Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Let's Talk About: Let's Player Aeterna

By Way of Introduction:
One thing I have been doing a great deal during the past months is both watching and listening to Let's Plays on  YouTube.  For the uninitiated, Let's Plays are similar to walkthroughs in the sense that they are a series of videos where someone plays through a game. In my mind what sets walkthroughs  and Let's Plays (LPs) apart though, is that LPs more often than not feature constant commentary from the Let's Player (LPer), whereas walkthroughs are commentary free.  Sometimes LP playlists feature only part of a game, but more often than not LPers record these games in their entirety.  This means that RPG LPs, like CD Projekt RED's The Witcher, can be hundreds of videos long.  Each LPer has their own style, and in the past few months I have found quite a few individuals with varying styles that I enjoy.  Since YouTube is flooded with LPs of all kinds, this blog will sporadically feature Let's Players whom I feel do things right.  At the end of each entry I will include basic information about their LP style, and ways to follow their exploits.  The latter information comes exclusively from public information on YouTube profiles.  A content advisory will also be included just in case you have children running about, are sensitive to language, or play LPs in the background at work.

The Basics:
With 80+ Let's Plays (both complete, partial, and ongoing) under his belt, LPer Aeterna is currently in the process of posting CD Projekt RED's The Witcher 2 and Remedy Entertaiment's Alan Wake.  While there does not appear to be any particular theme to the games he plays, all of the titles are of notable quality and varying ages.  While the three I have watched (Fallout: New Vegas, TES IV: Oblivion and Dragon Age: Origins) were roleplaying games, there are a number of other genres represented on his channel. Some of the titles on the list are: 

He says the following about his play style:
  • I WILL fail a lot
  • I work in sets
  • I keep as much footage as I can intact
  • I do these for my own enjoyment
  • I don't want any spoilers of games I'm playing.  There's a big difference between hints and spoiling of course.


Details and Observations:
  • Genres: rpg, adventure, indie, shooter, strategy, classic 
  • Platform: PC
  • Commentary Style: Serious but fun loving. Commentary sticks to topics related to the game and gameplay. Casual/conversational tone of voice. Thoughtful gameplay.
  • Commentary Language: English  
  • Mod Usage: Yes.  Mainly cosmetic changes and minor gameplay tweaks.
  • Content Advisory: Occasional Language (d-n, s-t, f-k).  Occurs most often during times of frustration, puzzlement, or in-game trouble.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Monday, March 19, 2012

ME2 - Prisoner


Powerful and unpredictable.


There are spoilers after the break.  Continue reading at your own risk.