New Type of Video!

Hey everyone!  Sorry I've been inactive lately.  Between injuries, a month long sickness and enjoying life, I haven't been on Youtube in a while (outside of the occasional livestream).  But while recording my newest walkthrough, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, a recent comment by a subscriber popped into my head.  He wondered why I didn't have commentary in my videos.  So an idea popped in my head and from now on, I'll be uploading my walkthroughs in two version: normal, non commentary versions, and versions with commentary!  I've already begun recording my commentary for Sonic 2 and I plan to go back to my older videos and record commentary for them (though some of the older ones are out of the question).

I hope you guys enjoy!  The commentary versions may take a while longer to get out simply because of all the commentary required to record, revise and overall make work but hopefully you will enjoy it enough to make the extra work worth it!

The boom of activity

You may have noticed my two channels have both been thriving as of late.  My main channel, Jerry Martin Gaming, has had no less than 17 new games covered in the last month with several more in the pipeline and my livestreaming channel has been thriving with at least one or two livestreams a week for the past month.  I really hope you guys are enjoying the new content I've been pushing out and I notice that a lot of new subs and comments have been making their way to the channel.  Trust me, I very much appreciate all your guys support and comments.  It makes it worthwhile.

The main reason for this push is twofold.  The first is the announcement of the SNES Classic Edition.  The system looks incredibly cool and there's a fantastic selection of games available on it when it comes out in September.  As such, I really would like to have all 21 games covered by launch.  That way, if you're lucky enough to have one, you can simply go to my channel and check out concise video walkthroughs for every one of the games on it.  As of right now, that's my main focus is to finish off the remaining titles on that list.  As of this writing, I've got 13 games left to cover, though I'm almost done recording for two more leaving it at 11.  While I'm certain I can get most games covered by then, the three remaining RPGs are what I'm most worried about.  So if I'm a little late getting those out, please forgive me.

The second is because I finally plunked down on an Elgato HD capture card, which works incredibly well and allows me to capture and livestream HD footage right from my TV and game consoles.  Because of this, I've been able to bring you more modern games like Mario Kart 8, Super Mario 3D World and Yoshi's Wooly World with a whole slew of more games in the pipeline.  While I do plan to record HD walkthroughs for these modern games (once I'm done with the SNES Classic walkthroughs), right now I've been playing through them live on my second channel, Jerry Martin Livestreams, with some hilarious results, such as a collaboration video with DoubleD and my wife.

Lastly on the update front, I finally joined Twitter.  I'm somewhat new at it but feel free to add me.  I have it linked to my Youtube so anytime there's a new video out, it will auto post and let you guys know so you can check it out.  I also hope to tweet progress about my walkthroughs or livestreams so check me out on Twitter @jerrymgaming for more info!

My next goal after everything is complete is to get a 3DS with a capture card so that I can create quality walkthroughs for any available game as well as livestream some as well.

Livestreaming: What's in Store

So with the opening of my livestreaming channel, I'm sure a lot of you are wondering just what's in store for the future.  Well, I'd like to give you a sneak peek at what I plan to livestream in the future.  Keep in mind that this isn't a definite thing, may not happen for a while and I may back out or change my mind on some of it but this is what I plan on streaming on the new channel at the moment.

• Diablo 3 (With my Fiancee)
• Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
• Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
• Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
• Final Fantasy X
• Final Fantasy XI
• Final Fantasy XII: Zodiac Age
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Final Fantasy XV
• Hatsune Miku: Project Diva
• Hatsune Miku: Project Diva 2
• Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Extend
• Hyperdimension Neptunia Re:Birth 1
• Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD
• Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 Collection
• Jackbox Party Pack
• Jackbox Party Pack 2
• Jackbox Party Pack 3
• Lego Dimensions
• Lego Worlds
• Sword Coast Legends
• Tales of Zestiria
• Unreal Tournament
• World of Final Fantasy

New channel!

If you've been on my channel lately, you've probably noticed it's been pretty stagnant lately.  This is primarily due to having been addicted to my PS4 lately, playing some fun games like FFXV, Lego Dimensions, Jackbox Party Pack and Kingdom Hearts 2.8.  However, I assure you that content is being worked on in the background it's just moving along slower than usual (mainly because I'm focusing on RPG walkthroughs at the moment which definitely take more time than usual).  I assure you that my channel is nowhere near complete as I have tons of games lined up to make walkthroughs for and play.

Readers of this blog likely saw my previous post outlining my return to FFXI after 10 years and how much fun it was.  I also mentioned livestreaming it, which I did for several nights and have every moment of my character's existence recorded (thanks to my new hard drive).  But I mentioned wondering if I should even upload it to my Youtube.  And as I got to thinking, I began to realize that that sort of playthrough wouldn't quite work for my current Youtube channel.  Primarily because my Youtube channel focuses on walkthroughs that complete games 100% in a (hopefully) concise way.  Livestreamed footage doesn't quite work with that goal.  So keen observers might notice a new subchannel: Jerry Martin Livestreams!

My new channel, Jerry Martin Livestreams, hopes to offer quality livestreams and footage in a more relaxed setting.  On this new channel, I hope to livestream a slew of games that go outside the scope of my other channel such as MMOs, Elder Scrolls and a slew of games on current and retro consoles.  We had our inaugural stream the other day in which my sister, her mom and I all played Jackbox Party Pack 2, which if you're not familiar with it, allows not only us to play but people viewing the livestream as well by connecting to the room code with their phone/tablet/computer.  It was a blast, though I hoped someone would have joined us, and the footage is available to watch on the channel if you're interested (as well as a previous livestream I did with friends and youtube viewers).

As always, this new channel (as well as my main channel) will remain focused on the games themselves and not so much me.  As I am not the greatest commentator in the world, I tend to remain quiet most of the time and let the games speak for themselves.  I do hope you'll come check out the channel though and thanks to everyone who's supported my work, whether it be my two channels on Youtube, my stories, my GameFAQs reviews and walkthroughs or just this blog in general.  Thank you and I'll see you around.

Triumphant Return to Vana'Diel

For this post, I wanted to do something a little different and talk a little about myself.  Yes, I have been noticeably absent from Youtube and my other public ventures lately and this gives perfect opportunity to explain one of the reasons I don't wish to be paid for my work.  This is because I do Youtube, GameFAQs guides/reviews and stories for fun as a hobby and I want to be able to break away from it and do something else if I wish.  Lately, I've enjoyed playing through some games and hanging out with my fiancee and it's been a blast which hasn't left me with a huge amount of free time for the above things.  And truthfully, that's the reason for the gaps between uploads.  Yes, it was true that my computer crapped out for a couple years (til I got a new one) but if there are a few month gaps between uploads it's usually because I'm doing something else I enjoy (or working on a lengthy new upload behind the scenes).  And personally, that's the way I want to keep it, not as a slight towards any subscribers or people who enjoy my content and want more but because I want to reserve the option to take a break and enjoy life every so often.  I truly appreciate everyone who subscribes, leaves a comment/feedback or simply enjoys the content I've uploaded and I am extremely grateful to all of you.  But there will be gaps in my upload schedule due to real life as that is my main priority.

So lately I've been playing games like Final Fantasy XV and spending time with my fiancee.  And the other night, my fiancee and I took a trip back to 2002/2003 to play a few homemade games I cooked up back then in RPG Maker 2000.  It was a huge blast and a big nostalgia trip for me while giving my fiancee insight into my life back then.  We both enjoyed ourselves a lot.  But one of them stuck out to me and it was a fangame I made based on Final Fantasy XI, in which you could switch to any of FF's classes, explore Windurst, Bastok, Gustaberg, San D'Oria and Jeuno (though I was still working on adding other areas) and complete a brand new quest involving uniting the three kingdoms.  It made me incredibly nostalgic for FF11 which I had quit in 2007 or 2008 (I can't remember though I'm pretty sure it was in 2007) after having played it since Christmas of 2003.

Though I loved the game, the environments and back story, I wasn't a fan of the game's 6 person level system nor did I enjoy leveling down because I would die several times and half my gear wouldn't work anymore.  I also thought the crafting system was a bit too confusing for my liking.  But still, I enjoyed playing and getting to know the people who joined my guild.  I enjoyed exploring and listening to the music.  And though I played for 4/5 years, eventually I got into other games and MMOs and stopped playing.  But during the recent Steam sale, I saw FFXI's Ultimate edition on sale and I remembered my fond memories of the game.  I also read that the game system was incredibly different and no longer required any party members to grind to max.  So I bought it.

That's where you guys come in.  If any of you watched me on Twitch yesterday, you probably saw my broadcast entitled "Returning to Vana'Diel after 10 years".  I was eager to see what had changed and what remained the same and I wanted you guys to be there with me for the ride.  It was awesome reliving the game once again and seeing all the new additions, the treasure chests, the gained EXP bonuses and dying over and over again before I finally got the trust system quest.  I was able to get up to level 11, complete several missions and explore the area around Bastok, all the while providing boring commentary and noobish information.  But it was fun.  And I have well over 5 hours of footage saved that I can upload.

But at this point, I'm not entirely sure I want to upload it.  As is, I'm a terrible commentator.  And a lot of the footage is grinding and exploring.  As you know, I try to have a clear focus and precise walkthroughs on my channel and this video was anything but (more like a let's play).  Now, I'm debating on whether to upload the entire footage as a live stream archive, edit it into a LP style video series or simply leave it on the hard drive.  Sure, I'd love to cover the game as part of the FF series but I'm afraid it'll be more than 500 parts if I keep this up and most of them will be me running around punching Quadavs.  But lemme know if you guys enjoyed the stream yesterday and whether or not that footage is something you want to see.

Now I'm off to go stream/record more footage!  Hope to see you guys there!

Q&A - October 24, 2016

It's been a while since I did a Q & A and there have been numerous changes throughout my Youtube channel and my other projects so I felt this would help.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL QUESTIONS

Q: Why did you change your channel name?  What's with the new logo and introduction?

A: This one is more personal and I have answered this live on Twitch but I'll put it down here to make it more accessible and permanent.  Steph and I broke up back in 2015 for personal reasons and as such, I felt that the moniker "Jerrynsteph4eva" was inappropriate.  Since I already had notoriety as and consistently used my name, Jerry Martin, I merely switched to that, creating the name "Jerry Martin Gaming".  To reflect this, I created a new introduction.  This was also further necessary as I would start dating my current fiancee earlier this year.

Q: What's the song that you use in your introduction?

A: It's another song I wrote specifically for the introduction.  It doesn't have a name.

Q: What is your overall goal with the channel?  What is your channel about?

A: Overall, I want to create a channel where people can visit and find concise and clear video walkthroughs that will guide you through the entire game and get pretty much all of the optional stuff in an efficient manner.  I am a completionist by nature and I try to make my videos reflect as such.  However, I will not go completely overboard (such as getting all coins in Mario or completing all of the challenges in Mega Man 9) but I will do things like find all 100 CDs in Rockman & Forte or doing warpless runs for Mario.  I try to upload these at 1080p so that they can be clearly viewed as well.  And because I want the games and how to beat them to be the center of attention on my channel, I very rarely do commentary as I don't want to draw attention to myself but rather the games in question.  Basically, I want people to come to my channel when they need help with a game so they can get past where they're stuck and keep playing or follow along with my guides so they can get 100% completion.  I also enjoy bringing obscure, imported or otherwise overlooked games into the spotlight, such as my BS Zelda series or my Yume Penguin walkthrough.  I also enjoy completing series and grouping them together, as you can tell from my Mega Man classic series, Zelda series or Mario series.

Q: Do you make any money for your videos?  Do you monetize?

A: No, I don't receive a cent for any of it.  It's merely a hobby that I enjoy doing.  I also don't plan on ever monetizing for a few reasons (legal gray area, higher expectations, feeling more like a job).  I can't say I never will but for the foreseeable future, the channel won't be monetized.  The payment I get is the enjoyment of playing through a video game and being able to help someone else with it.

Q: I notice that on some videos you have the entire game as one video while others you break up into parts.  Is there any reason for this?

A: Personally, I tend to get overzealous about uploading a new game walkthrough so I tend to do minor editing and put it online.  Also, if the game is shorter or hard to split into chunks that make sense, I'll keep them as one long playthrough (splitting Mario up into world videos would make short 3-4 minute videos that would clutter my channel whilst splitting them into 2 world chunks wouldn't make much sense).  Typically I tend to keep videos under 2 hours (and split them up if they are or longer).  But in many instances, I edit videos in a way that makes sense progression wise (such as splitting Mega Man Zero into missions or Real Myst into ages).  It really just depends on whether the game will benefit from it.  My older videos were cut into 10 minute videos merely for the fact that Youtube would not let you upload videos longer than that but since then has changed to allow longer videos.

Q: Why don't you speak in most of your videos?

A: As stated above, I want the games to be the center of attention rather than me.  I'm not exceptionally good at commentary so I tend to reserve it only when I feel it is necessary to beat a game (or on a rare occasion I want to do an LP, such as with Scribblenauts Unlimited).  I also tend to reserve it more for livestreaming on Twitch.

Q: Is there a reason you cover more retro games than modern?  Specifically the NES?

A: Not really.  I tend to cover a lot of retro games because I grew up with them and have a lot of experience with the libraries.  Regarding the NES, I typically do a lot of them because they're shorter and easier to record and as my free time is a lot less than it used to be (especially planning a wedding), I can do a few walkthroughs in the time it may take me to do a more modern game.  But that doesn't mean I've abandoned more recent games.  I was debating covering the new Tomb Raider.

Q: Why don't you livestream often?

A: The biggest reason is because I'm an organizational freak and want my videos to be clear and concise and it's hard to do that while livestreaming.  Plus I don't enjoy doing commentary as well as the non-livestream-friendly environment of my current living arrangement and growing lack of free time.

Q: What are your plans for the channel?

A: My plans for the channel at the moment are as follows.  Firstly, I want to go back to my old videos and put custom thumbnails on all of them to match my newer videos.  I also plan on adding timestamps to my older videos to ease viewers in finding what they need easier.  Content wise, at the moment, I'm working on finishing the Mega Man series.  I've just started recording Mega Man 10, Rockman & Forte 2 and Mega Man X and will likely continue by recording the remaining Zero games and completely finishing the classic series.  I also have a list of games I plan on covering (which is more concise than the one currently on the blog) and will likely continue until I run out of games, time or passion, only the middle of which is foreseeable.

Q: Do you have a favorite video?

A: There are tons of stories and quite a few videos I'm proud of.  Strong Bad would be one, as it was the first video walkthrough I completed (and I did it pretty much blind, though the editing and various other things I've grown on make me slightly cringy about it).  I like my BS Zelda walkthrough as it actually garnered the attention of Did You Know Gaming, who featured it in their Satelliview video.  Dragon Warrior is one I'm extremely proud of because I had to edit that game tremendously to get it into a presentable format (and fought with myself for a while on how to do so).  My Mega Man & Bass video is also one I'm proud of as I put a huge amount of effort into it, recording it over the course of a week and it was the first series I created custom thumbnails for.  Finally, Mega Man 9 because I recorded that game a full three times, each time with major audio and video desync, before finally discovering a way to make it work.

Q: Were there any memorable stories that came about from recording?

A: Plenty.  For example, on the Broforce co-op video, it took Baird and I hours to get everything set up.  We called each other on Skype, set up his microphone to work with the PC, fiddled with controllers and finally got it set up so the two of us could play together on the internet with both of our voices streaming.  Needless to say, the lag induced by this led to a very memorable video, with the two of us lagging to the point where we could not continue the game.  There have also been several times I thought I was recording only to find out I wasn't (or conversely recorded over something accidentally) and there was one time I forgot to pause the recording during the SMB2 All Stars recording and had to edit out over 45 minutes of down time.


GAMEFAQS QUESTIONS

Q: You've completed a lot of reviews!  Why so many?

A: My friends always used to tell me that I could sell a video game either way because I'm passionate about gaming and tend to explain what makes a game great or suck to them.  Eventually, I learned to transcribe this into words to help others make a decision about games they're on the fence about.

Q: What do you focus on when writing a review?

A: I try to list the facts about the game neutrally so that people can make their own decision based off of what the game is about.  I then interject my thoughts into it so the reader can inflect how I felt about the game.

Q: Why have your reviews/walkthroughs stopped?  Are you expecting to put out any more?

A: Predominately because my focus has shifted to my Youtube page and most of my free time goes to that.  My current environment also makes it difficult to focus to write but I do plan to do more.  To add to this, it seems like lately my reviews have been getting nothing but negative feedback (which seems to be a trend on GameFAQs) so it makes it less inviting to review.


STORIES QUESTIONS

Q: Why have there been no story updates for a while?

A: See above.  Also, when I do write, I've been writing personal projects with my fiancee.

Q: Are you planning any more stories?

A: Yes.  I do plan to do another Harvest Moon challenge and a sequel to Rural Beginnings but I haven't progressed very far with them.

Trying something new

So for a while now, I've contemplated how to publish RPG walkthroughs for my channel.  I started out livestreaming them on twitch (Final Fantasy Origins) but unfortunately ran into the problem of hours of grinding mixed with lack of commentary making the videos boring.  I then tried live commentating over Dragon Warrior and simply cutting out the video when I was grinding but I'm not much of a commentator (which is why I prefer to record my videos without commentary).  But finally, I've come up with a solution that I feel will work best for everyone.  I've recorded the entirety of the game and edited out the boring grinding segments.  In it's place, I've left text instructions (similar to my Maniac Mansion video) which explain how long to grind and where to head next.

Using this technique, I've recorded the entirety of Dragon Warrior for the NES and am currently processing the video to upload to Youtube.  The series is one of my favorites and one of the few series I've actually imported for (I have the imported versions of the first 7 games on FC, SFC and PS1) and naturally, I wanted to cover it on my channel.  But as most people who have played DW1 are aware, the game is 90% grinding and 10% gameplay/exploration.  To reiterate that, the raw footage I took from the game clocked in around 9 hours.  After editing out the grinding, the final video is about 1 hour long.  That's some serious grinding!

However, it's just the first of many RPGs I have lined up to record soon.  I plan to go back to Final Fantasy 1 (and hopefully 2-10 later) as well as finish up the Dragon Quest videos.  I'm also planning on doing the Ys series and have the first Mana game already recorded and ready to edit.  As always, however, I hope these videos are helpful and show you guys how to beat the game.  And it will not interfere with any other games.  I still plan to bring you Mega Man 9 & 10 (and the X series), Zelda: OoT, Super Mario World 2, etc.