VTQ: Tomodachi Life (Part 1)
Video: [Vinesauce] Vinny – Tomodachi Life (ft. Super Mario Bros. X] (part 1) [YouTube]
Upload date: June 7, 2014
Game(s): Tomodachi Life (US)
Console: Nintendo 3DS (modded)
A small observance before we begin this quest: YouTube’s controls will display seconds after the one-hour mark. This is to differentiate between, say, one minute and five seconds (1:05) and one hour and five minutes (1:05:00). I hadn’t realized that until recently. The more you know. *shooting star with a rainbow trail in space*
Also, you might notice a bit of a discrepancy between the time codes I list in my Questening articles and the actual YouTube videos. For some reason, the audio is occasionally off by a few seconds during one watching, and then goes back to the original time I noted. Audio issues are an… issue… with Vinesauce videos, so the time codes are approximate. The more you know. *shooting star with a rainbow trail inexplicably collapsing into a black hole*
But now, let’s go to a little island in the middle of the ocean for the start of one of the best dramedies you might ever watch… as soon as the system updates.
0:22 – Oh–oh! Don’t drop the 3DS!
To enable streaming from the 3DS, Vinny had the system modded. By the way he describes it—which you’ll read below—the system sounds cumbersome to hold, like it’s been sealed in an even bulkier Nerf Armor Case. (No, really, those do exist.)
1:25 – I saw four updates available, that was quick. Uh, all right, I’ll just go ahead and launch it. Maybe it’s the gay marriage update.
In the Japanese version of the game, a glitch allowed players to re-gender miis, thus allowing gay relationships and marriages. Like any big company, Nintendo caught wind, panicked, released an update to put a stop to the same-sex shenanigans, apologized for disappointing fans, and promised to be more inclusive in future versions of the game. [Time – Nintendo Apologizes for Not Allowing Same-Sex Relationships in Tomodachi Life]
2:10 – Uh, someone asked where my coins were. I don’t, um… I actually don’t have any coins on this system, because this is my indoor 3DS. Um, I had to get this thing modded, which increased the size of it by, like, thirty percent. And, uh, I leave this one home, and I have another 3—I have a 3DS XL that I take with me. So, um, this one has no coins. [Accent] Dere ees no coin.
Play Coins were a feature on the 3DS and 2DS systems, a proprietary currency that could be used to purchase digital goods and services in certain games. They were earned mostly through motion, such as walking. Not understanding most gamers’ dedication to preserve their sedentary lifestyles, the designers failed to foresee workarounds such as moving the 3DS to simulate the motion of walking. However, some players (such as myself) never had the games that made use of the currency, and so they sat at the top of the screen, forever unused and collecting digital dust. In the case of Tomodachi Life, one could use Play Coins to buy special food items from travelers. [Nintendo Wiki – Play Coins]
4:34 – Shouldn’t—shouldn’t take too long, m’kay.
A “blink and you’ll miss”… no, “not listen and you’ll miss it”? Crap, what’s a good hearing version of that phrase? Never mind.
An impression of Mr. Mackey, the school counselor from South Park. His verbal tic of adding “m’kay” at the end of each sentence caught on in the real world, even to this day.
7:36 – “Super Babby Mode this way.” Bab. Babby. ‘kay.
A cutesy mispronunciation of the word, well, “baby”. It’s endured all these years, often in reference to the kinds of games Vinny plays or the mode he plays them in. Like an invasive species, “babby” has made its way into other Vinesauce streamers’ and associates’ videos.
7:56 – “Vinny, why–why you no work deli here?”
One of the many installments of what I fondly call The Continued Adventures of a Staten Island Streamer. Vinny recounted a few minisodes where a deli owner wanted (and perhaps still wants) him to quit his dream streaming job and build sandwiches. Oh, such wasted potential.
8:31 – [Wretched, twee kazoo music.] I thought I would never have to hear this music again!
I should probably be glad that I hadn’t heard this music before this video, although that does leave me in the dark as to its origin.
8:51 – “Transportation provided by Vinny Construction, Inc.” Oh, Bridge Builder.
Several bridge building games have been made over the years, but there was one simply titled Bridge Builder, released in 2000. My guess is that this might be one of those Vinesauce oldies that was never recorded for posterity. [Moby Games – Bridge Builder]
9:00 – [Not even three seconds after a tune begins playing.] Hey, it’s the Talking Heads.
This is the MIDI version of This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) by the aforementioned band.
13:42 – Yo, is that—is that Shaq?
American basketball player and Renaissance man Shaquille O’Neal was previously mentioned in Quest #2 along with the limited run of his themed AriZona sodas. Vinny’s comment here was prompted by the advertisement that popped up as he was loading the game. The text read, “Make Miis of friends, family and even celebs like Shaq!” This surely drove sales.
18:44 – Okay, I’m “outgoing, social, charming, energetic, comfortable in almost any situation, makes new connections easily. And I’m a trendsetter. Radiant and always on form”—wow! I don’t know if any of this is true, but I dunno, you guys tell me, I dunno, am I a trendsetter? Babagone scooties. Spaalone.
A reference to an incident in a Legend of Zelda corruption where the text in the Old Man’s cave continued to rewrite itself, creating word salads—or word slops in this case. The original corrupted text read, “Spaalone! Babaguuscooties”, but here I’m writing what I heard: [Vinesauce] Vinny – Best NES/SNES Corruptions (around the 1:35 mark)
By the way, if it sounds like Vinny is humblebragging, he isn’t. He’s reading off his Mii’s personality card after fiddling with the in-game Mii Maker controls.
22:01 – All right, let’s see what friends we can… have on the island here. Satoru Iwata. Miyamoto. Mii Gusta. JackOLantr. Reggie. Boogeyman. Ben. John—the Beatles. Geordi La Forge. Ah, this is good. We’re gonna have Mike Stoklasa from Red Letter Media on this island.
*cracks knuckles* My fingers are ready.
Satoru Iwata began his career as a genius programmer who saved Earthbound from development hell, forged a relationship between HAL Laboratories and Nintendo, and eventually became the fourth CEO of the latter. He possessed a dry but quirky sense of humor, such as contemplating a bunch of bananas before beginning his speech in a Nintendo Direct. He famously slashed his own salary by half in 2011 and 2014 to prevent layoffs, showing more compassion and concern for employees than other CEOs would dare imagine. He tragically lost his life to complications from a tumor in his bile duct in 2015. If you want to know how he approached business, video games, and life—and why wouldn’t you by this point?—look for a copy of Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s Legendary CEO. [Wikipedia] [Nintendo Wiki]
Shigeru Miyamoto first aspired to become a manga artist before being swept away by the world of video games, a move that gave us some of Nintendo’s best enduring franchises: Donkey Kong, Mario, Star Fox, Legend of Zelda, and Pikmin. A much revered designer, he has the philosophy of completely bypassing focus groups and focusing instead on whether a game is fun to play. He also likes to have fun by rearranging his furniture at odd times. [Wikipedia] [Nintendo Wiki]
Reggie Fils-Aimé was recruited by Nintendo as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He immediately became a fan favorite when he declared at a Nintendo E3 press conference, “My name is Reggie. I’m about kickin’ ass, I’m about takin’ names, and we’re about makin’ games.” He also made the meme-worthy statement, “My body is ready” while demonstrating the Wii Fit at E3. After the passing of Iwata—whom Reggie called a friend and a mentor—Reggie hosted the E3 conferences and participated in the Directs. He retired in 2019 and was succeeded by Doug Bowser (go ahead and make the Koopa/Bowser jokes, everyone else did). [Wikipedia] [Nintendo Wiki]
BEN Drowned is a creepypasta of the cursed video game cartridge variety. The gist is that there’s a haunted Majora’s Mask cartridge and the owner, showing true desperation, goes to a 4chan board for help. Terror still ensues. In this first episode of Vinny’s TL playthrough, he becomes a resident. His voice is very unfortunate. [Creepypasta Wiki – BEN Drowned]
John Lennon was a member of the Beatles, an English rock group that spearheaded the 1960s counterculture movement. They’re one of Vinny’s many musical influences. I’m struggling to find a way to condense information about Lennon’s life because he did so much in his mercurial, creative life before meeting his end by a fan’s bullet.
Okay, moving on.
Geordi La Forge was a member of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Possessing a knack for all matters ship related, he would rise through the ranks to become the ship’s chief engineer. One of his recognizable assets was the VISOR, a device worn over his eyes and connected to the temples that enabled him to “see” via light and radio waves. [Memory Alpha – Geordi La Forge]
Mike Stoklasa is the founder of Red Letter Media, famous for the Mr. Plinkett, Half in the Bag, Best of the Worst segments. For more information, check out his truly factual entry on the Red Letter Media Wiki.
41:09 – “Rap Battle, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm”.
At the fountain, in front of the apartment complex, Miis can engage in spirited lyrical insults. Each rapping Mii has two backups cheering them on with every successful putdown. The battle ends when one rapper can’t rhyme anymore. [Tomodachi Life Wiki – Events]
42:01 – We’re gonna make another Mii. We need Wario, ’cause we got Waluigi, his brother needs to be here.
43:50 – Other relative? Uhh, it doesn’t work. See that, I–I can’t do–that’s only relation to me, my Mii. The–I–I can’t do relation to Waluigi.
Despite the insistence of fans, Wario and Waluigi are not related. Waluigi first appeared in Mario Tennis as Wario’s doubles partner. (As much as I enjoy Waluigi, I can’t help but think that a Phanto would be a more tenacious partner.) [Screenrant: How Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi are Related]
Miis coming in from the Mii Maker have the option of being related to your Mii or not being related to your Mii, though they will be meeting each other for the first time. Near as I can tell, the relation aspect is to prevent awkward “relations” from taking place in-game if Miis are based on real people. The only other ways Miis can be related to each other is through marriage (heterosexual and sanctified, of course), which will result in spouses, siblings, cousins, and so on.
44:35 – [Unintelligible] no, he’s flat. I–I’d say Wario’s pretty flat.
Nah, dude’s at least an A cup, just looking at him in his nipple-less glory in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. (Hey, it’s my project and I’ll throw in a non-sequitur if I want.)
49:12 – Oh, it’s Chatango that’s slowing me down.
I’m going by what I’ve seen from other longtime viewers and Reddit *hisssss* posts. Chatango is a chat app that streamers have used to engage with their audience. Back in the early days of Vinesauce, there was a rivalry between the Twitch chat and Chatango, because of course people have to fight about something to feel important. I’m not clear on whether Vinny used it alongside the native Twitch chat environment or if he used it exclusively before switching to Twitch’s.
51:22 – All right, Wario’s hungry, so we need something with garlic in it.
Every famous character needs a token favorite food, and Wario’s happens to be garlic. [Super Mario Wiki – Garlic]
57:37 – A box of tissues? [Laughing.] What are you implying?
If you lose a mini-game to a Mii, they’ll rub salt in the wound by giving you a box of tissues or a roll of toilet paper. No matter what is being implied, the player can turn right around and sell these to the Pawn Shop so the little punks can suck it.
58:00 – Average age is 38.5. [Snickering.] Jesus Christ, there’s a lot of old people.
Clicking on the front door of the apartment building will allow the player to access stats of the islanders, such as general vibe, number of islanders, male to female ratio, and problems solved.
By the way, as I’m writing this, in May of 2024, Vinny will be celebrating his 39th birthday. He’ll fit right in with his Miis now.
1:05:57 – [Obnoxious bird call in the distance.] The fuck? What’s that noise? Sou—It sounds like someone screaming for bloody… bloody murder.
Around the evening, the player will be serenaded by the caterwauling of an unseen creature. Fans speculate it’s a bird, possibly a crow.
1:17:02 – This is not what I pictured this song sounding like at all.
For the “Real Loud Bark” song, Tomodachi Life uses the rhythm and blues-inspired, mid-1950s style of rock and roll and not the Kurt Cobain-ish, grunge/alt/psych/sad boy rock that Vinny typically gravitates towards. Interestingly, someone on the Tomodachi Life Wiki thinks that “Real Loud Bark” was based on “Real Wild Child” by Australian singer Johnny O’Keefe. [Tomodachi Life Wiki – Concert Hall]
1:24:32 – [English accent.] Risotto Islands, yeah? The risotto is shit.
At a certain point in the game, the port opens, allowing access to other islands in the network. Players could receive and send travelers and special items this way. The first island Vinny made contact with was the aforementioned Risotto Isles.
Vinny was doing an impression of Gordon Ramsay, famous restaurant owner and thrower of dishes and soul-destroying insults. His apoplectic on-screen persona is apparently an act, as people have reported that he’s a fairly amiable human outside of restaurants. (Maybe he should stay out of them in that case.)
1:37:42 – [Laughing.] Lamb Chop? We can bring in Lamb Chop.
The anthro sheep sock puppet was the creation of ventriloquist-puppeteer Shari Lewis, and continues to be played by Lewis’s daughter, Mallory. Lamb Chop made her debut on an episode of Captain Kangaroo in 1956, going on to find a home in Lewis’s own The Shari Lewis Show. Naturally, the adorable sprog has merchandise, including a CD-ROM game (played on the Vinesauce channel), bedding, clothing, puppets, and even dog toys. But don’t feel bad about that last part; the fact that the worsted ruminant is an honorary three-star general in the US Marines more than makes up for it. [Wikipedia – Lamb Chop (puppet)]
Sure, I’ll give you something else to watch on top of this video. Lamb Chop’s segment begins around 8:42: [Vinesauce] Vinny – Edutainment Games #6
1:42:16 – Kazuma-kun.
An impression of Yukari Izumi, the unfortunate heroine of Paca Plus. In this visual novel, you play as her alpaca-obsessed boyfriend, Kazuma Saeki, as they navigate the curious incident wherein Yukari is turned into an alpaca.
It’s just better if you watch the playthrough. Gads, I’m just spoiling you with all kinds of videos today, aren’t I?: [VineClassics] Vinny – Paca Plus
1:44:20 – I thought it was only a six person limit, because the, uh, trailers only showed, like, Reggie and Brill Trinen and, you know, Iwata, Miyamoto.
Vinny had been asking about the Mii limit for the island (it’s 100).
Brill Trinen began his career at Nintendo translating bug reports of Ocarina of Time. His impressive fluency in Japanese moved him into Nintendo Treehouse, its localization division, as well as the coveted position of Miyamoto’s interpreter. As of this writing, he is currently the Vice President of Play & Product Experience of Nintendo of America. [Wikipedia] [Nintendo Wiki]
1:46:00 – Stomach medicine. Give Wii U, get stomach medicine.
There’s no rhyme or reason to gift giving in this game. The player can give Miis level-up gifts such as CDs, money, and tennis rackets. [Tomodachi Life Wiki – Level-Up Gifts]
In return, Miis will give the player gifts to be used with other Miis, such as sewing machines, hypnotizers, and disposable cameras. [Tomodachi Life Wiki – Gifts]
The Wii U was Nintendo’s sixth console and its lowest selling device. The embedded touchscreen on the Wii U GamePad enabled players to game away from a TV. Its successor, the Switch, adopted and improved on these features. [Nintendo Wiki – Wii U]
1:47:35 – Shit! I wanted the Virtual Boy!
Upon successfully completing a request, winning a mini-game, or viewing a dream, Miis will reward the player with a treasure, a special gift which can later be used to sell at the Pawn Shop for funds, or in a Mii’s romantic confession to another. [Tomodachi Life Wiki – Treasures]
Among these treasures is the Virtual Boy, the notorious 32-bit “””VR””” console that stands (on its odd stilts) as one of Nintendo’s biggest embarrassments—more so than the Wii U. Regardless of its shortcomings, the history behind its development is fascinating: Fast Company – Unraveling the Enigma of Nintendo’s Virtual Boy, 20 Years Later
1:55:47 – Okay, Waluigi. I’ve got good news. Good news! I’ve got new clothes for you!
An impression of Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, the exceedingly decrepit scientist and founder of the Planet Express delivery company in Futurama.
2:10:58 – Thanks, I’ll take your cough medicine now. Do you have enemas? ’cause I–I really love t-to have an enema.
*sigh* I thought about skipping this one. But, no, I’m already committed. This can’t be worse than describing felching…
An enema is where fluid is injected into the lower intestine to induce defecation and cleanse the tract. This can be used to relieve constipation, prepare for a medical procedure, administer medication, or prepare for (or be a part of) intimate acts. Use your imagination to fill in the blanks for that last one. Fluids used are typically a saline solution, but people have been known to also use… you know what, how about you keep using that imagination of yours. It probably needs the exercise.
2:12:02 – I wanted to do “You shouldn’t have done that,” but i-it won’t fit. So w-what else do you have… any suggestions?
One of the problems the player can solve for Miis is giving them phrases to say depending on what mood they’re in. There is a character limit, so players have to be economically creative. Vinny couldn’t use the “You shouldn’t have done that” line from the BENDrowned creepypasta. [Tomodachi Life Wiki – Phrases]
2:12:16 – “Soi soi soi soi soi”? Yeah, let’s do that, that’s good.
From the “my roflcopter goes soi soi soi soi” meme, a relic from 2000s internet culture. “Soi” is pronounced “swa,” but the TL voice synthesizer pronounces it “soy”. [Know Your Meme – ROFLCopter]
2:13:02 – “A horrible… fate.” Yeah, that works.
Vinny gives Ben the Happy Mask Salesman’s iconic line from Majora’s Mask as his mad phrase. The original phrase is, “You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”
2:32:35 – [Synthesized voice singing.] Somebody once told me / The double-u-r-l-d was gonna roll me”
Miis can receive songs to perform in the Concert Hall. Much to the joy of devious gamers, these can be modified, with the pervertedly creative using their skills to bypass the world filter.
Vinny was modifying the opera song to include lyrics for Smash Mouth’s “All Star”. Just like with the phrase maker, the song maker had character limits, so Vinny took out a few letters and combined words. The game’s AI is smart… ish. It still mispronounced and stumbled over words. Bless its virtual heart, it would try so hard with long strings of special characters… which, of course, Vinny did carry out.
2:46:27 – [Chuckling.] Clown. Shrunkhead. Jackie Chan.
Like it or not, clowns are a staple in the Vinesauce universe. Yes, this character in the Mii Maker will be brought over to the island, and, yes, he will become a fan favorite, so, yes, get used to it.
Commonly depicted as being a practice among jungle-dwelling natives, head shrinking was a worldwide practice. It probably derived from ancient beliefs of the human soul or power residing in the head. So what better way to gain it than by turning your enemy’s head into an oversized keychain? [Britannica – Topic: shrunken head]
For extra gruesome fun: Smithsonian Magazine – How Does One Actually Shrink a Head
Jackie Chan (full name Chan Kong-sang) is a martial artist, actor, stuntman, writer, director, and producer best known for slapstick action comedies. His influence extends to modern movies and video games, such as The Matrix to Uncharted. Random fun fact: Chan inspired the creation of Rotten Tomatoes. Senh Duong, one of the creators and a dedicated Chan fan, developed the site in just two weeks in anticipation of the release of Rush Hour. [Wikipedia – Jackie Chan]
2:58:34 – Uh, Ralph? I don’t know if I can put Ralph in this, because he’s… he’s blue. And I dunno if you can actually have blue people.
Despite the endless possibilities of weird amalgamations for Mii facial structures, the game keeps skin colors limited to a real world palette.
Ralph Bluetawn was an avatar Vinny created for Second Life and quickly became a Vinesauce favorite, though he’s not mentioned as much these days. As described, Ralph is blue, but also has a dislocated jaw from a car accident, loves pizza, and is on a constant search for the buvvins. Ralph does make his way to the island in a future episode. [Vinesauce Wiki – Ralph Bluetawn]
(Of course Vinesauce has a wiki. What doesn’t have a wiki these days?)
What a lovely revisit of cherished memories. Perhaps they’re some of your cherished memories as well. If not, maybe they’ll become just that once you watch the entire Tomodachi Life playlist. C’mon, I just know you want to see what other neighbors Vinny added to his secluded hell paradise helladise.
While watching this series for the first time all those years ago, I came to understand the appeal of soap operas. Unlike the godawful ones our mothers used to watch back in the day, “my story” here was weird, hilarious, and even touching at times. Even though he had minimal control due to the game’s design, Vinny somehow managed to direct an engaging dramedy. (And I do mean minimal control. Waluigi and Witch did marry, and, true to his Italian heritage, Vinny nagged them to have kids.)
As you guessed, no, this wasn’t the first Vinesauce video I ever watched, but it had to have been very close to when I began watching Vinny. In fact, this must have cemented a sort of regular schedule with watching his VODs.
Speaking of the man himself… some things seem to happen for a reason. I wanted to get this post done last month. How tidy it would be to have a Questening post for every month. Last month, life-related tasks kept popping up and I came down with a spring cold. But all things considered, the timing was perfect to have this finished around May 12th—Vinny’s birthday.
So happy birthday to the man who created one of the best timewasters I ever found. Too bad I don’t have an island in the middle of the ocean to give you, or cold medicine or white bread. This cruddy retrospective of one of your most popular classics will have to do. (Could be worse, I could have been compelled to write Grey Leno fanfic.)
As for the Questening, reader, I’ve barely made a dent. You knew that already. You also already know what happens in modern RPGs: sidequests. A crap ton of sidequests.
It’s time that I had one in the form of an old-ish video I’ve seen recently. Perhaps something that had Vinny temporarily giving up his sedentary lifestyle and waving something other than a 3DS around.