Loved the variety pack approach. Great video, glad you enjoyed Dune as well EDIT: God, I hope the first two minutes of script weren't as meta as I think it was. I can directly be thankful to you because I purchased all the zachtronic games you covered and found challenging but incredibly accomplishing experience in them. And it was because of ur in-depth, not micro, full set approach to games that provokes a greater satisfaction in the whole medium. I look forward to future recommendations, before reaffirmations or accessible satisfactions or whatever direction you enjoy. Above all else as a viewer, i respect your judgement
I feel like this is the most Matthewmatosis video Matthewmatosis has ever done. It's funny that in this video he mentions "There's sincerity in originality" because I've found that to be the most endearing quality of his videos recently. I may not have any intention of playing things like the Zachtronics collection or even many of the games mentioned in this video, but I do appreciate the fact that Matthew cares enough about all these different games to share them with us, rather than feeling obligated to just cover what's popular or what the fans want. Without him doing videos like this, and many others, I would've never played (or even heard of, for that matter) games like Ghost Trick, Furi, or Environmental Station Alpha. I hope Matthew keeps doing what he's doing. Continuing to march to the beat of his own drum, because next video, whatever it may be about, I'm sure I'll learn something new and enjoy the passion and care Matthew is willing to share with us.
Well said- in a genre of videos that is quickly becoming overcrowded and overdone I still find that he stands apart and remains true to his 'artistic integrity' (lol) if you can call it that.
@@morganometry Probably unconsciously "stole" that line. I am a fan of the Smash Brothers Documentary, and a huge fan of Isai (Specifically as a Smash 64 player) so that line has probably stuck to me.
@@elizawada6583 Can you tell me what you thought about Microvideos 2 & 3 and the newest two design videos when they came out and how you think about this channel now? I know, weird question, but I'm actually interested. @wonderguardstalker Maybe for you, but it was good for people in the future to explain it like this.
Feel like there's a very real chance this might be my favorite video of yours. Not just because my forever-loves the Ace Attorney games got a positive mention. I realized the other day how truly I lack anyone in the field of games criticism whose opinions I feel like always come from a place of substance and consideration, even if I don't even nearly always agree with them. It's especially startling given that there's so, so many people for whom that's literally their career. And then I watch this and in like any given three segments you give more insight into the game design or greater cultural significance at play in whatever you're talking about than some game critics will manage in their life. There's a reason you took off, Matt, and I'm just as gladly following what you have to say now as I was years ago when I first watched one of your videos.
If you're looking for more thoughtful review channels, you should check out Cool Ghosts. Their videos have an element of daft comedy, particularly in newer videos, but for what it's worth they always highlight interesting points about games that one might otherwise ignore.
The difference between most current game critics and Matthew is that Matthew's able to make broader, educated points from his indepth analysis, instead of other critics drowning themselves in needless nitpicking or just analysis with no worthwile conclusion and judgement. Also another seperate point is his professional presentation compared to other critics who bask in their "cynical" persona or bash people with having different opinions. End ramble lol
@@islandboy9381 Exactly. Matthew sounds like an intellectual: A bit like book and movie reviews by respectable critics with humanities degrees in respectable newspapers. Almost all other game reviews sound more like reviews of smartphones or cars, or like movie reviews in cheap listings magazines. E.g. the last few sentences of Matthew's WarioWare comment: You would hardly hear something like this in typical game reviews. But when the art form of video games gets more mature, it will surely get attention from more "intellectual" reviewers like Matthew. Though this could still take a while.
2:08 "Who knows, maybe this formula is so effective it even has some merits outside of games...| Ape Escape is novel in..." Gets me _every_ time. Genius.
@@maxinecaulfield310 I found it contradictory how he praised Mario 3D world for offering a choose your own get off point while Katamari Damacy does the same, and all with more depth. The game only goes on for too long if you make it, you don't need to do every star or constellation. The final level can be accessed by only doing the stars, making the point that it goes on for too long irrelevant.
@@retractingblinds Before playing it, I was under the impression that the ball grows dynamically through the whole game, like a giant level, but that's not the case. I can't agree with the claim that it drags on for too long when it's level based, and with optional ones too. The main adventure is only 10 levels or so, it actually felt slightly not long enough. I guess it could have used more varied stages, the fact that you start the level with a ball smaller than your previous one can make it feel more padded out than it should.
With regards to Raziel's design, the wrappings on his arms and legs may have acted as padding underneath the armour he wore. Raziel and his brethren were lieutenants and it is likely they were sent into battles and other vampire-vs-human conflicts. The wrappings that are left when Raziel becomes a wraith are remains from his servitude under Kain and so they can help inform his character that way, as well as being tattered reminders that he had some other life before his current situation.
This video made me think of a question I've been asking myself lately: What do I value in analyzing video games? I've been wanting to make similar critiques for quite some time now as a personal hobby, but I just haven't had a clear, consistent reason to do so. But I think I got an answer during your Q*bert section of this video. I want to be able to reduce a game to its basic components, to be able to describe clearly and objectively what I like or dislike about it -- to the point that describing so would say something just as clearly about myself, and ideally about others who find that they agree with my values as well. This is why I really love your videos. You maintain a consistent focus of values that I strongly relate to, making these videos incredibly insightful.
This is surreal, literally 10 seconds before Matthew starts talking about Dune 2000 I closed a tab with Dune 2000 gameplay footage that I accidentally stumbled upon while looking at Sardaukar illustrations
I misread the title so I thought this was purely about warioware due to the thumbnail and start. I then thought you were being amazingly clever with your critique of warioware by throwing in a bunch of mini reviews seamlessly. What a wonderful video.
It's quite rare now, but there does exist a light gun for the PlayStation that's more arcade-accurate with the kickback called the Super Jolt Gun. For being a random light gun made by some no-name company it's built really well. It works as well as the Guncon as far as accuracy goes along with the added benefits of being able to attach pedal for Time Crisis, it's a lot heftier and just feels a lot more like the arcade guns, nevermind the kickback which is the main feature. Light gun games are one of my favorite genres and I completely agree that as nice of a supplement as IR sensors are, it's just not the same as that 1:1 accuracy a legitimate light gun offers and I honestly hadn't thought about younger generations missing out on that until now. It really is a lost art unless you own the proper equipment.
Really nice video. I wouldn't mind if you did something like this again every once in awhile. It seems you have a lot of games you want to play but not necessarily have a lot to say about them most of the time, so this seems like a good compromise. I wouldn't want every video from now on to be like this, but this is a great change of pace.
I agree. This video very much struck me as a collection of thoughts from the cutting room floor -- good thoughts, but not ones that were beefy enough to develop into full videos. I'd imagine a guy like Matthew probably has a bunch of ideas like this lying around, and I'd be more than happy to see compilations of them every once in a while.
This is the most fascinatingly metatextual review of Warioware I have ever seen. I mean, micro-reviews as stand-in for microgames? A great bit of structuring. The bit about order and chaos being rolled into one coming hard at the end of the review was actually a really clever way of explaining the point without sacrificing the visceral enjoyment of the distinctive, different stylistic approach that each of the micro-reviews had. Really clever work all around as ever, Mr. Matosis.
Your phoenix Wright review was spot on. I find it hard to describe the game to people who never played it and explain why its such a fun game but your review of the objection bit, the music and the overall reward the player gets was thorough.
*Dark Souls Spoilers* In Dark Souls I think the best "cosmic horror" element is easily overlooked. That being Ash Lake. The world of Dark Souls is cohesive and makes sense. You can play through the entire game and miss the secret passage to the Great Hollow. I myself did just that. Upon my second playthrough, finding it was quite an experience. It throws your entire perception out of the window. At first, I thought it was a flaw, like it ruined the cohesiveness of the the world. However, I now think of it as a plus. Going from Ash Lake through The Great Hollow will take you back to the world of Lordran. So what if each tree in the background takes you to another world? What if it's all a part of The Old One from Demon's Souls? To me finding Ash Lake is like discovering the Matrix. It makes you question the reality of the world you thought you knew inside and out.
I wouldn’t call that cosmic at all. But I think I can see why you’d think so. It’s a small scale fantasy version of discovering the other side of the world. That said, it’s something that CAN be understood and at the end of the day reality isn’t any different for yer character having discovered it. The story still revolves around the rise of man and dark
This was my favorite game’s analyses video ever!!! So well done and well written!! Intriguing the whole time! I didn’t even want it to end and it was over before I knew it!!! Bravo!! And, thank you!!! :)
This has possibly already been pointed out, and maybe it’s intentional, but when Matthew mentions “completing a mini game without doing anything at all.” I believe there is a missed opportunity. In the mini game that’s being displayed on screen at the time, Wario jumps over the potato car. Whenever I see this part, I’m always waiting for the potato car to jump over Wario, since that’s exactly what happens in the 3rd most difficult variant of that mini game. Thusly requiring zero button presses or inputs from the player to succeed. Again, maybe it’s intentional, but I always felt like it was a slight oversight/missed opportunity. Anyways, love the videos.
I really dig the flow of this video. Jumping from one topic to another (only usually) related topic every few minutes is how conversations go, likewise for when someone is just thinking to themselves. So listening to this isn't just interesting, the structure of it also puts you into the sort of headspace you're in when you're just naturally discussing stuff with someone. It's a nice effect. And quite original, too.
Very well written video! At first I got kinda lost with the Microvideos but the end about chaos and order also made me realize that you start with Warioware and it's microgames and how you have to react in a few frames to understand what to do (or what you're talking about) But then you talk about interpretation with Souls series and how the audience can make unique meaning about the work of art and probably interpreting more than the author knew or intended. Somehow, all the microvideos are related with each other on their theme but also ties up with the concept of the full video as a whole.
This video was a surreal experience. It's no accident that you picked WarioWare as your first game. This was basically an exercise to put the concept of WarioWare in video form.
Matthew I've been watching your videos since the beginning and can safely say this is one of if not your best video. Although your commentaries will always give this video a good fight I'm just amazed at how much you've improved over the years. I can safely say you're my favorite TH-camr which is saying something since I watch TH-cam daily and have seen more videos by other TH-camrs and spent more time viewing other channels. You have a bright future ahead of you as you keep improving drastically with each new project. Keep up the great work Matthew you're an inspiration to artists and gamers alike.
I don't usually do this, but I think I'm going to watch this one twice. That was just a joy. Perhaps the ever-changing subject matter appealed to my sense of order in chaos.
"Don't steal my idea of ripping off Ape Escape. I thought of it first." Matt has the best one-liner delivery of any game analyst. Also, it's really interesting Dune's themes conceived the traditional RTS formula.
Honestly, I kinda want more of these. This was wildly fascinating to jump from game to game, learning more about games and insight on games I had no previous interest in, now seeing this video I think I want to give some of these a try.
At first I thought the Ape Escape bit was just an extended tangent, but by the time the bit about Dune hit I realized what you were actually doing with this video and honestly I was ecstatic.
I really enjoyed this format. Love the longer videos focusing on one game in particular, but this was fun and insightful. Hope you consider to do this format of mega micro-reviews again sometime.
God, I love this video format. I wish more people did it and I hope you do it again! This is essentially how my brain already works so seeing it represented successfully with these vague segues is incredibly encouraging. It helps that I pretty much love all of these games, heh.
This is an awesome format. You could basically do whatever and put it in this mystery box style and I would watch it. That Point Blank game looks radical.
the scripts in your videos honestly make the rest of youtube seem almost worthless in comparison, watching one of your videos provides as much substantive content and value as a great movie.
What I love most about your channel is that you don't limit yourself to one genre or style of game but are happy to sample the joys of each. And find something in each that is deserving or serious critique and considered review.
Great video, and beautiful transitions. I got confused after the first two cause they were so smooth i didn't even notice you had completely transitioned to a new game. Also excellent analysis
I grew up playing Dune 2 on a hand-me-down Amiga. If memory serves, you couldn't drag select and ended up having to manually order each unit, the mouse I was using was pretty atrociously unresponsive too. It was agony. It was my favorite.
Katamari damacy, aping ape out(ppipo saru getchu), wario ds game, demons souls, journey, time crisis, dune, soul reaver, pheonix wright, all these games that you just mentioned... were the best part of my past 20 years, and thank you and your video for just reminding me that these golds had place in my heart. Thank you so much Mat...
I admire your whole body of work but this one video must easily be my favourite. The inspiration for the format is fascinating and the execution is just amazing. Thank you.
One of the most amazingly well written and thoughtout games video essay out there. My comments based on each essay 01 - I got into the micro games games via an online flash game called Four Second Fury. That along with the GBA Warioware, really opened my mind to any and all kind of games not bound bound by made-up "terms". Also, loved the transition. 02 - Imagine if something like a Wiimote or something became the standard console controller along with a standard control scheme. This hilariously reminds me of that PS1 FPS Alien Resurrection review, which had the current console FPS controls but the then reviewer was puzzled as to how is anyone able to play a game like that. *This re-contextualization of controllers and peripherals always amazes me.* I played a JRPG (Trails in the Sky) with just a mouse, and it was one of the most gaming experiences I've ever had. LambHoot made a fantastic video on Wii controls in Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare on Wii. Playing on a rhythm game on a touch screen (on phone) really changed my view on mobile gaming. 03 - Glad to see someone else who invested more time in games as other mediums, in that I'm not alone. I can't recall any sort of "indirect influence of a feature in another medium, affecting games", but I think many inspirations Richard Garriot took from history and religion greatly influenced the Ultima series, which in turn influenced the entire western RPG sphere. I've read about how ecology affected the virtual ecology in Ultima Online, which was the progenitor of the modern MMO, but again, I can't remember or make a specific influence. 04 - *YES! PLAY WEIRDER GAMES!* My only lightgun experience has been duck hunt and the Aliens arcade machine (a miracle to find in a country like India). My only experience with other light gun games as been with PC ports of Virtua Cop and House of the Dead, which were with KB/M, so I don't know the "real arcade" experience. Also another great point regarding certain games "dying". I can see games like those on Wii getting lost to time (even after they emulate perfectly). This is another point to my comment in 02 05 - When I first saw Razial without context, his design was very off-putting and I wondered why anyone would design it such a way. I got your point of *"Context changes everything"* . For the longest time, I never "understood" Smash's popularity (Nintendo has no popularity here in India for the longest time. People know what Mario is, but not what Nintendo is). I knew it was a cross over game with interesting rules, but nothing to get so hyped up about. Isn't Mario Kart the same thing, but that doesn't get as much buzz. I "played" it (emulated with Xbox controller) and after the recent announcement and hype of SSB Ultimate, I partially understood why. It gave some context as to why people get so worked about characters beating each other for a ring-out. 06 - I knew that Ace Attorney series is the kind of experience unique to games, but I couldn't place my finger on it. You beautifully explained one aspect of it, the excellent presentation and directing. It's funny how many games (and features) breed out of limited hardware and/or budgets/manpower. This also games for the localization, which would have been one hell of a process. *Case 04 in AA1 is one of the single best endings in games, IMO* 07 - Haven't played either Demon's Soul or Bloodborne, and only few hours of Dark Souls, but I liked your idea of "Entropy". This also adds to my 05 comment, that *"Perception change can put things radically different"* 08 - Every post-2010 AAA game ever? Also those without Sony consoles, Abzu would be their only experience, and their view would change significantly over playing them backwards, wouldn't it? Doesn't the order in which you experience changes your view, and becomes different with the consensus, who has played the game in ordered? 09 - HOLY SMOKES! I WAS NOT ALONE IN THIS THOUGHT! The "human instinct" when purely talking about video games (and media/art in general). It's a struggle. On one hand, talking about "human" things dilutes the discussion, but at other times, the cold and calculated approach can never explain stuff like why Area 05 in REZ gives "feelings". Again with my comment 02, *Katamari is another amazing recontexualization of a "default" controller scheme.* And thank god! you didn't discuss the overconsumerism when discussing Katamari. (Also follow Keita Takashi on Twitter and send him all the love on support on his next game) If you read all, you have my sincerest thanks.
i appreciate the use of contrasting visuals between the different microvideos in this video; it let me skip past the only game(s) being spoken about that i had no interest in without being unsure where to skip to
Great work as always! More than mere technical game design observations, your insights often speak to the soul and humanity of computer games. Very inspiring, keep up the good work!
Wow... I don't really have anything to say after watching this , other than that was an amazing video and I look forward to watching this in the years to come!
I really wish I had something more substantive to say, like many of the other great comments I am seeing, but again, thank you Mr. Matosis, you truly are doing some amazing work.
I really liked this video. You could do a series out of this, I like the "30 min" format, sort of like old video game TV shows. You went pretty deep into these games as well, especially on Soul Reaver... you shed light on things in that game that I never even thought about such as the cloth and tears symbolism. I was entertained throughout the video and the pacing of your talking was perfect. You could have made a video about every and each one of the topics shown in this but this "mini compilation" format REALLY suits your channel. Really liked what you said in the Dune segment as well. Light gun games were one of the reasons I kept the Wii connected to the TV for a long while. It was perfect for that... makes sense when you think that Nintendo was mostly a toy company before and they have shined in the use of peripherals in every console generation. The impact of Ape Escape was huge, and it was a masterclass to many developers on how to use analog controls in 3D.
It'd be really cool if Matthew did a full review/analysis series on the Legacy of Kain series. There's a lot to digest from that series as far as narrative and gameplay go, even though there's only five mainline games.
I wouldn't wish that anybody sit down and play either Blood Omen 2 or Defiance 2+ times for footage. That series went off a cliff in terms of quality after Soul Reaver 2.
Vmac1394 Blood Omen 2 is by far the weakest game in the series. Defiance was solid though, even if it felt derivative of Devil May Cry in a lot of ways.
I think "edgy" games like Soul Reaver get kind of a bad reputation for their visual design sometimes. Like you described with Raziel, even if the concept of them is kind of silly, they often have a lot of thought put in to them and make something that is overall pretty aesthetically pleasing. But I think they work best at this within their context. Something which is kind of silly in the real world can become more serious and appropriate when placed within the context it was meant to be. I think the same can be said of the Darksiders games, which I'm a big fan of. Especially with the character Death. His design is similar to Raziel's in some ways too.
Having played Demon's Souls after Bloodborne (plus reading a lot of Lovecraft stuff), I did see the connection with the Old One to the whole eldritch abomination idea. Really like this microvideo format, it's pretty fun - I enjoyed Soul Reaver getting some acknowledgement too!
I'm glad Ape Escape is getting some love here because it seems to have fallen by the wayside with many people. It's so satisfying! I just remember never playing a game like it when I was a kid.
Hello! You probably won’t see this but you are one of my real inspirations. I appreciate all of your diverse content and I hope you continue to produce what you want to. I’m looking forward to seeing your videos in 2019!
The order and chaos bit really struck a chord with me given that I was playing Viscera Cleanup Detail, a game about as directly about turning chaos into order as you can get, while listening to the video.
I played ABZU a few months ago, and as Journey is one of my all-time favourite games, I set out to make an article comparing the two. I ended up writing about 3000 words and then abandoning it to focus on other things, but it astounds me how succinctly you made every single point I did, in more depth, in under 5 minutes. You just earned yourself a patreon.
Matt this video was excellent and really appreciate the amount of work that must've gone into this video when capturing all of the games. The titles of each microvideo are also wonderfully clever.
Goddamn Matthew how do you keep doing this Your insights legitimately make me feel humbled into shame as I think of them in comparison with my own ability to put ideas together
I had gotten so far into planning an ape escape style platformer a few years ago. It would’ve been about an angel capturing and purifying tiny demons that escaped from hell. It would’ve had the controls of ape escape 3, but with the gliding mechanic from Spyro. I’ve given up on programming in favour of writing since then so anyone can feel free to take that idea. Either way, the idea was mine first!!!
This is probably my favorite video of yours; it felt more personal rather than purely rational. Though that very short shoutout to Katamari at the end was a bit jarring.
"Cabinet lightguns had a slide which moved back with each shot" They sold home lightgun versions of those, too. I had a couple. Prone to breaking, though.
Neat rapid fire presentation. Not sure if this would work for as a general thing, but I very much like the format and wind breadth of topics covered. I know I have a habit of doing the exact same thing in conversation; bouncing from topic to topic with nary a consideration for consistency. You might have something here.
Great video! Full of wonderful info. The Abzû V Journey examination is interesting and I loved the Katamari segue. Making more such transitions would be neat for future videos of this nature. You got lost in your own genius around the Phoenix Wright part a bit. -Difficult to follow. Otherwise, super stuff!
great vid, especialy the blood/ demons part. I feel a lot of video makes miss the forest for the trees with the themes of souls games vs the story of an individual location or npc
If you're worried about spoilers, there's a full list in the description.
Loved the variety pack approach. Great video, glad you enjoyed Dune as well
EDIT: God, I hope the first two minutes of script weren't as meta as I think it was.
I can directly be thankful to you because I purchased all the zachtronic games you covered and found challenging but incredibly accomplishing experience in them. And it was because of ur in-depth, not micro, full set approach to games that provokes a greater satisfaction in the whole medium. I look forward to future recommendations, before reaffirmations or accessible satisfactions or whatever direction you enjoy. Above all else as a viewer, i respect your judgement
why not mention Danganronpa?
You do everything right, Matthew.
Wow, this video really came together! It is simultaneously an analysis and a work of art! Great job!
Excellent video as always.
The whole bit about chaos and order at the end was very well done
+
JBP intensifies
I feel like that was also about WarioWare.
Makes me want to watch it again and see what else was actually a review of WarioWare.
the bit about cosmic horror? definitely warioware
@@faburil I wonder if Matt is a fan.
I feel like this is the most Matthewmatosis video Matthewmatosis has ever done.
It's funny that in this video he mentions "There's sincerity in originality" because I've found that to be the most endearing quality of his videos recently. I may not have any intention of playing things like the Zachtronics collection or even many of the games mentioned in this video, but I do appreciate the fact that Matthew cares enough about all these different games to share them with us, rather than feeling obligated to just cover what's popular or what the fans want. Without him doing videos like this, and many others, I would've never played (or even heard of, for that matter) games like Ghost Trick, Furi, or Environmental Station Alpha.
I hope Matthew keeps doing what he's doing. Continuing to march to the beat of his own drum, because next video, whatever it may be about, I'm sure I'll learn something new and enjoy the passion and care Matthew is willing to share with us.
Well said- in a genre of videos that is quickly becoming overcrowded and overdone I still find that he stands apart and remains true to his 'artistic integrity' (lol) if you can call it that.
Did you steal that line from Prog talking about Isai
@@morganometry Probably unconsciously "stole" that line. I am a fan of the Smash Brothers Documentary, and a huge fan of Isai (Specifically as a Smash 64 player) so that line has probably stuck to me.
Yes would’ve sufficed
@@elizawada6583 Can you tell me what you thought about Microvideos 2 & 3 and the newest two design videos when they came out and how you think about this channel now? I know, weird question, but I'm actually interested.
@wonderguardstalker Maybe for you, but it was good for people in the future to explain it like this.
This was excellent. Really interesting way to present an incredibly wide range of ideas in a way that still feels coherent.
Writing on Games Nice channel, bro
Feel like there's a very real chance this might be my favorite video of yours. Not just because my forever-loves the Ace Attorney games got a positive mention.
I realized the other day how truly I lack anyone in the field of games criticism whose opinions I feel like always come from a place of substance and consideration, even if I don't even nearly always agree with them. It's especially startling given that there's so, so many people for whom that's literally their career. And then I watch this and in like any given three segments you give more insight into the game design or greater cultural significance at play in whatever you're talking about than some game critics will manage in their life. There's a reason you took off, Matt, and I'm just as gladly following what you have to say now as I was years ago when I first watched one of your videos.
Couldn't have put it better
If you're looking for more thoughtful review channels, you should check out Cool Ghosts. Their videos have an element of daft comedy, particularly in newer videos, but for what it's worth they always highlight interesting points about games that one might otherwise ignore.
The difference between most current game critics and Matthew is that Matthew's able to make broader, educated points from his indepth analysis, instead of other critics drowning themselves in needless nitpicking or just analysis with no worthwile conclusion and judgement.
Also another seperate point is his professional presentation compared to other critics who bask in their "cynical" persona or bash people with having different opinions.
End ramble lol
@@islandboy9381 Exactly. Matthew sounds like an intellectual: A bit like book and movie reviews by respectable critics with humanities degrees in respectable newspapers. Almost all other game reviews sound more like reviews of smartphones or cars, or like movie reviews in cheap listings magazines. E.g. the last few sentences of Matthew's WarioWare comment: You would hardly hear something like this in typical game reviews. But when the art form of video games gets more mature, it will surely get attention from more "intellectual" reviewers like Matthew. Though this could still take a while.
2:08 "Who knows, maybe this formula is so effective it even has some merits outside of games...| Ape Escape is novel in..."
Gets me _every_ time. Genius.
I almost wish there had been a fuse at the bottom that reset when you transitioned.
Brilliantly done.
Yea, honestly transitions might have been more obvious, got me confused at first
That would have been cute.
Honestly I was expecting for that to happen in the video somewhere and was kinda sad that it didn't haha
loving this new experimental branch of content, excited to see where you take it.
The lead in to Katamari Damacy is possibly the greatest thing you've ever done. Absolutely amazing.
Matthewmatosis said Katamari Damacy is the perfect video game. I can die happy now.
He mentioned in the past that it drags on for too long for it's own good.
@@maxinecaulfield310 he's wrong about that.
@@retractingblinds I highly doubt that, but I've not played it yet.
@@maxinecaulfield310 I found it contradictory how he praised Mario 3D world for offering a choose your own get off point while Katamari Damacy does the same, and all with more depth. The game only goes on for too long if you make it, you don't need to do every star or constellation. The final level can be accessed by only doing the stars, making the point that it goes on for too long irrelevant.
@@retractingblinds Before playing it, I was under the impression that the ball grows dynamically through the whole game, like a giant level, but that's not the case. I can't agree with the claim that it drags on for too long when it's level based, and with optional ones too. The main adventure is only 10 levels or so, it actually felt slightly not long enough. I guess it could have used more varied stages, the fact that you start the level with a ball smaller than your previous one can make it feel more padded out than it should.
Oh. This video ends. I wasn't ready for that.
With regards to Raziel's design, the wrappings on his arms and legs may have acted as padding underneath the armour he wore. Raziel and his brethren were lieutenants and it is likely they were sent into battles and other vampire-vs-human conflicts. The wrappings that are left when Raziel becomes a wraith are remains from his servitude under Kain and so they can help inform his character that way, as well as being tattered reminders that he had some other life before his current situation.
Every time I see a new vid from you I get so giddy I actually hop up and down a bit.
Autism
We're watching half hour video essays on games mostly from the 90s and early 2000s. We all are definitely on the spectrum to some extent.
cool
I nearly knocked over my dildominos.
nöl seriously? Was that kind of comment really needed?
Seriously you Internet people gotta stop talking like that.
This video made me think of a question I've been asking myself lately: What do I value in analyzing video games? I've been wanting to make similar critiques for quite some time now as a personal hobby, but I just haven't had a clear, consistent reason to do so. But I think I got an answer during your Q*bert section of this video.
I want to be able to reduce a game to its basic components, to be able to describe clearly and objectively what I like or dislike about it -- to the point that describing so would say something just as clearly about myself, and ideally about others who find that they agree with my values as well. This is why I really love your videos. You maintain a consistent focus of values that I strongly relate to, making these videos incredibly insightful.
What. I'm surprised I've never heard of udology before. Thanks for your response; I definitely agree with your sentiments on reflection.
You're a damn good writter, Matthew.
As soon as you talked about order and chaos, Katamari Damacy was on my mind :)
I was 99% sure he was leading in to talking about Dwarf Fortress, but no.
What about Minecraft?
Yeah when the screen went black I thought "Katamari Damacy?" ...and then I was right!!!! Yesss!!!!
This is surreal, literally 10 seconds before Matthew starts talking about Dune 2000 I closed a tab with Dune 2000 gameplay footage that I accidentally stumbled upon while looking at Sardaukar illustrations
There used to be coincidences and Deja Vu. Now there's just algorithms and Artificial Intelligence.
I misread the title so I thought this was purely about warioware due to the thumbnail and start. I then thought you were being amazingly clever with your critique of warioware by throwing in a bunch of mini reviews seamlessly. What a wonderful video.
LOVE this video for the simple fact that we get so many of your opinions about so many games all at once. Also Bloodborne and Soul Reaver mentions.
It's quite rare now, but there does exist a light gun for the PlayStation that's more arcade-accurate with the kickback called the Super Jolt Gun. For being a random light gun made by some no-name company it's built really well. It works as well as the Guncon as far as accuracy goes along with the added benefits of being able to attach pedal for Time Crisis, it's a lot heftier and just feels a lot more like the arcade guns, nevermind the kickback which is the main feature.
Light gun games are one of my favorite genres and I completely agree that as nice of a supplement as IR sensors are, it's just not the same as that 1:1 accuracy a legitimate light gun offers and I honestly hadn't thought about younger generations missing out on that until now. It really is a lost art unless you own the proper equipment.
Really nice video. I wouldn't mind if you did something like this again every once in awhile. It seems you have a lot of games you want to play but not necessarily have a lot to say about them most of the time, so this seems like a good compromise. I wouldn't want every video from now on to be like this, but this is a great change of pace.
I agree. This video very much struck me as a collection of thoughts from the cutting room floor -- good thoughts, but not ones that were beefy enough to develop into full videos. I'd imagine a guy like Matthew probably has a bunch of ideas like this lying around, and I'd be more than happy to see compilations of them every once in a while.
He now has done one more like this!
Another one has also popped up since. Hopefully you 3 all watched it. Otherwise, I know he would have no hard feelings
This is the most fascinatingly metatextual review of Warioware I have ever seen. I mean, micro-reviews as stand-in for microgames? A great bit of structuring. The bit about order and chaos being rolled into one coming hard at the end of the review was actually a really clever way of explaining the point without sacrificing the visceral enjoyment of the distinctive, different stylistic approach that each of the micro-reviews had. Really clever work all around as ever, Mr. Matosis.
Your phoenix Wright review was spot on. I find it hard to describe the game to people who never played it and explain why its such a fun game but your review of the objection bit, the music and the overall reward the player gets was thorough.
*Dark Souls Spoilers* In Dark Souls I think the best "cosmic horror" element is easily overlooked. That being Ash Lake. The world of Dark Souls is cohesive and makes sense. You can play through the entire game and miss the secret passage to the Great Hollow. I myself did just that. Upon my second playthrough, finding it was quite an experience. It throws your entire perception out of the window. At first, I thought it was a flaw, like it ruined the cohesiveness of the the world. However, I now think of it as a plus. Going from Ash Lake through The Great Hollow will take you back to the world of Lordran. So what if each tree in the background takes you to another world? What if it's all a part of The Old One from Demon's Souls? To me finding Ash Lake is like discovering the Matrix. It makes you question the reality of the world you thought you knew inside and out.
I wouldn’t call that cosmic at all. But I think I can see why you’d think so. It’s a small scale fantasy version of discovering the other side of the world. That said, it’s something that CAN be understood and at the end of the day reality isn’t any different for yer character having discovered it. The story still revolves around the rise of man and dark
This was my favorite game’s analyses video ever!!! So well done and well written!! Intriguing the whole time! I didn’t even want it to end and it was over before I knew it!!! Bravo!! And, thank you!!! :)
This has possibly already been pointed out, and maybe it’s intentional, but when Matthew mentions “completing a mini game without doing anything at all.” I believe there is a missed opportunity.
In the mini game that’s being displayed on screen at the time, Wario jumps over the potato car. Whenever I see this part, I’m always waiting for the potato car to jump over Wario, since that’s exactly what happens in the 3rd most difficult variant of that mini game. Thusly requiring zero button presses or inputs from the player to succeed. Again, maybe it’s intentional, but I always felt like it was a slight oversight/missed opportunity. Anyways, love the videos.
I really dig the flow of this video. Jumping from one topic to another (only usually) related topic every few minutes is how conversations go, likewise for when someone is just thinking to themselves. So listening to this isn't just interesting, the structure of it also puts you into the sort of headspace you're in when you're just naturally discussing stuff with someone. It's a nice effect.
And quite original, too.
Very well written video!
At first I got kinda lost with the Microvideos but the end about chaos and order also made me realize that you start with Warioware and it's microgames and how you have to react in a few frames to understand what to do (or what you're talking about)
But then you talk about interpretation with Souls series and how the audience can make unique meaning about the work of art and probably interpreting more than the author knew or intended.
Somehow, all the microvideos are related with each other on their theme but also ties up with the concept of the full video as a whole.
You're too kind
Also Sopranos, Talking Heads, and Space Dandy. You truly are a man of """taste"""
This video was a surreal experience. It's no accident that you picked WarioWare as your first game. This was basically an exercise to put the concept of WarioWare in video form.
this is a very interesting comment to find right after coming from Meta Microvideos
He blew our minds
No shit Sherlock
The beginning and end of this video flow so well together.
I wouldn't mind seeing more of these microvideos lumped together! :D
I like what you did here. Feels very coherent despite the variety and the segways were amazing. I hope we get to see more of it in the future.
Really liked this format for games that might not warrant full hour-long videos. One of your most enjoyable videos so far.
Matthew I've been watching your videos since the beginning and can safely say this is one of if not your best video. Although your commentaries will always give this video a good fight I'm just amazed at how much you've improved over the years. I can safely say you're my favorite TH-camr which is saying something since I watch TH-cam daily and have seen more videos by other TH-camrs and spent more time viewing other channels. You have a bright future ahead of you as you keep improving drastically with each new project. Keep up the great work Matthew you're an inspiration to artists and gamers alike.
Finally, an Ape Escape review... even a tiny review. 😄
I don't usually do this, but I think I'm going to watch this one twice. That was just a joy. Perhaps the ever-changing subject matter appealed to my sense of order in chaos.
"Don't steal my idea of ripping off Ape Escape. I thought of it first."
Matt has the best one-liner delivery of any game analyst.
Also, it's really interesting Dune's themes conceived the traditional RTS formula.
Honestly, I kinda want more of these. This was wildly fascinating to jump from game to game, learning more about games and insight on games I had no previous interest in, now seeing this video I think I want to give some of these a try.
At first I thought the Ape Escape bit was just an extended tangent, but by the time the bit about Dune hit I realized what you were actually doing with this video and honestly I was ecstatic.
I really enjoyed this format. Love the longer videos focusing on one game in particular, but this was fun and insightful. Hope you consider to do this format of mega micro-reviews again sometime.
God, I love this video format. I wish more people did it and I hope you do it again! This is essentially how my brain already works so seeing it represented successfully with these vague segues is incredibly encouraging. It helps that I pretty much love all of these games, heh.
"There's always another way to see things, all it takes is some _insight"_
Oh, you clever bastard.
I really like this style of video. It’s nice not always have a 1 hour video on one thing. But many videos that make up an hour
0:50
>not playing warioware for the art and music
matthew please
I play warioware for the story
I play warioware for the lore
i play for the atmosphere
@@83rdgec17 ok that one actually works
This is an awesome format. You could basically do whatever and put it in this mystery box style and I would watch it. That Point Blank game looks radical.
Really interesting video format, you did a great job jumping from game to game and providing commentary on each one!
the scripts in your videos honestly make the rest of youtube seem almost worthless in comparison, watching one of your videos provides as much substantive content and value as a great movie.
Can you believe this video was inspired by Futurama and not WarioWare? Tch, you think you know a guy...
It's cool how you seamlessly go from reviewing one game to another, It's like prog rock but with game reviews
What I love most about your channel is that you don't limit yourself to one genre or style of game but are happy to sample the joys of each. And find something in each that is deserving or serious critique and considered review.
Great video, and beautiful transitions. I got confused after the first two cause they were so smooth i didn't even notice you had completely transitioned to a new game. Also excellent analysis
When Matthew started talking about Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, and Lovecraft I fell in love
same.
I grew up playing Dune 2 on a hand-me-down Amiga. If memory serves, you couldn't drag select and ended up having to manually order each unit, the mouse I was using was pretty atrociously unresponsive too. It was agony. It was my favorite.
What a fun video concept. Especially liked the Souls bit, it's become a point of frustration for me how some folks kinda miss the bigger picture
Katamari damacy, aping ape out(ppipo saru getchu), wario ds game, demons souls, journey, time crisis, dune, soul reaver, pheonix wright, all these games that you just mentioned... were the best part of my past 20 years, and thank you and your video for just reminding me that these golds had place in my heart. Thank you so much Mat...
I can never get enough of people talking about Bloodborne
I admire your whole body of work but this one video must easily be my favourite. The inspiration for the format is fascinating and the execution is just amazing. Thank you.
This is a masterpiece Matt. Jesus. Unironically one of the best videos I’ve seen on TH-cam.
One of the most amazingly well written and thoughtout games video essay out there.
My comments based on each essay
01 - I got into the micro games games via an online flash game called Four Second Fury. That along with the GBA Warioware, really opened my mind to any and all kind of games not bound bound by made-up "terms".
Also, loved the transition.
02 - Imagine if something like a Wiimote or something became the standard console controller along with a standard control scheme. This hilariously reminds me of that PS1 FPS Alien Resurrection review, which had the current console FPS controls but the then reviewer was puzzled as to how is anyone able to play a game like that.
*This re-contextualization of controllers and peripherals always amazes me.* I played a JRPG (Trails in the Sky) with just a mouse, and it was one of the most gaming experiences I've ever had. LambHoot made a fantastic video on Wii controls in Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare on Wii. Playing on a rhythm game on a touch screen (on phone) really changed my view on mobile gaming.
03 - Glad to see someone else who invested more time in games as other mediums, in that I'm not alone.
I can't recall any sort of "indirect influence of a feature in another medium, affecting games", but I think many inspirations Richard Garriot took from history and religion greatly influenced the Ultima series, which in turn influenced the entire western RPG sphere. I've read about how ecology affected the virtual ecology in Ultima Online, which was the progenitor of the modern MMO, but again, I can't remember or make a specific influence.
04 - *YES! PLAY WEIRDER GAMES!*
My only lightgun experience has been duck hunt and the Aliens arcade machine (a miracle to find in a country like India). My only experience with other light gun games as been with PC ports of Virtua Cop and House of the Dead, which were with KB/M, so I don't know the "real arcade" experience.
Also another great point regarding certain games "dying". I can see games like those on Wii getting lost to time (even after they emulate perfectly). This is another point to my comment in 02
05 - When I first saw Razial without context, his design was very off-putting and I wondered why anyone would design it such a way.
I got your point of *"Context changes everything"* . For the longest time, I never "understood" Smash's popularity (Nintendo has no popularity here in India for the longest time. People know what Mario is, but not what Nintendo is). I knew it was a cross over game with interesting rules, but nothing to get so hyped up about. Isn't Mario Kart the same thing, but that doesn't get as much buzz.
I "played" it (emulated with Xbox controller) and after the recent announcement and hype of SSB Ultimate, I partially understood why. It gave some context as to why people get so worked about characters beating each other for a ring-out.
06 - I knew that Ace Attorney series is the kind of experience unique to games, but I couldn't place my finger on it. You beautifully explained one aspect of it, the excellent presentation and directing. It's funny how many games (and features) breed out of limited hardware and/or budgets/manpower. This also games for the localization, which would have been one hell of a process.
*Case 04 in AA1 is one of the single best endings in games, IMO*
07 - Haven't played either Demon's Soul or Bloodborne, and only few hours of Dark Souls, but I liked your idea of "Entropy".
This also adds to my 05 comment, that *"Perception change can put things radically different"*
08 - Every post-2010 AAA game ever?
Also those without Sony consoles, Abzu would be their only experience, and their view would change significantly over playing them backwards, wouldn't it?
Doesn't the order in which you experience changes your view, and becomes different with the consensus, who has played the game in ordered?
09 - HOLY SMOKES! I WAS NOT ALONE IN THIS THOUGHT!
The "human instinct" when purely talking about video games (and media/art in general). It's a struggle. On one hand, talking about "human" things dilutes the discussion, but at other times, the cold and calculated approach can never explain stuff like why Area 05 in REZ gives "feelings".
Again with my comment 02, *Katamari is another amazing recontexualization of a "default" controller scheme.* And thank god! you didn't discuss the overconsumerism when discussing Katamari.
(Also follow Keita Takashi on Twitter and send him all the love on support on his next game)
If you read all, you have my sincerest thanks.
i appreciate the use of contrasting visuals between the different microvideos in this video; it let me skip past the only game(s) being spoken about that i had no interest in without being unsure where to skip to
Great work as always! More than mere technical game design observations, your insights often speak to the soul and humanity of computer games. Very inspiring, keep up the good work!
Holy shit, the transitions from each game to the next were smooth as hell in this video.
Wow... I don't really have anything to say after watching this , other than that was an amazing video and I look forward to watching this in the years to come!
I really wish I had something more substantive to say, like many of the other great comments I am seeing, but again, thank you Mr. Matosis, you truly are doing some amazing work.
I really liked this video. You could do a series out of this, I like the "30 min" format, sort of like old video game TV shows. You went pretty deep into these games as well, especially on Soul Reaver... you shed light on things in that game that I never even thought about such as the cloth and tears symbolism. I was entertained throughout the video and the pacing of your talking was perfect. You could have made a video about every and each one of the topics shown in this but this "mini compilation" format REALLY suits your channel. Really liked what you said in the Dune segment as well. Light gun games were one of the reasons I kept the Wii connected to the TV for a long while. It was perfect for that... makes sense when you think that Nintendo was mostly a toy company before and they have shined in the use of peripherals in every console generation. The impact of Ape Escape was huge, and it was a masterclass to many developers on how to use analog controls in 3D.
drubio Matthew’s Micros
It'd be really cool if Matthew did a full review/analysis series on the Legacy of Kain series. There's a lot to digest from that series as far as narrative and gameplay go, even though there's only five mainline games.
Check out BoukenJima's Legacy of Kain series retrospective in the meantime.
I wouldn't wish that anybody sit down and play either Blood Omen 2 or Defiance 2+ times for footage. That series went off a cliff in terms of quality after Soul Reaver 2.
Vmac1394 Blood Omen 2 is by far the weakest game in the series. Defiance was solid though, even if it felt derivative of Devil May Cry in a lot of ways.
5:00 now this is a quality joke. Thumbs up.
Matt, you've transcended. This is true art.
I think "edgy" games like Soul Reaver get kind of a bad reputation for their visual design sometimes. Like you described with Raziel, even if the concept of them is kind of silly, they often have a lot of thought put in to them and make something that is overall pretty aesthetically pleasing. But I think they work best at this within their context. Something which is kind of silly in the real world can become more serious and appropriate when placed within the context it was meant to be. I think the same can be said of the Darksiders games, which I'm a big fan of. Especially with the character Death. His design is similar to Raziel's in some ways too.
Having played Demon's Souls after Bloodborne (plus reading a lot of Lovecraft stuff), I did see the connection with the Old One to the whole eldritch abomination idea. Really like this microvideo format, it's pretty fun - I enjoyed Soul Reaver getting some acknowledgement too!
Holy shit Matthew talked about Legacy of Kain.
That made the video for me. Fantastic work.
I'm glad Ape Escape is getting some love here because it seems to have fallen by the wayside with many people. It's so satisfying! I just remember never playing a game like it when I was a kid.
Hello! You probably won’t see this but you are one of my real inspirations. I appreciate all of your diverse content and I hope you continue to produce what you want to. I’m looking forward to seeing your videos in 2019!
The order and chaos bit really struck a chord with me given that I was playing Viscera Cleanup Detail, a game about as directly about turning chaos into order as you can get, while listening to the video.
U just wrap up my favorite childhood games in one video and good to see people actually know these games, thx Mat!
Great video, I like this format as a way to kinda tidy up all the fan requests or maybe quickly cover games that don't require a huge in-depth review
I played ABZU a few months ago, and as Journey is one of my all-time favourite games, I set out to make an article comparing the two. I ended up writing about 3000 words and then abandoning it to focus on other things, but it astounds me how succinctly you made every single point I did, in more depth, in under 5 minutes. You just earned yourself a patreon.
Matt this video was excellent and really appreciate the amount of work that must've gone into this video when capturing all of the games. The titles of each microvideo are also wonderfully clever.
Goddamn Matthew how do you keep doing this
Your insights legitimately make me feel humbled into shame as I think of them in comparison with my own ability to put ideas together
I had gotten so far into planning an ape escape style platformer a few years ago. It would’ve been about an angel capturing and purifying tiny demons that escaped from hell. It would’ve had the controls of ape escape 3, but with the gliding mechanic from Spyro. I’ve given up on programming in favour of writing since then so anyone can feel free to take that idea.
Either way, the idea was mine first!!!
This is a legitimately fantastic video!
This is probably my favorite video of yours; it felt more personal rather than purely rational. Though that very short shoutout to Katamari at the end was a bit jarring.
This video was very well done. Thank you Matthew.
"Cabinet lightguns had a slide which moved back with each shot"
They sold home lightgun versions of those, too. I had a couple. Prone to breaking, though.
Just gonna throw this out there, there's an arcade in Dublin that has a Point Break machine with the lightguns.
Excellent video, surprising that it's been out for so long and im just seeing it now
Amazing as always. Barely even play games anymore but your videos are too good to pass up.
Neat rapid fire presentation. Not sure if this would work for as a general thing, but I very much like the format and wind breadth of topics covered. I know I have a habit of doing the exact same thing in conversation; bouncing from topic to topic with nary a consideration for consistency. You might have something here.
Love your videos! Easily the best of its kind on TH-cam.
You made me realise how much I loved Point Blank. That game was made for parties, and yet I had no friends to play it with as a kid.
I really loved this video, would love to see more in this style!
This was a great video! It seems like you had a bunch of Ideas for other videos and condensed them into small segments.
Okay after this video I'm supporting you on patreon. Your videos are simply the best.
Some of the best analysis vids on TH-cam.
I think the best video you've made so far. Honestly it may be too good for youtube.
just dropping in to say the Barcade near me has a Point Blank cabinet, its amazing!
Mitosis: Oh my God, this is all you've worked on this month!? Think of the Patreon!
Matosis: I'll end it thus!
26:39 *casts Agi*
Great video!
Full of wonderful info.
The Abzû V Journey examination is interesting and I loved the Katamari segue.
Making more such transitions would be neat for future videos of this nature.
You got lost in your own genius around the Phoenix Wright part a bit. -Difficult to follow.
Otherwise, super stuff!
Another fantastic video ! The best video game commentary on TH-cam 😄
great vid, especialy the blood/ demons part. I feel a lot of video makes miss the forest for the trees with the themes of souls games vs the story of an individual location or npc
This is such a wonderfully made video. I enjoyed every second. Thank you so much.