Here we have what is, by far, my favorite episode of the entire series: Ikari Warriors! This is apparently a game James has had a problem with since he was a kid, and this is his chance to finally tear into it.
He wastes no time either – beyond a few side comments early on he pretty much spends the entire opening quarter of the video going over how incredibly frustrating the game is, even with the “ABBA” code to let you continue.
This leads him to decide he needs a second player to help him out but, given the Nerd basically has no friends he has only one option – Guitar Guy, who’s currently lying dead behind the couch!
So, the Nerd does the only thing he knows how to = revive Guitar Guy using ABBA. It works, and after a bit of fourth wall breaking with the fact that the AVGN theme isn’t used often anymore (ending with the theme being performed in the classic style) the two get to playing.
This, right here, is what makes this episode so amazing – the chemistry between Kyle Justin (Guitar Guy) and James Rolfe as the Nerd. Much of this episode was ad-libbed on the spot, meaning much of the commentary and reactions are genuine, and they are fucking hilarious! Seriously, these are some of the funniest moments in the entire series.
Eventually Guitar Guy gets sick of playing, puts a zapper to his head, killing himself in the same style as the enemies in the game die, only to be revived by the Nerd and respawn stuck inside of the couch.
That marks the end of Guitar Guy playing the game, with him instead providing commentary and backing music through the rest of the episode, on the spot writing short songs based on what he sees in the game.
James continues trying to force his way through the game, only for ABBA to stop working midway through stage three. The Nerd resorts to using an infinite lives code via Game Genie, and then a level select code that’s extremely long (and incorrectly listed in a guide book) just to access said level select.
Eventually James gets back to playing from Level 3 and while the most hilarious song ever written for video game related media plays James gets stuck… and has to do all the level select code bullshit again. He finally makes it to what seems like a boss, only to access level 4.
We have more amazing musical comedy from Kyle and James nearly breaking down in laughter before we finally reach the real end of the game. An anticlimactic end for a frustrating game, with one last bit of comedy thrown in by Guitar Guy – he sings the congratulations screen text to the tune of the AVGN theme song!
Final Rating: 5.0/5
As I said, this my favorite episode of the entire series. It’s just hilariously absurd, and the fact that Kyle and James were clearly having a ton of fun recording it really shows in the finished product. Sadly, this would be the last time Kyle would appear in a Nerd episode, but it was one hell of a good use of the character.