The History Of The Word Metroidvania And How It Spread Critical Kate (of A Critical Hit!) 2026-09-23 | The History Of The Word Metroidvania And How It Spread
Mario Origins: New Details About The Making Of Donkey Kong Critical Kate (of A Critical Hit!) 2023-12-04 | Before he was known as Super Mario, he was Little Mario, protagonist of Donkey Kong. But originally the game was going to star Popeye The Sailor. And most surprisingly, the jumping mechanic probably wasn't designer Shigeru Miyamoto's idea.► Help this channel reach its first 10K subscribers by hitting "Subscribe"► Support this channel on Patreon: patreon.com/acriticalhit ► Follow me on social media: katewillaert.com/link-treeCOMPLETE SOURCES & CREDITS:acriticalhit.com/hidden-influences-mario-how-popeye-game-became-donkey-kong/#sources 0:00 Cold Open1:00 Bailing Out Nintendo Of America4:00 Replacing Radar Scope6:34 Contracting Ikegami Tsushinki10:11 Making Mario12:10 But Why Not Mickey Mouse?MUSIC:○ Fast Talking○ Cool Vibes○ Backed Vibes Clean○ Spy Glass○ Deadly Roulette○ Dances And Dames○ Walking Along○ Faster Does It○ The Descent○ Fearless First○ I Knew A Guy by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0(creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)○ Popeye The Sailorman by Spinach Power
Metroid Origins: This Japanese Manga Inspired The Creature Critical Kate (of A Critical Hit!) 2022-12-13 | In a previous installment, Critical Kate explored possible influences on Samus Aran, but what about influences on the titular Metroid creatures themselves? If space jellyfish in video games go as far back as Space Invaders and jellyfish in science fiction go as far back as War Of The Worlds and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, who's to say what really inspired what? Maybe WarioWare Twisted's Mewtroid mini-game (known as Nekoroid in Japan) can offer a hint.Watch this video first: youtube.com/watch?v=dGwWpbHLcXUJacob Geller's underwater video: youtube.com/watch?v=ZOEaUD82GlI► Want to help this new channel reach its first 10K followers? Subscribe: bit.ly/3qKDFYh► Support this channel on Patreon: patreon.com/acriticalhit► Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/katewillaert0:00 Cold Open0:26 More Cobra Connections1:20 Space Jellyfish3:10 The Big Cobra Connection4:36 The Psychogun & MewtroidCOMPLETE SOURCES & CREDITS:acriticalhit.com/samus-aran-origins-revisited-the-metroid-creatureMUSIC:○ Rollin At 5○ Backed Vibes Clean○ Spy Glass○ I Knew A Guy All songs by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0(creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)
How TV Tropes Changed The Meaning Of Trope | Etymology (“Commonly Misused Words” Explained) Critical Kate (of A Critical Hit!) 2022-01-29 | Thanks to TV Tropes, you've probably been using the word "trope" wrong for most of your life. But don't be alarmed! Language is evolving all the time, and its perfectly natural for words to change in meaning. Unless people still find the original meaning useful, such as "irony," where grammar snobs fought back when Alanis Morissette's hit song "Ironic" nearly sealed in a new meaning. Or the case of "literally," a word that can now either mean literally *or* figuratively, because so many people have used the word "literally" ironically, i.e. using it to mean its opposite for dramatic effect. Which is a trope. Confused yet? Just watch the video and it'll all be much clearer.► Want to help this new channel reach its first 10K followers? Subscribe! bit.ly/3qKDFYh► Support this channel on Patreon! patreon.com/acriticalhit► Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com/katewillaertCOMPLETE SOURCES & CREDITS:acriticalhit.com/how-tv-tropes-changed-the-meaning-of-tropeMUSIC:○ Deadly Roulette○ Spy Glass○ I Knew A GuyAll songs by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0(creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)#etymology #literally #tvtropes
Samus Aran Origins: Metroids Influences Beyond Alien | Hardboiled History (Hidden Influences) Critical Kate (of A Critical Hit!) 2021-11-19 | Everyone knows Metroid was inspired by the movie Alien, but what about its other influences? Who did "Samus Is A Girl" before Samus? Why does Adam call Samus "Lady" in Metroid Dread? Were Metroid and Zelda inspired by Rareware games? Why does Samus fight a Mother Brain? Where does Samus' first name come from? What does "Metroid" mean? Why does Adam call Samus "Lady" in Metroid Dread? What is a "bailey"? Who was the first character with an arm canon? And why can't Metroid crawl? Critical Kate explores the overlooked retro gaming history.► Want to help this new channel reach its first 10K followers? Subscribe: bit.ly/3qKDFYh► Support this channel on Patreon: patreon.com/acriticalhit► Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/katewillaert0:00 Cold Open & Spoiler Warning0:42 Introduction1:25 Big Reveal (Baraduke, Alien, Nausicaa, Return Of The Jedi)5:25 Gameplay (Adventure, Zelda, Underwurlde, Rare Replay)11:06 End Boss (Section Z, Gradius, Lensman, Lupin III)15:16 Samus Aran I (Zero Suit, Justin Bailey, Athena, Mega Man, Astro Boy)20:10 Samus Aran II (Space Cobra, Metroid Dread, Barbarella)COMPLETE SOURCES & CREDITS:acriticalhit.com/samus-aran-origins-metroids-influences-beyond-alienMUSIC:○ Fast Talking○ Cool Vibes○ Backed Vibes Clean○ Spy Glass○ Deadly Roulette○ Dances And Dames○ Walking Along○ Faster Does It○ The Descent○ Fearless First○ I Knew A Guy All songs by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0(creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)#Metroid #SamusAran #MetroidDread
How To Make Any Font Feel As Easy To Read As Comic Sans | NaNoWriMo Tips & Tricks Critical Kate (of A Critical Hit!) 2021-11-01 | Having trouble trying to concentrate while reading or writing? The problem might be due to too many characters per line. Instead of turning to Comic Sans for NaNoWriMo (though you certainly can if you want), here's a trick that can make any font easier to read. This optimizing tip can help when writing novels, documents, scripts, or even emails!► Want to help this new channel reach its first 10K followers? Subscribe! bit.ly/3qKDFYh► Support this channel on Patreon! patreon.com/acriticalhit► Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com/katewillaertCOMPLETE SOURCES & CREDITS:acriticalhit.com/nanowrimo-comic-sans-trick-with-any-fontMUSIC:○ Hard Boiled○ George Street Shuffle○ I Knew A GuyAll songs by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0(creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)#ComicSans #NaNoWriMo #WritingHacks
Why The First Playable Women Of The 80s Were Naked | Video Dames (Streaking / Beat Em & Eat Em) Critical Kate (of A Critical Hit!) 2021-09-06 | In Video Dames #0, Critical Kate looks at how the streaking fad of the '70s led to the creation of the very first on-screen playable female characters of the '80s (one existed in the '70s, but only one). Shoei's Streaking was distributed in the US by Computer Games Inc. in Alabama and Computer Kinetics Corp. in Los Angeles, and may've inspired the creation of adult video games on the Atari 2600. The first of these, a line called Mystique Presents Swedish Erotica by American Multiple Industries, included playable female characters in the game Beat 'Em & Eat 'Em. The following year, PlayAround introduced more naked ladies in Gigalo, Jungle Fever, Lady In Wading, Bachelorette Party, and a Europe-exclusive gender-swap of Custer's Revenge called General Re-Treat.► Want to help this new channel reach its first 10K followers? Subscribe! bit.ly/3qKDFYh► Support this channel on Patreon! patreon.com/acriticalhit► Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com/katewillaert0:00 Content Warning0:10 Cold Open0:59 A History Of Streaking3:34 Streaking (1981) by Shoei7:13 Streaker (1981) by Computer Games Inc.11:00 Stripper (1982) for Americana by Computer Kinetics Corp.13:38 Content Warning13:45 Mystique Presents Swedish Erotica: Beat 'Em & Eat 'Em18:36 EpilogueCOMPLETE SOURCES & CREDITS:acriticalhit.com/video-dames-0-why-the-first-playable-women-of-the-80s-were-nakedMORE ABOUT MYSTIQUE & PLAYAROUND:kotaku.com/porno-hustlers-of-the-atari-age-1847622176MUSIC: ○ Into The Void○ Night Dweller○ The Visitor○ Tyrell Corporation○ Mysterious Green Fluid○ The Guardian○ Darkfall ○ Night Of The Creeps All songs by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio, except:○ Naked & FamousBy The Presidents Of The United States Of America#Streaking #CustersRevenge #VideoDames
The True First Easter Egg: Ready Player One Was Wrong | Hardboiled History (Its Not Atari Adventure) Critical Kate (of A Critical Hit!) 2021-04-04 | Despite what Ready Player One might lead you to believe, the first Easter Egg in a video game wasn't in Atari Adventure. Early eggs have been found in the Atari arcade Starship 1, as well as in Video Whizball and Spitfire for Fairchild's Channel F. But Critical Kate has discovered the true first Easter Egg goes back even further, to an obscure vector computer called the GT-40, whose killer app was a game called Moonlander. Once a forgotten bit of lost media, footage of Moonlander has never appeared anywhere on the internet...until now.► Want to help this new channel reach its first 10K followers? Subscribe! bit.ly/3qKDFYh► Support this channel on Patreon! patreon.com/acriticalhit► Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com/katewillaert0:00 Cold Open0:25 Ready Player One Was Wrong1:17 Exploring Atari Adventure2:52 Backwards As Fast As We Can (Video Whizball, Starship 1, and Spitfire)5:56 One Small Step...One Giant Leap (Moonlander)8:57 The Origin Of The Term Easter Egg 10:28 Conclusion (Lunar Lander)COMPLETE SOURCES & CREDITS:acriticalhit.com/ready-player-one-was-wrong-the-first-easter-eggs-in-video-gamesMORE INFO ABOUT MOONLANDER:acriticalhit.com/moonlander-one-giant-leap-for-game-designMUSIC:○ Fast Talking○ Cool Vibes○ Backed Vibes Clean○ Walking Along○ Unseen Horrors○ Faster Does It○ Dances And Dames○ I Knew A Guy All songs by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0(creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)#EasterEggs #Atari #ReadyPlayerOne
Introduction To Video Dames: A History Of Female Characters (And Which Video Game Did It First?) Critical Kate (of A Critical Hit!) 2021-03-15 | An introduction and mission statement to Video Dames, a new 50-part series by Critical Kate exploring the history of playable female protagonists in video games. But before we get to the '80s game heroines, this video sets the stage with a brief history of the first games starring human-shaped sprites. Only one video game in the '70s allowed you to play a woman, an arcade game by Exidy called Score, but it was also the first game to include a gender select option. Unfortunately, Score remains an obscure piece of video game lost media. No footage or screenshots of the game currently exist of the first ever playable woman character.► Want to help this new channel reach its first 10K followers? Subscribe! bit.ly/3qKDFYh► Support this channel on Patreon! patreon.com/acriticalhit► Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com/katewillaert0:00 Explaining The Series0:48 Explaining The Criteria1:46 The History Of Playable Human Characters1:55 Moonlander (1973)2:13 Taito's Basketball (1974) & Western Gun (1975)2:34 Shark JAWS (1975) & Exidy's Score (1977)2:58 The History Of Exidy's Score4:03 Next Episode...COMPLETE SOURCES & CREDITS:acriticalhit.com/video-dames-the-history-of-playable-female-protagonistsMUSIC: ○ Into The Void○ Night Dweller○ Tyrell Corporation○ Darkfall ○ Nexus 6○ Night Of The Creeps All songs by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio#WomenInVideoGames #FemaleProtagonists #VideoDames
Wild Gunman 74: Nintendos Forgotten First FMV Game | Hardboiled History (Arcade Lost Media) Critical Kate (of A Critical Hit!) 2021-02-22 | Not to be confused with the Wild Gunman arcade game in Back To The Future, Critical Kate explores the history of Wild Gunman (1974), the first ever FMV game, a live-action Western shooter before Mad Dog McCree, only it used 16mm film instead of digitized footage. Wild Gunman was also the first Nintendo game ever released in America, although it was initially distributed to arcades by SEGA. Which is ironic, since Nintendo was originally going to call the arcade game Gun Fight, the name of an electro-mechanical arcade game by SEGA. Nintendo ended up releasing an entire line of these 35mm film games, including Sky Hawk (1976), Battle Shark (1977), and Test Driver (1978), but today these are largely forgotten and among Nintendo's lost media. Here's hoping it might one day come to the Nintendo Switch as an Arcade Archives title.► Enjoy forgotten gaming history? Subscribe! bit.ly/3qKDFYh► Support this channel on Patreon! patreon.com/acriticalhit► Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com/katewillaert0:00 Cold Open0:17 Wild Gunman: The First Nintendo Game In America0:58 Mad Dog McCree (1990) & Dragon's Lair (1983)2:43 Here's How It Worked4:37 Wild Gunman In Gas (1981)6:44 Let's Talk About Preservation8:14 Credits SlideshowCOMPLETE SOURCES & CREDITS:acriticalhit.com/wild-gunman-74-the-forgotten-first-fmv-gameMUSIC:○ Fast Talking○ Cool Vibes○ Backed Vibes Clean○ Walking Along○ Dances And Dames○ I Knew A Guy All songs by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0(creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)#WildGunman #Nintendo #FMVGames
