Funny Man

I've recently discovered a new tasty treat and it's name is Zero Punctuation. Now I know what you're thinking, you're thinking "How in the hell are you only now finding out about this?" I know, I know. It's been around for a while. BUT NOT A LONG WHILE!!! So I'm OK.

Anyway if you don't know what ZP is I will explain it like this. Imagine you are a tourist taking a tour of something that most people like yourself find fascinating and somewhat sacred (let's say the White House). On this tour your guide is an underpaid, bitter, jaded little man who hates his job, the White House, the president, the country, you, dogs, Halloween, carnivals, flowers, Kobe Bryant, and his brown bag lunch, and feels the need to share his opinions in an endless stream of vile commentary. Now imagine that every bit of what he says is riotously funny and more than a bit true. It's like that, only about video games.

The guy's name is Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, and he reviews games. The reviews are these animated videos that enhance his rapid fire criticism which plays as the soundtrack. This guy really puts the "critic" in game critic. Most of his reviews are scathing attacks, usually on games that receive high scores from more established reviewers. I love every second of it.

He gets a lot of venom from the fan community claiming he doesn't understand the game or is being overly harsh. But I think what he does is very important. It's easy to get sucked into believing that games are better than they are because you have fond memories of their prequels or because the magazines told you to. But it is dangerous to hold these things up on an untouchable pedestal. Maybe you love a game and maybe is really is a good game but to someone else it may not be enjoyable at all. It's helpful to have a reviewer who points out the shortcomings of even the best games so we can better know what we are buying (and so we can laugh at them). Despite the name of the show, what Croshaw really does is "punctuate" the never ending steam of media hype and nonsense designed to open our wallets. He pokes holes in the wall of noise and lets the light shine through. And he makes me cry sweet tears of laughter in the process.

I've added the link in the "Sites I Enjoy" section in the side bar. (Or whatever it is I called it)