Zero Punctuation apparently missed the actual E3

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 30th 2008 at 6:15PM }

This week's Zero Punctuation makes us wonder: What E3 is Yahtzee talking about? Perhaps things seemed different from the outside, but this year's show actually saw a slew of original titles -- shockingly enough, many from the maw of EA. Sure, there is some serious sequelitus going on (and certain outlets really need to stop riding RE4 v2 RE5's rooster), but we were pleasantly surprised by some of the new IPs. Oh well, no sense in trying to convey some semblance of reason here. Carry on with the amusing hate.

Check out Yahtzee's NSFW take on E3 after the break.

Tags: e3-2008, escapist, yahtzee, zero-punctuation, zeropunctuation

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

tc @ Jul 30th 2008 6:18PM

I guess E3 was a completely different entity to people who got an invite this year. From my (and apparently Yahtzee's) point of view it was thoroughly dissapointing.

Marty @ Jul 30th 2008 6:55PM

I don't feel that way at all - I was genuinely excited to see what the big three had in store, as well as what the individual studios were working on. For the most part, I felt that the announcements made were great, and even though there was a distinct lack of many major new IP's, the progress reports for the projects we knew about already were excellent.

We shouldn't expect E3 to be some huge trade-off between all the big companies, or a magic show where veils are lifted off new / unexpected products left and right. It's a show where developers and publishers highlight their current projects, and it doesn't matter if we already knew about them or not.

eldee @ Jul 30th 2008 10:06PM

you just called them 'the big three', so your opinion is automatically nullified.

rv @ Jul 30th 2008 11:25PM

What I don't understand is why he says its been a slow year in gaming. Seriously? Bioshock, halo, rock band, ssbb, gta4, etc... One of the biggest years in recent memory.

Korova Pamplona @ Jul 31st 2008 12:44AM

Dissapointed? I guess you missed the whole thing about being a cynic.

twocows @ Jul 31st 2008 12:21PM

rv, you might have had a point, if three out of the five games you mentioned were actually released in 2008. Bioshock, Halo 3, and Rock Band all came out near the end of 2007. I admit, this year has seen a few good titles, like GTA 4 and MGS 4 (I personally thought Brawl was a huge disappointment compared to the original and Melee), but overall, I feel like it's been an especially crappy game year thus far. I suppose we can all hope that the future releases scheduled for this year (like Spore) will pull us out of this slump, but poorly done game expos (yes, I, like many, thought this year's E3 sucked) certainly aren't helping matters.

Jakka (Not sure why he got banned?) @ Jul 30th 2008 6:19PM

If you want to hear some more on this, check out Yahtzee's guest appearance on Australian Gamer E3 round-up podcast.
It's hilarious.

http://www.australiangamerpodcast.com/mp3/Australian_Gamer_Podcast_131.mp3

Shignami @ Jul 30th 2008 7:27PM

That actually shed quite a bit of light on this video.

namely, Yahtzee didn't pay any amount of attention to E3

gore on the floor @ Jul 30th 2008 6:22PM

Why does this guy get so much press?

I mean yeah, he's funny most of the time, but it's not like we get a Joystiq reminder three times a week when PA updates.

What's the big deal?

mr mobius @ Jul 30th 2008 6:27PM

The public gets what the public wants.

Yahtzee actually does reviews most of the time, and there is only one Yahtzee but many web comics. Just incase you didn't know, there are two posts per week about web comic releases.

Haggard @ Jul 30th 2008 6:28PM

Slow news days. He's become very significant in gaming and I think he's often spot on in his analysis of what makes a good game. People often say "he's not funny anymore" and similar stuff, and although I agree he did have a dip a few months ago, even in those videos he made very good points about gaming, and he's bounced right back to be hilarious these days.

I just enjoy seeing how long it takes Joystiq to post that he's got a video up, sometimes it's hours, sometime's its days. Come on guys, he does it every Wednesday at 5pm UK time, which based on the comments clock here is 12 noon Joystiq time.

Jakka (Not sure why he got banned?) @ Jul 30th 2008 6:31PM

He's not meant to be funny.He's a game reviewer.Funny is just a side-effect just like with Game Overthinker(although to the lesser degree with the latter).

gore on the floor @ Jul 30th 2008 6:41PM

Sorry, Jakka, but he is most certainly a funny man first and a game reviewer second.

His ratio of hilarious similes to valid criticisms is about 20:1 in any video.

And my point wasn't really that he doesn't deserve the attention.. just that I don't think any of us need a reminder that it's Wednesday again.

oldmeme @ Jul 30th 2008 6:43PM

So humour cannot be added into reviewing? That seems kinda boring. Why not spruce it up every now and then with an entertaining, different reviewer? AVGN is somewhat like this but on the opposite end of the scale as Yahtzee;
AVGN puts humour before the review while Yahtzee is somewhat leaning toward review but is nicely balanced overall.

On top of that, Yahtzee seems to be one of the few reviewers that realises that +90% games in the last 7-8 years put graphics, shininess, gimmicks and rehashed gameplay in front of Originality and being fun.

Marty @ Jul 30th 2008 6:50PM

Eh, Yahtzee is a one-trick pony. I could sure do without the usual update on Joystiq about him. We don't get updates about what other reviewers around the industry are doing, so I don't see why he should be handed all the free press / advertising.

How is this guy's opinion any more relevant than the random garbage you read here in the comments section? More often than not, that's all his reviews are - a collection of stupid or sarcastic comments - accompanied by a shitty animation. BFD.

I think Joystiq should promote people who give in-depth reviews, and take the time to actually play the games and write up meaningful reviews. Not garbage sound-byte trash, like Zero Punctuation.

Korova Pamplona @ Jul 31st 2008 12:56AM

Yatzhee is a breath of fresh air every week amidst the stale atmosphere of pandering and regurgitation. I am glad joystiq reminds us of his work because it bonds joystiq to his perspective in a way that keeps alive the hope that sharp minds reside here.

I wish there was more commentary like this, that obviously appeals both to gamers and to developers (cause I have an impression that developers love and respect him). At least Valve does and that stands for something.

He can be negative and fair at the same time, unlike reviewers on most commercial sites whose negative comments are douchbaggery almost all the time that have more to do with their personal preferences or past experience (or quality of swag), rather than the heart of the game's quality - i.e. how it relates to the human experience (for lack of a better term).

I hope Yatzee and Joystiq keep pushing both the industry and the fans toward greatness, which is the real standard.

(now I gotta go wash, cause I got cheese all over myself writing that)

Marty @ Jul 31st 2008 10:56AM

What greatness is that? Sound-bytes and sarcastic comments are not a real review.

Ben @ Jul 31st 2008 4:52PM

Yahtzee is only once a week. And he's entertaining consistently, unlike PA which is great, but it's only really funny about 1 in 3 strips.

And he allows his videos to be embedded in other sites so that Joystiq gets ad impressions when people click the link to watch his video. There are probably other ad-related metrics, like "total time spent on Joystiq" that are improved because people stay on the page until the video is done playing. He's provocative (without being a complete dick) and it leads people to comment, which creates more ad impressions.

OMGOMG @ Jul 30th 2008 6:27PM

He's right. Off the top of my head, without really thinking about it, the only new IP I remember was Mirror's Edge.

rainking187 @ Jul 30th 2008 6:32PM

I suppose it depends on what you consider "new". I really can't think of any interesting games introduced at E3 we hadn't already heard of.

OMGOMG @ Jul 30th 2008 6:34PM

My bad. MAG.

Didn't see any gameplay footage though.

Ludwig Kietzmann @ Jul 30th 2008 6:43PM

Yup, Mirror's Edge and MAG. And LittleBigPlanet, Spore, Dead Space, EndWar, Dark Void, Flock, Flower, Infamous, Fat Princess, Dragon Age, Major Minor's Majestic March, Darksiders, DC Universe etc.

And to be fair, most of the high-profile sequels that were there were pretty darn good. But heaven forbid people should get more of the things they like.

OMGOMG @ Jul 30th 2008 6:49PM

Ludwig, I didn't say those other ones because those were obvious. I mean, we knew about Spore in 2005. I'm talking about new announcements. Mirrors Edge was still relatively unknown to me.

Ludwig Kietzmann @ Jul 30th 2008 7:43PM

Well, the complaint is specifically that E3 was a parade of sequels. If you want to introduce parameters for "obvious" or "announced," it sounds like you want to make a more specific argument. And ZP is all blanket statements, remember?

OMGOMG @ Jul 30th 2008 8:04PM

I think we're burying the lead here:

LUDWIG REPLIED TO MY COMMENT!!

TWICE!!!

*Sighs*

Titanium_Orchid @ Jul 30th 2008 6:31PM

This year's E3 wasn't the most exciting but it was still packed with lots of exciting games.

I don't get the impression that he's bashing E3. It just seems like Yahtzee is trying to tell people to not get their hopes up.

Shignami @ Jul 30th 2008 6:32PM

Looks like he only saw the three press conferences.

Mr Khan @ Jul 30th 2008 7:15PM

I agree, maybe that was the impression you got if you just looked at Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo (and even then, you're still getting some new stuff, esp. from Sony's keynote)

I thought it had quite a bit of original content across all platforms. Even Wii got details for The Conduit, MadWorld, and Matsuura's Alliteration game

Shignami @ Jul 30th 2008 9:08PM

You'll note though, nearly everything he mentioned (other than the wii-mote accessory, which even that is in passing ) is taken from Microsoft's press conference.

If you listen to the podcast Jakka posted then you'll even hear him say "I didn't even watch the Sony confrence"

It kind of makes me wonder what the hell compelled him to even make this video.

mcatrage @ Jul 30th 2008 6:32PM

Damn I was hoping for a Fable II reference.

mr mobius @ Jul 30th 2008 6:35PM

What he said makes sense. I know that it's sometimes hard but the only games I get hyped for are Mario and Zelda games.

I'm surprised he didn't lay into Nintendo but maybe that requires a full 4 minutes of it's own next week.

Exo @ Jul 30th 2008 6:39PM

who the fuck cares. he just want sattention for being an asshole about everything. fucker even has a theme song now, so ful of himself

Veko @ Jul 30th 2008 11:41PM

Welcome to the real world where if you're going to have music you'd better make it yourself or some fucker will sue you.

Example: http://www.eff.org/press/releases/2007/07#005376

Wait, no, the reason he got the song wasn't for any reasonable reason like that, it was just to prove that he's better then you

Saria the Cat @ Jul 31st 2008 4:25AM

I DO miss the hand-picked opening songs he used to do...the new opening has no soul. :(

Ass Masterson @ Jul 30th 2008 6:40PM

Um, no, ZP has not become 'very significant' in gaming. He's just another reviewer, with no more power to influence gamers than any other. And since he's betting his whole existence on the "I'm so cranky and cynical and nothing is good enough for me" vibe, he only attracts a small (but obviously blindly dedicated) audience.

This 'review' sums up the nonsense that is ZP perfectly: his entire point is "hate everything, so you can be pleasantly surprised when something good comes along". Which is ridiculous, because what he doesn't recognize is that when you hate everything your enjoyment of even things you do like is diminished - because you're constantly having to keep your spirits down and hate everything else.

ZP was a fad, and the fad is dying. Thankfully. Each 'review' he posts receives fewer comments, and people are beginning to see that he's just a repetitive, one-note boor who's never accomplished anything significant. Basically, he's a critic. Throw a rock in any direction and you'll hit at least one critic. And do me a favor, Fink - throw it hard.

LegacyofCircleK @ Jul 30th 2008 7:07PM

While I agree that Zero Punctuation is a fad I think your assessment of his waning fan base is incorrect. The comments on his videos are not trending downward at all as they are based more so on the popularity and appeal of what is being reviewed. Historically his comments vary significantly and big name titles that probably get much more attention like MGS4 and Smash Bros have a lot more comments. I guess what I'm saying is that his weekly skit is still getting the same level of attention as it always has relative to his comments. Also I do not see something as being a fad detracting from its likability. It certainly can not add to the likability, however, I do recognize that it is indeed something that will more than likely garnish less and less attention as time moves forward and the possibilities for overly critical, fast talking game reviews dwindle.

mr mobius @ Jul 30th 2008 7:12PM

He loves what he loves and hates what he hates. Go listen to his Orange Box review or Psychonauts review. He practically makes relations with Psychonauts.

Jonah Falcon @ Jul 30th 2008 7:17PM

And that's just it. All he loves is Portal and Psychonauts. LOL

Korova Pamplona @ Jul 31st 2008 1:11AM

@Ass Masterson

People keep saying ZP is a shtick or a gimmick or a fad. As if at some point his anger at games full of poor quality and compromise will deflate to a "normal" level of all the other reviewers who worship the developers for working REALLY HARD on their games.

It wont.

Yatzhee likes games and thinks that developers can do better than rehash the same crap over and over again or use shallow story twists. Developers would know that they do that only because of technical and financial limitations and not because they are abnormal people with no talent and Yatzhee helps them laugh at themselves by pointing out how silly those compromises look.

I am not a developer, I am just speculating.

Donald @ Jul 30th 2008 6:41PM

I grinned when he started laying into Oblivion With Guns (tm)

Courtney @ Jul 30th 2008 6:42PM

A fair, balanced and reasonable analysis is not what we expect from Yahtzee. I imagine he could do another round up video with just the original IP that was talked about at E3 and still pull off something similar.

Wiinterfang @ Jul 30th 2008 6:42PM

*clap* *clap* OI.

Arteen @ Jul 30th 2008 6:42PM

I agree that Mirror's Edge does look sweet.

Jonah Falcon @ Jul 30th 2008 6:48PM

I think our little Brit in Australia curmudgeon is started to slip off his rock a little - the first sign of jumping the shark? He reviews E3 2008 and complains there’s nothing new out there, and that everything is one big sequel.

Did he not actually pay attention? I can think of Spore and Mirror’s Edge right off the bat without thinking. Did he miss Dead Space or Dragon Age: Origins? Tom Clancy’s ENDWAR? I Am Alive? Even just looking at Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network titles like Braid, Castle Crashers, and PixelJunk Eden, how can you not see the originality and creativity?

Ben, E3, even in its shrunken state, is still huge enough that you actually have to do what we like to call “research” before making blanket statements. And don’t say they were buried - Electronic Arts and UbiSoft showcased Will Wright and Mirror’s Edge respectively.

Ass Masterson @ Jul 30th 2008 6:58PM

That's been the case with all these reviewers who complain about 'lack of originality'. The biggest rush of people writing about 'lack of originality' happened in the year when Guitar Hero came out, along with a whole slew of other new titles.

Understand that they don't really have a point, they're just using a point as an excuse to write dismissive and cynical stuff because they know there's an audience. Kind of like Olbermann.

Dovi @ Jul 30th 2008 10:50PM

Dragon Age: Origins is a sequel

Adam @ Jul 31st 2008 12:06AM

I guess I, probably like Yahtzee, was just expecting to see more of the unknown, stuff we hadn't already seen at previous E3s, or in press releases or game magazines, or whatever. Every single title you named off there, save for Mirror's Edge and I Am Alive, has had a good chunk of information released about it already. To me, E3 has always been about getting a glimpse into the future, and while, yes, it's true that none of the games you mentioned have yet released, we knew about some of them as far back as 2006. I'd like for developers to look ahead, not show us what we already knew about. Info about known games tends to leak out over time once they're announced—do developers and publishers really feel they need to sacrifice the "mystique" of E3 by rehashing their old showings? I think that's mostly what everyone's criticizing this year.