Flawless Sequences In Flawed Games

[@DarylTalksGames]

Don't forget to try all Brilliant has to offer for free! Use my link brilliant.org/DarylTalksGames/ for 20% off the annual premium subscription. What in-game sequences do *you* consider flawless?

[@andydove5078]

The Surgeon boss fight in Othercide for the same reason you like Ashtray Maze, the use of music in it is *chefs kiss* and beating it makes you feel like a god of tactics. It's a perfect example of what you're describing in this video too because after that boss fight the game falls completely flat for me and I've never gotten past the boss after it.

[@cobalttj6356]

Cyberpunk: Phantom Liberty Yes as jank as that game can be and as much as people like to shit on it, Phantom Liberty was "fan-fuckin-tastic" as Johnny would say. Near the climax of the story when the grand heist plan goes into effect to steal the mcguffin that could save V and So Mi's lives, you're given the agency at the pinacle moment, to either betray the president and flee with So Mi and the mcguffin, or trust in the president and the two opperatives that you've come to care for, leaving So Mi out to dry. It puts so much pressure on the player because you know that you're gonna hate either decision because of those you'll end up betraying, but the game makes sure that you feel that both decisions are worth it, despite those who die because of your choice.

[@HardCodedGaming]

Metroid: Other M's epilogue. In which Samus does NOT speak but DOES get a really satisfying character moment, you confront a properly challenging boss, and finally get the mandatory self-destruct escape ending sequence. It almost feels like an apology for the rest of the game!

[@xynystervolt]

Bro you missed the chance to talk about Alan wake 2's live action sequence with the song..

[@paulbrandoli7145]

Is a game with flaws the same as a flawed game??

[@azuarc]

Divinity Original Sin 2 has a party member named Lohse. Lohse is a bard that has been possessed by a demon, and during your travels, you try to help her during some sidequests and realize that little by little, Lohse is going to be squeezed out of her own life, permanently taken over by the demon. Worse, the demon will own her soul itself, which fuels its own power, until it moves on to the next mark. In act 3 of the game, you finally learn who the demon is and how to access its domain. In that domain, you find no enemies, but in the twisted caverns of this region, you do find a candle. And you realize that this candle represents a soul. A soul that is possessed by the demon, is supplying it with power. You have two options -- to leave the candle be, or to snuff it out, effectively exterminating that person from existence, but weakening the demon ever so slightly. So you snuff it out and deem it an act of mercy. A short way down the path, you find a second candle. You look into the flame and see the person who once was. What their life represented, who the people they touched were. This person who *you* will effectively be eliminating. But knowing what is at stake, and to prevent future victims, you snuff the candle. You continue down the path to a third candle. And then a fourth. And when approaching what appears to be a fifth and final candle, you realize that its location looks out over a cliff. As you approach this candle, the camera shifts to give you the view over the cliff, and....there is an open cavern below that is nothing but a sea of candles. Hundreds. Thousands. An uncountable number of them. THIS is the monster that you contend with. And this is, arguably, the monster you have to be in snuffing them out.

[@L4dyR3d]

I was about to make this comment

[@chrismanghane8731]

Almost works but this is about flawless moments in flawed games and DoS2 is actually a flawless game.

[@TheMinecraftMan757]

@@chrismanghane8731 If it's flawless then how come I stopped playing it for reasons I don't rememb- ok, it probably is flawless, just long.

[@flameflyer42]

My gosh, after having read the Wikipedia and TV Tropes pages of the two Smile films and Longlegs, and reading this comment, demonic possession turns out to be utterly heartbreaking...

[@flapjackgd937]

I somehow managed to miss this in my first playthrough, and simply went and killed Adramahlihk without going through the candle sequence. And then in my second playthrough I didn’t bring Lohse. Someday I’ll get to it, it looks fantastic.

[@brentsacks]

Daryl: “All right y’all, I’m just gonna coast for a month and put out a lowkey video.” Also Daryl: *releases an absolute banger and a half*

[@DarylTalksGames]

That’s super generous 😅 I appreciate it!

[@brentsacks]

@ 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@SonicRooncoPrime]

@@DarylTalksGames They're right! Keep up the great work!

[@cowgba]

​@@DarylTalksGames I would love to see a "sequel" to this video at some point down the line. I'm sure there are a lot of brilliantly done scenes in games that flew under the radar, and your style is great for covering them.

[@ichl46]

The Ashtray Maze is AMAZING. It changed the way I play the game for me. I'm not really that good with shooters, so I was playing the game slowly, taking cover often, and making sure I killed the enemys one by one. But then I arrived at the Ashtray Maze and everything changed. The Maze doesn't give you any power-up, it doesn't weaken the enemys or anything like that, but with that music and level design, it was empowering ME as a player. I didn't realize at first, but near the end it hit me. I played the maze as a maniac, flying through the level and killing enemies like I was born for this. It was like a beautiful dance where I felt invincible, and the enemies where just like little stones in the road before I passed through them. I will never forget the Ashtray Maze. Definitely one of the best videogame levels I've ever played, and a great example of the sensations and emotions that only games can give you.

[@xsomili5501]

💯 control is amazing

[@MaxIronsThird]

Music completely changes how you play a game. PS: Remedy doesn't make cover based shooters, Max Payne1/2, Alan Wake, Quantum Break, Control and Alan Wake 2 are not supposed to be played using cover.

[@ichl46]

@@MaxIronsThird Exactly. The Ashtray Maze was the way that Remedy told me how I should've been playing the game all that time.

[@wojciechostrowicz]

I think this was the point of this level. Jessie takes control of her powers and the house. She learns that it is not her being a subject in the House, but her being the Director of it. So the game tells you to act like it in the best way possible.

[@devinkerr5474]

The ashtray maze and its music spoke to me so much that Poets of the Fall and the Old Gods of Asgard are daily listens for me now. Take Control, the song which plays in the maze ends with a risen crescendo of guitars and lyrics about Jesse finding the power within her, releasing it was there all along, and grasping it. It fits so utterly perfectly with the feeling you get from the maze.

[@WarKeineAbsicht]

I love when you beat Hades for the first time and get to meet your mother for the first time. The way the music builds up, the tragedy when the meeting is cut short...(enhanced by my never having played a roguelike before) is perfection to me

[@jacobnorris8256]

Aside from the bad titan blood economy and low enemy variety, which aren't really problems outside of postgame, Hades is almost as perfect as a game gets so it doesn't really belong here though.

[@Ardorstorm]

YEAH

[@Ardorstorm]

@@jacobnorris8256 So real

[@SleepyFoC]

That ashtray maze sequence felt like being in a Marvel movie. I was losing my mind. And as soon as I finished I said “that was awesome.” And then Jesse did. Perfection.

[@csk24816]

So satisfying I made sure to go back later to redo it multiple times.

[@xsomili5501]

Frfrrrr

[@SeppelSquirrel]

Frfrrrr

[@FutureDeep]

People hyped it up and from the name I thought it would be a cool maze. What I got was great but it didn't meet my expectations.

[@VariousMethod5]

​@FutureDeep Yeah, I was actually disappointed with it. Taking control felt unearned when the level just opens up for you.

[@ivanllopis5882]

This vídeo reminds me of when you face Gwyn in Dark Souls. The name «Gwyn Lord of Cinder», the poetic subtitle, the music, the final boss putting yourself to practice being aggressive, however vulnerable to other mechanics (like the parry) you've been learning along the game.

[@weirdalexander8193]

The fact that he’s literally the only boss that you can parry really shows how well he’s doing.

[@barronvrba6380]

The piano is also only played on the white notes(For lore reasons)

[@Scootch]

Plin plin plon

[@KABLAMMATS]

_Plin plin plon_ *PARRY* *One shotted The Lord Of Cinder*

[@DirtMG]

*weeps*

[@evelynrobinson3573]

"Too big to fit in a memory" Already earned a like goddDAYUM

[@theprofessor5970]

The final scene of Final Fantasy XV is the only time a game's made me cry, despite the game's many flaws it manages to capture the feeling of friendship and a shared journey perfectly

[@Crocogator]

When I was finishing up Final Fantasy XV, my partner was at work. All the stuff leading up to the final scenes, he came back from work when I was forced to choose one final picture. I had spent the whole game cultivating my album. He could hear me crying from the hallway before even getting to the apartment. He thought the cat had died. "You guys... are the best."

[@archonthaaproducer]

FFXV is a weird one for me because up until Altissia the game was exactly what I wanted and then it kind of fell of after that then picked itself up at the ending. I will always say the FFXV has some of the highest highs for FF but the lows are quite literally in hell

[@relentlessfisting]

I played thru FFXV since it was leaving PS plus one month, and I rushed through, didn't really enjoy the gameplay, or certain story choices all that much, and still, the ending was amazing, and made me wish I spent more time with the game than I had. I was shocked by how it made me feel considering my conflicted feelings around the rest of the game, but a great ending can reshape our memories of the rest of an experience, and FFXV nailed it.

[@miked4904]

I'm a huge final fantasy fan. I was extremely let down by how baren the game was at launch. But it absolutely nailed the feeling of brotherhood in the second half. Definitely dropped some tears.

[@Pendragons_Art]

I had never played any of the other Final Fantasy games (and still haven't actually) so I never had the same issues as many fans did. Still, that ending and the photo and all of it made me cry and I couldn't listen to stand by me for like a year without tearing up. It was immaculate.

[@PaladinGaymer]

Control’s use of the medium using sound and asset manipulation is incredible. Poets of the Fall has a few songs in the game and they are all absolutely amazing. Neir Replicant’s opening is immaculate. The use of a boys choir in it, contrasting the ethereal and heavenly innocence that style of choral music brings against the utterly one sided carnage and violence you as a player unleashes is potent stuff.

[@narcissusfemboy]

So happy to see someone mention poets of the fall presence in control, they're awesome

[@BlazingOwnager]

@@narcissusfemboy Worth noting for those who have not yet dipped into the Remedyverse that Old Gods of Asgard is the alternative in-universe band of Poets of the Fall. Though, both bands canonically exist at the exact same time, also in universe.

[@narcissusfemboy]

@@BlazingOwnager yesss and how the songs of the band literally talk about the game universe and the story alongside it

[@nr1771]

@@BlazingOwnager Sam Lake and Marko Saaresto (the lead singer of Poets of the Fall) have been friends since high school, so their partnership for Remedy's games came easy. It goes all the way back to "Late Goodbye" in Max Payne 2.

[@BlazingOwnager]

@@nr1771 I didn't know they knew each other before Max Payne 2, but the Poets truly are the heart of Remedy. It bums me out their track didn't get in Quantum Break.. I suspect Lake didn't want Microsoft to own their song.

[@Hyziant]

The segment on 1000x resist reminds me a ton about Return of the Obra Dinn. That game is all about unraveling a mystery in a similar way and it’s similarly amazing. I am skimping on details because no one should ever be spoiled on this game. If you haven’t played it yet and you like detective games, PLAY IT.

[@bane2201]

Obra Dinn is amazing, I played it earlier this year and LOVED it. It's one of those games that takes an idea that can't really be done twice* and does it _perfectly._ (mention of spoilers below) * - By that I mean: what setting other than an old ship is very spatially dense, very socially stratified, could have a variety of different-looking/sounding people, is very isolated from the outside world, and has a variety of ways that crimes can occur? I've tried a lot and I've only ever been able to think of 4: a old-style mansion on an island during a storm (that's just Umineko's setting), a prison colony, a moon base, and a non-prison colony. And the latter two don't have much social stratification, which gives you a lot of clues in Obra Dinn (e.g. you wouldn't expect the captain to go to the cargo area). (also midshipmen are the worst)

[@BishopCDN]

THAT reveal, when you turn around and the music ramps up and you realise what sort of game you are playing... *chef kiss*

[@AnotherDuck]

@@bane2201 The Umineko setting is relatively common in classic mysteries. Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" is probably the most famous one.

[@HumblyDumbly]

I believe he's got it back on his backlog list for next year! He took it off of the 2023 backlog but viewers convinced him to put it back

[@Simonbergot]

It is also the gameplay of the game "unheard"

[@ogto]

Bastion's final "battle", when you can't fight back because you're carrying someone, specifically what the enemies do. That was one of my favorite moments for over a decade.

[@RememberingTheLost]

That was such a good part to an already amazing game, especially given the story for who you are carrying. I always look back on the moment you find Zia as one of my favorites. Bastion and Transistor have made Supergiant my favorite studio for a long time. There is just so much raw emotion in their storytelling through the imagery and music alone.

[@TheMinecraftMan757]

I especially love how the song Build that Wall and the song Mother I'm Here, sung by that man while you carry him in that scene, comes together in during the credits to form a beautiful duet with the melodies of their songs weaving together flawlessly. Honestly, this is a big part of what has made Supergiant Games special from their very first release. Doesn't matter how perfect the gameplay is or isn't, whether it's their first publication or the award-winning Hades, if you play a game from Supergiant, you will see a gorgeous marriage of gameplay and song with the most beautiful ideas.

[@primordialblob]

This was the sequence I immediately thought of

[@Vession]

That sequence really opened my eyes up to how unique the storytelling in videogames in can be sometimes. I know more or less how much of a game is gonna be on rails, but it still felt like I was making a doomed, but ultimately meaningful, choice. I personally wanted to see it through regardless of the consequences which felt inevitable in context. I'd really come to care about the characters, world and the themes of the story by that point... and this sequence absolutely magnified and solidified that. Fun game. Great experience.

[@TheCaliforniaHP]

That's a great one.

[@cornbuff]

Hey Daryl. I’ve had this video idea for you for a long time. I always wondered about the psychology behind clearing the notifications on new items in your inventory. Playing games like Xenoblade, Pokémon, persona. You constantly get new items. For me it drives me crazy if I don’t clear those notification dots. Just thought it was a cool idea worth sharing. You’re one of my favorite channels! :)

[@MEZOMEZO2011]

Is that not ocd?

[@cornbuff]

lol yeah I guess so. I still find it interesting.

[@Avendesora]

@@MEZOMEZO2011 Unless they’re doing it because of intrusive thoughts and a fear that something bad will happen for not complying with said thoughts, then no, not even a little bit lmao

[@DarylTalksGames]

@@cornbuff This could be a fun topic! I’ll add it to the list haha because I know I’ve experienced it

[@archy2529]

​@@DarylTalksGames and it could be part of a bigger topic about how messy piles of information in videogames make us anxious. I'm talking about your Skyrim quest log that gets updated with stuff you'd never want to actually do, and how messy your inventories get in Witcher 3 and Baldur's Gate 3, those always stress me out

[@JimFaindel]

It is moments like this that remind you videogames are art. A random outstanding cutscene, an enthralling mechanic, a dungeon you are more than willing to lose yourself into, a rhythm that always gets you to give it one more try. Things of true beauty hidden for all to see.

[@Psilomyde]

0:26 bro had to casually let us know he was >6 foot lmao i see you lanky king

[@INeedToSeeYourBalls1945]

I bet he has loads of books on feminism

[@amokriinprolgiid3409]

I personally loved Control. The opening sequence is very jarring and it takes some time and diligence to understand what's really going on, but it's such a weird and fascinating story that I loved. I personally enjoyed the combat. And while the level design didn't really fold back into itself in a game-like fashion, I was willing to excuse that because the powers were so cool. It was a refreshingly different kind of game. It didn't hold the player's hand in terms of storytelling. If you want to know what's going on, the evidence is there, but it's up to you to put it together.

[@HovektheArtist]

Its hands down top 5 of all time for me

[@btschaegg]

Dito on loving Control. It has various points where it drags a bit, but the whole SCP stuff was more than enough to motivate me for a large part. Honestly, personally I think the biggest "flaw" of the game is that it's missing a NG+ or any other way to replay the entire ash tray maze again. I didn't keep a save file from before that sequence, and replaying everything from scratch (with limited weaponry etc.) again just for that is asking too much IMHO.

[@HovektheArtist]

@btschaegg you can replay the ashtray maze, one of the dlc, not foundation, has the schüm and schüm 2 arcade cabinets, one has time survival and horde mode minigames, the other lets you replay every big side boss again and the ashtray maze

[@Chlocean]

You can learn the story if you're willing to halt the game to stand around for three minutes in one room while a tape plays that god, I wish I could have picked up with my superpowers and taken with me. Not a fan of Control. The bad outweighs the good imo but it was worth the suffering for ashtray maze.

[@phoxal]

Control is probably one of my favorite games, gameplay and lore wise. The story leaves a lot to be desired, but the world they crafted is intricate and engaging, and the gameplay really opens up once you take the time to learn the mechanics

[@thecooljohn100]

I'm surprised to hear the combat, story, and the world didn't grab you like it did me. Control is one of the best games I've ever played. The atmosphere, the world building, the quirkyness that springs up out from nowhere at times, the unique set of combat abilities, the creativity of the levels and the "house" it's all contained in. Remedy deserve even more praise than what's been given to them so far❤

[@MaddyMays]

So true.

[@doobzsalam1847]

As a massive Remedy fan who loves control I would say the actual story of control is fine but not that grasping. But the LORE of control the world building is incredible that it more then makes up for any shortcomings

[@middaymeds]

Alan Wake 2 is basically a sequel to Control as much as it is to Alan Wake, just in case you didn't know. You probably did know if you like Remedy.

[@YorkJonhson]

I loved Control but I think that the gunfights with respawning soldier enemies make up a huge amount of the runtime and I'd honestly just cut most of them out if it meant I could get to the more interesting elements of the world and side-content sooner.

[@alexforce9]

I love Control, so for me the maze was even better. Like a nice epilogue , the cherry on top of amazing experience.

[@HovektheArtist]

Right, its a moment of true freedom in a game all about the environment encroaching on you, and chance to let loose and see just how far you've come

[@Zack-bl2gg]

Same. I can’t wait for Control 2, I really hope they build upon that crazy men in black + black mirror + inception vibe they had going on.

[@twosoup3252]

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s ending sequence was stellar. For all its flaws, the game still managed to conclude in an incredibly satisfying way that tells a compelling and surprisingly tragic story, and it’s hard to believe that this story came off the heels of Sword and Shield’s. It goes to show how a perfect sequence can really appear in even the most heavily flawed of games.

[@DarylTalksGames]

@@twosoup3252 Totally agree, the ending made me forget about a ton of the flaws leading up to it

[@ichl46]

@@DarylTalksGames The game's story is pretty mid until you arrive to the Area Zero. That entire final location is incredible.

[@TainoMoya]

facts

[@FaelumbreProject]

The end of the DLCs as well. They're not as bad as the base game, but their association with Area Zero elevates them to the best character arc in the series (and then you're rewarded with more character interactions as a bonus in the club!)

[@Hauxe]

This! I was so disappointed throughout my playthrough and then in the end it was an aha moment where I felt like “yes! GameFreak CAN tell a story!” Need more of that in future games!

[@samuelantoniocastillomeza5034]

Happened to me with MGSV: The Phantom Pain. For all it's narrative issues, the ending for the sidequest of taking pictures to Paz made me emotional and got me to tears. Such a good scene with almost no dialogue spoken.

[@wegogiant]

Yes! Good pull. I occasionally refer to MGSV as "the greatest, worst game" and I always find other people who played it always understand exactly what I mean

[@sbilldmilk]

@@wegogiantIt's like playing an super-extended second act of a much larger game. The beginning and end are hazy and incomplete, it's just one hell of a main body

[@fistbump5785]

The play in the rain cutscene was also another favorite. Yes I appreciated the fan service, but it was also one of the few times the game actually tried to put in effort to humanize Snake and Quiet, and actually try to build some kind of bond between them aside from "they both kill good"

[@EnigmaTimGaming]

Watching the Ghost Of Tsushima section when at 13:44 he says "Until you must defend Yarikawa" and i got instant goosebumps. In my head I was going 'Oh hell yeah, he's gonna talk about THIS bit.' And yeah, that whole sequence is flawless and I have never felt anything other than exultation when the music swells and Jin is rallying the people to chase off the Mongols. Beautifully and brutally crafted scene.

[@dragonboom88]

You showed it briefly in the beginning when you scrolled through some examples but I really wanted to reiterate the flawless perfection that is the Lewis segment of What Remains of Edith Finch. The way the monotonous mouse movement combined with the exploratory keyboard gameplay, perfectly mirrors the story of Lewis monotonously doing his job while playing games in his mind palace to the point where as you play you stop even noticing the fish anymore and just do it in the background. The way the imagined gameplay slowly increases more and more on screen and then eventually you fully move into it as first person at the end.... and the way you knew what was coming but still get so shocked and covered in chills as you see the last moment in front of you, waiting for you to walk up to it and finish the sequence.... oh my god the chills and just the utter perfection of that sequence is still once of my most favorite story game moments of all time

[@kendrel2099]

Super happy to see Jin becoming “The Ghost” here. It truly gives you what you’ve been hoping for as a player the whole time prior to that moment.

[@rruhland]

Poets of the Fall are such a great band, and the version of them as the Old Gods of Asgard are so great. Every Remedy game since Max Payne 2 (aside from Quantum Break) has had a song from them. Fun Fact: They were formed when Sam Lake gave eventual lead singer Marko Saaresto a poem he wanted made into a song for Max Payne 2. They formed and made “Late Goodbye” specifically for Max Payne 2. They became a band specifically because of Remedy Software. Likely the reason they’re so willing to work with Remedy.

[@BlazingOwnager]

Microsoft had them go another way with the music in Quantum Break, but they actually wrote a song for it they released on an album later. Amazingly that song was NOT "Running Out Of Time" which would have been the perfect song for Quantum Break. I cannot remember which one it actually was right now.

[@TehCakeIzALie1]

@@BlazingOwnager I _think_ it was 'The Labyrinth'?

[@BlazingOwnager]

@@TehCakeIzALie1 Yep, that's the one!

[@paulgerald1985]

The final scene of SOMA. Flawless. Masterpiece. Truly a , man..... , scene

[@OrchardFox]

Absolutely. That game ruined me, in the best possible way. Ugly cried for hours afterwards oof...

[@forpdrop3793]

While watching this video I kept thinking of the scene with the last human in Soma. Such a powerful scene

[@gab_gallard]

Soma is not a "flawed" game though. It's great through and through.

[@Hellscrap3r]

"Catherine? Please don't leave me alone. Catherine? Catherine?!"

[@SunroseStudios]

@@gab_gallard flawed doesn't mean bad. every game has flaws, and in the gameplay department we'd argue SOMA has several, most of which are just carried over from Frictional's other games. it's flawed AND it's great, the two can both be true.

[@Demsky83]

21:50 I felt the same way about control until played it again after obtaining a PS5. It suddenly clicked when the flow of combat and the richness of the narrative converged into a captivating experience.

[@DeadNovice]

2:47 even here I hear that song

[@ajamid0145]

Yea, Everybody knows

[@complexrolls]

Even where it snows.

[@electricheisenberg5723]

-have on background “In the thick of it” -instantly turn -OoO

[@Shantara11]

Speaking of Remedy games, the concert level in Alan Wake was a proto-Ashtray Maze in terms of perfectly synchronizing music with the gameplay. Absolutely flawless! Few other scenes similarly perfect scenes immediately came to mind after watching the video. The final jailer fight in Furi when you suddenly begin to realize that the things are suspiciously easy. That one scene in Brothers, you know which one. The last button press in The Swapper.

[@BlazingOwnager]

I don't think we can talk about those without also mentioning Herald of Darkness from "We Sing," as they continue to up the ante. If Control 2 doesn't have "The Ordinary Song" from Dylan's dream, I'll be so disappointed.

[@TehCakeIzALie1]

and then Alan Wake 2 one-ups the Ashtray Maze _twice_

[@Erlaxis]

Holy hell, someone mentioned Furi. I am happy.

[@bison3854]

You seem super excited to make the next one and the teaser looks super interesting!

[@brentsacks]

I’m so hyped for whatever that next one is 😱😱

[@GunGryphon]

The Ginso Tree escape sequence in Ori and the Blind Forest will forever be one of my favorite experiences in gaming, the music and the pacing matched perfectly.

[@btschaegg]

This. At least for me, closely followed by the transformation of Kwolok into a boss in part 2. Not necessarily from a gameplay perspective, but the musical development from Kwolok's theme (OST: "Kwolok's Hollow", "Kwolok's Throne Room") into the theme for the fight (OST: "Kwolok's Malaise") is just… **chef's kiss** It perfectly transforms a serene, peaceful theme into a hulking colossus of nasty and goes through the entire mental sequence the player goes through ("Oh, hi Kwolok :D" -> "Hang on…" -> "Oh oh…" -> "WTF?!" and frantically running away) in the intro alone.

[@steveh1474]

that sequence alone was what made me buy the game and im so glad i did, its so awesome. the rest of the game, and the sequel as well, are totally fine and good games, but the Ginso Tree is absolute cinema

[@vaguetype]

the more i hear you talk about 1000xresist, the more i anticipate the video you'll make about it!! it's one of those games that i wish i could erase my memory to play again.

[@chucklebutt4470]

I think I'm near the end of the game and I've been putting off finishing it lol.

[@64bitrobot]

You know something weird? I love that people want to keep from spoiling things all the time, but often I realize "I will never play this game, nor will I have the chance to. I wish they would just be willing to spoil it so they could speak their full thoughts and not feel a need to hold back as to not spoil something." I feel like sometimes, our need to prevent spoilers gets in the way of talking about a game in the way it deserves.

[@Professor_Utonium_]

Childhood is wishing you could play every game that you want to. Adulthood is realizing you can't Elderhood is purposely spoiling several games so you can rest easy with not having played them lol

[@Hawkenwhacker]

Not to mention the fact that for some, seeing a spoiler is what actually motivates them into wanting to play a game or watch a movie in the first place. The discourse I find on spoilers feels largely binary.

[@freakmaster3639]

I get what you mean, putting out a spoiler warning is fair, but so much context is lost when people just don't actually tell you the details of what they're talking about. I think it's usually the best when they give you a spoiler free snippet and then put up a timestamp to skip the spoiler part for anyone who doesn't want to get spoiled.

[@JonathanScarlet]

I get that feeling, but at the same time I think there are many experiences (in games and other media) where the spoiler can ruin the effect so you kinda shouldn't. One major problem is that one man's ruination is another man's motivation. Like you stated, a spoiler to a game might make you want to play it even more--potentially even tip you into actually buying it--whereas for me that spoiler effectively ruins any chance of me playing it because now I know what the finale is, what the plot twist is, or the only reason to buy the game in the first place that I just got to watch or hear about essentially for free and now there's no point. I'll probably always think that being spoiler-free is the highest priority when it comes to this so that newcomers get the most untarnished first playthrough possible, but anyone who knows somebody well enough to tell if revealing a spoiler will actually be good for them (insofar as buying that mediashould definitely do so.

[@bane2201]

@@freakmaster3639 Mostly agreed, but I'd say for twists that are really late in the game, it's often best to just leave it as "I'm spoiling the late game/finale of [X]". (It's usually fine to give context for midgame spoilers.) Jacob Geller had a good approach in one of his recent videos on a certain endgame twist, where even saying "spoiler alert for [game]" reveals that twist is in the game. So at the start he said that he'd be listing 5 games, but 1 of them didn't fit the theme of the video. That way, if someone who really wants to play one of the six games sees the list and leaves the video, they won't have been spoiled.

[@kaptenteo]

15:50 1000xResist reminds me of Obra Dinn. Another visual novel kind of game where you have to puzzle out the truth of what happened, by viewing stills from past dramatic moments. It turned out to be a great storytelling technique that felt truly novel and engaging.

[@tachytack]

I kept hearing about this game but always kept getting put off by it. I feel like it might be too deep for me or whatever, but after looking it up and finding out it's not too long and also reading your comment I kinda wanna play it now, never played return of the obra dinn but it's been on my backlog for a long time, it seems cool and I wouldn't mind playing another game like it.

[@Crimsonrose1234]

I immediately thought of Obra Dinn during the 1000xResist segment as well! Such a neat game

[@criptych]

The Ashtray Maze was incredible. I was fully prepared for a "Lost Woods"-style maze guided by the crazy janitor's Walkman, but what I got was even better.

[@GurenSan]

"Nier Replicant will always be Automata's little brother". Funny, because for me it is the older and rougher from Automata, like a father. Funny and extremely fitting.

[@src248]

Justice for daddy Nier

[@KuroeNezumi]

@@src248 tell that to Yoko Taro who apparently detests the decision to have him for the western release of the game, which actually caused issues with the writting and, as such, the overall development of the game. Not saying you aren't right, but that it quite literally affected the game in negative ways as much as in positive ones.

[@exodus9001]

​@@KuroeNezumi Nah Gestalt is infinitely superior. A chad father protecting his daughter while spouting shonen protag lines is just too good compared to bishi boy.

[@blairfujin]

@@exodus9001 or a failure of a father who can't get a job to support his dying child (him not being a village guard and running chores for his neighbours, leaving his sickly daughter alone for days and weeks - locations are meant to be way further apart from each other than gameplay suggests; just makes him look bad if you think about it for a moment) vs a tragedy of a traumatised child (that one novella...) trying to step up and fill in the role of a parental figure for their last remaining relative so much stuff that makes sense (and makes his initial story and loss of innocence over time more tragic) for bro-nier makes papa-nier looks kinda like a moron - a 50 year old doesn't work in a role written for a teen...

[@Kushula4815]

Yeah, that line made me laugh because for me its the other way around.

[@jeeves-2]

I get why Control isn't a contender for amazing game but its one of my favorites for combining so many disparate elements that i happen to like into a solid game. I know its like an 8 out of 10 "objectively", but it's just so much of what I subjectively like that I can't be unbiased about it. The way it combines creepy, supernatural horror with faceless bureaucracy while still having those moments of levity like the ashtray maze or anything with Ahti just scratches an itch no other game has come close to, and that makes it great in my book. Great video overall!

[@xsomili5501]

Same. It's a 9/10 for me

[@halfricansaint7727]

It was good! It was a bit hyped up for me by some friends, so I was a bit disappointed, especially with the combat and inventory management. However, I do find it to be a good game and that astray maze sequence was amazing and worth playing through the game for.

[@HovektheArtist]

Im so glad I went into it blind, hell when I got it my brain didn't click it was a remedy game for far too long I just grabbed it thought it looked neat and it cinched a top 5 spot for me, then I started noticing the wake quantum break and max payne references

[@hamlindigo_blue]

It was nominated for game of the year in 2019 at the Game Awards. It was a contender, just underrated.

[@J.RomeroLuna]

Some years ago, I read a comment that really resonated with me and changed how I see my favorite video games. Paraphrasing: "Once you've played enough games, your favorites often end up being 7/10 or 8/10 titles that REALLY resonate with you as a person, hitting all the right spots for YOU specifically." Looking at my personal top games from nearly 20 years of gaming, I completely agree with this sentiment.

[@Evanz111]

Gosh, I still love these niche topics so much. It’s like concepts we all notice, but not many people describe or can articulate. Absolutely love your videos for being like this.

[@RememberingTheLost]

Bastion, finding Zia will forever be a section I consider to be flawless. You go from the chaos of the game, a land where you have only seen two other living people and you don't know if anyone else is alive, to this area with this powerful yet tranquil song being sung in the background. When I played through it felt like the perfect emotional pitstop in the midst of a calamity, which was only further amplified by being able to find the singer, Zia, and help get her to your bastion of safety. Another one was the white phosphorous scene in Spec Ops: The Line. I don't think I really need to explain that one though..

[@WingsOfOuroboros]

Finding Zulf is also like that, in kind of the opposite way. Everyone turned to stone, and Zulf just standing in the middle of it all- unmoving, speechless, broken. That's when the game really starts to signal the extent to which it's willing to go to dark places.

[@thomasallen9974]

Spec Ops: The Line. Man..... that was something else. Made me a wanton war criminal and I never thought twice til that happened.

[@Shemegory]

The distance of time has made me forget so much about Bastion. But losing Squirt in that late game sequence lives in my head rent free.

[@RememberingTheLost]

@@Shemegory I made sure to collect ever pet in the game, only to have that happen. Pure pain 😭

[@Dan-km8je]

brother how do you not have a million subs yet like you said "yeah thanks for letting me do a smaller/lower effort vid this month" and i laughed, this is some of the highest quality writing on the platform

[@chrisprovince1322]

The use of the tape measure and letting it snap close to signal the sudden end of the story was sublime. Wonderful editing choice. You got a new fan from just that. Well that and your love for the Ashtray maze.

[@Mechafree]

I'm 1:10 into the video and this really hit me. I moved back to my hometown a few years ago for multiple reasons, but man ... that finally hammered home what "You can never go 'home'" means and I felt worse and older for it since.

[@19Szabolcs91]

The very beginning of Zone of the Enders. You are a confused kid running away from gunfire, and you find this mech and enter it in desperation. Now you are supposed to fight off enemies, which you can do, but you get no tutorial. You mash buttons, quickly try what anything does and what is going on. Just like your character who is controlling this thing and has no idea how it works, and is scared. It’s brilliant, and unfortunately the best part of the whole game.

[@fistbump5785]

That actually sounds so perfect 😮

[@Miss_Trillium]

I personally love control, it was my intro to the remedyverse. The ashtray maze, as stated, is easily one of if not the best levels in gaming history, next to halo 3's final warthog drive

[@RememberingTheLost]

Oh man, the final drive in Halo 3 and the running from the first flood encounter in Halo:CE are two of my favorites from the series.

[@Crocogator]

Literal chills during the ashtray maze recap. It's so hard to come up with any level comparable in any game.

[@Holl0w_World]

Maybe I’m just in a emotional state right now but this KZbin channel holds a special place in my soul. Your voice is like a thread to my heart and mind and I genuinely wait for every sentence he has to say like it’s eating the next bite of a meal. I'm not sure you'll ever see this message and theirs not really a reason for me to even be typing it but I really love what you do. I'll be waiting for the next one.

[@wittynickname4870]

The tape measure visual and the way it wrapped up at 19:20 was absolutely amazing. Amazing video!

[@GyroCannon]

I think that for me, the example that comes to mind is end of Act 2 of Dragon Age 2. The whole game up until then felt like your character was stumbling around between NPCs in reused locations over and over, and the plot felt so loose... (Both of which are true and worthy of criticism) And then the loose plot threads all tie together and a spark was lit and you finally feel like you're part of a significant story. I just remember being blown away at that point the first time that I played it.

[@ericke.8640]

yes!!!! im playing dragon age 2 right now, i feel like people write it off most of the time because they dont get to the second act in the firs tplace lol, along with its many many other issues.

[@Azarornery]

5:15 Edith finch, one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played

[@ZakZak246]

I'm actually playing Ghost Of Tsushima right now, and I had a feeling you'd mention the defense of Yarikawa. That moment honestly blew me away and I was speechless when playing

[@Raykon333]

Please explain what's great about that moment, I'm confused about it after watching the video.

[@philnova2580]

@@Raykon333the protagonist Jin is from a noble background and is raised to think of fighting as like an aristocratic sport, with strict rules. He believes in facing your enemy in a fair duel, not using underhanded means like stealth to gain an advantage. Then his homeland is invaded by an enemy that is more ruthless than anything his people have seen before and they’re caught totally flat footed and rapidly losing territory. Still, Jin is torn between his belief in fighting honorably and his growing realization that keeping his honor means dooming his people. The sequence shown here is the first time Jin embraces a more brutal set of tactics, engaging in over the top brutality to frighten the Mongols and break their morale. He is allowing himself to become a monster, setting aside his own moral code to win at any cost. It’s an ahistorical take on samurai, who were perfectly willing to use pretty much any tactics available to them (including guns), but in line with depictions of samurai in popular films like Seven Samurai. I don’t think this sequence works as well as OP, and my whole issue with the game narrative is that *as a player* you use stealth tactics from the first mission of the game onward. So throughout the narrative Jin (the character) is wringing his hands over whether to set aside his honor and use ninja tactics, you (the player) are merrily assassinating foes every chance you get. So it makes the narrative feel false.

[@ApolloDawn85]

Ai Somnium Files is a very flawed game, but Ota’s somnium has to be one of the best sequences in a video game. I’ve seen people who have major grievances with the game bawl their eyes out over the backstory of a character they hate.

[@DarylTalksGames]

@@ApolloDawn85 ooooooooh that’s a great one! I do remember being skeptical going into it and then kinda being floored once it ended.

[@SanktaLo]

YES AI MENTIONED!!! I love that game so much. It for sure has problems but I remember Ota’s somnium was just incredible. I didn’t care for Ota at all until I played that

[@Mp5Drummer]

I played the whole game and really didn't love it. It is deeply flawed in my opinion. But god damn, learning the identity of the culprit and how they did it made the whole thing worthwhile.

[@XenoCrossx]

I don’t know about Replicant, but I’ve always considered it a masterpiece and my favorite game ever. Yes, it’s flawed mechanically and structurally, especially with the multiple playthroughs. On the other hand, no game has ever captured the inevitable tragedy and beauty within everyone’s life like this one. From the people who are doomed to suffer no matter how innocent they are, as shown in Fyra’s story, to those unfairly burdened by chronic illness or disability, as seen in the mermaid’s and Kainé’s tales. It shows that even when doing the right thing, your life may still be made miserable by the very people you’re helping, as with Kainé and Emil. It highlights that, as human beings, we are often shortsighted and prone to evil, no matter how righteous we think we are, as shown in the stories of Nier and the Shadowlord. Spoilers Ahead! There are many beautiful moments in the game. The most memorable for me was at the end of the ferryman quest. It’s a quest that’s very random and easy to miss, which made it feel that much more special to me. When the couple invites you to eat with them, you only get a voice clip and some text. But man, oh man, I’ve never cried so much over any fictional story in my entire life. This annoying couple, whom you probably hated during the quest, shares a moment of genuine joy with you in this unforgiving and cold world. End of spoilers. I could go on and on about all the stories and lessons in this game. You could fill an entire book with Kainé’s story alone. I like Automata very much, my 2nd favorite game, but this one takes the cake for me for how human and simplistic it is. To enjoy this game you shouldn't approach it from a gameplay or speedrunning perspective. Which is a tall order considering it's a game after all.

[@Siferiax]

This video makes me realize why I love your videos so much. I love listening to your stories, even if I'm not invested in them fully or don't know the games you talk about. You always tell the story itself in such an interesting way. Love it ❤

[@fiona9891]

i wasn't a huge fan of the combat in control, but the lore felt like such a fresh take on "secret foundation that contains anomalies" and jesse, ahti and darling are such compelling characters that these two things basically carried the entire game for me

[@ric_gama]

I love spiritfarer but I think after a while it drags on, it gets repetitive but damn the first spirit you help pass through the afterlife, that's a moment I'll never forget

[@MsKornkitty]

If I had to pick one moment that really stuck with me it was Atul, but to say why would ruin the thing that made it such an emotional sucker punch. Spirit Farer is such a strange mix of heavy themes with cozy game mechanics.

[@Onisshoku]

@@MsKornkitty I had to put the game down for 2 weeks after Atul

[@TheCaliforniaHP]

Fair enough on Spiritfarer but every time with the spirit. And the ending left me sobbing when I fully realized what Stella and her world represented.

[@TheLordofSiIence]

@@Onisshoku Same as me, but with Stanley. I had seen Stanley in the trailer and the single line he says in it. His very existence in the game made me put it down for multiple years.

[@andream8655]

I love your use of the word sequence, to follow a thread of a concept, not just a scene or moment, but acknowledge a full line of thought throughout a game... It's just a beautiful way of thinking

[@andream8655]

to edit my comment a bit: yeah you do focus on moments but I think! Like ur acknowledgement of the context and stuff... Elevates the analysis!! Stay well in the new year

[@koletimothy4518]

20:13 This song unironicly saved my life a few years ago in a free solo incident, popping into my head the instant was about to fall with the opening "TAKE CONTROL!" Incredible game

[@Evanz111]

Holy shit that’s so cool. Free solo is dangerous, but I’ve heard our brain can grip to things like that in an NDE.

[@webbrowser6454]

From a onetime daredevil to another, find a safer way to get your adreneline fix. Gravity is a cruel mistress. I fell off a cliff in an area thats now off limits due to how many people died and were injured there. I'm lucky to have walked away with a few surgeries. All it takes is one mistake and your life will change forever.

[@BlazingOwnager]

I swear, there's something about Poets when they make an Old Gods song that's so damn powerful. I don't think the fiction around them would work at all if it wasn't.. they live up to their reputation.

[@Photopassprincess]

I discovered your videos about a week ago and let me say, the quality you put in to each one is amazing! Feels like an early Christmas present to see you upload a new one

[@brentsacks]

@@Photopassprincess Yes ☝🏻

[@Churee]

Mass Effect 2 had some issues and might have been a downgrade in some aspects from the first game, but the final Suicide Mission is probably one of the most memorable video game experiences I've ever had. It's a downright perfect sequence of some of the hypest, tense battles, where EVERYTHING you did in the game makes a difference. Also shoutout to Prince of Persia Sands of Time. The baths. Kakolookiyam.

[@Ontos99]

do you think ME3 is better than ME2. Will start it soon. No spoilers please. thanks

[@Shvabicu]

Also the soundtrack. ME2 and RDR2 imo have some of the best final missions in gaming and those tracks playing just elevate them to another level. It's very similar to the Ashtray situation. I listen to those tracks at the gym to get hyped for a heavy set of squats.

[@Shvabicu]

​@@Ontos99imo ME1 and ME2 are better because the ending of ME3 is disappointing, even after the rework. It was the biggest gaming controversy in 2012. Basically the original sin of botched endings.

[@Miycu]

@@Ontos99 ME2 is the apex of the series. ME3 is fundamentally brought down by all the internal changes that were going on in the studio and the pivot away from the established story 1 and 2 laid out the groundwork for. It's an acceptable game but it spends a lot of time retreading story beats, putting emphasis on cringe celebrity cameos or franchise callbacks, trying to ape 2s structure instead of moving the franchise forward and pulling the various story threads together properly. It shows in the games overall quality.

[@Ahrpigi]

Sands of Time mentioned! I adored that trilogy when it first came out, and I'm sad time has not been kind to it.

[@KazanaAoi]

A sequence I consider flawless in a game is the final pair of levels of Journey. The ascent up the last bit of the mountain. All the games up to it were enjoyable in some way, a bit repetetive... But that last sequence, It was magic for me. I got paired up with another player in the section where you're climbing the mountain and your cloak is freezing and splintering away in the harsh winds, and we were chirping at and helping eachother through it as it got harder and harder, supporting one another and chirping even when we couldn't replenish one another. Finally, One of us fell. Chirping weakly, almost begging for them to rise, the other followed suit... And then the white cloaks arrived, and suddenly we were floating through the world on magic wings supported by eachothers song as we propelled ourselves onward towards the light, dancing through the beautiful scenery together as we approached the end- I hope that anyone who ever gets to play Journey, even if they never see a player in any other level... I hope they see at least one in that final ascent, Like I did. And that it impacts them and brings them the same level of goosebump giving vibes it did for me. If ever there was a game I wanted to replay completely blind again.. It'd be Journey.

[@dominokos]

I'd appreciate it if this was a series. So many amazing moments are locked within games that are incredibly tough to chew through.

[@cowgba]

I fully agree, I mentioned in another comment that I'd like to see a sequel to this video, but I'm sure there are enough in-game sequences worthy of a video like this to make a whole series.

[@Nukebosss]

I had to rewind to double check. 0:54 Yep. That's Lugias theme. Perfect choice!

[@TimeofRagnarok]

Control was more than a a game, it was an experience.

[@sbilldmilk]

You don't just play Control, you Take Control.

[@hilaku_vir]

Really wish Remedy will make Control 2 or something with the same vibe. Greatest experience I've ever tried.

[@TimeofRagnarok]

@@hilaku_vir it is one of my all time favorite games.

[@Ahrpigi]

Control had the most immacule vibes with the blandest gameplay I've experienced in a while. The fact I kept pushing through and still think about it a couple years later is a testament to how incredible every other part of the game is.

[@TimeofRagnarok]

@@Ahrpigi I loved the gameplay, you become so incredibly powerful yet never stop feeling challenged. The oldest house was most interesting place to explore.

[@Shvabicu]

The final missions in Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption 2...they are amazing in their own right, especially the Mass Effect 2 final mission due to choices and consequences, but they both have incredible music that elevates the entire thing just like the Ashtray Maze. Man, going after that rat in RDR2 while American Venom plays is just a fantastic experience. Also, Nier Automata is just an entire series of flawless scenes. Or Geralt's stare into the camera at the end of Blood and Wine...or the Gaunter O' Dimm meeting at the inn...

[@relentlessfisting]

RDR2 is also a game that I think tells a lot with its gameplay. Playing as John doing farmhand stuff, it can be extremely boring. Cleaning shit, milking cows, etc. And that's exactly how John must feel too, which is why he's drawn towards the action and life of who he used to be.

[@Dedeee0]

To me 1000xresist was my game of the year, a true masterpiece it moved me emotionally in ways i cannot describe it’s been months since i played it but still I find myself thinking about it often, a shame not alot of ppl played it really 😢

[@TheSM1155]

We love the 1000xSweep rep!!! This story is soooooooooo good!!! I hope more people learn about it; its a game I am of the belief needs to be studied. Simply a masterpiece in storytelling and how games can be used to convey that.

[@MrGlyra]

Seeing a clip of it in the intro reminds me of Gravity Rush's opening cinematic, it always speaks to me so dearly. Seeing this surreal landscape in the middle of the clouds, following a falling apple past characters that felt like the opening to a real fairy tale. While playing the game I just felt so so enamoured by the opening and I just kept wondering "when am I gonna see that character? when do I get to go to that place?" It just filled me with so much wonder :)

[@wyvernscale9634]

16:01 STORMLIGHT MENTIONED I was listening along while drawing, then looked back when I heard you mentoning a book, and I _literally_ thought "It would be so cool if he mentioned the stormlight archive" and then I saw Kaladin and I was HYPED

[@doug7897]

I'm a broken record about this but The Turing Test, which is frankly an just-okay puzzle platformer, has an absolutely stunning moment at the start of act 3 that is a combination of new gameplay mechanic, plot twist, and meta twist on the concept of a player character.

[@ericke.8640]

yessss!!!!! i love the turing test, the way i was playing i did like 2 puzzles every day at the beginning of my day, which made the start of act 3 stick in my mind allllll day hahaha

[@Elesterion]

1000xResist MENTIONED!! Hekki grace sisters

[@rebelblade7159]

There's that one sidequest in Tales of Zestiria that really shined more than the main plot for me because of how it was thought provoking and tackled the concept of evil within Zestiria's themes of malevolence. Its about a rich art collector who has no hesitation or remorse in using children to get his hands on art pieces, even if those kids could die. For most of Zestiria, you found evil being shown in a somewhat sympathetic light where negative emotions within people cause them to become Hellions due to Malevolence manifesting the turmoil within them. But that art collector? He had ZERO malevolence because of how he was so confident about his twisted logic. In the end, the goody two shoes Sorey can't help but allow Rose to put him out of his misery.

[@hagspam]

Great video as always. I remember just being floored after the ashtray maze. I think it's such a great idea to find the amazing parts in things that are flawed. Void has a sequence where it begins to play a vocal music track. It has this haunting feel as it just skips from puzzle to puzzle that the character will continue searching even after you're done playing. I also wanted to let you know that you inspired be to make my own videos that looks for the good things in games I bounced off of in the past. Thanks for being awesome.

[@legalizemarinara]

Take Control is brilliant on its own, and then your mind gets blown all over again once you get into the Remedyverse and learn more about the Old Gods of Asgard. Remedy is amazing.

[@BlazingOwnager]

The backwards messages in the Old Gods songs are great too.

[@elioalimonti5331]

I loved the ashtray sequence in Control and it's one of my favourite games ever... BUT... the "herald of darkness" musical in Alan Wake 2... oh boy, that is something out of this world: playing and expiriencing that part is truly amazing. It brings all the art and crazyness from Remedy all together. Wonderfull.

[@technoboop1890]

Reminds me of Jacob Geller's "Perfect Moments in "Bad" Movies"

[@OtepRalloma]

19:57 From the moment 1000xRESIST popped up, I was wondering, how is this game flawed? Was there a story beat that didn't hit? A section that was tedious rather than narratively engaging? I was ready to respectfully disagree-BUT YEAH NAH, YOU JUST WANTED TO PUT THE GAME IN LOL, FAIR

[@lshe97]

Based on this comment, I can only assume you've played the game so hopefully you can explain something: what in the world happened? What I got from this was that there were bodies everywhere, they slowly set the stage showing the increasing stress and feeling of hopelessness everyone involved went through, then BAM they reveal that... someone was standing on a ledge, fell/jumped, and then... everyone started shooting? I'm so confused.

[@OtepRalloma]

@lshe97 Specifically, the two armed people, Asher the 50 and Benjamin the 50, started shooting. The fear and paranoia as well as the authority vested in them by virtue of holding guns, led to them shooting down the rest of the crew out of fear for their own safety. This paranoia is hinted at during a prior section -05, as the two soldiers block the doors from a restless crowd. I believe this is also meant to reflect the inherent danger in violent authority, as can be seen with the Red Guard. And then the Occupant sensed their distress, approached, and its very presence killed the rest. Occupants are drawn to intense emotion, it seems.

[@lshe97]

@@OtepRalloma Ah, so that explains why there are only 2 guns, and I guess the shooting happened before/after that one blue-colored girl jumped, which would also explain why there are blood-spatters separate from others - 2 events from different times. Not to say that all my questions have been answered. What was the deal with the blue girl? Why did she jump? What's the explanation behind the bodies that were found away from the "scene of the crime"? Was that the work of that Occupant you refer to? Having also checked out a little more of the sequence, I don't quite follow how douche A and douche B killed everyone 'cus they were scared; the restless crowd were by the doors in one section, then gunned down by the wall in another - literally on the other side of the room. That doesn't read like "poor guys feared for their safety" to me, more like "drunk-on-power dickheads rounded everyone up and felt like performing a mass-execution for shits and giggles"

[@OtepRalloma]

@lshe97 The blue girl likely jumped just out of the stress of being cooped up and loss of hope after the world seems to have just ended. I don't quite recall the body locations but I imagine the Occupants' effect that made them float into the air may have also moved them around. I recommend flipping between time periods in the ending sections (I believe left to right is chronological) to see how each person ended up where. As for the two gun toting jerks, the reason I think fear got to them too was them saying "I said stay back!" and stuff, which sounds like something someone would say if they believed they were being approached, that said, I definitely think it is also a messed up power trip. I am in no way defending those two, nor the Red Guard.

[@exoskeletons]

Daryl gushing about the ashtray maze is sure sign he's gotta play Just Shapes and Beats

[@auellaitaela8035]

I've personally always hated the idea of a "flawed game" and a lot of this highlights why. I've seen so many discussions talking about games as "flawed" when they're really just saying "I don't like it so it's flawed" which says nothing about the game, just about their tastes, and the amount of times I've seen people say some of my favorite games and sequences are "flawed" is high enough that I've just thrown away the concept entirely. Flawed games aren't a thing. They simply don't exist. All games have value to some, and all deserve a chance to be enjoyed on their own merits and not someone else trying to paint their subjective tastes as an objective "flaw".

[@AnotherDuck]

As some others have said, 1000xResist sounds pretty much like Return of the Obra Dinn. Having played that game (you should too), I absolutely understand how viewing a story from that perspective gives you a much more involved feeling, in particular since you have to actively think about the characters and what they're up to to solve all deaths. There's so much detail to it, and in contrast to what 1000xResist seems like, the pace is slower since it takes time to look around and discover everything you need. Dialogue and immediate death scenes are naturally the most important aspects, but where they are, what they wear, what they're doing, what they had been doing before the scene and after that isn't shown, and many other details are important clues. And that's still leaving out quite a few methods of discovery.

[@kastanimates]

Awesome video!! I absolutely love the concept of exploring the events that happened "frame by frame" as a way of experiencing (and unraveling) the events and the horror as it happens, while still being separate from the events. I'm not a big fan of horror, but I love unraveling tragedy ala "apocalypse logs," but the way you describe 1000xResist is very intriguing... something new for my "to play" list...

[@ogto]

it's funny how i've heard several 1000xRESIST talks that highlight different "best moments". and thing is, none of the 4 or 5 moments mentioned are my TOP moments. this game is just non-stop highlights, hard to pick just one . can't wait for more people to discover it.

[@FlibbleBeck]

Everyone forgets the intro to the first Assasins Creed. With zero marketing about the animus, they throw you into a glitched matrix, perfect intro.

[@CreativeExcusesGaming]

The flawless sequence in a flawed game applies to movies too. The first Captain Marvel movie is alright, not great, but alright. But Maria Rambeau’s scene where she lets Carol have it for disappearing is one of the best performances and most emotional individual scenes in the entire MCU. Lashana Lynch absolutely crushed that scene and it is one of my favorite moments in the entire MCU.

[@J.RomeroLuna]

Jacob Geller has a video of just that, in case you haven't watched it yet, the title is something like "great scenes in 'bad' movies"

[@griffins.pierce678]

The bit from control reminds me of the Raphael fight in BG3. One of the toughest fights in the game IMO, and when it kicks off the soundtrack is this super intense song with vocals from the demon’s voice actor, essentially taunting you like some malevolent bard.

[@night1952]

When I played The Ashtray Maze I immediately told my friends that I had just played the coolest level ever and that they had to play Control.

[@The0ryz]

Honestly I'm so happy when people get to experience the brilliance of Poets of the Fall (or as their side project in Control/Alan Wake, Old Gods of Asgard), every time they crush it and they really bring the music to the art. The games are great too, but I have been a huge fan of them for well over a decade at this point so it's awesome to see them show up more and more

[@Dew8Dew]

KZbin not giving me a notification for this video is criminal. I can't believe you would call this an "easier" video when I think it's one of my favorites, you do stellar opening sequences, but this one takes the cake and eats it. Never had any interests in SH Short Message, but you best believe I'm going to check it out in the future not just because I'm interested in the scene as a whole, but also how you exposed it, I remember in the Backlog Stream you said you didn't know much about DnD, but I think you would be an incredible Dungeon Master for your storytelling alone haha. Also next video featuring XB3 has me hyped to the moon, cannot wait, have a merry christmas and a happy new year!

[@GabrielRoger2010]

Finding these golden moments or aspects in flawed media is one of my favorite activities. Most of the games, movies, animes, etc, that I am deeply attached to are far from being perfect, but they do have one thing or two that seems so ingenious and/or well executed, and that gives me such chills that I could talk about them for hours.

[@Usmcnco]

16:00 with the stormlight archive

[@tol_ghost]

Such a good series, ive been listening to wind and truth

[@Jpingman]

Life before death

[@schiapu]

Strength before weakness

[@xerveeon]

Journey before destination.

[@mrravinraven]

What is the most important step a man can take?

[@surfinggarchomp2820]

Just wanted to say, you’re really good at telling stories in a way where I get all of the tension and everything. Keep up the great work!

[@zagobelim]

To be able to enjoy that which is flawed, quite a life lesson we have here

[@sanguiniusszuiriel4984]

Your channel, and tale foundry, are my two favorite channels to brainstorm writing ideas to, and how I wake up in the morning whenever you post new videos. Keep it up bud, you do wonders for my mental health, and I’d be surprised if I was the only one.

[@AssasinZorro]

Every game is flawed, even the best ones The saying "a game is never finished, only released" has its origins in the reality that you can do anything but you can't do everything. I could point to several or many flaws in the games I love with my whole heart

[@christiang1781]

The eternal struggle of every engineer

[@atakji_art]

I think about this moment in Control a lot. Like you I have played Control before playing Alan Wake because my best friend showed it to me with the words: wanna play something confusing? He never played Control or Alan Wake himself at this point but heard about this confusing game and watched me play it when I started. He sadly wasnt there with me when I encountered this beautiful "music level" so I looked up a video and sent it to him and I remember that he was even more confused. I dont understand 100% of everything that is happening in this game but this sequence is something you just understand through the atmosphere. There are no words that explain this moment, it's just the music, the atmosphere and the gameplay that work so well together

[@Miycu]

I sort of disagree with the characterisation of 1000XResist, part of what's impressive to me about that game is how effective a storytelling and emotional instrument it is while at the same time being 100% megajank the whole way through with no exceptions. I wouldn't describe any of its scenes as flawless but they are often unreasonably compelling.

[@chucklebutt4470]

Hekki Allmo, homie

[@halfricansaint7727]

Just wanted to drop a comment and say that this was a great video. No hot takes and clickbait/ragebait tactics, but an honest celebration at what makes the video game medium an art form worthy of investing time in. Well-edited and eloquently said. This was my first video on your channel, but I’m absolutely subscribing.

[@TS015-III]

This reminds me of this one mission in Dying Light 2 which i think stands far above the rest of the game, which is climbing the VNC tower (tallest building in the game). Everything really comes together, the level design, the sense of speed, the music, the visuals. It really got my blood pumping and makes me wish more of the game was like that level. I enjoyed Dying Light 2 on release but it definitely had its fair share of problems but that level alone is one of my favourite levels in gaming ever.

[@austins.2495]

I’m replaying Ghost of Tsushima right now, to me this entire game is flawless 🙏

[@jacobwilkinson5479]

The 1000xresist bit reminds me of the structure and feelings I had playing “Return of the Obra Dinn” the feeling of being able to experience a story not just in a nonlinear fashion by what is physically accessible but being able to understand the story through snapshots of a physical scene that you have to investigate and interpret yourself. There is minimal explanation from the game to present the story to you, you have to find whatever you want to understand. The game itself is very good overall, though I do find its lack of handholding does make the game suffer during the tutorial as it is hard to interpret core mechanics/tools to make your detective work functional. Also, I actually found that control clicked for me and really enjoyed the whole thing (though I totally get the criticism) but the ashtray maze will always stick out as one of the top gaming moments of my life, and gave me one of my favourite songs.

[@Well_Meaning]

Honestly NieR Replicant is designed such that most people WON'T get it. It has something it wants to say and it blatantly doesn't care whether or not you stick around to listen.

[@kaishido6698]

This has to be one of your best videos imho, Daryl. The writing is pristine and your current skills shine best in format like these where you do so much with so little. It shows how much you've improved all these years. Props to you, happy holidays and looking forward to seeing your content in 2025!