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Does anyone here still like AVGN?

-Zelda-

Banned
I am watching his Castlevania multipart series again, and I find myself wishing that he would make another series of this discussing all the ones he did not talk about the back then. All the portable titles, the PS2 and PS3 titles, and also Bloodstained. What are some games you would like to see him discuss?
 
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Dirk Benedict

Gold Member
He's cool. But I haven't seen him since I binged all of his fucking NES videos ever.
He's becoming the ultimate retro veteran nerd, tho. I think He should revisit many of his reviews today. It would be like his own, new take on old stuff he reviewed. My bad, I know I am not articulating this in the way I am, I am just very tired, atm and about to pass out at any minute. Take Care!
 

TransTrender

Gold Member
Shit got weird I guess.
All the other Cinemassacre people and content are gone.
I loved Rental Reviews and Mike's content. Everyone ghosted James in the last few years.
 

Ozzie666

Member
Not as good as he used to be, but stil a lot of respect for what he does and has done. Not sure if he will ever start covering 2000+ consoles. Still waiting for him to back further and pick apart the coleco vision. I recently actually just wanted some of his episodes on Shadows of the Empire, not his usual stick.
 

Blackage

Member
As a young guy he really gave off that basement-dwelling, angry virgin with a camcorder-vibe. Now he's a 40-something balding guy with kids who does all his stuff at 4k. I think it's safe to say the "magic" is gone.

Still mad respect for him though. He's a living legend.
Pretty much I feel like there should have been a pivot at one point. I'm sure there's a market for disenfranchised late 30 early 40 discontent balding raging gamers lol(Aside from Asmongold).
 

winjer

Gold Member
I used to watch every one of his videos, several years ago. And it was very entertaining.
Several other people started copying him. And the style got old soon enough.
 

Krathoon

Member
Yes. It should be the Old AVGN. Really play into him being older.

I always got a kick out of the character. I enjoyed the movie.
 
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Beer Baelly

Al Pachinko, Konami President
Animated GIF
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
I sometimes check out one of his vids when they come out, mostly when he does a Halloween or Christmas special. He has his ups and downs but overall, I think he's the only YouTuber from the very early days of the platform who managed to stay fairly entertaining and (mostly) avoided any drama that would cause him to end up in the gutter like pretty much everyone who was a part of Channel Awesome. I guess there was some cringe stuff going on over the years but I think that James somehow always managed to distance himself from any of it and the AVGN show itself always remained pure in my eyes.

Also, he's is getting older now, and that receding hairline of his also makes me feel older every time I see it, lol. But I don't even blame him for wanting to focus on different things instead of devoting 100% of his attention to being a Nerd his whole life. If he's happy with letting someone else take the reigns and he's just there to sit in front of the camera and curse at some old games, then I'm happy for him. I will always enjoy this show, especially the older episodes. Despite all of that "angry nerd" shtick, it manages to be incredibly nostalgic about old video games and always reminds me what it is that I love about video games in the first place, even if not all of it is always good.

There's like a charming, cheesy quality to everything they've been doing and it just feels like a show made by gamers for games, but in a positive way. It's what I think a more positive look at a video game nerd culture should be. None of that toxic Twitch streamer bullshit, but just a bunch of friends goofing around in someone's basement gaming den, doing this ridiculous and funny show about video games with bad special effects and loving references to pop culture. It's just fun to watch and makes me feel good about my hobby, lol.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
You have to give the guy credit where credit is due though, he's been doing this for, what... 20 years now? Amazing dedication.

I watched a lot of his content in the earlier days. Wasn't he also a part of gametrailers.com back in the day? Anyway, I never cared much for the "AVGN" as a character (way too over the top) but it was cool to see all those retro games getting played. And yeah, watching him rage on bad games was funny.

Not sure why or when I stopped.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
He's not even angry anymore, his newer videos seem more like they're made to suit kids. Which is maybe because he is now a father (I believe). And that's fine. It's just not all that funny anymore, and if it's not funny there are better channels to watch if you just want information about games.
 
It's obvious that he has no passion left and he's only doing it, because he couldn't get another gig running. It's even worse in his non-AVGN trivia videos. Back in the day, even something like his Godzilla reviews seemed full of energy. Yet I can't get through his new movie reviews, which are just stale wikipedia summaries without any sort of passion. At least those fat guys are gone, but it's even more boring now.

However, when I recently rewatched some old AVGN episodes in a long time, I gotta admit that they are actually better than I remembered. He really played the part well in the beginning, even if the jokes weren't all gold.
 
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I still watch from time to time. I think his channel is a example of the way YouTube has gone overall with many channels , the sincerity has gone out of it, the fun of it, now it’s all about advertising, sponsors, getting that cheque, being a brand.

It’s not just James, it’s a sign of the times really. I would be watching a video about a crime and in the middle of the video it stops to promote a protein powder or virus protection software . It reminds me of the Truman Show, where Truman is arguing with his wife and she suddenly starts advertising coffee.

When Avgn first started to grow, I thought YouTube in general was at its best back then , there was a fun feeling about it, now it’s more like a business , it dictates the content , telling people what they want to hear , keep that Patreon going, super chats etc. It all feels a bit soulless from a viewer standpoint.
 
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deriks

4-Time GIF/Meme God
The Castlevania thing is probably the best of him. The console history thing... I like him a lot and can't see anything to really dislike, still he is mostly doing just the basic of his persona: angry reviews

The Contra and Doom videos are great too. Another direction and stuff. Still, I miss some of the trivia he offered back in the day
 

Hudo

Member
As a young guy he really gave off that basement-dwelling, angry virgin with a camcorder-vibe. Now he's a 40-something balding guy with kids who does all his stuff at 4k. I think it's safe to say the "magic" is gone.

Still mad respect for him though. He's a living legend.
Summarizes my feelings pretty well.
 

RoboFu

One of the green rats
The real problem is that every one stole his thing and he couldn’t find anything else to grow with.
 
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Drizzlehell

Banned
The real problem is that every one stole his thing and he couldn’t find anything else to grow with.
Well, he did keep improving over the years. He just did it as the same character. The later videos definitely have better production and some of the skits are more elaborate (like in the Gun Survivor review). I also like whenever he breaks the format to do something unique, like with that Polybius video. That was pretty well made.
 

Porcile

Member
The tribal tattoo that's always visible under his shirt makes me cringe every time I see it while he is doing his nerd character. Also, I think it's debatable if he is even playing the games he reviews anymore. He definitely doesn't write them. Also, his hair is so fucking weird.
 

DanielG165

Member
His old videos are still golden and are addictive to binge watch on occasion. I don’t really touch his new stuff anymore; I honestly wish James would retire the character.
 

Dream-Knife

Banned
Not in a while. He got bought out by that company, who plays the games and writes the scripts.

The other guy who left a few years ago was the only real gamer there.
 

Isa

Member
I still watch his stuff. I remember him saying he tried to break away from the AVGN character but the fandom wouldn't let him and provided examples of similar situations of others that had happened to throughout the years. After that he seemed bummed out and didn't really like the role, but after a certain point I think he grew to appreciate the part and sustained following and thus career. Whereas it was very notable that others were playing the games and writing the script I see a lot more of his own dialogue and skits coming through the newer episodes which is nice. A few have actually had some legit moments.

I don't like people insulting him for having a receding hair line, that's just petty and low. People get older and I don't mind him owning it. I've definitely drifted to other Youtubers over the years, people who present a channel with much more focused or I guess, content that is more varied and genuine due to having a sincere passion for the games as opposed to playing things just to get angry in character. One can find faults in anything and sadly his is a one trick pony for the most part save for a few moments. I personally find that other channels will last far longer, and I go back to their videos more regularly since they offer more insight, history and different approaches to applied humor.

But James and AVGN are amazing and I'll keep watching so long as he keeps putting out content. His Cinemassacre stuff is great too.
 

YCoCg

Member
Old stuff is classic as most people agree, for me though I still watch his stuff but it's more a case of "comfort" viewing than actually enjoying and laughing, it's now something I'd throw on and do other stuff whilst it plays in the background.
 
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