Zero Punctuation: LEGO Indy

[TheHecatomb]

Nice intro. Gonna comb your hair partly in front of your face and cut yourself next, Yahtzee?

Seriously, I can totally dig the way the intro looks, but the horribly clichéd standard generic emo nu-metal music just ruins it. Don't get me wrong, I fully agree that there should be a solid and recognizable intro that fits the episodes, but the music just doesn't fit in at all. It's like the Prince of Persia series, which got ruined by following that hype of putting standard nu-metal into games, totally destroying the atmosphere and individuality it had. Judging from his previous work Yahtzee'd agree on that.

I really liked the way Yahtzee used to grab some older classics for your intro's, and I have to say I'm sad to see it going down the drain of mainstream standard-issue bullshit. On second thought though, the ZP episodes have also been losing their edge a bit lately, feeling more like a grind of what he *has* to do, rather than what he'd *like* to be doing. Ah well, I hope it's just a temporary depression or whatever.

So yeah, all in all, good job on getting an intro together, but for Christ's sake use a worthy themesong.

I'll probably be spat on by some of the people here, but whatever. Remember that Yahtzee hates all kinds of fanboys, I have no doubt this includes his own.

 

[subinfinity]

When I saw (and heard) the new intro, I thought of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, i.e. how some marketing douchenozzle figured the Prince had to be badassed up with tattoos and a soundtrack by godsmack.

I think the new intro needs the animated yahtzee jumping from an exploding helicopter on a skateboard while decapitating a hooker.

 

[subinfinity]

Shit. Someone beat me to the PoP punch.

 

[Ian Dorsch]

I think the new intro needs the animated yahtzee jumping from an exploding helicopter on a skateboard while decapitating a hooker.

Now that would be awesome.

 

[Firia]

So yeah, all in all, good job on getting an intro together, but for Christ's sake use a worthy themesong.

I'll probably be spat on by some of the people here, but whatever. Remember that Yahtzee hates all kinds of fanboys, I have no doubt this includes his own.

He may hate fan boys, but I wonder about HIS fans. Remember, Yahtzee isn't above a little bit of hypocracy. Tee shirts for sale whilst teasing someone for the sale of their café press shirt? oh-ho!

 

[Sylocat]

What is all this other video shit the Escapist is advertising? If it weren't such terrible garbage, they wouldn't need to advertise it on their only fucking successful weekly video. Give it up, god damn. Drawn by Pain? Wow, an incredibly retarded emo sounding name gives way to a terribly emo, shit pseudo-cartoon with some of the stupidest acting I've seen.

I enjoy making the series, so will sadly to your displeasure continue doing my best to make something that hopefully some people enjoy. If some do not - that's all good - I respect that completly.

Nice Job on the review Yahtzee. As always - enjoyed the f**k out of it.

-Jes

Don't worry Jes, it's just some idiots who take one look at the remotely-similar-to-manga-style artwork and think, "ooh, japanees stuf! someting i can start bashing 2 endeer me 2 yatzee since he haets teh japanees!" and start into parrot mode.

 

[yzzlthtz]

Oh man hilarious.
My experience with the Lego games is that if I play them single player I have a shallow and unrewarding experience and start to hat myself. But if I play them with a friend, it suddenly becomes a mirth-filled highly rewarding challenge.
don't know what that's about.

 

[LewsTherin]

Yahtzee is back on track, great review. I especially enjoyed the depth and accuracy to which he summed up Crystal Skull.

But just one question.

Are there melting/exploding/whatever else happens I haven't seen Raiders for a while Nazis in the game?

 

[chaosraiden]

Nice intro. Gonna comb your hair partly in front of your face and cut yourself next, Yahtzee?

Seriously, I can totally dig the way the intro looks, but the horribly clichéd standard generic emo nu-metal music just ruins it. Don't get me wrong, I fully agree that there should be a solid and recognizable intro that fits the episodes, but the music just doesn't fit in at all. It's like the Prince of Persia series, which got ruined by following that hype of putting standard nu-metal into games, totally destroying the atmosphere and individuality it had. Judging from his previous work Yahtzee'd agree on that.

I really liked the way Yahtzee used to grab some older classics for your intro's, and I have to say I'm sad to see it going down the drain of mainstream standard-issue bullshit. On second thought though, the ZP episodes have also been losing their edge a bit lately, feeling more like a grind of what he *has* to do, rather than what he'd *like* to be doing. Ah well, I hope it's just a temporary depression or whatever.

So yeah, all in all, good job on getting an intro together, but for Christ's sake use a worthy themesong.

I'll probably be spat on by some of the people here, but whatever. Remember that Yahtzee hates all kinds of fanboys, I have no doubt this includes his own.

I concur.. deaf people are having the time of their lives with the intro.. however sadly most people have ears and have to hear it too

and CHRIST, people remember fuzzy felt. What a great product... felt on a background of felt. Go MAD!

 

[TheHecatomb]

Don't worry Jes, it's just some idiots who take one look at the remotely-similar-to-manga-style artwork and think, "ooh, japanees stuf! someting i can start bashing 2 endeer me 2 yatzee since he haets teh japanees!" and start into parrot mode.

Ooh look a fanboy! Fancy a peanut?

Garfgarog made a totally valid, although somewhat rude point about The Escapist using ZP's popularity to advertise their other stuff that just hasn't got what it takes to become popular on it's own. I remember the first time I saw a Drawn by Pain ad after ZP. My first thoughts were like "Oh, cool, Yahtzee made another short like the Witcher or Team Fortress one". What I got though, was a horribly uninspired pile of rubbish and terrible artwork.
If the purpose of the ad was to make me curious about Drawn by Pain and perhaps even check it out, then I must say it couldn't have done a better job at failing.

So yeah, you can act real tough and proudly defend Drawn by Pain (remember though that if you'd really respect the creators, you'd trust their ability to defend themselves) by throwing in some loose accusations about people appearantly hating Japanese arts, but since no one mentioned that to begin with it kinda makes you look like a freckled fat ginger kid who keeps yelling the things his mommy told him to say to those big bad bullies.

 

[PurpleRain]

10/7/08: You Changed It Now It Sucks
The review of Lego Indiana Jones this week also brings with it a new, original theme tune and intro sequence. And so, as reliably as the tides, there has been a lot of hostility towards it. Most of it I'm putting down to the human instinct to be opposed to sudden changes in routine and status quo. I'd like to point out that if the reviews had had original music and an intro like that from the very beginning no-one would have cared. I'd also like to point out that I kind of thought everyone was here for the video game criticism, which is unchanged.

Firstly, no, this wasn't because of pressure from the Escapist. It was my idea to spruce up the videos and make them look a bit more professional, because otherwise it reflects poorly on me. Extreme paranoia concerning copyright infringement may also have played a part and I wanted to err on the side of caution.

The new intro might be a bit PEPSI MAX for you but frankly I like it. It gets me pumped. And for the music I asked for something awesome with squealy guitars because I'm extremely white and therefore into classic rock. Give it a few weeks, I'm sure it'll grow on everyone.

Yahtzee

Thread closed.

 

[Sir Raphael]

The review was good. It seemed like a return to form after the Webcomics one, and the Mailbag Showdown before that (not to mention the one week where they just put up the Consoles Rundown one again). Still... I don't know. There was something missing from it which was present in the older reviews. I can't put my finger on it. Maybe I'm just tired.

As for the intro/outro business... well, I admit I preferred the old deal. As many people have already said, it gave an air of individuality to the reviews, and also gave me another joke to laugh at, particularly with the outro song. Still, that said, I like the new intro. A lot of people have complained about it for being too "nu-metal" or not fitting the ZP style, but personally I like it. Didn't work so well on the outro for some reason, though, in my opinion. Maybe it's just hearing the same thing twice, but I don't think it suits the outro (and yet it suits the intro... yes, I'm aware that probably doesn't quite make sense, but that's how I feel. Maybe it's somthing to do with the intro being animated but the outro being composed of stills). Or maybe I'm still missing the old style too much. Well, I'll give it a few weeks, see if it grows on me.

[rant]

Oh, and as for this business of ads after the main feature: why can't you people just hit pause, or navigate away from the page if you dislike them so much? It beats the hell out of having to sit through them if I want to watch the review again like I had to do under the old system. Besides, I'm actually glad for the advertising of the Escapist's other content. Before, I only came here to watch ZP; now I've actually started watching some of the other features, particularly Unforgotten Realms. And are we really still so juvenile that we have to resort to swearing when cussing when expressing our dislike of something? Yes, Yahtzee does it, but not every other goddamn word, and not as a substitue for actual criticisms. It just makes you look immature, and frankly contributes greatly to the general image of forums as cess pools of idiocy.

[/rant]

 

[donmilliken]

10/7/08: You Changed It Now It Sucks
The review of Lego Indiana Jones this week also brings with it a new, original theme tune and intro sequence. And so, as reliably as the tides, there has been a lot of hostility towards it. Most of it I'm putting down to the human instinct to be opposed to sudden changes in routine and status quo. I'd like to point out that if the reviews had had original music and an intro like that from the very beginning no-one would have cared. I'd also like to point out that I kind of thought everyone was here for the video game criticism, which is unchanged.

Firstly, no, this wasn't because of pressure from the Escapist. It was my idea to spruce up the videos and make them look a bit more professional, because otherwise it reflects poorly on me. Extreme paranoia concerning copyright infringement may also have played a part and I wanted to err on the side of caution.

The new intro might be a bit PEPSI MAX for you but frankly I like it. It gets me pumped. And for the music I asked for something awesome with squealy guitars because I'm extremely white and therefore into classic rock. Give it a few weeks, I'm sure it'll grow on everyone.

Yahtzee

Thread closed.

Is it now?

Sorry Yahtzee, but I dislike the new intro because it sucks, not because it's different.

As for the music selection, sorry you didn't get what you asked for, but I see you're making do.

 

[Slacker2000]

Very good. I never really like the lego games... and everyone hates me for it...

 

[GlenRice41]

Yahtzee, I read the post on your site. And even though I'm disappointed somewhat I have to agree with you. The new intro pictures are great and all we are just going to miss the music. If i were in your spot I would probably would have done the same thing. The last thing you need is some type of lawsuit that would cause you to have to stop posting this and on top of that be broke for the rest of your natural born life because Corporations are good at sticking it to the little man in lawsuit cases. We are creatures of habit. So even though it is a change, I'm going to try to welcome it .

 

[Sylocat]

Ooh look a fanboy! Fancy a peanut?

Thanks, I have plenty. They're very nutritious, you know, albeit with a lot of nut oils, but I have a high metabolism.

Garfgarog made a totally valid, although somewhat rude point about The Escapist using ZP's popularity to advertise their other stuff that just hasn't got what it takes to become popular on it's own. I remember the first time I saw a Drawn by Pain ad after ZP. My first thoughts were like "Oh, cool, Yahtzee made another short like the Witcher or Team Fortress one". What I got though, was a horribly uninspired pile of rubbish and terrible artwork.
If the purpose of the ad was to make me curious about Drawn by Pain and perhaps even check it out, then I must say it couldn't have done a better job at failing.

Heaven forbid you should, you know, just stop watching the ad. The review is OVER by then, you aren't missing any more ZP by navigating away from the page.

So yeah, you can act real tough and proudly defend Drawn by Pain (remember though that if you'd really respect the creators, you'd trust their ability to defend themselves) by throwing in some loose accusations about people appearantly hating Japanese arts, but since no one mentioned that to begin with it kinda makes you look like a freckled fat ginger kid who keeps yelling the things his mommy told him to say to those big bad bullies.

Actually, plenty of people mention hating anime when attacking DBP, even though anime doesn't really play that big a part in DBP at all apart from some of the drawings looking vaguely similar to the anime style. And by the way, I accuse people of hating Japanese arts because that's what a lot of people pretend to do here, in hopes that it will either impress Yahtzee and/or make them popular here. It's something that comes up in a lot of the semicoherent posts that keep attacking DBP for having the nerve to exist.

But whatever, think what you want.

 

[PurpleRain]

Thread closed.

Is it now?

Yes. He isn't going to change because you whinge about it. I miss the old way, but there's nothing wrong with the new one. I don't mind it, and people (staff) seem to like it. So yes, thread closed.

 

[Z4N5H1N]

Seriously, I can totally dig the way the intro looks, but the horribly clichéd standard generic emo nu-metal music just ruins it.

I know this is the internet and all, and it's expected that people make complete cocks of themselves without hesitation, due to the wonderful anonymity these here interwebs offer, but there's a point where it becomes conspicuous even by internet standards.

If you don't have even the faintest clue what a genre of music sounds like or is, for the love of god, don't namedrop it on a videogame forum to sound edgy and chic.

 

[fruitbooterlol]

Damn, I'm a little late in watching it but, w/e i believe this review made me laugh more than any other review yahtzee has made, i laughed especially hard at the "fuck you with great, big handfuls of rusty nuts and bolts." part.
i have to say like the others because i am a conformist sheep;P
that i also dislike the new intro;(copyrighted songs ftw)
all in all another great review cant wait till the next one.

 

[TheHecatomb]

Actually, plenty of people mention hating anime when attacking DBP, even though anime doesn't really play that big a part in DBP at all apart from some of the drawings looking vaguely similar to the anime style. And by the way, I accuse people of hating Japanese arts because that's what a lot of people pretend to do here, in hopes that it will either impress Yahtzee and/or make them popular here. It's something that comes up in a lot of the semicoherent posts that keep attacking DBP for having the nerve to exist.

But whatever, think what you want.

Absolutely right, I totally agree on that. But this wasn't the case in this particular situation, so projecting it on Garfgobblewhateverhisnamewas does make it a fairly weak argument. I'm not saying it's not true, I don't know that, but it just wasn't mentioned until you brought it up.

No hard feelings or whatsoever, it just bothered me how you immediately jumped into defense and claiming something that wasn't even mentioned by the so-called attacker.

I know this is the internet and all, and it's expected that people make complete cocks of themselves without hesitation, due to the wonderful anonymity these here interwebs offer, but there's a point where it becomes conspicuous even by internet standards.

If you don't have even the faintest clue what a genre of music sounds like or is, for the love of god, don't namedrop it on a videogame forum to sound edgy and chic.

Yeah sorry for not writing an in-depth review of the song explaining every aspect and nature of every single note. I'm just saying it sounds horribly standard and clichéd, and it would perfectly fit in the current mixture of emo/nu-metal bands that are being hyped all around. Sorry if I forgot to mention it's actually a crossover between emo and east-Mongolian satanistic blackened death metal, I just had a hard time telling from those few seconds of music.

Quite frankly, I couldn't care less what genre it is. It just sounds like something that could perfectly fit in the Bullet for my Valentine discography, or any other of the threehundred-in-a-dozen bands in that genre. Needless to say I think it's overhyped and uninspired rubbish, and most importantly not suiting ZP at all.