Extra Credits: Difference between revisions

 

 

 

''[http://extra-credits.net Extra Credits]'' is a show, formerly hosted by ''The Escapist'' and now by [[Penny Arcade|PATV]], that takes a deeper look at video games: how they are made, what they mean, and how we can make them better.

** ''Extra Credits'' brought in other guest artists after Allison's surgery to let her arm heal, including Erin.

* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: [[The Stinger]] for "Our Oscars":

* [[Berserk Button]]: Poorly-made propaganda games. Well-made propaganda games don't always set their world on fire either, but ''poorly''-made propaganda games inspire [http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/call-of-juarez-the-cartel epic rants like these].

* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]: Given the idealistic tone of the series, they rarely criticize games unless they have a really good reason. However, there are a few episodes where they simply tear a game apart, such as the one about ''[[Call of Juarez]]: The Cartel'', which uses lots of heavy-handed language; Daniel flat-out calls it despicable and horrid, due to its lazy design and dishonor of the subject matter.

* [[Continuity Nod]]: After receiving her shoulder surgery, Allison's avatar has had a [[Artificial Limbs|Bionic Arm]] drawn in some episodes.

* [[Cute and Psycho]]: Allison, as she grows more crazed looking as each episode wears on. [[Lampshaded]] repeatedly:

** Erin too.

* [[Foil]]: Near the begining of the "[http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/microtransactions Microtransactions]" episode, Daniel says that EC is always trying to be the calmer voice, while a crude picture of [[Zero Punctuation|Yahtzee]] shows up, angrily saying, "What are you getting at?"

* [[Our Monsters Are Weird]]: Allison is ''really'' good at that. Often borders on [[Nightmare Fuel]].

* [[Precision F-Strike]]: In "Art Is Not the Opposite of Fun," Daniel uses this trope while questioning the claim that studying what makes games unique will cause them to become worse or less fun.

** Used again in "Call of Juarez: The Cartel." toward the end

* [[Punctuated for Emphasis]]:

* [[Rerun]]: Almost every episode from the show's run on [[YouTube]] was revamped for ''The Escapist''.

** The "Uncanny Valley" episode they uploaded to PATV was the third time they've covered that topic, once for each incarnation of the show.

* [[Running Gag]]: Allison's shoulder injury is rendered as a [[Deus Ex: Human Revolution|Deus Ex style]] [[Rule of Cool|cyborg arm]].

* [[Self-Deprecation]]: The [[Uncanny Valley]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKTAJBQSm10 episode] pokes fun at the show's art and Daniel's narration.

* [[Serious Business]]: A large part of the series's message is that video game developers should take their medium as seriously as other media.

** The importance of balancing gaming with [[Real Life]] and the serious consequences of game compulsion was detailed over two episodes, and broke the usual style of the show by having James speak directly.

* [[Updated Rerelease]]: the [[Uncanny Valley]] episode, mk. 3! Now on [[Penny Arcade|PATV]]!

* [[Very Special Episode]]: Game Addiction: Part 2. Complete with [[An Aesop]]:

* [[Visual Pun]]: Very common.

 

* [[Boring but Practical]] / [[Difficult but Awesome]]: Discussed in the "[http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/playing-like-a-designer-pt.-2 How to Play Like a Designer, Part 2]" episode in which they explain that "First Order Optimal Strategies" (which require little player effort but give good results such as the "[[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare|noob tube]]" or "[[Street Fighter (video game)|hundred hand slap]]") are necessary to allow new players to have a competitive edge and allow them to gain enough confidence and experience to start using more difficult but ultimately even more effective strategies necessary for more difficult levels or matches. He cautions though that any such thing needs to be carefully developed and thought through, as it can create unintentional [[Game Breaker|Game Breakers]] which might flatten an otherwise expertly plotted difficulty curve.

* [[Bribing Your Way to Victory]]: Warned against in the [http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/microtransactions "Microtransactions"] episode, with a crossed-out picture of Jareth from [[Labyrinth]].

* [[Character Derailment]]: They argue that this happened to [http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/no-redeeming-value Kratos] in the ''[[God of War (series)|God of War]]'' sequels.

* [[Critical Research Failure]]: [[In-Universe]], they really lay into ''Call of Juarez: The Cartel'' for making extremely basic errors in its portrayal of the terrible Mexican drug wars and indirectly encouraging the grossly racist "they are stealing our women" stereotype -- even though, in reality, the reverse is much closer to the truth.