Rewatching this because it's genuinely one of the best video essays to come out this year; something about the way you take games that most people would dismiss as beneath them and analyze what they mean to people playing them at that time with genuine sincerity is just really captivating to me Also 27:04 aged well
The notion of Shadow The Hedgehog being some far-fetched betrayal of a wholesome and unchallenging (some might say "apolitical") franchise is something that I really do feel comes from a complete unwillingness to engage with the themes of Sonic as a concept at all, simply because it has always come wrapped in cartoon abstraction and sunshiny fantastical settings. From the outset, the whole idea of sonic is that he's essentially "what if an egoist-anarchist was actually powerful enough to single-handedly dismantle an evil elite's industrial empire" abstracted to the most blatant comic book ideal? It does feel good to know I'm not alone in feeling that this wholesale rejection of any politicality or nuance in Games For Children™ is silly. Excellent video. I really have to play Dirge of Cerberus sometime
Glad to see some Pokemon Coliseum rep here. No joke, that's my favorite Pokemon game. You did good on this one, Wood. This is definitely like, touching on things I've thought about for this era of games but couldn't quite put into words. I really like the point made about how kids just like engaging with edgier, darker content sometimes. (As for my favorite game to fit into this milieu, I THINK I could make the case for the Mega Man Zero games fitting into this? X is dead, you're fighting a fascist dictatorship, enemies bleed in the Japanese version, the Mega Buster is now a handgun. Easily the darkest iteration of Mega Man.)
Always love seeing your videos!! I have been extremely nostalgic for that ps2/Dreamcast era of video games and this video served on all vibes I’ve been craving for lately. Thank you so much for another incredible video ❤️
I'm a big fan of how the chapter thumbnails present the finale to me, with a picture of former president of the United States Barack Obama pedestalled by SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG in all capital letters.
Great video! I've played Sands of Time to death but really never returned to The Two Thrones. I think i will now though! (Great soundtrack picks, btw. Always love some unexpected Xenogears in my day)
Feel extremely targeted by the footage of Burnout 3 accompanied by the Legendary Theme from Gitaroo Man. I'm sure I'm not alone in that but, literally, goosebumps. Really enjoyed this assessment of "edge" as an aesthetic, I think it has a really negative connotation and so you get this kind of kneejerk reaction of "it's trying to be edgy so its really bad and lame and cringe" and its just not fair, really; there's stuff people are enjoying today that I've no doubt in my mind will be called "edgy" in a few years time and people will use that as an uncomplicated wedge to say they don't like it, but it's all relative. Ultimately all you're really doing is denying yourself something you might fucking love. And thats what Sony Santa Monica want you to do!
Rewatching this because it's genuinely one of the best video essays to come out this year; something about the way you take games that most people would dismiss as beneath them and analyze what they mean to people playing them at that time with genuine sincerity is just really captivating to me
Also 27:04 aged well
The notion of Shadow The Hedgehog being some far-fetched betrayal of a wholesome and unchallenging (some might say "apolitical") franchise is something that I really do feel comes from a complete unwillingness to engage with the themes of Sonic as a concept at all, simply because it has always come wrapped in cartoon abstraction and sunshiny fantastical settings. From the outset, the whole idea of sonic is that he's essentially "what if an egoist-anarchist was actually powerful enough to single-handedly dismantle an evil elite's industrial empire" abstracted to the most blatant comic book ideal?
It does feel good to know I'm not alone in feeling that this wholesale rejection of any politicality or nuance in Games For Children™ is silly. Excellent video. I really have to play Dirge of Cerberus sometime
Glad to see some Pokemon Coliseum rep here. No joke, that's my favorite Pokemon game.
You did good on this one, Wood. This is definitely like, touching on things I've thought about for this era of games but couldn't quite put into words. I really like the point made about how kids just like engaging with edgier, darker content sometimes. (As for my favorite game to fit into this milieu, I THINK I could make the case for the Mega Man Zero games fitting into this? X is dead, you're fighting a fascist dictatorship, enemies bleed in the Japanese version, the Mega Buster is now a handgun. Easily the darkest iteration of Mega Man.)
Even GOOGLE has a dark mode, the age of edge is truly upon us
Another great video! You convinced me to play most of these (except Rogue Agent, I don't think you could pay me enough to play that one)
Someone finally gets it. Someone else knows what I mean. I’m gonna cry bro this video is actually amazing. Keep it up.
Always love seeing your videos!! I have been extremely nostalgic for that ps2/Dreamcast era of video games and this video served on all vibes I’ve been craving for lately.
Thank you so much for another incredible video ❤️
absoLUTELY la cinema~ and kino!!! This flavor of SOUL can be tricky to define, but aahhh you nailed it...... well done.....
Don't even talk to me about Prince of Persia The Warrior Within.
Great video.
I'm a big fan of how the chapter thumbnails present the finale to me, with a picture of former president of the United States Barack Obama pedestalled by SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG in all capital letters.
Another banger!!!!!!! I am stupidly Obsessed with Dirge of Cerberus so I feel seen
Dropping the acoustic legendary song right at the end. My school mate would be proud
Great video!
I've played Sands of Time to death but really never returned to The Two Thrones. I think i will now though! (Great soundtrack picks, btw. Always love some unexpected Xenogears in my day)
"This game needs to be way less Death Note OP 1 and way more Death Note OP 2" is the best weirdly specific analogy I've heard in a while
I know it's the same voice actor but it still fucked with me a bit how much Prince Princeofpersia sounds like Travis Touchdown saying "YOU BITCH"
Same for Jingu in the old ENG dub of Yakuza, makes all his lines way funnier.
Feel extremely targeted by the footage of Burnout 3 accompanied by the Legendary Theme from Gitaroo Man. I'm sure I'm not alone in that but, literally, goosebumps.
Really enjoyed this assessment of "edge" as an aesthetic, I think it has a really negative connotation and so you get this kind of kneejerk reaction of "it's trying to be edgy so its really bad and lame and cringe" and its just not fair, really; there's stuff people are enjoying today that I've no doubt in my mind will be called "edgy" in a few years time and people will use that as an uncomplicated wedge to say they don't like it, but it's all relative.
Ultimately all you're really doing is denying yourself something you might fucking love. And thats what Sony Santa Monica want you to do!
Wow damn dang wow holy cow whatta vid
"Dark sim city"
> nighttime
yes i think im very funny
great video! what is the song in the outro tho.
that would be The Legendary Theme from Gitaroo Man!