Pouet's most "controversial" prods (rulez and sucks)
category: general [glöplog]
The recent AI in demos debacle and the associated Amiga demo reminded me of a list I wanted to compile - the most evenly loved and hated demos on Pouet. I call them the most "controversial", even if the content isn't all that controversial. I ended up taking the prods with the most thumbs down, then picking out ones within a + or - 0.1 average. So they're not merely the "okayest" (or "piggiest"?) prods - they have to have the most thumbs up and down too. Here they are (stopping at 30 thumbs down):
Winnerdemo -
149 
128, avg 0.07
Ze Germans really love their irony, eh? It ended up actually winning, and it tops not only this list, but the most thumbs down of any prod on Pouet. 149 loved it and 128 hated it, putting it on the plus side but still close. It either added some much-needed light-hearted fun to a scene that took itself too seriously, or put a black eye on the Breakpoint PC demo compo at least for 2004, depending on who you ask.
Variform 2 - 89 87, avg 0.01
Man, was this controversial. Making a sequel to the demo that made Kewlers famous and was on the top of everyone's list at the time.. and then just letting the agony and chaos rip. It was certainly a statement - maybe on expectations, or demo design in general - but it got a very wide range of reactions.
Anoxia Redux - 76 74, avg 0.01
ASD are another PC group that set sky-high expectations, but are full of creative energy and have different ways to express it. Calling Anoxia Redux a "remix" of Happiness Is Around the Bend was certainly bold, as it is a very minimal, 4-color ambient glitch piece, with none other than ps providing the soundtrack. It goes in the "Is it a demo, is it art, or neither?" bucket with Chimera, which has become liked enough to not make this list.
Cognoscere - 62 73, avg -0.07
Another demo which challenged what the idea of a PC demo was, with grayscale noise that works well in the context of video art. Nosfe, whose experimental video art has often found itself at the bottom or disqualified from party compos, contributed to the group already known for its brutal productions even before this demo came out. It is certainly groundbreaking in the genre of "stream encoder killer". :)
Ultrascheisse - The 2nd Ascension - 58 65, avg -0.05
Ah, Scheisse. The tale of an angst-ridden young nerd who wanted to be an edgelord just as 4chan and social media were taking off. Equal parts confusing, gross, and funny. The original Scheisse almost made this list as well. There's no credits for the video on Pouet or Demozoo, but I have to believe it's at least Spacepigs-adjacent.
fr-minus-06: ghettorocker - 49 44, avg 0.05
Farbrausch, yet another PC group who built high expectations but were eager to break them. At least the "minus" series set them up front. Apparently it was good enough, or at least notorious enough, to inspire a remake by MFX, which ironically was rated much higher.
Adrenalin - 51 44, avg 0.04
Here is one that is "controversial" not for the subject matter, or group expectations, but simply its mediocrity. It did win a very large demo compo, maybe that annoyed some people? Had a combination of complex 3D scenes and simple to no design or artistry that plagued Smash Designs for a while.
fr-minus-07: cargo cult - 43 43, avg 0.00
Rulez and sucks in perfect harmony! Another FR minus release, this time going for serious, colorful glitch art. The music is nice, but the code was done in a hurry, and it shows.
Lutsch Mein Schwanz - 49 40, avg 0.07
Even without understanding German, you can guess that the title is vulgar. :) And you get some naughty German rapping over some typical demo effects. Not quite the same as Scheisse or Winnerdemo, but equally controversial to Pouet users.
TM2: Attack of the Ego Bots - 33 38, avg -0.05
A rare modern controversial prod. It uses AI, but, Amigaaaa. It just shows pictures, but, Amigaaaa. So you can see the dilemma.
Seen As FR-019 - 32 37, avg -0.05
Controversial, not necessarily for using the .werkkzeug tool, but for straight up copying a Farbrausch intro. But some saw it as an exercise by a first-time demoscener, and gave them a pass.
Girl Basic 2k - 40 35, avg 0.05
Ho boy, remember this? Some saw it as empowering, others saw it as pandering and borderline sexist. Controversial indeed.
Benedict XVI - 30 34, avg -0.05
When you set your expectations to bad, and you meet them with a vengeance, you can still build up a bit of a fanbase. That was Speedfisters.
The Promised Land - 34 31, avg 0.04
I was surprised to see Traction on this "controversial" list, but this 4k intro made it. Noise and random (literally) political text did the trick. Unfortunate that this intro still has some meaning given the current Israel/Hamas war.
Weltenkonstrukt - 31 31, avg 0.00
Another perfectly balanced rulez/sucks. See Adrenalin above, same idea.
Connoisseur - 31 30, avg 0.01
A procedural graphics entry that was well done, but also ripped off another pic, and also can be considered offensive. But I get it. This is a man who really likes to dine on vaginas.
Winnerdemo -
149 128, avg 0.07Ze Germans really love their irony, eh? It ended up actually winning, and it tops not only this list, but the most thumbs down of any prod on Pouet. 149 loved it and 128 hated it, putting it on the plus side but still close. It either added some much-needed light-hearted fun to a scene that took itself too seriously, or put a black eye on the Breakpoint PC demo compo at least for 2004, depending on who you ask.
Variform 2 -
89 87, avg 0.01Man, was this controversial. Making a sequel to the demo that made Kewlers famous and was on the top of everyone's list at the time.. and then just letting the agony and chaos rip. It was certainly a statement - maybe on expectations, or demo design in general - but it got a very wide range of reactions.
Anoxia Redux -
76 74, avg 0.01ASD are another PC group that set sky-high expectations, but are full of creative energy and have different ways to express it. Calling Anoxia Redux a "remix" of Happiness Is Around the Bend was certainly bold, as it is a very minimal, 4-color ambient glitch piece, with none other than ps providing the soundtrack. It goes in the "Is it a demo, is it art, or neither?" bucket with Chimera, which has become liked enough to not make this list.
Cognoscere -
62 73, avg -0.07Another demo which challenged what the idea of a PC demo was, with grayscale noise that works well in the context of video art. Nosfe, whose experimental video art has often found itself at the bottom or disqualified from party compos, contributed to the group already known for its brutal productions even before this demo came out. It is certainly groundbreaking in the genre of "stream encoder killer". :)
Ultrascheisse - The 2nd Ascension -
58 65, avg -0.05Ah, Scheisse. The tale of an angst-ridden young nerd who wanted to be an edgelord just as 4chan and social media were taking off. Equal parts confusing, gross, and funny. The original Scheisse almost made this list as well. There's no credits for the video on Pouet or Demozoo, but I have to believe it's at least Spacepigs-adjacent.
fr-minus-06: ghettorocker -
49 44, avg 0.05Farbrausch, yet another PC group who built high expectations but were eager to break them. At least the "minus" series set them up front. Apparently it was good enough, or at least notorious enough, to inspire a remake by MFX, which ironically was rated much higher.
Adrenalin -
51 44, avg 0.04Here is one that is "controversial" not for the subject matter, or group expectations, but simply its mediocrity. It did win a very large demo compo, maybe that annoyed some people? Had a combination of complex 3D scenes and simple to no design or artistry that plagued Smash Designs for a while.
fr-minus-07: cargo cult -
43 43, avg 0.00Rulez and sucks in perfect harmony! Another FR minus release, this time going for serious, colorful glitch art. The music is nice, but the code was done in a hurry, and it shows.
Lutsch Mein Schwanz -
49 40, avg 0.07Even without understanding German, you can guess that the title is vulgar. :) And you get some naughty German rapping over some typical demo effects. Not quite the same as Scheisse or Winnerdemo, but equally controversial to Pouet users.
TM2: Attack of the Ego Bots -
33 38, avg -0.05A rare modern controversial prod. It uses AI, but, Amigaaaa. It just shows pictures, but, Amigaaaa. So you can see the dilemma.
Seen As FR-019 -
32 37, avg -0.05Controversial, not necessarily for using the .werkkzeug tool, but for straight up copying a Farbrausch intro. But some saw it as an exercise by a first-time demoscener, and gave them a pass.
Girl Basic 2k -
40 35, avg 0.05Ho boy, remember this? Some saw it as empowering, others saw it as pandering and borderline sexist. Controversial indeed.
Benedict XVI -
30 34, avg -0.05When you set your expectations to bad, and you meet them with a vengeance, you can still build up a bit of a fanbase. That was Speedfisters.
The Promised Land -
34 31, avg 0.04I was surprised to see Traction on this "controversial" list, but this 4k intro made it. Noise and random (literally) political text did the trick. Unfortunate that this intro still has some meaning given the current Israel/Hamas war.
Weltenkonstrukt -
31 31, avg 0.00Another perfectly balanced rulez/sucks. See Adrenalin above, same idea.
Connoisseur -
31 30, avg 0.01A procedural graphics entry that was well done, but also ripped off another pic, and also can be considered offensive. But I get it. This is a man who really likes to dine on vaginas.
I'm really proud that The Promised Land managed to also get disqualified from the compo.
I love ghettorocker
Just recently stumbled on RATF and thought that would spark outrage nowadays.
Interesting stuff. Thanks for putting this together, phoenix.
Funny how The Promised Land is still revelant in 2024
You're one letter away there from a Doom demon, pantzirno! I think you mean "relevant" :)
I thought Boozoholics was controversial as well, I couldn't believe it when I saw Spaceballs stoop down to their level at one point!
I thought Boozoholics was controversial as well, I couldn't believe it when I saw Spaceballs stoop down to their level at one point!
So... a metric for controversy would be something like "most thumbs averaging to near-0"?
Would be cool to have as a search and/or sorting order criterion. =)
Would be cool to have as a search and/or sorting order criterion. =)
I'd suggest thumbsup^a + thumbsdown^b with a > 1, b > a
Quote:
I thought Boozoholics was controversial as well, I couldn't believe it when I saw Spaceballs stoop down to their level at one point!
hahaha
Quote:
I thought Boozoholics was controversial as well, I couldn't believe it when I saw Spaceballs stoop down to their level at one point!
lol
yes that one made me chuckle as well
two out of top-4 ain't bad. as this is the list which matters.
maybe not so groundbreaking as it's already 2nd part in the trilogy, though it's apparently most well known at least here in pouet out of the three. :)
Quote:
Cognoscere - BB Image 62 BB Image 73, avg -0.07
Another demo which challenged what the idea of a PC demo was, with grayscale noise that works well in the context of video art. Nosfe, whose experimental video art has often found itself at the bottom or disqualified from party compos, contributed to the group already known for its brutal productions even before this demo came out. It is certainly groundbreaking in the genre of "stream encoder killer". :)
maybe not so groundbreaking as it's already 2nd part in the trilogy, though it's apparently most well known at least here in pouet out of the three. :)
lol had forgot "vote for me"
Kinda sad that Chimera didn't even make it on the list.
my vote [for controversial releases] goes to Satori.
Quote:
Kinda sad that Chimera didn't even make it on the list.
it never was even close 50/50 split
T$: the Evoke invite is too well-liked. :) The Offensive Demo is in perfect balance, though!
I think "divisive" would have been a better term than "controversial".. everyone has their own subjective take on that.
I think "divisive" would have been a better term than "controversial".. everyone has their own subjective take on that.
Watching those productions with beer was big fun ;-) Scheisse!
i like controversial more as a term but yeah divisive would work as well
Rush Hour - eventually gained cult status because of it's suckage. Quite like Adrenalin