Unskippable: From The Escapist

Professor Snugglesworth

Anyone catch this new segment while watching the latest Zero Punctuation? The concept seems to be an MST3K rip on videogame cutscenes.

Frankly, I love the concept, and I found the vid quite hilarious. This could be my new favorite segment to watch every week in place of AVGN and ZP, and I'm looking forward to see what other cutscenes are going to get this treatment later on.

I really hope they do a vid on this cutscene next (Eternal Sonata Spoiler):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X65VNWFQDcE

BlueDestiny

That was pretty funny! Looking forward to the next one.

Exarch

The jokes were funny, but ironically the segment suffered from being way to slow pacing wise. Good stuff, but I lost interest halfway through. Thank god I didn't buy the game.

The_Scarab

Good stuff.

Mr. Pokeylope

Sweet Jesus, It's like they tried to make the least interesting cut scene possible.

And the other clip, it's got to be the worst death scene I have seen in my life. They actually showed flash backs from itself. Who would think that's a good idea?

Fig-D

I'm REALLY envious of the guys that say they do this for a job.

Raiden333

As someone who got 5 hours into Eternal Sonata trying my damndest to love it, this cracked me up far, far too much.

Figgy

The one guy was a lot funnier than the other guy. It was like..

Funny Joke
Stupid Joke
Repeat

I liked:

*They are the reason Tanuto is also known by another name...*

"Cleveland..."

*the village of flowers*

"Oh.. makes more sense."

Kyougu

I really wanted to get through this video..but christ that opening is long and boring.

Ninja Snarl P

Damn that's a boring clip without that commentary. It's like this is the cutscene without the commentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5OTxJr4KNo

And this is the cutscene with the commentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8ayeSIvVoY

Alright, so maybe it wasn't as funny as the dentist song, but not a bad start. Nothing is perfect the first time out. Hopefully they'll save the really terrible stuff (like Metal Gear Solid cutscenes) until they've got the kinks worked out.

Renzo

And people say MGS scenes are bad.

rocky62

yeah, seemed a little stretched out to me, but wasn't too bad.

Ninja Snarl P

Renzo wrote: »

And people say MGS scenes are bad.

Their cheese factor alone makes the comedic potential of MGS cutscenes far greater, though. With an intro as dull as that Eternal Sonata garbage, there's just not much to work with.

Peewi

That was pretty funny to watch.

Is all of that really from the intro of the game? The thing shown first seems like something that wouldn't be until later.

Olivaw

Oh god this has the potential to be absolutely brilliant

Most video games have stories about on par with the worst B movies, so there's a lot of material to work with

I will be following this very closely

Olivaw

Oh crap this is by the LoadingReadyRun guys

Those are the same guys that do the Desert Bus for Hope thing

Well now I've got another reason to like them

Mojo_Jojo

This is awful and those involved should feel ashamed.

The general idea isn't bad, but it's got all of the details wrong. With a better script and two voices which didn't make me want to burst my eardrums for the sweet embrace of eternal silence, it could go somewhere.

Cynic Jester

Wasn't there a movie or a TV show or something that did this with old science fiction movies?

override367

My god that cutscene makes my brain hurt.

I mean... they spent money on that, someone wrote that.


A bit off topic, what cutscenes have been really good? I'm kind of partial to Left 4 Dead's cutscene myself.

Professor Snugglesworth

Mojo_Jojo wrote: »

This is awful and those involved should feel ashamed.

The general idea isn't bad, but it's got all of the details wrong. With a better script and two voices which didn't make me want to burst my eardrums for the sweet embrace of eternal silence, it could go somewhere.

I disagree. While yes, there is room for improvement (it's their first effort, after all, all commentaries start weak on the first), I feel they got the tone of their voices down pat. It's a lot like Joel from MST3K, half satire and half dying on the inside. Sounding any chipper would ruin the joke, methinks.

Mr. Pokeylope wrote: »

Sweet Jesus, It's like they tried to make the least interesting cut scene possible.

And the other clip, it's got to be the worst death scene I have seen in my life. They actually showed flash backs from itself. Who would think that's a good idea?

I've been saying that for a while. They managed to completely suck the drama out of that scene and had me basically saying "Good God, just die already." more than once.

What's even more ridiculous is that

You can bring her back to life, and her resurrection sequence is the equivalent of "Oh yeah, welcome back", and that's that.

Kyougu wrote: »

I really wanted to get through this video..but christ that opening is long and boring.

I think the real problem with ES's cutscenes, besides the length, is how fucking preachy it is. A metaphor for introducing the setting as an opening performance is fine, but spending over five minutes cramming it down our throats that holy shit this is just like the beginning of a fucking epic performance is just beyond overkill.

Ironically the preachiness made the ending more effective for me, but I can see how it would have people rage further.

The fact that it's one of the prettiest games this gen and also had a great soundtrack at least saved the story somewhat.

Cynic Jester wrote: »

Wasn't there a movie or a TV show or something that did this with old science fiction movies?

Your ignorance disgusts me.

Dangerous

I caught one of the segments on the end of ZP's award video this week and I thought it was pretty awful. I like the concept but wow, it was quite bad.

Professor Snugglesworth

That's their only segment so far.

The_Scarab

Renzo wrote: »

And people say MGS scenes are bad.

Oh some of them are so much worse than that.

I particularly despised that one near the end of MGS2 that was almost literally 'Here is the entire MGS plot so far', told verbatim by every character via codec. That was so dumb.

Olivaw

Cynic Jester wrote: »

Wasn't there a movie or a TV show or something that did this with old science fiction movies?

ROLL FIZZLEBEEF

ben0207

It's a good idea, but shouldn't it be funny? Like, at all?

commathe

I agree it's a good idea, but done horribly. Then again, I hate Zero Punctuation, so to me it's still better than that.

Mostly it's just the one guy failing at saying anything funny followed by awkward pauses.

Olivaw

Some of you are just really picky I swear

I thought it was quite funny

reVerse

There were some parts in there where I went "I guess that's funny", but overall it was pretty terrible. These guys just sound so bored, it's like doing this thing is the very last thing on Earth they'd want to be doing but hey it pays money so why not phone it in and collect the check.

ben0207

Yeah. And it's really obvious been prewritten and rehearsed, so there's no spontaneity there, they're just dialling in jokes they've long since stopped finding funny. The choice of cutscene didn't help either, there's just not enough to work with. Someithng like this needs to be quick, agile and punchy, moving very quickly from joke to joke so when they say something not especially funny it doesn't matter. Going ten seconds between jokes is awful, when those jokes only really have a 50% chance of being funny to any given person. They need to be two people who can effectively riff off each other and come up with ideas instantly and at the right moment, and give them the punch they deserver, not just mutter them.

And American accents don't help either. I'm with Mojo on this: for most of it the voices alone were making me wish for the gentle caring embrace of deafness - Sorry yanks, but your accent just sounds horrible, and is totally unsuited for comedy, especially the observational quick stuff this needs to work. Get a Scot or Northerner to do it. Shit, even someone with a deep Westcountry accent could do it (I'm not suggesting me, though my accent is indeed trés sexy). Even an Australian could change it for the better.

So once they've got the performance, the accent, the material and the writing completely ripped out and replaced, maybe I'll give it another look. But even then it's probably a dead horse. Watching / Writing about terrible stuff is an old and busted idea, and it really would take some genius to bring it back as something with the potential for serious comedy.

Hoz

I thought it was funny. But I played this game before watching and have been yearning to hear someone slam at least some part of it. It is awful.

Olivaw

I am convinced that some of you have never seen MST3K or are just terrible at telling what is funny

I mean come on, this was better than GAME DAMAGE at least, and that had a British Australian in it! (seriously what the hell dude, "your accent sucks for comedy that is a fact now if you'll excuse me let me polish my own knob." Yeah real humble over there ben, if that is your real name)

Caedere

Olivaw wrote: »

I am convinced that some of you have never seen MST3K or are just terrible at telling what is funny

I mean come on, this was better than GAME DAMAGE at least, and that had a British Australian in it! (seriously what the hell dude, "your accent sucks for comedy that is a fact now if you'll excuse me let me polish my own knob." Yeah real humble over there ben, if that is your real name)

I just love the fact that he assumes that all "yanks" have a "yank accent". And on top of that, this mystical accent is, despite decades of successful American comedians, "totally unsuited for comedy".

leaf

Olivaw wrote: »

I am convinced that some of you have never seen MST3K or are just terrible at telling what is funny

Finally someone says it.

Visti

Cynic Jester wrote: »

Wasn't there a movie or a TV show or something that did this with old science fiction movies?

They're actually still going. Now also with major movies.

They're just called Rifftrax now.

Olivaw

Visti wrote: »

Cynic Jester wrote: »

Wasn't there a movie or a TV show or something that did this with old science fiction movies?

They're actually still going. Now also with major movies.

They're just called Rifftrax now.

And Cinematic Titanic

Caedere wrote:

I just love the fact that he assumes that all "yanks" have a "yank accent". And on top of that, this mystical accent is, despite decades of successful American comedians, "totally unsuited for comedy".

Seriously, like a Brit gets to lecture us about comedy after Benny Hill

Anyway, I still think that this concept has a hell of a lot of potential with all the terribly written video games out there, and that no one can deny

MechMantis

...What the hell is WRONG with you people?

This? Not funny? Have you people seriously never seen MST3K?

YaYa

not bad at all and it'll only get better

everyone who's hating on this is both po-faced and probably a dick

also who the hell said that american accents can't do funny

seriously fall in a fucking well and drown

Solidhavoc

Most of what the Escapist puts it is pretty mediocre comedy, to be honest. Not terrible, not great. And that does include ZP.

Domhnall

That was quite funny. Certainly got a lot of chuckles from me. Shall watch the next one.

leaf

YaYa wrote: »

everyone who's hating on this is...probably a dick

Ok well you have me there

Lave II

mutherfuckin'awfuljesusfuck