Apes, Witches, Zombies OH MY - Let's Play Ben Jordans 1-8

I think the Skunk-Ape thing being a real thing (ESPECIALLY after the drug reveal) is so dumb I can't even put it in words. I mean look, I'm not expecting a game like this to have an amazing story, but the entire game up to that point was clearly setting up some sort of Scooby-Doo ending.

I was genuinely impressed with the idea that maybe the Skunk-Ape thing was a genuine cover for a drug operation. Never mind the logistics (what's the point of having a large amount of cocaine so far away from an actual market?), it clearly sets up that this Skunk-ape nonsense is meant to be a supernatural "cover" for something more. Instead, it feels like it was instead used to conveniently wrap everything up with a bow, instead of taking the time to find an alternative explanation for all the weird.

Eddie! Don't you see how this brilliant game is subverting your expectations? It knows what you think it is, it knows it's presenting itself as a Scoody Doo Mystery trope story line... You spent the entire game trying to figure out who was really behind the Ape (Old man Jenkins!) and how Ben was going to reveal it all (I would have got away with it too if it wasn't for that meddling Ben Jordan) only to have the veil torn from your eyes and the shocking truth revealed that the world you believe in is more complicated and mystery than you ever though it could be full of Apes, and Witches and Zombies!

A masterpiece in storytelling and narrative subversion!

I just want to know what Ben did with the cocaine!

I have a feeling that the answer may explain a lot about why he was able to afford to go on many more paranormal adventures.

What I don't get is why the ranger didn't care that Ben didn't kill the Skunk Ape. Yeah, sure it was being controlled and now isn't BUT it's still a gigantic monster whose only food is livers and has a taste for human flesh.

They never actually asked him to kill the Skunk-Ape.

All of the monsters in the games with one exception are actually real, the exception belonging to my least favorite game in the series.

The Ben Jordan 1 Deluxe Edition LP and the Ben Jordan 2 LP are both going to be fairly short, the former because I'm skimming everything that hasn't majorly changed, and the latter because of the large lack of dialogue, dialogue being the main reason the first LP took 250 screenshots. After the Ben Jordan 2 Deluxe Edition LP I may take a minor break from the LP on account of me currently balancing three different projects at the same time.

I'd request that you don't leave us for extended periods on a cliffhanger; but in general, take all the time you need. LPs will eat your life if you let them.

With the exception of the seventh game, none of the games end on a direct cliffhanger, or even an ending without resolution.

So as it turns out Ben Jordan 1 Deluxe is the only game in the series to have voice acting without text, making a screenshot LP just about impossible. Which means this will likely be the only time this year that you will see me do a video LP. It is, at this point, important to note two things:

1. I'm thirteen. Yes, I know some people will be angry, but I'm just glad I now have one less thing I'm holding back from the group. The main reason I'm telling you this, though, is because not only am I thirteen, but my voice is even more high-pitched than the average thirteen-year-old (which is why I wanted to avoid video LPs).
2. I lost my voice for a couple of hours today due to having a cold. While I did get it back, I'm not going to trust it to work 24/7 for a while now, which means you might have to wait a little bit for it to stop making me sound like a zombie or a squirrel.

You could always transcribe the dialog!

How dare you be thirteen! Why, when I was your age, we respected our elders!

Mmm... nope. Not feeling it. Now, if you were twelve, then we'd have problems.

SO ANGRY

(but seriously realtalk: I wish I had been creating LPs when I was 13!)

It says something--though I'm not sure what--that this means there's at least one interesting LP is being done by someone who, had I not been careful in college, I could have fathered.

Also, when I was 13, I was just learning to use AOL via a dial-up connection. Though I had written several crappy text adventure games in QBASIC by that point.

...man, I feel old.

Anyway, ArtGamer, if it makes you feel better, I still hate the way my voice sounds in recordings, though no one else has ever had an qualms about it. Your voiceovers, should you choose to do them, will likely be just fine.

When I was 13, I was an asshole. And a devout roleplayer on a Harry Potter message board. Being a well-tempered LPer is leagues ahead of that, so congrats.

E:

Also voice recordings are the worst. To me, my voice is awesome, but digital it's way different and there's a stupid comicky tone to anything I say. I'm pretty sure no one likes their own voice though.

Everyone's voice sounds alien and wrong when recorded. My voice sounds about two octaves higher recorded than it does when I talk, and I don't have a deep voice to start with.

I wasn't worried about that, I was worried that as soon as I recorded everyone would be pissed off that there was a thirteen-year-old among them. Which I now know isn't a problem.

I don't know I'm kinda pissed off. I don't want the purity of this haven for thirty somethings ruined by someone who has different cultural touchstones than me! Do you even know who Alf is?! Do you understand why Pete and Pete is so great?! Did you ever have a crush on V.I.C.I, Evie, Clarissa, or Kelly (or Zach)?! Have you ever owned a cartridge based home entertainment system? or swapped lies, I mean tips and tricks about said systems on your playground? Did your school even have a playground? Do you know what a rotary phone even is?! Di you know what baud rate means?

Kids these days I tell you!

*throws cane in air and wonders back into home muttering something about the unfairness of it all*

I think my almost-complete run of the Alf comic book is still in the boxes in my parents' basement.

Because of Artie, the Strongest Man...In the World.

...I probably watched more of Clarissa Explains It All than was appropriate.

I am also old.

Man, when I was thirteen, you had to keep track of how long you were on the internet, because ISPs charged you extra for being on longer than 40 hours!

I do actually own an SNES. I only own Shadowrun for it, though, because I realized the existence of emulators. Not to mention if you'd heard the games I grew up with you'd guess I was at least 30.

Excuse me SIR but I believe you are referring to ALF (short for Alien Life Form). "Alf" is a non-canonical spelling.

Prove it! Where is this so-called list of games?!

I didn't want to record until my voice cleared up, which it did over the weekend. I did in fact record, but I'm going to redo it because I'm not happy with how it came out. However, my week is pretty cramped to the extent of having almost zero free time, which means you probably won't see the video until Fridayish.

The first game that got me into gaming was The Secret of Monkey Island. I played the Special Edition, which used modern graphics but gave you the option to switch back and forth between the new graphics and the original graphics. Surprisingly, I preferred the vintage art style to the modern graphics. I'm a big fan of Loom, Quest for Glory, and Simon the Sorcerer. On consoles, I like Contra and Mega Man 2 for the NES and I also enjoy a few SNES games, though I've always preferred PC.

Hmm.

Okay, kind of getting way ahead of myself here, and I really wanted to keep this secret until I had more of it done, but remember when I said I was balancing three projects, including the LP? Here's one of them.

I don't know what TTAOG means and you don't reference it anywhere...

The True Awesomeness of Games

Time To Admonish Obtuse Gamers

Talking Time Are Old Geezers

Top Ten Old Adventure Games. I got bored of writing the whole thing out.

I can understand that. Just think you might want it somewhere in your intro... Also, King's Quest 1,2, or 3 better NOT be on that list. The first is important in the history of the genre and PC games in general but it isn't a TOP anything.

And the other two?

There are 9 KQ games. Though no one wants to talk or acknowledge any of the ones that came after 7. Four is by far my favorite. Has a a strong, female protagonist, a cohesive storyline and mostly puzzles that make a lot of sense (whale mouth not withstanding)... 6 is also highly regarded

Well I knew that (though I'm fairly certain there are only eight official games). But why don't you want KQ 2 and 3 on the list?