Wow, it sure took long enough for someone to get this concept right. It's baffling, really. Popular culture icons (and a pony) duking it out in high-octane machinima death matches of no little HSQ. And far from being a popularity contest, the strengths and weaknesses of each combatant are taken heavily into account. The show creators—rather shockingly for fan-created content, I know—tend to keep their biases in check, or at the very least quite subtle, letting logic settle the fights for them. Even when I don't necessarily agree with a fight's outcome (Batman can, and will, beat ANYONE. This is a fact!), I can more often than not respect the end result.
Sometimes though, the animation really isn't up to scruff (especially their early stuff, McGruff). I realize they're working on a limited budget here; the endless sponsor plugs, though often entertaining enough, drive that point home. There are few things as dis-immersive to me as low-grade, Gmod-style animation; I'd rather have fewer fights with better animation than let things be as they are now. Especially considering how short the battles tend to be, oftentimes they could do loads better.
And, alongside the often patchy character voice impressions (Sam Fisher is not supposed to sound like a whiny bitch!), the commentators, though thankfully foregoing play-by-play commentary during the action, are hit-and-miss; literally, one hit and one miss. Boomstick, at least once he dropped the more stereotypical aspects of his Deep South-ish character, has a deliciously Id-laden delivery that tends to make everything he says solid gold. Wizard, however...
Fucking Wizard. Ever the wet blanket, you're not liable to find a more bland, haughty, intellectual posturer this side of Matthew Patrick. When he's not busy acting like a holier-than-thou douche towards his (admittedly, intensely mentally disturbed) co-host, he's boring me to tears with scientific minutiae. This kind of character can be funny if it's done right, but whomever voices him fails to evoke any such entertainment factor.
Once you get past these heavily YMMV dealies though, what remains is a fist-pumpingly cool concept that serves as a bit of a video game history lesson on top of it. It ain't perfect, but once someone shouts "Fight!", it's fucking on like Donkey Kong.
Crazy cool, but covered in caveats.
Wow, it sure took long enough for someone to get this concept right. It's baffling, really. Popular culture icons (and a pony) duking it out in high-octane machinima death matches of no little HSQ. And far from being a popularity contest, the strengths and weaknesses of each combatant are taken heavily into account. The show creators—rather shockingly for fan-created content, I know—tend to keep their biases in check, or at the very least quite subtle, letting logic settle the fights for them. Even when I don't necessarily agree with a fight's outcome (Batman can, and will, beat ANYONE. This is a fact!), I can more often than not respect the end result.
Sometimes though, the animation really isn't up to scruff (especially their early stuff, McGruff). I realize they're working on a limited budget here; the endless sponsor plugs, though often entertaining enough, drive that point home. There are few things as dis-immersive to me as low-grade, Gmod-style animation; I'd rather have fewer fights with better animation than let things be as they are now. Especially considering how short the battles tend to be, oftentimes they could do loads better.
And, alongside the often patchy character voice impressions (Sam Fisher is not supposed to sound like a whiny bitch!), the commentators, though thankfully foregoing play-by-play commentary during the action, are hit-and-miss; literally, one hit and one miss. Boomstick, at least once he dropped the more stereotypical aspects of his Deep South-ish character, has a deliciously Id-laden delivery that tends to make everything he says solid gold. Wizard, however...
Fucking Wizard. Ever the wet blanket, you're not liable to find a more bland, haughty, intellectual posturer this side of Matthew Patrick. When he's not busy acting like a holier-than-thou douche towards his (admittedly, intensely mentally disturbed) co-host, he's boring me to tears with scientific minutiae. This kind of character can be funny if it's done right, but whomever voices him fails to evoke any such entertainment factor.
Once you get past these heavily YMMV dealies though, what remains is a fist-pumpingly cool concept that serves as a bit of a video game history lesson on top of it. It ain't perfect, but once someone shouts "Fight!", it's fucking on like Donkey Kong.