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Line 1: {{work}} ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20111011093311/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/7560-Critical-Miss-1 Critical Miss]'', previously known as ''Out of Tens'', is a gaming webcomic by Cory Rydell and Grey Carter, hosted at [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/ The Escapist]. The winner of a webcomic contest hosted on the site in 2010. The story follows Erin Stout, a game reviewer who writes for the website "[[Title Drop\|Little Miss Critical]]'', and her co-workers, which include Erin's partner, [[Only Sane Man\|Elliot Clutch]], her boss, [[Bad Boss\|Sharon]], and [[Loads and Loads of Characters\|a ton of minor characters]]. Although the comic focuses mainly on video games, a few have to do with movies and various other topics. ---- {{tropelist}} ~~=== This webcomic contains examples of: ===~~ * [[After the End]]: The [https://web.archive.org/web/20110830122534/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8518-Critical-Miss-Children-of-Steam-1 Children of Steam] story arc. * [[Ambiguous Disorder]], [[Sanity Slippage]] and [[Cloudcuckoolander]] : Self-referrentially [https://web.archive.org/web/20190814151254/https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/comics/critical-miss/9201-Therapy here]. Which has now created a [[Temporal Paradox]]. * [[~~After~~American ~~the~~Kirby Is ~~End~~Hardcore]]: ~~The~~Predicted with [https://web.archive.org/web/20110905014004/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/~~8518~~9025-Critical-Miss-~~Children~~They-ofBrought-~~Steam~~Him-1to-the-Castle-to-Die ~~Children~~ICO ofHD]. ~~Steam~~For those not familiar, have a look at the original [http://firsthour.net/screenshots/ico/ico-cover.jpg European] ~~story~~and [https://web.archive.org/web/20120128055055/http://www.gamertechtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ico-north-american-cover.jpg American] ~~arc~~covers. * [[~~Ambiguous~~And ~~Disorder~~That Would Be Wrong]], /[[~~Sanity~~Shutting Up ~~Slippage~~Now]]: ~~and~~Making ~~[[Cloudcuckoolander]]~~a :joke ~~Self-referrentially~~about a colleague who died in an landslide of shovelware, Erin [https://web.archive.org/web/20111103152920/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/~~9201~~7596-Critical-Miss-~~Therapy~~4 ~~here].~~immediately ~~Which has now created a [[Temporal Paradox~~backpedals.]]. * [[American Kirby Is Hardcore]]: Predicted with [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/9025-Critical-Miss-They-Brought-Him-to-the-Castle-to-Die ICO HD]. For those not familiar, have a look at the original [http://firsthour.net/screenshots/ico/ico-cover.jpg European] and [http://www.gamertechtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ico-north-american-cover.jpg American] covers. * [[And That Would Be Wrong]]/[[Shutting Up Now]]: Making a joke about a colleague who died in an landslide of shovelware, Erin [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/7596-Critical-Miss-4 immediately backpedals.] * [[Art Evolution]]: Erin looks very different in the first strips than in the latest ones. * [[Author Avatar]]: Seen in the [https://web.archive.org/web/20110828084744/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8543-Critical-Miss-Children-of-Steam-2 Children of Steam] arc. The blonde one is [https://web.archive.org/web/20141013013203/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/view/Cory+Rydell Cory Rydell] (the artist) and the one with glasses is [https://web.archive.org/web/20130402220930/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/view/Grey+Carter Grey Carter] (the writer). Erin remarks that "They seem a bit... [[Self-Deprecation\|retarded]]." * [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110829090341/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8348-Critical-Miss-Ask-and-Ye-Shall-Receive 3D Sonic games]. * [[Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs]]: According to the pie chart [https://web.archive.org/web/20110830213536/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8624-Critical-Miss-The-Numbers-Mason here], user-generated emblems in ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops ~~(Video Game)~~\|Call of Duty Black Ops]]'' are all skulls, dicks, or skulls with dicks on them. * [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120502005220/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/9527-Consensus "This is going to look terrible on my TVTropes page".] * [[Cat Fight]]: Between Mol and Erin (when Erin goes to destroy Elliot's [[Xbox 360]] - [[God of War (~~Video Game~~series)\|Kratos]] told her to) in their underwear. Elliot sits back and enjoys it for a while, until it goes too far and Erin throws the [[~~X Box~~Xbox]] at Mol's head. * [[Cerebus Syndrome]]: Lampshaded on the "Chapter 2" title page, which pokes fun at strip's recent developments (sex drama, mental illness, et cetera) with band posters for ''[[Take That\|Miscarriage]] [[Ctrl +Alt +Del\|Arc]]'', who are opening for ''Cerberus Syndrome''. * [[Commie Nazis]]: How do you make the [[Killzone\|Helghast]] even more [[Obviously Evil\|evil-looking]]? By adding [[Josef Stalin\|Stalin]] '''and''' [[Adolf Hitler\|Hitler]]. No, wait, Stalin and '''[[Up to Eleven\|two]]''' Hitlers! [[But Wait! There's More!\|No, wait]], Stalin, two Hitlers, and [[Red Eyes, Take Warning\|Flaming Eyes of Doom]] in a sea of [[Hellfire]]! [https://web.archive.org/web/20110320035236/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8708-Critical-Miss-Evil-Evidently That should look evil enough]. * [[Crush Blush]]: [~~http~~https://~~www~~web.archive.org/web/20190814151254/https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/comics/critical-miss/9626-The-Come-On Erin sports one here], though that might just be the alcohol. * [[Cut and Paste Environments]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110903044239/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8730-Critical-Miss-Erin-Hawke-Explorer Erin] comes across this in ''[[Dragon Age]]''. * [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]]: [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/9527-Consensus?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=articles Erin knows.] [https://web.archive.org/web/20120513224150/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/9201-Therapy She's on to us!] * [[Deep-Immersion Gaming]] * [[Description Cut]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110823210750/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/7677-Critical-Miss-8 Journalistic integrity!] * [[Distracted Byby the Sexy\|Distracted By The Graphics]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110828105255/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8366-Critical-Miss-Gran-Turismo-5 ''Gran Turismo 5'''s] graphics are so awesome that Erin can't stay on the road. * [[Double Meaning Title]]: Part reference to [[Critical Failure]]; part (as made clear by the [[Show Within a Show\|blog-within-a-blog]]'s title) that Erin is Little Miss Critical. And hell, why not, maybe it's a pun on "[[The Deadliest Mushroom\|critical mass]]" for some reason. * [[Double Standard]]: Erin's reason for why a ''[[Warhammer ~~40000~~40,000]]'' [[Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game\|MMO]] wouldn't work, because girl gamers would all want to be [[Space Marines]], which are [[One-Gender Race\|male-only]] in that setting. * [[Everything's Worse ~~With~~with Bears]]: Subverted with Charles, who works with Erin. He gets offended when she plays ''[[Naughty Bear]]'', saying that having a bear protagonist killing other bears is discriminatory garbage. {{quote\| '''Charles:''' This isn't a game, Stout. You know what this is? This is ''bearsploitation''. And you're legitimizing it by playing it.~~<br />~~ '''Erin:''' (Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Don't laugh.) }} * [[Feathered Fiend]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110824035848/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/7921-Critical-Miss-24 Seagullus], scourge of the kitchen table! * [[Five Stages of Grief]]: Erin goes through them for ''[[~~Mass Effect 3 (Video Game)\|~~Mass Effect 3]]'', particularly the ending. Except there's no acceptance and more depression. * [[Good Angel, Bad Angel]]: When Erin asks how to make her console-playing friends see the error of their ways, Sora from ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' suggests friendship and that you can't force them to change their opinions. Erin takes that as Plan A and asks Kratos from ''[[God of War (~~Video Game~~series)\|God of War]]'' for a Plan B. The next panel is her ripping Elliot's [[Xbox 360]] from the TV. * [[Gosh Dang It to Heck]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110905072833/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8686-Critical-Miss-The-Board The rating board at the ESRB seem to be stuck in this]. * [[Grenade Spam]]: Parodied in "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120513183337/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8417-Lapidation-Pro The Stoning of Saint Bluntninja]". * [[Has Two Mommies]]: Mini-Moll appears to. * [[Head Pet]]: [[~~Bio~~BioShock ~~Shock~~(series)\|Suchong]], Erin's pet fancy rat. * [[Helpful Hallucination]]: After a car accident in "Stowaways", Erin is talking to hallucinations of videogame characters, with ''Zelda'''s Link appearing to be a kind of "spirit guide". Possibly. Though how "helpful" they are is debatable, [~~http~~https://~~www~~web.archive.org/web/20190814151258/https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/comics/critical-miss/9603-Out-of-Tens especially to Erin herself]. * [[I Know Mortal Kombat]]: Erin wants to show people that, even though she reviews games for a living, she has "life skills". She does this by [https://web.archive.org/web/20110825040715/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8037-Critical-Miss-30 helping an old lady cross the street]. By repeatedly suplexing her. * [[I Need a Freaking Drink]] {{quote\| '''Erin''': "[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/9539-Mass-Effect-3-The-movement I'm going to find a bar... then I'm going to drink until one of us dies.]"}} * [[It Got Worse]]: [~~http~~https://~~www~~web.archive.org/web/20190814151259/https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/comics/critical-miss/9166~~-Critical-Miss~~-Dark-Souls Dark] [[Dark Souls ~~(Video Game)~~\|Souls]] * [[I Was Young and I Needed The Money]]: ''[[The Darkness]]'' apparently [https://web.archive.org/web/20140122183220/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/9401-The-Darkness took a roll] playing a Naughty Tentacle in an old [[H-game]]. * [[Lightning Glare]]: Between [https://web.archive.org/web/20110905165541/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8766-Critical-Miss-Nintendo-vs-Rovio Nintendo and Rovio]. * [[Murder Is the Best Solution]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20130805044637/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/9611-Wise-Counsel Often recommended to Erin] by some of her more [[Sociopathic Hero]] [[Helpful Hallucination\|Helpful Hallucinations]]. * [[Mushroom Samba]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110831170451/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8268-Critical-Miss-Fear-and-Loathing-in-New-Vegas Tripping balls] in "[[Fear and Loathing Inin Las Vegas\|Fear and Loathing]] in [[Fallout: New Vegas\|New Vegas]]". * [[Nightmare Fetishist]]: Scary Penny, Erin's graphic artist. If you tell her a character from a cartoon show from your childhood, she'll draw a picture of [[Nathan Fillion]] having sex with it. * [[One of Us]]: It's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20110825041303/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8094-Critical-Miss-35 exclusive] gang. ** In the strip Consensus (3rd April 2012) Erin comments that {{spoiler\|throwing an [[Xbox 360]] at her friend}} will "look ''terrible'' on my [[TV Tropes]] page". * [[Overprotective Dad]]: Inverted with ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'''s Shao Khan. You're not going out dressed like that, [https://web.archive.org/web/20111106212923/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8836-Critical-Miss-Mortal-Kombat young lady!] [[Stripperiffic\|Take some clothes off!]] * [[Self-Deprecation]]: The life of [https://web.archive.org/web/20111011093311/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/7560-Critical-Miss-1 a videogames journalist]. {{quote\| My name is Erin Stout and I review videogames on the internet. Yes, the ''internet''. I can feel your awe.}} As a background detail [https://web.archive.org/web/20110824041641/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8093-Critical-Miss-34 here]: "Critical Moss: The worst webcomic in the entire fucking world." The last statistic in [https://web.archive.org/web/20110830213536/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8624-Critical-Miss-The-Numbers-Mason this strip]. * [[Serious Business]]: ''[[~~Farmville~~FarmVille]]'' [[Ruined FOREVER\|will destroy gaming]]! Casual gamers will rise up against "hardcore" gamers! [https://web.archive.org/web/20110826042448/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/7874-Critical-Miss-21 No.] * [[Shout-Out]]: The little sentences under each comic is a shout out, usually (if not always) to a song lyric. ** "Cory Rydell and Grey Carter [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiY-SgAFUUY have got guns in their hands but the guns won't cock."] * [[~~Speechbubbles~~Speech Bubbles Interruption]]: Erin [https://web.archive.org/web/20111011093311/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/7560-Critical-Miss-1 gets distracted from her moping]. Revisited [https://web.archive.org/web/20110911114402/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8833-Critical-Miss-001 here], with a [[Steampunk]] bent. {{quote\| '''Erin:''' Gracious! Pastries!}} Erin decides to ignore her hallucination of [[The Legend of Zelda ~~(Franchise)~~\|Link]], so [https://web.archive.org/web/20110902042804/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8994-Critical-Miss-Stowaways-9 he brings out the big guns]: {{quote\| '''Erin:''' Oh, go [[Curse Cut Short\|fu--]]~~<br />~~ '''Navi:''' [[Stop Helping Me!\|HEY!]] [[Most Annoying Sound\|LISTEN!]] }} * [[Stop Helping Me!]]: "You just got [[Mario]] sucked into a black hole, a gateway to the dark void between realities, where he will be tortured ''forever''. That is not helping. That is the '''''opposite of helping'''''." * [[Story Arc]]: "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110830122534/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8518-Critical-Miss-Children-of-Steam-1 Children of] [[Valve ~~Software~~Corporation\|Steam]]", taking place in a post-apocalyptic-like scenario caused when Gabe Newell shuts down [[Steam]] because of all the fat jokes at his expense. Also, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110905072558/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8640-Critical-Miss-God-Emperor-of-Steam-1 God Emperor of Steam]", its finale. After that is the "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110804132937/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8923-Critical-Miss-Stowaways-1 Stowaways]" arc, which segues into "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120501195621/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/9566-Chapter-2 Chapter 2: Up, up, down, down]". * [[Take That]]: Pretty much the entire point of the comic, as Erin is extremely critical. A few examples: In one strip, Sharon reviewed most of the preview copies of games that were delivered. Only two were left for Erin and Elliot to review: ''[[Kane and Lynch]] 2'' and ''[[Virtua Fighter\|Virtua Shit Eater 5]]''. Both Erin and Elliot ask for ''Virtua Shit Eater''. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110830213536/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8624-Critical-Miss-The-Numbers-Mason Since its release], over one hundred million [[Man Child\|man-child]]-hours have been spent on ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops ~~(Video Game)~~\|Call of Duty Black Ops]]''." In a slap-fight between [https://web.archive.org/web/20110905165541/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8766-Critical-Miss-Nintendo-vs-Rovio Nintendo and Rovio], Erin says her money's on "the company that's made a fortune shilling casual nonsense to idiots who don't know any better". [https://web.archive.org/web/20130805044637/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/9611-Wise-Counsel One more] for ''[[~~Mass Effect 3 (Video Game)\|~~Mass Effect 3]]'''s infamous ending. * [[Too Much Information]]: Some people manage to keep their tales of [https://web.archive.org/web/20111103154031/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8057-Critical-Miss-33 weapons-grade bowel movements] to themselves. Not here. * [[Too Smart for Strangers]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20130805044624/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/9580-One-Two-Lots Erin apparently pays attention to those after-school specials]. [[Played for Laughs\|Who knew?]] * [[Unfortunate Implications]]: Invoked for [[Came Back Wrong\|what happens]] when [https://web.archive.org/web/20101210164638/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8398-Critical-Miss-Genocyber application files are undeleted] in the [[Tron]] '[[Verse]]. * [[The Voiceless]]: Scary Penny. * [[Wham! Episode]]: The "Stowaways" storyline. Surprisingly sombre in comparison to the wackiness of previous strips, and resulted in a permanent change in the comic's dynamic. * [[You're Not My Father]]: [[Mortal Kombat\|Kitana]] to [https://web.archive.org/web/20111106212923/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8836-Critical-Miss-Mortal-Kombat Shao Khan], after he tells her that he doesn't want her fighting in anything more than "[[Stripperiffic\|two strips of leather]] [[Lampshade Hanging\|held tenuously together by wishful thinking]]". * [[Xtreme Kool Letterz]]: These [[Eldritch Abomination\|upset]] Erin. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110905073102/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/7665-Critical-Miss-7 It's just my English gland."] * [[You Are Fat]]: "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120307030957/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/9339-Call-Me-Ishmael Call Me Ishmael]" * [[Your Mom]]: "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110830213536/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/8624-Critical-Miss-The-Numbers-Mason According to] ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops ~~(Video Game)~~\|Call of Duty Black Ops]]'' players, your mom has apparently slept with an average of 23 different men in the last 48 hours." * [[The Wiki Rule]]: Has one at [https://criticalmiss.fandom.com/wiki/Critical_Miss_Wiki FANDOM] {{reflist}} [[Category:The Escapist (Website)]]▼ [[Category:Gaming Webcomics]] [[Category:The New Tens]] [[Category:Critical Miss]] [[Category:~~Webcomic~~Web Comics]] ▲[[Category:The Escapist ~~(Website)~~]]