Thor: "I'm getting fed up with everyone calling me a positive force, I'M GONNA SHOW YOU I CAN HATE STUFF TOO!" Also Thor, 25 minutes later: "So uh the conclusion is I kinda like the games I hate"
being forced to play dead or alive extreme volley ball 2 for 2 years straight sounds like an eldritch form of punishment you would find in a description of hell from the middle ages.
I swear I read about DoA in the long lost second appendix to Dante's Divine Comedy. Dante can only proceed deeper into inferno after Vergil defeats Kasumi at beach volleyball. He also spots Plato in a nearby pool-hopping competition.
The idea that whoever was care taking you didn’t allowed access to your PSP and DS at specific times of the week, but just let a kid go to town with Extreme Beach Volley 2 in the living room Xbox is mad funny if not fucked up and a lil upsetting.
I guess I could kinda see that logic work if they were like, "oh this is a sports game, sports are good for kids" and never checked out the game themselves?
Social services can charitably be described as "good intentions, garbage execution". At best. See that one time I got institutionalized and some universe brain decided to play a movie about a woman running from an abusive husband.
@@mickeymickey9914 lol there's something wrong with too much of literally anything, including homework, testing, video games, social interaction, alcohol, food, work, and so on.
@@chemergency I've noticed that Bamco has a weird thing about not re-releasing a lot of their old games to modern console. A lot of other gaming companies are doing it, just not sure why they haven't.
The first Gothic and Risen are Switch games even the ugliest game from 15 years ago would fit perfectly and still wouldn't look as shit as the new Pokemon games.
@@chemergency Heh. Who knows if the company still have backups of the original code but we have rips of the disc copies that can be emulated or stuck onto a disc to play inside a PS3/360. The Switch bloody melts at higher resolutions anyway. Thing screams when I play SMT V on it, but emulated SMT V looks better *and* runs better. It's odd they don't make re-releases.
Naming your child Falsetto has the same energy as naming your child Muffler or Adjective but using the Italian words for them. Actual line from the game (probably). "I am Quaver of House Demisemihemi."
@@SpaghettyLuvsU to be fair on that one, a lot of irl names ARE basically just words that mean or used to mean "strong" when you look into the etymology of them
If the Lament Mirror dungeon in Baroque feels off and out of place, its because it was added in the international version on PS3. In the original 360 release, its entirely absent and the Baroque segment flows better. However, the international version also added Serenade and Crescendo as playable so the tighter paced Baroque segment is also the one where you don't actually obtain anything major like a new character from it. Each has its pros and cons.
Every time you say "reminiscent of the SHINY" I pop off like I'm at a concert and just recognized the opening riff to my favorite song. Exquisite stuff.
David Foster Wallace has made the same point as THH did in an interview I used on my research. He called American minimalist prose hypocrite, because it tries to hide the artistry and not call attention to itself, as if you could erase the subject creating the art from the art piece itself. I agree with both THH and DFW. Calling attention to artistry is a way of humanizing it. Reminding us of the gap in language that makes art possible and fleeting and limited like life itself.
@@KBash been binging your stuff on and off, really enjoy your scripts, editing and delivery as well as hearing your thoughts on stuff. Got recommended this video because I watch your content, and already think I'll be watching more of Thor. So thank you for all the entertainment!
I was like NOOO I LOVE IT WHEN THOR TALKS ABOUT MESSY/JANKY/UNPLAYABLE/UNPOLISHED/HEADACHE-INDUCING SHIT HE NONETHELESS APPRECIATES but then the video played and oh sweet relief
As someone who played through the entirety of need for speed underground 2 and a couple hours of FFX on a PS2 without a memory card in an institution I was stuck in as a kid, your story about DOA really hit home for me and brought back a lot of memories. I love this channel man, thank you for doing what you do.
Relatable, as over the years I kinda lost the capacity to hate any games I get to play. On one hand, it's a rarity for me to play anything completely out of my taste, however, I do aim to expand my horizons. On the other hand, with age comes a better understanding of human effort behind any game, and that is something I always admire. I also like a good underdog game for myself once in a while - one either underappreciated, misunderstood, flopped, or all at once. In other words, I feel like I transitioned from more visceral, quick dopamine-fueled enjoyment of games to a more attentive, artistic, thematic appreciation of them (those enjoyments are not mutually exclusive, of course). From a mere frame of a child, a man of culture had hatched, and was eventually drawn to this channel as its author speaks the same language. Peace!
Loosely related, but stuff like the Camera angles and being able to see those painted picture environments are kind of why I miss a lot of the games that used to have a ton of quick loading zones, it was stuff like the Deserted Island in MH3 that made me actually get how much I enjoyed that type of thing; I didn't think it was anything crazy back in Ocarina of Time, and the limitations are the same, but while Zelda kind of 'let' you get a sense of the scale by running through Hyrule Field, the fact that all of the zones in the MH areas were more compact because they were two completely different types of games and showed that area scale in different ways is what made me go mentally feral. If I can run all the way across an area and see every thing, it's alright I guess, but while I'm going to see those same sights every time- I get the same effect from a game with much more scenic and tight areas, but it feels nice to me because they feel like set pieces made to fit to a backdrop to either a "small" amount of exploration or a fight. Coming out the Frozen Seaway in 4U and Generations, you can see the base camp in the distance, It's not super far off, but theoretically it's close enough to a massive whirlpool and an area where a fight with a Large Monster would be in direct view if not for the way everything was angled, it's probably not the intent, but what I get from seeing that when I'm just playing around and vibing in the game is that it's not too crazy to believe in this Cold ass wasteland, "Danger is right around the corner" or some quote like that. It's a cool feeling being able to see a really intense vortex-like storm from the moment you set foot in an area and then go there with each area feeling like a good chunk of the work towards getting there without the game weather suddenly going berserk once you pass a certain line or something like a sudden weather condition just for crossing an invisible border. Open World games feel fine to play, but there's something about the game having those specific maps and being able to show you only what you really need to see, if even that- that really made them feel like a journey or something, and I'd be absolutely ecstatic if I ever got the chance to actually explore any of those old environments in a sort of seamless connection, with each other. It feels like a bunch of "THEY DON'T MAKE EM LIKE THEY USED TO" reading back on this, but when you were talking about that ray of light coming through the trees not being done by just throwing a light source up there or something, it really resonated with that part of my brain that beats on the cage like an ape when I think about if instead of just trying to make games GRAPHICAL MASTERPIECES that resemble real life or something, they just kind of threw that into the wind and went ham with letting some of the stuff just go wild, FF7R did a real good job of that IMO and even though I haven't had a chance to play it, games like Hi-Fi Rush that just "look" simple visually but manage to get away with so much stylistic stuff makes me so excited for things to come it isn't funny.
I know its personal but I'd love to hear more lore about thor's life. ThorLore def could be a chill name. But honestly the bits and sprinkles through random videos nice as well.
I remember, i bought a 360 just for lost odyssey back in the day and then i was looking around for other jrpgs on the console and found... nothing, basically. Except eternal sonata. And man. I LOVED that game. I had only played final fantasy games and lost odyssey up until that point and eternal sonata was familiar enough, but also something new mixed in. It was so cozy and safe and adorable. Looking back now, it also kinds reminds me of baten kaitos, another tri crescendo title - the uniqueness of the environments and the story and the art style, in particular. Thank you for being so nice about eternal sonata
I remember reading about Lost Odyssey in games magazines as a kid (with just a DS lite) and wanting to play it so badly. I never did, and i dont know what fascinated me about Lost Odyssey of all games. It's not like it left any imprint on anything at all...
For real though, you *are* one of the more nicer vg-ppl I follow and I do enjoy your chill pleasant takes alot, as they do tend to be *fair* in their criticisms.
To this day I'm still on the fence about Eternal Sonata. At the time I was freshly dropped out of college and had nothing but a desire to forget the real world so I put a ton of time into it. I remember enjoying it well enough but by the time I felt it really started to grip me it suddenly ended.
It’s much like life, by the time we get it it suddenly ends. Consistent with the lore. Ending wouldn’t have hit as hard if it wasn’t so sudden and at such a high note.
@@tomstonemale it took me the usual amount of time a JRPG does, about 30 to 35 hours. And I was referring to the narrative ending suddenly. Truth me told unless someone is really into grinding or a slow reader I would be amazed at getting 60 hours out of Eternal Sonata, it's not even remotely long by the genre standards.
Ahhh maaan I loved sonata. Though I have a weird association with it in my brain cuz I was listening to the story summary of I have no mouth and I must scream during a big chunk of my playthrough
Honeslty I really want to hear more about the Wii game you showed whose name I've already forgotten because I genuinely have memory problems regarding names. I saw a part 1 of Cryaotic play it but uh...... I didn't.,.... watch the rest.... It'd be nice to learn more about it because I liked what I saw. I like this dev studio's idea of taking these really out there concepts and themes and then putting them into what at a glance looks like generic anime video game aesthetics. But like.... in a different way than Square does.
"Sure they are pretty, but also they ain't real" as we just discussed in the segment about dreams and reality, that's not at all what matters ;) Anyway, Thor just prefaced a video saying he's gonna show us that he can hate games too, and in the end he still made me want to play the game (Eternal Sonata, that is; not necessarily the beach game) Never change, Thor
dropping just when i'm on the fence for the fourth time abt the persona 2 duology i have way too much love for ibunroku persona (yes, JP PS1 jank ass one) for what it is, and i do believe p2 has the best story ever to have graced games and i love the diorama look everything including the dungeons and how p1 and p2 go deep hell silly with turning everyday buildings into hostile maddening labyrinths i fuck with that idea so so much, but also as a dungeon crawling enthusiast that can stand old school design pretty fine, the actual dungeoning is, not fun even for me (excluding demon contact dialogue but i enter that menu and i feel my soul leaving my body) also one of those ppl too adamant on playing it with my own hands instead of just watching someone else do it and stuff, so it gets silly i have no comment on eternal sonata since never tried it or anything but it was nice to see the art in it, makes me want to revisit fragile dreams some day
ive never met someone online who was as right about stuff as u tbh, i love persona 2 so much i wish ppl talked more about it, its all persona 3/4/5 rip, i think the story is so much better than later games, its also VERY queercoded and are not afraid to say it so thats a big YES for me, i hate the dungeon crawling too tho bc unless u use cheats you'll get shit every 10 steps, the demon contact dialogue is so funny honestly my fav mechanic and i wish they still had that in the same format now. Also all the music are bangers and i love the rave music honestly sounds more rave-like than an actual rave 💀
I was not ready for how much I vibed with the DOA segment in a bad way Thankfully did not have to deal with the hellscape that is child protective services, and I'd never compare my own experiences to something as traumatizing as that but I can vibe with the whole hell that is being stuck with one shitty game that's at best a minigame compilation had a single parent who recognized that I had significant issues socially and physically, but rather than connecting with me personally to try and work through those issues; their eternal solution was always to attack any non conformist interests that I was so bold as to develop on my own which like with many a boy and girl living under an overbearing gen x'r meant no music made past the late 80s, heavily curated access to any culture that wasn't old problematic english sitcoms from the 80s and of course, no access to video games which lead to a solid period of 1-4 years where I couldn't touch anything, after years of being able to play stuff with full stories, aesthetics and actual gameplay was allowed to play a game though, technically 3 even eyetoy also eyetoy 3 and eyetoy monkey mania which I for some reason had access to despite not knowing what an ape escape was I cannot describe to you the degree to which I hated those three shits, and the level of spite I held for each individually as I slowly worked my way through maxing out each of those fecking lil shits. in the absence of games I could actually enjoy; they were utter fucking hellgames
"which like with many a boy and girl living under an overbearing gen x'r meant no music made past the late 80s, heavily curated access to any culture that wasn't old problematic english sitcoms from the 80s" Wow that hit hard. Apropos of nothing, fuck CHiPs & the Beegees.
@@matturner6890 for me it got so bad that it poisoned the well music wise ended up just not liking music much which prevented me from even exploring post 80s music I was eventually able to discover my ability to like music through video games in my teens, but my tastes still feel damaged cause of how late that happened. like, to this day, I still have trouble listening to anything with lyrics, which has completely destroyed my ability to appreciate things like rap that place intense importance on lyricism
That's so fucked. I can't fathom the mindset that would lead someone to treat any child that way, especially their own. I am curious why there was a PS2, with a _camera_ even, if games other than those three were forbidden.
@@SpaghettyLuvsU cause I had the ps2 for years with no real issues I just happened to have those games and equipment. they took away my access when my issues at school took effect
Resident Evil also has genuinely good sewer levels... Tho the reason I didn't hate on them is because I heard devs explain that they're torn between making a bunch of mediocre stages, OR make some grandiose setpieces with more time and budget spent then quickly whip up a few garage, warehouse or sewer parts that take much less effort to make.
I played this game using the multiplayer feature with my sisters. It was such an amazing experience to all be in the ride together for a JRPG, it may have helped with bearing with the combat as well actually
what I like about your videos is that you often cover games I would never want to play or would never get to play, and you find something really beautiful in them that sure probably might have some fucky bits but when you zoom in you find these beautiful moments. nice video c:
Best video on the internet. I already watched it twice and recommended it to 5 people. But this is just the beginning. I am going to sing the transcription of the video tonight on my best mates wedding. Big love!
Love the show, enjoyed your perspective. I wanna share two things you may not know about Eternal Sonata - 1) The game has couch coop! That's right, this game can be played two-player, just like Final Fantasy IX. I played through this game with my wife as we were both interested in getting achievements at the time but ONLY PLAYER ONE GETS THE CHEEVOS. We were both logged into our 360, both able to play and earn achievements at the same time in other games, but for Eternal Sonata, only player 1 gets "credit" for beating it. An odd choice as you both play through the same story together. We had our quibbles with the game and the whiny childishness of it, but in the end my memory of playing it with someone close to me is something I'll cherish forever. Every time I hear Chopin playing, I think of Eternal Sonata, and Viola, and scooting next to my wife on a breaking IKEA futon in our tiny apartment right out of college. 2) Also, when playing, I got to play Viola, since she's one of the harder characters to control. And I gotta say, dude, VIOLA IS A BEAST. Her bow requires the most finesse among the cast (from what I remember from a lifetime ago), but the payoff is that the further away you are from an enemy, the greater the damage you do. Controlling your party members takes place during a precious few seconds, and I'd spend the first turn getting as far away as possible, then firing a shot or two. Viola's job is to then maintain maximum distance from the enemy and barrage the foe with her personal anti-material bow. This minimizes the risk to her getting hurt, and really cuts down on the time spent in a fight. Plus there are either permanent pickups or battle buffs that further compound the ridiculosity of the badass bow. Again, loved the video, this game has a special place in my heart. Nice to see someone else find the joy in this relic. 🎻🏹
idk if you've mentioned it on here before, but i rlly appreciate you mentioning yr experiences w/CAPTA. i spent a few years there myself. it's hard to talk about, and Extreme Beach Volleyball is a goodass way to start. dog bless, chief.
I remember seeing a preview screenshot back in the day, and my memory says the depth-of-field effect didn't use a blur, but a pointillism filter? But I can find no evidence of this today, so I hesitate to say "yo why did they take out this cool shader"
was a little worried when i saw dead or alive in the desc but relieved to find out it's just xtreme also cool to find out that the xtreme games have the same pretty impressive visuals as the main games if you like those really nice visuals you should try like any of doa2-4, they have really great visuals that still look good to this day, the water on the beach stage of doa3 still blows my mind that it was done on a original xbox
I loved and will always love Eternal Sonata. Did you know you can do fights with multiple controllers to do some sort of multiplayer locally? It was fun Music was amazing too
Hands down, you're my favorite creator on RUclips. Your creativity, your music, the way you break down the fundamentals, the art direction, the tone of your voice, your jokes. Yeah man, I love you dude.
can very much relate to this video, as I too love the games I hate. even in the worse of games can have something worth seeing, whether that be a cool level, character, or mechanics. always a comfort watching your vids compared to other game reviewers. love all that you do!
I feel this way too. Even mid games that annoy me are things I often reminisce and reflect on. The most horrible thing a game can be is just unfinished, or insultingly a different direction. Which is why metal gear solid 2 and 5 and becomes such a sore spot for so many people. There are very few experiences that I would turn my nose up at on principle, and those are usually more modern examples. Deus ex invisible war is a streamlined y2k era piece of junk compared to its progenitor but it is a genius title compared to many modern offerings. If a game is a shameless cash grab you can tell pretty early that is the case. JRPG at least tend to be formulaic to the point where you can expect a complete product, because its packaged in such a way where you simply need to copy and paste from a template except in rare circumstances.
Man, the ongoing Shiny joke is on the same level of meta as Super Bunnyhop’s bobbing noodles appearing in like 20-odd videos or Nerrel’s dumptruck continuing to pile up. Love this type of humor. Keep of the great work Thor!
Lmao, hearing you talk about the first sewer dungeon and overall gameplay of Eternal Sonata was extremely validating. I remember renting that game when it came out and being so let down by how bad it felt to play, despite looking good and appealing to my overall weeaboo-y tendencies. Over the years I'd forgotten why it felt just so bad to play despite leaving a good impression on me with its visuals, and you really helped explain why. I'd never thought much about how in games like ff7/9, having those puzzles/quests to break up the RPG combat that move the story along really do keep things from feeling stale.
Love ya. Wanted to note that laying out your though and feelings on an artists' "whole deal" is healthy, therapeutic even not just for you, for a bunch of folks here. And it doesn't have to be a FINAL point of reflection on the matter. No shame in it.
Your perceived positivity absolutely stems from your broadly optimistic tone and your ability to speak only about topics that interest you. It's probably reductive to typify that as a generally positive attitude! But that's how I've always seen you, and what I've always appreciated about you, so hey! That's you! You're the "Sonic is my friend" guy!
Your enjoyment of this art style means i REALLY MUST bring Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom to your attention. its a sorta metroidvania fantasy adventure with a big ole lovable giant following you around and handling most of the combat. Its got pretty 360 "dark corruption" badies but the fantasy kingdom that you explore is just gorgeous, the story is surprisingly good and I capital L LOVE the combat.
I love this game so much. I thought the story was beautiful in particular since you know what the ending was going to be but finding how we get to the end was what kept me going. Once I was done with the credits, I started to make musical terms my guides to names and learned more of Chopin.
Bravo, Mr. Thor--you managed to even give excellent takes on games you actively hate. I don't think I'll ever stop enjoying you and your analyses, my friend
Tri-Crescendo did a couple games on the GameCube called Baten Kaitos. While I don't think they were the best games of all time, they were some of my favorite game experiences. The backgrounds were phenomenal, the dialogue was dumb, and Motoi Sakuraba was at his Sakurabest.
Your DOA experience reminds me of when I was stuck in a hospital for 3 days with a tablet that only had two home videos and Jason Derulo's Trumpet playing on loop.
Eternal sonata pissed me off much that at the end of the game I turned it off mid cut scene and never watched the end. They just wouldn’t shut up and I had enough. Loved everything else though
Eternal Sonata is one I have to return to at some point. I had a similar experience as you where I got pretty far, funny enough to the snow town and then just dropped it due to multiple reasons but something stuck with me as it was one of those neat little games I played on the ps3 during highschool. Even though the story didn't feel too great and some of the characters got on my nerves the visuals and cozy vibes gives me weird nostalgia fr.
I posted this on another youtuber's video, but I feel like your style is getting aped pretty hard out there. That's a huge compliment because before I subbed you I hadn't seen anybody deliver the mental editing you pull off with every episode. Tl;dr: You rock.
the coolest pika: bit.ly/3HEQcYk
credits song: bit.ly/3Jo4pdt (will be on my upcoming album too)
MICHIGAN: bit.ly/3JjCZ8F
PATRONE: bit.ly/3wFnEYy
You should get I hate Everything on the show
You are not just good. You are essential.
That song was GREAT
Yoooo Lunacid is fantastic you did part of the soundtrack right?
I enjoy Fragile dreams ruins of the moon
Thor: "I'm getting fed up with everyone calling me a positive force, I'M GONNA SHOW YOU I CAN HATE STUFF TOO!"
Also Thor, 25 minutes later: "So uh the conclusion is I kinda like the games I hate"
"I HATED THIS LITTLE FREAK!!!!"
This guy is the worst hater I've seen
He can't deny his true nature.
That's why ThorHighHeels is one of the greatest game reviewers of all time.
He can't be the heel in the end.
"The games that I HATE"
"I like Eternal Sonata, hell yeah"
I love you so much Thor
The way Eternal Sonata looked was a godsend in a time of brown and bloom games.
Yeah that Generation of gaming sucked ass! Good riddance!!!
I'll never understand the people who complain about those colour palettes, as if rainbows made a game better
@@Walamonga1313 Dull looking worlds are dull, simple as that.
@@Walamonga1313 The problem was just about every big game was doing it so it just became redundant to look at.
The game was shit regardless. I want the 50 hours I spent playing the game back.
being forced to play dead or alive extreme volley ball 2 for 2 years straight sounds like an eldritch form of punishment you would find in a description of hell from the middle ages.
I swear I read about DoA in the long lost second appendix to Dante's Divine Comedy. Dante can only proceed deeper into inferno after Vergil defeats Kasumi at beach volleyball. He also spots Plato in a nearby pool-hopping competition.
That's what Scott Wozniak goes through every 2 years
@@TheUltimateEel Listen, Plato was a champion wrestler, he would absolutely destroy in any of the competitions. It would be depressingly unfair
Dead or alive is a fantastic series. It's fan service games, however arent.
@@SomberTwilight_ No i agree, it's the best fighter on the 3DS, and it's not even close. Bought it second hand off a girl that 100%ed the damn thing.
tying childhood trauma into a DoA game is an incredible directorial choice
The idea that whoever was care taking you didn’t allowed access to your PSP and DS at specific times of the week, but just let a kid go to town with Extreme Beach Volley 2 in the living room Xbox is mad funny if not fucked up and a lil upsetting.
I guess I could kinda see that logic work if they were like, "oh this is a sports game, sports are good for kids" and never checked out the game themselves?
Social services can charitably be described as "good intentions, garbage execution". At best. See that one time I got institutionalized and some universe brain decided to play a movie about a woman running from an abusive husband.
@@lilwyvern4 "She'll love this! Its relatable!" -that idiot probably
Many parents/ guardians are that thoughtless, or worse. I'm starting to think they may be the majority, unfortunately.
@@mickeymickey9914 lol there's something wrong with too much of literally anything, including homework, testing, video games, social interaction, alcohol, food, work, and so on.
This sets a record for the least amount of hate in a hate video.
Thor: “Says he hates these games”
Also, Thor: “Proceeds to say nice things about these games and makes me want to play them”
Shoutouts to JRPG art teams, they really do know how to knock it outta the park with attention to detail and atmosphere.
Def one of the biggest reasons i love jrpgs even though they exhaust me terribly
Jesus I forgot how gorgeous Eternal Sonata is even by today's standards. What a beautiful ass game.
Damn. I forgot how beautiful Eternal Sonata is. I mean this holds up. This could be a Switch game NOW.
I'm kind of surprised it hasn't gotten a re-release by now, shame that it hasn't.
@@chemergency I've noticed that Bamco has a weird thing about not re-releasing a lot of their old games to modern console. A lot of other gaming companies are doing it, just not sure why they haven't.
@@crzymage Hopefully they at-least still have the source code.
The first Gothic and Risen are Switch games even the ugliest game from 15 years ago would fit perfectly and still wouldn't look as shit as the new Pokemon games.
@@chemergency Heh. Who knows if the company still have backups of the original code but we have rips of the disc copies that can be emulated or stuck onto a disc to play inside a PS3/360.
The Switch bloody melts at higher resolutions anyway. Thing screams when I play SMT V on it, but emulated SMT V looks better *and* runs better. It's odd they don't make re-releases.
Naming your child Falsetto has the same energy as naming your child Muffler or Adjective but using the Italian words for them.
Actual line from the game (probably).
"I am Quaver of House Demisemihemi."
Falsetto Chalmersworth Libre is my anime name
"These are my children, Stop and Very Strong."
@@SpaghettyLuvsU to be fair on that one, a lot of irl names ARE basically just words that mean or used to mean "strong" when you look into the etymology of them
Everyones name is a musical theme dude
@@shawnnbits Yes? Did you think this was in question?
If the Lament Mirror dungeon in Baroque feels off and out of place, its because it was added in the international version on PS3. In the original 360 release, its entirely absent and the Baroque segment flows better. However, the international version also added Serenade and Crescendo as playable so the tighter paced Baroque segment is also the one where you don't actually obtain anything major like a new character from it. Each has its pros and cons.
Every time you say "reminiscent of the SHINY" I pop off like I'm at a concert and just recognized the opening riff to my favorite song. Exquisite stuff.
YOOOOOOOOOOooooooohhhhh-
your videos man, i gotta develop the same sense you have for dropping chaotic sfx at the perfect moment
also to your point about hiding the art - ye ig you can read overt artistry as artistic decadence in the modern era or smn, cool idea
David Foster Wallace has made the same point as THH did in an interview I used on my research. He called American minimalist prose hypocrite, because it tries to hide the artistry and not call attention to itself, as if you could erase the subject creating the art from the art piece itself. I agree with both THH and DFW. Calling attention to artistry is a way of humanizing it. Reminding us of the gap in language that makes art possible and fleeting and limited like life itself.
BTW love your channel dude
@@kelvinmatheus6178 thank you and for that info 🙏🙏
@@KBash been binging your stuff on and off, really enjoy your scripts, editing and delivery as well as hearing your thoughts on stuff. Got recommended this video because I watch your content, and already think I'll be watching more of Thor. So thank you for all the entertainment!
Even when he TRIES to hate on something, he can't ignore the positives. Lol
I was like NOOO I LOVE IT WHEN THOR TALKS ABOUT MESSY/JANKY/UNPLAYABLE/UNPOLISHED/HEADACHE-INDUCING SHIT HE NONETHELESS APPRECIATES but then the video played and oh sweet relief
As someone who played through the entirety of need for speed underground 2 and a couple hours of FFX on a PS2 without a memory card in an institution I was stuck in as a kid, your story about DOA really hit home for me and brought back a lot of memories. I love this channel man, thank you for doing what you do.
I'm just glad Thor finally got to his little ice town. May we all reach our personal ice towns while we can still appreciate them!
I find it hard to believe a childrens home had DOA xtreme 2.
But seriously, I didn't see that coming, and thank you for sharing.
"I quite like the games that I hate"
Thor, you had ONE JOB
Your "s h i n e y YOOOOO" bit never fails to get a laugh from me
shoulda put some police sirens in when he said "she was only 14"
A true ThorHighHeel-turn.
I see you, and I appreciate you.
Underrated post.
Seconded. I wish I could send you (drug of choice)
Nicely put, Sir.
🥇
Eternal Sonata will always be one of my favorite games despite its flaws. I love the story, characters, and art direction so much.
Wow, I finally found a channel that loves things for what they are rather than constantly hating everything in their life.
AVGN and it's consequences have been a disaster for the human race
Relatable, as over the years I kinda lost the capacity to hate any games I get to play. On one hand, it's a rarity for me to play anything completely out of my taste, however, I do aim to expand my horizons. On the other hand, with age comes a better understanding of human effort behind any game, and that is something I always admire. I also like a good underdog game for myself once in a while - one either underappreciated, misunderstood, flopped, or all at once. In other words, I feel like I transitioned from more visceral, quick dopamine-fueled enjoyment of games to a more attentive, artistic, thematic appreciation of them (those enjoyments are not mutually exclusive, of course). From a mere frame of a child, a man of culture had hatched, and was eventually drawn to this channel as its author speaks the same language. Peace!
Agreed! and same!
Loosely related, but stuff like the Camera angles and being able to see those painted picture environments are kind of why I miss a lot of the games that used to have a ton of quick loading zones, it was stuff like the Deserted Island in MH3 that made me actually get how much I enjoyed that type of thing; I didn't think it was anything crazy back in Ocarina of Time, and the limitations are the same, but while Zelda kind of 'let' you get a sense of the scale by running through Hyrule Field, the fact that all of the zones in the MH areas were more compact because they were two completely different types of games and showed that area scale in different ways is what made me go mentally feral.
If I can run all the way across an area and see every thing, it's alright I guess, but while I'm going to see those same sights every time-
I get the same effect from a game with much more scenic and tight areas, but it feels nice to me because they feel like set pieces made to fit to a backdrop to either a "small" amount of exploration or a fight.
Coming out the Frozen Seaway in 4U and Generations, you can see the base camp in the distance, It's not super far off, but theoretically it's close enough to a massive whirlpool and an area where a fight with a Large Monster would be in direct view if not for the way everything was angled, it's probably not the intent, but what I get from seeing that when I'm just playing around and vibing in the game is that it's not too crazy to believe in this Cold ass wasteland, "Danger is right around the corner" or some quote like that. It's a cool feeling being able to see a really intense vortex-like storm from the moment you set foot in an area and then go there with each area feeling like a good chunk of the work towards getting there without the game weather suddenly going berserk once you pass a certain line or something like a sudden weather condition just for crossing an invisible border.
Open World games feel fine to play, but there's something about the game having those specific maps and being able to show you only what you really need to see, if even that- that really made them feel like a journey or something, and I'd be absolutely ecstatic if I ever got the chance to actually explore any of those old environments in a sort of seamless connection, with each other. It feels like a bunch of "THEY DON'T MAKE EM LIKE THEY USED TO" reading back on this, but when you were talking about that ray of light coming through the trees not being done by just throwing a light source up there or something, it really resonated with that part of my brain that beats on the cage like an ape when I think about if instead of just trying to make games GRAPHICAL MASTERPIECES that resemble real life or something, they just kind of threw that into the wind and went ham with letting some of the stuff just go wild, FF7R did a real good job of that IMO and even though I haven't had a chance to play it, games like Hi-Fi Rush that just "look" simple visually but manage to get away with so much stylistic stuff makes me so excited for things to come it isn't funny.
The reason I watch your vids is because of how positive you are, keep being you Thor
yeah I just don't interact with things I don't like too, easy way to be positive
Did not know Thor was in put into Jeugdzorg as well. Homie just gained like 8 more dimensions in terms of personality imo
Honestly, the most original and brilliant video game commentary on RUclips. Love your work, Mr Highheels.
God hearing you talk about Eternal Sonata along with the music from Another Code is like a weird flashbang of nostalgia for me.
I know its personal but I'd love to hear more lore about thor's life. ThorLore def could be a chill name. But honestly the bits and sprinkles through random videos nice as well.
out of all content creators I'm happiest when I see you post
I remember, i bought a 360 just for lost odyssey back in the day and then i was looking around for other jrpgs on the console and found... nothing, basically. Except eternal sonata. And man. I LOVED that game. I had only played final fantasy games and lost odyssey up until that point and eternal sonata was familiar enough, but also something new mixed in. It was so cozy and safe and adorable. Looking back now, it also kinds reminds me of baten kaitos, another tri crescendo title - the uniqueness of the environments and the story and the art style, in particular. Thank you for being so nice about eternal sonata
I remember reading about Lost Odyssey in games magazines as a kid (with just a DS lite) and wanting to play it so badly. I never did, and i dont know what fascinated me about Lost Odyssey of all games. It's not like it left any imprint on anything at all...
I found quite a bit on 360 like Blue Dragon, Star Ocean The Last Hope, NieR, and Last Remnant.
Two years of suffering at the DOA booballeyball prison. I feel for you.
1 month without you is too much dude
Agreed
So true 😂. I've been counting the days with no upload
Damn Thor, your stories about your childhood hit pretty close to home, having been through that system myself I sympathize, that's not a good time.
I can honestly say, the notification of your new uploads is one of the only tings that excites me on youtube. Love you, man!
For real though, you *are* one of the more nicer vg-ppl I follow and I do enjoy your chill pleasant takes alot, as they do tend to be *fair* in their criticisms.
To this day I'm still on the fence about Eternal Sonata. At the time I was freshly dropped out of college and had nothing but a desire to forget the real world so I put a ton of time into it. I remember enjoying it well enough but by the time I felt it really started to grip me it suddenly ended.
It’s much like life, by the time we get it it suddenly ends. Consistent with the lore. Ending wouldn’t have hit as hard if it wasn’t so sudden and at such a high note.
@@vwts Very good point and for what it's worth I loved the weird "getting lectured at about symbolism" during the end credits.
I call bullsh*t the game ended when it really started to grip you, because unless you are breezing through everything, the game lasts like 60 hours.
@@tomstonemale it took me the usual amount of time a JRPG does, about 30 to 35 hours. And I was referring to the narrative ending suddenly. Truth me told unless someone is really into grinding or a slow reader I would be amazed at getting 60 hours out of Eternal Sonata, it's not even remotely long by the genre standards.
Ahhh maaan I loved sonata. Though I have a weird association with it in my brain cuz I was listening to the story summary of I have no mouth and I must scream during a big chunk of my playthrough
Oh, that Dark Souls infographic about 20 minutes in is beautiful.
Not related to the main topic but it's so surreal seeing a building five minutes from my home appear at 19:27 LMAO
thor league of ledges and overman is one of the funniest things i've ever heard. thank you for what u do dad :)
Your voice is so pleasant to listen to. Always happy when you upload, regardless of my interest in the topic.
Honeslty I really want to hear more about the Wii game you showed whose name I've already forgotten because I genuinely have memory problems regarding names.
I saw a part 1 of Cryaotic play it but uh...... I didn't.,.... watch the rest....
It'd be nice to learn more about it because I liked what I saw. I like this dev studio's idea of taking these really out there concepts and themes and then putting them into what at a glance looks like generic anime video game aesthetics.
But like.... in a different way than Square does.
"Sure they are pretty, but also they ain't real"
as we just discussed in the segment about dreams and reality, that's not at all what matters ;)
Anyway, Thor just prefaced a video saying he's gonna show us that he can hate games too, and in the end he still made me want to play the game (Eternal Sonata, that is; not necessarily the beach game)
Never change, Thor
dropping just when i'm on the fence for the fourth time abt the persona 2 duology
i have way too much love for ibunroku persona (yes, JP PS1 jank ass one) for what it is, and i do believe p2 has the best story ever to have graced games and i love the diorama look everything including the dungeons and how p1 and p2 go deep hell silly with turning everyday buildings into hostile maddening labyrinths i fuck with that idea so so much, but also as a dungeon crawling enthusiast that can stand old school design pretty fine, the actual dungeoning is, not fun even for me (excluding demon contact dialogue but i enter that menu and i feel my soul leaving my body)
also one of those ppl too adamant on playing it with my own hands instead of just watching someone else do it and stuff, so it gets silly
i have no comment on eternal sonata since never tried it or anything but it was nice to see the art in it, makes me want to revisit fragile dreams some day
ive never met someone online who was as right about stuff as u tbh, i love persona 2 so much i wish ppl talked more about it, its all persona 3/4/5 rip, i think the story is so much better than later games, its also VERY queercoded and are not afraid to say it so thats a big YES for me, i hate the dungeon crawling too tho bc unless u use cheats you'll get shit every 10 steps, the demon contact dialogue is so funny honestly my fav mechanic and i wish they still had that in the same format now. Also all the music are bangers and i love the rave music honestly sounds more rave-like than an actual rave 💀
I was not ready for how much I vibed with the DOA segment in a bad way
Thankfully did not have to deal with the hellscape that is child protective services, and I'd never compare my own experiences to something as traumatizing as that
but I can vibe with the whole hell that is being stuck with one shitty game that's at best a minigame compilation
had a single parent who recognized that I had significant issues socially and physically, but rather than connecting with me personally to try and work through those issues; their eternal solution was always to attack any non conformist interests that I was so bold as to develop on my own
which like with many a boy and girl living under an overbearing gen x'r meant no music made past the late 80s, heavily curated access to any culture that wasn't old problematic english sitcoms from the 80s
and of course, no access to video games
which lead to a solid period of 1-4 years where I couldn't touch anything, after years of being able to play stuff with full stories, aesthetics and actual gameplay
was allowed to play a game though,
technically 3 even
eyetoy
also eyetoy 3
and eyetoy monkey mania
which I for some reason had access to despite not knowing what an ape escape was
I cannot describe to you the degree to which I hated those three shits, and the level of spite I held for each individually as I slowly worked my way through maxing out each of those fecking lil shits.
in the absence of games I could actually enjoy; they were utter fucking hellgames
"which like with many a boy and girl living under an overbearing gen x'r meant no music made past the late 80s, heavily curated access to any culture that wasn't old problematic english sitcoms from the 80s"
Wow that hit hard.
Apropos of nothing, fuck CHiPs & the Beegees.
@@matturner6890 for me it got so bad that it poisoned the well music wise
ended up just not liking music much which prevented me from even exploring post 80s music
I was eventually able to discover my ability to like music through video games in my teens, but my tastes still feel damaged cause of how late that happened.
like, to this day, I still have trouble listening to anything with lyrics, which has completely destroyed my ability to appreciate things like rap that place intense importance on lyricism
That's so fucked. I can't fathom the mindset that would lead someone to treat any child that way, especially their own.
I am curious why there was a PS2, with a _camera_ even, if games other than those three were forbidden.
@@SpaghettyLuvsU cause I had the ps2 for years with no real issues
I just happened to have those games and equipment.
they took away my access when my issues at school took effect
Resident Evil also has genuinely good sewer levels... Tho the reason I didn't hate on them is because I heard devs explain that they're torn between making a bunch of mediocre stages, OR make some grandiose setpieces with more time and budget spent then quickly whip up a few garage, warehouse or sewer parts that take much less effort to make.
I played this game using the multiplayer feature with my sisters. It was such an amazing experience to all be in the ride together for a JRPG, it may have helped with bearing with the combat as well actually
what I like about your videos is that you often cover games I would never want to play or would never get to play, and you find something really beautiful in them that sure probably might have some fucky bits but when you zoom in you find these beautiful moments. nice video c:
Best video on the internet. I already watched it twice and recommended it to 5 people. But this is just the beginning. I am going to sing the transcription of the video tonight on my best mates wedding. Big love!
Humbly requesting a follow-up on this wedding story 🍿
The games i hate: says mostly good things abt the games
the way thor uses language and english is just,,,, so fucking good and satisfying to hear.
Love the show, enjoyed your perspective. I wanna share two things you may not know about Eternal Sonata -
1) The game has couch coop! That's right, this game can be played two-player, just like Final Fantasy IX. I played through this game with my wife as we were both interested in getting achievements at the time but ONLY PLAYER ONE GETS THE CHEEVOS. We were both logged into our 360, both able to play and earn achievements at the same time in other games, but for Eternal Sonata, only player 1 gets "credit" for beating it. An odd choice as you both play through the same story together. We had our quibbles with the game and the whiny childishness of it, but in the end my memory of playing it with someone close to me is something I'll cherish forever. Every time I hear Chopin playing, I think of Eternal Sonata, and Viola, and scooting next to my wife on a breaking IKEA futon in our tiny apartment right out of college.
2) Also, when playing, I got to play Viola, since she's one of the harder characters to control. And I gotta say, dude, VIOLA IS A BEAST. Her bow requires the most finesse among the cast (from what I remember from a lifetime ago), but the payoff is that the further away you are from an enemy, the greater the damage you do. Controlling your party members takes place during a precious few seconds, and I'd spend the first turn getting as far away as possible, then firing a shot or two. Viola's job is to then maintain maximum distance from the enemy and barrage the foe with her personal anti-material bow. This minimizes the risk to her getting hurt, and really cuts down on the time spent in a fight. Plus there are either permanent pickups or battle buffs that further compound the ridiculosity of the badass bow.
Again, loved the video, this game has a special place in my heart. Nice to see someone else find the joy in this relic.
🎻🏹
Nothing but dead or alive xtreme 2 for years... Truly a sad fate for a gamer.
idk if you've mentioned it on here before, but i rlly appreciate you mentioning yr experiences w/CAPTA. i spent a few years there myself. it's hard to talk about, and Extreme Beach Volleyball is a goodass way to start. dog bless, chief.
I remember seeing a preview screenshot back in the day, and my memory says the depth-of-field effect didn't use a blur, but a pointillism filter? But I can find no evidence of this today, so I hesitate to say "yo why did they take out this cool shader"
was a little worried when i saw dead or alive in the desc but relieved to find out it's just xtreme
also cool to find out that the xtreme games have the same pretty impressive visuals as the main games
if you like those really nice visuals you should try like any of doa2-4, they have really great visuals that still look good to this day, the water on the beach stage of doa3 still blows my mind that it was done on a original xbox
Just spend a lovely time hearing you for 20 minutes. Thank you
I loved and will always love Eternal Sonata. Did you know you can do fights with multiple controllers to do some sort of multiplayer locally? It was fun
Music was amazing too
lmfao even a video about games you hate becomes positive, I love this channel so much. Wish ya uploaded more I binged almost everything 😅
We need more Snow Town games 😩, too many dusty fields and not enough winter vibes
Check out baten kaitos! It has an amazing snowy town level
@@erylaria398 Thanks for the rec, I'll definitely look it up!!!
Hands down, you're my favorite creator on RUclips. Your creativity, your music, the way you break down the fundamentals, the art direction, the tone of your voice, your jokes. Yeah man, I love you dude.
This video made me forget the year was 2023 like somehow I ended up on pre-2010s internet
Editing on these videos is really stellar lately. Nice job!
I agree! I don’t even register the edits! Which is the mark of good edits.
can very much relate to this video, as I too love the games I hate. even in the worse of games can have something worth seeing, whether that be a cool level, character, or mechanics. always a comfort watching your vids compared to other game reviewers. love all that you do!
I feel this way too. Even mid games that annoy me are things I often reminisce and reflect on. The most horrible thing a game can be is just unfinished, or insultingly a different direction. Which is why metal gear solid 2 and 5 and becomes such a sore spot for so many people. There are very few experiences that I would turn my nose up at on principle, and those are usually more modern examples. Deus ex invisible war is a streamlined y2k era piece of junk compared to its progenitor but it is a genius title compared to many modern offerings. If a game is a shameless cash grab you can tell pretty early that is the case. JRPG at least tend to be formulaic to the point where you can expect a complete product, because its packaged in such a way where you simply need to copy and paste from a template except in rare circumstances.
Man, the ongoing Shiny joke is on the same level of meta as Super Bunnyhop’s bobbing noodles appearing in like 20-odd videos or Nerrel’s dumptruck continuing to pile up. Love this type of humor. Keep of the great work Thor!
Lmao, hearing you talk about the first sewer dungeon and overall gameplay of Eternal Sonata was extremely validating. I remember renting that game when it came out and being so let down by how bad it felt to play, despite looking good and appealing to my overall weeaboo-y tendencies. Over the years I'd forgotten why it felt just so bad to play despite leaving a good impression on me with its visuals, and you really helped explain why. I'd never thought much about how in games like ff7/9, having those puzzles/quests to break up the RPG combat that move the story along really do keep things from feeling stale.
The 'events' you spoke of are some of of the biggest hooks in gaming for me. I would love to see a video about your favourite JRPG events
Love ya.
Wanted to note that laying out your though and feelings on an artists' "whole deal" is healthy, therapeutic even not just for you, for a bunch of folks here.
And it doesn't have to be a FINAL point of reflection on the matter. No shame in it.
your delivery and editing is so on point, never fails to get a few good wheezes out of me.
Your perceived positivity absolutely stems from your broadly optimistic tone and your ability to speak only about topics that interest you. It's probably reductive to typify that as a generally positive attitude! But that's how I've always seen you, and what I've always appreciated about you, so hey! That's you! You're the "Sonic is my friend" guy!
Your enjoyment of this art style means i REALLY MUST bring Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom to your attention. its a sorta metroidvania fantasy adventure with a big ole lovable giant following you around and handling most of the combat. Its got pretty 360 "dark corruption" badies but the fantasy kingdom that you explore is just gorgeous, the story is surprisingly good and I capital L LOVE the combat.
I love this game so much. I thought the story was beautiful in particular since you know what the ending was going to be but finding how we get to the end was what kept me going.
Once I was done with the credits, I started to make musical terms my guides to names and learned more of Chopin.
That FFX music hits me right in the comfy
the transition between the regular and fiery flower reminds me of doug walkers "full of christmas seman", good job my friend
You’ve conditioned me to think this video is actually really really short I can’t believe you’ve done this
Bravo, Mr. Thor--you managed to even give excellent takes on games you actively hate. I don't think I'll ever stop enjoying you and your analyses, my friend
Based ThorHH only talks about things he is interested in or findes facinating.
Babe wake up! Thorhighheels uploaded a new video!
shut up
Loving the 18:50 intermission music. Source?
Tri-Crescendo did a couple games on the GameCube called Baten Kaitos. While I don't think they were the best games of all time, they were some of my favorite game experiences. The backgrounds were phenomenal, the dialogue was dumb, and Motoi Sakuraba was at his Sakurabest.
I'm sorry you grew up like that. I hate how foster homes are so cheap
Babe wake up, new thorhighheels video just dropped
Shut up, dork
Your DOA experience reminds me of when I was stuck in a hospital for 3 days with a tablet that only had two home videos and Jason Derulo's Trumpet playing on loop.
Eternal sonata pissed me off much that at the end of the game I turned it off mid cut scene and never watched the end. They just wouldn’t shut up and I had enough. Loved everything else though
Eternal Sonata is one I have to return to at some point. I had a similar experience as you where I got pretty far, funny enough to the snow town and then just dropped it due to multiple reasons but something stuck with me as it was one of those neat little games I played on the ps3 during highschool. Even though the story didn't feel too great and some of the characters got on my nerves the visuals and cozy vibes gives me weird nostalgia fr.
I played Eternal Sonata when I first got an Xbox 360 and it still feels like a fever dream I had.
Thanks for sharing that part about childhood - I too was seized by CPS and lost my relationship with games
Life is litterally a dream and you don't see people complaining about how it "doesn't matter". Those silly goobers still eat food and sleep.
I posted this on another youtuber's video, but I feel like your style is getting aped pretty hard out there. That's a huge compliment because before I subbed you I hadn't seen anybody deliver the mental editing you pull off with every episode.
Tl;dr: You rock.
Sewer level? Sound the Civvie11 alarm!!
Man I love your videos so much it feels like I’m being hugged by an old friend
Great video as always, By far one of my favorite thumbnails of yours.