I am often skeptical of the phrase "the truth hurts", as it is so often used by people who think it gives them carte blanche to be assholes.
I disliked the article patting the author on the back for being cynical. It compares the author to famous philosophers, which isn't arrogant at all (with a bit of a persecution complex tossed in). Also, it seemed odd since Yahtzee never came off as idealist; rather, as a guy who thinks that certain things (like Nintendo) are beyond redemption or refuses to believe that certain types of games could ever be good.
So far reality has borne out this prediction.
How so? Could you give an example? Because to me, it just seems like overreactions and doomsayings. I did find it funny that you compared Yahtzee to a man who gave out incredibly vague messages - which were probably coded messages about contemporary politics - that nobody was able to use to foretell events. Ad this is a reason to pay attention to him?
"What's out there? What's waiting for me?"
If nothing else, this Australian Nostradamus has predicted that video gaming will become closer to computer gaming, and thus less and less accessible, and more and more bloated and homogenized - possibly leading to another crash. So far reality has borne out this prediction. Ignore him at you peril.
A) That this is happening should be pretty obvious. We don't really need a comedian pointing it out
B) What the hell does paying attention to him do? His audience is consumers, not producers
I like Yahtzee, but this review is extremely pretentious.
I always assumed Zero punctutation was just for comedy, never occured to me as a serious reviewing site.
The only reason Yahtzee is critical towards everything is that when he tried to do positive reviews in his style nobody liked it. Not because he is actually that critical in real life, or finds faults in everything. He clearly doesn't believe everything he says. A good amount of it, yeah, he does believe. But even if he loves something he'll act like it's shit, simply because he has to to get people to watch.
Zero punctuation exists for comedy
Also, you may want to dial down the pretentiousness, it comes off as smug
This review is so ridiculously pretentious and smug that I choose to believe it's a satire.
@Electric Nova what ZP is and does is something that's been slowing changing overtime, but definitely at the beginning there was a big sense that he was the person to call BS on things that were rubbish but people were too used to or too nice to complain about. And he still does positive reviews even now and has a habit of endlessly talking about the game he does like when comparing them to games he doesn't. It's slipped into a very traditional form of criticism now though, he's one of '2004 was the best year for gaming crowd' and has probably even been one of the formative people in that group. Like I consider him partially responsible for people suddenly thinking that the PS 2 was the easiest to develop for in it's generation
I just look forward to seeing what complaints he has about the latest game I'm playing. Of course he's a critic and entertainer. If he tried to position himself as a reviewer, he'd be committing suicide. This is because he generally can't get games before they're released to most of the market.
So unless I'm willing to wait several days after launch to see what he thinks, he's no good as a reviewer. But he is entertaining and good at finding flaws. There's a place for that.
And in spite of it all, he's one of the reasons I got back into gaming. I started listening to his reviews during the decade plus when I wasn't a gamer. Now I'm revisiting a lot of classics, good and bad, because of him.
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Keeping the industry honest
Gaming needs the Yahtzee Crowshaws of the world.
Unlike some angry reviewers, who get their kicks from bashing sacred cows, I'm not sensing any malice from the man. He even trolls his own fanboyism, i.e. Batman (a rich businessman who systematically breaks the kneecaps of the city's disenfranchised youth). The douchebag language is meant as a gimmick, a caricature of how people perceive him. He insults his own customers in the Mana Bar promo video, why would he go easier on his viewers? Are they really that thin skinned?
The truth hurts, that's why it's the truth.
Well, in full disclosure, I've always identified a bit with Mr. Croshaw. I too find fault with everything, not because I don't enjoy them, but because there's always room for improvement. And critical people are viewed as dour and negative, when really, we're the idealists. We're the Platos, the Oscar Wildes of the world. (Please don't imprison us for Failure To Be Sufficiently Cheery.) The tendency to keep your head down and go along with authority (or Sony publicists) is ingrained in our psyche, and it's something to resist.
If nothing else, this Australian Nostradamus has predicted that AAA gaming will become closer to computer gaming, and thus less and less accessible, and more and more bloated and homogenized - possibly leading to another crash. So far reality has borne out this prediction. Ignore him at your peril.