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[DeVeAn]

I enjoy the videos. Sometimes I find myself talking back as if the dude was in person. I could see countering a lot of his points. Although, he often makes great cases for his points.

 

[Crayon]

OT - Ever wonder what EXACTLY makes DoDonPachi better than Golf?

 

[Crayon]

I enjoy the videos. Sometimes I find myself talking back as if the dude was in person. I could see countering a lot of his points. Although, he often makes great cases for his points.

Exactly how I feel. Sometimes I'll think "nah man blah blah", or "totally man blah blah" but I want to let him finish.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

Love his videos, especially as a big shmup fan. Lots of people get hung up on his narrow views of what kind of games he likes, but if you don't listen to critics purely to validate your own opinions and tastes, that's not a problem.

There are plenty of times I have a different take from his, but more often he'll be the only person with a dissenting opinion on a game where I'm in total agreement with him. Stellar Blade is a recent one. It's just not a very good game, and he clearly walks through the reasons why in a way that I didn't see anyone else discussing.

Couldn't have summed him up better ...also, he was right about Stellar Blade. It's been an empty experience for me game design wise.

 

[NeverYouMind]

I was wondering what he thought about Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty from Team Ninja but haven't seen any opinion on it despite him creaming up Nioh. Kinda sus. Might be a Japanophile.

 

[ungalo]

I was wondering what he thought about Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty from Team Ninja but haven't seen any opinion on it despite him creaming up Nioh. Kinda sus. Might be a Japanophile.

from what i recall he didn't like it

 

[Bartski]

I tried watching some of his stuff and he's so full of shit I can't believe people are taking him seriously

 

[mèx]

I have watched a few of his videos. He seems to exclusively like a very specific breed of games, and everything that deviates from that is bad. I agree with quite a few of his points, but that kind of view is limited.

Regarding Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, the only true downside is that the game is quite easy, even without abusing any of its mechanics. Nobody plays a videogame by skipping all enemies, at least when you are not speedrunning it. Everything else he says is "Ragebound does not adhere to the NES games, hence its bad". While it is true that the design ethos of Ragebound is different from the NES games, the game is still super fun to play and remains engaging from start to end.

 

[Gordon Fearman]

Mark's very good at putting out a well organised and eloquent video advocating for his niche tastes that he's clearly put a lot of thought into. Mark's terrible at recognising that his niche tastes aren't an objective truth which makes him seem very obnoxious if you disagree with him likely because he's very obnoxious if you disagree with him.
For example, in an interview he talks about "difficulty is content", the idea that having to fail and get better at a game is content itself as a contrast to a lot of people's opinion that difficulty gatekeeps content. This is an insightful point and it's obviously a large reason for the success of a lot of games, notably the FromSoft games. But, because he can't help himself, Mark then goes onto talk like difficulty is the only content. Because as a big shmup fan that's true for him and he's apparently literally incapable of understanding any other perspective on it.
He also doesn't seem to do any research on things he doesn't like, but he'll still talk about them. Like in his Stellar Blade and FFXVI reviews he talks about a lot of things he hates from RPGs like platforming, QTEs, and spectacle battles. Which leads me to believe he may have never played an RPG in his life or thinks God of War 3 is an RPG for some reason. In his Sifu review he complains that you have to play the game defensively because the game forces you to wait to do a dodge counter meanwhile any of the players good at the game never let up pressure.

 

[Crayon]

His tastes are not that important to me. I'd listen to someone being the same way for rpg's or anything. He's got defenses and arguments that are original and often ring true. Some don't. Whatever.

I do like action games but of course I'm not as extreme. Not at all. It's great to talk with a thoughtful fanatic, though. At least for me. It always gets my gears turning and I'm not too interested in the things we disagree on. I'd rather hear out their thoughts on a genre they are obsessed with.

 

[Arsic]

His tastes are not that important to me. I'd listen to someone being the same way for rpg's or anything. He's got defenses and arguments that are original and often ring true. Some don't. Whatever.

I do like action games but of course I'm not as extreme. Not at all. It's great to talk with a thoughtful fanatic, though. At least for me. It always gets my gears turning and I'm not too interested in the things we disagree on. I'd rather hear out their thoughts on a genre they are obsessed with.

Compared to the usual grifter , fake hype, uneducated, etc slop we get shoveled to us for video game YTers, I find this channel, and Happy Console Gamer, to both be good channels to watch.

 

[Crayon]

Compared to the usual grifter , fake hype, uneducated, etc slop we get shoveled to us for video game YTers, I find this channel, and Happy Console Gamer, to both be good channels to watch.

Awe me and Wife love happy console gamer. Deceptively sharp guy and so genuine.

 

[John Bilbo]

The Anti-Compulsion Loop Series | Gradius Origins Review. I am really excited to have a chance to talk about Gradius again! Over the past few years my appreciation for the design and brilliance of this series has fermented like a fine wine. In today's review I not only discuss the quality of the M2 Shottriggers port of the games (except 4 and 5, which I hope we get someday) but also the foundational design of games of this era and why they have become naturally subversive to the current player-progression flow-state focused standard. Having been covering a lot of modern games this year (and will be covering more I am sure), I think having a bedrock game like Gradius as an alternative to the trends we are seeing right now is really vital.

Also in this review, I discuss what I think have been the major barriers for me over the years in terms of appreciating classic shmup design as much as I love bullet-hell design, and why I have found that the herculean effort that M2 undertook for the quality of this collection, and its suite of features, has helped me connect with classic shmup design more strongly than I have before. This collection is a perfect example of the power of a port when the developer takes their work and the games they are working on seriously, rather than just slapping a bunch of laggy roms on a Switch cart and selling it with great looking packaging. Yes, I am referring to the Psikyo Switch collections and now that I've experienced the strength of M2's work on this Gradius collection, it makes me yearn for a properly done Psikyo release even more. Also I would love to see the Parodius series next!


I know the price is a bit steep at $40, but if you are interested in getting into shmups, especially classic shmups, this is the BY FAR the best release to do it with and the amount of content and quality just contained in the first 3 Gradius games, not even counting the Salamander stuff, is insane. I wish there was an affordable little teaser for people to try out, but there's no doubt this is my favorite release of this year, though there have been a few real heavy hitters so far

Right now, you can get the collection on PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam) and Xbox Series X. Honestly, it's a bummer it's not on the PS4 as well, but I of course highly recommend the Steam version, it's awesome M2 are finally including PC.

 

[near]

I haven't watched the video yet, but I knew he was going to love the Gradius Collection. M2 can do no wrong.

 

[John Bilbo]

I didn't know Gradius has a scaling difficulty!

 

[RedC]

Originality is a Liability | Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Review. It was only a matter of time until Konami worked up the nerve to throw my Beloved Metal Gear Solid 3 into the Unreal Engine Remake Game Grinder. What it truly fascinating about this release isn't that Konami actually cobbled it together, what's fascinating has been the response. Is it just me, or do I recall a plateable skepticism about Konami, their business practices, and their blatant mistreatment of both their employees as well as their Game IPs (remember MGS3 Pachinko?) only a few years ago. Funny enough, the mainstream gaming industry supporting Kojima, one of the few auteur game directors still working, was a rare instance of them getting it and being cool.

So when Delta was announced, I was somewhat relieved to see some active conversation about the lack of artistic respect to the series remaking MGS3 would mean, especially without Kojima. Smash cut a year later and despite this release clearly being pushed through development as hastily as possible and following the standard Modernize formula, everyone is eating it up.

The marketing wing of Konami is certainly working overtime, that's for sure. I've even seen articles mocking Kojima for not giving his stamp of approval (which I talk about in the review).

That all being said, in this review I discuss how the remake formula is being more and more standardized to the point where originality has gone from being ignored, to being treated as an active liability. An active question I cover in this review is at what point of standardization of design and mechanics literally just takes away the identity of the game? Especially with Metal Gear Solid 3 where it is already a modern game with an accessible modern version (Subsistence).

I get into the nitty gritty details of the changes to the mechanics, the boss fights, the relationship with the level design, and the ridiculous notion of using the sloppy 3DS version of the game as the basis of game balance. But on top of that I want to emphasize why this whole idea of DELTA Does not work. Merging "New and Old" Design is overall an absurd concept because game design is not just some modular Lego set where the pieces can be changed out for one another. Games are like Jenga, where all the pieces need to be carefully balanced on top of each other, otherwise the whole structure falls flat -- which Delta does.

Also, Delta being a full-priced game on PS5, Xbox, and PC (Steam) is INSANE. A huge shout to a patron of mine, NCR Trooper Scout for donating me the game key! I won't be receiving any game keys from Konami anytime soon I imagine lol.

 

[Punished Miku]

I gotta watch this. Great title

 

[evanft]

Lol no. The few bright spots in the MGS3 remake are all related to the modernization they did to the controls and camera. I mean, fucking Kojima himself changed the camera for the Subsistence release. He clearly didn't have a problem with it and thought it worked with the level and combat design, which it does.

 

[Porcile]

I think the MGS review was on point but a bit of an obvious one. We knew it was going to be a pointless cash grab remake from the get go. Feels a bit like a community circlejerk to be honest especially as he didn't even buy the game himself. I get "Go get 'em Mark-senpai! Don't these games just suck?" vibes from his modern big-budget game reviews tbh. Everyone in his audience knows from the outset what the results are going to be both from the game quality and critical reception.

Speaking of which, I'm seeing a lot of mainstream critics and die-hard old-school Sega fans giving the new Shinobi a lot of critical praise, while the arcade community (or let's just say, Mark's audience) are shitting all over it right now. So it's basically a given that any new game in a series that has been "updated for modern audiences" is going to get lauded by everyone except us.

On the other hand, "Shmup of the year" Earthion is review-less right now and looks good but a bit iffy in places. It seems to have reached a fairly mainstream audience for a shmup, too. I'm guessing it's another Sol Cresta but I'm much more interested in what he thinks about that. Good or bad game, let's see that instead of the obvious AAA stuff.

I don't think we need more Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Metal Gear, Ninja Gaiden (hint: he won't like Ninja Gaiden 4), Dark Souls videos from Mark. We know these games are going to be sludgy modern schlock for people scared of game overs and being challenged in a meaningful way. He likes Goldeneye 64 so is he going to review the new Bond game? No of course not. He definitely needs to stop giving these big Japanese publishers a chance. They are as bad as everyone else and not worth the time.

There are real, original games out there just waiting for a good review. I guess they don't get the views unfortunately.

 

[Crayon]

Just got through the new delta video. I had not seen anything of this game since the original teaser.

Wow it looks like shit. I mean visually - I hate the look. Looks cheap all around. I'd much, much, rather play the ps2 game with the ethereal look.

Aside from the supposedly improved graphics, I have got to say the gameplay changes mark demonstrated look like a fucking disaster.

I was afraid this would be crap, but was not sure. Now, being able to see the way they approached it, I'm sure.

The whole thing seems cheap and careless. :/ I'm down for remakes but this is more or less the poster child for a weak one.

 

[John Bilbo]

I'd be interested in an Earthion review from Mark.

 

[SkylineRKR]

Just got through the new delta video. I had not seen anything of this game since the original teaser.

Wow it looks like shit. I mean visually - I hate the look. Looks cheap all around. I'd much, much, rather play the ps2 game with the ethereal look.

Aside from the supposedly improved graphics, I have got to say the gameplay changes mark demonstrated look like a fucking disaster.

I was afraid this would be crap, but was not sure. Now, being able to see the way they approached it, I'm sure.

The whole thing seems cheap and careless. :/ I'm down for remakes but this is more or less the poster child for a weak one.

The PS2 look has this uniqueness as it wasn't on some UE middleware yet. Personally I am fine with the HD version of it.

Delta is 90% the same game anyway, the layouts, area cuts.. You just have a bit more movement and some small QoL features. And its not like Delta runs that well. The old one is really fine, the controls and aiming usually become second nature after a few minutes.

 

[mèx]

Another UE5 soulless remake slop. You could smell it from miles away. But it has nice graphics (that murders the original artstyle) and plays like a modern game (which destroy the original balancing), so it's all good I suppose.

This small snippet is so true: "... let's start mining the classics, and what I think is so obnoxious about this practice is that it denies the nature of videogames as an art form, and just treats them as products to be repackaged".

At this point I'm all aboard the FF7 Remake approach, go crazy with your remakes, at least I'll be aware about the fact that it will be nothing like the original and that it's not even trying.

 

[DeVeAn]

I couldn't even finish the MGS Delta video. So cynical and jaded and somewhat gatekeeping. Remake doesn't have a goal? I will probably never play the original ever again because the camera sucked. Much better to play the Remake.

 

[NeverYouMind]

My brother was a fan of the original and Delta production quality blew him away. It allowed him to enjoy the more missable details. He just misses the title screen of original and being able to sprint like in newer entries.

 

[Crayon]

The PS2 look has this uniqueness as it wasn't on some UE middleware yet. Personally I am fine with the HD version of it.

Delta is 90% the same game anyway, the layouts, area cuts.. You just have a bit more movement and some small QoL features. And its not like Delta runs that well. The old one is really fine, the controls and aiming usually become second nature after a few minutes.

I still have engrained the time when you had to learn the controls for every game lol. Now, a lot of people will lose their shit as soon as reload is on the wrong button. I fully understand why they changed that but I think it shows a poor appreciation of the original game if they thought it was so straightforward a change. Gameplay in mgs games is always underrated, though. MGSV seems to get that recognition, at least. But 1-3 play great with their unique controls and even 4 is a ways off of the standard that was being established by then.

 

[Judge Magister]

Saw that video about MGSΔ.

I agree with:

Price was too high at launch.
Optimization / Performance not great.
Less precise movement and cover system.
The divided two styles it's very weird, i wish they just let us customize everything.

Having said that:

1st) Cut that f* artistic crap. Every company wants money, Konami is no different. Games are about money and ROI. Yes talented people work in games. Both things are true.
I enjoyed RE2/4 or Shadow of the Colossus remakes as i enjoyed the originals at the time.

2nd) Yes FF7 remakes have a vision, they are creating a sequel, a FFVII-2, that completely destroys some key story moments of the original.

Graphics are important, 3 was impressive as hell when released on PS2. 3D games graphics age, yes this remake will too.
Says Unreal Engine 5 struggles against MGS4 and V graphics. Even says is pointless because AI is coming. Ok.

3rd) Wanted a remaster graphics toggle when this is not a remaster.

4th) First time i heard Snake Vs. Monkey mode is lame. He wanted VR missions. Has he ever thought why Kojima didn't include VR instead? It's not a simple minigame, it even gets included in the plot. Only thing missing is Duel Mode.

5th) Doesn't elaborate the changes. And just says it doesn't have added content. Photo Mode, Secret Theater with new scenes and as collectibles, Bomberman mode and Astro cameo, Model Viewer, GA-KOs, nothing.
He even criticizes Guy Savage Δ minigame that from what i read people thought it was a pretty cool surprise.

6th) He doesn't like crouch walk, says it makes the game very easy. Again he contradicts what i keep reading online. People getting more alarms because AI sees too far away and some irritated by the MK.22 bullet drop balancing introduced.
Foxhound rank and Collectibles yes are more easy, because autosaves and trackable stats.

7th) Says that the cluncky FPV camera transition in early games was artistic and balancing. I bet that if Subsistence didn't introduced 3D camera he would say "Fixed Camera Systems Create Artistic Perspective".

8th) The Boss battle CQC exclamation indicator made the original even easier to counter her. Yes, now is more easy to target everything if not because you can see details way clear now and the modern view.

The game mostly feels like you're playing the original. It's not a bastardization of the original at all.

 

[Generic]

Saw that video about MGSΔ.

I agree with:

Price was too high at launch.
Optimization / Performance not great.
Less precise movement and cover system.
The divided two styles it's very weird, i wish they just let us customize everything.

Having said that:

1st) Cut that f* artistic crap. Every company wants money, Konami is no different. Games are about money and ROI. Yes talented people work in games. Both things are true.
I enjoyed RE2/4 or Shadow of the Colossus remakes as i enjoyed the originals at the time.

2nd) Yes FF7 remakes have a vision, they are creating a sequel, a FFVII-2, that completely destroys some key story moments of the original.

Graphics are important, 3 was impressive as hell when released on PS2. 3D games graphics age, yes this remake will too.
Says Unreal Engine 5 struggles against MGS4 and V graphics. Even says is pointless because AI is coming. Ok.

3rd) Wanted a remaster graphics toogle when this is not a remaster.

4th) Fist time i heard Snake Vs. Monkey mode is lame. He wanted VR missions. Has he ever thought why Kojima didn't include VR instead? It's not a simple minigame, it even gets included in the plot. Only thing missing is Duel Mode.

5th) Doesn't elaborate the changes. And just says it doesn't have added content. Photo Mode, Secret Theater with new scenes and as collectibles, Bomberman mode and Astro cameo, Model Viewer, GA-KOs, nothing.
He even criticizes Guy Savage Δ minigame that from what i read people thought it was a pretty cool surprise.

6th) He doesn't like crouch walk, says it makes the game very easy. Again he contradicts what i keep reading online. People getting more alarms because AI sees too far away and some irritated by the MK.22 bullet drop balancing introduced.
Foxhound rank and Collectibles yes are more easy, because autosaves and trackable stats.

7th) Says that the cluncky FPV camera transition in early games was artistic and balancing. I bet that if Subsistence didn't introduced 3D camera he would say "Fixed Camera Systems Create Artistic Perspective".

8th) The Boss battle CQC exclamation indicator made the original even easier to counter her. Yes, now is more easy to target everything if not because you can see details way clear now and the modern view.

The game mostly feels like you're playing the original. It's not a bastardization of the original at all.

Damn imagine being against crouch walking, basic stuff in stealth games.

At least he was right about Stellar Blade.

 

[Giallo Corsa]

Saw that video about MGSΔ.

I agree with:

Price was too high at launch.
Optimization / Performance not great.
Less precise movement and cover system.
The divided two styles it's very weird, i wish they just let us customize everything.

Having said that:

1st) Cut that f* artistic crap. Every company wants money, Konami is no different. Games are about money and ROI. Yes talented people work in games. Both things are true.
I enjoyed RE2/4 or Shadow of the Colossus remakes as i enjoyed the originals at the time.

2nd) Yes FF7 remakes have a vision, they are creating a sequel, a FFVII-2, that completely destroys some key story moments of the original.

Graphics are important, 3 was impressive as hell when released on PS2. 3D games graphics age, yes this remake will too.
Says Unreal Engine 5 struggles against MGS4 and V graphics. Even says is pointless because AI is coming. Ok.

3rd) Wanted a remaster graphics toogle when this is not a remaster.

4th) First time i heard Snake Vs. Monkey mode is lame. He wanted VR missions. Has he ever thought why Kojima didn't include VR instead? It's not a simple minigame, it even gets included in the plot. Only thing missing is Duel Mode.

5th) Doesn't elaborate the changes. And just says it doesn't have added content. Photo Mode, Secret Theater with new scenes and as collectibles, Bomberman mode and Astro cameo, Model Viewer, GA-KOs, nothing.
He even criticizes Guy Savage Δ minigame that from what i read people thought it was a pretty cool surprise.

6th) He doesn't like crouch walk, says it makes the game very easy. Again he contradicts what i keep reading online. People getting more alarms because AI sees too far away and some irritated by the MK.22 bullet drop balancing introduced.
Foxhound rank and Collectibles yes are more easy, because autosaves and trackable stats.

7th) Says that the cluncky FPV camera transition in early games was artistic and balancing. I bet that if Subsistence didn't introduced 3D camera he would say "Fixed Camera Systems Create Artistic Perspective".

8th) The Boss battle CQC exclamation indicator made the original even easier to counter her. Yes, now is more easy to target everything if not because you can see details way clear now and the modern view.

The game mostly feels like you're playing the original. It's not a bastardization of the original at all.

Magister, I mean you should have learnt by now that A) the dude would have blasted MGS Δ either way and B) he's a hipster and a grifter.

That is his whole schtick, artsy fartsy verbal diarrhea (30+ min videos ? GTFO) and shitting every modern game that dares to have any kind of resemblance of good production values while trying to elevate either some obscure title or a shitty, mediocre one (Wanted: Dead) 'cause reasons...erm...verbal diarrhea®, the type of guy in love with his own voice and the smell of his own farts, I've seen NWR movies that are less pretentious than this MFer.

Holy fuck if he doesn't come across as full of himself, the equivalent of the Dreamcast guy (but in reverse).

 

[Crayon]

At least he was right about Stellar Blade.

If it's all coming down to whether you agree with him, I don't think you can get much out of the channel at all.

I thought he was fundamentally off on the stellar blade video, but I still liked it.

 

[John Bilbo]

Magister, I mean you should have learnt by now that A) the dude would have blasted MGS Δ either way and B) he's a hipster and a grifter.

That is his whole schtick, artsy fartsy verbal diarrhea (30+ min videos ? GTFO) and shitting every modern game that dares to have any kind of resemblance of good production values while trying to elevate either some obscure title or a shitty, mediocre one (Wanted: Dead) 'cause reasons...erm...verbal diarrhea®, the type of guy in love with his own voice and the smell of his own farts, I've seen NWR movies that are less pretentious than this MFer.

Holy fuck if he doesn't come across as full of himself, the equivalent of the Dreamcast guy (but in reverse).

To me he comes across as a guy who likes arcade game design.

 

[Killer8]

Mark is clearly well versed when it comes to game mechanic analysis but he's naive when it comes to the commercial side of the industry.

Everything Konami did to modernize the game, from the visuals to the control tweaks, were done to maximize commercial viability. It sounds petty but a large number of people will simply not play a game without over-the-shoulder aiming in 2025. Your purists and snobs will hate it because it made a boss easier, but clearly the choices Konami made have resonated with more people than they pissed off. Mark even seems a little upset about that - "everyone is eating it up".

It also helps that visually it's finally giving us a remake that bears resemblance to that 2016 pachinko version. When you cut through all the #FuckKonami noise at the time due to the Kojima drama, people were frothing at the mouth to play a full game like that.

Mark's also forgetting that these franchises Konami are bringing back were as good as dead. It's well known that if you try to refeed someone too quickly you can kill them. Similarly here, Konami are not going to go from making nothing in a decade to greenlighting an expensive Metal Gear Solid 6 with zero audience to support it. That would be a one way ticket back to the grave, and probably for good this time. The series needs to gradually regain relevance, and logically you do that first via remasters and remakes.

It's fashionable for Youtube essayists to focus only on artistic analysis but many deny the importance of the commercial side. Without commercial success there are no more opportunities to create new art. You hit a financial dead end. So it's really unhelpful to see terms thrown around like "cash grab", when the success of these games feeds back into making new games. Sometimes though I think the 'fans' in some communities would even prefer that not to happen.

Mark complains in the video about Ninja Gaiden 2 Black being a similar release, in the sense that it's just an old game with new graphics bolted on. But the intent of the release wasn't necessarily to satisfy people like him, it was also to bring the franchise back from irrelevance and get people excited for the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4. Similarly, the current MGS series producer says new games are the hope. People might not like these commercialized releases but they're absolutely necessary to enable that to happen.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

It's also cute how, for someone who's allegedly all about the art of game design, he sure spends a lot of time complaining about price. And by price, I mean anything that isn't free or pirated.

 

[Crayon]

It's also cute how, for someone who's allegedly all about the art of game design, he sure spends a lot of time complaining about price. And by price, I mean anything that isn't free or pirated.

lol wtf. Are you talking about how often he recommends emulators?