T w e n t y S i d e d

It’s the 28th of January. You know what that means?

It’s overwhelming, really, to look at the calendar and realise that we’ve been doing Spoiler Warning for two years now. It certainly doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. Heck, to me, it seems like just a few months ago that I ran the marathon editing session for the hilarious first anniversary episode of Amnesia: The Dark Descent. And that episode is still, in my mind, neck and neck with Railroad to Nowhere for our very best work on this series.

Then again, looking back on our very first episodes, they certainly seems like a world away from what we do now. For the editing of this episode I ended up digging deep back in my archives and watching a bit of the end of the first season and beginning of the second, and I was cringing the entire way through. Awkward pauses large enough to drive a vertibird through, terrible image quality, poor editing. It’s a wonder we stuck with it long enough for things to get out of those dark ages. But get through them we did, and look at all the games we’ve covered since! Deus Ex is our seventh full game, and we’ve nearly covered an eighth with our randomly scheduled off-time episodes of Half Life 2. That’s almost four games per year.

Still, as cringe-worthy as it is to look back at the early episodes, it also highlights, to me, how much really has improved – both between us as a group and our ability to deliver interesting commentary and humor simultaneously without tripping all over ourselves – and also in my own abilities to properly edit the series. When Spoiler Warning started, it was just an idea I’d had – I had no idea how video editing worked, what “codecs” really were, or how to sort out all of the black magic I found myself diving headfirst into. Two years later, we have proper credit sequences, full 720p HD videos, and a much tighter flow to each every new episode. I can scarcely believe it when I remember how confused I was at the beginning.

What about you guys? What are your favorite Spoiler Warning memories from the past two years?

Josh Viel is the primary editor and producer of the Spoiler Warning video series. You can support the show by backing the Patreon.

And now for your entertainment: The Adventures of Munenari, the Ninja-Man!

In a stroke of luck, on his way through Kai province to scout for further Murakami incursions, our valiant protagonist catches sight of an enemy ninja – no doubt about to engage in some nefarious mission of sabotage or subterfuge against us! Munenari knows what he must do.

With a display of great guile and skill, he subtly sneaks into the ninja’s massive army camp and slips past his numerous, heavily armed guards. Clearly, this enemy ninja must be a master of the art to hide such a large and obvious camp so close to our forces.

Once inside, he sights his target:

The enemy ninja sits unmasked, at the center of his camp, in meditation. Munenari throws a knife, dead center at his opponent’s back, but the enemy knew he was here! He blocks it with his fan and draws his blade!

They clash!

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Josh Plays Shogun 2 Part 12: All’s Fair When Josh is Playing”

Josh Viel is the primary editor and producer of the Spoiler Warning video series. You can support the show by backing the Patreon.