September 1, 2011

Let's Plays: A Unique Way to Experience Games.

Today, I decided to dedicate a blog entry to a gaming phenomenon that's sweeping YouTube: Let's Plays. For those who don't know, Let's Plays -hereby referred to as LPs- are basically video game walkthrough videos, but with commentary from the player added in. The commentary provides the viewer with tips and tricks for the game that's being played, along with the occasional non-sequitur.

Now, there are a few LPers who follow a certain criteria when it comes to the games they will LP. HCBailly, for example, specializes in J-RPGs like Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Lufia, and many more.

ProtonJon has specialized in ROM hacks, like Super Kaizo World. However, he's also got a great LP of the horrible Superman game that was made for the N64, as well as some goofy vids of him and his friends playing Mario Kart Wii, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Not to mention some awesome LPs of the Ninja Gaiden trilogy for the NES.

Chuggaaconroy will mostly go for games that are kinda cult classics, like the PS2/Wii game Ōkami, to the SNES game EarthBound. He's also done an LP of Super Mario Sunshine, because he felt that game was undeserving in some of the hatred some Mario fans have for it. Plus, he saw a ton of LPs of Super Mario 64, and quite a few for the Galaxy games, but next to none for Sunshine. Good for him, because I seem to be one of the few who loves that game.

However, there's also another kind of LP, commonly referred to as a "blind LP". Those are basically people playing and commentating on a game they've never played before. For example, a LPer I follow who calls himself NintendoCapriSun has an in-progress -as of this writing, anyway- blind LP of the N64 cult classic Conker's Bad Fur Day. Another LPer I follow named JoshJepson began one for the SNES game Yoshi's Island yesterday. So far, he's doing pretty well. However, I shudder to think what'll happen when he gets to the more difficult levels.

Anyway, those two are really talented gamers, and I really wish I had their skills. Especially NCS's, because he's done several LPs of classic games and will invoke a self-imposed challenge to make it more difficult and interesting to watch. For instance, he did a run of the original Legend of Zelda game for the NES, and chose not to collect any of the Heart Containers. It actually made things all the more epic when he finally trounced Ganon.

Well, I guess I've rambled on for long enough. If you want to check out the LPers I mentioned, I took the liberty of linking to their YouTube channel via their username in this blog entry. I dunno what my next post will be about, but I hope to God it'll be interesting, as I always hate to think that I'm boring people.

Til then, I'll recommend one last LP channel to all of you: TheRunawayGuys. It's essentially a collab channel for Chuggaaconroy, ProtonJon, and NintendoCapriSun. However, JoshJepson guest stars on their LP of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. In fact, I got into Josh's LPs because of them. Anyway, take care of yourselves, readers! Catch ya later!

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