Favorite video essays?

[SolemnlyDoc]

I'm a person who loves video essays. I'll spend hours watching these deep dives into my favorite games in the Metal Gear franchise, but I also enjoy using them as an introduction to games I've never played before.

SteakBentley and AskYourUncle are my favorite creators, what are yours?

Feel free to link your particular favorite video.

 

[goregoregoregoregoregore]

I'm sick of almost all video essays, most of them have this deep/intellectual pretentious way of presenting things that many times are subjective or outright don't make sense.
But if there is one i enjoy it's the ones on this channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Mystic_Ode
And this one which is one of my favorite videos of all time, about my favorite band of all time:

 

[AxeHammer]

Nigh Mind's videos are always great, he covers ARGs (Alternate Reality Games) and a lot of other web horror content. I don't have a favorite video but what got me into his content was his coverage of the Marble Hornets ARG.

 

[J.F.C]

Video Essays and good do not belong in the same sentence.

 

[DunkeyKong]

This guy used to appear quite a lot in my recommendation, I kinda enjoyed it (probably because it was Metal Gear Solid)

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

Video essays be like:

-start the video with some shitty 20s movie quote
-but before we got into the topic of the video lets head where it all started (spends 40 minutes talking about the history of Gmod and how skibidi toilet is inspired by the game you are watching the video about)
-mentions hollow knight for every 5 seconds
-sleepy voice by the narrator or just too relaxed of a voice
-only 5 minutes of the whole thing are about the actual game or topic
-sums it up by "I don't know im a just a moron who yaps" giving the most unsatisfactory ending

Yup that's video essays for you.

I have lost interest in them sometime ago , talking constantly about the thing you like but only mentioning bad stuff makes the thing you like less enjoyable which is what most video essays do just talk shit the whole time.

ALSO its a huge waste of time why watch 4 hour video by pyrocyncial on supposedly HL3 when I can just play the mod by myself or play an actual game instead of watching gameplay by somebody else?

 

[Mecharocca]

I'm sick of almost all video essays, most of them have this deep/intellectual pretentious way of presenting things that many times are subjective or outright don't make sense.

Pretty much this. They are so pretentious and boring, often trying to intentionally and artificially spread the point (if they can even make one) all for the sake to be self-aggrandizing and pull you in for more channel traffic. It's just so disingenuous and synthetic.

If anything, I find myself just getting away from video essays and really appreciating video guides.
And by that I don't mean walkthroughs but someone succinctly explaining mechanics because it's rich and useful and you feel alive listening to it and not hoping to sift through trite to find any details.

But if I had to think of one channel of essays I kind of like, I find that The Electric Underground's videos are pretty good. He mostly covers action games and bullet hells, and for the most part what he says resonates with a decent amount of enthusiasts. I sometimes flat out disagree with him, but for someone to handle this specific 'niche' and be really passionate about it is awesome and worth mentioning.

 

[LiberoVulpesLiberoVulpes's icon]

Its a deconstruction, of an imaginary game he came up with, going through the design document he made, making commentary on why he did it that way, and having fun imagining how cool the game could be.

If you have made games, you can 100% understand his enthusiasm.

 

[goregoregoregoregoregore]

Pretty much this. They are so pretentious and boring, often trying to intentionally and artificially spread the point (if they can even make one) all for the sake to be self-aggrandizing and pull you in for more channel traffic. It's just so disingenuous and synthetic.

If anything, I find myself just getting away from video essays and really appreciating video guides.
And by that I don't mean walkthroughs but someone succinctly explaining mechanics because it's rich and useful and you feel alive listening to it and not hoping to sift through trite to find any details.

But if I had to think of one channel of essays I kind of like, I find that The Electric Underground's videos are pretty good. He mostly covers action games and bullet hells, and for the most part what he says resonates with a decent amount of enthusiasts. I sometimes flat out disagree with him, but for someone to handle this specific 'niche' and be really passionate about it is awesome and worth mentioning.

Funny you say this, but this channel made me start playing fighting games and shmups more seriously and buy an arcade stick and how to use it. Also the only channel that i saw talking about dodonpachi at the time and i loved it

 

[BitterDemon]

i love this one

 

[DunkeyKong]

i love this one

ANOTHER METAL GEAR SOLID ENJOYER

 

[goregoregoregoregoregore]

-sums it up by "I don't know im a just a moron who yaps" giving the most unsatisfactory ending

I hate this attitude of doing a bad opinion and backing off by seeing "but hey, i'm stupid i don't know anything lol" as a way to not receive backlash for the stuff you said but still say stuff that they themselves aren't sure of.

...I know because i'm the type of idiot that does this.




...but hey, i don't know anything

 

[Tonberry]

I don’t really watch them anymore, as I grew tired of them when the landscape sort of shifted towards ’Long + Editing = Good Point’, but I’m not about to jump into a thread asking for favorites just to talk shit about the subject.

I remember really liking Core A Gaming. They were concise, informative and entertaining:

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

I hate this attitude of doing a bad opinion and backing off by seeing "but hey, i'm stupid i don't know anything lol" as a way to not receive backlash for the stuff you said but still say stuff that they themselves aren't sure of.

...I know because i'm the type of idiot that does this.




...but hey, i don't know anything

Man its too good of a defense!

So sad that I can't criticize this comment as the commenter is a self proclaimed "idiot" therefore he is invulnerable to criticism

 

[Teone]

Recently I loved this channel's essays about Shadow of the Colossus. The way she talk and writes is very commited to fonts and to question some ideas everybody takes as "obvious".

The only thing I disagree with her is in the next video, the part 2, where she takes a long time analysing how everybody's interpretation of SotC/Dormin/ShrineOfWorship/etc as an analogy to biblical issues would be a cultural bias. Her argument is excelent and I'd totally agree with it and abandon that interpretation IF, in a new official artbook released one year after her video, Fumito Ueda himself hadn't said the bible, Nimrod and the whole tower of babel thing was an actual inspiration for him. xD

Her videos are amazing anyway, any SotC fan should watch it.

 

[ponfir]

i dont know if this can be considered as a video essay, but i enjoyed this very much.

 

[Tonberry]

i dont know if this can be considered as a video essay, but i enjoyed this very much.

As long as it has some sort of thesis (even if the video is bad or good) I’d say it usually counts. :)

 

[MrDoflamingo]

Technically not an essay-centric channel, but this one covers the history of obscure games. The guy also interviews the developers to bring exclusive scoop too once in a while. It's difficult to find anything about these lost games, let alone contact the developers behind such games.

 

[bjork]

I don't know if it counts, but Chrontendo/Chronturbo/Chronsega. Real mellow narration and the idea of seeing every title on a console is kinda cool.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I even rewatch it from time to time:

 

[TruxtonTatsujin]

I don't find many video essays memorable, so I couldn't tell you what my favourite one is. They're just kind of like a popcorn flick that I throw on in the background.

 

[poppy_]

Running Shine makes really great video essays

Also Cybershell

 

[TruxtonTatsujin]

nvm this one might be my favourite

 

[Sackboy]

majuulars kings field video, and his latest ultima ones.

 

[Scum Of Orion]

The Mystery of the Druids by Mandalore gaming is one of the funniest hours I've spent watching a man breakdown a completely insane adventure game of dubious quality. Its a game ostensibly about a man investigating a druid themed murder case, but it's does all the normal adventure game stuff to normal people who all rightfully treat him like a crazy psycho who can't be trusted.

I also really enjoy Noah Caldwell-Gervais Retrospective videos, though they can go into the 6 hours region of length

Post automatically merged: Feb 12, 2025

majuulars kings field video, and his latest ultima ones.

Majuular is pretty great, I love his Ultima videos

Post automatically merged: Feb 12, 2025

I even rewatch it from time to time:

I like his rwby video too, its good breakdown. But hbomberguy is my enemy for life for forever poisoning Fallout 3 discourse