What kind of let's plays do you like to watch?

[BathorysGraveland2]

Single player games or Multi? - Single.
Angry? Or happy? - Happy, for the most part.
Random podcasty? or focused on the game? - Focused on the game.
Little editing? Lots of editing? - I like blind LPs, so little editing.
Lots of commentary? Minimum commentary? - Lot's of commentary, otherwise I may as well just play it myself.

I generally like blind LPs because I enjoy seeing a players reaction to things for the first time, seeing their thoughts on the game and how they handle it, provided of course the LP'er is genuine. The majority of LP'ers I watch do not monetise their videos, so there is no financial focus for them, and thus no reason to give in to successful trends set by some of the bigger LP'ers, which is very fortunate.

I do, however, enjoy role-playing LP's as well. Gopher is probably my favourite for this. Skyrim isn't blind at all, yet he makes it interesting by RP'ing a character with a story. So if an LP isn't blind, then the RP aspect can certainly hook me in. Regardless, the commentary has to be enjoyable regardless of the game. The kind of commentary I like is constructive about the game, either negatively or positively, as long as its genuine. A good voice is also necessary. While your voice isn't something you can't change, and I sympathise with LP'ers with voices I can't stand because of this, it's essential that your voice does not grate on me or is not unpleasant to listen to. The quality of the recording equipment also factors into this. If I'm going to watch an LP'er play a 10-20 hour game, it has to be a pleasure to both watch and listen to.

Skill regarding gameplay is a non-issue for me. It can be quite amusing to watch someone fail a bit in a game anyway (once more, provided it's genuine, not faked).

 

[MephistosCousin]

Really blind let's plays? I think it really depends on how good the person is at blind lets plays for me personally, they definitely have to edit out them running around lost for 20 minutes if they're prone to doing that.

But for let's players who don't get lost all the time and dont edit out those lost times yea i have too say i prefer blind as well...or at least semi-blind (like they've played the game...but it was a long time ago.)

 

[The Crispy Tiger]

Personally I like things like Chilled Chaos current state of his channel where it's damn near consistant comedy instead of a let's play. But if I had to pick a serious let's play style then I would go with TheRadBrad's channel. Single player, blind let's play, where you do your best not to suck at the game in question.

 

[MephistosCousin]

Personally I like things like Chilled Chaos current state of his channel where it's damn near consistant comedy instead of a let's play. But if I had to pick a serious let's play style then I would go with TheRadBrad's channel. Single player, blind let's play, where you do your best not to suck at the game in question.

Yea I liked chilled as well. Never heard of Radbrad...might need to look him up.

So another for singe player and blind lets plays.

 

[Rariow]

There's two major styles I like to watch: Blind, and experienced. By this, I mean I either want someone to be going into the game for the first time, or be completely pro and 100% everything. I find watching people learning games I know well and they don't to be fascinating (Veriax, who is a relatively little known guy, is great at this), and I can admire skill and knowledge, but anything in between just bores me. I will occasionally watch the Yogscast, which is really neither, but that's mostly for their interactions rather than the game, which I think is not what let's play should be. Yogscast is just a group of people who bounce extremely well of each other: The majority of their solo content I find to be unbearably dull.

 

[Roxas1359]

Really I'll watch any as long as the commentary is funny or informative. I really like channels like The Super Gaming Bros. and Chuggaconroy, as well as ProtonJon and Pcull44444.
Although does it count as watching them if I have to edit my own? XD

 

[trollnystan]

Don't watch many LPs, but I generally like:

¤ Singleplayer
¤ Happy/funny
¤ Focused on the game
¤ Have no preferences for editing, but I guess minimal?

How much commentary depends. Is it a story-heavy game? Are they going blab all over the in game dialogue - even when not in cutscenes and even when they haven't enabled subtitles? Then: NO COMMENTARY AT ALL PLZ.

I recently went looking for a Let's Play of The Last Of Us, seeing as I'll probably never get to play it myself (damn exclusives), and found one guy I thought would do; he muted his mic in cutscenes and his voice wasn't too annoying. But then the game proper started, and he was babbling through the in game dialogue between Joel and Tess and the overheard dialogue on the street. And there were NO SUBTITLES. Which meant I couldn't "listen" that way. (a very minor nitpick was that he also ran past all the stuff happening in the streets and didn't bother to listen to the dialogue between NPCs; I totally get why one wouldn't do that in a Let's Play.)

Anyway, so I went looking again and found someone who had made a completely silent run of the game. No talking. At all. I kind of miss the talking, but at least I get to hear what's being said PLUS so far he's gone out of his way to listen to NPC dialogue and stuff like that. Also: SUBTITLES. (People underestimate the importance of subtitles IMHO.)

On the other hand, in say Minecraft Let's Plays the more talking the better!

So yeah, amount of commentary depends on the game and on the style of the Let's Player.

 

[Akytalusia]

my prefered let's plays are of blind runs of games i've recently played myself, so i can watch someone else's blind experience and get a vicarious auxiliary dose of the fresh experience.
other than that, i'll watch LP's from personalities that leave a favorable impression on me. like raocow, for example. i don't particularly care what he's playing as long as it's him playing it. i'm not alone in his fandom of seeing him as similar to a drug. i need to get my fix every day or i even feel withdrawals. o.o;;

 

[kilenem]

I started to watch people playing games I never got to play like Resident evil Zero.

 

[Z of the Na'vi]

I used to be a big watcher of Game Grumps back when Jon was still around.

Not so much a big watcher of them now. I kind of prefer to actually play the games than watch other people have fun.

 

[-Dragmire-]

I really don't watch many different LPers, just Game Grumps/Steam Train and Spoiler Warning. The only thing they really have in common is that they're mostly single player games.

 

[thejackyl]

Single player games or Multi? - Doesn't matter, but if it's multipayer, PLEASE include some of the people you play with in the video.
Angry? Or happy? - A mix is okay, I don't find "Rage-throughs" very entertaining, but if a part of a game is frustrating, I'm okay with the LPer showing some frustration
Random podcasty? or focused on the game? - Depends on the type of game. Single player, focus on the gameplay. Multiplayer, I prefer to hear some back-and-forth between the participants
Little editing? Lots of editing? - Only edit the game if there is a LARGE section of grinding, or periods where you are lost. Either cut the video and resume recording once you're no longer lost, or fast-forward it in post. I also don't find post-production commentary as entertaining as live commentary.
Lots of commentary? Minimum commentary? - Again depends on the game. Story based, minimal. Maybe read unvoiced dialog and such and talk during gameplay. Gameplay based, talk as much as you want. An overall rule for me is SHUT THE FUCK UP DURING CUTSCENES.

 

[MephistosCousin]

Single player games or Multi? - Doesn't matter, but if it's multipayer, PLEASE include some of the people you play with in the video.
Angry? Or happy? - A mix is okay, I don't find "Rage-throughs" very entertaining, but if a part of a game is frustrating, I'm okay with the LPer showing some frustration
Random podcasty? or focused on the game? - Depends on the type of game. Single player, focus on the gameplay. Multiplayer, I prefer to hear some back-and-forth between the participants
Little editing? Lots of editing? - Only edit the game if there is a LARGE section of grinding, or periods where you are lost. Either cut the video and resume recording once you're no longer lost, or fast-forward it in post. I also don't find post-production commentary as entertaining as live commentary.
Lots of commentary? Minimum commentary? - Again depends on the game. Story based, minimal. Maybe read unvoiced dialog and such and talk during gameplay. Gameplay based, talk as much as you want. An overall rule for me is SHUT THE FUCK UP DURING CUTSCENES.

Yea I need to learn how to be quiet during cutscenes or at least do it more often then never XD

Sadly Jedi Academy doesn't have subtitles which really sucks cause i prefer subtitles in my games...

 

[The_Lost_King]

I like people who have a lot of commentary, and as long as like 50% of it is about the game I'm fine.

I also prefer Single player games or if it is multi-player I want it to be co-op or Starcraft 2.

Rage vs. Happy: I like them to like the game, if they have like a video or two making fun of the game, it's fine. It's also fine if they are frustrated at a really stupid part, like when Jesse Cox gets to his breaking point and yells at the game.

Little edit vs. lots of edit: If they are trekking between towns and couldn't think of anything to talk about, I'm fine with them editing it. If they are stuck on a boss and edit out like 20 minutes of death, I'm fine. Otherwise I don't like that much editting.

 

[MephistosCousin]

I like people who have a lot of commentary, and as long as like 50% of it is about the game I'm fine.

I also prefer Single player games or if it is multi-player I want it to be co-op or Starcraft 2.

Rage vs. Happy: I like them to like the game, if they have like a video or two making fun of the game, it's fine. It's also fine if they are frustrated at a really stupid part, like when Jesse Cox gets to his breaking point and yells at the game.

Little edit vs. lots of edit: If they are trekking between towns and couldn't think of anything to talk about, I'm fine with them editing it. If they are stuck on a boss and edit out like 20 minutes of death, I'm fine. Otherwise I don't like that much editting.

hmm...I think you'd like some of my let's plays then.

But i have to ask...why the Starcraft 2? I like the game but it seems like a random game to have as an semi-exception to something.

 

[Kecunk]

I just like watching lets plays of old point and click adventure games because I like the stories when they're good, and its funny when they're bad but either way I just don't really have the patients to play them myself so I just watch lets plays instead.

 

[jdogtwodolla]

I like LPs by people who care about sharing an experience with there audience. I always bring up Chuggaconnroy and Davidryt64 because they care about video making and sharing first.

I had to unsubscribe from Jim Sterling after that Steamworld Dig video because I couldn't take it anymore. I don't know if he's been doing shtick or if it's just how he is now but the attitude he has about what he now does just gets tiresome. In that video he gave the audience a choice of shitty games or shitty videos of good games as if those were the only two options available to him. How about actually giving a shit? That would be nice.

Note that I haven't watched his multi-part videos so I can't say nor actually do think he doesn't care but the attitude, real or not, is plainly in the one-offs and I just stopped watching because of it.

 

[Remus]

Horror games, blind run of course. When Outlast was first released there were a ton of LPs around, all of them so fun to watch, like a live horror movie unfolding in front of you. Commentary only added to the experience as you get to see and hear the reactions of the players as they get grabbed, mauled, and mutilated.

Outside of that, an LP of Mirror's Edge on Oculus Rift was really cool, it being something that I'd have to try myself once the device goes full retail.

 

[jelock]

The only one I watch is Nerd3. Does a whole range of stuff. Most of his are quick edit, comedy LPs. Does lots of Indy games, alphas, obscure sims and AAA.

 

[Artina89]

I personally really like vash12349's walkthroughs. I find him to be funny and informative, especially when he plays Resident Evil games. You get the feeling that he enjoys what he does and for me that is important. Special mention also goes to Nintendocaprisun for very much the same reason, a particular favourite is his Conker's bad fur day playthrough.