Line #121 WebVideo/NitroRad


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nitrorad.png]]
2	->"Hi, my name is James. They tell me I'm the coolest kid on my street. Welcome to Nitro Rad, a show where I talk about some rad games, and some not so rad games."
3
4	''Nitro Rad'' is a VideoReviewShow, started in 2013 by Canadian reviewer James Lewell. The show specializes in video games from the NES era to the [=PS2=] era but has become more known for the coverage of indie titles, primarily ones made in RPG maker. The show has covered a wide range of genres, with favorite genres being "B-grade {{mascot\|WithAttitude}} {{platform\|Game}}ers", [[HorrorVideoGames horror games]], and {{indie game}}s.
5
6	The show's channel can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-3J5xNrAbTLbU1gN8mMpOA here]].
7
8	A sister channel, [[https://www.youtube.com/user/garanikor Garanikor]] hosts sketch comedies with a rotating cast of friends, mainstays being Alex and Brady.
9	----
10	!!Tropes:
11	* AccentuateTheNegative:
12	** Averted in regards to Canadian cartoons in his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwkkkDtF_5Q "How Canadian TV Shaped Me"]] video, in which he reminisces about Creator/{{Teletoon}} and Creator/{{YTV}} and the shows he loved as a child, such as ''WesternAnimation/BeingIan'', ''WesternAnimation/ClassOfTheTitans'', ''WesternAnimation/WhatsWithAndy'', ''WesternAnimation/DiGataDefenders'', ''WesternAnimation/KidPaddle'', ''WesternAnimation/MartinMystery'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Skyland}}'', in order to counter the [[MadeInCountryX negative reputation that Canadian animation gets]] based on [[AdoredBytheNetwork overexposed]] and widely-reviled imports like ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'' and the ''WesternAnimation/{{George of the Jungle\|2007}}'' reboot that have gained extreme notoriety among American cartoon fans.
13	** More generally averted in that he tends to focus on the good aspects of games he reviews, and often finds something to like even in very janky games. There are however rare times where he plays the trope straight, most notably ''[[VideoGame/{{Bubsy}} Bubsy 3D]]'', which he explicitly stated that literally '''''everything''''' about it sucks, calling it the worst game he's ever played, to the point of causing him a CriticBreakdown. Another rare exception is in ''Frogger: The Great Quest'', when he admits he's totally at a loss for anything positive to say about the game.
14	* ActuallyPrettyFunny:
15	** James bursts into raucous laughter upon discovering ''Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back'' calls the highest level of the main character's verbosity setting "[[SelfDeprecation Bubsy]]".
16	** He also uses the trope name in The Addams Family NES review upon barely escaping the ice level with a single hit point... and then getting a game over to a measly spider in the hub level.
17	* AgonyOfTheFeet: He mentions that he accidently dropped a Wii on his foot while playing ''VideoGame/ClockTowerIITheStruggleWithin''.
18	* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: The plot of the [[ColdOpen Cold Opens]] of the three ''VideoGame/SirenGames'' reviews. Brady is chased by a Shibito, falls into a river after getting shot, and comes out possessed by the curse.
19	* AndYourRewardIsClothes: James states in several videos that he really enjoys this trope in horror games, especially when the costumes are really goofy. Of note is the ''VideoGame/FatalFrameII'' review is when he initially decides to not go for the remake's [[GoldenEnding Promise ending]], deeming the requirements (specifically defeating [[FinalBoss The Kusabi]] on Nightmare difficulty [[TimeLimitBoss in under a minute]]) too hard for him, but changes his tune when he finds out about the [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario and Luigi]] costumes locked behind it.
20	* AprilFoolsDay: As the channel grew bigger, April Fool's Day episodes became common.
21	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JyvFBakQuY 2016]] had James review ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''. He "praises" many of the game's common criticisms, claiming they make the game a complete masterpiece.
22	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buEa2BLaYss 2017]] brought a review of ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'', which was highly requested from fans due to how popular it was. While it looks like a completely normal review, it had initially been advertised as a review about ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' before the thumbnail and the title were later changed.
23	** 2018 brought ''two'' reviews, both being licensed games of [[invoked]] [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames dubious quality]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VARecjslis The first one being]] a ''Series/CoryInTheHouse'' DS game, and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5JC06bpYEU second one]] being a ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' DS game.
24	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIDREnTaUb8 2019]] had a livestream parodying ''Series/TheEricAndreShow''. The first "segment" has a fairly straightforward review of another licensed game-- ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' for the Game Boy Advance. The next few segments are just comedy skits with various guest stars.
25	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToNbMQ94B0g 2020]] brings yet another livestream, coupled with a review of ''Under The Skin'' while parodying ''The Eric Andre Show'' yet again, it gets significantly... darker at the end.
26	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N0Q2aLcH2c 2021]] has yet another licensed game review, that being ''Series/ICarly'' for the Nintendo Wii. Initially James believes the game is [[invoked]] SoOkayItsAverage and the actual review is barely over 15 minutes, one wouldn't expect that much from it... except as the video goes on, James discovers that he's stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop [[spoiler:(actually a LotusEaterMachine)]] and he's stuck reviewing ''iCarly'' with Brady, who initially seems oblivious to his torment but then reveals that he knows more than he lets on about James' situation.
27	* AuthorAppeal: Platformer games, indie games and horror games are the most commonly reviewed genres on his channel.
28	* AvoidTheDreadedGRating: He criticizes '' Ruff Trigger'''s awkward swearing of being this.
29	-->'''James:''' They like to swear a lot in this game. And it's really weird because otherwise you'd think it was a kids game, but it got an E10 rating just because they thought by saying "Hell" or "Damn" they could make the game more edgy and badass ''(cuts to'' VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'')''.
30	* BackhandedCompliment: In ''Frogger: The Great Quest'' he compliments a power-up that lets you run faster because [[NotTheIntendedUse it makes you beat the game quicker]].
31	* BerserkButton:
32	** James absolutely ''despises'' turret sections and rail-shooter segments in platformer games, pointing out how they are often the worst parts of those games, are generally boring and tedious, and can bring the pace of the game to a grinding halt if executed especially poorly. Though his re-review of ''VideoGame/TyTheTasmanianTiger'' ''did'' see him let its turret section off lightly, since while he wasn't a fan of it there either, it was the only one in the entire game and thus barely affected the overall quality. He also dislikes dedicated combat for similar reasons.
33	** {{Jump Scare}}s. James finds them more irritating to deal with and just startling rather than frightening. For him, fear must remain present even after the horrific moment passes, while jump scares just pop up and vanish. He also points out that they're too easy to make and as such are incredibly cheap as far as scaring people goes, even calling them the horror equivalent of a LaughTrack. Some videos have him parody the trope by replacing the original {{Scare Chord}}s with goofy noises.
34	** He gets annoyed when {{Wall Jump}}s can only be performed in designated areas, going so far as to refer to this kind of wall-jump as "fake wall-jumping". On the flip-side, expect him to gush whenever a game has satisfying wall-jumps that can be freely performed, as in ''VideoGame/{{Pseudoregalia}}''.
35	* BrainBleach: James has a NoJustNoReaction to ''Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water'''s plot twist that [[spoiler:Miu is the result of an [[BrotherSisterIncest incestuous relationship]] between Miku and the ghost of her brother Mafuyu.]]
36	-->'''James:''' I have only one question. Who do I have to slap? Who wrote this. ''Why'' did they write this?
37	* BreakingTheFourthWall: When discussing the sanity effects in ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'', James edits a few audiovisual tricks to convey its effect, such as making the video appear to be buffering or playing the Discord notification sound.
38	* BrickJoke:
39	** At one point in the ''VideoGame/HauntingGround'' review, he notes that one of the games puzzles bears a similarity to [[{{Toys/Bionicle}} Matoran text]]. Later on, when discussing the ending of the game, the "Spoilers End Here" warning is written in the aforementioned script.
40	** In his ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGeniusJetFusion'' video, he points out the low-quality model of Jimmy's brain during a Brain Blast and wonders to himself whether Jimmy had been taking crack. During the tribal section of the game, Jimmy begins fighting the inhabitants of a village [[GameplayAndStorySegregation Jimmy had just stated he planned to save]], causing James to break into a rant ending with "are you on crack again?!"
41	* BrokenRecord: In the ''Frogger: The Great Quest'' review, this moment occurs courtesy of an unbelievably slow EscortMission.
42	--> '''James:''' Why do I have to wait for her to walk this slow? Why does she take this long? Why does she take this long? Why is she taking this long? Please, walk faster. Walk faster. I swear, I'm going to blow my own dick off with a rocket launcher.
43	* ButtMonkey: Brady has been killed or injured in videos the most out of any of the Garanikor cast. Parodied in "[[https://youtu.be/Q5_BtAeC6Uw Brady Dies]]".
44	* CallBack: The "Wrong X" drumming joke, used in the ''{{VideoGame/Whiplash}}'' review and brought back when James and Brady review ''VideoGame/PunkySkunk''.
45	* CatchPhrase: "So in the end is (X-game) a good game?" said usually in the summation at the end of his earlier reviews.
46	* CausticCritic: Downplayed. The show usually showcases titles not in the mainstream and as such the reviews are predominantly positive though there are a number of titles James just enjoys ripping into.
47	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Alex plays Revolver Ocelot like this. He speaks in these bizarre sexually inappropriate metaphors that lose themselves all the while making weird hand gestures.
48	* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: [[spoiler:In response to the ''VideoGame/PerfectDarkZero'' incident, Brady throws James into a LotusEaterMachine where he's forced to review an ''Series/ICarly'' shovelware game in an infinite loop]].
49	* CreepyChild: {{Discussed\|Trope}} in the ''VideoGame/ClockTowerIITheStruggleWithin'' review, where he notes that he doesn't really get affected by this kind of character, feeling that it would be easy to overpower them due to their small size.
50	* CriticBreakdown: Gets one in the ''[[VideoGame/{{Bubsy}} Bubsy 3D]]'' review, as he gets visibly more exhausted the more he progresses throughout the game and borders on SanitySlippage, lets his frustration out more often than usual, such as [[BigShutUp yelling at Bubsy to shut up]] in a scene, and badmouthing the game in a [[VoiceOfTheLegion demonic voice]] while [[RedFilterOfDoom the screen turns red]] in another. And when he finally beat the game, he does a PostVictoryCollapse, and in a unique, straight play of the AccentuateTheNegative trope he usually averts or downplays, calls ''Bubsy 3D'' the worst game he's ever played, says everything about it sucks, and closes the video by saying he'll go [[CooldownHug hug]] [[IWantMyMommy his mom]] [[HeroicBSOD and cry]].
51	* CutenessOverload: It's shown on many occasions that one thing he'll always commend a game for (even if it's bad) is cute character design. Characters like {{VideoGame/Blinx}} and VideoGame/{{Kao\|TheKangaroo}} make him gush shamelessly due to their endearing design & idle animations.
52	* DartboardOfHate: One featuring [=AntDude=] pops up for a moment during the ''VideoGame/RaymanM'' crossover with him. Doubles as a FunnyBackgroundEvent as no attention is drawn to it.
53	* DarkerAndEdgier: Discussed in the ''VideoGame/PacManWorld3'' review. He believes that the massive tonal shift made it harder to connect to the game after the softer ''VideoGame/PacManWorld'' and ''VideoGame/PacManWorld2''. He demonstrates his point with his own version of the "[[Series/TheEricAndreShow Who Killed Hannibal]]" skit.
54	* DeliberateVHSQuality: The opening to the ''VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw'' review, where James introduces the game in the style of a commercial, uses this effect.
55	* DoubleJump: Interestingly considers the ''lack'' of one in a PlatformGame as often being a good thing, pointing out how its presence is downright endemic in platformers of lower quality or that focus on other things than pure platform action, and thus rely on the ability to instantly rewrite your trajectory in mid-air to make up for less polished game design. Games that do not feature it (including some of the biggest names such as ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'', or ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'') instead rely on extensive movesets, less immediately gratifying variants, or simply tighter design and physics. The ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' games are noted as an exception, practically requiring the existence of the Spin because their gravity gimmick is inherently very disorienting.
56	* DramaticDrop: James drops his Dreamcast controller in shock after seeing the GainaxEnding of ''VideoGame/BlueStinger''.
57	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: His earlier videos are a little more pessimistic, moderately echoing the CausticCritic trend that was popular on [=YouTube=] at the time (notably, he called the first ''VideoGame/TyTheTasmanianTiger'' game "painfully mediocre," a statement he regrets having used). As he got more experience, he mellowed out and became a lot more of the optimist he is known as today.
58	* EnsembleDarkhorse: James noted that Mr. Bates from ''Clock Tower: Ghost Head'' steals every scene he's in, and stated that it almost made playing the game worth it. [[invoked]]
59	* EvenBetterSequel: While James really enjoyed ''VideoGame/{{Anodyne}}'' he stated that ''VideoGame/AnodyneTwoReturnToDust'' is a better and more accessible game than the original.[[invoked]]
60	* ExhaustedEyeBags: Gradually develops these in his ''[[VideoGame/{{Bubsy}} Bubsy 3D]]'' review, and bears them on the thumbnail of both said review and ''Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back'' for that matter.
61	* {{Fanservice}}: He generally doesn't really like this in certain franchises (especially the sexual variety), but he does enjoy when it's incorporated well in the context of the game. For example, he hated that ''VideoGame/SilentHillHomecoming'' just flat out re-used assets from ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' for no reason beyond them being "iconic to the franchise", but he enjoyed how the nurse enemies from that game made a return in ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'' because they were reinvented to resemble dolls, fitting the younger character of Heather and the story rather than just bringing something back for its own sake.
62	* FollowTheLeader: [[invoked]] Being a connoisseur of B-grade games, he comes across games that do this quite a bit. Whether or not this is something that bothers him varies depending on how well executed it is in the game.
63	** ''Ruff Trigger: The Vanocore Conspiracy'' is an obvious knock-off of ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'', right down to the plot being ripped off from the second game in the series, ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando Going Commando]]''.
64	** ''[[VideoGame/KaoTheKangaroo Kao the Kangaroo: Round 2]]'' obviously draws considerable influence from ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape'', though in this case, James doesn't hold that against it as he feels it does enough on its own to be entertaining in its own right.
65	** ''Escape From Detroit'' is described as a "shittier, clunkier, grosser, less polished, less appealing, less interesting, less fun, less ''everything'' version of ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}''".
66	** James notes that ''VideoGame/KingsleysAdventure'' takes quite a bit of influence from the 3D ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' games (in terms of exploration and equipment gathering), but executed in a much less involved and interesting way.
67	** Likewise, ''VideoGame/NeopetsTheDarkestFaerie'' also draws influence from the 3D ''The Legend of Zelda'' games, but as with ''Kao the Kangaroo: Round 2'', James still enjoyed the game regardless, referring to it as his "favorite mediocre game".
68	* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the 2021 April Fools Special, the review points out little specific things/lines (Spencer is trapped in the statue, "rue the day" and the Donald Duck alarm clock app). [[spoiler:This is a clue towards James' fate: He's trapped and continuously ruing the day he crossed Brady, and he needs to wake up.]]
69	* GagCensor: In the censored version of his ''VideoGame/{{Illbleed}}'' review, Sexydoll has a bunch of ridiculous images (such as a picture of Luigi) covering up her body.
70	* GroundhogDayLoop: The ''Series/ICarly Wii'' review for AprilFoolsDay gradually turns into this, as James is trapped in a neverending loop where he is forced to review iCarly with Brady over and over again. [[spoiler:However, the loop is broken when WebVideo/{{Saltydkdan}} tells James to pull on his earlobe as hard as he can... which reveals that James had been trapped in a bloodied bathtub acting as a LotusEaterMachine. Brady also says that he has his uncle trapped in one as well, forcing him to endlessly mow the lawn and getting sunburns from all the time spent in the sun.]]
71	* IntimidatingRevenueService: In his review of ''Starshot: Space Circus Fever'', where a bank apparently threatens to blow up a circus's rocket if they don't pay their dues in 10 days, James wonders what the IRS would look like if they operated by the same logic.
72	-->'''James:''' (''to Brady, who just opened his front door to him'') You have 10 days! (''Sticks a bomb to Brady's chest to his horror'')
73	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: [[invoked]] Discussed.
74	** The bad ''Silent Hill'' games he feels play heavily into this. ''Origins'' and ''Homecoming'' rely too much on what came before. The former plays itself too safe and hangs on to its status as a prequel by regurgitating ''Silent Hill 1''. The latter tried too hard to be ''Silent Hill 2'' with reused monsters (especially Pyramid Head) and plot beats that tried to recapture the "glory days" of the franchise.
75	** He felt that too many fans wrote ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' off as this. On the whole, [[EvenBetterSequel he enjoyed Galaxy 2 much more than Galaxy 1]] and feels that the game went out of its way to clear up many of its predecessor's issues, and was much more creative with its ideas.
76	* JumpScare: He tends to frown upon these in his horror game reviews, believing that they're a cheap way to generate fear. His reviews of ''VideoGame/TheCrookedMan'' and ''VideoGame/SubwayMidnight'' both have segments about why he dislikes them and how it could have possibly been made better.
77	* LeftHanging: The sad fate of too many ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'' fan games, especially the good ones.
78	* LotusEaterMachine: [[spoiler:At the end of the 2021 April Fools' special, James learns that Brady trapped him in one of these... which is also James' bathtub]].
79	* LyricalDissonance: The end-credit song for the ''Series/ICarly Wii'' review initially starts off like the normal theme song... [[spoiler:but then the singer begins to sing about how she wants to wake up from the eternal nightmare she's trapped in, all set to the peppy tune of the show's theme tune.]]
80	* MarketBasedTitle: He discussed this with the ''VideoGame/ClockTower'' series, comparing it to how for a while, the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasy'' series had numerical confusion due to skipping certain entries, and noted all the localized games, with the lone exception of ''VideoGame/ClockTower3'' (and even then, only because [[ContrivedCoincidence it happened to even out]]), got their names changed due to the original [[NoExportForYou never being brought to North America]]. For his videos, he refers to them by their original Japanese names rather than the localized ones, partly because he started with the actual first game in the series.
81	* NakedPeopleAreFunny: From the ''{{VideoGame/Hylics}}'' review:
82	-->'''James:''' You can get better at cooking by putting clothes on? Well that explains why I always burn everything! ''(Cuts to a naked James cooking in the kitchen)''.
83	* NightmareFace: At the end of the ''VideoGame/Siren2'' video, the screen starts to [[OminousVisualGlitch fill with static and the audio becomes somewhat garbled]] as James wraps things up, then freezes for a moment when he finishes talking... before his face is suddenly distorted into [[spoiler: a crimson smile with flesh colored eye-sockets]]. [[https://imgur.com/BFxRS5R You can see for yourself here]].
84	* NightmareRetardant: James loves it when horror games feature [[AndYourRewardIsClothes goofy costumes]] as unlockables, specifically for this reason, and laments that more modern horror games don't include them as much. [[invoked]]
85	-->'''James:''' I just really love the idea of your reward for getting through this nightmare being something that's so betraying of the horror genre. "Oh, you made it through? Okay, here's something to make the game a little less scary."
86	* NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer:
87	** When discussing [[VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures Tricky's]] reputation as TheScrappy among ''Franchise/StarFox'' fans, he remarked that Tricky couldn't even breathe without people complaining about it online before immediately saying that he wasn't joking and provided a screenshot of someone doing just that.
88	** He says this upon revealing that the boss of the penultimate stage of ''VideoGame/{{Illbleed}}'' is [[spoiler:a CorruptedCharacterCopy of Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog]].
89	* OhCrap: James, when he realizes that he has to review ''Bubsy 3D''.
90	* PortingDisaster:
91	** [[invoked]] James discusses this with a few games. The [=PS1=] port of ''VideoGame/{{Glover}}'' got hit pretty bad with it, with CameraScrew worse than the original, and he notes that you jump higher than in the original version, but the level design was not changed to accomodate this, leading puzzles to be way easier to solve than intended.
92	** A less severe case of this is in his review of ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}''. The [=PS2=] version is undeniably inferior to the Xbox and PC versions, and he doesn't understand why the [=PS4=] has an emulation of the [=PS2=] version instead of a remaster, but he said it's a [[SoOkayItsAverage fine enough]] way to play the game if all you have is the [=PS2=] or [=PS4=] to play it on.
93	* PrecisionFStrike: James seldom swears in his reviews, but when he does, usually it's because the game is ''really'' bad or ''really'' got under his skin. Or both.
94	-->'''James (about''' '''''Bubsy 3D''''''''):''' It would be like, um... it would be like you're playing, um... it would be like you're [[{{Metaphorgotten}} too upset to think of an analogy]] because you're [[SuddenlyShouting WASTING HOURS OF YOUR LIFE PLAYING THIS]] '''[[SuddenlyShouting PILE OF]]''' '''''{{S\|uddenlyShouting}}HIT!'''''
95	* QuoteMine: When talking about [[CoversAlwaysLie the cover]] of ''Bubsy 3D'' featuring a quote from Electronic Gaming Monthly: "...stunning...original...Bubsy 3D climbs back to the top...check it out!" Naturally suspicious, James actually went and tracked down the article the quotes were taken from; unsurprisingly, the quotes were not only being taken completely out of context (being spread across multiple completely disparate paragraphs throughout the article), but they weren't even from the final review (which gave the game 3.25 out of 10), instead being taken from ''a preview of the game written before it was actually released''.
96	* RunningGag:
97	** Canadian restaurant Mary Browns, [[TheyKilledKennyAgain Brady dying in Garanikor videos]], and James' [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Lucario]] plush.
98	** Comparisons to ''Ty 3'' pop up in almost every platformer review. He eventually lampshades it, complaining that he had to choose ''that'' game where other reviewers have much more memorable games like ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' (WebVideo/ProJared) or ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest'' (WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd) as their running gag.
99	** Bringing up how annoying Gex's dialogue was in ''Gex: Enter the Gecko'' when it comes to voice-acting or humor. After ''Bubsy 3D'', where the main character has an even more annoying voice, [[RunningGagged he promises to stop doing it]] as Gex's stupidity had more charm.
100	** Whenever Behaviour Interactive gets brought up, James always mentions they used the name [=A2M=] (Artificial Mind & Movement) before realizing [[invoked]][[AccidentalInnuendo it also stood for "ass-to-mouth"]] and reverting to Behaviour. He's stated it's one of his favorite developer stories.
101	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[VideoGame/ClockTower Scissorman]] in the review of ''Clock Tower 3'', in response to James [[ItMakesSenseInContext affecting a British accent and conjuring up a magic bow and arrow to fight him off with]].
102	* {{Sequelitis}}: [[invoked]] He talks about this trope when it comes to franchises.
103	** An inevitable talking point when it came to ''Franchise/SilentHill''. While James does have good things to say about the fourth main installment and ''Downpour'', ''Origins'' and ''Homecoming'' play this straight with uninteresting plots and an over-reliance on older elements to try and recapture lost glory.
104	** The ''VideoGame/SirenGames'' franchise took a nosedive with its final game. While not a bad game per-say, it did away with a lot of the scary elements from the previous games, had a cast full of unlikable characters, and the main gimmick of the games, the sight-jacking, was rendered nearly useless.
105	** While ''[[VideoGame/ClockTowerIITheStruggleWithin Clock Tower: Ghost Head]]'' is more of a spinoff than a straight sequel (despite being called ''Clock Tower II'' outside of Japan), he felt that while the game's story was strong, the actual gameplay was tedious at best, and full of FakeDifficulty at worst, with many requirements essential for beating the game [[GuideDangIt not even being hinted at]], requiring loads of trial and error and SaveScumming unless you know what to do ahead of time. Because he still enjoyed the story, he noted that it had a few adaptations, admitting it was [[EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame to give people an alternative over actually playing the game]].
106	** While James loved the plot, characters, and themes of ''Echo Night: Beyond'', he found himself so frustrated by clunky gameplay mechanics and [[GuideDangIt obtuse placement of plot-critical items]] that he admitted it was a difficult game to recommend, comparing it to ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose'' in that regard.
107	* ShaggyDogStory: His playthrough of ''Bubsy 3D''. He managed to finish the game, only for the game to end on a DownerEnding where the Woolies capture Bubsy and invade Earth. He then acquires all the collectible rocket parts (using a cheat code, as he refused to put himself through any more of the game than he had to) to achieve the 100% completion... only to find out that it still ends with the Woolies invading Earth, only with Bubsy now stranded in the Stone Age.
108	-->'''James:''' (''sounding utterly exhausted'') I got all the rockets, but [[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger the future refused to change]].
109	* ShapedLikeItself: In his review of ''[[VideoGame/{{Frogger}} Frogger Helmet Chaos]]'', he points out the inconsistency of the Frogger games by mentioning that, in ''My Frogger Toy Trials'', the titular character went from a frog-looking dude to just a frog-looking... frog.
110	* ShoutOut: In the ''VideoGame/PacManWorld RE-PAC'' video, James includes a small clip of a dancing [[VideoGame/YumeNikki Madotsuki]] made by popular ''Yume Nikki'' animator gobou as a reference to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTcW5l666UE an animation they made]] utilizing the song Buccaneer Beach.
111	* SoBadItsGood: He comes to view ''VideoGame/BlueStinger'' as this, as despite its many flaws (such as clunky controls, a bad camera, sound balancing issues, and an easily-abusable currency system), its GainaxEnding impressed James so much that [[ExplainExplainOhCrap he realizes afterwards]] that the game's become one of his favorites.
112	* SoundtrackDissonance: Lampshaded in his ''VideoGame/KingsleysAdventure'' review, where he points out that, despite the atmosphere of the game being largely medieval, the music that plays over the credits sounds like something from an EDM rave.
113	* SpeechImpediment: James had a noticeable lisp back when he was wearing braces, which he lost once he got them removed.
114	* SpiritualAntithesis: James speculates that the narratives of ''{{VideoGame/Anodyne}}'' and its sequel, ''Return to Dust'', run in direct contrast to each other: [[spoiler:whereas Young decided to leave The Land and try and overcome his flaws, Nora is trying to bury herself in escapism in New Theland due to being unable to move past her own insecurities.]]
115	* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: [[invoked]] Discussed.
116	** ''VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour''. Though James notes that the game was considered one of the worst due to its broken launch he considers it the best of the Western developed ''Silent Hill'' games. He praises the game for trying to be more original with a better story and more scares. Though he finds most of the enemies uninteresting he does praise the Bogeyman for being its own creation and not a Pyramid Head rehash.
117	** ''Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back''. While James largely considers it SoOkayItsAverage due to its short length and fairly basic gameplay, he does note that it fixes quite a few issues that have plagued the series since the beginning, and actually finds it to be somewhat enjoyable on its own.
118	* SurrealHorror: Quite a few of his main videos contain bits of this, most notably the April Fools' specials. The videos on the GARANIKOR channel rapidly oscillate between horror and [[SurrealHumor humor]].
119	* TakeThat:
120	** In his review of ''Banned Memories'', he says that it's time to bring indie horror back to the days of truly good horror, "and far, far away from ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys''".
121	** When he brings up the failed Kickstarter for ''Shadow of the Eternals'' in his ''Eternal Darkness'' review, he takes shots at both ''VideoGame/MightyNo9'' and Denis Dyack (in particular the infamous lawsuit against Epic Games).
122	-->'''James:''' Way to end your own career, dude!
123	** In his ''Petscop'' review, when he briefly discusses fan videos about the series up on Youtube, Pyrocynical and WebVideo/GameTheory's names are changed to "Poopystinker" and "The Lame Theorists" respectively.
124	* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: [[invoked]] He talks about this trope sometimes in his videos.
125	** He's argued against this with a video rebutting [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tukZ2tPAxOU&t=16s Jimmy Whetzel's]] video accusing ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch'' of ripping off ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''.
126	** When talking about the ''VideoGame/{{Kao\|TheKangaroo}}'' games, he acknowledges that they're all very derivative of more successful platformers (''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' and ''{{VideoGame/Rayman}}'') but for the most part that's not a bad thing since they can still be fun. They're not original but he doesn't hold that against them, in contrast to ''Ruff Trigger'' which is terrible ''on top'' of being a complete ripoff of ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando''.
127	* ThisIsGonnaSuck: James asks for his audience to wish him luck before playing ''Bubsy 3D'', because of how infamously bad the game is, and sure enough, he endures a CriticBreakdown while trying to beat it.
128	* TooDumbToLive: During his playthrough of ''Ruff Trigger'', James has this reaction to Ruff drinking a random test tube of unknown chemicals at a spaceship crash site.
129	-->'''James:''' Ruff, what are you doing? ''Why did you do that? Ruff, what is wrong with you!?'' You're on an alien planet, you're at a ''crash site'', you find this disgusting green ooze in ''chemistry tubes''! Your initial reaction is: "''What the hell is this?'' (''gulp'')" '''''[[BigNo NO!!!]]'''''
130	* UncertainAudience: [[invoked]] His review of ''Jimmy Neutron vs. Jimmy Negatron'' talked about this, at least where the Game Boy Advance version is concerned; on one hand, it's based on ''WesternAnimation/JimmyNeutronBoyGenius'', a children's cartoon, but the game is way too NintendoHard for most kids. On the other hand, those actually [[ChallengeGamer looking for a challenge]] are very likely to completely ignore the game due to the license.
131	* UnintentionalUncannyValley: Discussed [[invoked]]
132	** During the ''Siren'' retrospective, he has a long discussion about how well the games use this trope. The overly expressive rudimentary motion captured faces on top of primitive character models are used to great effect to make the game unsettling. ''Forbidden Siren 2'' especially utilizes this trope well with its use of enlarged heads and faces where they shouldn't be, both utilizing the same choppy motion capture.
133	** He describes nearly all of the character designs in ''Frogger: The Great Quest'' as "terrifying, for all the wrong reasons," claiming if he had played the game as a kid he would have gotten nightmares from how ugly and disgusting all of the designs look.
134	* UnfortunateImplications: [[invoked]] Pointed out in his review of ''The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Jet Fusion'' for the Game Boy Advance. He talks about how one of the levels revolves around Jimmy going into a native village and killing ooga-booga cavemen depictions of the natives, later calling Jimmy "Super [[GodwinsLaw Hitler]] 2".
135	-->'''James:''' Like, I get that they're holograms, right? But you have to remember, this is an adaptation of the book. Like, it's just the implication that Jet Fusion goes into a village and kills a bunch of innocent people to get a ''coconut'' at the top of the hill.
136	* VindicatedByHistory: [[invoked]] In his review of the obscure Capcom title ''Under The Skin'', where he points out that one common criticism from contemporary reviews was its short length (whilst also being a full-priced game), but nowadays, with shorter games being much more common, as well as the game no longer being full-priced, that isn't so much an issue anymore, allowing greater focus on the more positive aspects of the game like its quirky aesthetic and engaging gameplay.
137	* WastefulWishing: He lambasts the protagonist of ''[[VideoGame/{{Frogger}} My Frogger: Toy Trials]]'' for [[spoiler:first wishing to have the CEO of the Tobi company adopt him, then wishing to stay with Frogger forever (which James presumes they'd just let him do anyway.)]]

Context WebVideo / NitroRad