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[NinjaMouse]

Feels like there was some falling out between jeff and the nextlander guys. Nextlander regularly does stuff with the remaining GB and abby etc. Jeff also said he hasn't talked to any of them a while ago.

I'm gonna bet there were some contractual/business reasons for that. If you noticed, the Nextlander 1 year anniversary conveniently lined up with the time they started doing some collaboration work. I'd bet there was a cooling off period they had to observe. As much as I enjoy Jeff G's content, he seems like an incredibly hard person to work with.

 

[mckmas8808]

Wow, I always thought journalists were paid jack shit. This isn't bad at all...

Yeah, that's pretty good.

 

[TexMex]

It’s good relative to what is asked of them. And to be very clear, to me, Patrick is worth exactly $0. But $65k, in California, without any sort of merit increase at all over a four year time span, for a salaried position - is weak as hell.

 

[Krathoon]

Yeah. California is expensive. Nextlander is pretty much the real Giant Bomb now. The core chunk of Giant Bomb has moved on.

All they need are Jeff and Ryan Davis replacements.

 

[TexMex]

Yeah. California is expensive. Nextlander is pretty much the real Giant Bomb now. The core chunk of Giant Bomb has moved on.

All they need are Jeff and Ryan Davis replacements.

I think NextLander is fine. Not bad not great, use them as a filler when I don't have anything else to listen to. I enjoy the 3 of them, but honestly they just seem bored with gaming in general half the time and blow through the show like they're in a hurry to wrap it up a lot. They're older and more apathetic - which is perfectly normal - it just isn't as fun to listen to. Those early Giant Bomb days are just lightning in a bottle that I don't think anyone is ever going to recapture. A group of guys who were earnestly friends, some since youth, with incredible knowledge and enthusiasm for the job. Motivated in no small part to how things went down at GameSpot. They were hungry and it was great.

Can't argue with their Patreon results though. I don't even know what they're doing with that kind of cash flow split between 3 people, even if they pump 50% of it back into the business. Good for them.

 

[Krathoon]

Since I am older now, I kinda identify with Nextlander. As long as they dig up silly old games, I am fine with them.

 

[TexMex]

Since I am older now, I kinda identify with Nextlander. As long as they dig up silly old games, I am fine with them.

I just turned 39 so right in the same arena. It just seems like they're bored of the hobby half the time and them even finishing a game these days feels like an event. And all news seems to be met with this weird level of (faux?) exhaustion and cynicism. Working in any industry for 20+ years I'm sure will do that to you but damn, if I had 50 grand a month (on the wayyyyyy low end) to split with two buddies I'd like to think I'd pretend to enjoy it a bit more. But who knows, not there, never will be.

 

[Syphon Filter]

I just turned 39 so right in the same arena. It just seems like they're bored of the hobby half the time and them even finishing a game these days feels like an event. And all news seems to be met with this weird level of (faux?) exhaustion and cynicism. Working in any industry for 20+ years I'm sure will do that to you but damn, if I had 50 grand a month (on the wayyyyyy low end) to split with two buddies I'd like to think I'd pretend to enjoy it a bit more. But who knows, not there, never will be.

I actually prefer if they remain that way, its better to be real than being fake.

 

[Brute]

I think NextLander is fine. Not bad not great, use them as a filler when I don't have anything else to listen to. I enjoy the 3 of them, but honestly they just seem bored with gaming in general half the time and blow through the show like they're in a hurry to wrap it up a lot. They're older and more apathetic - which is perfectly normal - it just isn't as fun to listen to. Those early Giant Bomb days are just lightning in a bottle that I don't think anyone is ever going to recapture. A group of guys who were earnestly friends, some since youth, with incredible knowledge and enthusiasm for the job. Motivated in no small part to how things went down at GameSpot. They were hungry and it was great.

Can't argue with their Patreon results though. I don't even know what they're doing with that kind of cash flow split between 3 people, even if they pump 50% of it back into the business. Good for them.

I agree with nearly every word. I enjoy Nextlander, I’m a patron on their cheapest tier (5 bucks a month) but if you compare how excited/enthused Brad sounds on his other podcast with Will (think it’s called the TechPod), the difference is night and day. He’s genuinely interested in technology, I feel that gaming is an afterthought a lot of the time.

Alex’s passions are music and movies whilst Vinny seems like he’s fed up with modern society in general and is super stressed about it. But I will say, Vinny at least sticks with games and plays them in his spare time. Brad/Alex seem to play a new game for like 2 hours and then never return to it.

They’re good people. It’s like listening to old friends which is why I’m happy to kick them a few dollars every month.

But like you say - old GB, when everyone was younger and far less cynical, was special and it’s never coming back.

 

[TexMex]

I actually prefer if they remain that way, its better to be real than being fake.

I’m certainly not suggesting that they be fake. But they do an enthusiast podcast for something they don’t have a ton of enthusiasm for anymore. And, for me, that makes it less fun to listen to.

 

[TexMex]

I agree with nearly every word. I enjoy Nextlander, I’m a patron on their cheapest tier (5 bucks a month) but if you compare how excited/enthused Brad sounds on his other podcast with Will (think it’s called the TechPod), the difference is night and day. He’s genuinely interested in technology, I feel that gaming is an afterthought a lot of the time.

Alex’s passions are music and movies whilst Vinny seems like he’s fed up with modern society in general and is super stressed about it. But I will say, Vinny at least sticks with games and plays them in his spare time. Brad/Alex seem to play a new game for like 2 hours and then never return to it.

They’re good people. It’s like listening to old friends which is why I’m happy to kick them a few dollars every month.

But like you say - old GB, when everyone was younger and far less cynical, was special and it’s never coming back.

Yeah I agree. Vinny seems to be the only one really playing games anymore. The Tech Pod is a good comparison, as is listening to how Alex talks about music, movies and wrestling relative to games. They’re just very over it.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

GB for me was the couch and the dudes on the couch. When the couch left, so did a lot of the original spirit of the appeal. And that's okay.

I love Jeff for his experience and game knowledge. I love Vinny for his humor. I love Brad for his tech interest & knowledge. Ryan was, well, he was the energy that brought it all together. Dan did a great job allowing for a new path and I still love his streams and the chaos he brings.

Outside of that, no ill will toward any of the current/former staff but they were never a reason I watched so many UPFs and subbed for so many years. I've gotten older and it's okay for the guys to have drifted into different things, as I have in my own life. I'm glad that most of them can continue to do what they want, on their own terms these days. I don't have the time or energy to follow them all individually but I am glad there is an audience that makes it possible.

Sometimes it's best to just let go and make a new space for yourself to discover new things.

 

[small_law]

Yeah I agree. Vinny seems to be the only one really playing games anymore. The Tech Pod is a good comparison, as is listening to how Alex talks about music, movies and wrestling relative to games. They’re just very over it.

The podcast where they gave their initial impressions of God of War Ragnarok is a great example. Vinny describes his time with the game in detail. Alex, however, pisses and moans about his lack of interest in playing it. I'm not saying Alex has to have a burning desire to play every game, but if you're a professional, you play through a game whether or not you like it in order to have an informed opinion of it. It's clear Alex isn't taking games seriously anymore. That's fine, but don't expect your audience to take you very seriously either.

Nextlander is good for a nostalgia hit, but I can't listen to it regularly, certainly not weekly. Listening to them now reminds me of the reasons I gave up on GB more than anything.

 

[TexMex]

The podcast where they gave their initial impressions of God of War Ragnarok is a great example. Vinny describes his time with the game in detail. Alex, however, pisses and moans about his lack of interest in playing it. I'm not saying Alex has to have a burning desire to play every game, but if you're a professional, you play through a game whether or not you like it in order to have an informed opinion of it. It's clear Alex isn't taking games seriously anymore. That's fine, but don't expect your audience to take you very seriously either.

Nextlander is good for a nostalgia hit, but I can't listen to it regularly, certainly not weekly. Listening to them now reminds me of the reasons I gave up on GB more than anything.

Totally agree. Not everyone has to play and like god of war. But if you’re not playing it I’d hope it’s in lieu of something else. But instead they fill that time with as you said, basically talking about how exhausted at the idea of playing it. Instead of just talking about another game. They come off like such tortured souls and what the rest of us hear are guys who haven’t had to work a “real” job in many, many years.

 

[AV]

I'm not saying Alex has to have a burning desire to play every game, but if you're a professional, you play through a game whether or not you like it in order to have an informed opinion of it.

Why on earth would they do that? They're making something like $190k each a year.

They're not salaried journalists any more, they stream on Twitch and have a Patreon. There's zero incentive for them to force themselves through games they don't even want to play and that's great, I'm not sure I'd WANT to hear from somebody about a game they weren't even interested in.

That being said I don't watch their stuff or subscribe, mostly because every time I tuned in they weren't talking about games, so it's not my money they're getting.

 

[small_law]

Why on earth would they do that? They're making something like $190k each a year.

They're not salaried journalists any more, they stream on Twitch and have a Patreon. There's zero incentive for them to force themselves through games they don't even want to play and that's great, I'm not sure I'd WANT to hear from somebody about a game they weren't even interested in.

That being said I don't watch their stuff or subscribe, mostly because every time I tuned in they weren't talking about games, so it's not my money they're getting.

Complaining about not wanting to play games on a video games podcast isn't exactly scintillating content. I'm just saying if you talk about games, you should actually play them.

I have zero problem with them doing other things, but if I needed a reminder as to why I gave up on GB before everyone left, I found it.

 

[Brute]

To be fair, they’ve upped their game recently (Nextlander). Really enjoying it when they play retro video games and today they’ve just uploaded the first instalment of their Subnautica series. All of this is free on YouTube as well so you don’t have to pay for it.

I like it because I’m old now and can’t handle the younger, shouty YouTube content creators.

But Brad and Alex could do with sounding a little more enthusiastic, for sure. No one is making them play games. If they want to make money creating content featuring stuff they actually want to do, then they should just do it.

The patron-only podcasts are a good example of this. The 3 of them sound so excited/interested when they’re doing the ‘watch cast’ series, again, because this is Alex’s passion these days - tv/movies/music.

I remember when Elden Ring was new and Alex & Brad played it for like 5 minutes. Like, this is one of the biggest game releases in years. At least make an effort? Or assign it to one of the team and make sure they play the hell out of it? I remember their first impressions being “Yeah I played it for a few hours but went back to Horizon Forbidden West”.

Brad never, ever finishes any game. He plays it for 5 minutes and moves on. It’s frustrating because I like Brad, he’s articulate and summarises his feelings on a specific video game really well. But these days he doesn’t seem to play them much!

 

[buenoblue]

Yeah they are only in it for the money now I feel. The passion has gone. It's understandable but sucks still.

 

[sn0man]

Feels like there was some falling out between jeff and the nextlander guys. Nextlander regularly does stuff with the remaining GB and abby etc. Jeff also said he hasn't talked to any of them a while ago.

Well. That’s just a shame. As others have said, I’ve kind of moved on from them as they moved on from the couch. I don’t see Jeff or Nextlander becoming one thing again but I also could see a few get together events (even via stream *Bleh) in a few years.

*I wonder if the inability to be in the same room also brings down nextlander a bit. Maybe they can’t quite hit a groove because they aren’t doing a silly challenge with (controversial) a younger person like Dan or Abby. You didn’t have to like all the new people but they often are a great counter for the old guard.

 

[TexMex]

Not to beat a dead horse but this weeks Nextlander is just what we were discussing. Barely 90 minutes, Alex and Brad have played basically nothing and Vinny beat 3 games.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

What "energy" they had ended with Ryan passing.
<>

 

[Power Pro]

<>

Funny that you post this after Nextlander was mentioned. Their game coverage has been pretty garbage, especially their GOTY discussions for 2022 which was laughable to me. I kept wanting to scream "Play something that's not on friggin' game pass!"

However I must admit I have been really enjoying their movie/tv podcast (just named Watchcast because they literally couldn't think of anything better). They've been going through the first season of Star Trek TOS in between other movies, and it's been fun just to hear people talk about TOS, especially Vinny who has NEVER seen it before, and rewatching episodes along with them. It gets a little annoying when they get political, and complain about stupid things like age gaps, or anything that's "problematic", but they still seem to appreciate this classic show.

 

[drganon]

Not to beat a dead horse but this weeks Nextlander is just what we were discussing. Barely 90 minutes, Alex and Brad have played basically nothing and Vinny beat 3 games.

Jeff mostly just plays call of duty and the occasional weird indie game I've never heard of.

 

[TexMex]

Jeff mostly just plays call of duty and the occasional weird indie game I've never heard of.

I’m not a fan of Jeff’s podcast either, and I’m not sure where you’re looking, but the guy plays almost everything. He just played Forspoken and Hi Fi yesterday for example.

 

[Syphon Filter]

nextlander and jeff have awesome podcasts.

 

[AmuroChan]

It’s good relative to what is asked of them. And to be very clear, to me, Patrick is worth exactly $0. But $65k, in California, without any sort of merit increase at all over a four year time span, for a salaried position - is weak as hell.

Yea, that's extremely low in CA. After taxes you have like $40K left. That's barely going to cover rent and food.

 

[drganon]

I’m not a fan of Jeff’s podcast either, and I’m not sure where you’re looking, but the guy plays almost everything. He just played Forspoken and Hi Fi yesterday for example.

I haven't listened to that one yet. The last couple I listened to were call of duty heavy with some indie games thrown in.

 

[TexMex]

I haven't listened to that one yet. The last couple I listened to were call of duty heavy with some indie games thrown in.

He’s extremely active on Twitch, streams basically every new game.

 

[Naru]

I haven't listened to that one yet. The last couple I listened to were call of duty heavy with some indie games thrown in.

Yeah he has very little "interesting" stuff to say before the news (for me personally at least) since he indeed plays very little (apart from last week it seems). I actually stopped listening to his podcast because his endless bitching about certain things did get on my nerves. He never seems to know when to stop talking and move on to the next topic. Still listening to the Bomb Cast because I like listening to Jan, Jeff and Jeff.

 

[AV]

I haven't listened to that one yet. The last couple I listened to were call of duty heavy with some indie games thrown in.

I can't think of many major releases Jeff hasn't played. It's more that Call of Duty is an ongoing thing and has been for many years so it gets a bit tiresome. But that guy plays a lot of games.

His 2022 GOTY is absolutely going to be Tunic which will be a breath of fresh air in a sea of ER/GOW.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

I'm happy to put together an OT for NXL and/or Gerstmann if there's interest & no objections from staff. Just make sure people are not getting weird about shit like the old GB thread.

 

[Brute]

I'm happy to put together an OT for NXL and/or Gerstmann if there's interest & no objections from staff. Just make sure people are getting weird about shit like the old GB thread.

Good idea, thanks. I enjoy discussing Nextlander and Jeff.

 

[Brute]

I'm happy to put together an OT for NXL and/or Gerstmann if there's interest & no objections from staff. Just make sure people are not getting weird about shit like the old GB thread.

Did you manage to make the OT?

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Did you manage to make the OT?

No, is anyone else interested?

 

[Brute]

No, is anyone else interested?

They’re shy. Build it and they will come.

It’s silly not having a dedicated thread to communities like GB, Nextlander and related personalities. These sites were part of our lives for many years (from a gaming perspective at least).

We could do with a place which isn’t Reddit where we can objectively discuss old/new GB etc.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

They’re shy. Build it and they will come.

It’s silly not having a dedicated thread to communities like GB, Nextlander and related personalities. These sites were part of our lives for many years (from a gaming perspective at least).

We could do with a place which isn’t Reddit where we can objectively discuss old/new GB etc.

Give me a few days and I'll put something together.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

She's live boys:

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/bomb-debris-ot-jeff-gerstmann-nextlander-dan-ryckert-fire-escape-etc.1652425/