Spoiler Warning: Happy Adversary

By Shamus Posted Friday Jan 28, 2011

Filed under: Spoiler Warning 123 comments

For our one-year episode, we wanted to do something really special. We didn’t just want 15 minutes of footage from a game we’ve already talked about or played, so we decided to spoil an entire game, all in one go. We played Amnesia: The Dark Descent for well over an hour, and we made a highlight reel of the result.


Link (YouTube)

Please rise for a message from the hosts:

Shamus

A year ago today, we put out our first episode, which was was a bit rough. An hour and fifteen minutes of not-particularly-compelling gameplay. It was an all-you-can-eat-buffet of plain oatmeal. But I really love what we’ve done with the show since then. I describe it as, “Like someone having a loud conversation over Skype while you’re trying to watch a horrible television show as filmed by the inebriated one-legged cameraman from The Blair Witch Project, but for videogames”.

We’ve made a lot of changes since then. Shortening the episodes allowed us to make smaller, more disjointed entries, and adding a forth host saved us from all of those times when we only had one person talking. I’m looking forward to year two, when we plan to take spoiling videogames to the next level. My own idea is that we should have three minute episodes, twelve hosts, a rule dictating that we can talk about any videogame EXCEPT the one currently being played, and Josh should edit out or censor anything positive we might accidentally say about any game ever.

I kid. You guys are great. Thanks to Josh for all the hard work editing. Thanks to Mumbles for making the commentary a lot more interesting and much less negative. Thanks to Rutskarn for making puns less often than he could.

Rutskarn

When I got the invitation to join the show, my first reaction was, “Spend a day every weekend talking about awful videogames without making a cent of profit off of it? Why would anyone ever, ever want to do that?” And then I thought about it some more, and I decided it was a really stupid idea and told them I wouldn’t. And then I woke up with the head of a horse in my bed. I didn’t even own a horse. I still have no idea where they got it.

You can’t argue with that kind of determination.

Anyway, that was sort of a supervillain moment. I decided that if I was going to be coerced into doing videos on the internet, I might as well use this golden opportunity to reach out to our viewers and really, really hurt them. The drinking game, for example. All of the puns. The singing. Oh god, the singing. You guys don’t know this yet, but my singing voice actually causes serious and malignant mutations down the road. I won’t spoil it, but I hope you’re not too attached to the idea of voluntary sphincter control. I am not myself immune, but that’s a price I’m willing to pay.

Of course, in a Cuftbertian twist, I ended up getting addicted to the whole internet video thing. There was my truncated Dark Messiah LP, for example, followed by the for-money LPery Jibar and I have since been indulging in So I guess I’m sticking around with this thing, at least until Netflix kills the internet and we’re all free for good.

In somewhat more honesty: Shamus, thanks for hosting, Josh, thanks for editing, Mumbles, your face is stupid and smells like a butt, thanks for your positivity.

Skarn out.

Mumbles

Back during the Bioshock episodes, I felt like the crazed Paladin of the group. With blurry eyes and a fixed smile, I tried my hardest to defend the honor of a game that the nice little voices in my head seemed to like just great! But, around episode four that all started to fall apart. What with Josh’s constant complaining about dying, Rutskarn’s over the top hipster sarcasm and Shamus calling for good old games all day every day, I lost that sweet ignorant bliss. It’s like when you loved a certain Pokemon, let’s say Rattata, but when you told your friends they all laughed and called him a stupid rat. You don’t realize you hate something until Shamus Young and Co. tell you that you do.

So, now I’m part of the monster that is Spoiler Warning. For all the complaining, all the nitpicking and all the bad puns, there’s always this glimmer of positivity. There’s no doubt that we love games and I think these guys are so harsh because they just want to make them better. It’s like an afterschool special where the bullies are just trying to help you win the swim meet by holding your head underwater in the toilet. At least, that’s what I tell myself at night.

Thanks to Shamus for being the nerdy big brother of the group, always laying down the wisdom before making a fart joke. Josh, for being a grumpy old man who breaks games and makes them cry for their mommy. And Rutskarn for never reading the love poems I sent him. I mean hate poems. I hate that guy.

Josh

When I first mentioned to Shamus that Spoiler Warning had its one year anniversary coming up, his reply was, “Really? I thought we must’ve been going for at least two years by now.”

My reaction was the opposite; I still can scarcely believe that we’ve been doing this show, more-or-less non-stop, for an entire year. When I first pitched the “Let’s Play, but with like three people” idea to Shamus, I never imagined we’d ever make it this far. And it’s uncanny how much we’ve improved over that time. Looking back, our first episode was a fuzzy, low-resolution mess with mismatched, terrible-quality audio, lots of awkward pauses, many, many instances of the dreaded “everyone is talking oh god my ears,” and some pretty bad attempts at humor. Now our episodes are in full HD, the audio has much improved (hey you can actually hear Shamus now, imagine that!), and we have far fewer awkward pauses. We still talk over each other – sometimes – but I think we’re getting a lot better about it. And… well, okay, I still make more than my fair share of bad jokes. But everyone else is much more funny than me (at least when I’m not getting killed for trying to play the game like a maniacal, bloodthirsty lemming) so I’d still call that a win.

Everyone in the cast is great, especially for putting up with my oft-slave-driver-esque release schedule. It’s always been great fun working with all of them – and all of you fans and viewers as well. Here’s hoping this next year is even better.

 


From The Archives:
 

123 thoughts on “Spoiler Warning: Happy Adversary

  1. The Right Trousers says:

    Uproarious. Well done, and thanks for the free entertainment.

  2. Piflik says:

    Is it bad that I refused to stand up?

    Anyway…congratulations for being able to cope with these games and each other for so long :D

    1. Fat Tony says:

      I stood up, hit my head on the underside of my bed (think bunkbed but the bottom halve is a desk) and the sat back down, i was standing in spirit.

  3. Deadpool says:

    Awwwww… The SW romance is budding further…

    Anyways, I joined the party REAL late. It wasn’t until Shamus made an off handed remar regarding his Fallout 3 Spoiler Warning in one of his Escapist collumns that I found this place… I then proceeded to spend every day off I had (which, honestly, isn’t many) for the next two or three weeks getting caught up (even leaving some, never-to-be-read Viddler comments).

    I love the expanded cast (and small props to Randy for turning Josh into a Renegade… I feel like everyone forgot how hard he pushed for Paragon in ME1), I love the regular weekly updates, and i’m glad Youtube is giving it a greater viewership. I do miss the hour long episodes (I’m a patient man who gets no sleep) and being able to comment in pop up (I got a Viddler account FOR you guys!), and I love seeing Josh play the COMPLETE opposite of how I play, every step of the god damned way (even though he has a tendency to miss enemies and let his allies do the cleaning up).

    Seriously guys, this show rocks. Don’t let the fact that most people don’t know it exists tell youn otherwise! I’m sure if they gave it a try, they’d love it…

    Although, on the subject of increased popularity, ever consider guest stars? Just a thought…

    1. GTRichey says:

      Wow I just realised how much Josh’s complaining about people making him pick paragon options and how they’ve ruined his ability to be renegade mirrors Randy’s about Josh putting points in paragon the first few episodes… it’s uncanny and they’re comments are nearly identical (allowing for changes in the mechanics).

      So I think Josh deserves some acknowledgement for just how far he’s come since those days. Whether it was Fallout 3 just tempting him to abuse and break it in every way possible or simply the rage induced by being railroaded onto a nonsense storyline that’s led to his maniacal playstyle for ME2 (and to a lesser extent bioshock where there just wasn’t all that much room for randomness) we can all be thankful that we aren’t watching paragon Josh (though I think his combat style might still be just as bizzare).

      1. Kanodin says:

        I don’t buy it. If he had really been turned to the dark side he would have murdered those little sisters for no reason. There’s still a paragon in there somewhere I tells ya.

        1. Klay F. says:

          Not paragon, pragmatist…

        2. Vipermagi says:

          I say he meta’d it. Good has better rewards, and does not bog one down at all.

          1. Deadpool says:

            You bet your ass he meta’ed… Still amusing to see Josh then and Josh now.

            Fallout 3 was the beginning of the end…

      2. (LK) says:

        I always assumed Josh just did these things because they were abrasive to other people. You know, like a mild troll.

    2. MrWhales says:

      Nope. Thanks to settings on my Viddler account i have long since forgotten how to reclaim, I have gotten your comments emailed all seperately to me…… ._.

      1. Deadpool says:

        And I am certain you loved each and every single one of them, didnja Whales?

  4. Zagzag says:

    I’ve been watching since the start of Fallout three, and immediately watched Mass Effect. I’ve loved every episode. Thanks so much to all of you!

  5. TheZoobler says:

    Thanks to you all for putting together a hilarious and insightful show :).

    And for being responsible for my total disillusionment with the Mass Effect universe and games. I used to cling to a foolish belief that the only dumb thing about ME2 was… all of ME2, but you’ve helped me find even more reasons not to respect it. And ME1 is getting tainted retrospectively. I mean. It really didn’t add up to much.

    …at least Amnesia is good! Haha

    1. MrWhales says:

      They also made me return my copy of the Bioshock/Oblivion combo and use the credit to just get Oblivion back……… The constant hate that is.

  6. Klay F. says:

    Onward steed! I am convinced now that there exists no game that can possibly withstand the SW treatment and come out unsullied. Taking the scariest game of last year and turning into a comedy routine? No problem for Spoiler Warning!

    Seriously Ruts, that Cage pun made me want to kick a dog.

    1. Someone says:

      The first thought that leaped into my head when Josh did that was: “Quick, switch to the Holy Mackerel, it’s humiliation time!”.

  7. Gandaug says:

    Love it. I skipped the Bioshock series after about the 4th episode because that game bored me so much I couldn’t even watch you guys play it. Keep up the good work.

    I haven’t watch this Amnesia video yet, but I’m looking forward to it. I could never get into the game when I tried it. It’s one defining element, horror, never gripped me so the rest fell flat.

    With six minutes left to edit I have added this! Great episode!

  8. Talson says:

    Thanks guys, I’ve been watching for about half that time. Still have not looked back after marathoning your first season.

  9. Galad says:

    *standing ovation* You guys and Mumbles really know how to make an episode memorable. This was..I won’t say, perfect, but it was certainly the best one I’ve seen of you so far..Thank You *sheds a single manly tear*

  10. Hitch says:

    I remember watching that first hour of pointlessly fumbling around on the Mass Effect character creation screen and wondering which was a more pointless waste of time, recording and posting that on the internet or my sitting through the whole thing thinking there would be a point. A year later I’ve watched every episode of Spoiler Warning. I’m not bragging, that’s certainly nothing to be proud of. Please, can you give me some hint what the ultimate goal of the mental conditioning you’ve subjected me to is?

  11. Daemian Lucifer says:

    Oh come on,give us the full hour!I need to know whats in the rest of the drawers or Ill go insane!

    As for Mumbles falling to the dark side,does that make her a fallen paladin now?Mumbles the twin-souled.Which makes me want to find out what are the true names of the rest of the crew.

    Oh,and thank you guys for making me play,and recently replay mass effect(s).I hope you all die horribly for that.

    1. Galad says:

      iirc, wasn’t that Aribeth(from NWN)’s true name?

      Let’s see..

      in NWN..

      Rutskarn would be Tommy Undergallows(they’re both cheeky imps =P)
      Shamus would be Daelan Red Tiger(the character fits even if Shamus’ axe is verbal only)
      Josh would be [!error] #illegal chr strref in line 1337 of SWNWNcross.c[/error]

      1. Daemian Lucifer says:

        8 minutes?Wow,I thought itd take longer for someone to get the reference.

        1. Viktor says:

          The internet is often fast and horrible.

        2. Ringwraith says:

          I had read it earlier I would have got too.
          Probably wouldn’t have mentioned it though.

        3. Galad says:

          As someone whose longest standing home entertainment is NWN’s various user mods, I’d be darned if I didn’t get it immediately =P

  12. Piflik says:

    Great episode. Can we have the full hour? :D

    Shamus, where is that ‘Is this my blood’-line from? I know I heard it before, but I can’t remember where and Google (that pretentious bitch) doesn’t want to tell me…

    1. Shamus says:

      I thought it was this:

      http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/04/30/

      But that doesn’t seem to fit. I’m not sure.

      1. RTBones says:

        The “Is this my blood?” sequence MAY (I think, kinda, possibly in a not-completely-sure type of way) come from one of the National Treasure movies.

        1. Hitch says:

          That would explain the Nic Cage tie-in.

      2. Alexander The 1st says:

        “That’s my blood. That’s my blood. That’s a lot of my blood.”

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69EBDlnDw2k

        Perhaps?

      3. modus0 says:

        I don’t know if it’s actually from the game, but a list of quote supposedly from Left 4 Dead has “Is this my blood?”

        Maybe that’s where you picked it up?

        1. Piflik says:

          Never played L4D, so it is quite unlikely I know it from there…that National Treasure Movie might be a possibility, though…

      4. Blanko2 says:

        i do seem to recall it being like a penny arcade thing.
        hrmm
        or something said in a posh english accent, but that might just be me.

  13. Macil says:

    Oh, man! I was hoping so much you guys would do Amnesia.

    I can’t wait to watch (I’m at work! >_<)!

    Hope you guys liked it … its a top 5 favorite of mine.

    (Edit: Okay, so its better experienced solo … *cough*)

  14. eri says:

    You guys are all great… and I think Ruts deserves his own cereal brand or something, damn is he cool. Keep doing what you do best.

  15. ReverendShmun says:

    Alright, that’s it, you’ve broken me. After this, I really need to go back and work my way through the archives. Damn you, Shamus! You’re nomming my free time down to nothing!

    Also, I’M ON IT’S HEAD!

  16. Sam Goodspeed says:

    Absolutely my favorite thing on the internet. Thank you so much, all of you, for putting so much time into this and entertaining all of us. Especially Josh, who is probably a formatting master by now.

  17. Specktre says:

    Congrats to the SW Team! Here’s to year two!

    I myself didn’t find Spoiler Warning until Shamus mentioned his Fallout 3 LP in his Stolen Pixels comic. And now I’m hooked.

    But man, now I’m interested in seeing you guys actually go through the Amnesia game.

    When that monster walked through the drawer, that REALLY scared me. I almost jump out of my chair, and I let out a noise… and a certain word… which I repeated several times. Gosh, that scared me. Haha!

    This has been one of this episodes where you guys have made me laugh the most. Especially with the way Josh was handling the situation with the monsters.

    So anyway, like I said, here’s to year two.

  18. Jarenth says:

    Happy birthday, Spoiler Warning! Thanks for the many hours of free entertainment. I’ve been watching since the beginning of Season 2, just in time to watch the genesis of Reginald Cuftbert, and I’ve been looking forward to ‘the new episode’ ever since. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve laughed some more, I’ve made friends and influenced people, and I’ve learned that no matter what you may think, all games everywhere are bad and deserving of cruel mockery. All thanks to Spoiler Warning.

    I haven’t actually watched this video, because I’ve recently started playing Amnesia together with a friend, and a cursory glance shows that you guys have played a little further than me. I certainly hope this friend of mine happens to read this comment, so we can continue playing sometime soon.

  19. Irridium says:

    Wow, has it really been a year since Mass Effect?

    Damn. I still remember when Josh tried to be paragon.

  20. SatansBestBuddy says:

    You guys are terrible at horror.

    Seriously, stop that.

    Get off it’s head and get killed like a scared little girl.

    No, don’t… don’t jump up and down, you’re just making it mad!

    *sigh*

    Well, at least you’re a PC only show, otherwise I’d be worried you’d try a Silent Hill game at some… wait, those are out on PC, too?

    NOOOOOOOOO!

    1. Klay F. says:

      Still, I keep going just out of morbid curiosity from wondering, “What happens when you transplant The Spy from TF2 into other popular games.” Hilarity (and puns) ensues.

  21. Someone says:

    Happy anniversary, SW crew! Carry on the banner of your proud cause: making awful puns and destroying people’s livers (and occasionally delivering some commentary on mainstream games, I guess).

    On an unrelated note: those movies Rutskarn mentioned sounded really interesting! For some reason they reminded me of Reservoir Dogs, one scene in particular, the one when Michael Madsen just dances around… Back in the day, that one scene made me lose sanity at an absolutely incredible rate.

  22. Kavonde says:

    Wait a minute. So “skarn” is an old Swedish word for “prostitute.” And “rut” is an old British slang term for having sex. So…Rutskarn = Fuckwhore?

    Even unconsciously, Ruts, you are clearly the Lord of Puns.

    Addendum: OH GOD RUTS WHYYYYY

    1. Mari says:

      I was thinking the same thing when Ruts mentioned that. Then I thought I probably think about words too much. Then I went back to reading The Silmarillion, secure in the knowledge that I am perfectly normal compared to Tolkien.

      1. Klay F. says:

        Oh…oh the torture Ruts would inflict upon Tolkien were he alive…

    2. Sekundaari says:

      It needs to be said that Rut is a female given name in Swedish, so Rut-skarn is actually pretty consistent.

  23. Rosseloh says:

    Bravo, and congratulations! Looking forward to more episodes in the future.

    That said, I do think this would be even better if you posted the whole video. Seriously.

  24. Adalore says:

    I applaud your cage pun sir, please take this nickel as a tip. :)

  25. Entropy says:

    Thats some nice highlights. So where is hour+ of footage? c’mon. It’s only like…two episodes of Spoiler Warning Classic. :D

  26. Christopher M says:

    This really needs more publicity. It’s such an awesome show, more than two thousand people need to watch it… have you tried resubmitting it (Maybe the Mass Effect 2 one?) to the Escapist now that it’s in 15-minute increments?

  27. Duoae says:

    Congrats on the year anniversary! I’m coming up on the 1 year anniversary of my own podcast which is a little scary…. I sympathise with Josh a lot on how hard and time-consuming it is to edit audio so i can only imagine that adding in the video is an extra pain in the ass!

    I thoroughly enjoy the show though so please keep it up!
    All the best!

  28. Desgardes says:

    This was an absolutely great, great episode. I especially loved the intro card. Also, I’m using that pun, next time I watch Face/Off

  29. Eljacko says:

    Oh sweet, you guys did Amnesia. I’ve been dying to see you guys do that, but I doubted a series on it would be forthcoming, since it’s actually good.

    I don’t suppose there’s any chance of us getting the unabridged version?

    1. Hitch says:

      So we can get the exact same good bits surrounded by Josh opening 4 times as many drawers? No, I think this was probably the perfect way to do it.

      1. Scott says:

        I would still watch it.

  30. RTBones says:

    First, that pun, Ruts, – was a TRAVesty. Lets FACE it – we all know that movie was just a just CAGE match.

    Second, many happy returns, Spoiler Warning!
    (raises cup of coffee towards…the monitor)
    Here is to many more!

    Third, to the cast and crew of Spoiler Warning, I’d just like to say thanks for all the effort you go through for us. I (and I am certain others in the room) have enjoyed your work and enjoyed watching it mature. You have reason to be proud. I have also enjoyed the silly banter we all engage in through the comments. I appreciate having a place on t’internet where I can come and get my geek on with others of my ilk without suffering the trolls and trollulations of some of the lightless closets of netspace.

    Finally, if I might make a small request: please don’t stop any time soon. :)

    1. Dante says:

      You’re trying to out pun Ruts, I think you need to buzz off and try some different stingers.

      1. RTBones says:

        So, I should punt? Never. While Ruts won this faceoff because of his cagey punchline, but that doesn’t mean he’s unbeatable. Besides, I am a glutton for punishment.

        1. Kavonde says:

          Gah. Stop with the puns! They’re making me sick, and I don’t want to be bed-ridden tomorrow with a Saturday night fever.

          1. Irridium says:

            All these puns are giving me a fever. Like some from of Cat Scratch Fever.

            1. Syal says:

              Those fevers are terrible; they make it so hard to sleep. I always end up twisting the night away.

              1. Kavonde says:

                Wow, this thread is turning into a real national treasure.

          2. Daemian Lucifer says:

            Not the puuns!Ahhh!Oh my eyes!EEEyes!Aaah!AAAARRGH!

  31. Wolfwood says:

    just like to say that was the most epic pun ever! XD

  32. Veloxyll says:

    Amnesia should’ve been warned about Spoilers.

    Also the Spoiler Warning romance can never truly bloom, for there will always be this little voice in the back of Mumbles head wondering if everything is just a lead-up to one colossal pun.

    Congrats on, and thanks for, a year of episodes of Spoiler Warning, let’s hope there are plenty more full of at least as much entertainment as the first!

  33. krellen says:

    Mumbles, I must demand that you stop being so adorable. It’s simply unacceptable.

    The rest of you guys are pretty cool too, I guess.

  34. Jordi says:

    First of all, congratulations with the anniversary!

    I never really watch these, because it’s usually not very convenient to me to watch longish video’s (I always read the accompanying text though). I figured I’d just watch this one, because it was a special occasion and probably a standalone episode.
    In the beginning I found it extremely chaotic. The banter is one thing, and I think that was pretty nice, but I couldn’t follow what was going on on the screen at all. The guy seemed to be teleporting all over the place. Is it always like that because of editing, or is that somehow because of this game?
    I began to enjoy it more later, so good job all!

    1. Someone says:

      It was a special episode, so those were just the highlights of their Penumbra playthrough (as was stated in the post).

      Normally the games are shown in natural chronological progression, with the occasional skipping of the boring parts.

  35. Aldowyn says:

    Just a year? 3, getting close to 4 seasons? Nice!

    You should do Minecraft next, I would laugh. Not for long, but still… (also, am obsessed…)

    I love the show itself, but even better are the intense debates it spawns here on 20-sided. Many a discussion has run out of comment layers on this spot…

  36. Aulayan says:

    Rutskarn, I think I love you for that long winded story.

  37. Tizzy says:

    I’m just so glad to know that somebody out there did play Starship Titanic. I was beginning to believe I had hallucinated the whole thing.

    1. Desgardes says:

      Yea, my copy is just sitting there, taunting me. :( I still cannot satisfactorily beat it. Of course, I was like…..7(?) when I was doing these types of games. It really burns you out.

    2. Miral says:

      For the record, I’ve played it too. In fact I still have the 3D glasses on my shelf. :)

    3. Deadpool says:

      Hell, I own the book…

      1. Tizzy says:

        I also have the book, but I don’t own the game: I saw it once, but it was when I didn’t have a computer capable of playing it. Ever since then, I’ve been wondering how many people ever played it, given how few references I’ve seen.

  38. Dusk says:

    I’ve been watching Spoiler Warning since the very beginning, but never commented on here before- this seems like the perfect time to show my appreciation!

    You guys have been great, and I’m sure thats one thing that isn’t going to change about the show.

    Thanks!

  39. brashieel says:

    Congratulations on making it a whole year! I’m looking forward to the next one!

    Seriously, this is an awesome let’s play series you guys have going. I’ve been watching since episode one, and the quality has just steadily gone up. Your audio is good, your timing is greatly improved, and Josh has even somewhat mastered making the gameplay interesting looking. And thanks to Mumbles, it isn’t all hate, all the time. Only… 90% of the time. And thanks to Rutskarn I now hate the very concept of language.

    Far and away my favorite streaming video based entertainment. Keep up the good work and thanks again.

  40. Rothschild says:

    Great, now I can never take the monsters in Amnesia seriously again. Thanks a lot, Josh.

    In all seriousness, I’m disappointed you didn’t play through the rest of the game. It would have been really interesting to see all the ways Reginald Cuftbert could troll the monsters.

  41. Dante says:

    Ok, this is important and needs to be said.

    Mumbles needs to sing the Doom Song in Girs voice at least once during her Spoiler Warning tenure. I’m positive she can sound as uncannily like Gir as Shamus can uncannily sound like Dr Claw.

  42. Blanko2 says:

    in one year josh perfected his game style.
    remember back in the first episode when he tried to be… PARAGON?
    he totally didnt punch that sick dude in the face.
    its like you meeting an old friend that became a junkie.
    you go: “josh, what happened man? you used to be a nice guy and all and now youre off punching reporters, throwing chairs at monsters…you’ve got a problem… you’re addicted. to RAGE.”
    or something.

    its been a hell of a year. seems like way more to me!

  43. HeroOfHyla says:

    Great fun, but I was hoping against hope for something a little more like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIRo0iT0qNw&t=2m5s

    1. Rothschild says:

      Unfortunately, a reaction akin to that would require a blind run of the game and it’s quite obvious that Josh has already played before (if you set aside the whole running around in circles trying to find the hidden door bit.)

      Though, I have to say, having watched that, I feel a lot better about my own reactions while playing Amnesia.

  44. Ramsus says:

    That was the best build up to a truly terribly pun I have ever heard. Bravo.
    The last couple of minutes had me laughing to tears.
    What should I say more here? But Jarenth pretty much as usual stole everything of meaning I would have said. *shakes fist*
    Well happy anniversary and I can’t wait for more. Also the musical episode. It’s about time for that right?

    PS: Ruts, it’s not that nobody showed up. It’s that you have no sense of time/need a day planner.

  45. Chris says:

    You’ve got to do a Starship Titanic Spoiler Warning series. That was the best game ever! I never did finish it.

  46. Drexer says:

    Well, I haven’t quite had the chance to comment on the latest videos but I do think I should take the time to watch & congratulate you folks as well on this birthday post.

    I have to say, the growth and refinement of Spoiler Warning across the last year has trully been a very interesting thing to behold; I do believe that you have built a very sound structure over the concept of a Let’s Play, by not just showing the game, but by discussing and examining it in a vein which was not quite that usual across many LP’s. Part of this is of course derived from your 4-person conversations, whose fluctuations between humor and seriosuness craft your unique touch, but I think each and every one of you deserve special thanks for their different insights and points of view across all of those different games and stories.

    Surely it will still take a long time for the medium of gaming to refine itself into something profoundly analysed and evaluated by critics in all veins of story, gameplay and art, but in the meantime we have you folks and that’s good enough for now. :D

    I for one, can certainly say that you have made me look more profoundly upon games from time to time. And although that has made the pleasure sometimes more dismayed, other times it has made it so much more pleasant adn rewarding on the long run.

    So,

    Thank you Josh for being our hands, legs and arms. For shooting what we would shoot and what we wouldn’t shoot. For backtracking all that length we wouldn’t like to backtrack and your commentary while doing so.

    Thank you Shamus for never stopping your blowns when you think the game deserves it, for being merciless in your quest to make those games improve and just point every flaw with hopes that they can be corrected in future endeavours.

    Thank you Rutskarn for truly being the Jokester in this bunch, even if you have discovered why jokes exist and now you can only make us groan to your puns(I wonder if anyone will get this reference?). Thank you also for your apt charicatures and your insessant curiostiy about certain points of the story which always leads the conversation to more itneresting places.

    Thank you Mumbles for your optimism and your pessimism when needed, for reminding us why we still love those games from time to time and that there is indeed a sliver of light at the end of a dark tunnel. Thank you also for your keeping Rutskarn under control when needed.

    Thank you Commenters, for your written jokes/banter/commentaries; you are certainly half the reason why I so diligently follow this blog and those LP’s, and the passion with which so many of you thrown themselves into exploring those games and the way they fit together makes it all worthwhile to comment as well. Even though I haven’t done much of it lately. :P

    So, in resume, Thank You All and here’s to an even better Second Year!

    *gulps champagne*

    PS: I reminded myself of the problems you have(had?) with broadcasting the game images from Josh to everyone else, have you thought about a remote desktop/presentation program such as TeamViewer which bypasses completely any of the usual streaming sites and instead uses a direct connection? Just a thought.

    1. Viktor says:

      Just posting to say that I got the reference. Goddamn cheese.

  47. Vect says:

    It’s been quite the ride, gentlemen (and Mumbles). Hope you tear some more otherwise decent games a new one as you nag about plot details and reminisce about System Shock 2 or what have you. So after Mass Effect 2 (and whatever possible DLC that might be done) what exactly would you do? I would say Fallout: New Vegas, but that one’s not exactly the most stable game to consistently play and the plot isn’t as headache-inducing as the one of 3.

    I guess… Oblivion?

    I was actually thinking about making a TV Tropes page for you guys once, but I got lazy. Maybe someone will.

    1. Irridium says:

      I’d like them to do Arkham Asylum. That’d be fun.

    2. X2-Eliah says:

      I’d rather they did shorter games, as such. With about 45 to 60 minutes of content per week, the whole thing does get old after two or so months.. You can see how ME2 is not even half-way through, but the fatigue is already there.

    3. Viktor says:

      Asylum might be fun, might get boring. The fights are cool to watch initially, but after a month? Maybe not.

      A blind run of Skyrim could be interesting after that. They need to at least one blind run, and that’s the best option IMO.

      Also, more of the TF2 videos, just to pass time. I want to see a discussion of the other classes.

    4. Piflik says:

      While I wouldn’t object New Vegas, especially in contrast to Fallout 3, I also think a shorter game might be good, at least for one season…I mean…if we have a 20h game, we look at 80 15min-Episodes…one or two action-adventures would be cool…Batman has been mentioned…but also Dead Space, Assassin’s Creed or Darksiders…

      But then again, it should be really funny to see, what Reginald Cuftbert thinks of the West Coast…better writing, but even worse bugs…

      1. Deadpool says:

        I kinda like the idea of keeping with ME/Fallout/Bioshock for the youtube version of Spoiler Warning, before spreading out to different games, but that’s just me…

        1. Chuck says:

          Bioshock 2 might be up next. Mr. Young stated he intended to SW New Vegas at some point.

          I’m for Red Dead Redemption if only because it has moonshine, brandy, and sometimes when Marston is shot at he says “stop shooting at me!”

          It’s like Josh is channeling John's spirit

  48. Having been skipping this season because I love ME2 and I’m not stupid XD I very much appreciate this episode, because I still love Spoiler Warning and all the people involved. I mean, I read every post written on this and Rutskarn’s site.

    I hope you don’t do Oblivion next, that’d be too random. What about a game like Half-Life 2, which you -like-?

  49. Sekundaari says:

    Well, congratulations to you all. Including Randy, especially for showing Josh the power of the Dark Side. I didn’t know anything about those events when I started watching, at the start of the Fallout 3 season, but things were right. A large part of the fun would have been missed if Reginald Cuftbert would have been a paladin-type.

    Dozens of exploded pants, drugs, deaths and orders of not-shooting, even more deaths and a very sore arm, a late look into Telephone and Interview Etiquette by Conan Shepard and recently some fine human pinball (also deaths) later, I still think the Fallout 3 season is the best one. I’m sure you can beat it in your second year, though.

    Finally: I didn’t get the reference in the long-expected pun… however, man did “Medieval: Total Drawer” ever sting.

    PS. I’m not sure what Bootlord being “truncated” means, but I hope it isn’t anything permanent.

    1. Tizzy says:

      The Face/Off pun is a reference to a Smashing Pumpkins song.

      1. m says:

        The Fallout 3 season is the only one i’ve watched and rewatched repeatedly. I’m hoping for a Fallout: New Vegas spoiler warning, for the return of Reginald. There’s a mod which makes a gavestone in Goodsprings Cemetary say “Reginald Cuftbert”, and has a summer bonnet on it. That would be interesting to see. Here’s hoping for the Return of the Cuftbert.

  50. Wes1180 says:

    I started watching half way through fallout 3, I was searching for something about fallout 3, saw this kept the tab open thinking that it looked interesting. It had nothing to do with my search, but I came back to it and spent all night catching up with the fallout 3 season.
    I went back to watch mass effect all at once, it actually got me playing it again :D
    Then I realised that you were on the escapist too and thought to myself how I didn’t find it earlier.

  51. Double A says:

    Has anyone told Mumbles her mic cuts off yet? :p

    She could probably fix it by saying “and” at the end of every sentence.

    Oh, and thanks for playing Amnesia. Now I don’t have to get it.

  52. Cybron says:

    I just wanted to say this is the best episode of spoiler warning ever, and I honestly can’t imagine a better one.

  53. Ringwraith says:

    I’ve neglected to mention that I’ve really enjoyed the episodes of Spoiler Warning I’ve seen. I haven’t watched any of the Fallout 3 or much of the Bioshock ones as I simply didn’t get around to it.
    In fact, almost started giving me ideas for wanting to do my own LP at some point…
    Damn you for making me want to do work!
    You guys are awesome at it, keep up the good quality entertainment!

    1. m says:

      Fallout 3 was the best series so far. You have to watch it.

      1. Ringwraith says:

        I have enough things that need playing and doing without adding even more stuff to that list!
        Though I’ll probably go back and watch them at some point, as I’ve known myself to do archive binges occasionally.

  54. Vect says:

    Thinking about Fallout 3, I realized something…

    Despite being on a quest to be addicted to every drug known to the Capital Wasteland and being the scourge of humanity, Reginald Cuftbert has never indulged in Cannibalism as far as I remember…

    1. Irridium says:

      Because even evil has standards.

      Also, rumor has it that youtube increased its movie limit to 20 minutes. Granted this rumor came from a youtube user, so yeah.

  55. Seth Ghatch says:

    When you jumped on that monster’s head I was like “Yes Yes! That’s awesome!” and then when you made that cage pun I almost punched my moniter. And when that monster walked through your drawer and it’s face appeared it TOTALLY freaked me out. I’ve never seen those creatures up close.

  56. bit says:

    I don’t feel like reading through the comments (except for the Shamus ones, where I saw no mention) so this has probably been asked; will you be releasing the full version of the video somehow?

    1. Shamus says:

      No. The full footage is actually pretty boring. Long pauses. Discussions on how long we should record. Stuff like that.

      1. Bit says:

        But Shaaaaaaaamus…

        *ahem* Oh, that’s cool. I’d still like to watch it, just because I’m obsessed with your sexy voice– err, weird like that, but I understand if you don’t want to go through the pain of spending three hours uploading raw, high-quality footage of something half the people watching it will only half enjoy.

      2. Rutskarn says:

        Interesting effect. Talking like Mordin. Too much exposure, perhaps. Must investigate further.

      3. Daemian Lucifer says:

        But we want to know whats in the rest of the drawers!Come oooooon!

  57. droid says:

    (@06:34) Josh, you have to be careful with those load bearing flasks.

  58. halvhir says:

    So I just rewatched your TF2 break episode, and then posted a long ass reply in the following blog entry in regards to you checking on doing this series with the Escapist. As I was writing I assumed that I’d be way late on this particular bandwagon, but apparently I wasn’t, so I came here to echo my thoughts. In short, probably when the Mass Effect 2 series wraps up, totally bring it up again. They’d be stupid to pass a second time.

    The video quality has skyrocketed. The intro, the music, the custom taglines, the shorter, frequent updates, all of it are enormous improvements. You guys are clearly hitting your stride when it comes to commentary, and Josh’s blatant disregard for what the game actually wants you to do is eternally hilarious. I described this to my father and brother, who are not gamers, as “let’s play videos in the style of MST3K” and they loved the episode I showed them.

    In addition to all that, this particular episode was the funniest damn thing I’ve seen all month. Thanks so much for all the work you put into Spoiler Warning, I hope it succeeds in its second year beyond your wildest dreams.

  59. darthrex says:

    as the man currently living in reginald cuftbert’s tomb (seriously, go on the twenty sided server and the entrance to my filthy hole is in the tomb). here’s to another hundred episodes and of course DRINK!

  60. I’d been waiting patiently while I finished Amnesia to watch this, and I’m glad. I don’t think I could have looked at the game the same way again after the monster rodeo.

    Any chance of continuing this game at a future date?

  61. Dante says:

    This is so much funnier when I’m drunk

  62. TraderRager says:

    You REALLY need to play new vegas. All the buggy, unbalanced gameplay, but with half the asinine storyline!

  63. Ander the Halfling Rogue says:

    *slow clap* That was, without exception, the WORST pun I can remember. Still, here’s my favoirte: What’s brown and sticky?


    A Stick!

Thanks for joining the discussion. Be nice, don't post angry, and enjoy yourself. This is supposed to be fun. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked*

You can enclose spoilers in <strike> tags like so:
<strike>Darth Vader is Luke's father!</strike>

You can make things italics like this:
Can you imagine having Darth Vader as your <i>father</i>?

You can make things bold like this:
I'm <b>very</b> glad Darth Vader isn't my father.

You can make links like this:
I'm reading about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darth_Vader">Darth Vader</a> on Wikipedia!

You can quote someone like this:
Darth Vader said <blockquote>Luke, I am your father.</blockquote>

Leave a Reply to Desgardes Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.