Game Grumps

[tenchibr]

Watching that episode, it just makes me frustrated with these guys sometimes. Yes they're funny, but a lot of the time I can't help but feel like they're deliberately not paying attention or deliberately not trying just to get laughs.

 

That bit when they're trying to 'manage the cage.' Yes it's explained badly in the game, but surely if you can figure out that you can go through that door/gate thing, you'd try every button?

 

It's a similar story to what happened in the last episode. I can't remember who it was but one of them was just jumping through any of the warp bubble things at random, at one point he's told 'jump through the one that faces the open area...' and he just jumps through a random one. Or when they missed the stage start to the jungle stage. At the start of that episode they're facing the entrance to it...

 

It's becoming so frustrating to watch sometimes because it's so obvious that to do or that simply paying attention would solve most of the problems.

 

Don't think this is me defending the rubbish that Sonic 06 is, but watching these last few episodes has been more frustrating than Sonic 06 itself at times.

 

I said that pages ago... Back when they were stuck trying to figure out how to get to the first Ocean Wave level, in which you need Light Dash. Back then though, people dismissed my concern saying that it also took them 10 minutes to figure it out, or that they are playing casually and that's what makes it entertaining.

 

The problem is sometimes I question their intelligence. They are not stupid, but they are not trained to think outside the box either.

[Ashley Marsh]

Nah, there's no way they're doing the Silver and Shadow stories. It'll be too much to do and take too long. They'll finish Sonics story as that's do-able and then end it.

[Toby]

In their defense, they're often NOT paying attention to what the game is telling them, too busy making jokes or telling stories, so I can kinda see how that'd effect the way they'd play.

[Sean]

They're generally absent minded while playing due to focusing on it, each other, being silly, etc. I tend to give them a pass even for games I've played and figured out, especially if it's funny as a result anyway. Perhaps the only time I got truly frustrated with them not figuring out something in a game was during Milky Way Wishes, considering Jon had played it before.

And to their credit, when it comes to games like Sonic 2006, I'm less inclined to try figuring out what to do and would rather put the game down and do something else.

[D-Metal X]

New Grumps, featuring a game I've never seen before. Looks... interesting. XD

Edited December 23, 2012 by D-Metal X-mas

[MykonosFan]

All I know about Ultraman is that he was in that rad Xbox Godzilla fighting game. 

 

 

A little pet peeve of mine with the Groom Gramps is just how dead set they can be at times on making jokes, to the point where they announce that they are making jokes and make me question how much of what they do is "real" as opposed to "entertaining". It's hard to explain. When I watch stuff like this, I just like to believe most of everything going on is real, that's still why I love videos like pokecapn's posse's LPs. Sometimes they make an event of it but it still seems like a bunch of dudes just gathered around playing a game. Groom Gramps is like that at times, and then other times it's like "ZIBBIDY BOP DIBBIDY DANG-ASS COOCHOO HOOLIGOO...yeah that wasn't funny Jon/Arin GOTTA ENTERTAIN THE AUDIENCE!". Don't take that as a dis, I love these videos.

 

Also man I wish they'd play more of that Universal Studios game. 

 

EDIT: That too Sean. It's like...no need to try so hard, they're both perfectly entertaining. Forcing it just degrades it a bit in my eyes.

Edited December 23, 2012 by Mykonos

[Sean]

Often I get the impression that they're trying to make each other laugh, rather than the audience.

[Arcade Racer CC14]

All I know about Ultraman is that he was in that rad Xbox Godzilla fighting game.

Actually, that was the very similarly designed Jet Jaguar, who made his debut in Godzilla vs. Megalon and was the creation of a Japanese child in a contest. He also had a sweet theme song:

Edited March 22, 2013 by CC14 the Vipester

[MykonosFan]

So it is! Guess I should have done a little research...

[SilentDoom]

That Sonic 06 ep made me chortle when they got to the Silver section.  How on earth can Jon spend over 2 minutes not realising how to open a freaking cage.  Yes the game conveys it poorly, but there are only so many buttons on a controller.  Then Egoraptor takes over and literally does it on the FIRST THING HE INPUTS.  

 

Man that totally just takes me back to Ego's Megaman X Sequelitis.  

[SuperStingray]

I don't blame him. The game told him to use his power, and that's just what he was doing. The game dumped an entirely new set of mechanics on him with no warning. It's worse design than the carnival night barrel.

[Badnik Mechanic]

I don't blame him. The game told him to use his power, and that's just what he was doing. The game dumped an entirely new set of mechanics on him with no warning. It's worse design than the carnival night barrel.

 

 

Erm... not it's not.

 

With the bouncy barrel you have to do a combination move, push up and down imediately after each other. The effect is so small at first even if you did that you'd probably not notice it was having any effect so would move onto something else.

 

With this, you just have to push one button.

 

This is what I don't get. Surely by now most people if they came to a switch or a section of a game where they knew they could progress though and the game was even remotely hinting that they could get past it... the standard thing to do is press every button at least once? The next step is to hold a button down?

 

Thats why that vid made me so frustrated when watching it. It was obvious what he was doing wasn't working. So why didn't he try another button?

[JezMM]

Some people are more inclined to work from what the game has taught them so far.  So far the game has barely used the shoulder buttons at all.

 

It's the mental equivelant of a puzzle that requires you to go through a seemingly solid wall and then moaning at someone for saying "why didn't you try running through the walls!"

 

Yes the Elise levels require the shoulder button usage, but that just further enforces that the shoulder button is only needed in specific, unusual circumstances.

 

 

 

Of course yeah they shouldn't have ignored that first hint bubble but never mind (still sloppy design when you NEED a hint bubble to know what to do).

[Spin Attaxx]

Actually, that was the very similarly designed Jet Jaguar, who made his debut in Godzilla vs. Megalon and was the creation of a Japanese child in a contest. He also had a sweet theme song:

Ah, yes...

Jet, jaggah, Jet, jaggah,

His mother never love him...

 

Also, I don't know why, but these two make me think of Bulk and Skull.

(Now I think of them in Crisis City screaming about how they wish to have sex with Blaze)

[Arcade Racer CC14]

The Grumps have a "great" time.

Jon and Arin get MariOwned.

Edited March 22, 2013 by CC14 the Vipester

[Carbo]

I think the only problem with the Sonic 06 playthrough isn't the duo's inability to take note to the vague and bad design choices more than it is audience presentation. These two have never played Sonic 06, but the rest of us have played it, witnessed it and probably even seen the infamous pokecapn playthrough, and are plenty aware of how obnoxious of a game it is. The only thing worse having to actually play it is watching it being played in a matter that isn't flawless because of how anything in the game resembling an obstruction is going to keep the player stopped for at least three minutes, and these episodes only take up ten minutes of our daily time as is.

There were tons of times in games like Donkey Kong Country and Goof Troop where they didn't realize there were mechanics they hadn't explored or segments that just repeated over and over, but these games delivered partially because of the enthusiasm but also because of the game's general quality. Sonic 06 on the other hand is just a double-edged sword. It has some moments of absolute brilliance in how terrible it is and some where you just want to throw the controller on the screen (three trials, ball puzzle, mach speeds etc).

I groaned a lot at them taking the time in doing a few sidequests that consist of nothing but the box counting thing provided some really great moments to balance out that pointless sidetracking. I don't need to give Sonic 06 credit for jack-shit because it's absolutely abominable design in every sense of the word, and I'll especially not give credit to a left-field optional hint-bubble that explains how to play a completely different set of mechanics. That could have been automatic, because the game has plenty other automatic dialogues. But for some reason, this wasn't.

That and it doesn't help seeing players be angry at a game and being stuck at something a lot of others had already passed eons ago and found obvious through prior experience. They're annoyed, we're annoyed. It's taxing.

To be honest I find find that the whole "prior experience" thing is a really constant problem in Sonic games when you think about how often fans complain at new game play footage from any game where the player is not doing good. I find that looking back at a lot of recorded things I did in the past of Sonic games, my performances were far more cringeworthy in retrospect with what I know now, and I think that's a problem the games need to take into account as a whole. Some of these games are just really bad to look at if the player don't know what to do.

[Carbo]

Sonic 06 on the other hand is just a double-edged sword. It has some moments of absolute brilliance in how terrible it is and some where you just want to throw the controller on the screen (three trials, ball puzzle, mach speeds etc).

aaaaand after realizing the obvious, this episode, once more, provides some of the most hilarious reactions and Game Grumps moments.

Every single second after they finally figured out how to to pass had me rolling.

[Snatcher2047]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but watching them play this almost makes me want to go and play some Sonic 06 myself, just to see what kind of hilarity I can find in it.  And you almost feel a sense of accomplishment with them when they finally figure out how to do something that took them two or three episodes to do so.  It just feels GREATGREATGR-*shot*

 

Also, Barry is becoming my hero with how he's handling these videos.

Edited December 25, 2012 by Snatcher2047

[Arcade Racer CC14]

Jon and Arin go rogue.

[TheGerkuman]

The reason it irks me isn't really that they're playing badly as much as that Arin talks a lot about game design, including a lot of things that I agree with, but then does things that detract from his credibility. In this case, while they were playing the Silver section my mind was going back to his Sequilitis about how a game doesn't need to use tutorials and can show through gameplay and my brain kept saying 'This one clearly needs a tutorial.'

 

But I do usually enjoy their stuff, since their ultimate aim is to be two friends playing games and being silly, and they do that very well. I'm just never sure if Arin really knows as much about games as he claims to.

[Carbo]

I do indeed find it ironic that Arin doesn't instinctively search for new buttons immediately once they realize that Silver's stun move didn't work. The avoidance of hint markers is also probably cognitive dissonance, especially considering there's an ideology that Arin's pretty much made himself popular for. I have a feeling it's no wonder why he doesn't play many modern games as of late if he sticks to his guns that badly.

Rogue Squadron episode was alright despite some more of that continuous confusion to obvious things at first, I had fun listening to their banter. That said Jon's last second remark probably fired way too many shots than necessary considering how much people fondly remember this game, and despite it most likely being in jest it makes the two kind of look bad after the recent 06 episodes.

[SweeCrue]

More music anyone?

 

First off, a metal remix of the popular Poppy Bros song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV9Z9gjSLeY&list=FLpoP-bI3RrFBikihNHoqlFA&index=3

 

 

And then the Grumps go back to Mississippi:

[Arcade Racer CC14]

 

THE PARTY IS BACK IN TOWN!

[Phos]

The reason it irks me isn't really that they're playing badly as much as that Arin talks a lot about game design, including a lot of things that I agree with, but then does things that detract from his credibility. In this case, while they were playing the Silver section my mind was going back to his Sequilitis about how a game doesn't need to use tutorials and can show through gameplay and my brain kept saying 'This one clearly needs a tutorial.'

 

But I do usually enjoy their stuff, since their ultimate aim is to be two friends playing games and being silly, and they do that very well. I'm just never sure if Arin really knows as much about games as he claims to.

At this point neither of them knew what it was that Silver could do.  You can readily tell that Megaman can shoot stuff from picture on the box but Silver can pick stuff up with the R trigger and throw it by pressing square.  That's not at all straight forward.  

[Ashley Marsh]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but watching them play this almost makes me want to go and play some Sonic 06 myself, just to see what kind of hilarity I can find in it. 

 

I actually did, just to see what perils are ahead. There's a few bits of peril beyond Silver. Then I remembered Aquatic Base is the next level... oh dear...