Top Five Non-Mainstream Let’s Players

Let’s Plays are a wonderful thing in the vast ocean of YouTube.  For someone like myself who does not nearly have enough time anymore in his day to play a lot of games, I certainly can take some time to watch others from my desk.  There are certain Let’s Players that do it better than others.  Those that stand out for me are the ones that take the game seriously and don’t constantly scream and cuss at the computer.  Creating a welcoming atmosphere into their world is a very delicate balance, and I have chosen the five that really provide me with an enjoyable watch.

#1- Nagidal

Nagidal was the first LPer that really drew me in.  His play through of Oblivion really opened my eyes as to how this genre should be handled.  Nagidal plays the game with such immersion that you often times forget you are just watching someone else.  I was a little confused when he first put a hood on to cover his head during a rainstorm, but I connected it to him wanting to be part of the world.  It doesn’t hurt that he is a very calm and relaxed LPer who rarely cusses or screams.  During his Oblivion LP, he set up a permanent death for his character.  After 200+ videos, his hero died to a random ogre in a cave.  I could not believe that he truly stuck to his word and ended the play through.  Nagidal has also done a very cool series with Minecraft in which he reviews various locations that other users have set up.

#2- Swiss and Sulis

It’s a darn shame that these two have ended their Let’s Plays.  They are two of the funnier guys that you will see playing games.  There are countless moments that will have you laughing out loud, some of which including their absolute disdain of the owl in Ocarina of Time, or dying to Ocelot in MGS2 after boasting about how easy the boss is.  If you have not had an opportunity to watch some of their stuff, it will be well worth your time.

#3- Zemalf

Zemalf has slowly earned enough fame to be entering non-mainstream territory, but he’s still a tad under the radar in my humble opinion.  He is very similar to Nagidal in the content he plays (Elder Scrolls), but he takes it to the next level.  There will be four or five episodes that are devoted strictly to reading books.  He has also done games such as Dark Souls and DayZ.  His mannerisms are almost identical to Nagidal in being very calm, collected, and engaged in what he is doing.

#4 Gix

You can probably see a bit of a trend in what I enjoy in an LP.  What I enjoy most about Gix besides the ability to immerse himself in a game is the breakdown he did with the Skyrim trailer and introductory clips.  He spends a good three hours discussing what we can expect and what he saw.  He is very professional in his work.

#5 Vizzel15

I really wish that Vizzel was more popular in the Let’s Play world, because he pumps out a TON of content.  Vizzel has done games such as Star Ocean, FFX, Suikoden, Breath of Fire, and others.  And while they aren’t LPs, he also has discussions about the Walking Dead.  He does a good job of explaining where to go and how to beat certain enemies.