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[Adam_Vania]

he's probably the person most single-handedly responsible for the screaming obscenities-level of dialog that plagues most VG social media to this day. thank god for Lazy Game Reviews, Errant Signal, etc.

AVGN shows were entertaining for a while and a decent way to kill time but i can't think of much positive that was contributed to VG culture at large. the movie was absolutely horrible and regressive. in the way that people trying to make a "bad movie" usually just make a lame movie with none of the fun of true "badness".

 

[Olly88]

Started watching in about 2009/10 and loved him and the show ever since. The other videos they do are great, plus they all seem like really nice guys which makes the stuff just pleasant to watch.

Favourite episode is probably the Batman one for the laughs, and the Castlevania trilogy for the feels.

 

[RobFox64tm]

he's probably the person most single-handedly responsible for the screaming obscenities-level of dialog that plagues most VG social media to this day. thank god for Lazy Game Reviews, Errant Signal, etc.

AVGN shows were entertaining for a while and a decent way to kill time but i can't think of much positive that was contributed to VG culture at large. the movie was absolutely horrible and regressive. in the way that people trying to make a "bad movie" usually just make a lame movie with none of the fun of true "badness".

I think the obscenities were more of a focus in the beginning, but the show gradually changed into a more historical and informational look at classic gaming. The vulgarity never left completely, of course, but I think it's a bit unfair to write AVGN off as something that lives and dies by its boisterous humor.

I also like that James is a really relate-able guy who clearly loves what he does.

 

[Lkr]

My favs were the Bible games ep, Friday the thirteenth(you and your friends are dead game over), BIMMY and Jimmy from double dragon(bimmy isn't even a real name!) and the you know what's bullshit series

 

[TheJoRu]

Plumbers Don't Wear Ties is still the GOAT episode. Obviously it had a lot to do with how hilariously bad the "game" is, but the reactions and line deliveries were flawless.

 

[MysteryQuesadilla]

I haven't watched his stuff in years, but loved it when it was a new "thing" on the internet before retro game collecting went crazy. Still appreciate the bits here and there of newer material I catch.

 

[Defect]

Love AVGN and Cinemassacre. I even hugged James at AVideoGameCon on Sunday!

 

[17 Seconds]

is this the dude who made that awful video about the new ghostbusters, or is that someone else?

 

[Inuhanyou]

James is just one of the greats.

 

[UncleSporky]

I love his takedowns of bad mechanics and bullshit segments in game.

I hate all the ancillary stuff surrounding the reviews like having someone dress up in a Bugs Bunny costume and get in a huge fight with them involving turds. Really cringey and obnoxious. And unfortunately as his popularity and budget grew, he started doing more and more of those segments, and they got longer.

 

[Defuser]

Once in a while I would go back and rewatch most of his videos.

What makes his videos entertaining to watch is how he presents it. When reviewing a game he would give a background history of the game/series then all the illogical stuff/decisions/mechanics in games he will point/hightlight it out and make analogies of it, show clearly when controls are shit and uses lines/zooms/circles.etc to grab your attention to focus on the flaws and problems of the game. And of course he throws in a skit to make it entertaining.

Despite his recent videos isn't as good as before but he still put other tryhard youtubers to shame in terms of game reviewing.

 

[Inuhanyou]

I love his takedowns of bad mechanics and bullshit segments in game.

I hate all the ancillary stuff surrounding the reviews like having someone dress up in a Bugs Bunny costume and get in a huge fight with them involving turds. Really cringey and obnoxious. And unfortunately as his popularity and budget grew, he started doing more and more of those segments, and they got longer.

He's always done that stuff. He is a director after all, and has done stage props since he was a little kid.

He's not just an internet commentator.

is this the dude who made that awful video about the new ghostbusters, or is that someone else?

"The dude"? Atleast know who your talking to.

And if your referring to James's video explaining why he was not going to do a review on the new Ghostbusters(because he thought it was going to be horrible), yeah.

he's probably the person most single-handedly responsible for the screaming obscenities-level of dialog that plagues most VG social media to this day. thank god for Lazy Game Reviews, Errant Signal, etc.

James is the one who contributed to cursing on video game social media? What the heck are you talking about?

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

I think they got a lot worse when he started doing stuff he wasn't interested in or didn't have memories of from his childhood, but its still pretty good. Miles ahead of most of his imitators anyway.

 

[Listonosh]

Viewer from the very beginning here. Like mentioned, every new video release was so exciting for me. The first years were absolutely fantastic. The skits did get a little overbearing down the line, and I distinctly remember that I wasn't even able to finish the episode where Lloyd Kaufman joined him to review Toxic Crusaders. It was a little too cringy for my taste.

But any way you slice it, AVGN was such a huge pioneer for gaming shows, when there were so little at the time.

 

[17 Seconds]

He's always done that stuff. He is a director after all, and has done stage props since he was a little kid.

He's not just an internet commentator.



"The dude"? Atleast know who your talking to.

And if your referring to James's video explaining why he was not going to do a review on the new Ghostbusters(because he thought it was going to be horrible), yeah.

i don't understand this complaint. i was asking if that's him, and apparently it is.

i was just curious why it hasn't really been brought up in the thread yet, considering the whole ghostbusters thing was disgusting, and he played a part in it.

 

[antitrop]

Started watching him in 2007. He really paved the way for the YouTube-era. Back then, it was just him and Yahtzee doing the "angry, extraordinarily cynical gamer" thing, now it's half of YT.

 

[UncleSporky]

He's always done that stuff. He is a director after all, and has done stage props since he was a little kid.

He's not just an internet commentator.

He's vastly better at commentary than skits.

Through every single one I've never laughed, always been thinking "ugh get back to the game." They are universally awful.

Actual game segments of him dying repeatedly for stupid reasons, whether his own fault or not? That stuff's gold. And the occasional profanity-laden rant is great, too.

 

[Already Torn]

I don't really regularly watch it anymore, but I loved it in its prime. His monster madness stuff is super good too. The worst thing about AVGN is the copycats it spawned.

 

[Listonosh]

i don't understand this complaint. i was asking if that's him, and apparently it is.

i was just curious why it hasn't really been brought up in the thread yet, considering the whole ghostbusters thing was disgusting, and he played a part in it.

It was? How so? He wasn't being sexist about anything. From what I remember about that video, he just stated he wouldn't go see it, AKA not support something he doesn't care for with his wallet, something gamers are always bringing up when it comes to pre-orders.

 

[MrBadger]

He was definitely an inspiration for most video game personalities like Jontron and the like. I actually really love watching the more amateurish ripoffs where people try to do what he does only without the likability. They're just funny-bad

 

[KLoWn]

Been watching since his Top Gun review (or was it the Karate Kid one? Can't remember). It's been one hell of a ride and I hope it continues for another 10 years.

 

[antitrop]

Been watching since his Top Gun review (or was it the Karate Kid one? Can't remember). It's been one hell of a ride and I hope it continues for another 10 years.

I loved his Top Gun review, because I had that game as a kid, and I could never land that damn plane, either. Him landing it with the Power Glove is a classic AVGN moment.

 

[RionaaM]

I found out about him in 2010, when a friend (at the time he was just an online acquaintance) told me about him. I watched the Dick Tracy video, then the Action 52 and I fell in love with his videos immediately. I always enjoyed the "normal" videos a lot more than the acted/character ones, because I cared about watching footage of the game and hearing James' comments on it.

Nowadays I don't really follow the newest AVGN videos. Sure, I still watch them (though I haven't seen the last 2 ones), but I find the other series more entertaining. James & Mike Mondays, Talk About Games and Mike & Bootsy are all fun and entertaining, even if sometimes they struggle to grasp the basic mechanics of a game and things like that.

I still rewatch my favorite older videos every now and then. CD-i, Sega CD/32X, Castlevania series, Plumbers Don't Wear Ties, Action 52/Cheetahmen 2, Virtual Boy, Power Glove, NES accessories, Atari porn games, Silver Surfer, Transformers, Swordquest, Bible games trilogy and Star Wars games, plus a couple other ones.

Haven't watched the movie yet, even though I bought it on GOG. Lost my motivation when a couple of friends, who also like AVGN, told me it was bad.

 

[MrBadger]

He's vastly better at commentary than skits.

Through every single one I've never laughed, always been thinking "ugh get back to the game." They are universally awful.

Actual game segments of him dying repeatedly for stupid reasons, whether his own fault or not? That stuff's gold. And the occasional profanity-laden rant is great, too.

Yeah, agreed. Although he's not nearly as bad as Nostalgia Critic for that. His newer videos are super long and 90% skit. There he is tearing down a movie for not being funny and having low production values, while he's there making less funny jokes with even less production values. Having said that, I do think the episode where AVGN beats up Bugs Bunny is a classic

 

[dcx4610]

I hated him at first until I realized it was a joke by the Karate Kid episode. I know most of the episodes by heart.

I don't think his modern episodes are that great anymore. I think he tries too hard to make them epic rather than quick little charming video reviews which I preferred.

He never struck me as a good video game player and his knowledge seems fairly limited so these days I prefer his movie talk way more where he's just himself. Movies are clearly his passion and I love hearing him talk about them.

 

[Adam_Vania]

It was? How so? He wasn't being sexist about anything. From what I remember about that video, he just stated he wouldn't go see it, AKA not support something he doesn't care for with his wallet, something gamers are always bringing up when it comes to pre-orders.

just kind of bs that someone whose entire persona is about reviewing horrible things decides this one thing is just beyond even the trouble of engaging with it.

 

[antitrop]

Haven't watched the movie yet, even though I bought it on GOG. Lost my motivation when a couple of friends, who also like AVGN, told me it was bad.

Ugh, it's one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I don't regret supporting James, because I'm happy he was able to achieve his dream of directing a full-length film, but it was such a huge fucking waste of my time to actually watch. I didn't like a single thing about it.

 

[SoundPulse]

The skits aren't that great, but I find that's part of the charm.

i don't understand this complaint. i was asking if that's him, and apparently it is.

i was just curious why it hasn't really been brought up in the thread yet, considering the whole ghostbusters thing was disgusting, and he played a part in it.

What James actually himself said was pretty damn innocuous. It was simply a notification to his followers that he had no intentions of watching the film, then he went on to talk about his feelings on Ghostbuster style reboots in general for the rest of it.

You could argue that he fed into the hate machine with the video, but I don't feel that's really being fair to James.

 

[Defuser]

i don't understand this complaint. i was asking if that's him, and apparently it is.

i was just curious why it hasn't really been brought up in the thread yet, considering the whole ghostbusters thing was disgusting, and he played a part in it.

Because he didn't say anything sexist about the new ghostbusters and people use him as a scrapegoat for being sexist?

Plenty of well known youtubers defended James because they know he got aimed for something he didn't say.

 

[TheKeyPit]

I only know their Battletoads Episode: https://youtu.be/UD7k4mTThLY?t=3m46s

 

[Knuckle Sandwich]

I was a huge fan from the start but fell off about 5 years ago. I guess I just got tired of him.

 

[17 Seconds]

It was? How so? He wasn't being sexist about anything. From what I remember about that video, he just stated he wouldn't go see it, AKA not support something he doesn't care for with his wallet, something gamers are always bringing up when it comes to pre-orders.

even if there was no sexism involved (which i find hard to believe), it was still an extremely toxic and harmful situation at the time, and he piled on.

this is apparently meant to be an appreciation thread, so i'll leave it alone, but people haven't forgotten his part in that mess. plus, like someone else mentioned, he's a big part of the awful whiny/obnoxious/angry attitude that plagues the gaming world.

 

[heyf00L]

just kind of bs that someone whose entire persona is about reviewing horrible things decides this one thing is just beyond even the trouble of engaging with it.

So he has to review every horrible thing, or it's bs. He can't choose. Right.

 

[17 Seconds]

Because he didn't say anything sexist about the new ghostbusters and people use him as a scrapegoat for being sexist?

Plenty of well known youtubers defended James because they know he got aimed for something he didn't say.

people want to bury their heads in the sand when it's someone they like. whatever.

 

[UncleSporky]

just kind of bs that someone whose entire persona is about reviewing horrible things decides this one thing is just beyond even the trouble of engaging with it.

You wanted him to review it and talk about how horrible it was, inciting the wrath of everyone defending it? Isn't it better, more mature, to try to avoid becoming part of the controversy? And then end up part of it anyway because even saying you're not going to review it is reprehensible apparently.

It's not "beyond" in terms of being so horrible it's worse than the most horrible thing. It's something that became too divisive online, to where making a statement on either side got you labeled as this sort of person or that sort of person. So he wisely chose not to engage.

 

[Olly88]

I still find the reaction to the video completely ridiculous. Though strangely I find it less surprising that people are still going on about it.

 

[UncleSporky]

this is apparently meant to be an appreciation thread, so i'll leave it alone, but people haven't forgotten his part in that mess.

oh noooooo how menacing

 

[GustyGardens]

I've been watching James for years now. I've always liked AVGN, even the weaker ones, but I've grown very fond of what he's doing with Board James and James & Mike. We're around the same age, so a lot of our childhood memories sorta match up. It's kinda nice.

He's so much more than AVGN now, and it's great. They're one of the few channels that I will actually make an effort to watch all of their videos. Sometimes I'll go back and watch some older ones, too.

Spoiler

Even the AlphaOmegaSin ones.

I really liked the Pilotwings episode of James & Mike. I'm also a big fan of the stuff that Mike & Bootsy and Mike & Ryan have been doing.

 

[ZoddGutts]

i don't understand this complaint. i was asking if that's him, and apparently it is.

i was just curious why it hasn't really been brought up in the thread yet, considering the whole ghostbusters thing was disgusting, and he played a part in it.

True I was also disgusted by how awful that movie was.

 

[GeoramA]

A decade already, crazy. I remember the buzz surrounding the TMNT video, checked it out, been a fan ever since.

 

[AGoodODST]

Some of his stuff is fantastic. I loved the Castlevania marathon he did. I haven't watched much of the new stuff though.

 

[Adam_Vania]

You wanted him to review it and talk about how horrible it was, inciting the wrath of everyone defending it? Isn't it better, more mature, to try to avoid becoming part of the controversy? And then end up part of it anyway because even saying you're not going to review it is reprehensible apparently.

It's not "beyond" in terms of being so horrible it's worse than the most horrible thing. It's something that became too divisive online, to where making a statement on either side got you labeled as this sort of person or that sort of person. So he wisely chose not to engage.

except he did engage by making it into a public statement. he could have just not done it and done so quietly, with zero controversy. yet he wanted to make a public stance and he did.

it's hard to have respect for anyone who calls themselves a critic and then refuses to actually see the things they are talking about. imo this is a dealbreaker.

 

[Hero]

Definitely one of my favorite personalities and hit home since my friend circle loved playing bad video games for whatever reason which he often covered.

 

[Listonosh]

just kind of bs that someone whose entire persona is about reviewing horrible things decides this one thing is just beyond even the trouble of engaging with it.

That's fair.

even if there was no sexism involved (which i find hard to believe), it was still an extremely toxic and harmful situation at the time, and he piled on.

this is apparently meant to be an appreciation thread, so i'll leave it alone, but people haven't forgotten his part in that mess. plus, like someone else mentioned, he's a big part of the awful whiny/obnoxious/angry attitude that plagues the gaming world.

Also fair.

As for the whiny stuff, the thing is, in his early videos, it was skits. Sure, there were plenty of times where the rage was apparent, but in the end, I don't think it was ever supposed to be taken as a serious show, despite his actual critiques being very good. The problem with channels nowadays is that they adopt that whiny persona, while ALSO trying to be legitimately covering games. I haven't seen many, but I'd say Angry Joe does it in a pretty good way.

except he did engage by making it into a public statement. he could have just not done it and done so quietly, with zero controversy. yet he wanted to make a public stance and he did.

it's hard to have respect for anyone who calls themselves a critic and then refuses to actually see the things they are talking about. imo this is a dealbreaker.

The problem here is that everyone KNEW what a huge Ghostbusters fan he was. At least his fans. So there was NO getting around him not saying anything about not seeing it. I'm sure he was hammered with questions left and right whether he was going to see it/review it. Same thing happened with the Ghostbusters Game that came out years ago. People just know that franchise is something he holds near and dear, so because of that, I'm pretty sure that going radio silent on the movie that's a part of his all time favorite franchise, would have seemed weird to people. Just my thought.

 

[mavericktopgun]

Big Rigs

 

[Darhkwing]

i believe i started watching his videos in 2007. Me and some friends would meet up every week and watch the latest one when available. Some of us stopped watching but i always tried to watch whenever he had a new video.

I did kinda fall out of love with the character though, i outgrew the swearing and gross outs and it was obvious he felt the same way.

Still, his videos are decent if not by the numbers but i agree his movie reviews are great.

 

[Lothar]

i don't understand this complaint. i was asking if that's him, and apparently it is.

i was just curious why it hasn't really been brought up in the thread yet, considering the whole ghostbusters thing was disgusting, and he played a part in it.

Maybe you should not be posting in a thread until you know what you're talking about. He made a review video about a bad trailer for a bad movie, yes. It hasn't been brought up because it's well known by now that those who had an issue with it are ridiculous people with nothing substantial to say.

 

[Justinh]

Ugh, it's one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I don't regret supporting James, because I'm happy he was able to achieve his dream of directing a full-length film, but it was such a huge fucking waste of my time to actually watch. I didn't like a single thing about it.

Geez, it's that bad? I think it's on Amazon Prime videos even, but I've never really felt compelled to watch it. I think I chipped in 10 bucks for his IndieGogo or whatever he used to fund it, though.

 

[GustyGardens]

His stuff is good!

 

[Gai Murakumo]

My favorite AVGN videos is still the combination of the Mario 3 episode with NES Accessories episode back to back. My favorite moment from that is when he is using the NES U-Force peripheral and still cannot make the landing on the air craft carrier in Top Gun.