VTQ: Super Metroid (Part 1)

When trying to figure out how to do these video revisits, a thought occurred to me: Wyn Hilty was onto something.

You probably wouldn’t know who she is, but if you’re a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000, you might be familiar with her ongoing project. The Annotated MST (sometimes erroneously called MST3K Annotated, even by myself) aims to explain every cultural reference in the entire run of MST3K. It’s a handy reference for us MSTies, and a joy for those who’ve just discovered it.

While Vinesauce: The Questening may inspire more confusion than joy, it can borrow the idea of annotations from TAMST. It also saves me a lot of grief, because I was thinking about how much it would suck to have to summarize, commentate, or even explain every joke said in these videos. Using TAMST’s example, I can explain the parts of Vinny’s videos that need explaining: songs, games, regionalisms, and things that have ascended to meme status within the Vinesauce world.

The idea fills me with hope. It inspires me to keep going. I was so inspired that I made a little divider image to use specifically in these posts. Look how inspiring it is! The sloppy placeholder header image above leaves a lot to be desired, but look at the divider instead! Doesn’t it make you want to just watch a bunch of older videos for no reason other than to pretend how smart you are and treat it like some life-affirming mission?

So let us begin this most auspicious adventure that I call Vinesauce: The Questening.

Video: [Vinesauce] Vinny – Super Metroid (Part 1) [YouTube]
Upload date: January 29, 2016
Game(s): Super Metroid (SNES, 1994)
Console: Wii Virtual Console (Allegedly, because according to the comments on the video, Vinny had started out playing the game on the Virtual Console, then switched to a romhack on an emulator. Why? For Vinny reasons.)

0:03 – Okay, you guys ready to felch?

Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haaawww, crap.

I had a feeling this was going to come up eventually. I didn’t think “eventually” was going to be the first line in the first video.

But we’re all adults here. At least, I’m assuming we’re all adults. Going forward, please realize that there will be occasional sexual/lewd references. You have been warned. Beginning again…

 

0:03 – Okay, you guys ready to felch?

Felching is the sexual practice of sucking or consuming ejaculate from a human orifice. If you’re interested, at least one medical article has been written about it and posted on PubMed Central. (Ellie’s Note: No offense to the researchers and authors of this article, but I can’t help feeling smarter and stupider for having read it.)

 

7:28 – I mean, look, it’s blood. And it’s a Nintendo game, there’s blood in a Nintendo game. That didn’t happen too often back in nineteen-ninety… -three or -four.

Nintendo’s censorship methods in the 1980s and 90s were legendary. In its efforts to maintain a family-friendly reputation, certain aspects of gaming that we now take for granted were toned down, including replacing blood with sweat and removing Nazi symbols. Many people, including concerned parents, were hardly impressed. [Kotaku – Total Recall: Nintendo’s War on Blood, Nazis, Religion and Puppy Dogs]

 

7:57 – So this is Uncle Ridley, based off of the famous director, Ridley Scott. You can see they look very similar. The Irish director has a lot in common with the dragon.

Sir Ridley Scott, GBE is an English film director who frequently works in science fiction, crime and historical drama genres. Alien (1979) was his second film, and served as inspiration for the Metroid series. Game director Yoshio “Shikamoto” Sakamoto named the draconian alien Ridley after him.

 

8:36 – So, Ridley’s one of those, umm, one of those fun villains that you just love and, you know, you want him to be in Smash Bros., but Sakurai just says… um… “No…” and, and, and everyone goes home disappointed.

Masahiro Sakurai is a video game director best known for the Kirby and Super Smash Bros. series. Fans were divided between including and excluding the character in the Smash Bros. series, with many in the latter camp claiming that “Ridley is too big” and would have to be scaled down significantly. He is available in boss battles through hacking in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but did eventually join the official playable roster in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with the accompanying trailer tagline of “Ridley Hits the Big Time!” [SmashWiki – Ridley]

 

15:55 – I thought of a good band name today: Especially Onions. Doesn’t that sound like some hipster trash band?

In internet terms, a hipster is a pretentious person who favors ironic trendy fashion, ironic facial hair, and irony in general. Stepping away from the usual internet snark, you’ll find all kinds of definitions such as “someone who is aware of and influenced by the most recent ideas and fashions” (Cambridge Dictionary) or “a person who is unusually aware of and interested in new and unconventional patterns (as in jazz or fashion)” (Merriam-Webster). You may even learn a bit about the history of the word itself. [Merriam-Webster: Wordplay – The Original Hipsters] Once prominently practiced among many millennials, hipsterism is gaining a foothold in the Gen Z demographic.

 

24:46 – This is where we would normally save the animals… but… I—I… never save the animals.

Slight spoilers for Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion: During the escape sequence at the end of Super Metroid, the player can choose to rescue an adult Dachora and Etecoons from Torizo’s chamber in Crateria. Though optional, the choice to rescue these creatures was made canon as they appear in Metroid Fusion.

 

31:26 – Every time the bugs… move from side to side, they swing their arms. [Sung in a Mario-esque voice.] And then again!

A reference to Do the Mario!, the outro theme for The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, sung by a bouncing and stumbling Lou Albano, who played Mario in the live-action segments.

Sample lyrics: Do the Mario! / Swing your arms from side to side / Come on, it’s time to go / Do the Mario! / Take one step, and then again / Let’s do the Mario, all together now!

38:33 – Are there gonna… be those red things that vomit babies? On the way to Brinstar? Ellie’s note: I tried searching with every phrase I could think of and could not find what specific game element Vinny was referring to. Do any Vinesauce viewers want to help me erase “super metroid brinstar red things that vomit babies” from my search history by explaining this reference?

 

38:39 – And if so, are they gonna be sideways? That’s what I need to know—oh, I mean right sideways. Right ways. I don’t want to infringe. This is normal, remember that. I don’t want to give any indication that anything happening here is not normal. That’s right, Nintendo’s legal team. This is a totally normal Metroid thing, that I’ve just tilted the cartridge sideways on my Wii U.

Back in the days of console gaming, extra fun could be had if one manipulated the cartridges as they were playing the game. Techniques were simple enough: wiggling the cartridge, putting it in at an angle, slipping it out a bit, and so on. Results ranged from color bars, ghosting, glitches that worked as cheat codes, and electronic screeching that would send nearby animals into cowering submission. Likewise, lots of fun could be lost, particularly in the case of erased save data. [Glitchipedia – Cartridge tilting]

For the record, games on the Wii U were distributed digitally or on Wii U Optical Discs. But if anyone could figure out how to make either of those glitch, it would be Vinny.

 

43:00 [Frustrated laughing.] Oh, ho ho ho ho! Ohhh, hooo! Yeah! Give us another one!

A reference to a video titled “GIVE US ANOTHER ONE” by Gamez John, uploaded on January 12, 2016. The video captures one driver’s perspective as he records the driver ahead of him blowing dense, white smoke out the window while stuck at a red light. Whether it’s a vape or a joint isn’t clear, but the sight still gives the filmer considerable joy. Around 44:38, Vinny plays the video for “some zen” as he prepares for several more rounds of frustrating wall jumping.

 

46:46 – Yo. Yo, Super Metroid is making me want to choke a bitch.

“Choke a bitch” is a popular online saying that conveys extreme annoyance or frustration. Despite its derogatory connotation, it’s used by various people regardless of gender, as the “bitch” in question is the object of one’s frustration. Users of this phrase are welcome to modify it in accordance with their level of fury. Example: “I’m gonna choke this shit-eatin’ motherfucker.”

57:35 – See? Didn’t even waste a missile that time. [British accent.] Never a drop wasted. Ellie’s note: I want to assume that this is a Beatles reference said in a Liverpudlian accent, but I can’t be too sure. Anyone familiar with Vinny’s earlier repertoire and British culture in general is welcome to fill in this gap.

 

1:10:10 – I’m sorry, Metroid Federation Force is the best Metroid game. I got a beta. […] Or as I like to call it, Chibi Robo: The High School Years.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is the black sheep of the Metroid series. Played as a co-op or alone, the gameplay focused on a special team called the Federation Force instead of Samus Aran. The inclusion of Mech suits and Blast Ball wasn’t enough to save it from the ire of disappointed fans. Interestingly, it included a blacklist feature. [Wikitroid – Metroid Prime: Federation Force]

Chibi-Robo! is a series of teeth-rottingly endearing games featuring tiny, adorable robots whose only purpose is to spread happiness. [Chibi-Robo! Wiki]

 

1:10:29 – Speaking of betas, I downloaded The Division: Preload. [Snicker.] Preload. And I’m going to be streaming the demo or the beta of The Division—TOM CLANCY’S The Division, sorry, Tom Clancy. Because, you know, you gotta throw Clancy in-in there. For extra, extra sell.

Thomas Leo Clancy, Jr. (1947-2013) was an American novelist whose stories specialized in war, espionage, servicemen grappling with ideologies, and other standard military drama. His literary career began with The Hunt for Red October (1984) and shot off from there, going on to inspire video game series such as Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and the aforementioned The Division. His estate continues to publish books using Clancy’s names through ghostwriters. (Thanks to Jaybles for additional help in succinctly describing what Clancy wrote.)

 

1:13:08 – They had to put Tom Clancy in the name—they could have made a game called The Division that has nothing to do with Tom Clancy. But they were like… they—listen, I have this strong feeling that I could be wrong. I am definitely wrong a lot, but I have this strong feeling that they’re just, like, looking for things that have any kind of relation to Tom Clancy, so they can put Tom Clancy on the title and sell more copies.

1:14:12 – “Who the fuck is Tom Clancy?” Exactly. Well, he was an author. He’s not alive, he’s not with us anymore, but he was an author, who, they got his, um, the rights to his books, they put it on a bunch of games that became, some of which became very successful. Like Rainbow Six, and then I think they just started using that as a brand recognition thing.

Brand recognition using the famous dead is a popular practice. Another author who can claim posthumous success with new material is V.C. Andrews, who published only seven novels during her lifetime. Since 2014, Agatha Christie has been playing catch-up.

Here’s a 2017 Forbes article on this timeless, depressing phenomenon: The Branding of Dead Celebrities.

 

1:16:12 – “Track down Ethan and play The Division with him”? Who’s Ethan? Ethan Hunt or Ethan from h3… h3… b3?

Ethan Hunt is the protagonist of the Mission: Impossible series of movies, portrayed by the ever-running American actor Tom Cruise. Ethan Klein is one half of the husband-and-wife team behind the h3h3 YouTube channel, which hosts a variety of reaction and sketch videos commenting on internet culture.

 

1:17:25 – Well, Fine Bros are trying to copyright the, you know, the word “reaction.” Ah, ah, that’s not true. They’re trying to copyright their videos or something like that. I don’t know the full details, but it’s all over the place.

Here are some partial details: Benny and Rafi Fine created one of the first reaction channels on YouTube and became mega online stars. They attempted to trademark and license the term “react”, which ignited fierce backlash from other YouTubers and watchers alike. While the Fine Bros backed down from their attempt, their reputation had been sullied. As of this writing in February 2024, React Media, LLC is still in operation today, but the brothers don’t show their faces in the videos, nor do they have the same popularity as in their early days. [Distractify – Where Are the Fine Brothers Now]

 

1:26:59 – Slow Games Gone Slow.

A reference to Games Done Quick, a series of speedruns done for charity. [Games Done Quick]

 

1:32:58 – Come on, Samos. Sta—John Stamos, please. I know you’re a Beach Boy now, but we need you to do some work.

Blue-eyed, brunet pretty boy John Stamos is an American actor famous for playing Jesse Katsopolis in Full House and Fuller House, the latter of which he executive produced. He’s also been performing with the Beach Boys since the 1980s, about 30 years before Vinny’s comment.

 

1:39:00 – [Electronic drum beats, quickly cut off a millisecond later.] I know what you’re doing!

The very beginning of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”. In the chat’s efforts to “help” Vinny with tutorials, someone attempted a rickroll.

 

2:10:10 – Emergency surgery was performed on the cartridge, we went to, like, EB Games and like, fucking, you know, bought one of those kits, it was like a yellow kit, with, like, acid. It was, like, game acid. I don’t know what the fuck it was, probably just rubbing alcohol or something.

EB Games, starting out as Electronics Boutique in the 1970s, originally sold calculators and digital watches before evolving into its better known form as a video game retailer. It merged with GameStop in 2005 but continues under EB Games in Australia and New Zealand.

Game cleaning kits were a common sight in the days of console cartridges. As Vinny described, they consisted of a bottle of alcohol, as well as cotton swabs and cleaning cards. As popular as these kits were, many game companies advised against using alcohol to clean their products, as the liquid could damage the contacts and plastic components, or outright erode the protective coating on the metal contacts. Many gamers made do with store brand rubbing alcohol instead of the fancy-schmancy kits.

That wasn’t nearly as painful as I’d feared. I might be able to get through this after all.

Yes, it does look like a short entry, but what took you maybe ten minutes to read took me about a week to write up and another week to edit and polish. Not only did I look up references, I had to condense the information, trying not to heavily borrow from sources. Rewinding the video several times was a major time factor; in fact it was the main time factor. It’s kind of disheartening to think that favorite videos may become unbearable to watch after this is all done.

If you’re wondering, yeah, spelling out the year at the 7:28 timestamp was weird for me, too, but no writing/grammar rule was clear on how to do that when the speaker pauses in mid-thought. So I winged it. I’m probably going to be doing a lot of winging in this project.

For all the chaos and unrest they foment, Chat these days seems to be more helpful when Vinny asks for it. Listening to the efforts of this stream’s Chat to prank Vinny was a chore. I don’t know how he’s put up with the antics of general Chat for over a decade.

After several listens, I’ve determined that this video isn’t the first Vinesauce video I ever watched. Nothing sparked in the deepest recesses of my memory, and I just don’t possess the luck that would help me find the elusive video on the very first try. This feels like it was a later viewing after I’d initially found the Full Sauce channel.

But… no, I take that back. It did spark some first-time memories. This was the first time I truly enjoyed watching someone play Super Metroid. I wasn’t a big fan of the Metroid series to begin with, but the reason I chose to watch this video at all was because of the original memories associated with the game.

I was introduced to Super Metroid by my ex-boyfriend, a real shit stain on humanity. While I couldn’t deny there was something impressive about Metroid, anything related to it became tainted due to him. Watching Vinny’s playthroughs was a chance to replace those memories with something more engaging and amusing. And in terms of wit and grey matter, Vinny possesses more of it than my ex.

Maybe Vinny’s videos didn’t erase those ex-boyfriend memories, but they helped give me a far more enjoyable experience with Metroid in general. Even when Chat was trying to be clever.

So, the Questening will continue.