Join Jules and James as they take look at gameplay sections that nearly killed amazing video games! Literally all mandated turret sequences suck.
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00:00Hello all of you little demons, Jules here for WhatCulture.com, back again with another
00:04episode of the awesomely named and awfully hosted Choose Your Own Adventure, the weekly
00:09medieval themed format where I, the Crown Jules of WhatCulture.com, take a list chosen
00:14by you, yes you, the person who's bike is finally back, praise the bike, undowooow!
00:20I really hope I install it well so it doesn't fall.
00:24That would actually really be terrible because the cats eat under there, so.
00:28Not gonna imagine that horrible scenario, yes you get to decide what list I double out
00:31to you each and every week and this week we have none other to thank than...
00:36Diabetes.
00:37Sam Halsall for their suggestion of stapled on stealth sections and of course I've done
00:43my YouTube trickery to take that idea and turn it into a list which is now going to
00:48be 8 gameplay sections that nearly killed amazing video games.
00:53So let's have a nice little chat, shall we?
00:55Because while it is amazing to try and do something new, sometimes we better prepare
00:59first to make sure that we don't go out there and make ourselves look like an absolute
01:03tit, am I right, my friends?
01:05But yeah, I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these are 8 gameplay sections that nearly
01:10killed amazing video games.
01:13And you know the drill by now, pop your suggestions for next week's episode down in the comments
01:16section below, and with that in mind, let's get on with the list, shall we?
01:208.
01:21Chronicles of the Sword – Soul Calibur 3
01:25Now this might get a little bit of hate, seeing as the third instalment in the highly successful
01:29and jiggle-tastic Soul Calibur fighting series.
01:33Technically it's the fourth game in the franchise, but apparently nobody gives a s*** about you,
01:37Soul Edge.
01:38It's pretty well respected amongst the fanbase, but I'm just gonna say it.
01:41Chronicles of the Sword mode in Soul Calibur 3 is absolute bulls***.
01:47Sometimes.
01:48And you know what, it's that sometimes that really infuriates me, because this mode was
01:52actually a welcome diversion from the main fighting-centric formula, employing light
01:56RPG and RTS elements, allowing you to level up your character, gain new equipment, and
02:01pick your own path through maps in order to reach harder and harder challenges.
02:05However, while this all sounds great on paper, in practice things can be ruined almost before
02:10they start thanks to the uber-aggressive AI that will always, without any provocation,
02:15zerg rush you into oblivion.
02:17Now if you're a dab hand at this game, you will be able to fend off the first few waves
02:21and buy yourself some breathing room, and admittedly things do get a lot easier from
02:25that point on, but if you're looking for a brand new experience, and something to usher
02:28you into the world of Soul Calibur, well you're gonna get a slap in the face and a sword in
02:32the gut at the same time.
02:34So to summarise, the Chronicles of the Sword mode is only as fun as you are good at this
02:39game.
02:40Meaning that some people will absolutely love this, but for others, it might actually ruin
02:43the entire experience.
02:457.
02:46Emma Escort Mission
02:47Metal Gear Solid 2
02:48Now if there's one thing that pretty much every player hates, it's a forced escort
02:53mission.
02:54Having to drop the one versus a thousand gimmick that so many action games present their protagonists
02:58as, in order to hand-hold an NPC with all the life preservation skills of a dog who
03:02enjoys chewing electrical wires, is always going to be a bit of a brick wall to your
03:06enjoyment.
03:07However, said wall of mortar was simply not enough to Resident I Will Have My Dessert
03:12Before My Main Mad Head Hideo Kojima, as he found a way to make the much loathed escort
03:17mission even worse.
03:19Now Metal Gear Solid 2 is well known to be Hideo Kojima's troll game, I mean, he already
03:24duped players into thinking that they'd be playing as Solid Snake throughout the majority
03:27of the title, only to be switched out at the last moment for Pretty Boy Jack, and that
03:32mischievous energy definitely seemed to carry through to his approach to the escort mission,
03:36where you have to take Emma from one section to the other, because he makes you do it underwater.
03:44That's right, the very Venn diagrams of hell itself have overlapped, as here we are
03:48dealing with a character about as durable as wet confetti, while also being submerged
03:53and having to deal with, oh you know, tiny things like not being able to breathe and
03:57awkward swimming controls.
03:58To say that this was a bit of a pain to get through is kind of like saying that watching
04:03your grandparents make sweet sweet love while you're maintaining eye contact with them
04:07is a little bit horrifying.
04:10Quite the understatement.
04:116.
04:12Nightmare Levels – Max Payne
04:14Now when you think of Max Payne, you probably think of slow motion diving through the air,
04:19dual firing guns, maybe screaming, that's optional for the person dealer's choice
04:23isn't it?
04:24And then landing and just making a face that kind of looks like an anus has been stuffed
04:28full of lemons.
04:29You don't likely think of platforming sections.
04:31Yet to the hardcore set that saw the original Max Payne through to completion, even mentioning
04:36the term platforming will likely cause them to break out in a nervous sweat.
04:40This is because the nightmare sections of this game were exactly that, an odorous dump
04:45on the otherwise chaotic experience that forced players to follow trails of blood across invisible
04:50platforms or risk falling to an instant death.
04:53None of the experience was fun, and while I'm sure the devs would argue that this
04:57wasn't meant to be an enjoyable moment, the abject torture it places on the player
05:01is enough to leave them sleepless for many moons to come.
05:04Thankfully the series never went down this dark path ever again, and the only blood trails
05:08you'd be seeing were ones left on the walls after you basically entered a room and said
05:12-"Hello, I'm Max Payne, here's my business card."
05:155.
05:16The Damn Corridor – Final Fantasy XV
05:20James, James, come closer.
05:24My time on this earth is growing short.
05:28It's the damn corridor from Final Fantasy XV.
05:31Chapter 13, James, chapter 13.
05:33Everything was going so well.
05:35It was kind of like this boys on tour vibe.
05:38I really enjoyed the game, the open worlds, the fantastic fun, the cooking.
05:42But then came the corridor.
05:46Anyway, yes, I don't exactly know how to segue into this, but yeah, the boys on tour
05:51vibe that had been prevalent throughout the game up until this point was dropped entirely
05:54in chapter 13, which gave us a glorious helping of, let me just check my menu here, oh yes,
05:59forced stealth in a protracted and unspired setting.
06:03Ooh, no thanks, I'm full.
06:05Except this isn't an option, as the devs, for some unknown reasons, pipe this liquid
06:10piss down players' throats with no worry as to whether the entire experience was enjoyable
06:14or not.
06:15Stripped of all of his powers and his allies, Noctis must traverse a seemingly endless and
06:20linear system of corridors while trying to avoid enemies by ducking into small gaps placed
06:24sporadically throughout.
06:26And try is the operative word here, because as you might expect from a game so focused
06:30on massive battles in open world areas, the stealth controls were completely at odds with
06:35anything else you'd experienced before.
06:37And if you're about to fire up your keyboard by typing, well actually, I enjoyed the corridor
06:41sections in chapter 13, well just remember that the devs themselves took it out, or at
06:46least gave you a way to bypass this.
06:48They knew it was bad.
06:50They knew.
06:514.
06:52Asteroid?
06:54Dead Space
06:55Now while the franchise might have lost its way as it wore on, the original Dead Space
06:59still remains a high point of the horror video game genre.
07:03Fingers crossed for the Dead Space remake to be good, cross your fingers James, cross
07:06your fingers.
07:07In genuinely terrifying enemies with cramped and claustrophobic locations, Dead Space always
07:12felt like it was running at a level designed to give players a heart attack.
07:15However, thanks to a late game switch up, many players were left with fizzy blood to
07:19accompany their cardiac arrests, as to be brutally honest, the asteroid shooting section
07:24of this game absolutely sucked.
07:26Here Isaac is confronted by an enemy even more deadly than the necromorphs, a load of
07:31rocks.
07:32Scary it is not, but horrifying it most definitely is when said rocks come crashing into your
07:37face and decimate your health.
07:39Thankfully, Mr Clark has access to a gun turret that looks like it will turn the job of clearing
07:43out the asteroid field into a piece of cake.
07:45However, it's here that the devs added in another wrinkle to the gameplay, and that
07:50is overheating weapons.
07:52Oh boy, I sure do love running out of gas just as a giant rock is about to come and
07:56smash into my orbital bone.
07:59Gee willikers, thanks.
08:01As such, this short section became the bane for so many.
08:04What could have been a tiny moment of difference ended up sticking out like a sore middle finger
08:08to players.
08:093.
08:10Niflheim – God of War 2018
08:13Now I won't lie to you, it actively pains me to talk negatively about God of War on
08:17the PS4 2018 version, because you know what, I absolutely love this game.
08:23I can't think of a more honest and enjoyable experience that I've had playing a video
08:27game since maybe when I was a wee nipper back in the day.
08:30However, I can't sit by and ignore the one guest at the party that's got way too drunk
08:35and is now literally wiping its arse on my happy birthday banner.
08:38Thanks for that one, dad.
08:39And that's the poison-filled paradise getaway known as Niflheim.
08:43Now for those of you not in the know, this is the one section of the game that feels
08:46like the brakes have truly been put on hard.
08:49And it's only at that point that you realise that you've been joyriding without a bloody
08:52seatbelt.
08:53As such, the resulting crash of ever-draining poison, procedurally generated and thoroughly
08:58uninspired level design, and of course a hidden Valkyrie within the maze makes for
09:02quite a horrible mess, especially for those either grinding the area for all the treasure,
09:06or just trying to make it through the base experience on the likes of Give Me God of
09:09War mode.
09:10On this extreme difficulty, many players have expressed dismay at having to spend between
09:14four to five hours just running the same area over and over and over again in order to get
09:19the best of the boss that's hidden within.
09:21And if that doesn't at least slightly dampen your enthusiasm for this title, I don't
09:26know what will.
09:272.
09:28The Majority of the Game
09:29Brutal Legend
09:31Ah, Brutal Legend, you cheeky whippet you.
09:35Now depending on who you ask, this game is either a nugget that needs to be flushed straight
09:40away for fear of the stink, or it is a nugget made of pure gold that was surprisingly decent
09:47actually and it only achieved this sort of gold vs. poo split because of the fact that
09:53Double Fine kind of missold what this game was all about.
09:57In a demo that released before the full game dropped, fans got to experience a metal-infused
10:01hack and slash adventure with Jack Black at the helm, and while it didn't seem to be
10:05reinventing the wheel through its combat, it did promise a whole lot more with its album
10:09cover inspired overworld and utterly banging soundtrack.
10:13However, upon release it soon became clear that this wasn't actually the main gameplay
10:17element the game was going with.
10:18In fact, this one hack and slash segment was indeed a one and done affair, meaning that
10:23its sudden RTS switch up felt like a con job to fans not expecting to have to manage
10:27units and protect bases.
10:29Now in all honesty, it wasn't a bad change by any means, however the demo sold fans an
10:33experience they simply weren't getting which led to a rather sizable backlash from the
10:37community which in turn ended up affecting sales and critical opinion.
10:42Therefore the demo section of this game nearly killed what is technically a great game for
10:46many because they just felt like they were being missold, but it does allow me to lead
10:50into a much beloved, and to be fair, we've often forgotten about it, segment of the show
10:55that is right, we're bringing back the musical interlude.
10:58Dust it off James, dust it the heck off, because it's about to get crazy and we're talking
11:11about demos.
11:27And number one, any stealth section at all like ever.
11:31At all.
11:32Ever.
11:33Ever.
11:34All of them.
11:35All of them.
11:36All.
11:37Shadow of Rome.
11:38Now this is at least referencing the fact that Sam, who suggested we make this list
11:42in the first place, mentioned that Shadow of Rome had a lot of stapled on stealth sections
11:46and trust me, they really did come close to ruining what is an almightily over the top
11:52game.
11:53Because if you've ever sat looking out of your window as rain dripped down the pain
11:56and sighed aloud, then fret not my friend for this crossover exists in video game form
12:08and it goes by the name of Shadow of Rome, and it is glorious.
12:13You've got your combo meters, you've got your special moves, you've got your buckets
12:17of blood and gore and a buttery biscuit base, as well as a rather callous approach to death.
12:22My personal favourite is the fact that it says rest in peace that pops up most of the
12:26time when you just stab somebody in the face.
12:28Fantastic.
12:29Rest in peace mate.
12:30Bleugh.
12:31It is delicious turn your brain off fun.
12:33However, what most players likely didn't anticipate was the sudden gameplay switch
12:37from full on action to mandatory stealth, which happens more than I'd care to engage
12:41with in a game of this nature.
12:43And for the record, none is the amount of times that I want to engage with this in my
12:46action games.
12:48Especially ones from the PS2 era where because of clunky controls, bad camera angles and
12:52of course the sheer jank that comes with early titles like this, things boil down to crossing
12:57your fingers and hoping that the guards were actually facing the other way and it wasn't
13:00just a missing texture on their faces.
13:02With instant failure also added into the mix, you have got a recipe that just tastes
13:07absolutely bad.
13:08Oh yes please, I'd like some broken glass around the rim of my asbestos milkshake.
13:13And it just left you begging for the game to hurry up and get back to the bloodshed.
13:17And there we go my friends, those were 8 gameplay sections that nearly killed amazing video
13:22games.
13:23I hope that you enjoyed that and please let me know what you thought about it down in
13:25the comments section below and put your suggestions for next week's episode down there as well.
13:29As always I've been Jules, you can go follow me over on Twitter at RetroJ with a zero and
13:33you can follow James over here, I'm sure he's got some funny meme going on at the moment.
13:36I hope I'm on the right side, he's over here maybe, I can't remember which side he actually
13:40puts this one on but either way go follow him as well.
13:43And also if you want to check out my Warhammer stuff and what I get up to in my spare time
13:47then go over to Liv and Let's Dice, that's not how you spell it at all with hand gestures
13:52but still I am over there most weeks doing streaming and stuff like that outside of work
13:56and it'd be great to see ya.
13:58But before I go I do just want to say one thing, we detail today a lot about video games
14:01that tried something a bit different and ultimately didn't end up succeeding but in our real lives
14:06I always encourage people to break out of their shells, to break out of the mould and
14:10try something a bit different, to constantly be pushing yourself whether it's physically,
14:15spiritually, mentally, just trying to grow as people because that's the only way that
14:18you can get the most out of life, by going out and just seeing stuff, by taking in new
14:23things.
14:24You might find that not everything's for you, you might not like some of the new stuff you
14:26try but at least you can say you did it and that is the most important thing, get out
14:30there and have as many experiences as you can.
14:33As always I have been Jules, you have been awesome, remember above all else to be kind
14:38to yourself because you're a massive ledge and I'll see you next week, bye.