AMA IaMA Gorse: Ask me Anything! (AMA)

[Mr. Daddy]

I love American culture.​

Alright, I now have a few more serious question for you as opposed to my two prior silly questions given previously:
1. If I'm remembering correctly, (and I apologize if I'm not) I believe you stated somewhere else that Family Guy is your favorite animated series. I'm sure you're well aware that here in the states, it's a bit of a controversial show both in part due to its content and the general feeling that the quality of the show dipped heavily for several seasons. Ultimately it makes me a bit curious, what makes the show appeal to you so much specifically? I should state for myself, I've always personally been an on again/off again fan of the show. Some seasons are funnier than others, and there's several I just haven't really seen.
2. Related to that question, what are your absolute favorite episodes of Family Guy?
3. What are some other pieces of American culture you particularly are fond of? Whatever you feel compelled to mention in as much detail as you want to talk about it in is fine with me. Perhaps at least a favorite non-animated show, a book, a movie, and a song, if you feel a little too much decision paralysis.

I'll be watching and waiting to provide bumps if necessary ​

 

[Gorse]

Excellent questions, @Mr. Daddy! And your post text is FREAKING ME OUT!!!!!

what makes the show appeal to you so much specifically?

First off, let me say that Family Guy has an extremely sentimental value to me. (Yes, I'm aware of how ridiculous that sounds.) It's the very first TV series I ever remember watching, because my dad was a big fan of it and he had all the pre-cancellation DVDs. I must have seen the first three seasons a thousand times before the show came back, and can quote many, many episodes entirely from memory. I have so much nostalgia for the original look, sound, voice acting, and writing of the show that it's unreal.

I remember exactly where I was when new episodes started coming out – seeing the episode "Perfect Castaway" late at night on a trip in Florida, sitting on the floor in the glow of the TV – and losing my mind at how there were finally making more of it. (According to Wikipedia, I was 7 years old, then.) Since that night, I've seen every new episode within a week of it premiering, to this very day.

Beyond that, though, the thing that I love most about the show is that it is pure, unadulterated comedic entertainment. (At its good moments.) Everything about the show is designed very specifically to make the viewer laugh, and to endear them to the characters. Everyone on the show looks funny, sounds funny, and says funny things. They're always being put into comedic situations. Everything is one big joke, and it's on the show itself. That, I've always felt, gives the entire production an air of amicability, and makes watching it very, very easy – the show is always on the viewer's side.

Another critical element of the show is in its performances, and I mean that in both senses of the word. The voice acting is absolutely phenomenal – so, so many jokes are carried by the excellent voices of Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, Alex Bornstein, Mila Kunis, and all the incidental cast. The show doesn't even really need to lean on its writing to be funny – hearing Peter say the words "dogs humping" or Lois yelling "THE SIDEBOOB HOUR!!!???" or Brain snarking "I'm not going to call the hospital because you won't learn anything if I do" is just absolutely perfect. Setting the series in Rhode Island, and giving the characters those accents, was an incredibly smart decision on Seth's part.

And speaking of Seth, the other thing I meant by "performances" is how big and bombastic the show is. I adore that soundtrack for the entire series is performed by a big band – that really makes the series feel like a classic 80s or 90s sitcom, with every scene punctuated by some beautiful, exciting instrumentals. I love that the show's songs are all based around that big band sound – Seth is a huge Rat Pack fan, of course, and his character vocals match the music perfectly. It just lends the entire series a sense of "classiness", even when the episode is about Brian's gay cousin or something. I actually have a few of the show's soundtracks downloaded, and they're really great stuff to listen to.

Most importantly, though, I love the show's comedy. It's everything I think comedy in cartoons should be. (Again, in its good moments.) It's unhinged, absurd, politically-incorrect, and surprisingly intelligent. The cutaway format being disconnected from the rest of the show just lets little pops of humour come in whenever the episode needs it most, and I truly do think it accentuates the writing. By definition, the cutaways don't make sense and are completely irrelevant, but that's the fun – they're just little extra bits of comedy to make the viewer happy. Jokes like this and this and this are utterly random, but they just make me laugh so hard I start to cry. I wish I could write and voice stuff like that. That's very much my kind of funny.

I could go on forever, but one more thing I really need to highlight is that the central element of Family Guy is television. The show utilizes, plays with, and exaggerates classic 20th-century TV tropes to a truly wonderful extent, and – even when I was a kid, I thought this – it makes watching it feel like you're watching something that matters. One of the most rewarding things about being a Family Guy fan has been growing older, seeing other shows, and finally understanding the jokes I didn't get when I was a kid. It's an excellent piece of media that could only have existed on TV, and, as someone who loves the television format, it's an excellent representation of that medium.

I've said it before, but Family Guy is one of the defining things that influenced the person I am – how I speak, how I write, how I think, what I find funny, and what I like in other media. It's pure entertainment – no substance, all style, but that's kind of what makes it good. Proportionally, the bad episodes far outweigh the good ones, and the show's been terrible for the vast majority of its life, but I still love it. I always will.

Seth MacFarlane is, I guess, my idol – alongside Bill Watterson and Stuart Ashen, he's the guy responsible for who I am today. I wish I had 1% of his talent. Not everything he's ever done has been great, but Family Guy – at least to me – is. I'd quite like to share a drink, a song, and a dirty joke with him, someday. Family Guy is my favourite TV show by a significant margin. Shipoopi!

​

[TO BE CONTINUED.............]

 

[Glimbo]

limit break

 

[Gorse]

[CONTINUED FROM ABOVE, THANK YOU GLIMBO]

2. Related to that question, what are your absolute favorite episodes of Family Guy?

Earlier in this thread, Lee__Kanker asked my favourite Simpsons episodes, and I had to think a lot about them. I don't need to think much about my favourite Family Guy episodes, though.

#1: PTV. This is, in my opinion, the best representation of Family Guy – if I only had to recommend a single episode to someone, it would be this. Every single line of dialogue is hilarious, the song is one of the show's best, the cutaways are phenomenal (I watched the All in the Family one before writing this and nearly laughed out of my chair), and it's got a fantastic premise that plays to the show's concept of being about TV. All the different in-universe shows they make are absolutely fantastic, too. Everyone who likes to laugh at adult cartoons should watch this episode.

#2: Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows. It seems dumb to call a Family Guy episode "beautiful" or "emotional", but this one is. Even as a kid, the episode's dual plots and especially the ending really touched me. (Giggity!) The one-off character was written and performed phenomenally, the song is terrific and insanely quotable, there are some really funny lines (even from Stewie!), and even the B-story is unbelievably cute in its own way. (It's a perfect compliment to the A-Story.) Awesome character moments from the entire cast. I've cried at this one.

#3: Road to Europe. I promised myself I'd only pick one "Road To..." episode for this list, and this one actually isn't what most fans would choose, but it's always been a favourite of mine. The globe-trotting adventure is a ton of fun, the song is excellent, and there's some beautiful atmospheric moments across the Middle East and Europe. Me and my friends used to watch this one constantly, and loved it more every time. So many funny, quotable lines, too.

I also really love that the central theme of the episode, which carries through the B-story, is about putting in a ton of effort to make someone happy, even when you know that it's in service of a lie, just because you love them and want to see them smile. That's a very mature story element for a cartoon about farting fat guys. The KISS stuff is totally on-point, too – that band was made for crossovers with this show. This one's always had a special place in my heart.

#4: Brian Does Hollywood. This episode, in addition to having an opening that's fucking excellent – seriously, watch it here, it's one of my favourite moments of the show – was a very good way of concluding Brian's character from the first three seasons. I really liked how, early on, he was portrayed as a tortured, uncertain intellectual, and this episode represents that version of the character perfectly. So many scenes from this one are iconic and hilarious, and Jasper's always been a favourite minor character of mine. I'd recommend this one a lot, too. Total classic.

#5: Brian and Stewie. Yeah yeah, this one's on every list, but it's for a good reason – it's very good in a very unique way for Family Guy. I actually caught it the first time it aired, when it was preceded by a clip show hosted by Seth himself, and it actually makes an excellent compliment to that, because it's totally different, but still very true to the characters. Getting more insight on Brian's insecurities and relationship with Stewie made me love the duo a whole lot more. I've always thought that Brian's line about "knowing that there's a way out is comforting" was incredibly poignant. This episode has some poor elements, but it basically needs to be on any top episode list.

Other standouts include The Son Also Draws for a great sense of atmosphere and Chris moments, Chitty Chitty Death Bang for a ton of hilarious lines, Road to Rhode Island for probably the single most classic episode of the series, Perfect Castaway for being extremely nostalgic and having several great cutaways, and Peter's Two Dads for a great plot and a phenomenal song. Frankly, you can pick any episode from the first six seasons of this show, and I'll like it at least a small bit, which is more than I can say about pretty much any other show. I could talk about this stuff forever.

What are some other pieces of American culture you particularly are fond of? Whatever you feel compelled to mention in as much detail as you want to talk about it in is fine with me.

To me, American culture really excels at being big, bombastic, exciting, and classy. I love classic Hollywood, Broadway musicals, 50s/60s greasers, 70s/80s/90s TV, and music from all across the 20th century. There's this sense of "realness" and "professionalism" and "theatrics" to the U.S. of A that I've always truly adored, because I come from a country that has none of those things (and indeed is essentially the opposite of them).

Americans are fantastic at making funny, intelligent, engaging culture that I love just as much for explosions and cheeseburgers and stars-and-stripes (or, even better, stars-and-bars) bikinis as I do for top-hatted New Yorkers inventing the lightblub and elegant black-and-white starlets sipping champagne on top of the Chrysler building. Frankly, "American culture" is really reductive, because I love so may different elements of it – bright Las Vegas lights, dim Alabama evenings, dinner at California malt shops, walking down NYC streets with a hat and jacket on with your wife's arm linked with yours as you enter the theatre to see a play, a big black football star scoring the winning touchdown at as stadium lights gleam behind him. And so much more.

When I was growing up, my family travelled a lot in the U.S. for my dad's work, which I guess turned me onto the country in a way that I never was for my own. (And in a way that was very different from how I fell in love with my other big country, the U.K., and later on with Japan.) I've been to crazy places like Hawaii and San Francisco and the Arizona desert and a whole lot more, and they've shown me sights I never could have imagined.

I hope that what I've written in this thread doesn't read like I dislike Americans or American culture in any way. I love Americans – I think they're pretty much the highest tier of human being that's ever lived. (THEY PUT A MAN ON THE MOON FOR CHRISSAKES!!!!!!!!!) Some of 'em are kinda kooky, but even the kooky ones are passionate about what they believe in, so I have to respect them on some level. Love the food, too.

[CONTINUED EVEN MORE...]

 

[Glimbo]

limit break again?

 

[Gorse]

[CONTINUED A FINAL TIME, GLIMBO RECEIVES ADDITIONAL THANKS]

Perhaps at least a favorite non-animated show, a book, a movie, and a song

OKAY!!!!!!! This list is mostly going to line up with my favourite media, too, so it should give you a bit of insight as to what else influenced me beyond Chap of the Manor. As requested, only American media will be highlighted.

Non-Animated TV Show: Oh my god, too many to pick, and I'm going to leave a ton of very important shows out because I simply can't bring them to mind. I love 80s/90s sitcoms to pieces, snarky early-2000s drama shows, and general 2000s-era comedy series.

Here, I suppose I'll highlight MadTV, because it's also a major part of who I am. (Especially the later seasons.) I watched this show every day after school when I was juuuust getting into adolescence, and its style of sketch comedy was exactly what I wanted at that time in my life. Excellent cast, great parodies, phenomenal recurring segments, and a really wonderful send-off episode.

Of course, this is kind of cheating, because a lot of the cast and crew from this show went onto Family Guy, but it should do well to further highlight the kind of writing and dialogue I find funny and endearing. The earlier cast isn't really that great, but by the time it moved away from being an adaptation of the magazine into its own thing, I think it really found its own. SNL can suck it. (I hate SNL as much as I hate Undertale or Evangelion.)

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. It is not the greatest sitcom in the world, but the first two seasons have probably the most likeable cast to have ever existed. This show has such a sense of comfort and family togetherness, and so many sweet episodes, that I can't help but really love it. I rewatched the whole thing last year, and it was as good as I remembered it...

...until John Ritter (the dad) died and the show became a David Spade solo act, which covers the second half of the series. I still kind of have an affection for the later episodes, but hoo boy are they dreadful in every detail, and I'm not surprised it got cancelled. There's also an episode where David Spade got paid a Hollywood salary to make out with prime 2000s Pamela Anderson. WHAT A FUCKER HE IS

I'm giving you way too much information, here, but for a non-comedy example, I also really love Wonderfalls. (Though of course it is a very funny show.) It's a somewhat-obscure drama series starring Caroline Dhavernas (who could conceivably become my bride one day and make snarky remarks for the rest of my life) who starts hearing voices from inanimate animal-shaped objects that direct her to do good deeds. In addition to have a great core cast, it's got a fantastic early-2000s atmosphere and some really excellent later episodes.

It's only like 12 episodes long, but I actually think it had a very good run as-is, and I like the central message of the show – that you should just go with the flow, and not spend your whole life being a neurotic psychopath (especially in your early 20s). A very smart, charming, interesting series with great vistas of Niagara Falls.

OTHER LIVE-ACTION AMERICAN SHOWS I LIKE INCLUDE:

• ALF (I fucking love ALF and all ALF-related media, I even own a copy of Project ALF on Blu-Ray!!!!)
• Smart Guy (the WB sitcom)
• Kitchen Nightmares / Hotel Hell / Masterchef and essentially all other Gordon Ramsay shows from the 2000s to 2010s period (and of course the British equivalents)
• Shark Tank (though I prefer the prime Canadian seasons, which featured many of the current investors on the American show)
• Joan of Arcadia (which I'll give its own write-up one day, it's kind of like a different take on Wonderfalls and is equally excellent)
• Jim Henson's Dinosaurs (detailed thoughts here)
• Good Eats + all spinoffs and sequels (this is 100% getting a massive, detailed write-up someday, too)
• PROBABLY A LOT OF OTHER STUFF, I'VE SEEN A LOT OF TELEVISION IN MY TIME

Ahem. The next ones are going to be shorter, I promise.

Book: My favourite book of all time is American – it's The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards! This is a really beautiful family drama about the struggles of parenthood, and I found every single character endlessly complex and endearing. The book has a large cast, but they're all extremely distinct, well-written, and engaging. The plot is unbelievably gripping, and the decisions the characters make are the kind of thing you can wrestle with and think about forever, especially in the dead of night when I'm trying to fall asleep.

The book covers a lot of ground over two generations of people, but there is absolutely NO "downtime", and it remains interesting and enjoyable throughout. Edwards' prose strikes the perfect balance between beautiful simplicity and detailed thoroughness, and it makes every inch of the storyline come alive. This is one of the books that made me want to become a writer. I don't know if anyone on this forum would like it, but if you're ever interested in an awesome family drama, it gets my Gorse of Approval.

OTHER AMERICAN BOOKS I REALLY LIKE INCLUDE:

• The Rum Diaries by Hunter S. Thompson (highly-underrated Thompson book and an excellent character drama – love the rest of his work, too, though he was a disingenuous fool IRL)
• Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn (this is a very good book to read if you're looking to read more books, and it has a lovely "gimmick" that suits the storyline well)
• The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (and all other Phillip Marlowe books – Chandler was the master of both gritty action and surprisingly insightful character moments)
• That Was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton (all of Hinton's books are core literature of mine, but this is my personal favourite, and has a fucking killer ending)
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (easily the most valuable book I've ever read in my life, and something I think every human on the planet should read)
• All the Hemingway slop you already know about
• PROBABLY A LOT OF OTHER STUFF TOO, THOUGH THE BOOKSHELF I'M LOOKING AT NOW IS MOSTLY "WORLD LITERATURE"

Movie: It's Rocky, baby – the very first one! This is my favourite movie ever, and everything everyone praises about it is true. The characters are wonderful, the setting is immaculate, the plot makes you want to stand up and cheer. Quite frankly, I really love how the movie doesn't have any particularly unlikable characters – even the "villains" have clear, easy-to-understand motivations that make them endearing.

The scene where Rocky and Adrian are sitting in their living room watching a parade on TV in the middle of the night, then are interrupted by a drunk Paulie who smashes up the place, is my favourite scene in all of cinema. The pure emotion seething out of every actor is truly inspiring.

Song: And finally, it's a dumb choice, but my favourite song (American or otherwise) is Shut Up and Dance from Walk the Moon's album Talking is Hard. It's fun, it's poppy, it's high-tempo, and it's great to dance to with a group. I was a teenager in the mid-2010s when it came out, so it lodged itself permanently in my mind and will probably stay with me forever. I must have played this song a zillion times when it first dropped that summer, and I never got sick of it – surely, that means it's a good piece of music, right?

Look how much you made me write here, Mr. Daddy! Look at how much of my life you people are stealing away from me, like a vampire or a ghoul. Hopefully someone is able to get something meaningful about who I am out of all this, OTHERWISE I'LL HAVE WASTED MY TIME

 

[Mr. Daddy]

And your post text is FREAKING ME OUT!!!!!​

I'm sorry, I just love Star Wars and really wanted to resemble the title crawl as much as possible!
​

First off, let me say that Family Guy has an extremely sentimental value to me. (Yes, I'm aware of how ridiculous that sounds.) It's the very first TV series I ever remember watching, because my dad was a big fan of it and he had all the pre-cancellation DVDs. I must have seen the first three seasons a thousand times before the show came back, and can quote many, many episodes entirely from memory. I have so much nostalgia for the original look, sound, voice acting, and writing of the show that it's unreal.​

First off, I just want to say I feel it's important to never feel silly about feeling sentimental for something. That pretty much always comes with good reason. Secondly, that's a really sweet memory. I actually have my own funny memories with how I was introduced to the show. My Grandma didn't understand the concept of adult cartoons, and let me watch Adult Swim when I was 3. You can imagine how this could lead to many issues given the lineup the network had back in 2002/2003, especially since I was prone to repeating things. I was too young to remember which episode it was, but at one point Mom realized what was going on when she heard Family Guy on in the background while talking to my Grandma on the phone, so Mom told her to watch with us. Didn't watch much Adult Swim after that for a while.
​

A very good write-up about Family Guy!​

I must say, the parts of Family Guy that I do enjoy I feel pretty similarly to you. Personally I do think that the only reason Family Guy isn't higher on my own list of animated series is because a significant portion of the show is very hit-and-miss at best, but I do have to give them credit for still usually being able to make me giggle once most of the time even in episodes I don't particularly like. Shows like South Park and Futurama are usually a little more my speed when it comes to adult animation, so I'm happy to hear a good viewpoint from someone much more familiar with, and who much more thoroughly enjoys Family Guy than I do.​

A similarly fantastic top episode list!​

There's definitely a couple episodes here I know I don't recognize, but in general the ones I am familiar with I can definitely agree with! Road to Rhode Island is actually a particularly special episode to me, because it was the first episode I caught when I was getting old enough to actually watch Family Guy and not repeat whatever was said whenever I felt like it. I just happened to catch it on TV at just the right time, and I absolutely loved it. It actually set such a high bar that it might have been a problem for the show for a little while for me.
​

An American culture love letter that makes me very happy to see.​

I can't even begin to describe how pleased it makes me to see this. I'm not sure if this is something you're particularly aware of, but especially online, there's a shockingly high amount of Americans, especially younger ones, that have the sentiment that "American culture" just isn't a thing, because we just have whatever it is that our heritage has. I've always felt that's an incredibly reductive and incorrect way of looking at American culture, and it's endlessly frustrating to try to argue with someone how something isn't "not American" because it happens to in some form originate from somewhere else. Things coming together from other places and melding together into something new is the entire point of American culture, and I feel like in some ways that's been lost, but that's starting to border on getting into politics that quite frankly I'm just tired of discussing for the most part. Also I want to add, if you haven't done so, there's some Midwest states that would be a good place to visit sometime if you get the opportunity. This may have some bias to it, but I would certainly recommend visiting my home state of Ohio sometime if you like oddly specific museums, like the U.S. Air Force museum, the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, or even the Barber Museum and Hall of Fame.
​

Very excellent picks for favorite media!​

Genuinely a little surprised to see some things that I hadn't heard of here, lol. I don't think I have too much to add, other than that there's a few things you've piqued my interest to that I probably otherwise never would have even heard of. All around, excellent answers! And one last thing I feel I must add:​

I'm giving you way too much information, here,​

Impossible. When it comes to hearing about people's interests, I'm a sponge. You could have made a series of posts three times this long and I'd still be quite happy. Really that goes for anything I ask anyone, but still.​

 

[Somnia]

Hello, Reddit! It's me, "Good Luck" Gorse (proof here)

Had to come back to this to just say I have thought about this video at least once a day for almost a month now. It is so, sooooo fucking good.

 

[Gorse]

Continue?

YES > NO <​

there's some Midwest states that would be a good place to visit sometime if you get the opportunity. This may have some bias to it, but I would certainly recommend visiting my home state of Ohio

Absolutely, matey! I've got some friends up in Ohio and Michigan, and those states are totally on my list. I must see the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame at least once before I die. Plus, your state inspired one of my favourite Bowling for Soup songs, and for that I will always love it.

And I really appreciated your memories of Family Guy, too! It's the sort of show that nostalgia does seem to cling to, doesn't it? Thanks so much for the kind words!

Had to come back to this to just say I have thought about this video at least once a day for almost a month now. It is so, sooooo fucking good.

DUDE, I KNOW, RIGHT??? I had a .swf file of that video (it's originally from 4chan's Flash board) saved to my laptop all throughout high school, and watched it roughly 10 times per day. Everyone I've ever shown it to has had the same reaction as you. 2000s Flash culture was so magical.

 

[Tonberry]

Do you have a game you really like in a series/genre that you typically don't like at all?
This goes for movies, comics, books, music, whatever too, but I figured games first due to the nature of the forum.

 

[ciro64]

How did you came to know the mascot in your avatar? (I forgot his name)

What activity is as good as gooning to Looney Tunes characters?

 

[Gorse]

Do you have a game you really like in a series/genre that you typically don't like at all?

Aw shit, I saw you post this in another thread and was really straining about what my answer to it might be. Actually, though, now that I do think of it, I will give you a clear answer: I don't really like JRPGs at all. As you may be aware, I can't stand most fantasy settings, and I really don't like the bog-standard ATTACK -> TAKE DAMAGE -> HEAL -> REPEAT gameplay loop. I've tried again and again to get into top series like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Breath of Fire, and many others, but I always stop playing like an hour in because I'm just bored out of my skull.

THAT ALL SAID, Guardian's Crusade – despite being a hyper-basic JRPG in a fantasy setting – is an absolutely phenomenal game, and easy my favourite RPG of all time. It's got an adorable visual style based on European wooden dolls, an awesome sense of humor that's not just the standard "comment on JRPG trappings", a phenomenal soundtrack, and some truly excellent animations during battles (for both the player and every single goddamned enemy) that make every fight a delight.

Unbelievably open world for a PS1 game, too – you can wander around the woods for half an hour, discover a hidden dungeon packed with really hard monsters, beat your way through it, and unlock a ton of awesome items and abilities.

But what I love most about the game is the way battles work. Instead of having a party, you're instead raising up a little monster throughout the game in a Tamagotchi-like virtual pet system. Depending on how you treat the monster – and there are a ton of unique interactions you can have with them – he'll help or hurt you out in battles, or do something completely different altogether.

Other "party members" include a range of Pokemon-like items, each with their own unique personalities and powers, that you can employ at your whim, and a little fairy who'll heal the player at certain intervals and attacks with you during critical hits. It's just an absolute joy to play, and not boring or slow at all. Easily the best JRPG I've played in my life – I wish they were all like this.

How did you came to know the mascot in your avatar?

I've known about Fido Dido since well before I was ever on the internet – we had loads of magazines and books featuring the character that my parents must have picked up in the early 90s. I'm certain I saw him on billboards and in TV commercials around the early 2000s, too. I've always really liked the look of him – he's a really cool, trendy-looking character with a great attitude, and I adore his sketch-y, graffiti-like style. (I'm also a big fan of Keith Harring, who was part of the same NYC street art circle that Fido Dido's creators came from.) Years later, I discovered the classic 7-Up commercials on YouTube and the Fido Comic comic strip, both of which I utterly adore. He's just a great mascot character.

I've been using him as my main "avatar" online for around 5 years or so, now. I have a self-imposed rule about my avatars: I'm not allowed to use anime, manga, or Japanese video game characters, because everyone does and I want to stand out. Fido Dido has an awesome colour scheme, too – I love white, black, and green, his primary colours – so he makes a really good representation of my personality. (Though I don't believe he's canonically into complaining about stuff on internet forums as much as I am.) I really love whenever I join a new online group, and someone invariably says "WHAT IS THAT GUY'S NAME??? I REMEMBER HIM...!" Good conversation-starter!

What activity is as good as gooning to Looney Tunes characters?

GOONING TO MERRY MELODIES CHARACTERS!!!!!!!!

 

[Tonberry]

Aw shit, I saw you post this in another thread and was really straining about what my answer to it might be. Actually, though, now that I do think of it, I will give you a clear answer: I don't really like JRPGs at all. As you may be aware, I can't stand most fantasy settings, and I really don't like the bog-standard ATTACK -> TAKE DAMAGE -> HEAL -> REPEAT gameplay loop. I've tried again and again to get into top series like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Breath of Fire, and many others, but I always stop playing like an hour in because I'm just bored out of my skull.

THAT ALL SAID, Guardian's Crusade – despite being a hyper-basic JRPG in a fantasy setting – is an absolutely phenomenal game, and easy my favourite RPG of all time. It's got an adorable visual style based on European wooden dolls, an awesome sense of humor that's not just the standard "comment on JRPG trappings", a phenomenal soundtrack, and some truly excellent animations during battles (for both the player and every single goddamned enemy) that make every fight a delight.

Unbelievably open world for a PS1 game, too – you can wander around the woods for half an hour, discover a hidden dungeon packed with really hard monsters, beat your way through it, and unlock a ton of awesome items and abilities.

But what I love most about the game is the way battles work. Instead of having a party, you're instead raising up a little monster throughout the game in a Tamagotchi-like virtual pet system. Depending on how you treat the monster – and there are a ton of unique interactions you can have with them – he'll help or hurt you out in battles, or do something completely different altogether.

Other "party members" include a range of Pokemon-like items, each with their own unique personalities and powers, that you can employ at your whim, and a little fairy who'll heal the player at certain intervals and attacks with you during critical hits. It's just an absolute joy to play, and not boring or slow at all. Easily the best JRPG I've played in my life – I wish they were all like this.


I've known about Fido Dido since well before I was ever on the internet – we had loads of magazines and books featuring the character that my parents must have picked up in the early 90s. I'm certain I saw him on billboards and in TV commercials around the early 2000s, too. I've always really liked the look of him – he's a really cool, trendy-looking character with a great attitude, and I adore his sketch-y, graffiti-like style. (I'm also a big fan of Keith Harring, who was part of the same NYC street art circle that Fido Dido's creators came from.) Years later, I discovered the classic 7-Up commercials on YouTube and the Fido Comic comic strip, both of which I utterly adore. He's just a great mascot character.

I've been using him as my main "avatar" online for around 5 years or so, now. I have a self-imposed rule about my avatars: I'm not allowed to use anime, manga, or Japanese video game characters, because everyone does and I want to stand out. Fido Dido has an awesome colour scheme, too – I love white, black, and green, his primary colours – so he makes a really good representation of my personality. (Though I don't believe he's canonically into complaining about stuff on internet forums as much as I am.) I really love whenever I join a new online group, and someone invariably says "WHAT IS THAT GUY'S NAME??? I REMEMBER HIM...!" Good conversation-starter!

GOONING TO MERRY MELODIES CHARACTERS!!!!!!!!

OH MY GOD THANK YOU GORSE

I saw Continue? play this game a thousand years ago and I was completely blown away by it, but I forgot the name immediately and I’ve been looking for it for years to no avail! It looks SO good.

 

[Gorse]

I saw Continue? play this game a thousand years ago and I was completely blown away by it, but I forgot the name immediately and I’ve been looking for it for years to no avail! It looks SO good.

Go for it, man! It's one of the all-time great Playstation JRPGs, and it's been completely forgotten by history. It's a really fun, playful, adorable, hilarious video game, and gets the Gorse™ Seal of Approval.

 

[OmegaPunch's iconOmegaPunch]

INTERMISSION

 

[Gorse]

INTERMISSION

Stick around, folks! More Gorse & Friends is coming up after these messages.

 

[Yousef]

I’ll expand a lot more later but for now I do agree mania wasn’t all its cracked up to be and the team’s new game flopping makes sense. I haven’t played it.
I also hated sonic superstars. How about you?
(I promise this is my last sonic question)
Actually what are your favorite platformer franchises?

 

[Gorse]

I also hated sonic superstars. How about you?

Saw some reviews say that it was on the wrong end of mediocre; didn't play it. I didn't even play a demo or anything. It looks cute and all, but I don't really need to pay full price for a 2D Sonic platformer unless it's a really good one. Just from looking at the game, I really don't like the tone... it looks way too kiddy and sterile, which is a poor fit for Sonic. I'd have preferred a more refined sequel to Mania that ditched all the reused nonsense, tightened up the level design and special stages, and maybe included the Chaotix. C'mon, Taxman! You can do that for ol' Gorse. C'moooooon.

Actually what are your favorite platformer franchises?

In short:

• Sonic the Hedgehog:
  • 16-bit: 1/2/3&K/CD/Chaotix
  • 8-bit: 1/2/Chaos/Triple Trouble
  • 3D: Adventure/Adventure 2
  • Modern 2D: Advance/Advance 3/Rush/Colors DS
  • Kinda-sorta-not-really: The Saturn version of 3D Blast
• Super Mario:
  • NES: 1/2 (USA + JP)/3
  • SNES: World
  • Handheld: SML1/2
  • 3D: Super Mario 64 (Original + DS), the rest of 'em suck
  • Modern 2D: NSMB1/2/Wii/U
  • Yoshi's Island (just lumping it in here because it's the only Yoshi platformer that doesn't suck)
• Rayman (all of 'em, but specifically 1, Origins, and Legends)
• Donkey Kong Country 1/2/3
• Kirby Dreamland 1/2/3/Superstar (Original + Remake)/Amazing Mirror
• Wario Land 1/2/3/4
• Loads of stuff on the Genesis + its add-ons (I love both the CD and the 32X), including but not limited to:
  • Ristar (MD + GG)
  • Kid Chameleon
  • Tempo
  • Dynamite Headdy
  • Gunstar Heroes (I wouldn't really call this a platformer, but let's include it for simplicity)
• Little Big Planet 1/2/3/PSP
• Jumping Flash 1/2
• Ape Escape 1/2 (again, not really a straight platformer, but close enough I guess)
• The very first Gex game and none of the other ones

I'm probably missing out on a lot, but that's a pretty good primer. Platformers are my favourite genre of video games, and I think many of them represent the best this medium has to offer. I really don't like modern indie-influenced disconnected platformers like Super Meat Boy or Celeste, though, for reasons I outlined here.

 

[Yousef]

Saw some reviews say that it was on the wrong end of mediocre; didn't play it. I didn't even play a demo or anything. It looks cute and all, but I don't really need to pay full price for a 2D Sonic platformer unless it's a really good one. Just from looking at the game, I really don't like the tone... it looks way too kiddy and sterile, which is a poor fit for Sonic. I'd have preferred a more refined sequel to Mania that ditched all the reused nonsense, tightened up the level design and special stages, and maybe included the Chaotix. C'mon, Taxman! You can do that for ol' Gorse. C'moooooon.


In short:

• Sonic the Hedgehog:
  • 16-bit: 1/2/3&K/CD/Chaotix
  • 8-bit: 1/2/Chaos/Triple Trouble
  • 3D: Adventure/Adventure 2
  • Modern 2D: Advance/Advance 3/Rush/Colors DS
  • Kinda-sorta-not-really: The Saturn version of 3D Blast
• Super Mario:
  • NES: 1/2 (USA + JP)/3
  • SNES: World
  • Handheld: SML1/2
  • 3D: Super Mario 64 (Original + DS), the rest of 'em suck
  • Modern 2D: NSMB1/2/Wii/U
  • Yoshi's Island (just lumping it in here because it's the only Yoshi platformer that doesn't suck)
• Rayman (all of 'em, but specifically 1, Origins, and Legends)
• Donkey Kong Country 1/2/3
• Kirby Dreamland 1/2/3/Superstar (Original + Remake)/Amazing Mirror
• Wario Land 1/2/3/4
• Loads of stuff on the Genesis + its add-ons (I love both the CD and the 32X), including but not limited to:
  • Ristar (MD + GG)
  • Kid Chameleon
  • Tempo
  • Dynamite Headdy
  • Gunstar Heroes (I wouldn't really call this a platformer, but let's include it for simplicity)
• Little Big Planet 1/2/3/PSP
• Jumping Flash 1/2
• Ape Escape 1/2 (again, not really a straight platformer, but close enough I guess)
• The very first Gex game and none of the other ones

I'm probably missing out on a lot, but that's a pretty good primer. Platformers are my favourite genre of video games, and I think many of them represent the best this medium has to offer. I really don't like modern indie-influenced disconnected platformers like Super Meat Boy or Celeste, though, for reasons I outlined here.

Yeah I don’t like super meat boy or Celeste either. I haven’t read your reasoning yet but I imagine you outlined similar dislike I have for “I wanna be the guy”, which is likely the culprit for SMB’s design.

I’m curious why you didn’t mention Kirby 64. It’s my favorite.
My least favorite Kirby is the latest one, forgot the name. Did you enjoy that one?

 

[Gorse]

“I wanna be the guy”

I never played IWBTG (my cousin fucking loved the game), though I'd imagine most of my criticisms hold true there, as well. Indie devs aren't really that good at designing platformers of any sort, I'm afraid.

I’m curious why you didn’t mention Kirby 64. It’s my favorite.

I only ever played a small amount of Kirby 64 on a hotel TV many, many years ago. I enjoyed it well enough, and I really like the game's mix-and-match power-up gimmick, but I haven't played enough of it to give a solid opinion. I've kind of cooled on the entire Kirby series in my adulthood, though I liked the games a lot as a kid.

My least favorite Kirby is the latest one, forgot the name. Did you enjoy that one?

Didn't play it. :( The last new Kirby game I played was the Wii one, which was fine in multiplayer co-op – I never played it single-player.

 

[Yousef]

I never played IWBTG (my cousin fucking loved the game), though I'd imagine most of my criticisms hold true there, as well. Indie devs aren't really that good at designing platformers of any sort, I'm afraid.

It’s actually a flash game, hence why I brought it up. The indies you criticize have their designs rooted in flash games.

I only ever played a small amount of Kirby 64 on a hotel TV many, many years ago. I enjoyed it well enough, and I really like the game's mix-and-match power-up gimmick, but I haven't played enough of it to give a solid opinion. I've kind of cooled on the entire Kirby series in my adulthood, though I liked the games a lot as a kid.

I hope you enjoy it when you finish it. It’s a truly wonderful game. :’D

Didn't play it. :(

You’re not missing much.

 

[Yousef]

Not a question but you should play ape escape 3 by the by. Blew my pants off.

 

[ciro64]

Which is better, Yoshi Island or Yoshi Story?

 

[Gorse]

Not a question but you should play ape escape 3 by the by. Blew my pants off.

The second it gets added to the PSN store, I'll give it a shout. (I really hope they start adding more PS2 games to that – I want some way of playing Trapt, too.) I hear it's even better than 2, which I liked, but I know a lot of fans don't. They could certainly stand to make another of these games on next-gen hardware – that might just be a killer app for ol' Gorse. Get-chu!

Which is better, Yoshi Island or Yoshi Story?

The former, by a margin that's roughly comparable to the Grand Canyon. In my humblest of opinions, Yoshi's Story (and in fact all Yoshi games released after the first one) is dreadfully mediocre. I don't consider it a bad game at all, but it's just so bland, and the whole fruit thing is much too gimmicky for my tastes... it certainly doesn't feel like the sequel to Yoshi's Island, which had loads and loads of unique content, gameplay mechanics, and optional side stuff ("optional" being the operative word, there). I think Story looks really ugly these days, too, and I usually love that era of pre-rendered game graphics.

I know these days a lot of people don't really like Island, and – to be perfectly honest – I haven't touched the game in at least a decade, but I still remember it very fondly and am sure I'd enjoy it to some extent if I went back to the game today. Maybe I will, sometime!

 

[Yousef]

“Better than 2” doesn’t even begin to describe it. It’s like they leaped from a skyscraper to a space shuttle with how high the leap in quality was. The series becomes almost unrecognizable with how unnaturally good 3 was and it’s not like there was anything wrong 1/2, I was a fan to begin with, but 3 upgraded me from an ape fan to an ape maniac.