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Giant Bomb isn’t going back to the couch…ever

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SJRB

SJRB

Gold Member
Brute said:
Their GOTY 2021 thing is on twitch now. I’m trying my hardest to enjoy it but it’s impossible. They’re all too scared of Jeff Gerstmann to actually go with a game they enjoy which he doesn’t.

Turned it off after 15 mins. I used to watch every second of their GOTY shows way back in the day.
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There's just no energy in this group of people. I watched for a moment but it's just not really worth it.

4ab.png
 
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AV

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
Brute said:
Their GOTY 2021 thing is on twitch now. I’m trying my hardest to enjoy it but it’s impossible. They’re all too scared of Jeff Gerstmann to actually go with a game they enjoy which he doesn’t.

Turned it off after 15 mins. I used to watch every second of their GOTY shows way back in the day.
Click to expand...

That's patently not true by the end. Jess and Jeff get pretty "heated" (it's a video game podcast, it's not that heated) towards the end of selecting GOTY because Jess has no interest in Halo and Jeff thinks the Psychonauts 2 gameplay is bad. As off-base as I think her arguments are she absolutely stands her ground. Also Gerstmann's personal pick doesn't make it where several others do.

That being said I watched the whole thing and still don't really know why. As usual, Jason and Bakalar are deadweight and should not be on a video game podcast. Should be O'Dwyer but I think he's off doing something else for now. Jess I have a hard time liking but whatever, Jan's whatever. Probably time for me to move on again because the reinvention of GB didn't stay interesting for long at all. Shame.
 
rofif

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Brute said:
Their GOTY 2021 thing is on twitch now. I’m trying my hardest to enjoy it but it’s impossible. They’re all too scared of Jeff Gerstmann to actually go with a game they enjoy which he doesn’t.

Turned it off after 15 mins. I used to watch every second of their GOTY shows way back in the day.
Click to expand...
2011 Ryan fighting with Jeff Saints Row 3 vs Skyrim.
Best goty ever.
 
bender

bender

What time is it?
AV said:
Jeff thinks the Psychonauts 2 gameplay is bad
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Jeff's gaming tastes remind me of me turned up to 11. We are about the same age and have been gaming forever, so it's easy to be disinterested in a lot of games these days. Where we differ is that I think most games are mostly fine but I have a hard time wanting to invest time into things that are just fine. We don't see a lot of bad games these days and Psychonauts certainly isn't a game anyone should call bad. It's not Mario by any means but it play better than It Takes Two which was a critical darling and garnered a lot of GOTY nods.

I really admire Jeff and all he has accomplished but his malaise the last few years (probably more) is a big reason why I don't consume GB content anymore.
 
AV

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
bender said:
Jeff's gaming tastes remind me of me turned up to 11. We are about the same age and have been gaming forever, so it's easy to be disinterested in a lot of games these days. Where we differ is that I think most games are mostly fine but I have a hard time wanting to invest time into things that are just fine. We don't see a lot of bad games these days and Psychonauts certainly isn't a game anyone should call bad. It's not Mario by any means but it play better than It Takes Two which was a critical darling and garnered a lot of GOTY nods.

I really admire Jeff and all he has accomplished but his malaise the last few years (probably more) is a big reason why I don't consume GB content anymore.
Click to expand...

I was mostly with him until he started blatantly exaggerating to make his points sound more worthwhile than they were. I actually do think the gameplay in Psychonauts 2 is just serviceable / okay at absolute best, but pretending it's unplayable garbage is silly. The gameplay's there to let you experience the game around it and I was so distracted by the imagination on show that I just didn't think about running and jumping while I was doing it. Felt like a very weird hang up for a game clearly not about the game. At the same time Jess pretending that Halo didn't count for much because the lore/story is meh was equally daft.

Jeff going off on things is usually entertaining but that just felt salty, honestly.
 
E

Evil Calvin

Afraid of Boobs
Brute said:
Their GOTY 2021 thing is on twitch now. I’m trying my hardest to enjoy it but it’s impossible. They’re all too scared of Jeff Gerstmann to actually go with a game they enjoy which he doesn’t.

Turned it off after 15 mins. I used to watch every second of their GOTY shows way back in the day.
Click to expand...
I was getting ready to listen to the first one later today. can't be as bad as when Abby was there. Defending putting Dream Daddy in the top 10.
 
bender

bender

What time is it?
AV said:
I was mostly with him until he started blatantly exaggerating to make his points sound more worthwhile than they were. I actually do think the gameplay in Psychonauts 2 is just serviceable / okay at absolute best, but pretending it's unplayable garbage is silly. The gameplay's there to let you experience the game around it and I was so distracted by the imagination on show that I just didn't think about running and jumping while I was doing it. Felt like a very weird hang up for a game clearly not about the game. At the same time Jess pretending that Halo didn't count for much because the lore/story is meh was equally daft.

Jeff going off on things is usually entertaining but that just felt salty, honestly.
Click to expand...

I'd say your serviceable is my fine. I was a little tired of Psychonauts 2 by the time the credits rolled but it's always great to see the worlds that Schaffer and crew bring to life. And that's what elevates the game as most games are mechanically sound which doesn't automatically make them interesting to play. And if he was arguing for Halo, I'd probably lump it in the "fine" category as well. Granted I'm early on, but my impressions have been "yup, that's more Halo".

I get being stuck in ruts, I'm just glad I didn't get stuck in the ones that Jeff found himself in. One I bailed on their content, beyond retro stuff, he only seemed to find joy in COD. Games on that aggressive of a release schedule just wear me down. I guess it's why I've grown to appreciate Nintendo more and more as I've gotten older.
 
AV

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
bender said:
I'd say your serviceable is my fine. I was a little tired of Psychonauts 2 by the time the credits rolled but it's always great to see the worlds that Schaffer and crew bring to life. And that's what elevates the game as most games are mechanically sound which doesn't automatically make them interesting to play. And if he was arguing for Halo, I'd probably lump it in the "fine" category as well. Granted I'm early on, but my impressions have been "yup, that's more Halo".

I get being stuck in ruts, I'm just glad I didn't get stuck in the ones that Jeff found himself in. One I bailed on their content, beyond retro stuff, he only seemed to find joy in COD. Games on that aggressive of a release schedule just wear me down. I guess it's why I've grown to appreciate Nintendo more and more as I've gotten older.
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For sure, serviceable, okay, fine, that bracket of middling quality which is negated by the incredible world the game lives in. Gerstmann's personal GOTY list is more interest/diverse than you might expect, it's up on the site, although it's no shock to see Halo take the crown. Mostly it reminded me that I completely forgot to play Axiom Verge 2.

Evil Calvin said:
Just last week Jeff was saying how he never goes out of the house. Dude. It's not that bad. Wear a mask and go to the store. Quit being such a pussy!
Click to expand...

He's talked about leaving the house as little as possible long before Covid/kids but that combination definitely broke him. I can't blame a guy for wanting to protect his young children although I'm pretty certain Covid is going to affect them much less than a guy that's clearly been somewhat unhealthy for a very long time. Hope it doesn't totally sour his brain to the point of Agoraphobia.
 
bender

bender

What time is it?
AV said:
For sure, serviceable, okay, fine, that bracket of middling quality which is negated by the incredible world the game lives in. Gerstmann's personal GOTY list is more interest/diverse than you might expect, it's up on the site, although it's no shock to see Halo take the crown. Mostly it reminded me that I completely forgot to play Axiom Verge 2.
Click to expand...

My theory is that the average quality of games has gone up and while it is nice that there are far fewer low points (aside from asset flip trash), I do think we see far fewer high points and the highs are not nearly as high as the used to be. ZP just did a video about bad games being far more interesting than most of the releases these days that fall into that average quality. I just saw Jeff's list. I skipped Axiom Verge intentionally. I thought the story behind the original was far more interesting than the game itself. Not that it is bad mind you, it just falls into the category that our conversation is discussing. Ha! I really need to check out Cruelty Squad though.
 
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AV

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
bender said:
I skipped Axiom Verge intentionally. I thought the story behind the original was far more interesting than the game itself. Not that it is bad mind you, it just falls into the category that our conversation is discussing. Ha!
Click to expand...

That's what makes games so great I guess, I couldn't tell you the first thing about Axiom Verge's plot, don't remember a line, but that gameplay and art direction? Bellissimo.
 
bender

bender

What time is it?
AV said:
That's what makes games so great I guess, I couldn't tell you the first thing about Axiom Verge's plot, don't remember a line, but that gameplay and art direction? Bellissimo.
Click to expand...

I couldn't stand the protagonist's design is Axiom Verge. Tom nailed the aesthetic otherwise. While Axiom Verge is a step or two above something like Chasm, which came out around the same time, Metroid Dread, which I found terribly overrated, or Deedlit, which I'm playing now, I still didn't find it very memorable. Maybe that's the Jeff in me as I do tend to be really critical of genre's I love.
 
BennyBlanco

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
Jess is fucking brutal in these discussions. Talking over people. Going off on tangents about Silent Hill and Rocky Horror constantly. One thing I'll give her is she actually plays videogames but fuck. Tone it down, will ya?
 
Nikana

Nikana

Go Go Neo Rangers!
bender said:
Jeff's gaming tastes remind me of me turned up to 11. We are about the same age and have been gaming forever, so it's easy to be disinterested in a lot of games these days. Where we differ is that I think most games are mostly fine but I have a hard time wanting to invest time into things that are just fine. We don't see a lot of bad games these days and Psychonauts certainly isn't a game anyone should call bad. It's not Mario by any means but it play better than It Takes Two which was a critical darling and garnered a lot of GOTY nods.

I really admire Jeff and all he has accomplished but his malaise the last few years (probably more) is a big reason why I don't consume GB content anymore.
Click to expand...

His Psychonauts 2 rant was really odd. It reminded of that one year where they had some category that he didn't understand, I think it was best world, and he just kept saying they needed to pause and figure out what the category is.

He has random times of this malaise where its like he just removes his brain and goes full fuck you mode. He is more than capable of having discussions about games that he doesnt like and has done so in the past, but his attitude has been far more fuck you.
 
Nikana

Nikana

Go Go Neo Rangers!
Didn't mean to double post.

Jeffs Halo Infinite pushing was really strange to me. He admitted/discussed it very fairly during regular bombcasts but he simply forgave all of those things when it came to making the list. I dont quite get it. He knows the story is shit. He even says that its bad that a lot is told off screen, but then continued to push it as if its somehow this renaissance of open world games but never even went into any depth about how its actually fun.

Like what is happening over there lol.
 
bender

bender

What time is it?
Nikana said:
His Psychonauts 2 rant was really odd. It reminded of that one year where they had some category that he didn't understand, I think it was best world, and he just kept saying they needed to pause and figure out what the category is.

He has random times of this malaise where its like he just removes his brain and goes full fuck you mode. He is more than capable of having discussions about games that he doesnt like and has done so in the past, but his attitude has been far more fuck you.
Click to expand...

People change and Jeff's had a rough run of it. From the genesis of GiantBomb, Ryan dying, the acquisitions, the core team bailing out, his wife's struggles with their pregnancies...it would be hard to stay the same. I might not have interest in his content any longer but I do wish him the best as I think he's a good dude (duder) at heart.

The only gaming coverage I consume these days is Zero Punctuation. It's remarkable how consistent he's stayed since he started in 2007. I guess it also helps he is comedy focused and the commitment on my end is about 5-7 minutes per week. I do think it helps that he doesn't engage on social media much.
 
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Nikana

Nikana

Go Go Neo Rangers!
bender said:
People change and Jeff's had a rough run of it. From the genesis of GiantBomb, Ryan Dying, the acquisitions, the core team bailing out, his wife's struggles with their pregnancies...it would be hard to stay the same. I might not have interest in his content any longer but I do wish him the best as I think he's a good dude (duder) at heart.

The only gaming coverage I consume these days is Zero Punctuation. It's remarkable how consistent he's stayed since he started in 2007. I guess it also helps he is comedy focused and the commitment on my end is about 5-7 minutes per week.
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I actually had no idea Zero Punctuation is still around, I will have to give it a look. His Fallout 3 review back in the day was GOAT.

I understand people dont stay the same and opinions and such change but it comes off to me as more angry and personal. Especially towards the new chick. Something felt off to me but maybe I am looking into it too much.
 
bender

bender

What time is it?
Nikana said:
I actually had no idea Zero Punctuation is still around, I will have to give it a look. His Fallout 3 review back in the day was GOAT.

I understand people dont stay the same and opinions and such change but it comes off to me as more angry and personal. Especially towards the new chick. Something felt off to me but maybe I am looking into it too much.
Click to expand...

The Escapist did a neat thing a few years ago and made long videos that rolled up all of his reviews by year. He's still as witty and cutting as ever and like with any good comedy, rooted in truth. He also does a semi regular feature called Extra Punctuation which is a little more serious than his reviews but still short form.
 
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D

Deleted member 1159

Unconfirmed Member
I get why Jeff doesn’t go out- he’s in his mid 40s and a big dude and he’s got two young kids who can’t be vaccinated, no idea what his wife is like but…ya know, if you got the money to keep the kids home and door dash your shit forever, good for you. My priorities aren’t the same, but that’s partly because I’m pretty sure my kids have had the rona
 
T

Tg89

Member
only bothered to listen to the third day of goty. Just not a huge fan of the crew or their tastes for that matter. Jeff and Jan are the only ones I really fuck with. Definitely with Jeff on the Psychonauts vs. Halo thing, games can’t be good without good gameplay.

Anyway, the top 10 list really just showed me how not aligned my tastes are with theirs at this point. Outside of Dread, Rise and Hitman the list was pretty bleh.

It’s a shame what happened to Giant Bomb and video game podcasts in general. Feels like all the ones I want to listen to are spread about on different podcasts with different people dragging those podcasts down. Just give me a podcast of Jeff, Brad, Vinny and Dan Ryckert.
 
D

Deleted member 1159

Unconfirmed Member
Tg89 said:
only bothered to listen to the third day of goty. Just not a huge fan of the crew or their tastes for that matter. Jeff and Jan are the only ones I really fuck with. Definitely with Jeff on the Psychonauts vs. Halo thing, games can’t be good without good gameplay.

Anyway, the top 10 list really just showed me how not aligned my tastes are with theirs at this point. Outside of Dread, Rise and Hitman the list was pretty bleh.

It’s a shame what happened to Giant Bomb and video game podcasts in general. Feels like all the ones I want to listen to are spread about on different podcasts with different people dragging those podcasts down. Just give me a podcast of Jeff, Brad, Vinny and Dan Ryckert.
Click to expand...
Jeff, Brad, Vinny and Dan would be a great lineup. I really like the sort of innocent enthusiasm Jan brings too, he just seems like a fun guy
 
AJUMP23

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
Evil Calvin said:
Just last week Jeff was saying how he never goes out of the house. Dude. It's not that bad. Wear a mask and go to the store. Quit being such a pussy!
Click to expand...
They are going to hate that new research from John Hopkins on the lockdowns.
 
AJUMP23

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
Evil Calvin said:
Which is what?
Click to expand...
health.wusf.usf.edu

A Johns Hopkins study says 'ill-founded' COVID lockdowns did more harm than good

The researchers say lockdowns had no noticeable effect on reducing COVID-related deaths and a "devastating effect" on economies and social ills.
health.wusf.usf.edu

Lockdowns did nothing to lower the mortality rate.

The study concluded that lockdowns “are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument.”

“They have contributed to reducing economic activity, raising unemployment, reducing schooling, causing political unrest, contributing to domestic violence, and undermining liberal democracy,” the report said.
Click to expand...

The Study:
 
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Delt31

Delt31

Member
I miss the old giant bomb. It was so good. Truly goat. This new crew is just tough to listen too.

As a big pinball collector I do like the infusion of pinball talk though. Would love to see that expanded
 
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T

t00tz

Neo Member
Delt31 said:
I miss the old giant bomb. It was so good. Truly goat. This new crew is just tough to listen too.

As a big pinball collector I do like the infusion of pinball talk though. Would love to see that expanded
Click to expand...
Yeah I let my sub lapse for the first time last year. The current content is just not my cup of tea, it seems more forced.
 
D

Deleted member 1159

Unconfirmed Member
AJUMP23 said:
health.wusf.usf.edu

A Johns Hopkins study says 'ill-founded' COVID lockdowns did more harm than good

The researchers say lockdowns had no noticeable effect on reducing COVID-related deaths and a "devastating effect" on economies and social ills.
health.wusf.usf.edu

Lockdowns did nothing to lower the mortality rate.



The Study:
Click to expand...

Not really applicable to a single family’s decisions based on their own factors (e.g. possible comorbidities, their employment situation (Jeff can work remotely and I’m assuming is quite comfortable money wise), kids’ ages, etc.)

I’m not trying to refute the study itself or its implications for society as a whole, just anyone applying it to a single family’s choices which may or may not have the same factors
 
HoodWinked

HoodWinked

Member
sometimes boy bawang just pops into my memory in reference to this video. GB used to be so effortlessly funny the ending of this video is perfect.

 
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Hugare

Hugare

Member
It's all about the personalities. And 90% have either left or died (RIP Ryan)

So its been a loong time since Giantbomb had any relevance left
 
BennyBlanco

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
I gave her a chance but Jess is fucking awful. Just constantly talking over people and interjecting nonsense. I'd rather listen to Patrick Klepek.

I have like 2 hours a day at work where I listen to podcasts at the end of the day. I have a lot of time to fill. But damn I might just drop GB altogether. Nextlander is just as bad.
 
TheMadMan007

TheMadMan007

Member
I used to watch Giant Bomb pretty much exclusively for video game news and info, but since around mid 2017, some things changed and never got better. They only seemed to get worse in every aspect. The 2020 "remote sessions" started off promising but only got worse as the staff realized they could be as lazy as they want and get away with it. At this point I've stopped even realizing Giant Bomb is even still around, and with the NextLander departure and Fire Escape podcast it seemed like it was going to light a fire under Giant Bomb now that they had direct competition from ex-staff.

I used to be part of the NeoGaf GB thread, but that got nuked, we started a Discord and still discuss GB (Since that wasn't really allowed here anymore) and also talk about NextLander and , Fire Escape and all the other outlets and also just like talking about games and having fun. If you want to join, you are more than welcome, you'll find a lot of the old NeoGaf Giant Bomb thread members still around, and we are doing fun stuff like our own Game Of The Year, and started a Game Of The Month game club (like a book club, but with games). Everyone is welcome!

discord.gg

Discord - Group Chat That’s All Fun & Games

Discord is great for playing games and chilling with friends, or even building a worldwide community. Customize your own space to talk, play, and hang out.
discord.gg discord.gg
 
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Umbasaborne

Umbasaborne

Banned
BennyBlanco said:
I gave her a chance but Jess is fucking awful. Just constantly talking over people and interjecting nonsense. I'd rather listen to Patrick Klepek.

I have like 2 hours a day at work where I listen to podcasts at the end of the day. I have a lot of time to fill. But damn I might just drop GB altogether. Nextlander is just as bad.
Click to expand...
I think jess is great when she is talking about stuff she cares about, and she is a great streamer. I think that for something like gb, you need to have a wide interest in multiple types of games, and you need to be knowledgable about the industry. I give her props for doing her best, i know how tough it can be to enter a new job. Of course its not the same as when ryan was there, and ive accepted it never will be. I think that with some tweaking, jess can be a really great addition. She just needs to avoid going off on tangents if its something she is not super knowledgable about.
 
SoggyBiscuit

SoggyBiscuit

Banned
What I'd give for Giant Bomb to bring back something as fun and innovative as The Big Live Live Show: Live! Or the E3 After Dark interviews... Such great formats and so good to see so many industry players take part.

Truly was a different time back then and I do think part of the spirit of the site died with Ryan.

I do hope they recant on not going back to the office, mailbags and videos of that ilk were always so much fun.

Current Giant Bomb really does feel as though it is on life support, I don't know what it needs, but it needs an injection of something.
 
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