Episode Two: Vicious Cycle & Eat Lead

The crew gets an exclusive preview of Eat Lead & a tour of Vicious Cycle's swanky new game studio, plus a preview of Zero Punctuation and The Escapist's first ever movie review, MovieBob on Eagle Eye.

This week's musical guests:

Ian Dorsch - "The Escapist Show Theme"
Frank Klepacki - "Krung Kick"

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Should be a fun game, atleast not another game about regenerating space marines. Somewhat interesting review of eagle eye. Great video :)

Russ's bit : Little too overplayed but the punchline was on the nose.

Vicious Cycle : Sorry guys...but that looks suspiciously like "3D Shooter" Movie...with all the added ass.

MovieBob : Good review, but channel Yahtzee much?

Holy crap, they brought Moviebob in! I love his stuff. Everyone, go to his youtube channel and watch his Game Overthinker stuff. And everything else as well. Here is a link.

http://www.youtube.com/user/moviebob

The_root_of_all_evil:

MovieBob : Good review, but channel Yahtzee much?

He actually talks of both Yahtzee and the AVGN on his website, and in his review of that DS game that I can't remember the title of. He admits that they are better, and thanks them for inspiration. He also talks about how in some of his earlier Game Overthinkers, he fast-forwarded his voice, while Yahtzee actually speaks that fast.

Loved the review, but I'm, prolly biased as I've been watching his videos(GameOverthinker & Moviebob) for the last couple of months...

Sounds like fun! Also, I think Russ went slightly insane, and that movie review was bad. Like REALLY bad. Like a bad yahtzee rip off.

Interesting - and that game does look amusing but not a blockbusters.

As for the movie review, does make me think of Yahtzee but at least it confirms my suspections about that movie.

Mstrswrd:

He actually talks of both Yahtzee and the AVGN on his website, and in his review of that DS game that I can't remember the title of. He admits that they are better, and thanks them for inspiration. He also talks about how in some of his earlier Game Overthinkers, he fast-forwarded his voice, while Yahtzee actually speaks that fast.

Fair enough, it wasn't a criticism per se; but I kept expecting to hear MMORPGER...so it took away from the actual review.

It's good to see Moviebob/Game Overthinker branching out. Keep it up.

Hope the game doesn't get too self repetive.

So... what happened to "each week we'll feature a preview of that week's Zero Punctuation"?

As for the movie review, not only did it fail miserably to reach Yahtzee's level of excellence, despite very obviously trying for it, but it covered the most amazingly uninteresting movie it could. No one in their right mind would need a reviewer telling them to stay away from that thing. Then again, no one in their right mind would need a Yahtzee copycat, when they've got the real one either. It's just sad how the author picks such an easy target and even then fails to entertain. In short: pointless and boring.

The rest of the show I like, though it would be even better if Russ had some company like in the E3 videos. Sound guy's tries notwithstanding.

_Nocturnal:
So... what happened to "each week we'll feature a preview of that week's Zero Punctuation"?

Having trouble with the piece of space-age technology that's supposed to keep that segment current. Stay tuned. If we manage to get it working I expect you to watch the video again, otherwise you lose your right to bitch.

Hey Russ, what happend to your title of Head Video Dude? it was just cooler.

Update: the ZP preview is now working. Go watch. Is funny.

TheGhostOfSin:
Hey Russ, what happend to your title of Head Video Dude? it was just cooler.

I have no idea. I suspect someone was trying to be efficient or something, and make the title match the one acid etched on the frosted executive glass on my paneled oak door. I'll look into it.

Russ Pitts:
If we manage to get it working I expect you to watch the video again, otherwise you lose your right to bitch.

I did watch it again - my regards for keeping your promise.
Appreciated putting ZP before the Eagle Eye stuff, too.
Which, since I've now established my bitching rights, is also too long.
And visually unpleasant, the way different shapes and sizes of pictures are just thrown over nothingness or sometimes divided in time by seconds of that same black nothing.
And the monotonous voice!
And the way he showed a picture of the game twister when he had to say "twist" without it being neither funny nor original, nor having anything at all to do with the topic.

Am I broken for caring about all of this?

The_root_of_all_evil:

Mstrswrd:

He actually talks of both Yahtzee and the AVGN on his website, and in his review of that DS game that I can't remember the title of. He admits that they are better, and thanks them for inspiration. He also talks about how in some of his earlier Game Overthinkers, he fast-forwarded his voice, while Yahtzee actually speaks that fast.

Fair enough, it wasn't a criticism per se; but I kept expecting to hear MMORPGER...so it took away from the actual review.

Yeah, sorry about that. I shouldn't be so defensive. I gotta work on that.

The_root_of_all_evil:

Mstrswrd:

He actually talks of both Yahtzee and the AVGN on his website, and in his review of that DS game that I can't remember the title of. He admits that they are better, and thanks them for inspiration. He also talks about how in some of his earlier Game Overthinkers, he fast-forwarded his voice, while Yahtzee actually speaks that fast.

Fair enough, it wasn't a criticism per se; but I kept expecting to hear MMORPGER...so it took away from the actual review.

Really? It struck me more as a Charlie Brooker rip more than anything else.

Glad to see moviebob joining the team, his video game stuff is great too.

hmm... the game look interesting enough that I'll play it, and is possibly the first parody in the genre, but saying that it's the first parody game is completely wrong. Play "The Bard's Tale" for a very complete RPG paordy, complete with an "obligatory lava level."

I've been coming back to this website for the Zero Punctuation for some time (and skipping other shows), and only watched this tES vid to see what it meant by a zeroP preview.

But i enjoyed it.
Some Random thoughts, in case they're of interest to the creators:

-It seemed like your interview with the EatLead game developers was skipping the obvious question: how will they handle timing/comdey? It looks like a straightforward shooter, peppered with funny cutscenes and audio clips. But you're still just shooting things till they die? Are those audio clips going to repeat endlessly, and become as annoying as every other game's audio wise cracks? Did they bother to do anything to make the gameplay itself funny? eek.
I found myself wondering if you'd asked more interesting questions, but couldn't show the answers. meh?

- I dug the way you prefaced segments with their bloopers/outtakes. cool idea, that makes me like the creators.

- the movie review was more interesting for it's history lesson than it's anger. It seems like reviewers these days prefer to coast on a "ill tempered personality" rather than a useful ability to critique. Seems most people would rather be liked by the audience than bother to tell the audience anything they didn't already know. So i dug the dude's historical notes, and wish he'd drop the zeroP attempt. ZeroP succeeds for several reasons, and this movie review elicitcs groans by skipping most of them. ...

ie, Yahtzee's personality seems genuinely more interesting than whatever he's dissecting - he comes off as genuinely frustrated and destructive. He sounds like a practiced snarky jerk, rather than a nice guy pretending - and his presentation seems to offer an intimate windows into how his negative mind works. He works up delightfully creative analogies. His timing nails. and he's willing to say the obvious mean things that everyone else seems to skirt. i think that's big thing.

saying shera lepoof is a poor man's hayden christiansen, or that EagleEye is bad - is just wasting time. These points aren't the emporer's new clothes that no one will acknowledge. You look at them and think "um. really? i guess? hmm." instead of laughing, or high fiving your monitor for so nailing the truth.

I think the review mostly fails because it neglects to mention the movie's obvious message: it presents an update of the old military cop out "I was just following orders". The reviewer suggesting it would have been better to just fly a jet in to resolve the plot, but this oafishly overlooks the movie's core goals. The ways in which everyday citizens could be turned into unwitting war pawns. If you want to riff on ZeroP's magic, why not trying going in the opposite direction- being as creative about some excessive positivity? no cursing? might be a fun counterpoint to draw in more viewers.

anyway.
I do still think the movie sucks, i don't think the review nailed it. I hope the reviewer will focus more on identifying the movie maker's goals and then address how well these were acheived.
...oh my god, i'm typing way too much. (turning this wee commenty into a distraction from other things. sorry).

Kick ass, Movie Bob. Great show too, better than the first ep...

You guys might wanna watch other Movie Bob's videos as this reqiev was kinda average...

Yay Moviebob is on the Escapist. Very nice.

And to the haters, go and watch his other stuff. He is very different to ZP. Very different.

I think I've heard this MovieBob on the radio before... not sure but it sounds like him..

aaah this is gunna bug me all day!

Haha I loved the part where he was finally let in when he said "Yahtzee"!

warrenEBB:
-It seemed like your interview with the EatLead game developers was skipping the obvious question: how will they handle timing/comdey? It looks like a straightforward shooter, peppered with funny cutscenes and audio clips. But you're still just shooting things till they die? Are those audio clips going to repeat endlessly, and become as annoying as every other game's audio wise cracks? Did they bother to do anything to make the gameplay itself funny? eek.
I found myself wondering if you'd asked more interesting questions, but couldn't show the answers. meh?

- I dug the way you prefaced segments with their bloopers/outtakes. cool idea, that makes me like the creators.

Agreed.

A nice review at the end. To those complaining about how Moviebob is a ZP rip-off. Well lets be honest, who isn't considered one these days when they use voice overs, over a slideshow despite the fact that format has been used for years.

I guess you can see the similarities between ZP and Moviebob because it's in the style of a review. I personally find Moviebob's Game Overthinker to be so much better than his reviews, as it goes in depth about things people wouldn't normally talk about, like the relationship between Luigi and Daisy.

Escapist, show the Game Overthinker not his reviews, they are so much better.

Never heard of the game devs before, but the game sounds interesting -- though like warrenEBB I'm a bit worried that it'll just recycle tired audio clips during the action. Still, given that I don't have a 360 (and can't see myself getting one any time soon), it's likely I'll miss out on the game entirely anyway.

And hey, I actually like The Net. I mean, sure, it's very cheesy and dated, but I still like it.

(Love the bloopers, BTW.)

Russ Pitts:

TheGhostOfSin:
Hey Russ, what happend to your title of Head Video Dude? it was just cooler.

I have no idea. I suspect someone was trying to be efficient or something, and make the title match the one acid etched on the frosted executive glass on my paneled oak door. I'll look into it.

Are you trying to make us feel bad about not having high powered executive doors, Russ? >.>

I really like Moviebob's format. It is well thought out and quickly explained and he is still very straightforward and honest with his opinion while showing us his evidence. His slideshow style also shows he puts in the effort looking for the pictures that make sense and trust me it takes some work to put all that together for even a 3 minute review.

I would really like to see more Moviebob on The Escapist because I do consider him the straight man needed to fill out the comedy circle here.

milskidasith:
Are you trying to make us feel bad about not having high powered executive doors, Russ? >.>

Actually, no. I was giving my boss a suggestion as to what he can buy me for Christmas. My actual office door is made of fake wood, I think. And doesn't have my name anywhere on it. It's a travesty! I can't work like this!!

I liked this video and the one before. I really liked the outtakes; I always enjoy things like that.

After watching the review from MovieBob, I took the link, supplied helpfully in a previous comment above, to look at some of his other work. I have to say he is not ripping of Yahtzee. ZP's better, but that does not mean he's ripping him off. He has a different style, he speaks slower and is a lot less, how should I put this, bile filled. Saying that using a slideshow with a narrating voice over is a ripe off of Yahtzee is like saying that every historical novel ever written is just ripping of Bernard Cornwall, or some other analogy. Both his movie and games reviews are really quite good. Maybe not as funny as Yahtzee, but the review about the gun carrying cowboy pig, horror left me intrigued about the game and if a review does that then it's achieved something.

So, I'm looking forward to seeing the next show and more of MovieBob. He's not as good as Yahtzee, but then show me a reviewer who is.

Good show. Movie reviewer hates Transformers = many extra marks from me, but it was still a good show otherwise.
What's the gag, though? Yahtzee can get you in anywhere but zeropunctuation doesn't get music anywhere near as cool as the Escapist Show.

Muzz:
What's the gag, though? Yahtzee can get you in anywhere but zeropunctuation doesn't get music anywhere near as cool as the Escapist Show.

What? The ZP Theme rocks! Anyway, both pieces of music were composed by the same dude, our Music Coordinator, Ian Dorsch. So if you're a fan of either, you're a fan of Ian.

Russ Pitts:

milskidasith:
Are you trying to make us feel bad about not having high powered executive doors, Russ? >.>

Actually, no. I was giving my boss a suggestion as to what he can buy me for Christmas. My actual office door is made of fake wood, I think. And doesn't have my name anywhere on it. It's a travesty! I can't work like this!!

You are a gamer... who wants a DOOR for Christmas? 0_o. I thought you'd want an advance copy of Duke Nukem Forever, or maybe fiber optics cable ran straight to your house to minimize lag in online games.