Created by ICOM, played on SNES

Abject Suffering Episode 16 (8/1/2013)

Recommended by Brad Carey

Randomization

Kole digs up a century egg buried by one of his ancestors. Kole opens it up, and they point out the terrible smell. The smell makes Kole see Road Runner's Death Valley Rally.

Gary: Hold on, let me make a message real quick on my Netbook. *typing sounds* There we go.
Kole: What did you type?
Gary: Oh, fuck.

Summary

The game and show are introduced. Gary supposes that if there was a God, that this game was made because he complained about Sonic. They complain about how zoomed in the graphics are, making it hard to play. Death Valley Rally is unfavorably compared to the Sonic the Hedgehog games. Gary and Kole point out that in the scheme of Abject Suffering, this isn't nearly as bad as a lot of other games. Kole confuses scorpions for crabs. Many aspects of gameplay are poorly-done and discussed. Gary is confused about who cares about the Roadrunner. Kole watched a lot of Loony Toons as a kid and loved them because he's unstuck in time. They discuss Kole's weird time thing for a while, and Loony Toons fans in general. Kole likes how Roadrunner cartoons have a strict sense of rules. They do not know who cares about Mickey Mouse. They discuss the popularity of various cartoons circa the release of this game. Kole talks about studying animation as part of his job. Kole talks about how Roadrunner was a response to chase cartoons. Kole talks about going to the UAW hall to watch old cartoons as a kid. Gary and Kole have mixed feelings about Gumby.

Kole loves the Roadrunner's character design. Gary doesn't enjoy slapstick. Kole continues to explain why he likes Roadrunner cartoons, citing the reference to it in the film UHF. Gary thinks that this could be a pilot for a show along the lines of the Earwolf podcast Analyze Phish. They discuss this game's place in the SNES canon. Kole never finished the first level, Gary couldn't get past the first boss. This game has a terrible offensive vocabulary. Both hosts rented this game as a kid, Gary is deeply confused about why he rented this. Gary supposes that maybe he rented it because he watched Tiny Toons at the time; Kole incorrectly states that Tiny Toons did not have a Roadrunner or Wile E. Coyote analogue (somehow forgetting Calamity Coyote and Little Beeper). The hosts discuss the biases of prejudice and nostalgia, comparing this to masturbation and the Simpsons. Gary talks about his friend's love of the Cosby show, and Kole interjects that he'd rather watch the Wire; Kole states that he'd rather watch All in the Family because it's more provocative despite being a superficially similar show. Kole tells a story about how he worked out of Bill Cosby's old dressing room when he was an intern. Kole did not find Cosby's gold, which he thinks is a myth.

The game is ultimately judged to be below average. They like some aspects of the game, such as buttons that just let the Roadrunner make its trademark "meep meep" and tongue noises. The game manages to recreate some animation gags in game form, which is praised. This game is not as funny as Catch-22. Gary compares his and Kole's appreciation of humor to dodge rolls in Demon's and Dark Souls. Kole compares their constant references to Souls to the snail from Adventure Time. Kole and Gary monday morning quarterback some ways this could be a better game. Kole tells Gary about the good Duck Amuck game on Nintendo DS. Gary talks about the Errant Signal about licensed games again. Kole points out that ICOM made the Macventure games, then some terrible licensed side scrollers. Kole loves the Addams Family.

This game does not have much GameFAQs presence.

Brad Carey is told to fudge himself.

Signoff

Gary: Meep meep.
Kole: I'll just put in the Roadrunner sound. [Roadrunner sound]
Gary: Don't you mean meep meep?
Kole: No, that cork sound.
Gary: They just paid me for one meep.
Kole: Then they doubled it in post, the cheap bastards.

Other bad games referenced

Shaq-Fu
Kid Kool
Felix the Cat
The Uncanny X-Men
The Addams Family
Bubsy
Bubsy II
Bubsy 3D
Wayne's World

Inside Jokes

Steak? - Gary references steak? at the beginning of the episode.
Kole's Childhood - Kole talks about watching old films at the UAW hall as a kid.
Kole is Unstuck in Time - Kole's love of media from generations past is a constant topic.
Dark Souls - Gary compares his and Kole's appreciation of humor to the differences in granularity between rolls in Demon's Souls and Dark Souls.