Ah 2020. It’s not been a great year all things considered. You’ve got the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down every event and piece of media production worldwide. You’ve got political crises popping up everywhere from the USA to Hong Kong.
And you’ve got a social situation that seems to have reached a tipping point in every which way. Scandals are exploding in every field, companies are falling to pieces due to internet dramas and criminal coverups, and society seems more divided than ever.
It’s a horrible situation to be in, and one so unrealistically over the top that any TV show using it would probably be seen to have jumped the shark as a result. Hell, even The Simpsons wouldn’t get away with a storyline this insane!
Yet just because the world itself may be in a dire state, doesn’t mean your YouTube experience has to be likewise. No, there are hundreds or thousands of fantastic gaming channels to check out over there right now, including many that haven’t got anywhere near the recognition they deserve.
So in this article, we’re going to look at ten of them. Here are ten more awesome underrated gaming channels to check out in 2020!
Lil Boulder
Topic Video Game Remixes
Subscribers: 23,900
Starting with a remix channel we haven’t really covered here on Gaming Reinvented. Known as Lil Bouder, this one has remixes of all manner of great titles like Super Mario Odyssey, the Sonic the Hedgehog series and Mario & Luigi Bowser’s Inside Story among many others. Here are a few of our favourites:
All of which are amazing remixes of the original themes. So if you’re a video game music fan, check ’em out. They’ve got some incredible songs here, including all manner of creative covers and mashups.
Mark Kurko
Topic: Banjo-Kazooie ROM Hacks
Subscribers: 12,900
As for those of you who prefer ROM hacks to remixes, well the next channel on the list should be right up your alley. That’s because it’s the personal channel of Banjo-Kazooie hacker Mark Kurko, who’s responsible for all manner of incredible hacks based on the Mario and Zelda franchises.
Yep, he’s the guy behind such games as the Jiggies of Time, Gruntilda’s Mask and the Bear Waker to name just a few. Which as you can probably guess by the names, are all renditions of classic Zelda titles with our favourite Hylian hero swapped out with our favourite bear and bird duo.
But don’t be fooled. These aren’t just mediocre crossover hacks, in the style of those GTA mods that make Mario or Sonic a playable character.
No, they’re full fledged adventures which take everything we loved about both Zelda and Banjo-Kazooie and stick ’em in a blender. You’ve got towns and cities filled with NPCs to talk to and collectables to find, hidden characters and cameos from other Nintendo titles scattered throughout the land, plus all manner of amusing jokes and references that could have come straight out of Conker’s Bad Fur Day.
They really are incredible projects, and Mark really is the Kaze Emanuar of his field. Definitely check out his work if you’re even remotely interested in Banjo-Kazooie or Nintendo ROM hacks a whole!
TC Music
Topic: Video Game Music Remixes
Subscribers: 3,600
But not before reading the rest of this article, since we’ve got many more great channels to cover here.
Like TC Music, known for his remastered version of Mario & Luigi Partners in Time’s soundtrack. Which given AlphaDream’s situation and Mayro’s focus on other things, is probably the only version you’re going to get about.
Fortunately though, it’s as amazingly well done as you’d hope it would be. From Hollijolli Village to Thwomp Volcano and Toad Town, every one of the original’s songs has been lovingly updated with modern instruments and sound tools, creating a spectacle for the ears in every way. Check out of a few examples of that here:
Then listen to the rest of them on his channel later today!
ZXMany
Topic: Paper Mario
Subscribers: 360
And speaking of Mario RPGs, here’s something for you Paper Mario fans out there too. Namely, some videos by ZXMany that explore speedrun strategies and tips for titles like Paper Mario: The Origami King. These include an amazing guide on how to defeat every boss in the game as quickly as humanly possible:
Plus a very useful guide on how to solve that current puzzle in the Water Vellumental Temple:
It’s definitely one to check out if you’re a Paper Mario fan, and even more so if you’ve just been enjoying Paper Mario: The Origami King.
FraT29
Topic: Video Game Music Remixes
Subscribers: 672
Meanwhile, if you want a bit of music from said game, FraT29 may be right up your alley. That’s because his last four or so remixes have all been based on songs from said game, and they’ve all been as catchy and full of energy as you’d ever hope them to be.
Such as his chilling take on the Origami Castle theme:
Or his very fast paced versions of the battle themes used against bosses like Hole Punch and Scissors:
Of course, his channel isn’t just Origami King stuff. No, he does cover other songs from various franchises, and those too are about as great as his Paper Mario stuff is. Like his cover of Fear Factory from Donkey Kong Country:
Or his take on Beware the Forest Mushrooms from Super Mario RPG:
Definitely one to check out for both Paper Mario fans and non fans alike!
Token Geek
Topic: Game Design and Editorials
Subscribers: 3,333
Note: This channel has sadly shut down.
Back to game design now though, with Token Geek, another channel dedicated to video game design and analysis. This one has all manner of intriguing videos on games like Luigi’s Mansion 3, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 and many more. For instance, here’s one on how Breath of the Wild 2 can be even better than the original:
VIDEO WAS HERE
Another on how characters like King K Rool and Banjo & Kazooie defied all odds to get in Super Smash Bros Ultimate;
VIDEO WAS HERE
And one on why Super Mario Odyssey is arguably the true Banjo-Threeie, not say Yooka-Laylee:
VIDEO WAS HERE
What’s more, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Token Geek channel has been running non stop for the last three years, and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. So if you’re into analysis videos and editorials with a bit of game design insight added in, give their videos a watch!
Indenton
Topic: Game Design
Subscribers: 202
Talking of game design, that’s the focus of the next channel on our list too.
Unfortunately, this one hasn’t had quite as much luck in getting people to tune into their videos. Indeed, with only 202 subscribers, Indenton is one of the least well known game design channels we’ve ever mentioned on the site.
That’s a real shame given the quality of their videos. Oh sure, they may not be the best in terms of visual presentation, but there’s some real work in these videos, and it’s fantastic to hear their analyses of games like Wario Land 4, Shantae and Fire Emblem Heroes.
So give their work a watch. There’s not a lot there right now, but what’s there is good nonetheless, and a bit more attention might be just what they need to encourage to make even more videos in future!
Juno Songs
Topic: Vocal Covers of Video Game Songs
Subscribers42,100
Back to some more music for now though, with an upcoming channel that we believe has some real potential on YouTube. Named Juno Songs, this one has various covers of classic Nintendo music with added lyrics. These include an incredible vocal version of the Final Antasma Battle from Mario & Luigi Dream Team:
A catchy rendition of the Disco Devil (Hole Punch theme) from Paper Mario: The Origami King:
And an… interesting version of the Stapler theme from the same game:
Among many others. There’s a lot to listen to here, and you’re sure to enjoy more than a few of the songs if you’re a Mario or Nintendo fan. Go check ’em out!
Chaz
Topic: Earthbound/Mother Series Development Tricks
Subscribers: 3,280
On the other hand, if game programming insights are more your thing, then perhaps Chaz’s videos might be better for you. That’s because they go deep into the workings of the Mother series, or Earthbound in particular. For instance, they did an amazing breakdown of the Mole Playing Rough and why it appears in the desert:
It’s a fascinating story, and one that really makes you think about game design and how development limitations may well have affected it.
Plus it also makes us imagine how many other video game mysteries and oddities could be explored this way. We could see the whole gambling game letting us save in the final battle in Zelda Breath of the Wild quirk given an explanation in this style. The workings of various Pokemon games could be examined like this.
The possibilities really are endless here.
Alas, it’s unlikely to happen. Like with many other channels on the list, Chaz’s last video was uploaded more than 2 years ago, with future videos perhaps unlikely to ever come because of their fairly low subscriber count. It’s a real shame really, and a fantastic demonstration of how YouTube’s uncaring, broken algorithm has likely killed off god knows how many promising channels and creators.
Still, like with Indenton above, you can at least give their videos a watch, and see if that’ll inspire them to get making content once again.
SquishyPixels
Topic: WarioWare DIY Song Covers
Subscribers: 559
Fortunately, while a couple of the channels on the list have gone quiet in recent years, the vast majority of them have kept going.
Including the very next one on our list. Dedicated to video game music covers created in WarioWare DIY’s editor, SquishyPixels has a ton of awesome renditions of classic Nintendo songs to listen to in that style. These include songs from the Mario RPGs, like the red streamer battle from Paper Mario: The Origami King:
or Fawful’s Castle from Mario & Luigi Bowser’s Inside Story:
As well as songs from the Zelda franchise, Pokemon franchise and more:
So definitely check out her channel for more of these! There are a ton of great covers to listen to here, many of which will make you wonder how they’re even possible in WarioWare DIY in the first place!
Jammin’ Sam Miller
Topic: Remastered Donkey Kong Country Music
Subscribers: 14,900
Finally, let’s end this list off with a channel many you will already be familiar with from this site. Yep, it’s Jammin’ Sam Miller, the YouTuber who’s currently remixing the soundtracks for all three of the Donkey Kong Country games for SNES. We already did an interview with him about his work a few months ago, and that’s worth a read in itself.
But while his channel has seen a bit more activity in recent months, it’s still small enough to feature here.
And that absolutely baffles us to be honest. These remasters are some of the best versions of said songs on YouTube, having taken hundreds or thousands of hours to put together. Every one of them is an improved version of a song from one of the best video game soundtracks of all time, and something that should have easily hit a few million views by now.
Yet for whatever reason they just haven’t. They’ve done well, but they haven’t gone quite as stratospheric as we’d have imagined they would.
So check ’em out already will ya? You can’t wrong with the best version of Stickerbrush Symphony on the internet after all, nor with remasters of tracks as amazing as Fear Factory, Gangplank Galleon and Krook’s March:
Either way, that concludes the list. What did you think of it? Did you find any interesting channels in our rundown this time around?
What other gaming channels do you think we should consider for lists like this in future?
Tell us your thoughts on the matter in the comments below, on the Gaming Latest forums, or on our new Discord server today!