioshock)

Because of DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION.

Those are the games that made me love the medium.

Kevin R. said...

Because of the time when I had a Eureka moment and figured out a puzzle in Silent Hill 2 while I was in a middle school gym class.

Because all Aperture technologies remains safely operational up to 4000 Kelvin.

Because I got to take the French army and conquer Rome in Civilization V.

Because a man chooses... a slave obeys... OBEY!

Because voice chat is optional.

Because I can pick up a prostitute, buy her services, get extra health, kill her, get my money back, and please stop looking at me like that I'm not a psycho serial killer.

(brb, fbi)

Because I can save the world from the comfort of my room. Over and over again.

Because Resistance 3 is awesome no matter how sucky the Kevin Butler ads were.

Because of how I had to pick my jaw up off the floor after I completed "The Truth" in Assassin's Creed 2.

ogre_of_magic said...

Because of Nintendo releasing an official Zelda timeline that's actually good.

Because of Ocarina of Time still being just as good the twenty-seventh time through.

Because of Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis and Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones providing me with two quotes I live my life by.

Because of Bioshock proving an "art" game can be fun and engaging.

Because of Borderlands proving that even in today's market, batshit insane ideas can work.

Because of the above two games made me try other First Person Shooters and actually like them.

Because of Kanto, Johto and Orre.

Because of the Wii making games more accessible.

Because of learning Meme Theory from Metal Gear Solid 2.

KaiKasparek said...

Because seeing Anju and Kafei reunited, just hours before the moon falls, made all the painstaking work before it worth it.

This * 1,000,000

Anonymous said...

Because that Christmas morning when I got my first game console, a Game Boy Color.

Because of the Super Mario Deluxe and Pokemon Yellow games that came with it.

Because I had a Looney Tunes game; loved it, lost it, and so the happy memories might never be dimmed by replaying it.

Because of Golden Sun: it's universe and everything in it.

Because Fawful has FURY!

Because of all the times I've secretly tried to summon the Keyblade.

Because I brought down 16 Colossi and became a God.

Because the first FPS that I ever played had Pokemon and photography.

Because the second one was Star Wars: Battlefront, the best military FPS I have ever played.

Because Link is always just a normal guy who discovers that he can save the world.

Because the above story line is a huge cliche, yet can still work every, single time.

Because a whole heart container can appear through the power of two yetis' love.

Because my cousins and I still consider Smash Bros. to be the only way to settle our arguments.

Because, sometimes, a giant, mutant turtle can only be beaten by a plummer with a raccoon tail.

Because Portal exists.

Because Portal exists, and people liked it enough to give it a sequel.

Because Portal 2 was, actually, still good!

Because Andrew Ryan let me shoot fire, ice, and bees out of my hands.

Because a Batman game could finally live up to being a Batman game.

Because that happened twice.

Because I can shout at things to throw them across the room.

Because, less than three years ago, games were just still a fun hobby to me, but now, I am learning all I can to make games myself.

Anonymous said...

I apologise, I haven't checked every comment to see if someone has mentioned this but...

Bob, did you just reference Bob Flanagan?

WARNING: The following poem may offend some people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f6V2LefAi4

Foolish Fool said...

This is the first time I've been moved to tears with videogame analysis. "Because god is a mother reading bed time stories to the stars." to be specific. And I haven't cried in years about everything.

Since this seems to be the trend:

Because, due to my childhood, I have more respect for the Boss (a.k.a. the Joy) as a mother than my own.

Because I thought all warfare was wrong until Metal Gear Solid taught me that some people just need killing. Even if they're trying to save the world.

Because the first time I had truly knew physical freedom was when I backflipped off the tree in Super Mario 64.

Because the Goron have a tech advantage and a renassaince level elf helps rebuild their economy.

Because Star Fox Assault shows that Shigeru Miyamoto can learn to tell a third act as much as hiding from a sometimes corpse centennial shows that Hideo Kojima can jar fun in a disk.

Because Kirby's one tough dream puff, Kirby's Adventure is science fiction and in the wee hours of the morning between Rush Limbaugh challenging a fat lady to sing and signal the end of the Bush Sr./Clinton/Perot election and Benny Hill trying not to clothe women as comedy a twist ending taught me that sometimes the labelled villains were an unlikable king and his ignoble vassals doing their job.

Andrew said...

Because Labyrinth Zone made me face my deepest fear.

Gareth said...

My first reaction to this episode when I realised it would just be a list of things preceded by the word "Because" was to pause the video and double check.

I was just going to leave it there but I decided to give it a chance and it was ok, the megaman robots part dragged on a bit and I really wish there had been a spoiler warning in there because of the Ico moment.

James said...

Because Mirror's Edge was published by EA.
Yes, the online pass EA.
Yes, the destroying developers EA.
Yes, the Origin EA.
Yes, the defending the right of Australian gamers to play violent games from our own government EA.

Because of finally clearing Omega in Super Meat Boy.

Because there is a high-quality RPG with lots of stunning vistas, excellent gameplay and hardly any glitches, on the least powerful platform of this generation. (What, you thought I was talking about Skyrim?)

Because of Skyrim's single-minded dedication to four words: "go anywhere, do anything."

Because Serious Sam exists.

Because while everyone else is holding up Alyx Vance as a non-exploited female character, some guy in Japan made a predominantly-female cast of over 100 characters...and not one flaunts her body. (Not in official artwork, anyway.)

Because Bastion has about the best audio I've ever heard in a game - sound effects, voice acting and music alike.

Because there's only three commands that Tom Clancy's Endwar won't let me use.

Because Shogun 2 probably taught me more about Japanese history than my Japanese classes.

Because Okami and Touhou probably taught me more about Japanese mythology than my Japanese classes.

Becuase the hardest part of any hack is the figuring-out-how-to-start phase.

Because of indie bundles that introduced me to some top-notch games I'd never have even heard of otherwise.

Because Psychonauts exists.

Because there's at least one modern military shooter that actually has a halfway decent campaign.

Because Sega, instead of shutting down Christian Whitehead's Retro Engine, hired him - Genesis does what Nintendon't.

Because despite all the bad things you hear about popular games and decadent publishers, at the end of the day, at least most games are fun to play. And isn't that all that really matters?

Anonymous said...

>Because of Dr. Robotnik

No one calls him that anymore, Bob.

VJeff said...

I can't believe we've reached the point where someone is making money by literally doing nothing but listing off Mega Man bosses.

Anonymous said...

Why Do I love Video Games?

Because I'd lose a life in mario 3 to let my friend play

Because I wanted to save a friend in Kingdom hearts

Because I had to choose whether to let an enemy race live or die in mass effect 2

Because of the 8 bit music from Mega Man

Because of Luigi

Because nothing could get a group of guys together like ssbm at lunch

Because Sega actually made a sonic game that wasn't crap in Generations

Because Western Rpgs are what they are

Because Japanese Rpgs are what they are

Because of long nights of playing Tekken tag in my friends basement

Because John Marston died at the end and I didn't see it coming

Because Niko Belic felt bad either way about killing or sparing Darko

Because I had to catch them all

Because playing the simpsons arcade game was the best

Because playing time attack 2 with working controllers made me feel like a secret agent as a kid

Because the Jurassic park arcade game

Because mario rpg was the first rpg i ever beat

Because of Fighting Force for the ps1

Because of playing World of Warcraft for the first time and feeling like i entered a whole new world

Because of exploring the vast mountain es lands of skyrim

Because of Mario 64

Because of booty bay

Because of finding yoshi on top of the castle

Because of Yoshi's Island

Because I did a barrel roll

Because of Marvel vs Capcom 2

Because of beating Raiden 1 & 2 with my brother

Because of showing my sister how to play gta4

Because Every time I hear music from a game I played it always brings back good memories

Hunter M said...

Because Persona 4 made me think about how I interact with games.

Because I have no idea what happened in El Shaddai, but still loved it.

Because Bit.Trip makes me feel like I AM music.

Because Mario, Link, and Megaman make me want to be a good person.

Because Scott Pilgrim helped me change my life.

Because I still wish I could catch Wheatley.

Because God Hand made my hands faster and stronger.

Because Zelda inspired me to try to make my first epic comic book.

Because they taught me that rainbows are real ultimate power.

Because I wrote a school essay on No More Heroes 2.

Because Pokemon Snap convinced my parents that video games were worthwhile.

Because of every moment of Flower.

Because of every moment of Dark Souls.

Because of every moment of Super Mario 64.

Because they made me realize that I don't feel the need to use drugs.

Because We <3 Katamari is pure happiness on a disk.

Because I wanted to save Yorda.

Because I wanted to save Zelda.

Because I wished Tetra didn't need to be saved.

Because I can punch a dragon to death.

Because Poison confuses me in all the right ways.

Because I'm naming my next Skyward Sword file "Groose".

Because playing Guitar Hero made my pinkie strong enough to play real guitar.

Because Adventure Time.

Adrian Izquierdo said...

no offence bob, But your worst episode to date.
Everything you said was true those are the reasons I like games too...
but you've gone off track with your video's and lets face it, for a few months now i've not really enjoyed your video's and pass them off easily.
I don't wanna be a dick but it's constructive criticism.
your peak was the video you won the "my vids don't suck" contest with video game violence.
you proved exactly how your vids don't suck... but i'm afraid they do now :(

Anonymous said...

Because you can win Civ II by building a spaceship and leaving earth.

Because of Sarge and Lester.

Because you can never have too many "ah-ha!" moments via solving a puzzle.

Because finding secrets in Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight increases your ability to use the force with no rational explanation for it.

Because of 100 gold skultilla.

Because of Steam, the Wii Store, and X-Box Live.

Because your characters can be saved in Final Fantasy Tactics after they loose all hit points.

Because your characters actually die in Fire Emblem after they loose all hit points.

Because the skills learned while playing can be used in the real world.

Because they have meaning and relevance more than what media and politicians can comprehend.

milanjeftic1992 said...

why love comicbooks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCnjiykdEb8&feature=channel_video_title

Will.Lyum said...

Because this is who we are, and I am glad we have a voice in Bob.

Thank you

Djaevlenselv said...

Hey Bob, very personal video you did there. That's cool.

Also thanks alot for spoiling a bunch of great games I haven't finished yet.

Aetius said...

I should've posted this sooner, but watching it again inspired me:

Because William Wallace taught me how to play an RTS.

Because I couldn't live with myself if I let a character die in Fire Emblem.

Because I'll never forget the look on my family's face when I first blew into the DS microphone.

Because I wrote my senior research paper in high school about Bioshock, and got an A.

Because of Baba Yetu.

Because Advance Wars improved my relationship with my brother.

Because of the opening to Assassin's Creed 2.

Because of The Sorrow.

Because Colonel Volgin references Eye of the Needle.

Because of the trial scene in Chrono Trigger.

Because of Goldeneye, all of it.

Because Age of Mythology actually reinvigorated my own faith.

Because of random encounters.

Because Knights of the Old Republic made me think about unintended consequences.

Because Warcraft 3's campaign mode is still gaming's biggest tragedy, and you get to enact it.

Agnes said...

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Jose Persona said...

Because of missingno and all the crazy game glitches.

Because of seeing electricity shock the armored, silent hunter and realizing that she was a woman.

Because of mashing my hand against the controller in Tekken and being convinced that I WAS GOD.

Because of trying to beat Spyro 3 when a glitch stopped me from ever getting that last egg.

Because of driving a car before I even owned a license, and because I drove that car through an exploding Pillar of Autumn without stopping once.

Because of that one time I got my head chainsawed off. Thanks, Doctor Salvador!

Because of fighting an Elvis impersonator and a hybrid mutant with proximity mines in 1920's Chicago.

Because of "Would you kindly... Powerful phrase. Familiar phrase?"

Because of defeating Mecha Birdo on my third try, even when Dracula took me months.

Because of practicing a combo 2 hours in training mode, only to flub it in actual play, leading me to go back into training mode...

Because of how I could be behind the visor of Samus Aran and explore worlds like Zebes, Tallon IV, Aether, Bryyo, Elysia, the Pirate Homeworld, and SR388.

Anonymous said...

Ok, I know I'm really, really late, and probably nobody's gonna see this, but I don't care.

When you referenced Link's Awakening and Super Mario Bros. 2, I actually had the reverse action when I beat both of them. With SMB2 I felt like it was kinda a cheap way of ending the game, as there's nothing in the game itself to suggest it was a dream and it just came out of nowhere, leaving me scratching my head as to what I've been doing this whole time (Note: I love the game, but the ending sucked.)

But with Link's Awakening I felt like everything I did still mattered even after the island vanished away. The people may not have been real, but they still affected you as you played the game, and they live on in your memories. And if you do it right, Marin actually escapes from Koholint into the real world. I was tearing up at the end.

Anonymous said...

I know that feeling anomynous. I did not see this due to not watching a Game-Overthinker episode since January. This shows me why I should still watch it. Damn, this will stretch out to a few posts.

Because Kane lives, and I put him in the grave every time.

Because engineers created an army of everyone.

Because of mammoth tanks.

Because of Frank Kleppacki and Bill Brown.

Because an ion cannon activated.

Because the Soviets will not conquer the world under my watch.

Because Ray Wise and J. K. Simmons were Presidents of the United States.

Because Paladins are awesome tanks.

Because of General Carville.

Because cheesy acting is hilarious and awesome.

Anonymous said...

I know that feeling anomynous. I did not see this due to not watching a Game-Overthinker episode since January. This shows me why I should still watch it. Damn, this will stretch out to a few posts.

Because Kane lives, and I put him in the grave every time.

Because engineers created an army of everyone.

Because of mammoth tanks and paladin tanks.

Because of Frank Kleppacki and Bill Brown.

Because an ion cannon activated.

Because the Soviets will not conquer the world under my watch.

Because Ray Wise and J. K. Simmons were Presidents of the United States.

Because of General Carville.

Because cheesy acting supplemented something awesome instead of ruining it.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry and apologize for the double post.

Because a B17 bomber killed Ceaser and destroyed the Roman Empire.

Because I rule the world with science, culture, domination, diplomacy, conquest, and never score.

Because his name is Hiawatha.

Because Leonard Nimoy said "Beep, beep, beep."

Because the Rock and Roll wonder caused the Velvet Underground to play.

Because of Christopher Tin and Mark Cromer.

Because "I Vow to Thee"'s war version is intimidating.

Because the Epitaph of Seikilos deserved a full orchestration.

Because the leader's themes made me for civilizations that no longer exist.

Because Ghandi could not be trusted with nuclear weapons.

Because spearmen may beat tanks, but I refuse to let the random number god do that.

Because Hernan Cortez was an Aztec great general.

Because great prophet Joan of Arc built the Mahabodhi in the Buddhist holy city and American city of Paris.

Because I made every civilization stand the test of time at one point or another.

Because history is cool.

Because communism is too easy.

Because democracy satisfying to win as in-spite of being incapable of declaring war.

Because of Soren Johnson and Sid Meier.

Anonymous said...

Because overthrowing Nasser with rebel assistance is worth the increase in DEFCON.

Because the Chinese and North Koreans in the Korean War never had to face peacekeepers with F-22 Raptors, M1A2 Abrams tanks, or Marines with PASGT armor.

Because I led the CIA to orchestrate a popular uprising in Maoist China.

Because communist India and democratic China is a nice role-reversal.

Because I led the CIA to make the Bay of Pigs invasion work.

Because the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was successful.

Because the United States won the Vietnam War before it could become unpopular.

Because the CIA could be insane, competant, and better the world's situation when I run their missions.

Because fortress America is made-up of North and South America.

Because OPEC was being a jerk and I happened to have two armies in Turkey and Northern Africa.

Because winning by way of having 50 more tribute-per-turn than the Soviet Union is not a satisfying conclusion to the Cold War

Because every territory being either the United States, the Soviet Union, NATO, Warsaw Pact, or client states of the two superpowers makes World War Three and World War Four much more interesting.

Because the Prague Uprising deserved NATO protection.

Because I won the Cold War that turned into World Wars Three and Four without a single nuclear exchange.

Because the Peacekeepers, Gaia's Stepdaughters, and the University of Planet had to teach Planet everything we knew.

Because the Rainy Day beef-bowl special was being served.

Because nobody threatens Nanako.

Because Teddy, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, and Naoto were not friends because they were S-Rank 10.

Because Teddy, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, and Naoto were great characters and friends.

Because Chie kicked a tank into space.

Because Chie kicked a mech into space.

Because Chie kicked Hulk Hogan into space.

Because Chie kicked a boss for 3000 damage.

Because mystery-food X was the funniest crime-against-humanity every cooked.

Because Friedrich Nietzsche was a great and misunderstood philospher that a video game managed to portray the philosophy of better than any film has.

Because Jung's psychology is cooler and is better than Freud's ever was.

Because of the Investigation Team and Nanako.

Because everyone calmed the hell down.

Because the Investigation reached out to the truth.

Because video games make me cry, warm my heart, make me laugh, make me feel awesome, increase my knowledge, and make me a better person.

Anonymous said...

first time i disliked the 'goof off story part' not because of the contents of the part (fun teaser)
but because it was there at all(probably a good thing to 'snap back out of it')
totally felt 'the list'.
... 'but mario always could', needed to dry my face after that one.

Awesome