Shovel Knight - Good NES Nostalgia (Zero Punctuation)

[@JonA-rd9jr]

The reason for spikes being an instant kill is that you can't put a bottomless pit on the ceiling.

[@l0stndamned]

You're obviously not trying hard enough. You can put a bottomless pit on anything if you're willing to put in the effort.

[@CarozQH]

You have not played Sonic Rush on the DS, that game actually has a LOT of bottomless pits on the ceiliing.

[@jbkjbk1999]

Surely if it's on the ceiling then it isn't a bottomless pit. Topless pit, perhaps. Oh my.

[@HarmonicVector]

CarozQH FUCK. ZONE. 7.

[@nerdyneedsalife8315]

Go home Sanic you're drunk.

[@matthewcarter919]

Every robot master has a weakness. Megaman is a robot master. His weakness is spikes.

[@rder2793]

Holy shit, that kinda makes sense I never thought of that

[@LeafShade]

@@lionocyborg6030 Water beats rock too.

[@averagebritishguy7082]

So that logically means that Spike Man exists out there somewhere.

[@Axl4325]

@@lionocyborg6030 true that, if you make an advanced state of the art robot I'm sure you're using good materials right? Like titanium, advanced alloys or something, not cardboard. Have you ever seen a tank bothered by spikes? Because I haven't, maybe the metal has something to do with it

[@Emily12471]

@@lionocyborg6030 uhhh you do know megaman isn't designed to utilize rocks but is more a megaman rock is just his actual name

[@Nmille98]

Shovel Knight? Biscuit Samurai? Fridge Viking? WAS YAHTZEE UNINTENTIONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR "FOR HONOR?"

[@advictoriamsshitposts8689]

Goddamnit I was rewatching this and was a year late to making this joke

[@Ribbons0121R121]

i think he mightve worked on that game acftually maybe idk

[@scaper12123]

Yahtzee's commentary on spikes: before and after Before playing Shovel Knight: "Oh, that's a rather good point. It does seem silly for spikes to be an instant kill." After playing Shovel Knight: "He was salty about Polar Knight. No question."

[@smashbrolink]

+scaper12123 There's a reason everyone is salty after Polar Knight. It's because his name is a distraction from the truth. What truth? That is not snow that he shovels around... It is the very salt he covers our spike-ridden death beds in.

[@caitdurl9111]

+scaper12123  That is because Polar Knight is an icy devil. Fuck Polar Knight. Fuck him and his ability to create spikey death traps. Fuck him with the spikes he creates. YES I AM A BIT SALTY ABOUT POLAR KNIGHT WHY DO YOU ASK. That being said... spikes being an instant kill is kind of irritating. It would have made more sense if they, say, shaved off half you health, making the game still challenging but not nipple-twistingly frustrating after you every so slightly brush against a small mass of them... but what do I know? I'm just salty :D:D:D

[@scaper12123]

Cait Durl I know Polar Knight is an icy devil. I fought him a dozen times to get all the achievements. And i've still yet to get the speedrun achievement for either character thanks to him. >:/ *saltsaltsaltsaltsaltsalt*

[@caitdurl9111]

scaper12123 Yeah, I have sadly been there. I was enjoying New Game Plus, ya know... riiiiight up until I realised, 'Oh yes, Polar Knight. Well, I'm fucked, aren't I?'.

[@dapperghastmeowregard]

+scaper12123 Pfft, Polar Knight was like the easiest fight, just spam invulnerability and shovel hop on him like everyone else- What, now I have to do that 8 times in a row? And my FOO strategy is no longer sufficient? Well then guess I'll take a break and get around to dealing with this brick wall approximately probably never.

[@hoodiesticks]

4:23 Wait, Zero Punctuation's script has punctuation! WHY WOULD YOU LIE TO US?!?!?

[@Lightscribe225]

For the sake of the "I'm a trifle miffed" line, I'm willing to overlook it.

[@jackyoung9373]

I'm overlooking it for the sake of the Red Dwarf line in this.

[@zyad48]

I'm overlooking it for the whole thing XD

[@CSLucasEpic]

Wait... I thought the "Zero Punctuation" was because he never gave points to games like other reviewers, or magazines, or websites, do when they review games.

[@anomimeso7009]

no zero punctuation is because he reads the script with almost zero pauses, usually caused by punctuation...

[@toshineon]

Loved the nostalgia argument. Like when people told me that I only enjoyed Final Fantasy VII because of nostalgia, and not because I genuinely thought it was a good game. I would have bought that argument if it wasn't for the fact that the first time I played through FFVII was *earlier this year*.

[@darezzi97]

Yeah. People also say that about Mega Man, but I just played it last summer!

[@DarkSlimeGod]

The only "nostalgia" factor for me would be Kirby and Pokemon. Past that I never played Megaman, Earthbound, Castlevania, the old Sonic games, etc.

[@crazzytom7499]

ff5 was better.

[@Real_The_Goof]

It's like he said near the end of the video.. a lot of people play games like this not for nostalgia, but because games like this do what other games don't do now days.

[@crazzytom7499]

***** too true, ff5 beat out most of the others because of its HUGE class system. something i wish more rpg games did.

[@darkartsdabbler2407]

"Old stuff does stuff you want that new stuff doesn't do" Every year this is more and more relevant. I seem to grow resentful towards the games industry with renewed vigour every day

[@Ribbons0121R121]

like "generic shooter everyone yells at me to play for the nth time" or the classic "oversaturated indie game market"

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

Let's all laugh at the industry That never learns anything, tee hee hee

[@dudester5334]

At least from software hasn’t disappointed me yet

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

There actually were a few games on the NES that managed to have parallax scrolling. They were few and far between because the system didn't natively support it. They had to do a lot of work to get the effect.

[@MDWhiteOut]

"Is it still nostalgia if you play old games not to relive happier memories long passed, but because old stuff does stuff you want that new stuff doesn't do?" That is actually a very good point, some old games are nice in that they are challenging experiences instead of mildly interactive movies. I'd say people who are looking for a challenge could benefit from being told that they fucked up through the use of a proper "GAME OVER" screen instead of getting a mulligan for the umpteenth time. It's like building a house of cards: where's the fun in holding it together with tape?

[@stalectos]

the fun in holding a house of cards together with tape is finding out where to put the tape and finding tape strong enough to not fall apart but the still lets you see as much of the house as possible. oh and random jackasses cant walk into whatever room you put it in and knock it down for the lolz (as easily anyway).

[@linkno1]

stalectos If you're struggling to find tape strong enough to hold together a house of cards, your shopping abilities are obviously non-existent. You also put the tape on the edges of the short edges. But yea, your reply was a bad attempt at trying to either be; 1) funny 2) intellectual I'm unsure which you were going for...Or maybe you're just genuinely stupid and trying to give an honest tutorial on how to make a house of cards using tape.

[@stalectos]

linkno1 never made a house of cards myself and from personal experience most tape does lose sticking ability rather easily i also do now know the physics that hold a house of cards up in the first place so i wouldn't know where to place the tape for any degree of efficiency. that reply was intended to give an honest assessment of why you would tape a house of cards together and funny though it wasnt that funny i am kind of hit or miss like that usually miss and that is why i don't have a career in comedy.

[@smashbrolink]

stalectos Silence is golden. Duck tape is silver. Make use of both colors personally, and you'll have saved both yourself and the commentators in this section a lot of time and annoyance.:P

[@stalectos]

smashbrolink first off why do you comment on month old comments to basically tell people to shut up? and secondly because i feel like nitpicking commentator is someone who talks over a sport or e sport commenter is the word you where looking for. to help you remember commentators do commentary commenters post comments.

[@Igorcastrochucre]

And Yahtzee never reviewed another indie game by itself ever again, so much for that equality thing going on.

[@Rakshasa1986]

Fridge Viking is the fucking shit.

[@isaacsussman5632]

I feel biscuit samurai would be a little more entertaining.

[@Kemonokami]

+Jsidhu762 Sounds like a name for a rampaging sleep-eater.

[@soulpower132]

+Jsidhu762 Im still waiting for Box Gladiator

[@andregon4366]

+Jsidhu762 Dildo Spartan is 100 times better.

[@Kemonokami]

I prefer Garden Hose Cataphract.

[@ZetZatar]

Excellent points on the "nostalgia" argument! Good games are good games, PERIOD.

[@aelechko]

I’ve been saying this for years. Realistic graphics don’t equal fun. It just looks more real when you’re being bored. I’d wager maybe two of my top ten games of all time have (or had for the time) realistic graphics. Only ones that pop into mind are Metroid prime and mass effect 2.

[@Ribbons0121R121]

half life is older than the domgraphic for games today and yet such a good game the only thing showing its age is its appearance in fact id love to play it but the resolution issues prevent me from opening an options menu to amke the screen menus not so small they clip past the tiny window

[@weezact7]

Yes, but "good" has no inherently quantifiable value. It is ENTIRELY subjective. I suspect there was probably a lot of shit on display during what we call the retro-era of gaming. Maybe not as much as today because the industry hadn't yet found its money-making rut to fall into and the economy as a whole was better, both of which contributed to an era with more exploration, risk-taking, and innovation, because in a new market EVERYTHING is exploratory, innovative, and risky. The stuff that did well we remember, the stuff that didn't...we don't. Even back then, though, you have shitty games (I've got some NES and SNES cartridges at my parents' house of games I either never think about or only think about and go "oh man, we had some fun with that shit show, didn't we?") and the games that might be good on their own, but are points in a line of a bland, repetitive franchise. Sure, they weren't bland or repetitive at the time the first installment came out, but how many times can you reiterate the same formula before you admit it's a formula? (personally, I say twice. You can't call something new or innovative when you, personally, are doing it for a third time). So, I think it's going to go like any media industry. You have a lot of weird, exploratory stuff at the beginning, then it falls into a rut, people get sick of the rut and then it comes out of the rut, probably never as much as it did originally, and then it falls back into the next generation's rut. Subject, of course, to local economies. The US plays a big part in the industry and our economy is shit, so developers aren't going to spend money on risky endeavors. Every new, innovative idea, usually follows the same pattern. Someone makes a janky, original release with it which does poorly, then someone else comes along and tries it again with a better understanding of the successes and failures of the first one. This second one does much better, financially (sometimes it takes a few attempts to reach this point) and that sparks a legion of copy-cats. Doom, Minecraft, Final Fantasy, Mario, Warcraft, even Fortnight. They are all refinements of an original concept that made it big and now we see their genres as tired and hackneyed because they've been cloned so many times. I think the only difference is that the video games industry, today, has a much larger budget and has more chefs in the kitchen. You get more shitty and/or copycat games because you have more people involved making games as a means to make a living. While you probably have more genuinely passionate, innovative creators as well, the ratio is probably about the same, but you can only be exposed to so many things within a finite period of time and since the odds are that any game chosen at random (and the AAA industry does its best to ensure the games you are exposed to are NOT chosen at random. Their marketing strategies have also improved) is higher that you'll get an uninspired "paycheck" game, it feels like there's more shit games now than there was then.

[@TheLastLineLive]

The NES did have Parallax Scrolling. Some games like Kirby's Adventure and Metal Storm used it. It was pretty basic, granted, but was still there.

[@PsychoSoldier01]

downphoenix Also, Punch-Out

[@Poison_Dan]

Punch out didnt have scrolling...

[@TheLastLineLive]

Dan cruz I think he's referring to the scenes where you are jogging and your manager is on the bike. That does have parallax.

[@Poison_Dan]

Oh but you arent playing

[@TheLastLineLive]

Dan cruz it's still an effect used in that bit. It isn't prerendered, it is running in real time on the game.

[@thefalchion]

Killed me right from the start: "Shut your hypothetical face viewer, what the fuck do you know about pain?!" I have nothing to say for myself.

[@TheTravelerww]

I just realized I would love to see a For honor mod staring Shovel Knight, Biscuit Samurai and Fridge Viking

[@YahtzDehChannel]

"Wow this guy talks fast." *Sees the name Zero Punctuation* "oh"

[@pydoyd6r96dpydoyx]

For fucks sake, didn't even realise that...

[@timothyswanson8773]

I've been watching Yahtzee for years. Never realised this. WE MUST TELL THE PEOPLE!

[@tomjackal5708]

The people already know; the village idiots have just now come to the painfully obvious realization and the people can do naught but look on in pity.

[@GenericMechwarrior]

He also does play through series' on his own channel called "drown out...gametitle" they're pretty good.

[@thegardenofeatin5965]

Not anymore, unfortunately. I'm starting to miss Gabe.

[@Butterworthy]

I wanna play Biscuit Samurai....

[@joespicer849]

Pffft! Fridge Viking or GTFO >.

[@yelljayjay]

well atleast something tells me that if biscuit samurai was a thing it would have an FoV slider.

[@wheway33]

i think the 'Ninja bread man' game will have to suffice

[@SomeGuy32390]

I would totally hate biscuit samurai if it didn't have an FOV slider :3

[@SereneFlight]

Daniel Bryant Agreed... plus it should run min. 60FPS.

[@Mjmannella]

2:53 Yathzee predicts For Honor

[@yotamshitrit6820]

For anyone wondering, Spikes differ from bottomless pits because spikes can be placed on walls or ceiling and Shovel Knight can become invulnerable and walk on spikes briefly.

[@TheEuropeanFox]

Well, ok, I'll beat your stiffy down but this is the LAST TIME! You have to learn to do it yourself.

[@charcoal6078]

Your profile pic says it all!

[@Axl4325]

Man that analogy was on point. I was born in the 2000s I didn't even play an NES game until I was smart enough to download an emulator and I like them, the pixel art, the sound and the different gameplay, but I have no nostalgia for them because they weren't my childhood games, I didn't have childhood games

[@LorenHelgeson]

"Hey, wait a minute. The NES didn't support parallax scrolling." You're absolutely right. Except there was Shatterhand, Ninja Gaiden 3, Super Mario 3, Battletoads, Crisis Force, Sword Master, Mega Man 6 and several others I'm not remembering. Also, seeing as the Shovel Knight soundtrack has since been released as an NSF file that actually works on an NES (or emulator) as if it were a chiptune rip is quite impressive. These guys did everything they could to make a legit throwback to the NES. Certainly more so than Retro City "References" Rampages. I swear, playing "Rampage" is like an NES translation of Grand Theft Auto meets Family Guy.

[@dathanlo]

There was also a Batman game on NES that had parallax scrolling iirc

[@thejordanet6220]

Loren Helgeson That wasn't actual paralax scrolling. They used backgrounds with animated objects to simulate the effect, while Shovel Knight does have legitimate paralax scrolling

[@LorenHelgeson]

Point taken. It's a very convincing display on the NES game developers' part, though.

[@thejordanet6220]

Loren Helgeson Yeah, it's pretty impressive when a developer managed to do it on such limited hardware

[@SketchBookShortFilms]

It's always bizarre to see him give a positive review. It's like seeing Nintendo advertise Bayonetta 2, something just doesn't compute but you don't care because its so f***ing cool

[@alexcampbell8120]

That's an interesting point Yahtzee. I don't play old games for nostalgia, I play them to enjoy what I missed out on growing up. Which is why I bought Wild Arms 1-2 and Legend of the Dragoon on the recent psn sale.

[@BigSisterNeko]

4:48 - 4:56 if all gaming developers and publishers could hear this these two simple lines. "Old stuff does stuff you want, that new stuff doesn't do."

[@wplays4271]

I bought a new sealed copy of Shovel Knight for the 3DS from a bargain bin, because I heard that it was an amazing game. And I didn’t like it at first (I was a kid that wasn’t that good and I hated dying) but I played it again about a year or two ago. And I LOVED it, it was way less difficult then I remembered it being. And it was so much fun. I also updated the game for the other three campaigns, and I loved those even more. Pick this up if you can. It is amazing. Tier list of the campaigns: 4. Shovel of Hope (the original game) 3. Plague of shadows (Plague Knight) 2. King of cards (King Knight) 1. Specter of torment (Specter Knight)

[@LanceTheAutobot]

Classics never truly die and this game is an instant classic

[@Hollowolfjas4014]

"Piss knight" in 2019, thanks to Death Stranding, that is now a reality.

[@1dayago843]

I would enjoy a review on the DS Castlevania games.

[@SniperSly]

as would i. i absolutely love dawn of sorrow and portrait of ruin haven't played the other ds one i think it's order of ecclesia or something like that is it not

[@robdillenger4763]

0:55 Woah! Don't drop that, Yahtzee! Fuckin' Putt-Putt! "Saves the Zoo", I believe, which is commonly considered to be one of the best entries in the series! I mean, "Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon" is tough to beat; but the non-linear sequencing, complex yet intuitive puzzles, gorgeous and timeless artstyle; all coupled with a wide variety of enemy types and methods of attacks (ESPECIALLY the environmental kills!) that just make the combat inherently challenging, fair, and fun; make it a close second to "Goes to the Moon", at the very least! MUCH respect lost for Yahtzee here.

[@SketchBookShortFilms]

'Is it still nostalgia if you play games not to relive happier memories long passed, but because old stuff does stuff you want that new stuff doesn't do.' This is probably the smartest thing Yahtzee has ever said and he follows it up with 'would you mind beating my stiffy down while I grind for the treant soul' It sums up games like this perfectly. For younger gamer like myself, I'm going through and enjoying older games not because I have good memories of them, but because we haven't seen a f***ing F-Zero game in 10 years and probably won't be seeing Samus for a while after Other M.

[@hunterlord101]

Something about the name Pitchfork Paladin just makes me giggle every time.

[@tinfoilslacks3750]

Spikes are an instant kill in addition to pits being an instant kill because pits are limited to specific portions of the environment. You can't put a bottomless pit on the ceiling or walls hence spikes.

[@Bamboo_bazooka]

+Matt Broadhurst plus there are the challenges that involve the use of the phase bracelet and good timing to walk over spikes

[@Saedraversealt]

You know I thought Zombie Solatire was just something Yahtzee had created as an example of why he closed the steam new releases page. So imagine my surprise yesterday when steam recommended it to me through that new explore system. Two thoughts then popped into my mind, one was "wow it actually exists" and two "steam is having a hard time finding games for me to look at isn't it."

[@herschalshep]

"Hey wait the NES didn't support parallax scrolling!" Yahtzee! How can you forget such wonderful titles as Battletoads, Bucky O' Hare, GI Joe, Kickmaster, Megman 3 through 6, Ninja Gaiden, and Shatterhand!

[@RasEli03]

"Old stuff does stuff that I want to do" has to be one of the best, shortest and simplest ways of explaining my love for older games

[@alexanderstilianov]

As a PC user i can say that Dark Souls' PC port has left me sweaty and unfulfilled.

[@darezzi97]

Alex Bro, DSfix and Xbox controller. Works like a charm, and 60 FPS!

[@alexanderstilianov]

darezzi97 Exactly. If the port was half-decent you wouldn't need third-party software to make it playable.

[@darezzi97]

Alex I'm not saying it's a good port. I'm saying putting that into the game will make it fulfilling. You'll still sweat, though, sorry.

[@ZombryaTheDark]

+darezzi97 wanted to play it again... but on my PC. thanks for the tip sunbro

[@WillMBeasley]

This is as close to a glowing review Yahtzee has ever given. I was on the fence about Shovel Knight but I think I need to buy this now.

[@Daemeon93]

Do it. It's a great game with fair challenge and awesome music. Seriously, it's worth $14

[@douglewis7946]

Maybe its just me, but it almost seems like whenever Yahtzee gives a positive (or rather, not absolutely soul-crushing) review of a game, it turns out to not actually be that great. This, however, happens to be one of the exceptions to that rule. Go for it.

[@ariesdemiurge]

Shamus TheKnight Don't forget Silent Hill 2, Portal 2, and Shadow of the Colossus.

[@Gurpwnder]

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon also got a good review, as did Wind Waker HD.

[@shorebreak69]

STALKER,Clear Sky ("weirdly compelling" & "hurts us 'cause it loves us".) & Metro,Last Light ("I'd say there's enough to recommend about Metro LL") That's 'glowing reviews' from Yahtzee !

[@neoncrusader7244]

Huh. -''Likes Shovel Knight'': +10 gamer cred. -''References Dark Souls in a loving way'': +10 gamer cred. -''Appreciates retro-games for their inherent quality'': +10 gamer cred. -''Plays the lovely 2D DS Castlevanias for fun'': +10 gamer cred. -''Bemoans the gameplay available in mainstream triple-A titles'': +10 gamer cred. Well played, Yahtzee. Well played. It's now physically impossible for me to dislike you, regardless of (or possibly because of) eventual orphanage burnings and puppy molestations.

[@1987slim]

Super Mario 3 had parallax scrolling on the boss ships. The clouds moved slower in the background than the ship.

[@hypergrad2254]

"I opened the Steam new releases page" And I see putt putt

[@Tohstie]

Form the Parallax Scrolling Wiki page: "For instance Star Force, an overhead-view vertically scrolling shooter for NES, used this for its starfield."

[@merrychrysmas5671]

"Grind for the Treant Soul". We've all been there.

[@neolindell3604]

australias fucking winter is hotter than my summer

[@RedFeralWolf]

Red dwarf is one of my favorite shows of all time.

[@kookooburu]

"Biscuit Samurai and Fridge Viking" I'm crying x'D

[@skysnow2495]

"There are no games to review." Except for sniper Elite III and The Wolf Among Us (which recently had all the episodes released, so it is still current)

[@Thezamary]

Sniper elite 3 is the same game as sniper elite, except with a 3 in the title.

[@Lightscribe225]

Wolf Among Us was made by the same guys as Walking Dead and a very similar game system. Yahtzee found it okay but disliked how often he had to destroy his 'q' key.

[@VanguardFencer]

How about Transistor?

[@skysnow2495]

Thezamary Have you played it? They actually fix most of the things he complained about in his video for V2. Lightscribe225 It was one of GOTYs, he didn't just "find it okay".

[@Thezamary]

Okay, it's a patch for the price of a retail game.

[@joncwheaton]

I totally agree with Yahtzee's sentiment concerning older games. I grew up with the N64 and GameCube, but these days I mostly find myself playing old NES, SNES, and Genesis titles, along with games usually considered "nostalgia bait" like Shovel Knight and Freedom Planet. It's cost-effective and the games I play are only a buggy mess if I go in knowing that they're a buggy mess.

[@Drellistenstomusic]

nice video, although the incest analogy would've worked better with the targaryens.

[@katherinesanderson8990]

Drellistenstomusic It would? Was that in the books because I've only seen the show?

[@Drellistenstomusic]

Targaryens wed brother to sister for hundreds of years to "keep the blood of the dragon pure". They mention it a few times in the show but it's blink and you miss it

[@katherinesanderson8990]

Drellistenstomusic Okay, thanks :)

[@SImrobert2001]

+Drellistenstomusic Yea, but the key word is "Blink and you will miss it." You cant' really miss the Lannister incest storyline. Heck, I just found about it myself, and i'm working on my second watch through.

[@Er404ChannelNotFound]

+Drellistenstomusic Yes, it's a blink and you miss it, which is why it's better to go with the much widely known reference towards the Lannisters because it's much more relevent in the internet culture

[@GoldenKingStudio]

On Steam's Indie game list, I noticed Putt Putt was right above "Zombie Solitaire". I actually got Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo, along with 40 something other Humongous Entertainment games as part of a package in the Steam Summer Sale. Such a good deal. Those games were the CD-ROM games of my childhood.

[@Gboy86ify]

2:53 Yahtzee predicted For Honor

[@Broodling1]

I love these reviews not for your wit and humor, or hyperbolic phrasing (although those are a neat touch, if a bit idiosyncratic). I love your reviews because you know what makes good games. A good game should be fun and appealing, and you get that. You're the first to praise innovation and shit on bad titles, and I'm a huge fan for this reason. Once again you are spot on with this review.

[@bass-dc9175]

What's up with that flashing block at 3:47 right next to shovel knight? Edit error?

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

I just realised that Yahtzee really needs to do a collective retro review of the handheld Castlevania's, specifically Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin and Order of Ecclesia. Those were from better days, days when Konami was a game company, not an organised and militaristic conspiracy of failure and spite.

[@TylerInTraining]

"It's like the Captain Planet of NES games." *gets PTSD flashbacks of the Captain Planet game for the NES*

[@chukyuniqul]

I used to have the toy sword he used as image for the boss guy dude! Maybe still do in some forgotten corner of the house.

[@Demonskunk]

You should totally review those castlevanias.

[@jackyoung9373]

I believe he has a written review of them, so it's actually pretty likely that he will review them in video format.

[@josephkeener8928]

The insta-kill spikes were added because you can't have upside-down instant death pits. Most of the stages that incorporated the spikes on the ground were because of stage gimmicks, such as the falling snow in Polar Knight's stage, or the vanished light in Specter Knight's stage. Having the spikes on the side walls and ceiling added a further challenge to platforming by giving limitations on jumps and movement. Death Pits can do that as well, but to a more limited degree, as it wouldn't make sense if you jumped upward and died; because that would dissuade exploration, along with the fact that most of the spikes were located on structures that were passable within the current screen. I guess that it was cheap and easy, but I felt like it added a bit more of a challenge, unless you used the Phase Locket to just blow through all of it. That being said, I get this gripe, because it did feel weird to just die from a mistimed jump into spikes.

[@DoomDogDan666PvEDestinyContent]

Yhatzee, Dark Souls 2 just got it's 1st DLC. PLAY IT!

[@zilexion]

this vid *is* a week old...

[@DoomDogDan666PvEDestinyContent]

And? He can read comments, can't he?

[@PokemonTrainerJames]

Zilexion M. You might wanna look at that date again, just a thought.

[@zilexion]

DoomDogDan666 strange... this is not the comment i put that reply on... yet it appears to be on this comment... did i mess up somehow, or is youtube having a heart attack?

[@popintarts6362]

Pokemon Trainer James You might want to check the Escapist website once in a while, just a thought.

[@TonyTheTGR]

Suggested counterpart (also very recent): Freedom Planet. You can tell the crew was new with Sonic-like physics, but it plays like a solid mashup between that and MegaMan X/Zero.

[@88fibonaccisequence]

2:11 Armoured Skeptic.

[@nmarrs8539]

Seriously how cold is winter in Australia?

[@NintendanGX]

Yahtzee probably got paid to be positive about this game... It doesn't even have the word Dark in the title!

[@CyrusBluebird]

If he enjoyed the game then he enjoyed it. If you want him to be negative on all levels watch his reviews on Haze or any EA published title or Too Human.

[@GrizzlieGoalie]

Wow. He enjoyed a game so he got paid for it. Sure man.

[@MegapixelRBD]

Indie developers paying for good reviews? What

[@zilexion]

Shamus TheKnight everyone's entitled to their opinions, but if you wan't to find the absolute worst of the worst, you must continue searching.

[@TNSFail3r]

RawPowerGamer Can't detect sarcasm?

[@SpartanWolf222]

I'd be in about total agreement with Yahtzee's assessment of the lack of purpose behind the instant-kill spikes if the game didn't use them for more than alternative pitfalls. For example, the Polar Knight boss broke away the snow layer and returned it. You could either avoid the spikes or save yourself with the Phase Locket to not die instantly. There were also levels, like the Polar Knight stage, that allowed you to either take your time and safely cross areas with spikes on the floor or you can book it with the Phase Locket. Since there is an achievement to play the game without any relics, it would definitely change how I would play the game. Also, the underwater and flying ship stages had spikes on the ceiling and used the stage's platforming gimmicks to make them more of a challenge, i.e. the higher jumping underwater and gusts of wind. The main thing that separates the spikes from the pitfalls is the way you play the game, i.e. platforming entirely without the Phase Locket or with it. Just tossing out my two cents out there. Probably no one will bother to read this.

[@notradaem]

Statement: Shovel Knight is more SNES than NES. The graphics, sound, and controls are great examples of this. Just compare the color palette to most NES games

[@Changetheling]

The SNES managed way more colours, a different resolution and a monster of a sound chip. (that couldn't read NSF files, which was the format in which Shovel Knight's music was made), so no. Your impressions are wrong. Shovel Knight was created as if a NES title would have come out on 2014. That was the intention of Yatch CLub Games, as stated in their KS campaign and website. And as Yahtzee says, it shows.

[@BenCol]

References to 'Red Dwarf' and 'Private Eye' in 11 seconds of each other? I like this guy.

[@thequillster]

I guess you could say this is some good NEStalgia!!!

[@MrBlackhawk49]

JESUS I LOVE THIS INTRO!

[@RettroixTwo2]

NES did have parallax scrolling: Nintendo Nes Parallax Scrolling Games

[@angeldeb82]

Wow! A pixellated ZP Yahtzee. Also love the funny bits with the imps as construction workers and the Frozen Grandparent Tetris thing. And the Shovel Knight dying a few times made me chuckle! XD

[@BigT.Larrity]

Just finished MogWorld, really fucking good. Glad I got audio book!

[@SpookyTimestamps]

That miffed trifle is fantastic.

[@nalvious]

Yathzee NEEDS another Dizzy game, i know it

[@radicalhonesty8244]

We remember those game's from loooooooong ago they were great

[@spinningsheeps]

Weirdly the mention of biscuit samurai and fridge Viking alongside shovel knight perfectly predicts For Honour years later

[@Protoman85]

But NES did have parallax scrolling in some games

[@Axle..]

Wow, that last bit kinda of hit home. Playing games you never got to play because recent ones dont really scratch that itch. I've been feeling that exact same way while playing Deus Ex and the first 2 Dooms. Plus modding the hell out of Skyrim of course. Hell, Im in the middle of downloading Painkiller just to see what that's all about.

[@43cire]

Putt-Putt Saves The Zoo

[@Metal_Auditor]

A classic for sure.

[@gremlech2846]

+Zikschive I loved that game when I was 5 or 6

[@sillettaowns]

Oh man I remember hours of grinding for souls in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

[@1987MartinT]

Fridge Viking. Now there's an enemy I wouldn't want to fight. If he's strong enough to effectively use a fridge as a weapon then he's extremely dangerous even by viking standards.

[@TheSovjetCat]

'Is it still nostalgia if you play old games not to relive hapier memories long past, but because old stuff does you want that new stuff doesn't do'? I think that sums it up quite nicely, thanks Mr. Chroshaw. That's a perfect description of my feelings, and anyone whining about 'last gen best gen', for lack of a better word. It's not that it takes us back, it's because we don't find satisfaction in contemporary games where we'd think it wouldn't be that hard to find it. I still feel like I'm turning old, bitter and cynical towards the current games industry, but at least I have another silly excuse to defend my honour.

[@VGamingJunkieVT]

Actually, there WERE NES games that supported Parallax Scrolling. It was rare but they did exist. Look up Crisis Force or Metal Storm. =P

[@SketchBookShortFilms]

Oh man Metal Storm is awesome. It's brutal, but awesome.

[@keetonfoust]

Spikes are an instant kill so you can phase locket over them.

[@sage11x]

So... You liked it then?

[@sage11x]

Quick, some one add it to the list!

[@2dumd2live]

sage11x Don't you mean start a list ;)

[@jackyoung9373]

***** Fantasy World Dizzy, Dark Souls, Portal and to a lesser extent, Portal 2, and a few others.

[@Wolfenstein3000]

Jack Young Painkiller is also on that list

[@LuccianoBartolini]

Wolfenstein3000 Child of Light and Luigi's Mansion 2 are also there

[@TheMedicatedArtist]

Shovel *Knight* Biscuit *Samurai* Fridge *Viking* Yatzhee's clairvoyance strikes again!

[@MrThuralion]

But.. the nes had parallax scrolling..

[@ProxyDoug]

+Coffera Are you sure? Parallax Scrolling is when a part of the backstage moves at a different pace than the rest of the stage. Also, is that Nujabes in your profile picture?

[@MrThuralion]

Games like: Castleian, Kirby's adventure, Totally Rad, Mega Man 6, Bucky O' Hare etc. Yeah it is

[@ProxyDoug]

Coffera You're right.

[@gargonovich]

It could do an effect called linescroll, where one or several lines in the background can scroll at a different rate than the rest of the background. the limitation is that you can't have any overlapping parts in the background, so it's not very flexible.

[@duckwantbreads]

Whilst it did one of the devs wrote in his blog on the game that the parallax scrolling they used wasn't possible on a NES. Google 'breaking the nes for shovel knight' if you want to read more about it.

[@Kinaldio]

"Would you mind beating my stiffy down while I grind for the Treant soul?" OMG I fucking busted up laughing at this part

[@TheVandrell]

Not surprising its in his Top 5 for 2014. Kinda have the same opinion with the rest of the games in top 5 except Dark Souls 2, haven't played any of 'Souls' games except for Demons Souls. Not a big fan of the franchise. 5. Shovel Knight 4. Dark Souls II 3. Alien: Isolation 2. Wolfenstein: The New Order 1. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

[@dalkordigo]

One thing people miss when looking into Shovel Knight is the take the devs actually had on enbarking on the making of the game. They did intentionally limit themselves to NES hardware limitation in coding with the intent to instead concentrate on what makes a good game good. Only in a few places they luckely opted to break the NES limitation. Sound strictly speaking isn't since there was a sound chip in some of the last generation NES games that added a channel. But sprite limitations and a a bit more had to give way for playability instead of staying true to the NES concept. There is a nice post mortem of it somewhere on the internets. Well worth a read for techgeeks out there.

[@En.GergerRacc]

"The NES didn't support parallax scrolling." Battletoads: "I'm bout to end this man's whole career."

[@todesziege]

The NES didn't support it, though. You could sorta-kinda-do-it with tricks, which came with some heavy limitations, just like how you could sorta-kinda-do scrolling on systems which didn't support scrolling. Shovel Knight has more complex parallax than even any of the 16-bit systems could do.

[@thomasdr08]

4:50 - the question about Classic WoW

[@ZeldaOcto]

Wait, why does it say in the description that Yahtzee is reviewing Earthbound?

[@esper4605]

Proof that Yahtzee doesn't just hate video games. This is true undeniable proof that he just reviews games and gives it to us straight. That's why I respect him as a reviewer.

[@Excalibursin]

4:23 Huh. That's a lot of...punctuation...

[@TheIronSavior]

Megaman 3 and Ninja Gaiden 2 for the NES both had parallax scrolling effects.

[@derpaderpy4931]

Now, play the game again, but input the following into your name select: "WSWWAEAW" Do the exact same video while once again not spoiling the game and this time pointing out how hilarious the dialogue is.

[@Wacko.Zacho97]

Holy shit

[@derpaderpy4931]

ZACH117kitty Ya' see what I mean? Pure. Bliss.

[@derpaderpy4931]

***** Prepare to taste justice! Butt justice!

[@ninjamaster9094]

But their travels together ended at the Tower of Fate; when a cursed amulet wrought a terrible butt

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

There were NES games with parallax scrolling, especially late-life cartridges with the MMC3 chip

[@ButteryGuy]

4:38 Leaving me sweaty, unfufilled, and harder then a slab of concrete with a private eye cryptic crossword carved into it. Please tell me I'm not the only one slightly conflicted about this..

[@yotamravid3159]

2:53 he predicted for honor...

[@Multimorten]

fridge viking?! where can I get it?!!!

[@LanceThumping]

Red Dwarf is fantastic and I got to re-watch the entirety of it on Netflix relatively recently.