hate reaction content but holy hell. this video is so far ahead of its time. this is exactly how it should be done if it is needed for a video. no distaste at all.
I think a great example of the fine line on rigid and plastic mechanics in these games and the developer knowing what the player has is in FF3 (DS version) where there's the Garuda fight that *requires* your party to be dragoons. On one level, I hate it. On another I like it. It's sort of reduced to a progress gate/"puzzle boss" and there's zero agency to the fight aside from like, trying to "break the game" in some way... but at the same time, it gives narrative weight to the new class, something that only a few classes get. It makes the obtaining of a new skill feel interesting, complete in terms of being actually acknowledged by the narrative. I know Dragoons have a long history in FF, starting with Ricard, which makes them a bit more iconic (not to mention they're 1) a spear user in an RPG and 2) not just a generic adventuring party class), but the moment still leaves me with mixed feelings. On the hybrid role of starting static and ending up more open, that's sort of a design ethos for Final Fantasy, at least in part. This is why the critique of 13 as "a hallway" always felt a little odd to me given how beloved X was in its time-- that game *does not* open up for a very significant portion of the runtime, in terms of like, being able to go where you want, and while you can build characters to a degree, a first time through I doubt people are going to see the potential the sphere grid has, and will probably just make pretty "default" characters. --But all that's a tangent. What I meant to get into was that a lot of them have that "airship moment" where the world just, cracks wide open. Or in VII's case, it starts off super linear and mildly expressive, and then broadens out after leaving Midgar... but only a little at first. While VIII sees you going into the overworld much sooner, it's not much more open, both in terms of character expression an in terms of player agency. This is kinda design 101, I guess, having training wheels and all that, but I think FF is unique for how it stuck to that, or at the least evolved into a series about expanding options in all things. (Also, meteor strike on the train never gets old lmao)
I'm legit so mad that youtube never told me about your last *three* videos (as of today). I had to just click the channel on a whim. Hopefully YT learns to...not do whatever it's doing.
The fact that so many people used Elden Ring to champion their anti-woke culture war when its a game where you can literally get lesbian married will never not be hilarious to me.
This was a great explanation of the magnifecent people that make troll levels. What I like to think of troll levels is that they are a looney tunes cartoon in a video game.
For some cultural context that may or may not be helpful (or relevant! who knows!), when Japanese stories refer to an evil character or governmental body or system that traces its lineage back to a single female, they are often referencing the country’s founding myth and historical power structures. The power of the emperor (and thus the power/identity of Japan), is traced all the way back to Amaterasu, the Sun goddess. Your analysis of patriarchal power structures sourced from a misunderstanding a/o willful misinterpretation of the origins and intent of a founding female (being used for fascism and destruction) is spot on, and you can find this theme recurring in stories like Attack on Titan. In a modern context it often refers to Shinzo Abe (rip bozo) and those like him traced all the way back to the fascist Japanese state of the 30s and 40s. But historically this has always been the issue, that so long as you have the emperor (or his equivalent) on your side that you have attained the Mandate of Heaven (regardless of how little power or respect for women this next reign eventually legitimizes).
Who the hell want to spend 2 hours and 51 minutes watching a god damn feature length movie about horrible levels in Mario Maker 2? What kind of terrible nerd doesn't have anything better to do? Me it turns out. This was a masterful breakdown of what makes these levels so good. And it finally clicked with me why I like these things so much, it is close up magic that subverts your expectations and knows how you'll react at every step of the way. I love magic, so naturally I also love these types of levels. I can never hope to be this good at designing a level, but it won't stop me from enjoying them. My only regret is that I have but one upvote to give, this deserves so much more.
i dont really get why nintendo cant just make a troll tag for maps. that way you can make sure they dont come up if youre doing an endless run or a challenge or something.
I don't like plasticity in story-driven games. The problem with plasticity systems in RPGs is that you lose narrative and thematic cohesiveness when your characters are too plastic. It's usually a disservice to the story when characters can be anything, they have no set place and/or goals in the world and leads to general dissonance. There's exceptions, like FF6, where the Esper system ties in extremely tightly with the story, but even then it leads to dissonance. Take Sabin or Cyan for example, who spent their entire lives perfecting their physical combat skills only to be completely overshadowed by Magicite abilities. This should lead to major character crises for both of them, yet it's not addressed in the story at all.
This is reminds me of that south park episode where they write a book and everyone reads sooo deep into it. Simply put its just a game and take it for the fantasy it is instead of putting all these narratives into it.
I was just a baby when this game first came out, and I never got into FFVI until I got the GBA remake of the game back when they were still out back then.
ff6 will always be my favorite for a variety of reasons, but - and hear me out with this - i really enjoy 10-2’s battle system! I liked the dress spheres and how they allowed for the player to switch jobs as needed despite the limited playable cast. the abilities were fun too. 10-2 is a weird game narratively, but the battle system always stood out as an interesting twist on mechanics.
It's been a while since I played 10-2, but I remember really enjoying the Dress Sphere system and how it was another stab at a III/V-like Job System. So yea, it's a perfectly good choice here. :)
Identifying Sephiroth as a representative of hegemonic masculinity that young boys are encouraged to look up to has now given me the mental image of Sephiroth as a manosphere influencer.
I was familiar with the concept of twice-twice before playing Elden Ring and it was delightful to see them in there. There's also a place that trolls you with a rolling ball i think.
Damn, did they actually hire you as an "independent" contractor at 343 or is that shorthand for temporary employee? Because it sure sounds like employment to me if you work exclusively for them, in their office, using their toolchain under their direct management.
The way it worked was that Microsoft/343 used a bunch of contracting agencies, who would do the initial screening and handling of applicants. Once a candidate got past those initial steps they would interview with the 343 staff. And if they got the green light there the agency would hire them on. So, legally speaking, I was an employee of the agency that Microsoft/343 were outsourcing to. But you're on the mark about what this (de facto) is: temporary employment. Many of the stipulations in contracts like these are the exact same as a FTE (i.e. non-compete clauses and the like). I assume that this is still going on at many big studios in the business. I had a very similar arrangement when I worked for EA, for instance.
1:40:00 "Anyone who plays games regularly has favorites that feature some janky behavior or other rough around the edges content." *looks at cars doing ballet in Forza Horizon series*
I was wondering. What are your thoughts on gamers from Western countries romanticizing East-Asian games and studios as the last bastion of "anti-woke" games? Is it okay to be anti-West and anti-woke for games?
Hey folks, I just want to note that I unfortunately don’t have subtitles for this video on upload. Normally I consider them a first-class feature-I personally find accurate subtitles to be very helpful, and I know many of you out there do as well. Usually I can put my script into RU-vid’s subtitle tools and things work out pretty well, but these answers were unscripted (as you can hear) so I would have to do a manual subtitle pass for this one. Please let me know if you want/need manual subtitles here by responding to this comment, and if there’s sufficient demand I’ll make time to do so. Also, again since these answers were unscripted, I want to clarify something I said at 46:43, where I said the company was staffing up “indiscriminately.” As I mention later on, I didn’t meet any fellow workers there that weren't good at what they do. In other words: I’m not saying that they hired “incompetent” people, and I want to make sure this comment doesn’t get misconstrued as such. What I mean by this is that the priorities were changing rapidly (due to the tight production timeline), and the staffing process couldn’t adjust at the same rate. This meant there were a number of contractors hired to do certain things but frequently they had to work on something completely different. (I witnessed this personally a few times.) Also another company is in the (initial) thumbnail for this video because I didn’t have a great time there either, but it certainly was less of a mess than what I mention here…
It would be so nice if my subscription feed actually showed me videos from channels I've subscribed to. I'm a bit late, but looking forward to sitting down with this.
This video singlehandedly inspired me to start making troll levels. For the past few months I've been creating trolls non stop and I've made 3 full levels already and am working on the fourth. I've found a sincere passion and creative outlet all thanks to this video
My favorite game mechanically in the series is Final Fantasy VIII, which is such a remarkable examination of Karl Marx's theory of space-time annihilation through ludic form. Definitely looking forward to writing something about that in more depth someday.
As someone replaying through the main series and just started 7, your timing is perfect! I appreciate that you touched on how the materia system high plasticity removes much of a character's identity beyond their weapons and limit breaks. Couple that with Cloud being a mandatory party member (for most of the game) and therefore always being over leveled compared to everyone else, and it felt like my party comp choices didn't really matter. I have a similar issue with 8, and I much prefer 6 and 10's mixture of rigidity/plasticity in their systems. Loving the past two vids! Can't believe I didn't sub after the last one!
It's been years since playing the game for me and yet when the ending E music came on it still brought me to (happy) tears. Ending E sits as my most powerful moment ever in over 30 years of gaming. Yoko Taro is one of the greatest auteurs working today
Anyhoo! Loved the video essay and wholly agree with all of it. One mini piece of critical feedback, I think it would have benefitted a bit from more explicitly highlighting the journey of the characters themselves here - I felt like there was a lot of 'see fascism bad because it only leads to death' and accepting that as all the argument needed, rather than connecting it a bit more strongly to 'And death and suffering are bad and we should reject that and fight.' You may still be crushed or killed by the fascist system - none of our protagonists make it out alive - but in doing so you may inspire others to carry on the legacy of what you stood for, and eventually even recreate all the good you once saw in the world. A2 being the best example of this, where on some level she chooses to die as a way to bring peace/closure to 9S; it's a sacrifice born from love instead of hate, and it paves the way for our support units to finally realize and claim their own hopes for the future.
Awesome video Infernal. Found your channel through the troll video and watched all of your content since. Was curious if you were aware of MyHouse.WAD, if you know nothing about it I recommend looking it up on modDB and playing it totally blind. It is an experience you'll never forget.
