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Editor's note: Even though I'm a big RPG fan, I'd never actually heard of College Saga, which first hit YouTube three years ago. If you're the kind of person who can recognize the overworld theme from Final Fantasy 5 within .5 seconds of hearing it (like me), this is the parody for you. Brian explores the series in greater detail here. -Fitch
Nearly three years ago, a team of bored students from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusets created College Saga, a YouTube video series that combines role-playing cliches and pop-culture references with university life. Producer Mark Leung summarizes the work as follows:
"Once upon a time, when Earth was still a beautiful place, an evil force came to turn all living things into Vegetarians.
Three students from suburban Massachusetts would step up against this catastrophe... to end Vegetarian Supremacy.
Mark, Jesús, Maria and their foes would make amazing personal discoveries as the two forces clash.
And so began the ultimate saga about friendship, heritage, sex and explosions."
If you've been a carnivore for the majority of your life, this story will make your eyes misty. It's a tragic tale of our uphill battle with those violent vegetarians.
Joking aside, this is an excellent video series full of references to the Super NES and PlayStation Final Fantasy games, as well as titles from the Zelda and Mana franchises. You'll recognize familiar sound effects (such as the Zelda item-obtaining theme), musical themes, and an abundance of mythical creatures like the Chocobo (and not-so-mythical creatures, such as a certain American vice president).
Sure, it's enjoyable to watch random battles with frat guys and science professors, but College Saga really shines with the little details that only hardcore RPG fans would notice. Over the course of this tale, you'll witness characters running in place, party members get stuck behind objects, and characters give items to NPCs blocking paths.
What's particularly impressive is how Leung coerced so many people into playing their roles so well. You'll notice NPCs standing motionless or pacing back in forth until Leung actually approaches them, for example. Leung also injects video clips from famous movies and TV shows into his own video when appropriate (such as when the world's in danger). If you've played a significant amount of RPGs, you're probably aware that when the world's destruction is imminent, everyone in the world prays; you'll find similar occurrences in College Saga.
I'd gladly divulge more details, but I don't wanna spoil the whole show. If you're an RPG fan (or even an RPG hater), I highly recommend this humorous, original video series. Leung's nearly 50-minute opus has already received millions of views, but it's about time for him to get a few more.
