Line #39 WebVideo/ExoParadigmGamer


1	[[quoteright:236:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/epg.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:236:[[TrrrillingRrrs Grrrr]]-retings and welcome to another fantastic episode of TV Tropes!]]
3	[[https://www.youtube.com/user/ExoParadigmGamer ExoParadigmGamer]] is a video game reviewer and [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLQ5HiX4jPLifHVbFS0irw occasional]] {{LetsPlay}}er, best known for the review series ''[[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmu3hhmRiEwHUPUEDx3zdczdT69Z-wxrQ Remake or Rebreak]]'', in which he compares classic video games with subsequent significant re-releases to see how well they improve on the original experience.
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5	Exo rates on the following scale, in ascending order:
6	# '''Rebreak''': Fails to resurrect the same quality standard as the original due to incompetent design, technical failures, etc.
7	# '''Reprise'''[[note]]previously known as "Re-Meh"[[/note]]: Not as good as the original, but a relatively competent recreation that is still playable enough. Alternatively, a Reprise may fail to address the original's salient issues or neglect to add anything substantial.
8	# '''Remaster''': An improvement overall, but not necessarily worth playing if you already own the original. Typically adds some new content or fixes salient issues with the original. This score was introduced in 2019, with Exo acknowledging that some of his earlier Remake scores likely would fall under this in hindsight.
9	# '''Remake''': A strong re-release that fixes salient issues, updates the visuals/music, and maybe adds new content. However, there may be a few blemishes left untouched or other neglected opportunities to improve.
10	# '''Replace''': A remake/port that changes, fixes, and adds so much that it renders the original virtually obsolete.
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12	In 2019, Exo began another review series, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmu3hhmRiEwG8Oo5zsnUExJ_oxPscTgTx Xross Platform]]'', which compares cross-platform ports within the same console generation.
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14	[[folder:Games reviewed on Remake or Rebreak]]
15	* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' (Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem) vs ''Super Mario Bros. Deluxe'' (Platform/GameBoyColor), with some discussion of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels''
16	* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' (NES) vs ''Super Mario Advance'' (Platform/GameBoyAdvance)
17	* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' (Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem) vs ''Super Mario Advance 2'' (GBA)
18	* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland'' (SNES) vs ''Super Mario Advance 3'' (GBA)
19	* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' (NES) vs ''Super Mario Advance 4'' (GBA)
20	* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioAllStars'' (SNES)
21	* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' (Platform/SegaGenesis) vs the UsefulNotes/IOSGames and Platform/AndroidGames remake
22	* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' (Genesis) vs iOS/Android
23	* ''VideoGame/SonicCD'' (Platform/SegaCD) vs iOS/Android
24	* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1'' (SNES) vs the GBA remake
25	* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest'' (SNES) vs GBA
26	* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble'' (SNES) vs GBA
27	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' vs the GBA remake (with some discussion of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords'')
28	* ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (Genesis) vs ''Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis'' (GBA)
29	* ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' (Platform/SegaDreamcast) vs ''Sonic Adventure DX'' (Platform/NintendoGamecube and Platform/PlaystationNetwork)
30	* ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' (DC) vs ''Sonic Adventure 2 Battle'' (GCN and PSN)
31	* ''VideoGame/KlonoaDoorToPhantomile'' (Platform/{{Playstation}}) vs ''Klonoa'' (Platform/NintendoWii)
32	* ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'' (Platform/GameBoy) vs ''VideoGame/AnotherMetroid2Remake''
33	* ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'' (NES) vs ''Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land'' (GBA)
34	* ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' (SNES) vs ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' (Platform/NintendoDS)
35	* ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' (Platform/Nintendo64) vs ''Super Mario 64 DS'' (DS)
36	* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' (N64) vs ''VideoGame/ConkerLiveAndReloaded'' (Platform/{{Xbox}}), with some discussion of the Rare Replay version.
37	* ''VideoGame/PacManWorld'' (Playstation) vs the GBA remake
38	* ''Rockman & Forte'' (Super Famicom) vs ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'' (GBA)
39	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' (N64) vs the GCN remake and ''Ocarina of Time 3D'' (Platform/Nintendo3DS)
40	* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'' (GBA) vs the 3DS remake, with some discussion of ''VideoGame/MinionQuestTheSearchForBowser''
41	* ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' (GCN) vs the 3DS remake
42	* ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' (N64) vs the Xbox remake
43	* ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'' (N64) vs the Xbox remake
44	* ''VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon1998'' (Playstation) vs ''VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy'' on PC and Platform/PlayStation4 Pro
45	* ''VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage'' (Playstation) vs ''Reignited'' on PC and Platform/XboxOne X
46	* ''VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon'' (Playstation) vs ''Reignited'' on PC and Platform/NintendoSwitch
47	* ''VideoGame/Metroid1'' (NES) vs ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'' (GBA)
48	* ''Metroid II: Return of Samus'' (Game Boy) (revisited) vs ''[=AM2R=]'' (revisited) vs ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' (3DS)
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50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Games reviewed on Xross Platform]]
53	* ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' (Playstation 3 vs Xbox 360 vs Playstation 2 vs Wii vs Mobile)
54	* ''VideoGame/{{Glover}}'' (N64 vs PC vs Playstation)
55	* ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooieGruntysRevenge'' (GBA vs Mobile)
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Other games reviewed in standalone videos]]
59	* ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion''
60	* ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''
61	* ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''
62	* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze''
63	* The ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' series
64	* ''VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus''
65	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword''
66	* ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors''
67	* ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles''
68	* The ''Donkey Kong Land'' trilogy
69	* ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy'' (Video removed in 2017)
70	* ''VideoGame/JakIIRenegade''
71	* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand2SixGoldenCoins''
72	* ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes''
73	* The ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}'' series
74	* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine''
75	* The ''VideoGame/MegamanClassic'' series (1-8)
76	[[/folder]]
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78
79	!! Exo's videos discuss or provide examples of the following tropes:
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81	* OneHundredPercentCompletion: Exo has described himself as a semi-completionist who enjoys the CollectathonPlatformer genre, as well as hunting for collectibles such as Star Coins in modern ''Mario'' games and Red Star Rings in modern ''Sonic''. As such, he will often criticize a game that doesn't adequately reward you for putting in a frustrating amount of effort to complete it (such as the Chaos Emeralds in the first two ''Sonic'' games) or make it convenient to keep track of collectibles (such as the Dragon Coins in ''Super Mario World'' or the scoring system in ''Yoshi's Island''), and will praise a remake for addressing such problems (such as ''Super Mario Advance 2'' adding a status screen to keep track of exits and Dragon Coins). Exo has also made it clear with games like ''Sonic Unleashed'' that if the process of getting 100% is especially or tedious or grueling, it can taint his enjoyment of the entire game.
82	* AbortedArc: In his earlier years, Exo promised reviews of many games that have yet to come be it out of technical difficulties or losing interest.
83	** Exo stated in his 2014 review of ''VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus'' he planned to review every "Sly Cooper" game... He's yet to review a single game in the series since.
84	** Likewise, Exo has yet to review ''Videogame/Jak3'' or re-review VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy.
85	** When introducing the ''Donkey Kong'' marathon, he stated ''Donkey Kong 64'' would be reviewed "someday, but not today". Six years later and we still have yet to see it. Likewise, he alluded to the possibility of reviewing the Game Boy Color version of ''[=DKC1=]'' and the two Retro Studios developed games.
86	** Exo planned to review ''Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon'' after the first game but felt too burned out to continue.
87	** Exo stated he wished to review the entire ''Ratchet and Clank'' series but has yet to progress past the [=PS2=] era.
88	* AllThereInTheManual: During his criticism of Ripto in the ''Spyro 2'' review, he points out that while the manual may claim that Ripto is directly responsible for the problems in the game's various levels, the game itself never mentions him outside of the Hub Worlds, despite numerous opportunities to do so in dialogue.
89	-->"I'm not playing the manual, I'm playing the game. And in the game, there is no concrete evidence to connect Ripto to what's happening in stages. Again, this isn't the NES era of offloading story into the manual anymore. This is a game with full voice acting, animated cutscenes and pages of dialogue. If Ripto is responsible for these things, either show him doing them, or just say so!"
90	* AprilFoolsDay: His 2015 review of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' consists of an animation of 16-bit Sonic accompanied by the words "no way" looped for minutes.
91	* CallBack: In his ''Sonic'' reviews, he brings up several times how Robotnik's name was abruptly changed back to his Japanese name Eggman. When he reviews ''Super Mario 64'' he begins his summary of the story with "One day, Princess Toadstool, now going by her original Japanese name Dr. Eggman, I mean Princess Peach..."
92	* CameraScrew: [[invoked]] Brought up in the ''Mario 64'' review, in which he gives credit to the DS version (as well as ''Star Road'', despite his other complaints about it) for fixing it.
93	* {{Catchphrase}}: "Greetings, [[{{Spoonerism}} Gentles and Ladiesmen]]..."
94	* CausticCritic: Averted. Even with games he doesn't particularly enjoy (ie. games that earn a "Re-Break" score in his [=ROR=] segments), he always tries to find some positive aspects. In fact, in his "Sonic Genesis" [=ROR=], he even outright criticizes people in the gaming press who horribly exaggerate a game's badness for the sake of entertainment.
95	* ClipShow: "Everything that Sucks About Classic Sonic Special Stages", a compilation of his special stage rants from the previous Sonic reviews.
96	* ContinuingIsPainful: He {{Ragequit}} ''Sonic Genesis'' due to a problem the port has created due to its abuse of FakeDifficulty due to the bad porting job: if you don't begin Labyrinth Zone with a decent stock of extra lives and continues, it's almost impossible to get through it.
97	* {{Determinator}}: He had quite a ball of a time when it came to ''VideoGame/{{Glover}}'' on PC for his video of said game. He tried just about every fix when it came to running the game on modern computers, and even said "any sane person would have given up" when that didn't work...and then he proceeded to buy a retro PC off [=eBay=]. And when the game wouldn't work with the graphics card already in it outside of software rendering (which he didn't want to settle for since it looks significantly worse than intended), he then proceeded to hunt down a Voodoo graphics card. Then and only ''then'' did the game finally work as he had intended... [[spoiler:[[ShaggyDogStory and of course the version turned out underwhelming at best when all was said and done.]]]]
98	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
99	** Exo's earlier videos were much shorter ranging from about 15-30 minutes. These days, 40 minutes is likely to be the MINIMUM amount of time he'll spend on a game
100	** In earlier videos, Exo stated that the process of 100% had little impact on his opinion of a game when these days, he's the opposite.
101	** Previously, Remake and Rebreak were the only two potential ratings. In 2014, he added the "Re-Meh" and "Replace" ratings, and in 2020, he overhauled the rating system to have five ratings.
102	** In early videos, Exo was willing to emulate games for review. Following his opinion on ''Kirby's Adventure'' being warped by poor emulation, Exo has made using authentic hardware a top priority.
103	** In earlier years, Exo was more abrasive and willing to attack opinions he disagreed with ([[WebVideo/SomeCallMeJohnny some]] more respectfully than [[Creator/{{Egoraptor}} others]]). In recent years, he's mellowed down and acknowledged that these attacks were very unprofessional.
104	* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: {{Invoked\|Trope}} in his review of ''Conker's Bad Fur Day''. He considers the gameplay mediocre at best, suffering from GameplayRoulette, and that the story is the only reason it developed a cult following. He also points out that the story itself relies so much on shock humor that it's not going to be as effective on a second playthrough.
105	* FakeDifficulty:
106	** In the first two ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' reviews, Exo heavily criticizes the [[LedgeBats poor enemy placement]] and unpredictable instant-kill stage hazards, not helped by the limited continues and lack of a save system, two issues that had already been fixed in contemporary ''Mario'' games.
107	-->"The Sonic Team of the Classic era seems to understand difficulty as the art of surprising the player with bullshit they couldn't possibly predict, and then punishing players for not knowing any better by forcing them to start over from the beginning of the game if they die an arbitrary number of times. To be perfectly frank, that is ''not'' my idea of a fun challenge."
108	** [[invoked]] In his ''Super Mario 64'' review, he defends the controls in both versions as "functional", because the levels are designed around their limitations. He contrasts this with the GameMod ''VideoGame/SuperMarioStarRoad'', which suffers from PlatformHell level design that doesn't work with ''Mario 64'''s control scheme, as well as ''Super Mario 64: The Green Stars'', which suffers from the CameraScrew issue even more than ''64'' does.
109	* FakeLongevity:
110	** In the ''Super Mario 64'' review, one of Exo's biggest complaints for both versions is that the game boots you out of the stage every time you grab a Power Star, even when another is readily available within the same mission. He has less of a problem with ''Sunshine'' doing the same thing because of how much the stages change from one mission to the next.
111	** In his reviews of ''Spyro 2'' and the ''Banjo-Kazooie'' games, he criticizes the game forcing the player to backtrack to earlier stages with new abilities, due to preferring stages that can be completed in one visit. Again, he has less of a problem with ''Year of the Dragon'' doing something similar with the playable allies, as each of them unlock substantially large new areas in those earlier stages (in contrast to ''Spyro 2'''s first level locking a handful of gems behind the climbing ability, which didn't need to be held back to begin with). and you unlock shortcuts to more quickly and easily access the new content on your second visit.
112	** The Game Boy Advance version of ''Pac-Man World'' narrowly earned a Rebreak score because of Exo's frustration with having to farm for extra lives after a Game Over. "The absolute worst thing a game can do is waste my time."
113	** He makes a similar criticism of the original ''Metroid'' regarding its health system, which forces the player to farm for health pickups after dying if they can't find another energy tank.
114	* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: Discussed in his review of ''VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon1998''. While Gnasty Gnorc isn't the most compelling antagonist in the world, he still serves his purpose well; by collecting gems and freeing dragons, you're directly undoing his actions.
115	* LadiesAndGerms: He begins his videos with, "Greetings, [[{{Spoonerism}} gentles and ladiesmen]]."
116	* NostalgiaFilter: Brought up several times when he calls out {{Double Standard}}s in the ''Sonic'' fanbase, making the point that the original games were far from perfect and could be a lot more frustrating with regard to TrialAndErrorGameplay than later games such as ''Sonic Lost World'' that weren't so well-received by Classicists.
117	* OhMyGods: He uses "Thank Hylia!" and variations in a few videos.
118	* PolishedPort: Anything he gives the Replace score (such as ''Ocarina of Time 3D'' and ''Another Metroid 2 Remake'') and most of his Remake-scores. %% InUniverse
119	* PortingDisaster: Anything of Re-meh/Reprise or Rebreak status. ''Sonic Genesis'' is perhaps his most scathing review, with ''Pac-Man World'' on the Game Boy Advance being right behind it. %% InUniverse
120	* ScrollingText: Exo's biggest complaint about ''Ocarina of Time'' is the slow text speed (not helped by the number of slow-moving cutscenes and [[ShallIRepeatThat Kaepora Gaebora]]), and the biggest reason why he gives the 3DS remake a Replace score is how much faster it is.
121	* ScreenCrunch: Brought up in several of his handheld reviews, such as ''Super Mario Deluxe'', ''Sonic Genesis'' and the ''Donkey Kong Land'' series.
122	* SelfImposedChallenge: {{Invoked\|Trope}} in his ''Metroid: Zero Mission'' review, for which he completed a 9% run.
123	* TakeThat:
124	** Several reviews have had him criticizing certain antics from Creator/{{Egoraptor}}, in particular verbally assaulting a cartoon representation of ''Skyward Sword'' in a ''WebVideo/{{Sequelitis}}'' video, and deliberately triggering glitches in his ''Sonic Adventure DX'' WebVideo/GameGrumps videos.
125	** After his ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}'' marathon, ''Moonlight Museum'' is his go-to example of a bad video game soundtrack.
126	* UnexpectedGameplayChange:
127	** In the ''Sonic Adventure'' reviews, Exo looks at each of the playable characters' playstyles and argues that most of them fit well enough with Sonic's core gameplay: the characters are reasonably fast, there's an emphasis on platforming, the levels have all the familiar ''Sonic'' elements (eg, rings, springs and bumpers) and the objectives are straightforward. The only character who ''completely'' fails the test is Big the Cat and his fishing sidequest scoring in only one of four categories. In comparison, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Gamma pass the test in flying colors (despite his mixed feelings about Gamma's gameplay with its short stages and its lack of challenge,) while Amy gets a score of 2/4 categories.
128	** The ''Sonic Unleashed'' video subjects the Werehog to the same test, finding that it fits most of his criteria but ultimately fails due to not being fast enough. However, Exo still defends it as being more fun and enjoyable than Big's fishing.
129	** In the ''Spyro: Year of the Dragon'' review, Exo gives the playable allies a similar test, assessing their sections on platforming, combat and exploration, and again argues they all fit well enough with Spyro's core gameplay.
130	* VillainsActHeroesReact: In several videos, Exo discusses what he calls the "Gruntilda Effect" (adopted from a WebVideo/JonTron video, "Top 10 Boss Battles"), where a game motivates and contextualizes gameplay by building up to a confrontation with a compelling villain the player loves to hate. The effect is named for Gruntilda Winkybunion in the first ''Banjo-Kazooie'', and he cites the Sorceress from ''Spyro: Year of the Dragon'' and Ganondorf in ''Ocarina of Time'' as great examples. In contrast, villains such as Ripto in ''Spyro 2'', who suffers from ShowDontTell regarding what damage he's done to Avalar (most of which isn't even really told to us, at least outside of the manual) and OrcusOnHisThrone, fail to pull off the effect.
131	-->"Imagine if you were playing ''Banjo-Kazooie'' but Gruntilda didn't actually do anything until the last hour, nor had any palpable presence throughout the game. Meanwhile, Brentilda was still there and would show up every hour or so to tell you that Gruntilda is bad but never actually tell you anything about why you should hate her? That's pretty much the plot of ''Ripto's Rage''.

Context WebVideo / ExoParadigmGamer