The old TV logo
Video Game Vault was one of ScrewAttack's longer-running series, running from 2006 (when the site was founded) through 2014. As the name suggests, they were reviews of older video games, often short in length (as in, less than three minutes), very often relaxed and humorous in tone. Most of them were narrated by Stuttering Craig (Craig Skistimas), though Nervous Nick (Nick Cramer) was a close second in terms of quantity; some early ones were also narrated by Handsome Tom (Thomas Hanley).
Compare to The Angry Video Game Nerd, another former Screw Attack series which is also a game review show, but in longer format.
Tropes associated with Video Game Vault:
- Ability Mixing: In the Kirby 64 episode, Craig takes a page from the game by combining two items in real life: A cord and a trash can produced a Playstation 3, the viral video of the German kid swearing at a video game and a modem produced Xbox Live, and a trumpet and a turd produced Wii Music.
- Alternative Character Interpretation: Invoked for comedy in the Chuck Rock episode: In the game, the titular character attacks enemies by bouncing his belly at them. Craig interprets this as Chuck whacking enemies with his penis.
- As You Know: In the B.O.B. episode:Craig: As most of you know, I just got married...
- Bond One-Liner: In the Final Fight episode:Craig: Don't you just wish Haggar had some clever political one-liner, like "You've just been recalled", or "If this was California, you'd sit on death row for a while. Too bad you're in Texas. Ha-ha."
- Content Warnings: One appeared before the Video Game Vault of Faceball 2000, saying people who experience seizures from rapid flashings shouldn't watch the video.
- Dear Negative Reader: Invoked in the Color a Dinosaur episode: Craig made fun of the fact that this was Tommy Tallarico's first game as sound designer/composer. Mid-video, Tommy Tallarico himself Skype'd Craig and defended himself, saying that he had a really tight deadline and not given much to work with. When a sheepish Craig tried to apologize, Tommy hung up on him.
- Disproportionate Retribution: In-universe: In the B.O.B. episode, Stuttering Craig shot Bryan Baker, one of three reviewers who took his place while he was gone.
- Double Entendre: All over the Mr. Nutz episode. In fact, there was a "Sexual Innuendo Counter" at the bottom.
- Edutainment Show: Besides reviewing games, the series would often offer up factoids about the game. The Super Mario Bros. episode was nothing but factoids.
- Heh Heh, You Said "X": Subverted in the review of S.C.A.T. on NES: Craig pointed out the elephant in the room right away: "Ha ha, "scat" means "poop", ha ha", only to say that the people who laughed at the title probably never actually played the game to discover it's pretty good.
- Henpecked Husband: How Craig interpreted Pac-Man in Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures.
- Here We Go Again!: The Asterix re-review (which was made after he received accusations of homophobia) ends with Craig, after trying to clear his name, asking "What are you guys, retarded?", followed by an off-screen voice admonishing him: "CRAIG!" And Craig sheepishly saying, "...Dammit."
- The Insomniac: Craig is one in the review of Super Troll Islands after being disturbed by it.
- Instrumental Theme Tune: A simple video game-themed one.
- Large Ham: Nervous Nick in the 3D Dinosaur Adventure Video Game Vault.Nick: OH. MY. GOSH! DINOSAURS IN 3D! IT'S SO AWESOME! IT'S THE WAY OF THE FUTURE! IT'S DINOSAURS IN THREE DEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...
- Mood Whiplash: Craig's review of Izzy's Quest For the Olympic Games is mostly a normal review until he brings up how Richard Jewell, the guy that was initially suspected of being behind the 1996 Olympics bombing, died.
- Motor Mouth: In the Wrestlemania 2000 episode, when Craig waxed nostalgic about pro wrestling:Craig: Remember Test, and how he was in love with Stephanie and fought Shane at Summer Slam just to stay with her, only to see Triple H steal her away before Vince McMahon tried to have her married to the Undertaker but that didn't happen because Stone Cold saved the day? It was classic!
- Overly Narrow Superlative: When praising an offbeat enemy in Sonic Blast Man:Craig: The video game world needs more games with grenade-farting robots.
- Revenge: In the Trojan episode, Craig tells a story from his childhood about how he traded games with another kid from the neighborhood; they got Metroid and he got Trojan. Unfortunately for Craig, the kid never returned Metroid. Twenty-some years later, Craig is fed up and visits the guy's house, beats him up and takes his Metroid back. Plus another game for good measure.
- Self-Imposed Challenge: Invoked in the TMNT Arcade episode:Craig: Now go download it, but don't play it popping through endless credits. Make yourself put a quarter down every time you die. Then maybe, just maybe, you'll get the feeling of plunging all your parents' money into arcade games all over again.
- Shout-Out: In the Wrestlemania 2000 episode, Craig (a pro wrestling fan in real life) called out a user who bashed Screw Attack in the style of Dwayne Johnson:Craig: Talkin' smack out of your ass about how we don't love our millions... you don't know crap! If ya smelalalalalalalalaaaa..... what Craig... is cookin'.
- The Sociopath: In-universe: Played for Laughs after Craig shot Bryan Baker. He casually sits down on the couch and notices the game he was about to review: "Oh sweet, BOB!"
- Song Parody: Craig made new lyrics to the Buck Bumble theme song.
- Title Sequence: The first version had a spotlight panning over various game portraits, followed by a Genesis controller with the SA logo on it, ending on a TV with the Video Game Vault logo on it. The second version had the camera rolling down a hallway with portraits of video games on the walls, with the Video Game Vault logo over a literal vault which opens.
