
Just like any good film or book, a good video game is one that makes the player laugh, cry, smile or otherwise — depending on the genre, of course.. Also like books and films, a not-so-good video game might fail to elicit any kind of emotional reaction, or miss the mark. Oh…Sir! The Hollywood Roast falls neatly in the centre of these two extremes. It will sometimes make the player laugh at the rather out-of-nowhere pop culture references and scathing attacks on their digital rivals, but at other times it falls flat with repetitious dialogue, a subpar “career” mode and limited character roster from the start.
Vile Monarch’s Oh Sir!!…The Insult Simulator was a hit when it was released in 2016, delivering a funny and enjoyable take on the fighting game known as the “insult-’em-up”.. Oh…Sir! The Hollywood Roast recreates its predecessor’s premise and gameplay, where players choose a pixelated character to insult another character in a range of crazy locales depending on the stage the player chooses. Players are given a list in the centre of the screen with small phrases or words that they can use to create their insult, as well as two specific words or phrases in their own private bank, which can be switched out once if the player doesn’t like the choices they are given. There is not a lot of difference between the two games, except for the Comeback mechanic. Just like super moves in fighting games, the Comeback is a character-specific insult that can only be used once a bar is filled. I found these Comebacks to be quite funny; they don’t always make sense, but they can definitely turn the tide of an argument in a matter of seconds.
Although it captures a lot of what made Oh Sir!! work, the sequel’s limited gameplay unfortunately becomes repetitive rather quickly. I found myself getting so bored of the characters’ often-unfunny insults so quickly that I would turn the game back off within a couple of matches and find something else to do. I feel that Vile Monarch’s intention with both games was to create games that were fun for short gameplay sessions (or a YouTube video here and there), and while the original title was, The Hollywood Roast gets boring too quickly for even a short session.
In an attempt to make the repetitive nature of the game unnoticeable, a “career” mode is tacked on to the game as well. Acting much like an average fighting game’s tournament mode, players go across a limited amount of stages, arguing with a bunch of mixed up movie characters, all of which are designed wonderfully in a pixelated manner that will definitely remind some older gamers of the Super Nintendo era. Despite the mode being an obvious attempt to increase play time, it struggles to maintain any sort of challenge in the battle of wits. The AI treats the players with such ease that it sometimes feels sort of condescending, never really utilising the player character’s weaknesses against them (unless by mistake). The constant hand-holding only furthers to distance solo players, with very little to no challenge in any of the games’ modes outside of online multiplayer. The ability to increase difficulty — or a “hardcore” mode for those inclined — would add some much-needed replay value, but as it stands, with very little variety in characters and stages (with only three of each available to players from the beginning and two more of each available through unlocks), as well as an AI that basically wants the player to win, there is very little reason for players to return to the game at all.
While it’s initially a fun-filled and hilarious take on a fresh genre, Oh…Sir! The Hollywood Roast unfortunately has little in the way of replay value, despite Vile Monarch’s best efforts; its limited character roster and range of insults make for a game that gets too repetitive, too quickly. Although made with multiplayer in mind, the game doesn’t encourage multiple playthroughs for players seeking some laughs in their own time.
Our Verdict:
Although it begins as a hilarious, satirical take on some of Hollywood’s biggest names and culture, Oh…Sir! The Hollywood Roast does little to bring players coming back for more; the humour often gets stale quickly, leading from what should be a bout of joyous laughter, to something more akin to a cricket soundscape over a terrible stand-up act.
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