Hydaelyn Role-Players

One of my favorite things to watch/listen to are Let's Plays. There's so many games out there that either slipped my notice, or of a format/style that I just don't do well with. Not to mention that there's such a vast amount of games out there that it'd be hard to play them all.

Which is why I like LPs and speedruns/longplays/etc. It lets me experience the games (and their secrets, in many cases), and sometimes even shows off new approaches and hidden tricks that I might not have even known. LPs of the Disgaea series lets me enjoy the amusingly written characters and plot without having to spend hours grinding the characters up to ridiculous levels. NieR is another game that, due to its Cavia-driven nature, I was only able to fully enjoy through someone else playing through (and even 100%!) it.

There's a few places to find these things. Let's Play was "born" (citation needed?) on the Something Awful forums, so that's always one place to look them up. Along with that is the LP Archive where many of the SA LPs are placed upon completion. There's also a Let's Play Forum somewheres, I believe, and there's always sites like YouTube.

But that's a lot to go through, so I figured I'd make a thread where folks can link and talk about their favorites (or even some of the not-so-favorites) amongst the LP Sea. And, just because there's a couple speedruns that I found really interesting in a similar way, I figured I'd include them on the list as well.

Personally, one of my go-tos for LP entertainment is Chip Cheezum. I actually started watching his stuff way back when he was doing his MGS2 LP, and he's only gotten better since. He shows a lot of skill, and his Experienced Player-and-New Guy dynamic with Ironicus works really well. It allows you to see a skilled playthrough of the game, and yet still get that "first time" reaction as well. His Revengeance LP is probably the best example of this, as Ironicus LOSES HIS MIND over the first boss of the game. It's great.

I've followed a few other SA LP regulars like Feinne and his screenshot LPs for basically every Nippon Ichi game, Chorocojo for his Pokemon antics, and Deceased Crab (Huzzah!). But beyond that, I don't know or watch some of the other big names. Folks like Markiplier seem to be about their own performances rather than the content of the game, and a focus on that rather than paying attention to the game is what has turned me off of the Game Grumps. There's something to be said about watching a group of folks play together that makes for a fun dynamic, though, so I still try to follow The Runaway Guys (even if Chugga's shouting gets abrasive really fast).

With more horror-related games, I usually stick to Voidburger and her comprehensive, atmospheric Silent Hill LPs, though SheSellsSheShells did a phenomenal job on Homecoming. I've also recently re-discovered Cryaotic through his Ao Oni run-through and am currently watching him fumble through Silent Hill 2. I think I gave PewDiePie one shot and immediately closed the video.

So, any other recommendations? Is there a particular LP you thought was done really well? Or an LPer or group of LPers that you find to be generally good viewing? Let us know!

Also, to stick with the tacked on bit about Speedruns, let me show you one of my personal favorite Speedruns of all time (be forewarned, though, it's a two hour trip - and I do mean a trip, they do some wild stuff):

[youtube]Jp7Z2zdu9Zw[/youtube]

My favorite Let's Play'er is Gopher. I seriously recommend subscribing to him if you are a fan of Rpgs like Skyrim, Fallout N, Wasteland etc.

He has the best skyrim/ fallout playthrough I've seen.

Similar tastes to that. I recommend the LP archive for finding stuff you might just want to see, you sometimes strike gold. Of note:

Kaizo Mario World is a phenomenal watch with multiple great folks behind it. You might need to download the AVIs to view it, though, since Google Video is dead. Some of the runners uploaded their portions to Youtube, though: I know Proton Jon and PsychadelicEyeball did. Both have good channels on their own.

Trespasser by ResearchIndicates is similarly amazing for different reasons: The first being how he showcases a game that could have been amazing (seriously, watch at least the History of Trespasser video) and the second is JESUS CHRIST THIS MAN'S VOICE I COULD LISTEN TO HIM READ A PHONEBOOK.

My other go-to listen is Coffee Drinking Men. They're a little... off compared to most but I love their dynamic and they really adhere to their bits and pieces.

Lastly, I'll plug a friend's channel because it can't hurt. This is a play-through of all of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. None of the bugs or fuck-ups have been omitted, and you can see those involved go from giddy "This is so bad" amusement to hating life by the end.

\o/ Good Thread. Best Thread.

If Cryaotic didn't get a mention earlier I'd rave all about him now. :3
He tends to play more of the horror type stuff, which makes me appreciate him all the more because he makes it where I don't want to pull my hair out in anxiety over them.


More RPG wise, I definitely enjoy HCBailly.

Speedruns. :3 I fucking love speedruns and marathon speedruns. Watching Carl Sagan or Lee_SDA or even Trihexx run Yoshi's Island.

Werster is amusing. Back when I played games other than FFXIV I'd watch him do his Pokémon runs (any of them) while I grinded up in Tales of Graces f.

I thought of this after I had already made the thread but, I'm also kinda sad that Rooreeroolooo (such a hard name to get right!) up and disappeared at some point. His Banjo-Kazooie LPs are still on LP Archive, but he had been working on going through Nuts & Bolts when he stopped.

I find myself really bummed out about it, because it was a really good LP. A lot of people give that game flak but, as it was noted somewhere on TVTropes I think, it's one of those games that is more fun the more you put into it. Making crazy designs and thinking outside the box to beat all the monotonous missions. Where most of the LPs I see of it now just harp on how "This isn't Banjo-Kazooie" without end, Roo got mountains of suggestions for vehicle designs and presented all sorts of goofy ways to overcome the challenges (and even did some hilarious multiplayer with other SA folk).

I think what I missed most was the Jump mission in the Jiggoseum. He literally went through every vehicle he had gotten and had them try the jump, including boats that he just tossed over the edge. It was great, and it only got better when he busted out SA forum-user Lorak's kinetikos.h and completely abused the physics engine in the most hilarious ways. While the original video is gone, one person managed to recreate the kinetikos and has a video on YT.

Please watch. It's amazing.

[youtube]nEi7hIMMyDk[/youtube]

(02-27-2015, 12:00 PM)Gegenji Wrote: [ -> ]I thought of this after I had already made the thread but, I'm also kinda sad that Rooreeroolooo (such a hard name to get right!) up and disappeared at some point. His Banjo-Kazooie LPs are still on LP Archive, but he had been working on going through Nuts & Bolts when he stopped.

I find myself really bummed out about it, because it was a really good LP. A lot of people give that game flak but, as it was noted somewhere on TVTropes I think, it's one of those games that is more fun the more you put into it. Making crazy designs and thinking outside the box to beat all the monotonous missions. Where most of the LPs I see of it now just harp on how "This isn't Banjo-Kazooie" without end, Roo got mountains of suggestions for vehicle designs and presented all sorts of goofy ways to overcome the challenges (and even did some hilarious multiplayer with other SA folk).

I think what I missed most was the Jump mission in the Jiggoseum. He literally went through every vehicle he had gotten and had them try the jump, including boats that he just tossed over the edge. It was great, and it only got better when he busted out SA forum-user Lorak's kinetikos.h and completely abused the physics engine in the most hilarious ways. While the original video is gone, one person managed to recreate the kinetikos and has a video on YT.

Please watch. It's amazing.

[youtube]nEi7hIMMyDk[/youtube]

That vehicle is glorious and I want 1000.

The only lets players I really watch are two best friends, cr1tikal, and vinesauce. For the most part, I don't have the patience for full, multi part playthroughs. I prefer the videos where they've cut the funnier/wittier portions and compiled them into something that's no longer than 20-30 minutes. There are a few exceptions of course, if something is exceedingly funny, but in general I just don't find watching ppl play games entertaining for hours on end.

and of course, here's a fantastic video of vinesauce going through a really bad mario knockoff called Superboy (only 4 minutes long!)

Cr1tikal should be on everyone's subscribed list. I also recently started consuming all of BroTeam's stuff.

(02-27-2015, 01:16 PM)Khoure Wrote: [ -> ]For the most part, I don't have the patience for full, multi part playthroughs. I prefer the videos where they've cut the funnier/wittier portions and compiled them into something that's no longer than 20-30 minutes.

Compiled stuff is pretty good too, if you're interested in the commentary and the more memorable parts of a game.

Personally, though, I find it's about the game just as much as the person playing it, if not more so. So I'm watching it in part for the LPer's comments and insight and reactions, and in part to experience the game. Which I suppose might be why I dislike it when it's more about the LPer than the game, or when they're too focused on their own antics to pay attention to the game.

I mean seriously, Game Grumps is notorious for this (especially in the older ones). They get mad and yell at a game for not telling them where to go when they missed blatant clues and NPCs giving them what they need because they were too focused on their jokes. They can be funny at times, mind you, but I find some of their best stuff is when they're either playing a game them know like the back of their hand (Mario Bros 2 comes to mind) or one that's so simplistic and linear that they can focus on their antics without hindering gameplay (ex. Kirby's Epic Yarn).

I know I probably shouldn't complain. I've only done one LP and it was a doofy little screenshot dealie. And enough people seem to enjoy their work to make all these Game Grumps Animateds. I just... I dunno. Their approach rubs me the wrong way, so I don't really watch them anymore.

While I wouldn't call it a "lets play" I do enjoy the epic adventures of gootecks and Mike Ross. As well as The guys at Yo Videogames, but their language is NSFW.

There is the heartless 666 as well, he's got some hilarious LPs for the horror genre.

For the Darksouls crowd if you haven't tuned into EpicNameBro, A german spy, or Bitter bits give em a look over.

The super gaming brothers are also pretty good,

And for speedruns I personally stay in tune with "SpeedDemosArchives"

Small tangent:

I miss the days when speedruns involved flawless play and not exploiting glitches. I'd much rather watch a TAS of something that's "fake" than watch someone glitchdance through a wall to trip the credits flag and consider that "beating" a game.

(03-03-2015, 11:22 AM)Warren Castille Wrote: [ -> ]Small tangent:

I miss the days when speedruns involved flawless play and not exploiting glitches. I'd much rather watch a TAS of something that's "fake" than watch someone glitchdance through a wall to trip the credits flag and consider that "beating" a game.

I gotta say while I agree, some of the shit that goes on in that is sick, like reprogramming super mario bros, into a game of snake was sick.

(03-03-2015, 11:24 AM)ProvaDiServo Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-03-2015, 11:22 AM)Warren Castille Wrote: [ -> ]Small tangent:

I miss the days when speedruns involved flawless play and not exploiting glitches. I'd much rather watch a TAS of something that's "fake" than watch someone glitchdance through a wall to trip the credits flag and consider that "beating" a game.

I gotta say while I agree, some of the shit that goes on in that is sick, like reprogramming super mario bros, into a game of snake was sick.

Doing funny things to games is acceptable! I love seeing what people can do to old coding and the sort. It blew my mind that you can backflip through the first boss' door in Ocarina of Time and land in the final dungeon of the game because of how things are connected, code-wise.

I just won't say that's beating the game. Similarly, I was amazed that someone figured out how to crash the RAM on a Super Mario World cart to trip the credit sequence in under ten minutes into the game. I just won't call that beating the game, either. If that's the case, any game with "view credits" as an option can be speedrun in about six seconds.

(03-03-2015, 11:24 AM)ProvaDiServo Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-03-2015, 11:22 AM)Warren Castille Wrote: [ -> ]Small tangent:

I miss the days when speedruns involved flawless play and not exploiting glitches. I'd much rather watch a TAS of something that's "fake" than watch someone glitchdance through a wall to trip the credits flag and consider that "beating" a game.

I gotta say while I agree, some of the shit that goes on in that is sick, like reprogramming super mario bros, into a game of snake was sick.

... Link please?

But yeah, if I watch speedruns, it's usually only the 100% ones unless they're doing something patently ridiculous. I'm glad you were able to put your Pokemon in such a way at the start of the game that you can beat it in under a minute. I'm going to go ahead and watch a guy use pro bombjumping skills to sequence-break the hell out of Metroid game.