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

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BadBurger

Is 'That Pure Potato'
It's a shame what has become of GB, but it's not all that surprising. Splitting up the crew, every hire after Dan being a total miss, and one corporate buyout after another just took the life out of the site.

Yea it's unfortunate. Nothing against the new hires, they all seem like great people, but they were just the wrong fit.
 
Nextlander is utter trash. Most boring group of people ever. Giantbomb actually got better when the three departed.

But Jeff should honestly just stream solo, and do/play stuff that he actually wants to do, its clear he has no passion for his job anymore.

Also self censoring and trying to please one group of people seriously stiffles your personality. (Just look at Nextlander and Giantbomb)
 

Thaedolus

Gold Member
Nextlander is utter trash. Most boring group of people ever. Giantbomb actually got better when the three departed.

But Jeff should honestly just stream solo, and do/play stuff that he actually wants to do, its clear he has no passion for his job anymore.

Also self censoring and trying to please one group of people seriously stiffles your personality. (Just look at Nextlander and Giantbomb)

I actually agree that GB got better when the Beast Cast ended and Bakalar joined the OG show...I still miss Vinny and Brad with that crew, because on their own with Alex it feels very...flat. I'm glad they're apparently doing well because I like those guys, but I don't really listen to their show much at all, especially with Alex being such a wet blanket and Brad being so passive. They work in a different setting, but with just Vinny there hosting it feels too flat or something.

Jeff does do solo streams from time to time, his streams of that janky as fuck Super Mario Bros port on some old computer system were pretty funny.
 
Been rewatching the GB Persona4 endurance run this week. Can't believe that was over 10 years ago now! But all good things come to an end.

I basically migrated to Nextlander content. Where Vinny is older but still a joker. And Bad is still Brad at playing games. But I feel like they carry the torch of the original GB, more than the actual current GB.
 

Brute

Member
Nextlander is utter trash. Most boring group of people ever. Giantbomb actually got better when the three departed.

But Jeff should honestly just stream solo, and do/play stuff that he actually wants to do, its clear he has no passion for his job anymore.

Also self censoring and trying to please one group of people seriously stiffles your personality. (Just look at Nextlander and Giantbomb)
Giant Bomb got better? When? It’s now Jeff telling everyone that every new video game is trash and Jan & Jason nodding along even if they don’t agree.

I suppose we’ve got that new burger woman who just talks over everyone and constantly swears. I don’t class that as entertaining though.
 
Giant Bomb got better? When? It’s now Jeff telling everyone that every new video game is trash and Jan & Jason nodding along even if they don’t agree.

I suppose we’ve got that new burger woman who just talks over everyone and constantly swears. I don’t class that as entertaining though.
Still way better than what Vinny alex and Brad are putting out. most boring pg trash i have ever seen, none of them even like games anymore. Its just so monotone and boring.

Fyi i dont watch giantbomb anymore, but i was able to watch more of the newer giantbomb then nextlander
 
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AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
Still listening but I'm not 100% sure why. Majority of the runtime is still either non-video game stuff or ads. New girl constantly talks over others and it's a mess. Bakalar still seems like he can't put out a coherent thought about the 2 hours of video games he plays a week, Jason is still deadweight although seems to be trying a little more.

I actually like Danny on these casts and he's on hiatus now, great. Something tells me GOTY this year is gonna really suck.
 

Brute

Member
Still listening but I'm not 100% sure why. Majority of the runtime is still either non-video game stuff or ads. New girl constantly talks over others and it's a mess. Bakalar still seems like he can't put out a coherent thought about the 2 hours of video games he plays a week, Jason is still deadweight although seems to be trying a little more.

I actually like Danny on these casts and he's on hiatus now, great. Something tells me GOTY this year is gonna really suck.
GOTY will consist of Jeff G saying everything sucks apart from the Tony Hawk Remaster.
 

Kacho

Member
Will GB even be around in 10 years? I haven't watched their content or listened to the bombcast for years but it never seemed the same after Ryan died. They did ok with Vinny and Brad still around, plus Dan. All of them are gone. So is Drew and Dave Snider. What's the appeal now?
 

Thaedolus

Gold Member
So they dropped doing goty deliberations last year?
I guess so, seems like Nextlander is doing basically the same format and I actually found myself listening to them because I like the deliberations and the discussion feels pretty tight with just the three of them and not having someone who shan’t be named insisting a dating simulator make the top ten
 

RiccochetJ

Gold Member
E3 is all but dead. The GOTY stuff was some of my favorite stuff but that got ruined a few years back.
That's unfortunate if E3 is done. The Giant Bomb interviews, especially the yearly Phil Spencer interview, were my favorite part of E3 after the big presentations were done. If anything, I would like it if Jeff could figure out a way to continue to do a yearly check in with Spencer around that time where they're actually sitting down and talking face to face for an hour.
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
So in improve comedy there's the concept of "Yes and..."

Someone makes a joke and the foil is supposed to buy in and help see where the joke goes.

Bakalar always seems like "No stop..." guy. His identity is group policeman who hands out tickets to everyone who doesn't fully land with a joke. That personality type really grinds my f#@%ing gears.
 

AJUMP23

Gold Member
So in improve comedy there's the concept of "Yes and..."

Someone makes a joke and the foil is supposed to buy in and help see where the joke goes.

Bakalar always seems like "No stop..." guy. His identity is group policeman who hands out tickets to everyone who doesn't fully land with a joke. That personality type really grinds my f#@%ing gears.
Do you work with Abby, improv comedy genius.


Bakular and Rykert had some great exchanges. One was so much fun it made it into a level in Hitman 3. About VHS tapes.

 
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Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Do you work with Abby, improv comedy genius.


Bakular and Rykert had some great exchanges. One was so much fun it made it into a level in Hitman 3. About VHS tapes.



I always felt the majority of their exchanges were...

Rykert: (Says something bizarrely vulnerable and thus endearing)

Bakalar: "OMG you didn't know about ______?! Stop! Just stop!"
 

AJUMP23

Gold Member
I always felt the majority of their exchanges were...

Rykert: (Says something bizarrely vulnerable and thus endearing)

Bakalar: "OMG you didn't know about ______?! Stop! Just stop!"
Rykert is very naive, and Bakalar can't believe it. That sums it up.
 

Javthusiast

Banned
I really liked Ben and Abby. Don't know why they had such backlash. The ranking the fighters was a great series that got cancelled because of the backlash
Everybody Loves Raymond Traitor GIF by TV Land
 
I can see why they don't want to go to the office anymore, Jeff has his kid ....

But the site has been crap after Ryan passed. It was never the same, so many funny moments when they were in the basement...
 

SpiceRacz

Member
So, I listened to probably the first hour of the Bombcast this week and Jeff did mention there was no plans right now to go back to the office. However, he also said he has a vision for what the next studio will look like. It sounds like the plan is to return to in-studio stuff, post-pandemic.
 

Brute

Member
So, I listened to probably the first hour of the Bombcast this week and Jeff did mention there was no plans right now to go back to the office. However, he also said he has a vision for what the next studio will look like. It sounds like the plan is to return to in-studio stuff, post-pandemic.
GB won’t be around post pandemic. And if it is, it will be Jeff streaming retro stuff on his own from home. Which I would be fine with as right now, GB is really bad. I just don’t recognise it. The site hasn’t evolved either, it’s just got lazy.
 

chris121580

Member
I used to look forward to their content on a weekly basis and now there's not nearly as much content and what they do create is also practically unbearable. Most don't even have anything to do with games. UPF is terrible now. The only thing I was enjoying was the Demons Souls playthrough with Danny and Tamoor and they haven't filmed that for months. Danny also decided to step away for a bit so we likely won't see a new episode anytime soon
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
gb died years ago.
They banned me (a 10 years long paid subscriber) for going against the woke grain in their chat... and I wasn't even so radical.
It really died when Dan Left and started about 2 years after Ryan passed away
 

Cattlyst

Member
GB is still one of my regular weekly downloads. I still enjoy it and don’t really dislike any of the hosts. The new female host surprised me in that I think she’s pretty funny and knows her stuff. I’m probably in a minority here but I still like the bombcast and I’ve been listening weekly since 2012. On the other hand, I don’t think I’ve ever visited the actual website so maybe I’m missing something.
 

Brute

Member
The Giant Bomb subreddit is a crazy place. There does seem to be more people raising their concerns about the site though. But you’ve also got the crazies who won’t have a bad word said about GB’s content.

I really don’t understand it, I don’t see it with other sites like Kinda Funny or What’s Good Games. It just seems to be GB fans, they’re almost obsessive.
 
The Giant Bomb subreddit is a crazy place. There does seem to be more people raising their concerns about the site though. But you’ve also got the crazies who won’t have a bad word said about GB’s content.

I really don’t understand it, I don’t see it with other sites like Kinda Funny or What’s Good Games. It just seems to be GB fans, they’re almost obsessive.
I think all of their normal fans either left or got banned from that subreddit. I used to check in on it from time to time, but over the last few years it's turned into an almost cult-like thing.
 

O-N-E

Member
The Giant Bomb subreddit is a crazy place. There does seem to be more people raising their concerns about the site though. But you’ve also got the crazies who won’t have a bad word said about GB’s content.

I really don’t understand it, I don’t see it with other sites like Kinda Funny or What’s Good Games. It just seems to be GB fans, they’re almost obsessive.

What's there to understand?

This is the fanbase they've curated.

Edit: For perspective, back in 2020 I was asked to never again use terms like "virtue-signaling" because they are forbidden and I would be banned. I told them I didn't even use that term to describe anyone on the site, but they insisted I accept the terms. Every mod was linked to that PM chain. I said no.

An 11+ year account at that point.
 
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Evil Calvin

Afraid of Boobs
Yep. They'll all stream from their homes like they have been doing for the last year or so. No more Giant Bomb from the office/studio.
Well they barely streamed during Covid while AT home. So I don't see how anything will change. They barely stream now. They are a bunch of lazy fucks!
 

Evil Calvin

Afraid of Boobs
They always act (and Vinnie, Alex and Brad did as well early last year) like they cannot go outside. Go anywhere. I have been going to work (my work takes great precautions), going to the grocery stores, took 4 road trips, even went to a movie. But they cannot go anywhere. Really kind of embarrassing!
 

ResurrectedContrarian

Suffers with mild autism
Somehow I've mostly managed to avoid Giant Bomb across all my 4 decades of gaming, despite knowing who they are and occasionally seeing smaller excerpts posted on other sites.

Anyone able to post a "greatest hits" compilation? I'd be interested to see good clips of their glory days.
 

Guileless

Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
They always act (and Vinnie, Alex and Brad did as well early last year) like they cannot go outside. Go anywhere. I have been going to work (my work takes great precautions), going to the grocery stores, took 4 road trips, even went to a movie. But they cannot go anywhere. Really kind of embarrassing!

A prolonged lack of face-to-face human interaction can often lead to mental illness.

The reason GB worked was the camaraderie of Jeff & co. together. I don't see the point of the current iteration.
 

Evil Calvin

Afraid of Boobs
What's there to understand?

This is the fanbase they've curated.

Edit: For perspective, back in 2020 I was asked to never again use terms like "virtue-signaling" because they are forbidden and I would be banned. I told them I didn't even use that term to describe anyone on the site, but they insisted I accept the terms. Every mod was linked to that PM chain. I said no.

An 11+ year account at that point.
I was banned for calling Abby a clown. She was the worst.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
You are all forgetting then even before they started working from home, they moved to that silly desk.
Yep. The high water mark receded when Vinny then Dan went to the East Coast. Abbey & Ben were already after the peak, they just brought it down all the more quickly. You can't have a personality driven website while being extremely hostile to your own audience. It will never work out well.

I expect the rest of the remaining members will disappear into the ether & Gerstmann will either become a full time streamer or a consultant in the industry.
 

Brute

Member
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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