I Finished A Video Game

Hey everyone Around a month ago I shared that I'd been diagnosed with skin cancer and was unfortunately having a really tough time dealing with the diagnosis and treatment - both physically and mentally. The outpouring of support and kindness since I opened up about my situation has been unbelievable and to be totally honest - it's made a huge difference to mine and Steph's mental health. Thank you to everyone who's reached out with messages of support, commented kind words or kept me in their prayers. It really does mean the world. ----- So that being said - I want to give a little back and so tonight, to celebrate the channel hitting 150k subscribers, I've arranged a special one-off stream with a whole load of special guests. At 7.30PM BST - I'll be going live to give you a bit more detail about my situation and let you know when you can expect the next video. Then at 8.00PM BST - I'll be joined by a band of video essay vagabonds - Majuular, YourFavoriteSon, That Boy Aqua, Sean Seanson and later on Monty Zander. We'll not only be answering your questions but getting stuck into a little gameshow I've devised - VIDEO ESSAYS VS VIDEO GAMES - three rounds of absurd nonsense to decide who is the ultimate YouTube video game know it all. It's been a tough few months so I'm hoping this is just the pick me up I need. Hopefully see you there - link is down below! Much love, Matt

So unfortunately I've got a spot of bad news to share with you all. This is a long post but it's also a very important one. You might have noticed that it's been a fair while since I announced Onimusha - A Lengthy Retrospective and even longer since the last full video released so I figured it was time to open up about what's been happening. A few months ago I was diagnosed with melanoma (skin cancer) on my left knee. The state of healthcare in my country is very poor right now so actually getting treatment was a very frustrating process and ultimately ended up costing me a lot of money. Thankfully my consultant and surgeon were excellent and they believed that surgery was all I should require in order to make a full recovery. That happened around a month ago and while it meant I was basically immobile for three weeks - I've healed up nicely and was feeling much more positive. Unfortunately today I received my follow up test results and it appears that the initial solution wasn't enough. The excised growth needs to be sent off for a further round of molecular testing and I've been recommended for another surgery to remove even more of the area. Thankfully the statistics are on my side and once I have this follow up surgery, the chance of the cancer spreading or recurring are dramatically reduced. Still - because of the location - the recovery from the surgery isn't exactly easy and I won't lie - the anxiety from going through all this has played havoc on my mind. ----- Obviously this has made finishing the next video extremely hard. I've worked when I can but trying to produce something at the level you've come to expect isn't easy when you're fully healthy and can be borderline impossible when you're wracked with worry and recovering from surgery. Since I'd recovered from the first surgery, I had hoped to release this video on April 7th but that's all going to be completely dependant on when my next surgery is booked for and what workload I'm able to take on. Hopefully it all lines up and I'm able to get it out but I want to make sure there was an explanation out there and that you all understood what was causing the delays. To everyone who has sent messages of support to me and Steph - please know it's hugely appreciated and has made a massive difference to my mental state. To everyone who's supported the channel via Patreon and allowed me to keep paying my bills during this period - I can never repay your kindness. Hopefully my next update will be a lot more positive and we'll able to look forward to a future full of all the weird and beautiful video game stories yet to told. Much love, Matt

A quick reminder that I published a surprise video this week - A Lengthy Review of the latest Prince of Persia game. It's a little different to my usual videos but considering the series is what got me started on YouTube, I figured it would be a nice way to look back at what's happened to the series in the last two years! It's a long look at the studio behind the game, where it fits into the franchise and how it holds up as a Metroidvania If you're interested the link is below! Thanks for watching!

AN IMPORTANT CHANNEL UPDATE As we're now well into a new year - I thought it was high time I updated you all about the next retrospective. So here it is! ONIMUSHA - A LENGTHY RETROSPECTIVE We're heading back into the world of tragic video game franchises with this Sengoku samurai classic from Capcom! The video will be covering every single main series game, the ports and remakes, the spin offs, both the manga and anime and should be about as comprehensive as is possible to produce! It's a story that takes us to a great many places - the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, MegaMan's difficult transition into 3D, Bill Gates striking video game deals, Final Fantasy in handheld and many more interesting points of curiosity So far it's been a blast to put together and I think I've managed to uncover some extremely interesting perspectives (we've even been translating Japanese sources for what I believe is the first time ever into English!) so I'm super excited to share this with everyone and introduce some new people to this strange franchise. Currently I'm aiming to release it around the middle of February but I'm working extremely hard to try and bring that forward and will, of course, have more updates when I have a clear picture of the release date. ----- As ever - previews and early access will be available through Patreon along with an exclusive video I released a few weeks ago where I ranked and re-reviewed every game I covered in 2023 (and the next episode of the Bonus Damage podcast which comes out next week) Here is the link! - https://patreon.com/IFinishedAVideoGame Similarly if you'd like more general updates or would just like to chat with some like minded people, feel free to join the Discord or follow me on X (dear god, did I really write that) https://twitter.com/IFinishedAGame https://discord.gg/G6dCeV85AB See you very soon! Matt!

So in case you missed it - here is a reminder that I released a new video last Sunday - METROID A LENGTHY RETROSPECTIVE It's an exploration of the entire franchise, which spans four decades and sixteen games, and aims to explore how a series can be so influential while constantly flirting with extinction This was three months of my life so I hope I've done Samus justice - enjoy! ----- In other channel news, I'll be streaming next week on Wednesday to discuss the next retrospective and answer any questions you have about this video or the channel in general - nothing is off limits! It'll be at 8PM GMT right here on YouTube so see you there Beyond that - I am about to upload the first Bonus Damage Podcast over on Patreon which features me and my boys - SEAN SEANSON and MAJUULAR attempting to talk about Vagrant Story (and becoming completely derailed in rambling conversation about the entire industry and the history of JRPGs) It'll be live in just about an hour so if you'd like to check it out - you can support the channel through the link below! https://www.patreon.com/IFinishedAVideoGame See you next week!

AN IMPORTANT CHANNEL UPDATE On December 3rd at 18:00 GMT I'll be publishing METROID - A LENGTHY RETROSPECTIVE It's a big franchise and it's a big video. The final cut is around six and a half hours long and covers quite literally every single element of the Metroid franchise . The games, the spin offs, the comics, the manga, the studios, the consoles, the creators, the industry, the fans and the genre. No stone has been left unturned. The aim has been to tell the story of not only of Metroid's cycle of rise and fall but to explore it's role in Nintendo's wider history and our relationship with iconic characters. It's about as comprehensive as is physically possible and I hope you enjoy it! ON THAT NOTE - the first part of the video will be going live over on Patreon TODAY. If you can't wait to watch - check out the link below. It makes a huge difference in keeping this channel going so thank you from the bottom of my heart. https://patreon.com/IFinishedAVideoGame Much love, Matt

AN IMPORTANT CHANNEL UPDATE It's been a month since Vagrant Story released so I thought it was about time to let you in on the next major project - METROID: A LENGTHY RETROSPECTIVE Metroid is one of the most iconic video game series of all time but the story of its success is much more complex than you might realise. This is going to be a pretty long video that's going to cover all 16 video game releases along with lots of supplementary material and of course - it'll go deep into the characters behind its creation. At the moment it's around half way done so I'm aiming to release it in early November - hopefully that's not too long to wait but I'm pretty sure it'll be worth it. So far I'm very happy with how it's shaping up and think people are going to be surprised at some of the stories I've uncovered! ----- In the meantime, you can find me over on Twitch every Sunday evening where we are currently playing through the DEAD SPACE REMAKE. I've actually been enjoying streaming quite a bit - compared to the videos it's very low key and relaxed (somehow in contrast to the game). If that sounds like your kind of thing, you're more than welcome to come hang out https://www.twitch.tv/ifinishedavideogame Otherwise - I'll see you all in a handful of weeks! Peace, Matt

In case you missed it's upload thanks to YouTube's strange home page design, here is a reminder that a week ago I dropped a new retrospective about the classic PlayStation 1 RPG - VAGRANT STORY It's an exploration of one of the most unique and cinematic games ever made and an investigation into the career of the man behind its creation, Yasumi Matsuno. I think it might well be the most complex video I've ever put out - full to the brim with mysteries, confusion and wonder - hopefully enough to transport you into this world of ambitious development that we now rarely see. So far the response has been really amazing (especially for what is such a niche video) so if you're yet to see it - please check it out! ----- In other news, tonight I'll be starting the first of what will be a weekly stream over on Twitch. It all kicks off at 8PM BST (which is 3PM EDT and 1PM PDT) and will be the spiritual successor to the streams I've infrequently done here on YouTube. We're going to play through some classic games, talk YouTube and its many oddities and generally just hang out at the end of the week. It should be quite fun so hopefully some of you will make the long journey from this platform over there! Here is the link for those who are interested - https://www.twitch.tv/ifinishedavideogame ----- News on the next retrospective should be coming in the next few weeks. In the meantime, keep it real and I'll speak to you all very soon! Matt

Vagrant Story Retrospective | An Extremely Comprehensive Critique and History

I Finished A Video Game

7 months ago • 1,215,703 views

So you might have noticed that in the last few days I Finished A Video Game hit the frankly ludicrous milestone of 100,000 subscribers... Ironically, given what I do for a living, I'm somewhat at a loss for what to say other than thank you. When I started making strange videos about old video games I had zero expectations that this would ever be a "thing" so to be sitting here 18 months later, doing it full time with six digits worth of subs is just unreal. To celebrate - I'll be doing a little stream on Tuesday 22nd at 8PM BST. The idea is that it'll be an open Q&A where you're free to ask whatever you want with no restrictions whatsoever - I'll answer everything as honestly and openly as I can and hopefully it'll get a little spicy If you want to pre-drop your question there is a thread up in the Discord but otherwise - see you in the link below! https://youtube.com/live/LsRwKEHE8d8 Top guy out, Matt

AN IMPORTANT CHANNEL UPDATE On August 27th at 6PM I'll be publishing VAGRANT STORY - A LENGTHY RETROSPECTIVE. It's another video that I've wanted to make for a long time and hopefully it should really captivate you, even if you're familiar with the game already! We'll be exploring the life and work of it's creator Yasumi Matsuno, discussing the tragic turn his career took and, of course, we'll decode everything about his cinematic fantasy masterpiece from it's music to it's translation to it's complex web of gameplay systems. In my opinion, it's one of the most interesting games ever created so fingers crossed it makes for a thrilling watch! Also I'd like to apologise for how long this one has taken. I had intended to publish this just six weeks after Indiana Jones but sadly I came down with an ear infection which delayed recording/editing. Honestly, I think I've been pushing it a little too hard this year so I'm going to take a weeks holiday to recharge and then with any luck, this should lead to more steady releases - maybe one video every two months with a view to covering bigger topics. Feel free to complain in the comments - hopefully the video earns your forgiveness! ----- In addition to this, the following week on August 31st at 9PM BST - I'll be restarting the stream over on Twitch. It's taken me awhile to mull it over but I think I'd prefer to keep the stream and videos separate - so from now on (Thursdays and Sundays) that's the place where you'll be able to find any live IFAVG content. The link is below if you'd like to follow but I'll also post a reminder in case you miss it. https://www.twitch.tv/ifinishedavideogame The first game I'll be streaming is Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time as a fun throwback to the very first retrospective and then we'll see where the journey takes us! VODs will be available on an archive channel (link will be posted once something is uploaded) ----- Final thing to bring up is a small numbers update! Incredibly, the channel is now just 1200 subscribers away from reaching the promised land of 100k subs. I won't count my chickens too early but it's looking like it's certainly going to happen now so expect many celebrations when we finally hit that milestone. A huge thanks to you all for being part of that. Hopefully I can continue to make videos that interest you for a long time yet. Peace all, Matt

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I Finished A Video Game