Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood (Zero Punctuation)

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This week on Zero Punctuation, Yahtzee reviews Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood.
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#ZeroPunctuation

[@theescapist]

Watch this week's Zero Punctuation episode on Little Nightmares 2 - www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/little-nightmares-ii-zero-punctuation/ - Watch it early on KZbin via KZbin Memberships.

[@GrantAPotter]

P

[@LightStrikerQc]

Still no Hellpoint? :(

[@legodiner]

@Grant Potter

[@andrewbritton8925]

"I wondered whether the gameplay and story people were in the same building". It was developed in 2020 Yahtzee, no-one was in the same building.

[@matheuschaves1082]

Thats a decent excuse at least

[@Gaz66d]

Fair

[@purpleisdebeste]

I wonder if they were in the same zoom call

[@WrecklessFantasist]

Funny joke, still not an excuse though

[@First-Last_name]

@@WrecklessFantasist not a good excuse at least.

[@2CPhoenix]

Sometimes I feel bad for the games that Yahtzee eviscerates before I’ve even heard of them

[@HipsterMasochist]

yeah but if he talks good about a game you've never heard of all the more reason to get it. I picked up BPM due to that and now I no longer get invited to cocktail parities. Granted I never did before hand but now there's more of a reason to not invite me, because I will gush and suckle and blow that game till my lips fall off.

[@15oClock]

I've played a few different games after Yahtzee review them. It doesn't change my opinion of them.

[@jcohasset23]

I wouldn't say he eviscerates it but the game is quite disappointing and lackluster in most ways. It will be interesting to see if this makes the Bland list or falls somewhere between Bland and Worst.

[@colefisher2096]

@@HipsterMasochist I’m sorry to be annoying but what is BPM? Sounds interesting

[@HipsterMasochist]

@@colefisher2096 this is a bait but it's doom, binding of isaac and ddr pushed together into a kickass shooter experience

[@PrinsaVossum]

I like how Protagonist McWerewolf's dead wife is just him with a bow. She even has the same beard.

[@alexnoman1498]

You didn't catch the "straight from a TV series about *gay* motorcycle repairmen" joke, then :D

[@PrinsaVossum]

@@alexnoman1498 I guess I didn't, LOL.

[@dvhh]

@@alexnoman1498 did you mean that pacman was gay the whole time ?

[@Tristan1062]

Relationship goals

[@babapambazuka2845]

IMO such dismissive casting is one of ZP's longest-running jokes.

[@nathanbowd6728]

"Then I rolled a five and a two" Second technician Arnold J Rimmer BSC, SSC

[@brainflash1]

"And that's the really interesting bit?"

[@JackPoppy]

Uh huh.

[@brainflash1]

@@chrisjones5411 He's a total lunatic.

[@aestheticdude8202]

I am completely smegging ungripped by this story

[@MageFaia]

Well it was interesting to me, it got me into Irkutsk.

[@mozzy207]

I love how the 'Wolf' is a dog with a Wolfs head

[@Chris-mc2dt]

I mean that’s basically what it is in the actual game

[@heartcradle01]

I literally laughed out loud when I seen that!🤣😂

[@noahstatter]

I saw this game advertised to me a couple weeks ago, saw it had two subtitles, and thought ‘Yahtzee’s going to rip this game to shreds, isn’t he?’ I was not disappointed :)

[@AfferbeckBeats]

Can't wait for the sequel. Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood 2: The Rewolfening

[@ivanrzhanoy9389]

Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood 3: Tokyo Drift

[@snowgrave2475]

@@AfferbeckBeats & Knuckles! Featuring Dante: From the Devil May Cry Series: Electric Boogaloo

[@KeithFraser82]

@@AfferbeckBeats Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood 3: The Rewolfening 2 - Now That's What I Call Wolfing

[@cloud_and_proud]

Can't blame them, considering Werewolf: The Apocalypse is an already existing long running franchise.

[@ratoh1710]

Devs, when will I get my fun fantasy werewolf game that is all about a character who is completely at ease with his role as human nibbler or at the very least Prototype with a werewolf skin?

[@Dracowinges]

i suppose the closest we got is eso or skyrim...

[@StephySon]

Fucking right bro. There’s a bunch of vampire games but not one single decent werewolf game

[@thegreatazal5021]

@@StephySon the majority of those vampire games are ass though accept Masquerade but that games hardly about vampires honestly

[@StephySon]

@@thegreatazal5021 what about that one dlc for infamous 2 with the vampire thing, I heard that was good.

[@thegreatazal5021]

@@StephySon never played that but i don’t think that counts infamous 2 definitely isn’t a vampire game

[@geardog24]

We finally get a horror monster game where the main character isn't a vampire and they still messed it up.

[@OrangeDog20]

Have to hang on for Wraith: The Oblivion - Bloodblood

[@sambishop9856]

Can't wait for them to massive fuckup a Promethean game whenever they do that

[@bendarooslife]

I really enjoyed carrion and that seems like it would fit that category!

[@Ramsey276one]

Might still get it on sale Just to have a World of Darkness product in Switch

[@aldar8240]

@@sambishop9856 they do a Mage game but it's just Two Worlds set in modern times. Paradox is never addressed.

[@fighteer1]

The running gag about patrolling guards debating when they are going to turn around just keeps getting better. I'm starting to envision the union meetings. "Bob, you have failed to reach your turning around quota this month; we're going to dock your pay."

[@ajlukan6959]

But WHY? I Make THREE ROUNDS YESTERDAY!!! KARLA ONLY MAKE ONE IN THE MONDAY AND NO ONE CRITICED HER!!!.

[@lndozois]

Here's a metaphor that just might fit this game quite well. It sounds like they might have tried to do too much and failed when they could have succeeded instead at doing less. You don't end up with a quaint cozy cottage by setting out to build a skyscraper and stopping half way.

[@effkonadios1283]

Going off from how it sounds, the game just never punishes you for doing anything, incorrectly. Failing at stealth, but being quickly and easily rewarded with the 'failure state' of that gameplay, leading to an immediate converting of the traversal of an uncleared map full of obstacles into a 'won state', isn't usually how the flow of a game, should work. Additionally, providing various ways of solving 'puzzles' but leaving the 'instantly-solve the puzzle with no effort' solution, as the best choice available when being presented with the puzzle, doesn't really deter people from using it. Games generally are about finding the path of least resistance over a carefully-crafted obstacle, as being the "best" way or "most correct" way for playing any game. The developers seemed to forget that they can make the systems for allowing their gameplay to have nuance, but never punishing the player for facerolling around means that nuance was just an easter egg to find, not how the game actually works.

[@cloud_and_proud]

Well they couldn't cause Heart of the Forest already built the cottage.

[@effkonadios1283]

@@ForeverLaxxThey probably should have taken some game design notes from Batman Arkham Asylum. That game is like 15 years old, but there is just so much that game got "right" in execution, especially in the department of risk/reward compensation for stealth and combat balance. Most rooms, just going straight into combat would punish and kill you, for tackling the scenario inappropriately. But it doesn't necessarily require full-commitment to never being caught, either, as you have extra lateral mobility options, that you can use to help quickly disengage from accidentally being found, too early, before sweeping up any stragglers is safe. But guess that was a Triple-A studio, that made that... and not some Euro-jank.

[@jcohasset23]

The game really needed to lean either more into the rpg side of WoD or just go all into the combat Prototype style. What they tried to do failed and didn't even do it in an interesting way.

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

That's a really good metaphor. I'll have to remember that one for later. What's the licensing fee to use it?

[@BJWeNeedUDefendingUsWithZeMG42]

The amount of dry heaves in the title are a perfect description for this game.

[@melissaalexander2522]

Speaking of Dry Heaves, the morning sickness I had in the 1st trimester of my current pregnancy was INSANE! I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy... But Werewolf [Dry-Heave] The Apocalypse [Dry-Heave] Earthblood I certainly would wish upon my worst enemy!

[@pacificblue5461]

Huuuahh! Hggaahhh! Etc.

[@melissaalexander2522]

@@pacificblue5461 yep that was me 6 months ago

[@pacificblue5461]

@@melissaalexander2522 The Pregnancy: Reproductive Reckoning: Revolutions

[@melissaalexander2522]

@@pacificblue5461LOL I just laughed so hard I pissed myself! That is hilarious!

[@maximillion322]

Jokes on you, I already know my D&D campaign would make a good book because I ripped it off of several good books

[@sorio99]

Yes, but “several”. If you combine the entirety of Lord of the Rings and the Witcher books into a single novel, that ain’t gonna still be a good book by the end.

[@Marigoldpyre]

Ah yes The George R. R. Martin method

[@0x777]

@@Marigoldpyre What, he also killed every halfway interesting character right after introducing them for no fucking reason?

[@aelechko]

Good is subjective

[@-AAA-147]

Saw this game on OneyPlays and literally the in-game cutscenes start with a bunch of characters talking to each other like we're supposed to know who they are.

[@OrangeDog20]

Your appointment to FEMA should be finalized within the week.

[@-AAA-147]

@@ForeverLaxx I think they ended up quitting anyway like with the Marvel game lmao

[@dantechristensen273]

What's weird to me, the one remaining Werewolf: The Apocalypse tabletop player. Is that "Retaining your humanity" is decidedly NOT a concern for the Werewolves. With 2 major Tribal exceptions the Werewolves couldn't be happier shedding the trappings of their Human lives and tear-assing through the world.

[@thephoenix5]

You are so incredibly far from the one remaining W:tA player. I've got a waitlist of over 100 people just to get into my W:tA games. There is a huge lack of STs to run them, but no lack of interested players. (Admirably, it is a very difficult system to learn how to run well, but that's why I have been making a "help new STs" podcast).

[@dantechristensen273]

@@thephoenix5 It's good to hear people are still playing. At the height of WoD popularity my city was heavily tilted towards VtM players so getting a group together to play Werewolf was a challenge at the best of times. I barely managed to get some old friends together to play the Apocalypse storyline just before the reboot. Never even got a chance to play Forsaken.

[@TrueYellowDart]

@@dantechristensen273 Hey more WtA fans, yay! I was sad when I heard this game sucked. How can you get this property and NOT make a team-based game? Or make it where any auspice can take on any scenario but clearly certain roles will fit better. Or just say “eff it” to the physical world and have a game that’s all grand spirit quest! What a waste.

[@thephoenix5]

@@TrueYellowDart I can tell you everything you need to know about why they made the design decisions they did - The main developer's character from his tabletop game was named Cahal. A Fianna Ahroun... So, this game had an intended audience of one.

[@TrueYellowDart]

@@thephoenix5 shit. So Yahtzee’s opening but isn’t so much a joke but a fairly accurate description of reality. Luna wept.

[@KazeTheCursedOne]

Is this really just a Werewolf: The apocalypse campaign but without any of the fun parts of playing it, like getting to make your own character.

[@CERTAIND00M]

"Hey, let's spend a bunch of money licensing a table-top RPG so we can adapt it into a video game!" "Neat idea! But can we take out the RPG elements? I'm worried it won't have enough mass market appeal." "But won't that alienate the demo we were targeting by licensing the property?" "Exactly!" "Brilliant!" "Because fuck those guys!" "Also, lets make the game bad too because fuck everyone who plays videogames!" "Oh! ESPECIALLY fuck them!" :evil laughter:

[@zedex1226]

It sounds perfect for every player I've ever met that unironically enjoys that piece of WoD.

[@stephensmith7327]

@@CERTAIND00M the only example I can think of a game accurately depicting the original game and being bad was the Space Hulk game made by the Eye Devine Cibermancy people. It's basically the phisical game from a first person perspective, but it's so repetitive and boring

[@AlexiconPrime]

@@stephensmith7327 To be fair, if you played nothing but space hulk: the physical game for hours on end, you'd probably get bored of it too.

[@thewolfdevil5193]

You have to understand... budgets restraints. That, or they could've made a text game.

[@ryanheilman3807]

As a big World of Darkness fan, it pains me to see it being handled so poorly in the world of video games.

[@monsterhunter66]

What’s World of Darkness?

[@OrangeDog20]

@@monsterhunter66 the RPG setting for Monster: The Happening games.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

At least VtM Bloodlines does it competently once minorly modded and unofficially patched.

[@Tortferngatr]

@@monsterhunter66 A series of tabletop games that pretty much serve as a way to play various types of fantasy monsters (and a few other characters, like mages and monster hunters) as Byronic heroes (or at least Byronic anti-villains...or just villains trying to keep themselves from completely devolving into insanity or becoming mindless beasts) in an urban fantasy setting. At least, that’s what I’ve gleaned from hearing/reading about it.

[@rancidkippa4589]

But don't worry, we've got that WoD cash-grab battle royale coming soon, even though its been at least 3 years since those have been popular!

[@MissPoplarLeaf]

As a tabletop role player - yeah, that's why I don't tell people about our games unless I've already run it through my head five times to make sure it's ACTUALLY interesting on its own lmao. And even then it's hit or miss! It's so much easier to be invested in a plot when you've been living in the world part-time for two years.

[@Tustin2121]

I also make sure they’re also a tabletop role player usually. That way I don’t have to take time to explain what “we failed our stealth checks” means.

[@BlindErephon]

@@Tustin2121 I tend to emphasize things like the social aspect and less of the mechanics, cos it can be a pretty good way to get non players interested if they know its not just sitting around twiddling pencils and yelling "I CAST LIGHTNING BOLT!". I can always teach someone the mechanics later but if they arent grabbed by the central idea, its a waste of time telling them what stealth checks are, right?

[@I_Shotgun_Beers]

What's funny is that there is an entire culture of people streaming their tabletop campaigns now. I don't even play tabletop, or have any investment in it, and I still occasionally watch people play them. His stereotyping is just out of touch with reality and dead wrong. Tabletop is more popular than it's ever been.

[@Nickton12]

@@I_Shotgun_Beers Many of those are scripted, atleast somewhat. Also like he said, its about investment too. If you follow someone's campaign long enough, its understandable you would care. But if you don't have any investment, then someone's story about "The time I rolled a 2 on a will save and got killed for it" isn't nearly as interesting.

[@I_Shotgun_Beers]

@@Nickton12 Yeah, I still don’t think that’s anywhere near objective or universal. It’s still just assuming other peoples thoughts and reactions without actually knowing, based on small sample groups of anecdotal experiences. In other words, projecting.

[@slambangaction]

So it's Dark crossed with Sonic Unleashed. Yeah, that's going in the year's bottom five.

[@soulssurvivor3455]

There's still 10 months to go, I'm sure at least 5 more worse games will come out.

[@BP-dn9nv]

Visiting from the future to tell you it made it up to number 2

[@guguy00]

@@BP-dn9nv Which is perfect because it's shit.

[@0x777]

@@BP-dn9nv Holy fuck, now I have to go see what beat it to the bottom.

[@beansnrice321]

"Combat is very woof, I mean rough." XD

[@pygmalion0451]

Ruff

[@SteelBollocks]

Had a creative writing assignment in high school. The D&D kid wrote 10 pages of lore on every item in his scene and absolutely nothing actually happened

[@mcnaughe]

"At odds with itself" is pretty on point for Old World of Darkness

[@Rakaziel]

​@@Baeraad The werewolves are usually angsty about being outnumbered, and having created most of their own worst enemies through their own short-sighted wars. Oh, and of course about the Apocalypse, which would be much less of a problem if they had not alienated (read: tried to exterminate) each of their former allies. I kinda like them: They are the DnD Barbarian played straight. Yes, they multiclass into Druids but that's really more a thing for the werebears and (inofficial) weremoles.

[@aldar8240]

it's at WoDs with itself

[@seichhornchen]

And then there's Changeling; where "being super powerful" is paired with "normal people (and sometimes your super hero buddies too) can hurt your feelings so bad you die" but they couldn't get their power-fantasy audience to buy in on "microaggressions are bad: the game", cancelled it, and quietly went back to writing wish-fulfillment tripe occasionally sprinkled with social commentary.

[@aldar8240]

@@seichhornchen Changeling wasn't cancelled though? In fact it did so well it got more books than planned

[@aldar8240]

@@pedropradacarciofi2517 I'm sure there's a "destroying the [thing] with facts and logic" joke in there somewhere

[@benedictrogers1478]

The strange thing is, I'm not sure Werewolf: the Apocalypse (or Forsaken for what it's worth) ever really focused on alienation from humanity. That was Vampire's thing. It was more the creeping terror of ecological collapse, the shackles of tradition, and cultural clash. A lot there to base a game in even without Pentex, although you actually might want to de-emphasise things like combat.

[@jasonfrancese8359]

I mean, I feel like Werewolf would be the easiest to make. A coop beat’em up with themes of pointlessly trying to advance in a world where you are doomed to fail. Might make for one of the few mmorpgs that is self aware about itself.

[@DKDioKlau]

A little late here, but Forsaken 2nd Edition has a different karma system than the classic good/bad system in most World of Darkness games called Harmony. Basically it's the balance between your human side (10) and wolf/spirit side (0) which you must maintain unless you end up extremely unstable physically(0)/mentally (10).

[@jasonfrancese8359]

@@DKDioKlau Yeah, but that’s in Forsaken. This is supposed to be about Apocalypse.

[@oppenz3723]

Feels like an early 2010s game

[@JackXombi]

Gameplay and story looks worse than PS2's. Hunter: The Reckoning : Wayward

[@SteelRaven11]

It feel like a 1990's PS1 game, only thing from the more recent decade are the graphics and half the time that hurts it. The main totally-not-modern-Kratos looks kinda cool for a rough and tumble werewolf but everything else is so generic.

[@hamsters7760]

"About as nuanced as hammering an eight inch nail through your own head" is pretty apt for Werewolf: The Apocalypse as a whole so. Nailed it, i guess!

[@vashanoid]

I’m so sorry I think I missed something in the last 15 years but did Yahtzee just suggest that a moral good ending bad ending would make a game better?

[@kryptonianguest1903]

Funny thing is, this game does have that. I guess he either didn't finish it or he assumed the bad ending was the only one.

[@soulssurvivor3455]

@@kryptonianguest1903 To be fair if it shows no indication that there is a moral system I would assume the same. And if I didn't have fun the first time I wouldn't play a second time to test.

[@animorph17]

I mean, if you're asking how to improve the taste of a dog shit, adding sprinkles on top is technically a solution.

[@kryptonianguest1903]

@@soulssurvivor3455 That is indeed fair.

[@aldar8240]

In the case of this game it makes sense, because the only moral choice is "violently murder everyone stationed in a given room" or "do literally anything else", with the only in-between being how of one you do compared to the other. Yahtzee argues that in a game like Mass Effect, it's an issue cause you aren't making choices, just checking boxes to get the Paragon or Renegade ending, since every in-between ending is kinda flakey. Earthblood doesn't have *that* problem (it has plenty others) since the decision has gameplay consequences which mean that a person who prefers a specific flavor of game was gonna be doing all one way or the other anyway.

[@eimeartheirishstitcher]

As a ttRPG fan, this game made me so sad

[@rancidkippa4589]

Sadly seems like White Wolf is just cursed as a property when it comes to video games

[@Graknorke]

@@rancidkippa4589 Hey they had like two good ones!

[@Lost-Lilim]

@@Graknorke Bloodlines and Hunter: Redeemer?

[@eimeartheirishstitcher]

@Axiom Steel tabletop rpg. Anything like dungeons and dragons.

[@Nerdnumberone]

Sounds like tearing guards apart in a blood-fueled orgy of violence could make an entertaining game if they took it out of confined spaces and added some difficulty.

[@Rakaziel]

Carrion makes it work even with confined spaces

[@bernardotorres5274]

You you don’t tear guards apart, you just push them around splatter ketchup all around... I mean seriously everything gets covered in blood except the guy you killed, you can even tear them apart just by looking at the enemy they turn into silly putty.

[@Cooleepable]

Soon as I saw the title I thought "Yup, that's getting a reaming". Then I saw the gameplay and realized this was going to be like watching Dwayne Johnson take on a two year old.

[@andreasbuehler1821]

I mean, that's kind of the problem with all the White Wolf games. On the RPG table too. "Here's five million superpowers, and you're also immortal. Now please feel bad about using any of it". It can be made to work with a really good writer. It just usually doesn't.

[@TheNextDecade244]

@@andreasbuehler1821 In the end, I've noticed that the best things to come out of the WoD/CoD are the fan-made games. Genius, Dragon, Princess, Leviathan, all of these bastards have a much better theme-to-gameplay connection in my opinion.

[@andreasbuehler1821]

@@TheNextDecade244 Genius is great. Dragon I'm meh about. Don't know the other two, will have to go look for them.

[@TheNextDecade244]

@@andreasbuehler1821 Leviathan is "Being Cthulhu is actually kinda bad because you end up isolated from people, surrounded by nothing but mad worshippers and you are intrinsically unfit for existing in this world". Princess is "You're a genuine, no-holds-barred-down good guy. No grey about it, you're a straight-up white-armored good guy/magical girl. Now try and survive in a world where evil has essentially Won centuries, if not millennia ago."

[@kryptonianguest1903]

@@TheNextDecade244 Other than the worshippers, Leviathan sounds a lot like Promethean, one of the official game lines. And I liked Mage: the Awakening. But when I ran it, the cosmology worked the way the Silver Ladder thought it did, so that's probably a bit different than most people.

[@nicklager1666]

i must be having something in common with role playing people then because as soon as i start talking to them about any subject they start getting the 6 feet behind me stare and start drooling.

[@sernoddicusthegallant6986]

Yahzee: "Your campaign would not work well in a book or tv show" Steven Erikson: *Laughs in bestselling book series based on tabletop campaign he did with his friend while way too high*

[@heartysquid]

Ehh if miniseries counts than I'd like to nominate The All Guardsman Party

[@mildlyderanged]

Werent the Dragonlance novels based on the authors D&D campaign?

[@SteelBollocks]

@@ForeverLaxx the problem is that "best seller" is not a comparative award. It's a fixed amount. One that hasn't changed in over half a century. So go figure that books today that are easily aquired online sells what was thought a high amount in 1965 when there were half as many people on earth

[@Hikarizu]

Record of the Lodoss War also was based on a D&D campaign

[@jrcbroolz]

Wasn't this the basis for Discworld as well? I remember hearing somewhere the Luggage was based on a custom mimic from one of Pratchett's d&d games.

[@KlausWulfenbach]

I think the problem here is not that it's a tabletop game being adapted into a video game, but rather the fact that it's Werewolf: The Apocalypse. D&D had the advantage of dozens of off-brand video games to look at, several of which turned out to be all-time classic series in their own right, before getting official adaptations. Shadowrun and Vampire: The Masquerade have both had many adaptations over the years with various degrees of success. But no one's really tried to adapt Werewolf to a video game before. And other than Mage, Werewolf is probably the toughest Old WoD game to adapt thanks to all the goofiness integral to the setting. We're talking about a game where canonically all of reality is held together by a giant spider trapping a giant dragon in a literal spiritual web, and it's possible for player characters to go and see it for themselves if they do the right kind of drugs and manage to get past all the (smaller) giant werespiders guarding the place. This actually happens in one of the scenarios in the Apocalypse book.

[@Wolfs0n]

It's a game based on a table top. I'd be more stunned if Yahtzee actually liked it.

[@bernardotorres5274]

Even if it was based of a tabletop this really a God awful game. Like seriously this is something I expect a freaking edge lord just halfassed.

[@ForeverKite42]

as an aside to the ending question of "Gritty remake of Captain Planet;" pretty safe to assume the only way it could get gritty is by encouraging/demending every human being gets fixed by the time they are 25 (or earlier) to reduce the possible number of humans that could continue destroying the planet.

[@kryptonianguest1903]

There's an episode of the cartoon where one of the bad guys gets one of the teenage main characters hooked on his new drug to force her to betray the good guys. When Captain Planet finds out, he flies to the bad guy, who is travelling by helicopter at the time, pulls him out of the copter, drops him and just flies away without a second glance. The bad guy has a parachute, of course, but Planet didn't know that when he dropped the guy.

[@s.agentgadriel7369]

Nah. Just show the consequences of blowing up a power plant or whatever without having a plan for what to replace it with. Just the opening of Final Fantasy 7 played on loop, interspersed with scenes of families freezing in powerless houses, or freshly-freed exotic animals running rampant through the neighborhood. Oh, but it's for the greater good, after all. The planet needs to be saved, or none of us will have a future... but how much are you willing to fuck up the present to secure said future? And what will it look like after the last coal plant falls? ...Oh, no, that's what you'd do if you wanted to make a GOOD gritty reboot. They specified Netflix, so nothing will change except instead of just summoning Captian Planet to fix problems, the Planeteers will spend most of their time bickering amongst themselves, a majority of the rest of the time foolishly trying to solve problems themselves so they can get the shit kicked out of them, and at max four times will they actually summon Captain Planet to just solve the damned problem.

[@TheStrangeBloke]

dnd campaigns can make for good stories as long as, you know, you're a good story teller. Which is kind of the whole thing with stories in the first place. It's less about the premise or content and mostly about how well its told.

[@tahunuva4254]

Hamlet, by toa tahu. Everyone dies. Where's my fucking award

[@rankothefiremage]

In defense of the : in the game name, Werewolf: The Apocalypse has existed since the 90's, long before the modern trend in games. Personally i tended toward Mage or Exalted when it came to White Wolf products.

[@aldar8240]

I think it's an issue where they needed a subtitle since otherwise it'd get confusing. "Werewolf", "Mage", and "Vampire" aren't great titles discussion-wise, especially given the subject of the game is also its name.

[@alexandredesbiens-brassard9109]

@@aldar8240 Not to mention that you can't trademark simply "Vampire" or "Werewolf".

[@aldar8240]

@@alexandredesbiens-brassard9109 that's also true

[@simoneidson21]

@@aldar8240Yeah but no one who isn’t familiar with the games has any fucking clue what “Cainites” or “Garou” are

[@lupine9971]

As someone who has been playing the Werewolf: The Apocalypse RPG since the 90s, this game was a massive disappointment.

[@stephinwilliams4384]

And on top of the recent Bloodlines 2 news, too. WoD ain't looking too pretty these days, and it makes me sad.

[@lupine9971]

​@@stephinwilliams4384 Onyx Path are too busy developing two dozen games at the same time! Paradox is producing some strange battle royale Vampire: Masquerade game which sounds so utterly non-world of darkness. Real shame indeed. :)

[@bernardotorres5274]

More like a butchering if the source material rather than disappointment.

[@Nokaret]

So it's back to the observatory of Griffith Park with Nines Rodriguez again..

[@kraxosOBK]

First thought was "oh christ he's going to slaughter this title.."

[@TheMightyMcClaw]

My emotional rollercoaster, before even seeing any of the gameplay: "Hey, a Werewolf the Apocalypse game! Neat!" "Oh. It's another Sad Dad game. Less neat."

[@axios4702]

"Nobody gives a shit about your imaginary heroics outside of the players directly involved." Meanwhile there are videos about imaginary heroics racking millions of views here on KZbin, Critical Role is a thing and the Scapist crew has their own D&D streams now. Yatzhee's "old man" moments age like milk, they turn into delicious ironic cheese.

[@kaelang12]

"and then i rolled a five and a two" the idea of rimmer as a tabletop gamer is too terrifying to imagine

[@LDragon]

Rimmer -- stays up all night working on his character sheet, painstakingly min-maxing his fighter/mage/bard and composing a detailed backstory and psychological profile, only to experience acute Mountain Dew withdrawal and pass out for ten hours, sleeping through the actual game session. Lister -- rolls up his barbarian character during the first five minutes of the DM's opening monologue, then responds to every in-game encounter (from haggling with a surly shopkeeper to petting a friendly stray dog) with "I draw my sword".

[@kaelang12]

@@LDragon cat- the stereotypical "I roll to seduce" bard who wouldn't hesitate to bring an actual instrument to play at the table

[@MrHawkelement]

I fucking hate D&D now. I tried getting involved with a group of friends once; The DM focused on making this huge story and world, and when we went even a little off-path, he threw his hands up. One dude at the table was focused on playing it like a game, so would cheat or fight/loot everything. Like...It was so boring and Idk what people see in it.

[@kaelang12]

@@MrHawkelement sounds like a bad experience there; that happens a lot, but don't let it get to you! there's a ton of horror stories online about bad sessions, so you're not alone d&d can mean different things to people who like it: there are those who enjoy the combat, or those that want to explore the world and lore of the campaign they're in personally, i love the character arcs that develop over the course of the campaign. one of my characters started out as a straight-lace cleric, but at the end she retired with her girlfriend and they now run a tea shop with their daughter the benefits of the game have actually had studies done on it. d&d has been shown to help people with issues like shyness and anxiety, as you can work out your problems with RPing i can recommend some d&d channels if you want to see its true potential

[@kylerclarke2689]

I can't believe that I've been jamming out to that intro for more than a decade.

[@MrChupacabra555]

1:42 : That us the exact joke my group had about the game when we were playing it in the 90s ("Captain Planet with Fur, Fangs, and an Attitude"). As far as who is interested in someone repeating a gaming session: While it isn't the same thing, Critical Role has managed to get tons of non-players interested in the hobby, by essentially just filming their sessions (although it helps to be attractive, charismatic, and have a side job as a Voice Actor ^_^)

[@lukakatunaricskaro]

Wait, side job? I thought their main job was voice acting, and Critical Role more a way to hang out with their friends.

[@MrChupacabra555]

@@lukakatunaricskaro Yeah, that's what I meant (but us geeks consider our jobs as just ways to support the thing we truly want to be primary in our lives, playing RPGs ^_^)

[@Tralldan]

@@lukakatunaricskaro Critical Role does appear to be a full time job at this point, what with having their own production company making multiple series at once (y'know, pre COVID) and the production of their own animated show. It seems like the amount of time the cast invests in CR is greater then time invested in VA, but maybe that's just how I see it and I'm full of shit.

[@leguan278]

DND is a TON of fun, but i would never ever tell anyone about it without a real fing good reason.

[@BlindErephon]

Yeah.....story based podcasts with playing RPGs as the main conceit are popular, but they also tend to have some OTHER draw as well. Like famo voice actors, or reduced pissing around with mechanics. Its alot like videogames in that I think its probably better to play them than hear about.

[@segevstormlord3713]

Sounds like a tragedy, since Vampire: the Masquerade: Bloodlines was actually really GOOD, but had entirely different foci in its gameplay. It was all about the dialog trees, with combat being a secondary thing. Your goals were narrative, and often resolved by talking your way through things (or using mind-whammy powers on people that came as special dialog options). I get wanting more combat in a game about turning into a murderbeast, but...yeah. That shouldn't actually be the focus of the game. Combat should be the quick-and-dirty "easy button" solution that creates all sorts of problems that need resolving.

[@user-ne4pm8cg3t]

I sort of have the same problems when it comes to the whole hypocritical morality thing when it comes to games. As much trash talk as infamous gets for its system, it never felt completely pointless and dull to be a good guy and you never felt terrible for being a bad guy, and the only consequences really impact different cutscenes, powers, and the ending. As much as I love dishonored, it’s kind of guilty too, like if you don’t want me to kill or be seen so I can get the good ending, why give me SOOO MANY possibilities, upgrades, opportunities, weapons, powers, and free range to just go murdering fools? Like imagine a devil may cry game, simple premise right? Except to get the good ending and the best outcome for everyone, you couldn’t kill ANY demons whatsoever, you couldn’t look cool, and you had to feed candy and hug the bosses to progress. Like if you play a game and the person you play as is a super badass, then why should we strayed from playing like one y’know? Sry for the rant idk

[@OldManJ3nkins]

I'm with you. I think he talks about this a little in his Blair Witch review, where you only get the good ending if you don't kill any of the monsters that show up to attack you. It's complete BS, often put in just so you have to play the game twice. Now, in Undertale it weaves into the story, it's not a long game, and to your point you're not a badass hero who looks like they kick ass for breakfast. Giving someone a bunch of weapons and powers and fucking sweet ways to tear enemies apart then saying "Oh but a GOOD person would just go through the game giving everyone ice cream and reach-arounds. Doesn't that sound like fun?" No, no it does not. That sounds like a really shitty, boring way to wring more playtime out of a game because you couldn't think of a better way to incorporate goodness into the gameplay.

[@macdjord]

2:00 - "Ravaging the Earth, not for wealth or to met the needs of [...] humanity, but because [...] they are actively trying to destroy the world" - Interesting tidbit: That was actually a _deliberate design decision_ in the original Captain Planet show. They deliberately avoided showing realistic polluters, because they didn't want Little Timmy thinking Daddy was _evil_ because he worked for a logging company.

[@simoneidson21]

Werewolf: The Apocalypse also has a lot of deliberate pollution. Pentex is literally a megacorporate death cult

[@DevilPissedOff]

Fast forwading the intro of Yahtzee´s videos before: 2 clicks. Fast forwading the intro of Yahtzee´s videos now: 6 clicks.

[@K4RN4GE911]

Not having the patience for a thirty second intro on a free video: Priceless.

[@DevilPissedOff]

@@K4RN4GE911 Remember when Yathzee said "Nintendo is a big boy now, it doesn't need you fucking weebs defending it"? Well, same thing applies here man, relax.

[@MrHawkelement]

@@K4RN4GE911 The intro is mostly just them asking for money. So, free video? Sure, but every video asking for money as soon as you hit play is fucking annoying.

[@K4RN4GE911]

@@MrHawkelement Support for the people making content you love so they can eat? What the fuck?! HOW FUCKING DARE THEY! EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE FREE! Come off it.

[@firockfinion3326]

"Alienation from humanity meter" is a hilarious concept.

[@scylla1772]

1:29 now that name's a deep cut (of internet fanfiction) I didn't see coming

[@johnnyhall4335]

2:30 That remark definitely got me chuckling.

[@seanandrewsimpson]

oh look, my arch-nemesis, Ludonarrative Dissonance

[@777SilverPhoenix777]

Definitely a game suffering from an identity crisis. It has no clue what it really wants to be and accomplishes nothing as a result.

[@kevadu]

Sounds more to me like it knows what it wants to be but doesn't have the budget to actually be that.

[@bernardotorres5274]

@@kevadu More like it doesn’t have the skills to do what it wants to do.

[@vawlkus]

saw your gameplay of this, and the first thing I wondered was this: why am I being given a beautiful looking wolf form whose one and ONLY purpose is to crawl through vents? You can't attack with it, you can't really stealth with it, WTF? You can't even get petted

[@GreenLinzerd]

As soon as I saw the notification I was like "oh boy, he's gonna have a field day with THAT title."

[@ghostnappa553]

“Captain Planet but everyone is werewolves

[@garuelx8627]

Didn't the creators of Disney's Gargoyles attempt to do an animated series with a similar idea call Guardians of Luna?

[@MrLego3160]

"I'd have added a system where abusing frenzy punishes you with a bad end" Ah yes, morality systems, yahtzee loves those in games. Loves being given option to kill then being told not to use it.

[@MrLego3160]

@@ToxicBastard I'll be honest mustard. I wasn't basing my comment on your opinion of bad ends.

[@MrLego3160]

@@ToxicBastard yes, his name is ben "yahtzee" croshaw, kinda the whole reason i thought him making the suggestion for this game was worth pointimg out.

[@Sayrden]

A bad ending is one possibility, but there are others. In _Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter_ you had an invincible dragon form that you could use to win any fight. However, using it rapidly filled the Dragon Gauge, and if the Gauge filled completely, you'd lose your soul (and the game). Not really a bad ending, just a different way to lose.

[@ologracz1110]

@@ToxicBastard or maybe someone who is actually invested on game? Or book? Or any story in general? I guess getting attached to fictional characters is for losers in your world?

[@BP-dn9nv]

While it's not his favorite mechanic, it'd at least be something.

[@xandersnyder7214]

Hahaha, I love the Red Dwarf reference! "then I rolled a 5 and a 2"

[@belltowersubductions5104]

Hey, I’ll have you know the one dnd game with the drunk stoner with a chastity belt (gotten for the crime of necrophilia, long contested by the stoner because “They were alive when I started”) on a quest to find the key to his chastity belt was quite interesting.

[@RustoKomuska]

I once played a solo session of dnd with my DM who had told me not 2 days earlier that he was uncomfortable even playing female characters in games when he suddenly brought up a female npc who tells me she's been raped and needs me to abort the baby she's been impregnated with while I'm disguising myself as a doctor and in my shock that he wrote such a story and spoke the dialogue for this NPC I forgot easier ways I could have gone about this and attempted the coathanger trick with my rapier whereupon I rolled a 1 on the D20 and impaled her, killing her instantly. Was the most memorable session of my life.

[@ricardo.compere8504]

Hmm -,_,- that scared me

[@amannamedsquid313]

Well, that's certainly something.

[@willnolan6624]

Even after all these years seeing DW5 Lu Bu still makes me go into panic mode

[@2Scribble]

1:29 - ah, nice to see Edgewood Darkbottom is still in business

[@davidpoulton8592]

My favorite in-joke was the term "60-mile dragon," which we used as shorthand for "GM can't evaluate distances very well."

[@sm24644]

Speaking as a DM and a player. He is right no one outside the game cares a bit about your game unless they are also into the hobby.

[@LabrnMystic]

You mean they didn't bother to at least put two endings in this thing? Isn't this supposed to be the same company that branches off Vampire: The Masquerade?

[@a_grin_without_a_cat]

It's the same setting and universe, but game studio is different. VtMB was developed by Troika Games, which is now dead, and key people from Troika are working at Obsidian and InXile atm.

[@ijustchangedmyname]

@@a_grin_without_a_cat They are currently working on vampire: the masquerade bloodlines 2. It's developed by hardsuit labs and published by paradox interactive.

[@a_grin_without_a_cat]

@@ijustchangedmyname it's not. publisher just announced (yesterday or so) that Hardsuit Labs is not working on VtMB2 anymore and the game is not coming out 2021.

[@ijustchangedmyname]

@@a_grin_without_a_cat Oh. I stand corrected.

[@ijustchangedmyname]

@@a_grin_without_a_cat I guess it's fitting for vtmb to be in development hell.

[@christopherosborne2817]

The earth wearing a ball gag, being wiped by a factory was a highlight for me! Haven't laughed so much in ages!

[@ryanjones_rheios]

The frenzy mode really should have penalty, because in Werewolf giving into your rage to frenzy usually costs some glory, at the least, and risks your being tainted by the wyrm at the worst. (Becoming, either one of the bad guys or at least briefly *controlled* by an aspect of the spirit of the bad-guys, leading you to maim, kill and consume, or disable and rape your allies and enemies in a chaotic frenzy)

[@ryanjones_rheios]

@@pedropradacarciofi2517 Yeah, and even then the Werewolf communities in the game probably leaned too far for most anyone but some sort of primativist. I love a lot of the oWOD and its nigh-apocalypse setting (and always thought it could be rolled into a post-apocalypse interestingly) but I sometimes think the writer's agendas in them could be a bit too inflexible. Not to mention I always found the "The Weaver drove the Wyrm crazy" thing a bit too luddite. I'm not sure if it'd ever be a problem, but only because I've never gotten to run it at a table

[@Nyghtking]

If Yahtzee played D&D he would probably be really good as a bard since he's exceptional at using his words.

[@15oClock]

At first, I thought "Ugh, that's a terrible title", but then I thought you might just be reviewing two games. I should've listen to my first instinct.

[@Tleilaxu0]

Kind of an unavoidable issue with adapting the World of Darkness RPGs, though. All their titles follow a format of "[Creature]: the [Theme]", and adding a subtitle to that often looks clunky. But hey, everyone loves Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines, so clearly it's only a problem if the game isn't good enough to distract you from it. Which this one sadly wasn't.

[@Kona_chibi]

0:53 - You can't sneak a Red Dwarf joke passed me Yahtzee!

[@Mutativ]

To those not initiated to the pen & paper RPG version of this game, I can assure you that the RPG there stands for "Rip, Pulverize, Gouge" also. Tearing everyone to shreds as soon as possible is always the best solution to every problem, the game mechanics make sure of that. So at least it's true to the source material.

[@imaginaryfanboy]

I'm disappointed Yahtzee was able to make an entire review on this game without mentioning furries.

[@zeosummers3984]

its probably because furries are lame.

[@garuelx8627]

probably don't want to acknowledge that nowadays werewolves are seen as gateway furries...

[@james1328]

I thought the notification said "Earthbound", I know he already did it so shrug

[@quint3ssent1a]

I remember how in VTMB frenzy was REALLY BAD THING, to the point that sometimes it was almost a soft game over (if your frenzied rampage alerted enough policemen to stop your progress in current playthrough). And here frenzy is just a mechanic to kill people faster. Wow.

[@chiefkeef74]

Well lets be honest: Werewolf and by extent Hunter is all combat. Vampire is more about the story and politics especially if you're in the Camarilla. If you're an Anarch or in the Sabbat well then go nuts.

[@simoneidson21]

Werewolf is the most combat oriented of World of Darkness. Frenzy is different for vampires and werewolves

[@theshadowcult]

We already got the captain planet series. Had Don Cheadle playing captain planet! :D

[@knju1monsterhunt656]

Is Yahtzee with Honest Game Trailers? They just did their own review of this game, and this isn't the first time his followed theirs.

[@BlueCrasher01]

Can't believe this was the newest game from the Styx devs after YEARS since Shards of Darkness.... I remember really liking the Styx series.... Shame.

[@derrinerrow4369]

wait this was made by the guys who did Styx? HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!?

[@scarocci7333]

@@derrinerrow4369 that's what happen when the guys used to make hardcore stealth games in determined close areas are asked to make a open-world like game with action combat

[@DarcOfTheShadows]

I'm a tabletop RPG dork, and I've been a fan of the World of Darkness games (Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Vampire: the Masquerade, and all the other assorted ones) since high school. There is nothing even slightly cool about them. They're games for the nerdiest of nerds who also have a dramatic bent. That said, their settings /should/ be prime fodder for a good game- there are lots of cool abilities, weird supernatural beings, and a general air of dread and mystery that can work well if you lean into it right. VtM Bloodlines is the best example, it was about 60% of the way to being a genuinely good game because they understood what makes being a vampire interesting and fun. It was rushed out with basically the last third of the game half-finished, but the rest of the game is strong enough that people really responded to it, and there's an unofficial fan patch that's updated to this day. Everything I've heard about this game, though, makes me think they just slapped the Werewolf concept onto an unrelated project just for the hell of it.

[@PtolemyJones]

One of the best things about this guys videos is that they are entertaining to watch, yet so vapid you can come back in a week or two and it's like the first time.

[@kevinkhuu3294]

I can already predict what Yatzhee's going to say about this game just by reading its title

[@TheManOfManyNames373]

"Still waiting on the Captain Planet gritty live-action Netflix series". Give the CW some time, they'll create it eventually.

[@mikedawolf95]

I played this because I got it with my game subscription and the first level the wolf gang hideout was literally right outside the bad guys base.

[@OldManJ3nkins]

"I pooed on the rug and I'd do it again" is my all-time favorite frame in the whole run. His pre 2010s are classics, post 2010 is still mostly funny, but every time I see that cat's face and those words I laugh for like five minutes straight. Comedy gold, this whole episode is phenomenal.

[@cyte112]

I better hear retching from this title! - Edit: I was not disappointed.

[@hoodedman6579]

I wonder if Yahtzee will play Persona 5 S... It's basically Persona 5 2 but someone replaced the turn-based combat with Dynasty Warriors combat and removed the time management and social links but left almost everything else. It feels way more like Persona 5 than it does a Warriors game, as opposed to something like Hyrule Warriors which is Dynasty Warriors but with Zelda characters. It's fucking bizarre that it got ports to platforms that don't have Persona 5 because it is just a direct sequel, to the point that someone who never played P5 would probably be rather confused by a lot of things plotwise, and playing it first spoils the shit out of Persona 5 in so many different ways.

[@ivanrzhanoy9389]

My guess is that the regular persona 5 hasn't made it yet, because it was originally made for PS3. It was pain in the ass to develop for it and I am sure it was pain in the ass to port the game to PS4. It is probably a pain in the ass to port it to another console or PC at this point as well. I do hope however it will reach PC by the time I will be done with P4 Golden.

[@blacklightstarcraft]

let's give his challenge at the start of the episode a try " the party needed to get into a highly excluding gentlemen's club. so we gathered 100 goats and a trumpet. then changed the club and used the goats as a battering ram well playing the trumpet badly."

[@Darek_B52]

I will give it credit. It's kinda interesting where you can talk your way in and just eavesdrop on conversations to get the answers. I don't know I weirdly enjoy this game...maybe it's because I played so much of the 2003 Ang Lee's Hulk film game tie-in. In that game, the stealth missions are just that. You get grabbed and game over. At least in this one I can say "screw it" and rip n' tear.

[@GoStReKoN]

Having some experience with the tabletop source the game stems from, it feels like it's becoming increasingly obvious that this sort of adaptation isn't as easy as people think. Tabletop games have the big advantage of being, generally, very open. So long as your Game Master will allow you to do it, you can do it. Hell, you can kludge together mechanics on the spot if need be to represent actions that wouldn't normally fall within the confines of what the developers expected players to do. What most (for there are some exceptions) of these tabletop-turned-videogame debacles seem to result in is playing the campaign of some person you've never met with the least imaginative game master imaginable, because that game master is literally just code that cannot improvise outside of the script.

[@ILikeTheThingsIDo]

You can make D&D sound interesting, you just have to skip the mechanics part. The story of how your character turned into a potted plant and the barbarian threw them into, and killed a goblin with it is always going to be funny.

[@sirfailalotful]

A gritty, live action Captain Planet Netflix series is, at the very least, on the table as we speak.

[@riokollivier]

Something funny about the TTRPG joke at the beginning is that Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Earthblood is in fact based on the TTRPG, Werewolf: The Apocalypse.

[@dusksentry5836]

yhatzee: noone wants to hear about your DND games Also yhatzee: hey want to watch me play a DND game

[@OldManJ3nkins]

Yahtzee: Censorship is bad. The Escapist: Let's cut all of the parts of our videos KZbin doesn't like and censor all the butts and penises, but leave in all the ads we put in for limited-time merch that you can't even get anymore. Money changes people. Pretty sure they could afford to demonetize the compilations, especially if they truly believed in the values he talks about.

[@betchaos7383]

When I first saw this game revealed, I had a 3 minute straight laughing fit after reading the game title.

[@ZatomiAwake]

It's unfortunate that nobody is doing really good werewolf games. I was really excited to check this one out.

[@tbdaemon]

The devs could've ported some of the source material to resolve the ludonarrative dissonance cuz if you burn through all of your humanity in WtA, it's fucking game over - you're stuck in frenzy mode and cannot control your actions. Christ, leading up to that point, other werewolves will start hunting you because you're a goddamn menace to their own society, not to mention getting the attention of monster hunters (a la "The Reckoning") who will do the same with less savory tactics. For instance, werewolves have a bit of a cultural ban against using silver to which werewolves have an in-game weakness, and they also have a similar ban against actually murdering other werewolves: a good thrashing is fine, even if the offending werewolf might comes to within an inch of their life because werewolves can regenerate from it, or they might consider capturing and imprisoning you - could've possibly led to some content where you plead with your captors. Meanwhile, hunters fucking don't care about any of that - they aren't above putting you down for good and will use any tool at their disposal, nor can they be reasoned with. Man, I'm rambling about a game that totally missed an opportunity that ended up breaking itself!

[@leguan278]

What is the song they use to open with? i know its copyright free, but what is it!

[@leguan278]

@@fenriswhispers Well... nice try, i guess thats the best i Can say, Grade: F for effort.

[@MrHawkelement]

It's just called "Zero Punctuation Theme" by Ian Dorsch. Idk where this person got the "Alien Weaponry" thing from, other than out of their ass.

[@leguan278]

@@MrHawkelement no, not that one, the one before the video starts.

[@yawmanr]

Algorithm snackrifice comment

[@themaskedmysadaean8885]

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[@drakeshade3521]

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[@jakeogrady8512]

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[@wideveed]

All hail the algorithm!

[@hokiemonproductions9558]

Comment = Comment ++

[@theswedishdude1]

guess i'm the only one who genuinely like hearing people talk about their tabletop adventures

[@Bekayvd]

"Mid range Euro jank" Never change yahtz