[FFreak3]

Alright, I really quite like the fact that Yahtzee has been writing stories for the website as of late.

It brings me back to the days when writing was what his website was about. That, and crappy web comics that never-the-less succeeded in making a good joke, on occasion.

That being said . . .
Although it's hard to judge a trend from two stories, Yahtzee seems to have taken the exact same theme and put it in with two different universes.
"Let's find a position that these people have never been in before, then solve it by making them jackasses."
Trilby got rid of the ghost by asshole-ish trickery, the Elaborate Gesture ate due to asshole-ish trickery.

Basically, the over-riding character attributes so far seem the same. Yahtzee's using the same methods and techniques to advance the plot and stuff.
I barely know what I'm talking about here.

My worry is that the similarities will continue to pile on as he writes more stories, while at the current moment, it may just be a coincidence or result of getting back into writing stories after a long break.

edit:
If cerberus comes in here and tells me that i have no right to criticize Yahtzee, he's probably right.

This post has been edited by FFreak3: 28 March 2008 - 07:13 AM

[Cerberus]

edit:
If cerberus comes in here and tells me that i have no right to criticize Yahtzee, he's probably right.

You have no right are you happy now??

I have no idea what your talking about, nor do I read stories so rant away

This post has been edited by Cerberus: 28 March 2008 - 07:36 AM

[AdamM]

blah blah blah blah

I don't give a shit as long as it's funny.

[Game Over]

Humor conquers anything and anyone.
Just look at the people who had been pwned with jokes:

Napoleon
Ghandi
JFK
Saddam
Jesus...well, maybe not Jesus
Hitler
Hirohito
President Lincoln

and so many more...

[Imnotaschitzo]

I felt the problems with the story was more in his narrative structure. Especially with his new one, I needed a bit more of an explanation of his the setting and some reader orientation before I could really get a grasp on what was going on, or make myself care. They seem to take much of their notes from the Douglas Adams school of irreverent humor, and very, very few people can emulate that careless style and make it work.

His writing style seems to fit the essay format far better, which is why his video reviews are receiving so much more attention that his other forays into internet humor. They may be a tad formulaic (in ways only touchy, pretentious, self-involved literature students like myself will notice), but there's a quality to them that transcends the period or even the subject. Yahtzee could review books, movies and international military conflicts in the same way, and they'd all be funny.

Anyway, there's my two cents.



I know my name is misspelled. It's a private joke I have with myself. There's no justice, there's just me.

[Game Over]

His narrative style is quite thick in some sections. By thick, I mean with quite a lot of meaning which proves that his style comes from the Jeet Kune Do of many big names of writing.
Although his non Trilby characters are not the most beautiful pieces of chalk, clay and paper mixed together, they are still enjoyable and I'm sure his children or our children would look back at these writings and say "Gee, he kicked ass. Too bad we don't have nobody like him around these days".

The character Trilby seems to be Yahtzee's childhood Idol, a man (character) who he held his fictional presence dear and vowed to base many of his stories on. Now I understand why Trilby turned out to be perfect as a character with a lot of details.

His video structures are possibly most noticeable for their solid structure, as Imnotaschitzo mentioned. They start off mostly like this:

General comment
Introduction
First paragraph good/bad
second or more paragraphs bad/good
Conclusion
Hard hitting punchline
and finally, me falling onto the floor, proceeding to laugh my ass off on the floor, not noticing that I had already shit my pants.

These are what makes a real review. Structure, humor, something shocking, reference and smart language.

I give Yahtzee a AAA+.

[David-kyo]

His writing style seems to fit the essay format far better, which is why his video reviews are receiving so much more attention that his other forays into internet humor.

I think it's more to do with most people being too lazy to read.

(Although I don't particularly enjoy reading off a monitor either, as my eyes are screwed up enough as they are, which is why I usually print his longer stuff.)

[GoldenSeducer]

I think it's more to do with most people being too lazy to read.

(Although I don't particularly enjoy reading off a monitor either, as my eyes are screwed up enough as they are, which is why I usually print his longer stuff.)

Someone should make a program or invention to have Yahtzee's voice read term papers. Like, for professors who are lazy, they scan the term paper and all of a sudden, Yahtzee's voice reads it in his usual super-fast sexy voice.

It would also make internet-foruming so much more fun. There should be a "Yahtzee Voice" option if we don't feel like reading posts, but listening to them.

[DreamerM]

His writing style seems to fit the essay format far better, which is why his video reviews are receiving so much more attention that his other forays into internet humor. They may be a tad formulaic (in ways only touchy, pretentious, self-involved literature students like myself will notice), but there's a quality to them that transcends the period or even the subject. Yahtzee could review books, movies and international military conflicts in the same way, and they'd all be funny.

I'm not sure it's that his "style" fits one format or another better but I'll take this opportunity to point out that it's not just the writing that makes his videos what they are: it's the combination of the writing, the humorous pictures (if you can't find something to chuckle at in a badly photoshopped image of Mother Teresa eating a baby there has got to be something wrong with you), the Most Famous Voice in Online Video Game Journalism™, and the points that his videos are usually trying to make. Hell even the beginning and ending music choices are usually forumulated to make you Burst Out Laughing. If I had to find fault I'd say that lately he's been giving the negative sides of games so much screen time that I'm not sure what his real opinion is.

I think every writer kind of has a character like Trilby: one basically calculated to tell the kind of stories you like most from the point of view that's most fun for you. Trilby's probably a very easy character for Yahtzee to write for, which might also explain why he's such a well-rounded character; the author has a deep understanding of who this guy is and believes in him and the world he lives in, and when the author believes in his creation, odds are the reader will too.

[Patch]

Yahtzee's voice reads it in his usual super-fast sexy voice.

I assume (or more hope) that you are female? If not, that has to be the most incredibly gay thing I have heard, ever. For some reason, a guy suggesting Yahtzee has a super-fast sexy voice just makes me think of them as gay.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[David-kyo]

Yahtzee once mentioned that Trilby (like many of his other characters) started out as a projection of his own personality and the ensuing events have turned him into what he has become.

[Ghello]

I assume (or more hope) that you are female? If not, that has to be the most incredibly gay thing I have heard, ever. For some reason, a guy suggesting Yahtzee has a super-fast sexy voice just makes me think of them as gay.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Then why would you mention it?

I too find Yahtzees voice super-fast, and definently some sexy is too be found in their.

This post has been edited by Ghello: 01 April 2008 - 09:10 AM

[Game Over]

Someone should make a program or invention to have Yahtzee's voice read term papers. Like, for professors who are lazy, they scan the term paper and all of a sudden, Yahtzee's voice reads it in his usual super-fast sexy voice.

It would also make internet-foruming so much more fun. There should be a "Yahtzee Voice" option if we don't feel like reading posts, but listening to them.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Yahtzee once mentioned that Trilby (like many of his other characters) started out as a projection of his own personality and the ensuing events have turned him into what he has become.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

[FFreak3]

I don't Yahtz's reviews offer opinions, i think he writes them as if telling the game makers and designers what they did wrong, so they could try to do better.

More of a critique corner then a game review, persay.

[DreamerM]

I don't Yahtz's reviews offer opinions, i think he writes them as if telling the game makers and designers what they did wrong, so they could try to do better.

I think it works on any of those levels: if you're an internet e-tard watching it for the LOL, you get that, if you're a game designer wondering how your game can avoid that kind of grilling, you get that too, if you're a consumer wondering if a game is worth buying, you'll usually find out. Just depends on what you want to know.