Off-Topic

You can read the AV Club's entire review of the Giant Bombcast here, but if you're busy, I'll break it down for you: The AV Club feels like the Bombcast does a lot of things right, but it falters when it "it quickly de-escalates into playful insults". Also, they don't like the rambling discussions about pizza shortages and such. The review ends with the phrase, "...anyone looking for something more substantial will be disappointed". To which I say, What the Hell? I understand that not everybody likes the more rambly podcasts out there, but seriously, the tangents are the best part of the Bombcast. What do you guys think?

In case you're wondering, I'm posting this on Screened because GB is blocked at my school.

They're right, 100%. They didn't say that it did something wrong, only that it is an acquired taste. Anyone looking for a video game podcast which is more 'substantial' will be very disappointed by the Bombcast - it doesn't get information out in an efficient manner. You have to be interested in the people's personalities and the humour, the video gaming is just the main topic of discussion. I love the bombcast, and BtsD for that matter, but I wouldn't recommend them to people if all I knew about them was that they like video games. I'd recommend it based on that AND a certain sense of humour, like all other funny shit.

Edit: Though the Pizza discussion was genius, everyone can see that. "Here's a potato pizza" is the best quotation ever.

I guess it's just a matter of taste. Like you, I really enjoy the tangential parts but I can see why it could frustrate someone who wants something more focused purely on games. Also, in relation to the line "With such opinionated hosts, the conversations can get heated, but as with any discussion among friends, it quickly de-escalates into playful insults." - I didn't read that as being necessarily critical of the show, but simply indicating the style in which they are conducted. Maybe I'm misinterpreting?

@Tylea002:Yeah, you're right. It is totally a matter of taste. I tend to overreact about these things. Though hating on the pizza discussion is WRONG.

Wow, you're right, you do tend to overreact.

Video Games are serious guys, we need to only talk about it in serious tones like the art it is. So let's discuss that Star Wars MMO like its art.

Its an overreaction.

I tend to agree. I used to really love the Bombcast, but at some point it became the Jeff-complaining-about-something-awesome-cast and it just totally lost my interest. The Dave episodes are still fantastic, but eh.

All the tangents and segues are the reason why the Bombcast is usually 2 1/2 hours long. The "whatcha been playing?" segment usually is almost two hours long and then they have to rush to fit in news, new releases and answer e-mails. But that's the issue that most podcasts (that I know of) never face. Most podcasts aren't three hours long, usually a little over an hour. The Bombcast definitely isn't the most focused podcast and is known to ramble (Jeff spending more than 15 minutes talking about how much he hates the hundred hours he played of the Old Republic and then saying it's a decent game), but it's the humour that makes me enjoy the Bombcast so much.

Eh, if I wanted serious video game talk I would immolate myself. I, like a bunch of other users, prefer the personal talk and hour-long tangents. I listen to the podcast because I like the four dudes involved; I find them funny, endearing, and, at times, ebullient. It's that effervescence that makes me listen to every episode (and also the Jim and Them podcast, MBMBaM, The Flop House, and Talkradar.). All that said, I also like the AV podcast--their business-like approach and perplexingly efficient pacing makes for a terse but dense (full of congruous information) experience.

I think the more pressing issue here is, who the fuck is out there reviewing entire podcasts?

The author just doesn't get it. He (or she?) was coming at it from the wrong angle with the wrong mindset. Also, they likely had no previous experience with the HotSpot because while it was edited and focused specifically on news, there were some silly tangents in it. Also, who complained about it taking to long to walk in Skyrim? And not all of the hosts played SWTOR, let alone complained about walking. They complain about episodes being too long and also complain about them not going into depth on many games.

Also:

@SaturdayNightSpecials said:

I think the more pressing issue here is, who the fuck is out there reviewing entire podcasts?

Seriously. Maybe if it's a podcast you pay for, but considering the quality of this "review" I doubt those are helping anybody.

I love the Onion and the rest of the AV Club, but this was just silly.

Why review something you can get for free? You either like it or you don't it's not like you're losing money and if you don't listen to something you don't like you're not wasting your time. Seems to me like the AV club is trying to create a market where none exists so they can say "We were the first to do this, therefore we're the best and should be taken seriously!"

well I don't think the AV club reviews are professionally done, they lack flavour and substantial too. If they listen to the podcast they already know that what the bombcast offers but sadly they are morons who have bad tastes just like much of their opinions and such.

I thought this was a backlash to their GOTY coverage and its probably the case...

Good thing the AV Club didn't write this review in the early days of GB. I can't imagine what they would have made of the 15-minute energy drink reviews that used to open the Bombcast. I always hated those but I still loved the rest of the show.

Also, if they can't appreciate the rambling humour of the GB crew then fuck 'em.

Heh-heh, if they have a problem with the Bombcast, then they must really hate the CAGcast with Cheapy D's frequent tangential poop stories. I find that practically all good podcasts are a matter of listener's taste. Most video game shows follow the same format so the personalities of the hosts are very important to me. Plus, many run for hours, so nothing is going to be concise when you're talking about a 2-1/2 show. Be it Bombcast, Weekend Confirmed, CAGcast, Orange Lounge Radio or whatever. Since, I'm listening to the host's banter for hours on end, I want it to be fun first and informative second.

They weren't ragging on the podcast they were just letting people know what it is like and that it is something a little different from the typical gaming podcast like the Hotspot. People here are seriously overreacting. The idea is to let more people know about podcasts that they would not normally know about. They give a good description to a new listener of what the Giantbomb cast is like, which is long and tangent filled. Did most of you actually read what they wrote? They don't say it does anything right nor do they say that it falters they just give a pretty accurate description of the podcast.

The AV Club is one of my favorite sites on the web, but the PodMass segment is never one that's quite clicked with me. Occasionally they're on point, but usually I get the impression they're looking for entirely different things out of podcasts than what I like. I don't think the dude is necessarily wrong about the Bombcast--I'm sure there are many people who would share the same viewpoint--but his viewpoint just doesn't lineup with mine. I like the nonsensical nature of it. I'm not looking for something more substantive.

Weirdly, I find that tends to be the case with most of the contributors on that segment. It is, again, weirdly the only part of that site I tend to just ignore.

@Alex: Yeah, I'll definitely agree with that. When they lumped The Apple Sisters into their "bad podcast" section week after week, I kind of gave up on the Podmass reviews. Anybody who hates a show as clever, original, and fun as The Apple Sisters isn't someone I'm going to agree with very often. Their dismissal of the best parts of the Bombcast confirmed that for me. I read the AV Club every day, and it's an absolutely fantastic website, but I just have to ignore their podcast reviews.