What do you like about Let's Plays?

[TakeyB0y2]

I.E. video walkthroughs with commentary.

More or less what it says on the tin; if you enjoy Let's Plays, what do you like about them? Or rather, what is it you look for in Let's Plays?

I've been doing LPs for about two years. I started, I did them alone and found myself to be very boring and sometimes I wouldn't know what to say and not speak for a full 5 minutes and... Yeah. So after that I started inviting my friends in to co-commentate and things got a lot better, but that just brought out another issue where a lot of commentary ended up being random bickering or conversation that had nothing to do with the game being played.

I've been on a hiatus for almost a year now and wanna jump back in, but I kinda want to do a bit of an overhaul. I'm not looking for suggestions, so to speak. Rather, I would just like to know what everyone who enjoys LPs likes about them.

Hmm... Maybe while we're at it, how about some pet peeves about Let's Plays, eh? :S

 

[Sp3ratus]

Well, it really depends on what kind of LP you're doing. Watching a funny commenator playing Amnesia: Dark Descent can be quite hilarious, especially since they're probably just as scared as I would be, if I was playing. Instead, I can laugh at their reaction, while still seeing and experiencing the game, even if it's not the same as playing it yourself. Forcing it, however, can be very tedious and most of the time not worth watching, at least I don't think so.

If it's not supposed to be funny, I like the LP'er to "take the player by the hand", ie. taking the watcher/reader through the game and voicing things the watcher might be thinking if he/she goes through the game, like "hmm... what is this? I better have a look at it" and so on. Or if not that, being as informative and thorough as possible, explaining the game as well as they can, to make the player understand the game and the mechanics behind it. This is especially essential in strategy games, be it TBS or RTS. Internet Kraken does a very good job at that, in his Dwarf Fortress playthrough.

Anyway, that's what I like. Good luck, whatever you do. Post it here on the Escapist so we can follow it, there are already five LP's going on, that I know of right now, two Dwarf Fortress, one Hearts of Iron 3, one Fallout 3 and mine, a Fate of the World LP. They're all screenshot LP and while I realise they're a different beast, but they're still LPs and quite good ones at that, at least I think the four ones that aren't mine, are.

 

[Matrixbeast]

I hate Let's Plays that have more than one commentator (On a one player game).

Anyway, I like to watch 'funny' Let's Plays, as opposed to the ones that are more like a walkthrough. I like to watch a person struggle on a difficult portion of a game in a humorous manner.

 

[Zhukov]

They're free and I don't have to own a particular platform to watch them.

As for tips or complaints... don't talk over the cutscenes or dialogue. It's incredibly irritating. As soon as someone does that I close the video and never watch them again.

 

[Zhukov]

The 'scapist dun ate mah post!

 

[AndyFromMonday]

I hate Let's Plays. It's always some obnoxious 20 something asshole talking about shit nobody cares about for 15 minutes. In my entire time on the internet I've only found ONE commentator I enjoyed listening to which says a lot giving that there's at least a thousand of them.

 

[JochemDude]

As long as it's a live commentary I could like it.
Under the condition that the commentator is enjoyable to listen to.

 

[Hal10k]

I hate Let's Plays. It's always some obnoxious 20 something asshole talking about shit nobody cares about for 15 minutes. In my entire time on the internet I've only found ONE commentator I enjoyed listening to which says a lot giving that there's at least a thousand of them.

Ol' Sturgeon manages to find his way into everything. The bad always outnumbers the good, especially in an unregulated field like online videos.

 

[Elijah Ball]

i hardly ever watch em. i watched chuggaconroys wind waker series cause i felt like playing ww again, but didnt want to buy it again, or put the time in. =]

in gameplay vids in general, i mostly look for entertaining/funny commentary, not so much gameplay.

 

[Soxafloppin]

Very Rarely watch them, I would now and again if its a game I played when I was younger, Mainly Game Cube Games.

 

[Revolutionary]

I usually get it when I'm stuck on whether to buy a game or not. I find them very useful in that sense. Beyond that I'd rather be playing the game (And if I'm really stuck I'll use a text walkthrough).

 

[Magnikai]

I like the personality and charisma of them. Also, the voice can't be annoying, that is the biggest thing. With that said, I have only really watched SeaNanners, Captain Sparklerz, and SirRonLionHeart.

 

[AndrewF022]

I'm not a huge fan of Lets Plays in general, but they have to be entertaining at the very least, otherwise its just a plain old walkthrough. I also like it when the player explains a lot of his actions, which can help you find new ways to play the game yourself.

Also, I hate multiple commentators, it just becomes a mess with people talking over each other, awkward silences and forced humor that makes you cringe.

But definitely keep doing them, I think everyone can add something interesting to their own Lets Play, good luck.

 

[Llil]

I don't watch that many let's plays, mainly because they're so often crap. But there's a few guys whose LPs I enjoy, like Diabetus and Slowbeef for example (their Dead to Rights and Metroid: Fusion LPs being my favourites).

What makes them good is that their commentary is entertaining and funny without feeling like they're trying too hard. That's the most important thing for me. Also, I like LPs with at least 2 or 3 people commentating a lot more, especially if only some of them have played the game before.

Oh, and a good LP needs to be a video with audio commentary. I can't get into screenshot or subtitled LPs.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

I don't care for them unless there is zero commentary or extremely minimalistic commentary. Sometimes I just use them to view games I have no intention of purchase but I am interested in looking over anyway. I just can't stand the commentary.

 

[Pink Gregory]

In regards to multiple commentators, I quite enjoy '2 Player' (from the unforgotten realms feller), although it's mostly old games; I watched the entire Donkey Kong Country series in one sitting.

 

[Antitonic]

Let's Plays aren't just video though. There are PLENTY of great screenshot LPs out there.

A good sense of humour is a must. As is showing off things people wouldn't typically know. Completionism is lower on the ladder. I'm not fussed if people don't show EVERYTHING over the course of the LP, but it's nice if they do in a way that's not just an exposition dump.

If there are multiply LPers, they should be able to contribute (more or less) evenly, be it in discussion or gameplay.

In games that allow it, a good narrative is nice, too.

 

[TheAmazingHobo]

I like two specific kinds of LP.
a) Serious, one-person LPs of a genuinly good game, when the commentator really gets in to the spirit of the game and shuts his gob when something important is happening.
b) Whacky two/three-person LPs of crap games. Though only if the guys have decent chemistry and are smart enough to actually poke fun at the game, keep up the banter if nothing interesting is going on and don´t start talking about their high-school days during a boss-fight.

Should be unnecessary to point out, that I think most LPs are shit.

Edit; Oh forgot my pet peeve.
I HATE LPs of strategy games. Whenever I try to watch one for even a minute, I end up banging my head against the desk out of sheer boredom. I´m pretty much convinced at this stage, that only RPGs, Action Adventures and MAYBE some FPSs make for good LPs.
If anyone got a LP that would prove me wrong, I´m all ears (good a LOT of scientific coding coming up next week, so I would have plenty time to watch).

 

[Badong]

The commentator, of course, especially if he's funny and isn't that good at the game.

 

[thatreynoldsman]

As a huge LP disciple, I can say that simple gaming inadequacy drives me insane. If that is the case I often found myself screaming, 'I could do better than you! I'll make an LP and show you how it's done you useless *insert many curse words here*!' Now I have a rule that if I could play better than the commentator, it isn't worth watching.
Other than that, an irritating voice is, well, irritating. And that is a huge turn off (literally).
I think those are the only two major things that are deal breakers. I don't care what the commentator talks about, even if they are idiots who talk about irrelevant crap. I can potentially find anything interesting, and that's the mindset I go into an LP with. Obviously it has to be a game I like or a game that I think I will like, and I give any game a try as long as it is being played by a commentator I respect.

EDIT: The above is transferable to commentaries with multiple people.