History LetsPlay / Slowbeef

In 2007, Website/SomethingAwful user '''slowbeef''', whose real name is '''Michael Sawyer''', posted a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA1kIBwGhrk video]] of him playing ''VideoGame/TheImmortal'' with commentary over it and called it LetsPlay. Numerous adapted this term for this kind of videos. [[note]]Despite being credited as the ur-father of the entire LetsPlay phenomenon , slowbeef himself downplays this role and notes that he at the most just made the term popular. Filming gameplay with commentary dates back to the VHS era. ''screenshot'' LP's on the Let's Play Archive have dated back to at least a year before he started out.[[/note]] In 2008, he along with fellow Something Awful user Diabetus created WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}}, a Website/YouTube account in which the two [[{{MST}} make fun of the worst LPs out there,]] for which he has gained an even bigger following than his Let's Plays, which he still continues to do. Retsupurae also spawned a spinoff called ''Webcam Ward'', in which the same principle is applied to non-gaming Website/YouTube videos.

In 2007, Website/SomethingAwful user '''slowbeef''', whose real name is '''Michael Sawyer''', posted a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA1kIBwGhrk video]] of him playing ''VideoGame/TheImmortal'' with commentary over it and called it LetsPlay. Numerous adapted this term for this kind of videos. [[note]]Despite being credited as the ur-father of the entire LetsPlay phenomenon , slowbeef just made the term popular. Filming gameplay with commentary dates back to the VHS era. ''screenshot'' LP's on the Let's Play Archive have dated back to at least a year before he started out.[[/note]] In 2008, he along with fellow Something Awful user Diabetus created WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}}, a Website/YouTube account in which the two [[{{MST}} make fun of the worst LPs out there,]] for which he has gained an even bigger following than his Let's Plays, which he still continues to do. Retsupurae also spawned a spinoff called ''Webcam Ward'', in which the same principle is applied to non-gaming Website/YouTube videos.

* ''VideoGame/{{Darkseed}} and Darkseed 2'' (screenshot, later riffed on as WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}})

* ''Videogame/Undertale'' (Genocide, streamed)

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' (streamed; ongoing)

-->'''slowbeef:''' ''(After defeating [[ThatOneBoss Yugi Hoshiguma]])'' Oh my God, that was '''''AWESOME!''''''...Alright, no. That did it, I'm turned around, ''Touhou'''s awesome.

In 2007, Website/SomethingAwful user '''slowbeef''', whose real name is '''Michael Sawyer''', posted a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA1kIBwGhrk video]] of him playing ''VideoGame/TheImmortal'' with commentary over it. Numerous others followed him, thus creating the video LetsPlay.[[note]]It should be noted that despite often being credited as the ur-father of the entire LetsPlay phenomenon, slowbeef prefers to downplay his own role in the process, pointing out that several other Internet users did very similar things around the same time as him; at the very least, ''screenshot'' LP's on the Let's Play Archive have dated back to at least a year before he started out.[[/note]] In 2008, he along with fellow Something Awful user Diabetus created WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}}, a Website/YouTube account in which the two [[{{MST}} make fun of the worst LPs out there,]] for which he has gained an even bigger following than his Let's Plays, which he still continues to do. Retsupurae also spawned a spinoff called ''Webcam Ward'', in which the same principle is applied to non-gaming Website/YouTube videos.

-->'''slowbeef:''' ''(After defeating [[ThatOneBoss Yugi Hoshiguma]])'' That was '''''AWESOME!''''''...Alright, no. That did it, I'm turned around, ''Touhou'''s awesome.

** During his LetsPlay of [[{{Shinobi}} Revenge of Shinobi]] for the Hard Games Thread on Website/SomethingAwful, whenever he came across something particularly lawyer baiting, Slowbeef would claim to have an email from Sega's lawyer claiming that said something is not what it appears to be ripping off, such as the picture of Joe Musashi on the title screen not being Creator/SonnyChiba from Kage No Gundan or the flamethrower guys not being {{Rambo}} (even if they had the license, he's bald in later versions), and the Round 4 boss not being either ArnoldSchwarzenegger or TheIncredibleHulk even if he's a robot and turns green. Played with in two letters which apologizes for a poor representation of the state of Detroit, and another which asks people not to LetsPlay ShiningForce. Averted when he fights Web-Bat, the boss of Round 6, where said letter claims it IS SpiderMan (Since Sega had the license to make Spidey games at the time.) but the guy he turns into is certainly not Franchise/{{Batman}} (And later revisions changed him to Manga/{{Devilman}} anyway.) and the dinosaur boss of Round 7 IS Franchise/{{Godzilla}} ("Fuck it, it IS Godzilla.")

** The VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}} LP spawned two: "Oh, Yarnham" and "Fuck yeah, Babycakes."

* DiscreditedMeme: ZigZaggedTrope. Slowbeef mentions in a Retsutalk that he's starting to get sick of the Ridley voice; when he starts using it again in an informal "race" of SuperMetroid and Ragny calls him out on this, Slowbeef's response is (still in the Ridley voice, of course): "Screw that!"

** During his LetsPlay of [[{{Shinobi}} Revenge of Shinobi]] for the Hard Games Thread on Website/SomethingAwful, whenever he came across something particularly lawyer baiting, Slowbeef would claim to have an email from Sega's lawyer claiming that said something is not what it appears to be ripping off, such as the picture of Joe Musashi on the title screen not being Creator/SonnyChiba from Kage No Gundan or the flamethrower guys not being {{Rambo}} (even if they had the license, he's bald in later versions), and the Round 4 boss not being either ArnoldSchwarzenegger or TheIncredibleHulk even if he's a robot and turns green. Played with in two letters which apologizes for a poor representation of the state of Detroit, and another which asks people not to LetsPlay ShiningForce. Averted when he fights Web-Bat, the boss of Round 6, where said letter claims it IS SpiderMan (Since Sega had the license to make Spidey games at the time.) but the guy he turns into is certainly not Franchise/{{Batman}} (And later revisions changed him to {{Devilman}} anyway.) and the dinosaur boss of Round 7 IS Franchise/{{Godzilla}} ("Fuck it, it IS Godzilla.")

* BiasSteamroller: He freely admits to having a bias against the ''Video Game/{{Touhou}}'' games.

* BiasSteamroller: He freely admits to having a bias against the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' games.

* BiasSteamroller: He freely admits to having a bias against the ''VideoGame/Touhou'' games.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: [[{{In-Universe}} He is fond of doing it]].
** [[VideoGame/{{Metroid}} Ridley]], who seems to be their favorite target, is [[{{Troll}} a forum troll]], ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' fan, mall cop, [[RailEnthusiast train engineer and enthusiast]], sitcom star, overworked voice actor, rock collector, owner of his own hotel/resort/casino, and guest commentator Vicas's boss, all with a screechy {{Joisey}} accent. He's also General Ironicus' fiance and [[LetsPlay/FreelanceAstronauts Ferr's]] grandmother.
** The [[FanNickname Lava Clam]] [[invoked]] in Magmoor caverns is an {{Expy}} of [[Franchise/WinnieThePooh Eeyore]]
** Amorbis is three WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}-voiced light-show performers who take MesACrowd to annoying extremes.
** Chykka is... [[SubvertedTrope well...]]
--->'''slowbeef:''' [[DespairEventHorizon Do I have to make a funny voice for this boss?]] [[NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent Hey, I'm Chykka. I'm terrible.]]
** Rezbit, 'Vinnie the Virus', is a huge nerd until you ''make him angry''.

** The Quads in Sanctuary Fortress are ballerinas.

** During the Lets Play of Dead to Rights, he said that this was how "Slate Views the World" when the [=NPCs=] were all named "Target".
** In their ''Dead Rights: Retribution'' LP, they interpret Shadow as a demon dog who can teleport, and Jack as an UnreliableNarrator telling his story in every single detail to Faith.

* {{Angrish}}: Not as angry as the usual examples, but the beef's first encounter with kinetic orb cannons in Echoes completely destroys his ability to speak coherently; you can tell that the illogical nature of the device has hit a BerserkButton.

* CatchPhrase: According to slowbeef, Ridley's catchphrase is "It's a livin'!"
** In ''Prime 3'' it became "[[OffscreenInertia Still fallin'.]]" ''Metroid Fusion'' turned it into, "[[HumanPopsicle Freezin' my balls off here!]]"

* {{Cliffhanger}}: After defeating the Omega Pirate in ''Metroid Prime'', Slowbeef expresses relief at his victory... [[spoiler:just before the Omega Pirate falls and crushes Samus, cuing the hanger]].
-->'''slowbeef''': [[spoiler:''[[CrowningMomentOfFunny DID HE JUST LAND ON ME!?]]'']]
* CloudCuckooLander: Blister.

* ContinuityNod: The ''VideoGame/DeadToRights: Retribution'' LetsPlay included several references to the original ''Dead to Rights'' LP.

* DiesWideOpen: After coming across a dead Federation Trooper in ''Echoes'', slowbeef wonders if Samus has a command for the typical action movie "close their eyes" thing. Vicas pointedly doesn't say anything, because that exact scene occurs one cutscene later.
* {{Dissimile}}: In Prime 3, slowbeef attempts to compare Admiral Dane and [[VideoGame/MetroidOtherM Adam]] before guest Baldurk points out he's not like Adam at all.
-->'''Slowbeef''': [He is] basically like the Adam of Corruption, I suppose.\\