I think letsplays are interesting, because a letsplay can be a way to experience a videogame as closely to the intended experience as possible without actually playing the videogame. a letsplay can also be a piece of art which uses a particular game as its medium. Some letsplays even aim to be both of these things, with varying levels of success. It always strikes me as such a labor of love, to be so dedicated to showing this game to others.
I finally did it!!! for my own peace of mind!!!! The Something Awful/lparchive Let’s Plays Suggestion Post
The lparchive has been my favorite place to go for let’s plays for many years now. When I first started using it it was about as good as the usual Youtube fodder but over the years apparently the users at Something Awful have been being really awesome about their let’s plays, using content warnings, not basing their humor on being offensive, etc. So I think they deserve more attention. This is a list of lp’s from the archive that I recommend including reasons why. No links bc that would take way too long. Just click the link to the archive and use the search bar. Also if you are planning on using the archive often as I do please turn off adblock when there are add it to the list of safe sites so that the people running it can keep doing their thing!
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Broken Age & Broken Age Act 2 by Allisonbyproxy: video, comlpetionist
Notes: Pretty simple, standard informational let’s play.
Bully: Scholarship Edition by Vivavizer: video, completionist
Notes: When Bully came out and there was controversy about it bc of GAY I was interested in it, but clearly it’s not a game I would actually want to play. That’s what I consider LPs for though. This LP delivers all the content with informational commentary and at the end I found even this Rockstar game is pretty alright.
Civilization V: Gods & Kings by Speedball: screenshot
Notes: An informational and entertaining screenshot LP about a civ v expansion. Not much else to say.
Cooking Mama series by Mico: video
Notes: A different sort of LP where our player makes something in cooking mama and then makes it in his own kitchen the PROPER way bc you know cooking mama doesn’t actually know shit.
Deadly Premonition by supergreatfriend: video, completionist
Notes: Ohhhh man...where would I be without an informational and complete let’s play of this weird ass game that I can’t play but love so much. If you are at all interested in this game this is the best place to start.
Devil May Cry series by Accountingnightmare: completionist
Notes: A complete and informative series of let’s plays about those DMC games the manchildren like so much.
Doki Doki Literature Club by Roar: screenshot, completionist
Notes: Just Monika
Final Fantasy VII by Elentor: screenshot, completionist
Notes: The LP that finally got me to experience the entirety of this okay game everyone loves. It’s informative and a screenshot LP so it only takes hours to get through instead of days. The author includes lots of interesting tidbits about living in Rio as well.
Final Fantasy VIII by Cool Ghost
Final Fantasy X by The Dark Id
Girl games by Devious Vaccuum: video
Notes: A fun, if flawed, look at “girl games” the free flash dress up and make up games you find on the internet and about how weird they are. Also includes a bunch of grown adults finding some good dress up games and going to town on them.
High School Dreams: Best Friends Forever by Dyslexiactic: video, completionist(?)
Notes: My favorite LP of all time and where my about quote comes from. Hilarious and weirdly endearing from start to finish.
Katamari Damacy by Chorpsaway: video
Notes: A fun romp of an LP for a fun romp of a game
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: Final Mix by Blackbelt Bobman: video, completionist
Notes: A very complete and informational LP, also fun to watch and doesn’t take the game too seriously, but also doesn’t turn the fandom into a joke.
Kirby’s Epic Yarn by Jordankai: video, completionist
Notes: Two grown men enjoying a very cute game.
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword by Jordankai: video, comletionist
Notes: Another informational LP by jordankai that is very kind to a game a lot of people don’t like. I for one ended up liking the game after watching the whole LP.
LISA: The Painful RPG by thevoiceofdog: video
Notes: Haven’t actually watched this one yet, but I’ve actually played LISA and I love that game and if one way to get more people to see it is through let’s play this is the best way, includes content warnings.
Little Inferno by Fiendly: video, completionist
Notes: I originally wanted to play this game myself, but then I realized you have to throw sentient creatures into the fire and I am a wimp who can’t do that so I watched this LP instead.
Monument Valley by Trenchfoot: video, completionist
Notes: A cute subtitled LP for a game I would have liked to have played but couldn’t bc I don’t have a smart phone/ipad/whatever.
Outlast by Dumbrodent: video
Notes: An LP I didn’t finish bc I’ve seen more Outlast than you can shake a stick at, but this one has content warnings and best of all TIMECODES FOR ALL THE JUMP SCARES!
Pokemon Let’s Plays by Chorocojo: screenshot
Notes: Only around two of these are on the archive so here’s the link to all of them. These let’s plays get more informational about Pokemon as time goes on, but what I really like about them is the character given to the protags and how the author manages to weave their own little story into the canon one. Please try to read in the order they are listed.
Princess Maker 2 by Synthorange: screenshot
Notes: An old school screenshot LP. It’s old, but that just means that I feel comfortable calling it iconic. The best screenshot LP I’ve read.
Rakuen by really queer christmas: screenshot, completionist
Notes: This shit made me cry three time
Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon by Lordhippoman: screenshot
Notes: Another cute little screenshot LP to sit back and relax with.
Silent Hill 2 by Voidburger: video, completionist
Notes: A dual LP with one version being subtitled and spoiler-free and another with commentary and spoiler filled. Includes content warnings before the videos. Also check out Voidburger’s youtube page for uploads from her streams!
Sims 3 by eating only apples: screenshot
Notes: Less of a let’s play and more of a story, but entertaining nonetheless.
Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage by justafriend: video, completionist
Notes: A very informative look at one of the most important games of my childhood. Also pretty funny and entertaining as well.
Spryo 3: Year of the Dragon by justafriend: video, completionist
Notes: A very informative look at one of the most important games of my childhood. Also pretty funny and entertaining as well.
The Witness by homphgomph
Tokimeki Memorial series by vibratingsheep: screenshot
Notes: It’s a dating game series
Undertale by Professorprof: screenshot, completionist
Notes: When the internet was freaking out about this I knew I had to witness it, but fuck me if I can play something like this so I had to find a let’s play. Of course the lparchive had my back with an informational, completionist LP of it. The game did not match up to the hype it was given for me but the LP is still good.
We Know the Devil by Flac: screenshot, completionist
Notes: A game you could very well just play yourself as it is short and simple, but even if you have played it the discussions in this LP make it still worth reading.
The Wolf Among Us by Bacter: video, completionist
Notes: Usually I’m not one for LPs of Telltale games bc I can’t help but be annoyed when people make choices I wouldn’t, but not here. This LP covers all possible runs types: good, bad, and silent. So if you’re like me and the bad choices stress you out you can just watch the good run. Also includes commentary and no commentary options AND bonus videos that discuss the history of some Fables mentioned in the game and even a couple that aren’t. Includes a little bit about content warnings in the description.
The screenshot LP format makes it seem more like reading a story, and I mean that in the best way possible. I'm also really appreciating the effort orenronen put into this translation and the research he did. Dare I say I can even take a good guess as to why Slowbeef was interested in it to begin with (considering the LP's quality, how the best moments of the visual novel are highlighted over the busy work, how the LP seems to be broken up in just the right places as if it was done deliberately for great storytelling [and it very well may have been deliberate], and how--as stated before--it is mostly a screenshot LP rather than a let's-fuck-around-for-three-hours-doing-everything-under-the-sun YouTube video LP. And of course there's the cat-faced fanboy guy, but we already knew about him).
I guess my point is that it's actually really good and I get the hype. And by "get the hype" I mean Slowbeef's hype. Obviously from looking at it I can see why it would eventually become a hit on Tumblr. A series involving a shit ton of characters and lots of death? It was only a matter of time once it was translated for English speakers, let's be honest.
Also, one final thing of note: that bit about Chihiro's voice actress usually voicing young boys, that part caught my eye. Was that a coincidence or was that intentional foreshadowing? I don't care enough to ask orenronen this but that was one of my thoughts while reading this LP.
Animal Crossing Part #1: Welcome to Camp
http://lparchive.org/Animal-Crossing/Update%201/
Animal Crossing horror is my favourite thing right now. There's only an audio recording for part 1 (out of 13) so click the link to read along.
