Mean Reviews Before Yahtzee

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

So, Yahtzee. Whether you love him or feel like he's been phoning it in for years, it can't be denied he is by the owner's own request the glue that holds this site together now, as well as what brought many to it in the first place.

While I do appreciate how most of the time his criticism are constructive, I also feel like his popularity led to a sharp rise in deliberately scathing criticism trying to emulate him (or Simon Cowell or Gordon Ramsey in other fields). And maybe that's not bad- it's nice to be able to honestly vent about things in games we hate and want to see gone forever- but I now I feel like we've reached a point where it's considered 'uncool' to genuinely like anything.

Still, it's not like he founded the idea of the mean game critic. The first one I saw where I thought 'man, this guy has some anger issues' was Robert Coffey from Computer Gaming World. He gave good reviews occasionally when it was warranted, but when he hated something, he really hated something, tearing into it with an impressive vocabulary.

How about you? What was the first pre-Yahtzee game reviewer or review that you liked found memorable despite them being mean?


I already know the one I remember best. Not because I thought it was a solid review, but because it was amusingly bizarre. It was a review for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes when it came out titled 'I Despise the Taste of Vomit'. It praised all the things MP2 did well, but then marked it down to 3/10 for being 'too difficult to properly enjoy', to the point where the reviewer fought a boss so difficult that it made him vomit. I guess every boss in Dark Souls would provoke that reaction in him nowadays.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I remember reading some snarky reviews in GameRevolution but no specific critic.

Has Nostalgia Critic ever reviewed games?

 

[DoPo]

Has Nostalgia Critic ever reviewed games?

I think he did a single one, but never repeated the experiment afterwards. If memory serves, it was some Simpsons game.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

There's James Rolfe aka The Angry Video Game Nerd, who has been cursing and shitting on bad videogames since 2004.

Although I don't think he really counts, since The Nerd is a persona that deliberately slags everything he reviews (though they really are shitty games/consoles/peripherals). The focus is more on providing comedy than on reviewing. He's nowhere near as vitriolic in his James & Mike Play series.

That said, he's the earliest example of someone doing scathing web video reviews I can think of.

 

[DoPo]

Has Nostalgia Critic ever reviewed games?

I think he did a single one, but never repeated the experiment afterwards. If memory serves, it was some Simpsons game.

I think you are confusing his horrible let's play and actually-okayish review on the game based on a black man taking his girlfriends kids to a theme park.

You might be right - it's been ages since I've seen it. I do recall he got some backlash and decided to never do it again.

 

[FakeSympathy]

There was X-play and their reviews on G4TV before everything got shut down. They had some funny things to say about the games released, even the good ones

 

[Saelune]

I dont think Yahtzee is actually that mean. He is pretty good about acknowledging his bias and that not everyone likes the same things as him. Take anything about JRPGs. Usually he is like "I hate most JRPGs...so me hating this JRPG means if you like JRPGs, you probably will like it so...whatever, have fun".

There was X-play and their reviews on G4TV before everything got shut down. They had some funny things to say about the games released, even the good ones

I love Adam Sessler, but he hates Dynasty Warriors, so anytime they reviewed a DW game, for some reason Sessler was usually the reviewer and that always annoyed me.

 

[CritialGaming]

I don't think Yahtzee phones anything in. I still enjoy every review he puts out, and having followed him for so long, I can tell what he thinks of a game despite his criticisms and jokes. I like his writing style because you often have to peel away the snark in whatever joke he is on about to get the underlining opinion of a game. Not to mention he's remarks do tend to point out things that most other reviewers miss, or simply don't comment on.

He has a very cynical way of looking at things, and it takes a special game to really wow him, which always impresses me. Undertale being the best one in recent memory.

But there was also the original Portal, Silent Hill 2, Amnesia, etc.

Interestingly enough he seems to really like horror games. Because those seem to stand out more to him than most other genres.

Yahtzee is unique in the reveiwer space imo. I've never seen anything like him before, and frankly I don't know anybody that currently tries to emulate him.

 

[Spakko]

Don't forget old man Murray!

Has Nostalgia Critic ever reviewed games?

I think he did a single one, but never repeated the experiment afterwards. If memory serves, it was some Simpsons game.

I think you are confusing his horrible let's play and actually-okayish review on the game based on a black man taking his girlfriends kids to a theme park.

You might be right - it's been ages since I've seen it. I do recall he got some backlash and decided to never do it again.

Well, there's his review of "Bebe's Kids" during his, uhm, feud with the AVGN.

His Let's Play of Simpsons, which was not well received and got quite a backlash from his fanbase.

And then there's a DVD-Exclusive review of a Blues Brothers game. (well it ws DVD-Exclusive at first but all Things end up sooner or later on YT)

There might be more now on his Channel but dunno about that. Haven't been back there since... since.. hm, can't remember. Oh well...

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

On Yahtzee himself: I've always found that I agree on his positive reviews but not necessarily on the negative ones. Which I treat as a seal of quality. He can recognize the good stuff, but will forfeit a good review of a mediocre game for the sake of comedy.

 

[Groxnax]

How about Angry Joe?

When he gets pissed off at a game you can be sure that everyone can hear him.

 

[BreakfastMan]

The idea of the "perpetually pissed-off" reviewer isn't anything new in the slightest. Lester Bangs was already doing that shit back in the 70's.

 

[Erttheking]

Has Nostalgia Critic ever reviewed games?

I think he did a single one, but never repeated the experiment afterwards. If memory serves, it was some Simpsons game.

I think you are confusing his horrible let's play and actually-okayish review on the game based on a black man taking his girlfriends kids to a theme park.

Anyways, I know AVGN was the first really popular example. With likely a lot of copycats afterwards.

I remember reading some snarky reviews in GameRevolution but no specific critic.

Has Nostalgia Critic ever reviewed games?

Has Nostalgia Critic ever reviewed games?

I think he did a single one, but never repeated the experiment afterwards. If memory serves, it was some Simpsons game.

I think you are confusing his horrible let's play and actually-okayish review on the game based on a black man taking his girlfriends kids to a theme park.

Anyways, I know AVGN was the first really popular example. With likely a lot of copycats afterwards.

He also reviewed the Blues Brother videogame for the SNES. You probably didn't see it because it was a bonus review on his DVD.

 

[Lisker84]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who's noticed this. It really seems to be a trend these days in the gaming community to shit all over everything, looking at critics who are often exaggerating it for comedic effect, and people end up internalizing it and become like snooty hipsters who can't admit they like anything (unless it's popular to like it).

 

[Dalsyne]

Yahtzee himself once said, I think, that he was inspired by TheSpoonyOne. Here's a reupload of his review on The Thing videogame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJpJXSR9_Sk

I didn't exactly watch any harsh reviews before Yahtzee came along which made his appearance all the more entertaining. Then again I watch his stuff because it's funny, not because it's harsh.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

I remember there was a guy called Mr. Cranky who did movie reviews but they were done as articles so it wasn't as funny.

 

[American Fox]

There's James Rolfe aka The Angry Video Game Nerd, who has been cursing and shitting on bad videogames since 2004.

Although I don't think he really counts, since The Nerd is a persona that deliberately slags everything he reviews (though they really are shitty games/consoles/peripherals). The focus is more on providing comedy than on reviewing. He's nowhere near as vitriolic in his James & Mike Play series.

That said, he's the earliest example of someone doing scathing web video reviews I can think of.

I've been enjoying the Mike and Ryan series they do on the side more and more. While not specifically mean, they are very honest.

I've gotten Guns, Gore , and Connoli and Prison Architect from their reviews and highly enjoyed them both.

 

[Rpground]

The Spoony One, Armake21, Ebeeto...

Fuck I feel old. Those, man, are fucking old.

Pity about the Spoony situation though...

 

[chysamere]

The Spoony One, Armake21, Ebeeto...

Fuck I feel old. Those, man, are fucking old.

Pity about the Spoony situation though...

Don't feel too sorry. He's still milking his patrons to the tune of about $1000 a month despite not having produced any real content for a long time.

In his prime however he was hilarious. I still go back to watch his old content periodically.