Johnny vs. The Hotline Miami Series

In today's episode, I attempt to understand what Hotline Miami wants to show me without taking any sort of illegal substances.
The Hotline Miami series doesn't ask for much. Just kill things. How does it stack up an Indie title, though?
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[@ttv0]

I think you missed the entire point of the games

[@maltheeghenriksen6799]

ttv0 You said it

[@walrider2133]

It's a game review, not a plot review. He did miss it, but with Hotline Miami being the colorful acid induced kill fest that it is, it can be easy to miss the story and Jacket's arc.

[@pigeondamigion569]

+Ethan Roberts in the gameplay not the story

[@CrissAssasin7]

@MisterGein213 The plot is a part of the game. If you review a game, you review the whole package. You don't just skip a part of the game.

[@areeeeon]

@MrMcCoGo So games that have you look for clues to find out about the true story have bad plots? Just pay attention to the times and you'd know whats going on, for example, 2 levels take place on the same date and if you pay attention to that you can see why certain things happen

[@ulriksonne5697]

calling hotline miami mindless action is like calling metal gear solid mindless stealth

[@KidSnivy69]

+ulrik Sonne Don't get your nickers in a knot

[@mikeanthony3300]

Yeah I kind of wish Johnny gave Hotline Miami more of a chance to explain its self. But looking back I can kind of see what Johnny means. If you want to understand the story, gameplay, and the characters you might as well read a wiki. This game clearly isn't for everybody.

[@BuddypalVideoCorner]

Barging into Russian Mobsters' places and beating the shit out of everyone in there isn't mindless fun?

[@superplasmagamer9295]

but it is mindless who

[@CrissAssasin7]

@Super Plasma Gamer That says more about you than the game

[@TheStolken]

Eh, I don't think the plot's that hard to follow. The game certainly gets away with a lot of symbolism but it's not too difficult to figure out what's going on.

[@ShadowLady1]

Stolken I love you.

[@SomecallmeJohnny]

TheStolken Oh I get the story, but I don't understand the message. Interpreting Hotline Miami is kinda like viewing a work of art that some people get and some people don't. I unfortunately don't.

[@KidSnivy69]

Sandwich analogy

[@AfroMetalMizu]

TheStolken Agreed. And you have good taste in anime characters.

[@TheStolken]

AfroMetalMizu This guy gets it.

[@XradicalD]

I must say this review was rather, empty compared to your, "every other" review. Hotline miami's description relies mostly in whatever interpretation of the game the player had, at least on the story. HM's story focuses more on the aspect of "you enjoy violence, you don't even need a reason (a history) to go on", and that's what the "jacket" (1st protagonist) story focuses, just enjoying the mass murder with neon colors and blasting music. Then the player "questioning" comes into play when playing as "biker", why did I do all of this? Was it for nothing? Was there a reason for this? With the first ending, the "people behind it" just ask you if you "enjoy" the murder, almost 4th wall breaking, and it ends like so. However, if you wanna get the secret ending you must do a rather excruciating set of "secret item gathering" just to try to see if there's anything to get from all of it, on which you get a rather generic "patriotic reasoning" from it, which just shows how much we try to look for answers, as simple as they may be. There's a lot of discussion regarding the story of hotline miami, plenty of theories. If you, the reader, are interested into looking for more of it, go to the wiki or the reddit page, I think the "story" of Hotline Miami is really interesting. (BTW I think the "I'm doing drugs" was almost everyone's explanation to HM1 story, so they made what really take drugs means in HM on the second game, or so they say)

[@SomecallmeJohnny]

XradicalD I'm glad you can read into it like that, and I'm happy to hear there discussions over that sort of thing, but different strokes for different folks. What some people can see as a thrilling narrative, I see an ultimately pointless endeavor with simple gameplay. Hotline Miami plays fine, but I don't see the appeal of the story. Not sure what that says about me, but I won't lose sleep over it. There are plenty of other games to play.

[@SomecallmeJohnny]

Blaze Howard Hey dude, I take no offense. This just isn't my sort of game. The fact that you were able to lay down the plot like you did shows that there's something here to enjoy, and I'm glad you were able to see it. Cheers!

[@KidSnivy69]

You remember his Journey review? This should give you an idea on his thought on interpretation stories, the sandwich analogy?

[@SpicyChickenGodAJ]

SomecallmeJohnny Hey man, you loved the soundtrack, and in the end that's all that really matters.

[@SpicyChickenGodAJ]

Blaze Howard Yay! I feel loved! Seriously, I feel like a duck outta water in these comments. I'm used to the confusion, but people actively hating Hotline Miami. Is... weird... like I thought these games even if you didn't understand what the fuck was going on, were highly praised games. EDIT: Something something, Thick Skin. Something, something, going to get that Miami Mutilator.

[@kuanlee8098]

I didn't find these games repetitive at all. If anything, getting killed and coming back to try again put me in such a blood thirsty trance that I would play for four hours in one sitting and not even notice the time.

[@KidSnivy69]

That's not everyone's experience

[@kuanlee8098]

I could be a psychopath.

[@KidSnivy69]

***** Never said that

[@theswitchback2760]

Waiting for that jump scare at the end of this video and nothing. Goddammit Johnny. XD

[@axolotlz3111]

Switchback Designs I'm watching it as I type this.

[@Junedude433]

Ben Miller k

[@sanfransiscon]

Switchback Designs I'm glad he didn't. I have yet to watch a video about FNAF4 because I get so jumpy!

[@Minusoh]

Switchback Designs Nah, he's better than that. At least I'm pretty sure he is.

[@Spamus]

Switchback Designs Trust me, the last thing we need in THIS video is a FNaF 4 jumpscare. FNaF 4 is actually kinda scary, and the jumpscares definitely do their job.

[@okagron]

I would play a game made by Kefka.

[@jakexspace3342]

***** Maybe he would let us suplex the train that Sora used to fight with Rock Titan. That would be awesome xD

[@jakexspace3342]

***** That would be cool too, we didn't have any knew FF in KH series since Zack in BBS, I definitly would want to see some more characters from FFIV in KHIII, I mean Setzer was OK in KHII, but i would prefer seing Sabin,Edgar, Celes, Terra or Locke.

[@jakexspace3342]

***** Actually i wouldn't mind if they put Lighting or Sahz.

[@onesonicguy]

+Jack Noir You mean it isn't? I couldn't tell with all of the random shit that Nomura kept putting into the series.

[@onesonicguy]

Palom and Porom for Kingdom Hearts III please! An appearance by Terra and/or Celes would be cool too!

[@TheForsakenEagle]

Moral of the game: violent video games are fun.

[@thokus9012]

Moral of the game: Don't answer your phone

[@thokus9012]

Moral of the game: Don't answer your phone

[@areeeeon]

Moral of the game: Kill everyone til the military does the one thing to stop you

[@jamiemanning4944]

Morals of the game: Violence leads to nothing other than more violence and suffering, "masks" can be used to disassociate from terrible actions, many things are out of your control and no matter how hard you try you can't change everything, revenge and anger can make us do stupid things, ect.

[@captainmega6310]

@@jamiemanning4944 Moral of this comment: games are too pretentious for tiny brains like me

[@dylanmaycry2211]

WELL THAT ENDING SURPRISED ME Here I was expecting AVGN Adventures, and then the damn bear shows up again,

[@berpipo]

i predict that many comments bitching about FNAF 4 will be posted.

[@KiraMisora]

pipo berber Neh i don't think so. Nobody will be bitching about FNAF 4 because it is a good game and that's a fact. Everybody however, will be bitching about FNAF Fanbase because they are like Bronies v2.

[@onesonicguy]

Don't ever put bronies and the FNAF fan base in the same sentence again. They are two separate entities.

[@KiraMisora]

onesonicguy They more similar to each other than you think. Actually, putting Sonic Fanbase in the same sentence would make sense too but since we're not talking about sonic here i'll just forget about them. Anyway lately MLP fanbase has became slightly more tolerable because they stopped spamming their ponies everywhere they could. Unlike FNAF fanbase who keeps spamming about their beloved FNAF, demanding youtubers to play FNAF4 like it's some kind of holy grail of video gaming wherever they can.

[@berpipo]

Bolo strangely, i've never seen the comments of any of those fanbases (exept the sonic one because i am part of it). i just read anti comments about them.

[@berpipo]

Bolo also even if they are good games, popularity back clash is always big, just look at the frozen back clash.

[@BrainScratchComms]

I didn't even get as far as feeling uncomfortable, myself. I just tried to pick up Hotline Miami a few times and found I didn't really enjoy its visual aesthetic and gameplay, so I filed it away in the "not for me" category and called it a night. I didn't exactly spend any money on it, though, it was another PS+ freebie, so I don't feel especially disappointed, either. I actually find the plot (as it's been explained to me) fairly clever in an artsy sort of way, but I'm totally comfortable observing that element from afar rather than experiencing it by actually playing the game, in this case. - Lewis

[@Minusoh]

BrainScratch Commentaries I find it slightly amusing that you comment that via BrainScratch rather than your own account. Was it just a mutual opinion between all four of you?

[@Spamus]

TheRPGirl I imagine not, since this is a comment on JOHNNY'S review of the game.

[@Spamus]

BrainScratch Commentaries When are the Sonic Unleashed, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Metroid Zero Mission, and Final Fantasy VII commentaries gonna come out?

[@onesonicguy]

...IX...Final Fantasy IX...not VII...

[@Minusoh]

Spamus - ? I was referring to _how_ he made the comment; through the group's channel instead of his own. I was wondering (jokingly, mind you), if Ted and Ryan had the same opinion as Lewis in this comment to warrant using the group channel. Maybe I should've specified who in the group. Sorry.

[@The_Muznick]

the intro to this video PERFECTLY sums up everyone's first experience with these two games

[@CitpostShentral]

OH GOD DAMMIT ANOTHER FNAF GAME

[@T18002]

U mad?

[@Zumabdeen]

The S.E.A. I like how John ended the review, being surprised & telling Elliot to work on it.

[@KiraMisora]

Bats23 Everybody except FNAF fans are.

[@thegreengecko7509]

FNAF it's like call of duty... But worse, somehow, I didn't think that was possible

[@ChimpManZ1264]

The S.E.A. This one seems a bit more fresh. They have come home with you!

[@mcili9161]

The Raging Bull mask is a reference to the movie Raging Bull, which was entirely in black and white.

[@HubPie3]

*Sees Mega Man shirt Johnny's wearing* Badass shirt, John. :) ... What the fuck did I just watch...?

[@crystalqueen9711]

Good question!

[@TheSkully343]

Hub Hikari WAIT WE CAN'T STOP HERE!! This is Bat country.

[@JSparkysteel]

A youtube video by Somecallmejohnny.

[@KidSnivy69]

I'm still trying too figure out out

[@Da_ComputerMonster]

Id recommend the first one, personally. I like it more then the sequel.I love the simple mechanics, I love the masks, and I love the music/artstyle. The story is....present.... but its kind of one of those "piece it together" type of games. I like games like that. FYI, its hard. like REALLY hard.

[@xLithiumFlower1]

The story isn't that confusing. With 1, the first 3 chapters are the character's memories and his psyche recalling the events that happened up until the end of chapter 3 where he got shot by another masked killer and got placed into a coma. Hotline Miami 1 starts off directly as you go into a coma, you come back to reality in Trauma, you'll notice after this level you no longer visit the Richard room or see dead people in the world anymore. 1985: Hotline Miami 2 explains that the Cold War erupted into an invasion of Hawaii and US troops were sent to fight it. There's a special team in that war known as the Ghost Wolves which the character from 1 is a part of, after an event half of the team is wiped out. The remaining two soldiers got sent home, the Beard soldier to San Fran, and the protagonist from 1 back to Hawaii. Soon after San Francisco was nuked by the Soviets to end the war (like Hiroshima). 1989(Hotline Miami 1 events): years later and Russia has a lot of control of US territory and a group of nationalists known as the 50 Blessings force people to go out and commit hate crimes on the Russians, most importantly the Russian Mafia to raise tensions between the two countries. The character from 1 is involved in these and becomes the poster boy of the ordeal due to him killing a lot of people and surviving longer than anyone else, he soon is arrested after he killed the leader of the Russian Mafia. 1991 (Most of Hotline Miami 2): 2 years later and tension within the country is bad, there's a lot of hate crimes done towards innocent Russian citizens, families getting burned alive for example. The president of Russia and the US President plan to meet soon to discuss matters and ways to stop the violence and make this a better land for all. During their meeting they are both assassinated by a US General (the one who commanded the Ghost Wolves and the one who started the 50 Blessings, he wasn't very accepting of the loss of the war and especially at how we became slaves to Russia.) With the US already on thin ice, Russia sends out a series of nukes towards the US as a result of the President's death and end the country. It's not said what places get destroyed but it's safe to say either every major city or most of the country, this is the Cold War we're talking about here Hotline 1 focuses on a character's struggles and ordeals from an event he's forced into, and 2 focuses on the issues of Nuclear War and nationalism. 1 likes to glorify violence, 2 punishes violence.

[@firstmategiddy]

I respect trying to help, but saying it's not that confusing and then writing multiple paragraphs explaining it seems a bit hypocritical

[@energeticyellow1637]

@@firstmategiddy HM1's story was pretty easy to follow, but HM2 is where it does start to get a little convoluted and you might not get it until your second playthrough.

[@darthvaderreviews6926]

Johnny, you really ought to get all the collectable puzzle pieces in the 1st game. It's not a pointless collectable- If you collect them all and combine them in the correct order in the menu, then do a small amount of other stuff, you get a secret ending revealing the purpose around all that stuff and revealing a LOT about the story. You'll probably start to get a grasp on the plot if you get that secret ending :)

[@Dr.Indalecio]

Oh god damnit already HEY ELLIOT WHAT FIVE NIGHTS A FREDDYS 4 IS OUT ALREADY WORKING ON IT. Me: Dying of laughter

[@sterlingmuse5808]

You should have seen their reaction when it came out like a week after they released the first review of that series XD

[@hellblazer1086]

Hotline: Miami may be the greatest anti-drug PSA ever made.

[@Some_RandomYoutuber]

I only disagree with this review, other videos you made are great. and you didn't really seem to dig into the story of hotline miami and rushed through it. The main character in the first game is jacket, jacket gets calls from a group known as 50 blessings. jacket have to do tasks for this group or else they'll do really bad things to jacket. Go watch the videos from SquatchGamingChannel to get a clear understanding of the story and the game. and i wish you would go in depth with the story and i understand you're not into these types of games but i do respect your opinion.

[@Obscure_man31]

Razor Vermillion ladies and genttalmen we found the guy who respects the reviewer's opinions

[@omnisel]

But this is exactly my problem with the plot in this game and the people who are saying this is an awful review for him not covering the plot. This game does not have good storytelling when for you to understand and enjoy it you have to do extra research or watch a 30 minute explanation video.

[@junkyardcrow1748]

What a bare-bones review, Johnny. I guess I expected a bit much, since you're pretty good at going in-depth, but this just feels empty.

[@Obscure_man31]

I Remember Nothing. As he said its really not his cup of tea

[@sterlingmuse5808]

He does a great job when he cares about the game, either because of its good parts or because of its bad parts. However, personally I still like this review, because of how honest it is.

[@swampet5457]

He didn't look in depth at anything or even try to learn the characters names. He mentions Evan at one point (the writer) who is actively referred to as Evan multiple times throughout the 2nd game, and couldn't be bothered to recall it. His attempts at humour fell flat (can someone tell me why he dumped water on his head?), and he claimed that story takes a back seat, when it simply just takes a bit of reflecting on what you've been told and what this implies. "There's a psychopathic mutilator on the run and there were cuff marks on the last victim. Also this police guy i'm playing as had a guy taped up in the back of his car, and not in the arrested sense...." It seems like Johnny took the game at face value and refused to look beneath the surface, which is fine. He's not obliged to please us fans, and he certainly doesn't have to read up on things if he doesn't want to, but calling it an honest review would be like if someone read the story of Mario, didn't play the game itself, then wrote a review of the whole game without further intel. It's a little incomplete is what i'm saying, but again (let me repeat) that's fine, he can do as much or little research as possible on a game as he's only targeting this sort of review at the sort of person who won't look past what's handed to them, and if the casual player isn't going to, then there's no point in him talking about it or even looking into it himself.

[@Obscure_man31]

Swampet the water joke is that he couldnt handle all the colors on the screen. As I said this is not jhonnys cup of tea and if he's not into it or not care he will be honest about it that s why I like him as a reviewer he's honest about his opinion on the game.

[@walrider2133]

How do you expect him to go in-depth with something that he barely understands?

[@YuukitheMighty1]

I literally just finished this game an hour ago and I still have no idea what the fuck I just played. I don't care, I want more of it.

[@AlluMan96]

I loved playing Hotline Miami 1. In the end, I found the stealthy approach to be a bit un-reliable. It hinged on too many alternatives and whenever I felt like I was doing fine, I suddenly found myself dead because some factor didn't click in. My best approach was a mad dash. I would look around for just the right timing so that I could clear a room or 2 fluintly and gracefully. Getting past some levels felt like rehersing a dance, getting it just right being a wonderful feeling. Something like Smash TV isn't able to produce this simular kind of feeling, as Smash TV is all about crowd-control, picking out the largest threats 1st and a luck of the draw for those power-ups, moreso than the randomizer in HM. I think the story of 1 is rather paramount to the experience. The whole game really does feel like a fever dream, amplified by how the story emulates all of that by making it feel like just moments of clarity in a miazma of chaos. One of the few games I feel is enriched while entoxicated. 2 made the mistake of trying to be clearer about it's story. Focusing to sit itself down to tell you a narrative. It doesn't quite mesh with the mindless meaninglessness that the gameplay captures, making a more distorted experience that doesn't know what it really wants to be. Doesn't help that the broad level design completely fucked up any of that flow shit I talked about, as potshots from across the stage became such a bigger risk. You were almost forced to always take care of enemies the same way. Funnel em' up at a door and shoot. The soundtrack is especially expensive, because I think the thing is actually comprised of a few licenced tracks as well. Pieces not made with the game in mind. That would already jack it up higher than usual.

[@AlluMan96]

Blaze Howard Strictly speaking of my own experiences, of course. Doing these organized, only psuedo-improvised sprints through each given area was the only way that I was able to get through it. That's actually one of the problems of Miami 2. I feel like that game is way less encouraging to multiple styles of play. It seemed more like the levels were just desinged to be played the 1 way and doing it any other way is less encouraged.

[@ParrotMan01276]

I'm with Johnny on this one. I get the story so far, but even then I don't really know how to interpret the symbolism just yet. And this is a guy who loves and got the most out of Killer7. It might come to me later, but...I can only play it in small bursts.

[@el9634]

This is actually the worst review of this franchise I've ever seen. From somebody who loves this franchise and understands the lore and loves it to bits. I tried to watch this form a unbiased and neutral point of view, not from a fanbody pov. Yet it still has to be said its awful. Its like if a casual movie go'er was to review drive without actually using their brain.

[@AsianTheDomination]

drive was boring

[@ivangambino4135]

Honestly

[@ivangambino4135]

Also drive was amazing

[@theluigifan1]

You didn’t really say why it was awful. You just talked about your own personal stance and then used a painfully bad analogy (That may or may not have been thrown in to insult Johnny’s intelligence simply because he didn’t get the same experience out of it as you did) to tear down an otherwise decent review. I could buy this comment more if you gave actual reasons as to why this review is, as you said “the worst review of this franchise I’ve ever seen”. But you didn’t even do that much. You just made a tall statement against somebody who didn’t see something the way you did and it’s not fair. It’s not like he said the games were bad or anything. He even complimented the music and aesthetic. I don’t really care if this comment is 2 years old, this was a seriously assholic comment to make and you could’ve easily expressed your dislike of the review without resorting to bold statements like that. I seriously don’t get what you and everybody else in this comments section’s damage is, you can express your distaste with something without being a total asshole about it, it’s not that fucking hard.

[@user-vp6cq4sv3d]

theluigifan1 The review should have been self explanatory, assuming you haven't dedicated any time into hotline miami which you need to do in order to understand how baseless the review is. For a start, no not everyone besides Evan Wright is fucked up and od'ed.

[@CykaBlyatAlex]

I'll admit i had the guilty pleasure of playing Hotline Miami as soon as i got it and didn't let it go until i got every trophy so every time i sat and played i was just playing hotline Miami not caring if it was repetitive i loved it.

[@Ultrapyre]

GAAAAAAAAAH. I don't blame Johnny's flustered splutters when trying to explain Hotline Miami's story. Just looking at this makes me feel like I've taken unhealthy addictive drugs, it's enough to make ANYONE feel woozy.

[@onesonicguy]

I was unaware that playing Smash Bros. and Kingdom Hearts made me feel like I was on a acid trip every time I started them.

[@onesonicguy]

1. I own the 3DS version of Smash, so I don't have Hyrule Castle. Plus, R.O.B.s are rare to come by anyways, and are a pain in the ass to fight when they are. 2. At least in Kingdom Hearts and Smash, I don't feel like I've been taking PCP the entire time and are actually fun games to play.(actually, all games could be considered acid trips when you put it that way)Plus, it doesn't make me feel like I could get a seizure at any moment by all of the weird imagery and flashing colors and lights. This to me feel like nothing more than a glorified blood bath, and I'm not a fan of it. You know, I've seen you in almost every comment thread on this video that has something to say about this game. Any reason for that?

[@PandaSannin]

You know, I'm with Johnny on this. The gameplay of HM is fun though it can sometimes feel unfair and while the story isn't hard to understand, it's the interpretation of it that has my head scratching. The soundtrack is probably the best thing about the game honestly.

[@ComedyFakerLp]

I got really into the story and i got mind blown one of my favorite games so far

[@robertparker6280]

That opening is basically describes what you'll be feeling once you complete a level.

[@boodle399]

why is everyone talking about Five nights at goddman Freddy's 4? Does Hotline Miami look like FNAF 4?

[@Mohammed-yt7iz]

Boo Fire Did you by any chance watch the end of the video?P.S not trying to be rude just asking.

[@boodle399]

mohammed bluelighting Yes, and that was like a 2 second preview. I think people should talk about the actual game being reviewed instead of FNAF.

[@Mohammed-yt7iz]

Ok I see Bye :D

[@golbezchaoslord]

***** or when 90% of comments are unrelated, jokes, or hate/flame comments.

[@Kapenguin448]

The first game was great and I love that style, but I agree with playing in shorter bursts. After a while, you start getting more easily frustrated at dying over and over, especially on the later levels.

[@ll1844]

both of these games are awesome. Great gameplay, challenge, music, atmosphere, and even story

[@GMR_NSTLG]

If you never beat the secret ending you will never understand the game

[@syrup3438]

Hotline Miami 2 hard mode. Now that's fucking hard

[@kristijanceman4418]

Nothing really matters at the end. We all die.

[@charlesstrong322]

Am I the only one who feels like I should play Vice City after this?

[@lucas9114]

Jackets in a coma dream for half the first game

[@thecasualgamer3324]

The Ending Couldn't have been better 😄 lol

[@sresbombastic]

The second the lights went off i just found myself screaning ooooooooo for twenty seconds.

[@toonzach2870]

Literally anyone who's regularly watched Johnny for years knows that he looks at games from a very general standpoint. How is he supposed to deep dive into something he doesn't fully understand? The story just didn't grab him. It's really not a big deal.

[@davidjackson9680]

And it’s a bloody game most games like that tend to not give a shit about plot because the gameplay is so good most of the comment from those years back just come off as pretentious and whiny

[@kaef0rkind]

The trophy is called "That's it?" 'cause that's not the true ending. Although I'm not sure which one I liked better, they both have something going for them. Hotline Miami was very abstract, while also having a mostly coherent plot, and was pretty genius in that regard. It was more like a dream experience than a straight action flick, of course, and some parts are more open to interpretation than others. And it talks a lot about itself being a video game. Still, it's a self-contained experience. HM2, on the other hand, revels in its lore and hands it to you out of order, Pulp Fiction style. With Dennaton (the developers), you can never be too sure if they mean it or if they mock it. I like to see the changed style of storytelling in HM2 as both. On one hand, it really tries to create a bigger picture for itself and its prequel, on the other hand it seems they wanted, through plot and level design, make sure that nobody will ever ask for another sequel. (Or, as Richard puts it: "Leaving this world is not as painful as it sounds.") ...and now I'm confused. Where was I going with this comment? Oh well. The thing is: I really like Johnny's videos, I like them a lot. But I think reviewing games that strongly rely on plot and atmosphere is not exactly his strong point.

[@buffoonustroglodytus4688]

Yeah. He basically just said "the story is shit because I don't get it."

[@KidSnivy69]

Johnny has made it clear he isn't much for interpretation in a story, and it not a big deal. Not everyone will care about interpretation some just want a simple story.

[@jaredargento1511]

@@buffoonustroglodytus4688 Something someone else in this comment section has said: “Literally anyone who’s regularly watched Johnny for years knows that he looks at games from a very general standpoint. How is he supposed to deep dive into something he doesn’t fully understand? The story just didn’t grab him. It’s really not a big deal.”

[@buffoonustroglodytus4688]

@@jaredargento1511 why are you replying to a 9 year old comment dude

[@Y2Kingma]

So is this review missing... background music?

[@coffee9172]

John, please have mercy on Scott's soul

[@KitaxNekoSama57]

max rio I hope he doesn't. I hope he rips apart that game for the cash grab it is.

[@5carecrow94]

Mephiste Sulfurion ^^^ This guy gets it.

[@gracismart]

It's not that bad. It's actually very different from the other ones. It doesn't look rushed at all.

[@DarkPaladinX77]

Mephiste Sulfurion Explain how it's a "cash grab" because it really honestly isn't. Is Scott charging like 20 dollars per game or so? No. Is he making tons of DLC for each game then having a season pass that costs nearly as much as the game? No. Is his DLC for FNAF4 not free? Yes it is. Is he using the same engine which allows him to create the games quicker but with different mechanics? Yes. You only think it's a cash grab because it has a a huge fan base and any KZbinr that makes a video on it is sure to get easy views on it. In which...they're making most of the money probably, not Scott himself.

[@DarkPaladinX77]

Blaze Howard Actually I did forget to mention that. The guy donated a fuck ton of his money. Do you see the developers of CoD or something doing that? Nope.

[@VEZOK54]

Can someone tell me where 2:57 is from? I played through the entire games and I have never seen this level before..

[@jorgeruiz6855]

Vezok Neema it's a bonus level, I think you get it with the secret ending.

[@guywhoneveruploads4686]

As a Hotline Miami fan, no this isn't so much a drug game, but you're more or less hallucinating. I honestly love the first game due to the fact that Jacket is my favorite character in the series, and the mask system is a cool feature (Carl is the best mask) But for Hotline Miami 2, it's better in terms of plot and characters, but gameplay felt a bit like a dick move at times (I fucking hate Beard's levels and Demolition, seriously, FUCK THOSE LEVELS)

[@iceyfrost2241]

yeah hlm 2 is cool story but not gameplay :/

[@ladyoftheworlds]

Hotline miami's story is great if you can figure it out, pay attention to the dates and it won't actually make sense until you play both games

[@KidSnivy69]

And for some people it's not worth figuring out

[@CyberBolt21]

3:14 John's PSN profile picture is Bentley... I see what you did there

[@noahdoney]

Hotline Miami 1 and 2 actually has a pretty deep story, it just leaves a lot of things unanswered.

[@jaredargento1511]

The amount of people that are pissed at this review is frankly absurd. Johnny doesn’t write his reviews based on what other people think. He writes them based on what HE thinks! And if the game expects you to go out of your way to make any real sense of the story, is it really any surprise that Johnny couldn’t say much about the story when he has to get his videos out in a somewhat timely manner? Besides, like he said in his review of Journey, he’s not the type of person who’s going to offer his big interpretation of a game’s story when it’s not clear-cut. Like, seriously, why the hell do you feel so damn entitled?! Learn to accept that not everybody is going to like the same things that you do and that they’re not wrong for feeling the way that they do! Jesus Christ.

[@moonraven6145]

honestly, seeing the gameplay without hearing the amazing soundtrack is... actually pretty depressing.

[@mason1775]

I LOVE HOW YOU DON'T DIVE INTO THE LORE. And yes, it's there. It does require the 2nd game. The Soldier, The Fans. The General.

[@zxinsWorld]

Well the guy who made the soundtrack also made one of my favorite games of all time, he's an amazing composer.

[@lordcrayzar]

You have some whiny fans.

[@garryhume12]

john your videos just keep getting better and better and that outro litterally made me laugh which is summin ive not done in one of your videos for a while now keep up the great work

[@SwiftyStardust]

That ending made me laugh so hard

[@NihonNiv]

People who have never done drugs have such a cute, naive and unrealistic vision of drugs. It's adorable, really.

[@JillLulamoon]

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed that you didn't seem interested in looking deeper into the narrative. I've noticed that in general you seem to prefer stories be up front and direct than open to interpretation. You more or less said so in your Journey review. I'm kind of the opposite, I LOVE Hotline Miami's surreal and vague approach to narrative, and thought it was a brilliant game. I view it as a creative approach to the whole issue of video game violence, questioning why the player enjoys inflicting such violence on pixels, if context to violence even matters, etc. It left me with an empty, depressed feeling (2 especially) which I really enjoyed, because it's rare a story makes me feel that way on purpose. Course' it's fine if it's not your thing Johnny! Great thing about being human is we have different opinions and viewpoints.

[@moonraven6145]

(spoilers) you were meant to collect the puzzle pieces in every level (yeah they don't tell you ) to get the "true ending" and understand what is loosely going on in the First game.

[@CometX-ing]

Good luck playing FNAF4, I heard it's not exactly easy to play, and not in a way that's at all your fault.

[@danielleighton4161]

What's with people thinking hotline miami 1 is an acid trip? There isn't any drugs involved. The only real drug trip is the last mission of the second game.

[@Obscure_man31]

The colors

[@bearnip]

No one can complain yearly release BECAUSE FNAF COMES FUCKING MONTHLY AND NO ONE CARES

[@bearnip]

Bniper S John if youre seeing this , do you still plan to review MGS?

[@abstractidiocy]

Bniper S It comes down to the strawpoll at the end of the marathon He told us during the earthbound livestream These are the Options Megaman X MGS Can't remember the last

[@bearnip]

Brandon suazo i can never seem to get on any of johns livestream because of the fucking time zones

[@abstractidiocy]

just stay up till midnight lol

[@EasilyBoredGamer]

Brandon suazo the last one is the mother series

[@mr.dudley3484]

I think this game is a "WTF am I looking at" sort of thing.

[@pairofsocks6164]

Anybody notice that there are more comments regarding FNAF 4 here than comments regarding Hotline Miami..?

[@gabejohnson6451]

For people who don't do drugs. Drugs are not like this. Being high isn't like that.

[@axolotlz3111]

Well... um... FNAF4 is out...

[@maciekx10]

***** That I did yound padawan

[@MARCSEIDis]

"How do I make this stop?"

[@ShadowLady1]

Johnny got wet.

[@sonicdude0115]

Fun.

[@Spamus]

Para Soul That's what she said.............................

[@ShadowLady1]

***** IN YOUR MIND

[@BrettWgoof]

Did you ever find all the letters? Because when you do you get the secret (real) ending.

[@ferdinandhlavac3842]

The first game is about a nameless veteran who is going insane, that's the corpses and they guy with the beard, intact half of the missions are either memories of dreams.The second game is multiple alternative universes, I can't explain it.

[@ttv0]

2 was not an alternate universe, it was continuing the first, the only alternate universe is when you play as the biker

[@MafiaGaming-cr2do]

Actually it might not be a alt universe with biker because there is proof that that's not how the fight actually went. And the second game takes place in the past present and future.

[@ttv0]

***** Biker has the scar from the fight, he was beaten but not killed, he took off to a desert after and returned in time to see Jackets trial

[@MafiaGaming-cr2do]

Yeah that's what I meant when I said that's not how the fight went.

[@clashmanthethird]

Don't think he was going insane, as most of the game is a coma dream.

[@SRGIProductions]

3:26 Then you're gonna LOVE the POSTAL series, Johnny. Oh, snap. Did I just spoil what I'm giving you for 2021's donator's marathon?

[@minecraftcreeperhero]

Scott troll cawthon

[@Grapefruit5000]

The story is actually pretty damn good. It leaves alot of room for interpretation and is pretty confusing but if you are focusing on the story then you will be surprised.

[@SQGReviewShow]

I guess this game is for hardcore gamers who want to feel uncomfortable.

[@SQGReviewShow]

***** I don't see how it was a shitty review of it. As gamers, we're not going to like all the universally acclaimed masterpieces of today. And he did articulate his points very well. He never expressed scorn for the game.

[@SQGReviewShow]

***** This Friday, kind sir :) (DKC2 review)

[@SonicHunter]

I was honestly expecting a jump scare at the end of that. Especially after that Drowzee you pulled in the Leafgreen playthrough. Thank god I don't let my guard down.

[@lobstersteve6286]

I actually think that was the most honest review of hotline miami.

[@TanookiJosh]

I didn't realize it was the FNAF music at first, so I thought the Angry Video Game Nerd would come in and stay for the next episode.

[@SharpmanPrime01]

I wonder if Johnny will ever do a Mega Man X marathon.

[@KidSnivy69]

He said in the first Mega Man video he did that he plans to do all Mega Man series. And in Battle Networks his said he didn't plan on coming back to Mega Man till the X series. He'll get to it; but remember he has this channel, works on two commentary channels, occasionally does Collins and does animations for other channel. And has to have his own life outside of it, don't rush him.

[@lite64]

I think the Megaman X series is among his most requested games to review. I myself would like to see him review it.

[@lite64]

pat deondre Johnny actually likes X6.

[@onesonicguy]

And hates X3, which to this day confuses the everliving fuck out of me.

[@lite64]

Personal preference, I guess.I dont really see why someone would like X6 over any of the first 5, but oh well.

[@Chillpanes]

How come there was no music playing in the background? I wanted to hear some tracks from the game as you reviewed the game. Could you do that for AVGN Adventures?

[@LoyaLZX]

What the ACTUAL FUCK am I looking at?

[@Mohammed-yt7iz]

The LoyalBlur Hotline Miami that's what :3

[@abstractidiocy]

The LoyalBlur Dat Tatamote pic tho

[@MegaMaster1414]

Brandon suazo WataMote*

[@Jacket430]

The LoyalBlur Perfection?

[@lampsundae]

Johnny loves soundtracks so much, I'd love to see him play xenoblade.

[@TannerOfTheNorth]

Yeah, I never understood this game series. It's too edgy and subversive for me. Hell watching this makes me wanna pop in Kirby and fly away in a rainbow coloured dreamland.

[@ecbrd8478]

You know what they say, you can't have a rainbow without some red (Nobody says that)

[@TannerOfTheNorth]

Ecbrd That sounds like something some drugged up serial killer would say aka the primary targeted audience for this game

[@galacticspecter4364]

Oh who will protect the children from the tiny pixelated dead bodies? Seriously, maybe if it was Hatred Johnny was reviewing you would've sounded less delusional but Hotline Miami is nothing it terms of violence in videogames. By your logic, DOOM is a serial killer simulator.

[@TannerOfTheNorth]

Galactic Specter This isn't even about children, I as an adult don't feel the need to massacre people in realistic situations (Dynasty Warriors etc is a different story as it is cartoony and tongue in cheek). Doom is different as it's demons. It's also different as you are morally right - John McDoomGuy has to stop the demons to protect Mars/Earth/whatever. As Johnny said, this game makes you feel "uncomfortable", which isn't a bad thing for games as making you feel any emotion is a great thing, but for me, personally, I don't find it entertaining. If you do, by all means enjoy it! I won't ruin your fun. I'm just saying that for me, this is the antithesis of why I play video games.

[@TheSkully343]

***** PUSSY Man you just can't handle some hardcore shit yo Hotline Miami has everything you need Drugs GUNS drugs... that's all you need.

[@specknacken6507]

Phew. Almost thought you wouldnt talk about the soundtrack. Thats honestly all this series got for me. And the visuals maybe. Kinda expected a few mad dance skits for some sexy gif material (wink wink) but its cool. Nice job.

[@DragonRagovi]

6:54 Johnny..........why? I thought you already finished with those games.....

[@jaredargento1511]

So did he, but Scott Cawthon surprised everybody with the announcement of FNAF 4 and how quickly he finished developing it.

[@leon2550]

i feel like HATRED was trying to emulate this game in some way, anyone else?

[@mikeanthony3300]

HATRED tried to hard to be edgy and bloody. Hotline Miami wasn't just kill everything in sight. The characters of Hotline Miami kill for a reason. In HATRED you literally control a guy that just hates everything. Hotline Miami actually has a story. HATRED....doesn't.

[@clashmanthethird]

Hatred was just a ripoff of POSTAL 1

[@shoolktime2960]

#freddyfazbearcomesoutofnowhere #votefreddyfazbearforsmash

[@onesonicguy]

I hope to God, Jesus, and all that is holy that you're joking.

[@shoolktime2960]

nah, I'd rather have shrek in smash than freddy lol

[@smurfdaddy420]

#voteforsnake

[@Nerom99]

MonkeyBolt yes!

[@onesonicguy]

...#VoteforShantae?

[@ArtFenixAsordis]

Горячая линия? O_o In Russian? Is this the way it says it in the actual english version?

[@arbyw.1889]

Hatline Miemai

[@Triforce_of_Doom]

Love the ending hook. "Elliot!" "Yeah?" "FNAF 4 is out!" "Already working on it."

[@MrAnimeComicGamer316]

Hatred got all that backlash and this game got a pass.

[@MiloKuroshiro]

***** because it's justifaced, and good. And the point.

[@fargor1]

***** Beautiful isn't it?

[@maciekx10]

***** Becasue Hatred was used as click bait by large sites. It would have just faded away if it wouldnt have been for them

[@psyk2642]

MrRavano More like it's because hypocrisy.

[@AlexReyes-oj1wy]

Hotline Miami: You kill mobsters Hatred: You kill innocent civilians (Trailer is better than the game, though.)

[@sleepyeyedplumber]

I've noticed in recent vids there isn't a Machinima logo posted towards the end. Did SomecallmeJohnny sever ties with Machinima or something?

[@smugsneasel]

So I guess it's like the game "Hatred" but milder with more...story integration? I don't really get it either. All I know that the part with him outside is footage I might need in case I decide to do a "SomecallmeJohnny: the movie" sequel.

[@Geronimo98]

i know youre still on the indie showcase but are you ever going to review the metal gear solid series? maybe month of metal gear?

[@hawawa675]

There's a high chance that's coming soon, he hinted that he wants to do it this year at the end of his donater marathon

[@Nerom99]

ZakSinz He WILL at some point in time get to it, probably this year.

[@duoreview7492]

Man, this is not what I expected from the title... What a strange game...

[@thealmightybreadloaf8042]

Evan : Normal Person Everybody else : Drill in frontal lobe. Oh, and coke.

[@Fuzon-S]

So Johnny, you're ready 4 more Freddy? I'm not.

[@gamingdude2811]

Hold on, he is wearing a mega man shirt, the shirt has 3 robots on it..... Johnny vs. the megaman X trilogy confirmed!

[@spencers8491]

What about castle crashers? Or are you waiting for the xbox 1 remastered version in August?

[@neilyringworm]

I loved that the story caused debate and different theories. For that reason it does matter in my humble opinion. Great vid as always mate

[@SwagzLife]

It's pretty cool that my piano teacher knows the guy who made the soundtrack, I'd really like to meet him and learn some stuff, maybe. Making music is something I'm interested in and it would be awesome to get a chance to learn from someone who knows their stuff, haha.