MovieChat Forums > The Angry Video Game Nerd (2004) Discussion > Winter Games unfairness makes no sense

Winter Games unfairness makes no sense

posted a year ago by avortac4 (3751)
3 replies | jump to latest

I have watched the 'Winter Games' episode a few times, now, and I can't stop myself from fuming at his unfairness at this masterpiece of a game.

Now, when I say 'this masterpiece', I don't mean the NES-version, just to be clear.

There are three things that make his 'review' video absolutely wrong, unfair and atrocious to watch.

1) He obviously didn't read the manual, so he doesn't understand WHAT he is supposed to do or HOW.

2) He doesn't seem to understand this is a bad, rushed NES-port of an originally VERY well-programmed, great game.

3) He doesn't take into account that the controls are MEANT for joysticks, not a gamepad.

Pretty much EVERY single 'point' he makes can be countered with those three points (besides the 'Hot Dog', which doesn't have the word 'Aerials' in the original - it's some kind of 'lingo', like 'Parkour', but for some reason, he doesn't even understand that much, although it IS a funny point to criticize, so this one gets a pass)..

I can't help almost yelling at the screen: 'But it's NOT like that in the C64-version!' or 'But that WORKS in the C64-version!' or 'But it's GREAT if you use a joystick!'.

The lack of events is also inexcusable, and the opening ceremonies SHOULD absolutely be skippable (I think it's only unskippable until he lights the fire on the C64-version, and even then, the sprites look GORGEOUS by comparison, the animation is smooth and fluid, and even the doves look good - the NES-version is ABSOLUTELY butchered beyond recognition in ALL POSSIBLE WAYS).

The reason you might want to watch it again, is that it's supposed to be this 'olympic'-style epic ceremony-thing, that WAS impressive 'for its time'.

I hate how AVGN always says 'for its time', when he FINALLY gets around to complementing some BETTER version of a game. Ghostbusters C64-version IS a lot better (though still not a good game), and he doesn't even understand you actually prolong the car scene by driving around as the logo on the screen. The more of those dots you leave behind, the longer the car-scene will be. Common sense, hello?

Look, Winter Games C64-version and to a lesser degree even Amiga-version were not good 'for their time' - they are STILL good, classic games that are a JOY to play. All Epyx games were amazing until they started making crap like 'Games: The Summer Edition', which is just another way of saying 'Summer Games: the crap version'.

I WISH he had played the C64-version AND read the manual, AND understood the controls were DESIGNED and PLANNED for a joystick, not a gamepad, and read the reviews that PRAISED those controls, because they were NOT the typical 'w*nk the joystick back and forth until either your wrist hurts or the joystick breaks'-crap that was PREVALENT at the time.

AVGN doesn't understand that this game was made a VERY long time ago, when gamepads pretty much didn't exist, and where JOYSTICK was the controller of most games, even in the arcades.

The controls are ACTUALLY innovative and great, and not ONLY 'for their time' - for example,. the speed skating. Sure, it's stupid to rock a cheap gamepad left and right, but when you have a joystick, it makes sense and is actually brilliant, because instead of your typical NES-player 'hectic mashing of buttons'-style braindead gamestyle, you had to ACTUALLY develop a coherent and consistent RHYTHM and keep it up for an extended period of time.

You couldn't RUSH, you couldn't just randomly MASH, you had to actually be careful and have almost perfect TIMING and slow RHYTHM that then you had to pick up as the speed picks up without losing the rhythm... that's a very hard thing to program, and also pretty hard thing to master as a player.

The NES-version being a rushed, bothced, butchered port with only four crappy events, can't bring ANY of this subtlety especially to some NES-buttonmasher like AVGN, so it's all lost in translation (quite literally).

The awful sound doesn't help - the C64-version has atmospheric musics, albeit simplistic, very quirky and intersting, and its sound effects do sound REALLY good, just listen to the waterfall in the Biathlon (that's, OF COURSE, missing from the crappy NES-version) and the simple but effective skiing sounds, or how the shotgun bullets eject with a very 'barrely' sounds between shots.

You indeed DO use the button, if you have all the events - again, Biathlon is a great example, and I would dare say is better than all the NES winter sports games put together! Which is probably why they didn't bother trying to include it in the NES-version, as it wouldn't have been easy to port.

If you compare the graphics as well, the C64-version has a certain STYLE that's actually charming and oozes personality, whereas NES-version has the most GENERIC crap you can imagine.

The Bobsled criticism is almost good, but it's actually fun on the C64, it's faster, has better sense of speed, and every screen DOES give you information.

[–] avortac4 (3751) a year ago

The map screen shows not only where you are and how long you still have to go, but also where the next bend is, and which way it turns.

The speedometer is importar to know if you are going too fast, so you can crash because of that, or too slow so you won't beat the timer, and so on.

ALL the events have MUCH better graphics AND smoother animation and movement on the C64, not to mention, again, better soundworld, actual musics, and YES, the C64-version DOES SAVE THE SCORES!

You can also select a COUNTRY and hear that country's anthem when you win, so how much did they BUTCHER it when they ported it to NES? It's unbelievable. And yet AVGN reviews this as 'Winter Games' instead of 'Crappiest Port Ever Made', which he SHOULD have done, to be fair.

The last point I want to make is the figure skating. The fair points are 'too much white' - true even in the C64-version, I have no idea who thought THAT was a good idea! People use white even now way too much as background, even youtubers have HUGE white borders around a tiny video or picture or article they're showing, and don't seem to notice this idiocy at all.. sigh. Monitor white is NOT paper, but people treat as it is. Light and paper are completely different mediums - white is the BRIGHTEST light your monitor/display device is capable of showing, so putting it AROUND anything, is like putting bright light bulbs around every photo you are trying to look at. MAKES NO SENSE!

Anyway, the figure skating IS actually good fun, if you KNOW what you are doing. I can't imagine ever playing the NES-version, but if you play the C64-version using an actual JOYSTICK, and know HOW to do the moves, it's actually pretty cool (no pun intended).

[–] avortac4 (3751) a year ago

First, you have to realize the movements are not FAST, you can't just MASH BUTTONS in Epyx games, for crying out loud! They are slow and deliberate - first you have to push up, for example, and just as the skater is jumping, then you have to LAND CORRECTLY by pushing DOWN just as the skater is about to land - too early or too late, and you crash.

It also changes based on which way the skater is FACING, which AVGN didn't, again, take into account. You can't, for example, push right without crashing, if the skater is facing left and so on (can't remember if this is exact, I just wanted to give an example of how the controls work), but this guy just keeps mashing the pad randomly every which way.

Also, this event DOES use the button(s?), so what the heck is he talking about when he says they don't.. ?

His review would be fair if he said that all that he complains about the NES-version actually doesn't exist (or work properly) in the C64- and Amiga-versions, but he doesn't, so it isn't.

For example, the name typing screen is meant for a KEYBOARD, so there IS no 'character selection', you just type whatever name you want. That's it. Easy and painless.

Every 'bad thing' of the NES-version is either a 'good thing' in the C64-version, or doesn't exist on the C64-version. Also, the 'Hot Dog' ski jumper is SO much smoother and better animated on the C64-version, and you can get perfect 10.0 score by somersaulting forward, then somersaulting backward and landing perfectly. It's very difficult to pull off, but I managed to do it back in the day.. you know, with an actual JOYSTICK.

You can't fault a game for 'weird controls', when those controls were DESIGNED FOR JOYSTICK IN MIND, and work PERFECTLY if you do play the version that allows you to use a joystick! It's completely and utterly unfair - it's NOT weird at all for joystick, it's only weird because of the crappy PORT and gamepad!

[–] avortac4 (3751) a year ago

I could go on, but all I have to say is:

1) Read the F****NG MANUAL!
2) Play the original C64-version with ALL the events!
3) Realize the controls were MEANT for joystick, and are actually brilliant!
4) Get your head out of the 'NES-buttonmashing' donkey and realize slower controls work in a more precise way when you have a joystick.
5) Realize that your crappy criticism ONLY applies to the incredibly bad, rushed NES-port
6) Acknowledge that the C64-version has actually GREAT sound effects and music, and nothing like the NES-soundvomit that you play and describe in the video!

The ONLY reasons you even have any criticism is because you are using a gamepad for controls designed for joystick, you didn't read the manual, and you don't realize how AWFUL the rushed NES-port is compared to the ACTUALLY BRILLIANT original C64-version (and to a lesser extent, the more mediocre, but still good Amiga version).

Yes, the score IS saved, yes the namewriting IS well done, yes the music and soundworld ARE good, yes, there ARE plenty of events, yes, the controls actually DO make sense and are fun and good, yes, the graphics ARE actually beautiful - AND SO ON.

Give the darn original C64-version a chance and you will be embarrassed as to how WRONG you were when you think this crappy NES-version is 'Winter Games' in anything other than a name.