How do you feel about the Angry Video Game Nerd?

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I hear ya. "It's AAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!" is a personal inside joke between my wife and I.

I also agree that it would be nice to hear him talk about newer games more often, but he's mentioned several times that he kind of dropped off after the PS1 era.

I know he and Mike have occasionally played newer games in their other videos, but I just can't get into those. I'll be honest, watching other people play video games is super boring to me, especially when they talk/mumble in meandering fashion the whole time. And they often say dumb/ignorant stuff when discussing basic pop culture stuff they really ought'a know, and I end up yelling at the screen.

I'm sure James is a real nice guy, but I really only like his AVGN and Board James videos. And even with Board James he kinda seemed to give up on it halfway through, thus the strange and abrupt ending he gave it.

I don't want him to talk about current games much, tbh. Unless they're Nintendo, ofc. James is all about nostalgia, as the theme song says "he's gonna take you back to the past".

Honestly, it's a bit odd to see him review a PS1 or an Xbox 360 game like Sonic 2006, which was current gen back when AVGN became a thing .Man, AVGN reviewing a 360 game! Wow time flies.

One thing I agree with James is that the NES games seem to make the best episodes. He even says it himself that the NES is his safe zone. I guess it's because that's the console he started with and the console we primarily associate him with. Not to mention a lot or most of the NES games he reviewed are games he grew up with, so you can feel how genuine his frustrations are. While games for the Saturn and games like Sonic 2006 are games he did not play until this decade as a guy in his 30s. Not the same sort of long lasting trauma or nostalgia.

Tbh, James wasn't even THAT big of a gamer until he started AVGN: His main passion is film making. He did the first couple of videos as a joke and Karate Kid was meant to be the last of the trilogy... but it snowballed and the rest is history. Basically, his collection grew a TON, and a lot of sh*t he owns have been donations from fans. He made a video in like 2007 about console wars where he had to edit a Saturn in because he didn't own a Saturn... but then got mailed 4 SEGA SATURNS as gifts from fans . Not a bad gig to have. Buying and playing games as a hobby and job and also getting consoles and games as gifts from fans . Also, some of the games he reviews are Mike's. Mike is the bigger gamer of the two, I think.

James and Mike's Mondays is hit and miss. Mike can be rather annoying and grating. Some have good moments and jokes, but not really a must see thing.

Board James was fun.

Movie reviews... well James is a bit too much into horror movies and such, which aren't really my thing. So meh.

[Leo656]

My problem with the NES reviews is that it's kinda low-hanging fruit. I do love hearing him talk about games I too grew up with, but going back to any of those games WITHOUT nostalgia goggles on, and they're all mostly crap. A few decent Konami and Capcom games, sure, but by and large, if Nintendo themselves didn't make it, it was crap. Video games didn't get truly "great" until the SNES era. Before that, people were still learning how to program, or to figure out that there were other types of game designs besides "side-scrolling platformer" or "turn-based RPG".

So whenever he does an NES game, it almost feels "too easy". The flipside is, if he reviewed good games it'd be kinda boring.

I love when he does a whole series of games based on the same thing, like Back to the Future or Ghostbusters. I've found out about a whole bunch of games I never even heard of before from those videos.

[Prowler]

Well, yeah:

"He's gonna take you back to the past, to play the sh*tty games that suck ass!"

I am still getting used to James reviewing 3D games. I get it why he does it, though. I mean, Xbox,PS2 and GameCube games by now are retrogames. And were the popular games when people of my generation were 10-15 years old. Let's not forget the PS2 came out in 1999 already, despite living up to like 2011 or so? So my point is, those games and also the ones from the PS1/Saturn/N64 generation are to people aged 25-30 nowadays what the NES was to people of your generation. Ofc some lucky people like myself who grew up withan odler brother also grew up with the NES and the SNES and such

James said he plans to do Nerd episodes until he no longer can. He's been going strong again lately so I think it's safe to say we'll have a lot of new AVGN episodes until, at least, 2020. And there's A LOT of stuff for him to review in the DC/PS2/Xbox/GC gen. The PS2 had more games than any other console and like 70% of its library was shovelware. On PS2's library alone there must be like, AT LEAST, 45 crappy games that could give James a lot of material to work on a new episode with.

I mean, at this point, are there even many old crappy games left for him to pick apart? He's reviewed pretty much ALL of the infamous ones already:

Action 52 + Cheetahman
Plumbers Don't Wear Ties
Shaq Fu
Kasumi Ninja
The Town With No Name
Big Rigs(not THAT old)
Desert Bus
Crazy Bus (doesn't even qualify as a game)
Hong Kong 97
E.T.
Ghostbusters (NES)
Superman 64 (not THAT old either)
Pretty much every LJN game ever. Seriously, is there any LJN game left for him to review? If there is then they account for like 3% of LJN games ever published.

James even admitted that he didn't know whee to go after Hk97,since it was gonna be hard to find something as bad or worse than it. So he needs to venture more into the PS2 era and such to find obscure crappy PS2 games that he probably doesn't even know about. It's best for them to be obscure, though. I mean, he reviewed a bad 360 game, Sonic 2006, but talking about how much that game sucks in 2017 or 2016 wasa bit too late to the party, since that game came out in the internet era already and everyone sh*t on it back when it came out already. So it's not like he had much new stuff to bring to the table with it.

He's 38 years old now. When he's 50, if he's still doing AVGN, he'll be reviewing PS3, 3DS and Wii U games. And possibly even a Switch game or two . I mean, he needs to grow with his audience. Back in the day the 25-30 year olds who watched him grew up playing NES games. Nowadays the 25-30 year olds who watch his videos grew up with 3D games for the most part already. And in a decade, the 25-30 year olds of the time will have grown up with a DS or the 360 as their first system.

[Leo656]

Sometimes I wanna do Retro Game Reviews, just to get some stuff on my YouTube channel since I'm mostly-retired. But then sometimes I don't wanna bother because they really wouldn't be a big deal compared to his stuff. I'unno.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Sometimes I wanna do Retro Game Reviews, just to get some stuff on my YouTube channel since I'm mostly-retired. But then sometimes I don't wanna bother because they really wouldn't be a big deal compared to his stuff. I'unno.

And making money on youtube is NOT easy. Good luck getting consistent hundreds of thousand of views and attracting sponsors. Plus, can you work well with cameras? If it's just you doing voice over over the game footage or images then that' not gonna appeal o most people.

James has inspired me to take some interest in photography and filming, and at one point I've entertained the idea of making a game review or two as well, but I'm not good at reviewing stuff nor do I really enjoy it so meh. I do like learning about camerawork and such, though. But it's hard to decide what to work with. I like taking pictures of my city and places I might travel to, but nowadays EVERYONE does that, and it's hard to make your stuff stand out. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next 20 years or so, professional photography and video editing(well not the ones that work in Hollywood and such) become oversaturated jobs/fields. I mean, have you ever worked with a program like imovie? I did for a college semester once. And it's not hard to work with.You can learn it pretty quickly. We shot a few videos and did a final project with cameras the Uni lent to us. Quality cameras. And the videos looked pretty professional in terms of footage. Not so much in terms of editing because it was our first try and obviously we made mistakes, but it was NOT a complicated skill and program to pick up and learn.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Sometimes I wanna do Retro Game Reviews, just to get some stuff on my YouTube channel since I'm mostly-retired. But then sometimes I don't wanna bother because they really wouldn't be a big deal compared to his stuff. I'unno.

I've got something big planned for 2019. A "Red Letter Media" kind of deal... with a twist!

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Leo656

A few decent Konami and Capcom games, sure, but by and large, if Nintendo themselves didn't make it, it was crap.

Not really.
There are quite a lot of good games that has nothing to do with either of those 3 companies.

[Leo656]

General statements are General.

Prowler: I have zero interest in trying to make money on YouTube, sir. Far more energy and effort than I'd ever be able to put in.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Leo656

General statements are General.

General statements quite often can be not true.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Leo656

General statements are General.

Prowler: I have zero interest in trying to make money on YouTube, sir. Far more energy and effort than I'd ever be able to put in.

Maybe you could do a regular segment under the umbrella of my little media thing I have going next year.

[Prowler]

Btw, when he changed his name to Angry Video Game Nerd it took me a while to get used to it and it sounded weird for like a year. But nowadays, when I go back and re-watch his older videos it feels odd reading/hearing Angry Nintendo Nerd in the title and by Kyle Justin. Am I the only one who feels that way? Because, back then, it was kind of a big deal when he changed from ANN to AVGN. Some people didn't like it "Angry Video Game Nerd just doesn't roll off your tongue!". Man, all of this was in 2006 already and I remember it as if it was yesterday.

It also took me a while to get used to his change to GameTrailers back in 2007 and his new house and increased production values. Probably because, until then, I was used to his videos having more of a "regular guy who makes these videos from his bachelor's apartment with a crappy camera" vibe and image quality. And then, his videos began looking more polished.

Also, the most overrated episodes he made were the Super Mario Bros 3. and the Bugs Bunny ones, imo. SMB 3 was just a bit too over the top for me, even when it came out and me being 17-18. And Bugs Bunny was also a bit too over the top for me. He just beat up Bugs when all he did was show up at his home, coming in peace, come on . When Spider-Man dropped by uninvited, James befriended him fine

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Maybe you could do a regular segment under the umbrella of my little media thing I have going next year.

I'll be damned, Leo, but if I understood this correctly, I believe you've just gotten a job offering. Who'd know the Drome would be a place for that?

[Leo656]

Well how d'ya like that.

So far it's barely a germ of an idea, but I appreciate that, and we'll talk about it.

Originally Posted by Sumac

General statements quite often can be not true.

Yeah, but they usually are. You're a big fan of generalizations, yourself, so you know what I mean.

List 25 NES games that weren't developed by Nintendo, Konami, or Capcom that scored higher than 8, if you like. I really don't care all that much, but it would go a long way towards proving me wrong, if that's what you're interested in.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Prowler

I still think he does a good job at being creative with cursing and insults. And even if it's not exactly funny he has good delivery. Anyway, I don't really laugh my ass off at his videos. I just enjoy them or think "oh that's funny". I did use to laugh a ton back when I was a teenager. Like that time I first saw him say "AAAAASSSSSS F*******CK!" in the Top Gun episode really made me laugh a lot. Nowadays it doesn't at all. I guess because I was a kid still and also because the novelty of the AVGN(still known as ANN) was still a thing at the time. I remember being SHOCKED when I watched my first video of his, the TMNT review, and hearing him cuss, especially when he goes on a cursing tirade at the end of the video. I was like

Honestly the very first videos he did, it took me a while to realize he was portraying a character. I honestly thought he really hated the NES TMNT and just called him Angry Nintendo Nerd because back in the day everyone used some sort of cool alias online and not their real names like some social media would eventually force you to do.

The whole scene where he was swearing as trying to make a difficult jump in TMNT felt real to me cause it reminded me of all the times swearing when trying to get past some annoying part in a videogame. Plus the bit with him blowing the NES cart to make it work was classic.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Honestly the very first videos he did, it took me a while to realize he was portraying a character. I honestly thought he really hated the NES TMNT and just called him Angry Nintendo Nerd because back in the day everyone used some sort of cool alias online and not their real names like some social media would eventually force you to do.

The whole scene where he was swearing as trying to make a difficult jump in TMNT felt real to me cause it reminded me of all the times swearing when trying to get past some annoying part in a videogame. Plus the bit with him blowing the NES cart to make it work was classic.

I probably thought that at first, too. Especially since I was only 15-16 at the time and still had that naivety in me. But I quickly googled info about him and ran into the screwattack forums which had an ANN/AVGN sub-forum at the time and began reading many threads about him, so it was easy to know about the man behind the character back then already.

Speaking of ScrewAttack... I think they're no longer a thing except for some youtube videos?

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Yeah, but they usually are. You're a big fan of generalizations, yourself, so you know what I mean.

List 25 NES games that weren't developed by Nintendo, Konami, or Capcom that scored higher than 8, if you like. I really don't care all that much, but it would go a long way towards proving me wrong, if that's what you're interested in.

Do you want me to list all non-Nintendo, non-Capcom and non-Konami games that were considered success back in the day by contemporaries or do you want me to make my own list?
I can do either.

[Leo656]

It'd be best for us both is you did neither. You don't wanna do it and I really don't wanna read it.

And even a lotta those "successful" games simply aren't great anymore. I maintain that only a handful of NES games truly, truly hold up as anything that's fun for more than a half hour today. And most of the ones that are, were made by a select few companies, by and large.

"Successful" isn't really the issue; my point is/was, most NES games, barring a handful, aged like fruit, and thus, it's almost "too easy" for someone like AVGN to focus on "Bad Games" from that era. Because even a lot of the best ones are, objectively, kinda "bad" now.

Why this is an idea that causes upset, I have no idea. Anyway, no, no list; you have better things to do. I hope.
----------------------

It was always fairly obvious to me that "The Nerd" was simply a character, but at times I've wondered where the character ended and how much was "James". Like, you get the sense that if nothing else, those are his opinions, just dialed way up to 11. Some of it feels more forced nowadays, but I think we covered that.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Leo656

It'd be best for us both is you did neither. You don't wanna do it and I really don't wanna read it.

And even a lotta those "successful" games simply aren't great anymore. I maintain that only a handful of NES games truly, truly hold up as anything that's fun for more than a half hour today. And most of the ones that are, were made by a select few companies, by and large.

"Successful" isn't really the issue; my point is/was, most NES games, barring a handful, aged like fruit, and thus, it's almost "too easy" for someone like AVGN to focus on "Bad Games" from that era. Because even a lot of the best ones are, objectively, kinda "bad" now.

Why this is an idea that causes upset, I have no idea. Anyway, no, no list; you have better things to do. I hope.

Running away?
As expected, since your argument didn't really had any merit.

[Leo656]

More like "I don't read way too much into throw-away statements people make so I can try and play 'Gotcha' games with them on the f*cking internet."

It may interest you to know that, at times, I've quietly come to your defense when others would call you on your bullsh*t, if I felt you were making a fair point.

That stops today. Next time people talk about wanting to Report you, I'm not gonna waste time trying to talk them out of it.

I'll give you the same choice I give everyone: Since you have a personal problem with me, for reasons I don't get and don't care about, put me on Ignore and save us both the aggravation. Or, I can yank a few strings, and your next Ban won't be temporary.

What sucks is that I've really tried to be patient and fair with you. Thanks for the lesson.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Leo656

More like "I don't read way too much into throw-away statements people make so I can try and play 'Gotcha' games with them on the f*cking internet."

It may interest you to know that, at times, I've quietly come to your defense when others would call you on your bullsh*t, if I felt you were making a fair point.

That stops today. Next time people talk about wanting to Report you, I'm not gonna waste time trying to talk them out of it.

I'll give you the same choice I give everyone: Since you have a personal problem with me, for reasons I don't get and don't care about, put me on Ignore and save us both the aggravation. Or, I can yank a few strings, and your next Ban won't be temporary.

What sucks is that I've really tried to be patient and fair with you. Thanks for the lesson.

Stop being so fragile and reacting like you are 15 year old.
I don't have problem with you.
I have problem with your opinion, those are different things.

You made statement, I've made counter-statement. You've got in your head that it's some kind of personal insult.

Stop acting like a kid, please, and stop making those awkward statements and threaten me. This is really childish behavior, that doesn't show you in a good light.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Leo656

It was always fairly obvious to me that "The Nerd" was simply a character, but at times I've wondered where the character ended and how much was "James". Like, you get the sense that if nothing else, those are his opinions, just dialed way up to 11. Some of it feels more forced nowadays, but I think we covered that.

Yeah, he definitely exaggerates a game's flaws... or used to. Nowadays since he feels more like James than the Nerd it's hard to tell anymore. And that has posed problems before, because, back in 2006-2009, a lot of younger people who watched his videos took his word for gospel and just parroted about how bad some of the games were without even playing them themselves.

For example, the very first Nerd episode is CastleVania 2. James himself has stated that he does not think it's a bad game, just not as good as CV1, CV3 or Super Castlevania IV. He has always thought the game had some flaws that he felt the need to address... but the review he made where he trashes the game was originally an inside joke between him and his friends. He didn't make it to show to the entire world. He was just trying to make his friends laugh. But, two years later, Mike Matei creates a youtube channel for James and suggests he posts that review, which James basically says "ok, why not?"... and the rest is history, as we know. I think Dr. jekyll and Mr., Hyde was also made in 2004 as well?

So basically, yeah. James does not hate every game he has complained about. Those SNES LJN games... he has admitted in a Q&A at a convention and also had admitted on a James and Mike Mondays episode that he likes the Royal Rumble game. He even used that game as an answer to "is there nay LJN game you enjoy?" But in the wrestling games episode, as the Nerd, he says the game and the other two SNES games suck and have boring graphics and wtv. So he does still play up the Nerd despite his acting being less convincing nowadays than it was in the previous decade.

Some episodes contradict the show's theme song, anyway. He doesn't just review "the sh*tty games that suck ass" . He broke that rule first in the Super Mario Bros. 3 episode.