Game Over. Play Again?
This is the internet, so obviously there are countless, endless (pointless?) video game-based parodies and series. There are more than a fair few with a good amount of effort and creativity behind them. Then there's utter trash, cheaply made for a cheap laugh. And to be honest, this episode of Press Start Adventures seems like it crosses the line between the two.
I meant that, of course, knowing full well about the past entries. Previous episodes were made with such care, such attention to the world you've made, that if it weren't bound by the limitations of Flash animation you could get caught up in it. But there's something about this episode that doesn't draw in the viewer as much as it should -- it's just filler. Not good when something important story-wise happens.
The animation isn't top notch -- sloppy at times, samey and bland as every other episode. The artwork in and of itself isn't not extremely detailed, nor is it very high quality. These characters try so hard to emulate other well-known charaters -- you either love them for this or you hate them. The voice-work is okay, nothing stands out really, and the animation is too rushed to appreciate the character's actions nor does it try anything new.
The story involves a set-up by the villain, and ends with the ninja being kicked from the heroes' team. But apparently that's not important -- it seems tacked on, like the episode would rather focus on some particularly unfunny jokes. Okay, so that may just be me -- some of it *seemed* clever, but all the self-acknowledging humor (HEY! WE'RE BASED ON VIDEO GAMES, SEE?) has been done before, and much better than this.
There are better episodes than "Golden Axed" in this Press Start canon, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that this may be the worst episode in the series. Maybe if more energy was invested in trying to do something out of the ordinary -- or maybe if something more interesting were happening -- this would be a better episode. I'd rather save up my tokens for something else.
P.S. The trailer, for the straight-to-DVD film at the end, while more entertaining than the episode, reminded me of the first Resident Evil's cut-scenes. Whether this is good or bad is completely up to you.
