Image via Complex Original
Intro
Video games aren't just for consoles. You knew that, or else you wouldn't be reading this list. But there are those who haven't been enlightened in the way of the video game web series. They don't realize there is free entertainment (comics too, like we already showed you) revolving around their favorite games they could be devouring right now on their phones, laptops, or other mobile devices. But we do. That's why we're bringing you fifteen of the funniest video game web series around.
Whether they feature skits, gritty alternate realities, or out-and-out wackiness, there's something for everyone in our selection of the finest. Just make sure between all the time you're spending thinking about games you tend to your own needs. We wouldn't want your pee meter to break.
15
The Legend of Neil
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This is Zelda like you’ve never seen it. Atom.com’s contribution to our list finds Neil, just your average gamer, who is sucked into the world of Zelda while he is playing the game…and other acts we won’t mention here.
Mistaken for Link by the townspeople and other characters within, Neil is lazy and irresponsible – nothing like the Link you and I know. He’s disgusting, foul, and rude. So is everyone else. It’s raw humor, we’ll say that, but it’s also pretty clever.
Ganon loves stand-up comedy, Fairy (Felicia Day) is an emotionally unstable wreck, and Princess Zelda looks a bit differently than Neil expected. If you’re a fan of alternate video game reality humor, give The Legend of Neil a look.
14
The Guild
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Geek darling Felicia Day and her charming band of misfits band together and battle everyday troubles as well as the mobs in “The Game,” the aptly-named MMO the The Knights of Good (the titular Guild) troll.
Cyd Sherman enters a world of fantasy where she fights as Codex, a Priest in a generic MMO setting along with Zaboo, Vork, Bladezz, Clara, and Tinkerballa – all with varying jobs and personalities. The crew is loyal to the Guild to the end, or as long as there’s treasure or something to benefit from.
Shy Cyd is at the forefront of the series, caught between managing her time online more effectively and balancing her online relationship with other players, and the situations depicted therein make for fun, bite-sized entertainment – especially if there’s a certain guild of your own that you find reflected in Day’s original series.
13
There Will Be Brawl
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Zach Grafton and Matthew Mercer’s gritty mini-series takes the familiar characters and tropes of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and turns them on their heads.
The dystopian parody is a dark take on the heroes of Brawl and finds them in a Mushroom Kingdom positively dripping with corruption. All your favorite heroes (and villains) of the popular game make an appearance.
This is Brawl like you've never seen it before. And while it’s nowhere near as silly and lighthearted as the other series on our list, it still manages to hit all the humorous high notes when you stop and take a look at what’s actually going on. Kirby is a serial killer. Alright? Think about that for a second.
12
Pure Pwnage
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We’re not typically fans of the word “pwnage,” but for this mockumentary that eats noobs for breakfast, we’ll let it slip.
Pure Pwnage follows “pro gamer” Jeremy throughout his day-to-day exploits as, well, a pro gamer. We’d feel a lot better if the stereotypes played up in the series weren't so dead-on across the spectrum of gamers, but Pwnage’s portrayal of narcissistic Jeremy and his crew of ne’er-do-wells brings the laughs in full force. You’ll be converted faster than you can say “BOOM! HEADSHOT!”
11
The Tommy Wi-Show
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You argue that this trainwreck of a video game show doesn’t warrant inclusion, and we ask you: have you seen The Room? Tommy Wiseau is infamous for being dimwitted yet strangely intriguing, and The Tommy Wi-Show showcases his range of bizarre emotions and responses quite nicely. He’s absolutely bonkers.
Think The Room amplified times ten. It’s stupid. It makes no sense. It’s Tommy Wiseau being “forced” to play a different video game every episode by a bunch of aliens. Seriously. What a great story, Mark!
10
Arby ‘n’ The Chief
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The adventures of Master Chief and The Arbiter, in action figure form! This cleverly animated series follows the iconic Halo characters while they’re playing through the game and other various titles.
The figures conveniently reside in creator Jon’s house, where they come to life after he leaves, in a Toy Story-like fashion. It’s a long-running web show that’s great for one-liners and awkward situations, and if you’re a Halo fan, beyond the series that’s about to come up in our list, you should find something to love here.
9
Loading Ready Run
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This Canadian sketch comedy show found a home at The Escapist and has been delighting gamers ever since.
While it doesn’t always revolve around video games, its many sketches are related to nerdery and familiar topics the same crowd can appreciate. Its eighth season continues to delight new and old fans, and the creators Graham Stark and Paul Sanders have gone on to contribute a gaggle of other video game web series, most notably Unskippable.
You’re in good hands with these guys, and so is your funny bone.
8
Awesome Video Games
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If you’ve never been this excited about gaming, you’re doing something wrong. Or maybe you have half a brain.
Ace and Chet know that beating a game is probably the most important thing in the world. Watch them tear into retro games with all the fervor of an ‘80s Nintendo commercial.
Watch out for major overuse of outdated slang and over-enthusiasm, or revel in it if you’re looking to relive the good old days of gaming – when it was just you, a buddy, the couch, and the NES. Fangamer obviously knew what they were doing here, and for that we thank them.
7
Red vs. Blue
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The machinima series that still routinely brings in new fans long after the Halo frenzy started to die down, Red vs. Blue is a comedy surrounding the Red and Blue teams of the Halo universe and the quirky characters therein.
It’s Reds against Blues, and a whole lot of other stuff in between. Riotous scripting and original ideas helped catapult this machinima creation to the forefront of mainstream video game entertainment, and it remains to date one of the most popular (and funniest) pieces of Halo-related media out there. Rooster Teeth should be proud – we’re huge Caboose fans, even if he is an idiot.
6
Sanity Not Included
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The Robot Chicken of the video game world may be a crudely-animated mixture of machinima shorts and juvenile humor, but it’s so ridiculous we just can’t help giggling to ourselves, especially when we see Phoenix Wright breaking out in song.
Dexterboy124 & Guitarmasterx7, the masterminds behind the schizophrenic series, lampoon several beloved video games, such as Halo, Metal Gear Solid, The Legend of Zelda, and a cavalcade of others. It’s quick and dirty, and that’s why we approve. Especially when the Garry’s Mod-machinimated scenes come into play. Then we just lose it.
5
Mega64
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Mega64, in all its low-budget glory, takes video games old and new and projects them into the real world.
A man dressed as Parappa the Rapper roams through a public area rapping with the inhabitants there. Cast members dressed as Elite Beat Agents take their musical hijinks into restaurants and beach piers.
The sheer audacity it must have taken to dress up as Frank West of Dead Rising fame and creep around a mall snapping pictures is funny enough for its own spot on the list, but it isn’t a series. Do yourself a favor and check out Mega64. You won’t regret it.
4
Zero Punctuation
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Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw of Escapist fame may be known for his vitriolic video game reviews, but his video series Zero Punctuation is so much more than that. It’s fantastically low-budget animation mixed with the commentary we wish we’d hear elsewhere in video game journalism.
Yahtzee waxes lyrical about the game at hand in each installment, mashing up his own sarcastic remarks with equally sardonic animation and now-popular memes that you can’t escape: does “muh-mor-puger,” Yahtzee’s hilarious pronunciation of “MMORPG” sound familiar?
It might seem like he hates everything, but he really doesn’t. Or maybe he does. Either way, it makes for some great entertainment.
3
Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’? (HAWP)
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Brother and sister team Ashly and Anthony Burch are responsible for one of the most surreal video game series out there. It’s also one of the funniest things we’ve laid our eyes on.
Each episode introduces a new game and surrounding series of events kicked off by the catchprase Anthony utters: “Hey Ash, whatcha playin?” Games range from Mischief Makers and Harvest Moon to F.E.A.R. 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, and when Ash is immersed in the game at hand, you don’t wanna mess with her.
Easily one of the most recognizable and sidesplitting comedies you can find online to watch for free. So stop reading. Go watch it. Now. Then come back.
2
The Awesome Series
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Arin Hanson, also known as egoraptor, is the mastermind behind the Awesome series, a set of vignettes parodying the video games we know and love…and the few that we hate. Okay, the many that we hate.
You’ve likely seen his biting satire all around YouTube and Newgrounds in one form or another: Gears of Awesome (Gears of War), Awesome Center (Trauma Center), Awesome Noire (L.A. Noire), and one of my personal favorites Awesome Reach (Halo Reach), which demonstrates in a painfully accurate way the mannerisms of annoyingly overzealous gamers.
The series that launched a thousand catchphrases (and one awesome face), egoraptor’s labor of love is a raucous re-envisioning of familiar games, a few minutes at a time. We dare you not to laugh at the rest of his videos, too.
1
The Angry Video Game Nerd
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He’s the angriest gamer you’ve ever heard. He’s also one of the funniest. His profanity-laden rants aren’t just hilarious, but informative.
The opening chords of the Nerd’s rollicking theme song have become instantly recognizable in the video game community , as have his entertaining rundowns of the best and worst video games and accessories out there.
From the NES Friday the 13th to a compilation of unofficial “Bible games,” James Rolfe has the colorful commentary and examples to illustrate exactly why the games he’s showcasing make him so angry. And we break into uproarious laughter, because we’ve been there. It’s relatable humor, if a little lowbrow at times, but great stuff. Good on you, Cinemassacre!