GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
Me issue with Dan isn't the wrestling talk, it's how reductionist he is and how he speaks in declarative statements. "I hate Lord of the Rings, because Lord of the Rings sucks ass" is a thing he said a pod cast or two ago. It had no redeeming value as a statement, other than to antagonize what he called "Lord of the Rings dorks", who, surprise fucking surprise, make up a non insignificant part of the listening audience.
I mean, John Drake nailed it at the start of yesterdays podcast by pointing out these exact flaws in Dan. He was "joking", but what he said was 100% true. He speaks in declarative statements, tailored almost exclusively to antagonize, and he is incredibly hard edged about his (generally very bad) opinions. If it's all a shtick, it's a not very funny one. People who compare him to Jeff need to listen to Jeff more. Yes, Jeff has moments where he makes a reductionist comment, or takes a hard edged position, but the reason it's funny with Jeff is that we know he's capable of significantly deeper more poignant dialog. Dan hasn't once shown he actually has a poignant thought in his head, and so it just comes off as childish and grating.
He made a similar comment about the Halo novels during the Destiny Unfinished, then reiterated it somewhere else. It felt antagonistic, uninsightful and needless.
Jeff hating on something is fine because he'll actually explain why he hates Yoshi or why he thought Super Metroid was a disappointing game. I haven't seen any of that from Dan.
On the other hand, he forced everyone to play Mario Party. And that's fantastic.
I maintain that Dan is Jeff from an alternate timeline where he didn't break into games journalism until much later in life, and instead was forced to subsist on his terrible eating habits and wrestling.
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GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
I should point out I actually don't mind Dan in some of the other content, I think he's great in Quick Looks.
I think he's terrible on the pod cast, and is actively hurting my listening enjoyment of it.
admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
I don't really care he likes or dislikes. Dan is funny, energetic, and enthusiastic, which is exactly what the Bombcast needed with Patrick and Vinny gone.
I don't really care he likes or dislikes. Dan is funny, energetic, and enthusiastic, which is exactly what the Bombcast needed with Patrick and Vinny gone.
I don't care what he likes, I care the way he states his likes and dislikes. It's like he's 15 years old and can't articulate the most basic reasons for anything. I guess we differ on finding that funny. I don't find it funny in the slightest, I find it severely annoying.
GoodKingJayIIIThey wanna get mygold on the ceilingRegistered Userregular
I could go on about how much I hate Dan, but let's talk about Brad! I am really enjoying him as host. I think some of Ryan rubbed off on him, but he's also developing his own hosting style.
Jeff never seemed particularly pleased to host. I like Brad doing it, and it also forces him to be involved.
Now that's a change I can get behind. Brad as a host is great because it means he's an active participant in the conversation instead of some guy dicking around on his phone who has to be reminded that they're recording a podcast.
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admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
minor incidentexpert in a dying fieldnjRegistered Userregular
Brad's a really good host. It's a stark contrast with Jeff who clearly didn't really want to be bothered with it. It really improves the whole show with Brad hosting and Jeff just participating. They seem to fit those roles much better.
Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
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reVerseAttack and Dethrone GodRegistered Userregular
Brad is a SHOE in as a host.
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GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
CrayonSleeps in the wrong bed.TejasRegistered Userregular
edited August 2014
Brad as host is the best the podcast has been since Ryan passed, aside from the few Vinny joints. Seriously, Brad as host and Vinny, Jeff and Patrick around would be my dream.
Crayon on
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ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
Brad as host is the best the podcast has been since Ryan passed, aside from the few Vinny joints. Seriously, Brad as host and Vinny, Jeff and Patrick around would be my dream.
Dan is the same age my little brother is. It must be a generation gap thing because my brother has some of the same attitudes about things that Dan does.
Still, I enjoy Dan in the bombcast and UPFs. Probably because he is so much like my little brother.
I also tried watching some GI Joe on Netflix. I saw most of them as a kid but wanted to come back and watch them as an adult to see if they really hold up to how Jeff describes them.
To me, they don't really. Jeff is accurate in describing events that happen in the series, but they're not nearly as interesting in the context of the show.
Well, the big thing that Jeff was on about is how you get used to the typical toy cartoon shlock, then they start tossing some really WEIRD shit your way,
It is both possible, and sometimes necessary, to enjoy media while at the same time being critical of its less good parts.
Absolutely a fair point, I didn't mean to suggest blind adoration. I just find it a bit wearying to always read that someone is terrible in quick looks, doesn't offer any value to the podcast, or has changed the vibe of the site for worse.
Giant Bomb is kinda my 'safe place' in this world, always there when shit feels bleak, so I guess I get a bit defensive when I see criticism that doesn't feel particularly constructive.
It is both possible, and sometimes necessary, to enjoy media while at the same time being critical of its less good parts.
Absolutely a fair point, I didn't mean to suggest blind adoration. I just find it a bit wearying to always read that someone is terrible in quick looks, doesn't offer any value to the podcast, or has changed the vibe of the site for worse.
Giant Bomb is kinda my 'safe place' in this world, always there when shit feels bleak, so I guess I get a bit defensive when I see criticism that doesn't feel particularly constructive.
Okay. Constructive criticism time. Dan needs to step up and back up his opinions. Things are not awful because he doesn't like them, and opening himself up to new experiences would go a long way toward that, I think. Try mayonnaise, wash a dish like a big boy, and take a cooking class. Hell, those things would even make for interesting podcast banter.
It would also be nice, and this is just a pet peeve of mine, if everybody who disagreed with him wasn't instantly branded an idiot. And realize that, especially in San Francisco (and everywhere else), Taco Bell is neither the best nor real Mexican food.
I sincerely hope that six months from now we're all posting about how much Dan has grown as a person and become so much more interesting and how he's one of our favorites now.
And I think with the bomb squad around him, there's a pretty decent chance of that happening.
ok maybe interesting is the wrong word. I meant in terms of "able to offer substantial arguments" instead of "saying the craziest shit"
i assume that you would be expecting the same of Jeff 'Red Dead Redemption is a bad game' Gerstmann, then
He said previously that he doesn't like old guns in games, RDR was full of open world jank, and that the part he played was full of mundane tasks. He also, if I recall, doesn't really like westerns. A couple years later, it is just "I think it is a bad game" but Dan never gives that explanation. He goes right from zero to "I hate it" without any reasoning in the middle.
Jeff lists reasons for disliking Yoshi's Island as well, and he's not wrong. The egg throw mechanic is tedious, and the crying is awful.
It is both possible, and sometimes necessary, to enjoy media while at the same time being critical of its less good parts.
Absolutely a fair point, I didn't mean to suggest blind adoration. I just find it a bit wearying to always read that someone is terrible in quick looks, doesn't offer any value to the podcast, or has changed the vibe of the site for worse.
Giant Bomb is kinda my 'safe place' in this world, always there when shit feels bleak, so I guess I get a bit defensive when I see criticism that doesn't feel particularly constructive.
Okay. Constructive criticism time. Dan needs to step up and back up his opinions. Things are not awful because he doesn't like them, and opening himself up to new experiences would go a long way toward that, I think. Try mayonnaise, wash a dish like a big boy, and take a cooking class. Hell, those things would even make for interesting podcast banter.
I generally hate willful ignorance, but it hasn't bothered me with Dan so far. He seems pretty self-aware of his shortcomings for one, and I think he gels well with the crew. At the end of the day, I just don't have the energy to care whether a stranger the other side of the world likes mayonnaise or not.
I found the backlash to his comments on Halo novels pretty amusing, to be honest. This is the guy who felt cool getting all Star Wars kid in a Ninja Turtles Kinect game - he'd be the first to admit he's a total dork too. If I was bothered by Giant Bomb making flippant remarks about things I love, I'd have stopped listening a long time ago.
It is both possible, and sometimes necessary, to enjoy media while at the same time being critical of its less good parts.
Absolutely a fair point, I didn't mean to suggest blind adoration. I just find it a bit wearying to always read that someone is terrible in quick looks, doesn't offer any value to the podcast, or has changed the vibe of the site for worse.
Giant Bomb is kinda my 'safe place' in this world, always there when shit feels bleak, so I guess I get a bit defensive when I see criticism that doesn't feel particularly constructive.
Okay. Constructive criticism time. Dan needs to step up and back up his opinions. Things are not awful because he doesn't like them, and opening himself up to new experiences would go a long way toward that, I think. Try mayonnaise, wash a dish like a big boy, and take a cooking class. Hell, those things would even make for interesting podcast banter.
I generally hate willful ignorance, but it hasn't bothered me with Dan so far. He seems pretty self-aware of his shortcomings for one, and I think he gels well with the crew. At the end of the day, I just don't have the energy to care whether a stranger the other side of the world likes mayonnaise or not.
I found the backlash to his comments on Halo novels pretty amusing, to be honest. This is the guy who felt cool getting all Star Wars kid in a Ninja Turtles Kinect game - he'd be the first to admit he's a total dork too. If I was bothered by Giant Bomb making flippant remarks about things I love, I'd have stopped listening a long time ago.
Again, though, it's about frequency. When somebody typically makes well-reasoned arguments and then says "Oh, X is dumb" it's just one of their things. When it's the only way they know how to argue (see: Dan) it gets grating. I don't care that he doesn't like Lord of the Rings, Halo books, or mayonnaise. I care that he dismisses them without trying them. And I care that, even when he tries them (he read a good bit of Fellowship) he offers no real reasons why he dislikes them; they're just dumb and full of idiots. I'd much rather hear thought-out reasons why he hates things, even if they're things that I like.
Hell, I disagree with Jeff about RDR, but he played enough to formulate an opinion and is well-spoken enough to deliver it. Dan, even if he has valid reasons for disliking a thing, never gets past "It's icky! Next!"
And I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I never speak that way, because I do. But I know that ranch is loved by a lot of people so I figured out what I don't like about it. People are a lot more receptive to "it tends to drown out the other flavors in food" than they are to "it's gross and you're an idiot."
It is both possible, and sometimes necessary, to enjoy media while at the same time being critical of its less good parts.
Absolutely a fair point, I didn't mean to suggest blind adoration. I just find it a bit wearying to always read that someone is terrible in quick looks, doesn't offer any value to the podcast, or has changed the vibe of the site for worse.
Giant Bomb is kinda my 'safe place' in this world, always there when shit feels bleak, so I guess I get a bit defensive when I see criticism that doesn't feel particularly constructive.
Okay. Constructive criticism time. Dan needs to step up and back up his opinions. Things are not awful because he doesn't like them, and opening himself up to new experiences would go a long way toward that, I think. Try mayonnaise, wash a dish like a big boy, and take a cooking class. Hell, those things would even make for interesting podcast banter.
I generally hate willful ignorance, but it hasn't bothered me with Dan so far. He seems pretty self-aware of his shortcomings for one, and I think he gels well with the crew. At the end of the day, I just don't have the energy to care whether a stranger the other side of the world likes mayonnaise or not.
I found the backlash to his comments on Halo novels pretty amusing, to be honest. This is the guy who felt cool getting all Star Wars kid in a Ninja Turtles Kinect game - he'd be the first to admit he's a total dork too. If I was bothered by Giant Bomb making flippant remarks about things I love, I'd have stopped listening a long time ago.
Again, though, it's about frequency. When somebody typically makes well-reasoned arguments and then says "Oh, X is dumb" it's just one of their things. When it's the only way they know how to argue (see: Dan) it gets grating. I don't care that he doesn't like Lord of the Rings, Halo books, or mayonnaise. I care that he dismisses them without trying them. And I care that, even when he tries them (he read a good bit of Fellowship) he offers no real reasons why he dislikes them; they're just dumb and full of idiots. I'd much rather hear thought-out reasons why he hates things, even if they're things that I like.
Hell, I disagree with Jeff about RDR, but he played enough to formulate an opinion and is well-spoken enough to deliver it. Dan, even if he has valid reasons for disliking a thing, never gets past "It's icky! Next!"
And I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I never speak that way, because I do. But I know that ranch is loved by a lot of people so I figured out what I don't like about it. People are a lot more receptive to "it tends to drown out the other flavors in food" than they are to "it's gross and you're an idiot."
His LotR reasoning was sound: "All fantasy is garbage" or something to that effect. I don't agree with him, but that seems to be a common enough sentiment (Jeff has said pretty much the same thing) that I give it a bit of a pass.
His food issues are far more weird than being another dude who dismisses whole swathes of popular media because it doesn't fit a narrow genre definition of what he's established in his mind as "acceptable".
i don't know, maybe I'm not listening closely enough but I don't really find the things Dan says noticeably more declarative or dismissive than anyone else on the show other than, like, Drew. All I know is I read here that all he talks about is AAA games and wrestling and then listen to the podcast while he talks about like, Shovel Knight and the Swapper very fondly. I don't think he's this amazing personality (though his food stories are pretty entertaining if horrifying), but he's perfectly adequate.
SteevLWhat can I do for you?Registered Userregular
As we all know, Vinny and Alex are working out of the TV Guide channel office in New York. They've also done some work behind the scenes for the TV Guide channel.
But apparently Vinny is also doing VO for their show advertisements. Someone found one and posted it to a GB thread, and someone else found a bunch more, including this one for Naked Dating.
Posts
I mean, John Drake nailed it at the start of yesterdays podcast by pointing out these exact flaws in Dan. He was "joking", but what he said was 100% true. He speaks in declarative statements, tailored almost exclusively to antagonize, and he is incredibly hard edged about his (generally very bad) opinions. If it's all a shtick, it's a not very funny one. People who compare him to Jeff need to listen to Jeff more. Yes, Jeff has moments where he makes a reductionist comment, or takes a hard edged position, but the reason it's funny with Jeff is that we know he's capable of significantly deeper more poignant dialog. Dan hasn't once shown he actually has a poignant thought in his head, and so it just comes off as childish and grating.
Jeff hating on something is fine because he'll actually explain why he hates Yoshi or why he thought Super Metroid was a disappointing game. I haven't seen any of that from Dan.
On the other hand, he forced everyone to play Mario Party. And that's fantastic.
I think he's terrible on the pod cast, and is actively hurting my listening enjoyment of it.
I don't care what he likes, I care the way he states his likes and dislikes. It's like he's 15 years old and can't articulate the most basic reasons for anything. I guess we differ on finding that funny. I don't find it funny in the slightest, I find it severely annoying.
Jeff never seemed particularly pleased to host. I like Brad doing it, and it also forces him to be involved.
He's The Heel.
So long as they have weekly guests, I'm on board.
Still, I enjoy Dan in the bombcast and UPFs. Probably because he is so much like my little brother.
I also tried watching some GI Joe on Netflix. I saw most of them as a kid but wanted to come back and watch them as an adult to see if they really hold up to how Jeff describes them.
To me, they don't really. Jeff is accurate in describing events that happen in the series, but they're not nearly as interesting in the context of the show.
PSN: Beltaine-77 | Steam: beltane77 | Battle.net BadHaggis#1433
Absolutely a fair point, I didn't mean to suggest blind adoration. I just find it a bit wearying to always read that someone is terrible in quick looks, doesn't offer any value to the podcast, or has changed the vibe of the site for worse.
Giant Bomb is kinda my 'safe place' in this world, always there when shit feels bleak, so I guess I get a bit defensive when I see criticism that doesn't feel particularly constructive.
Okay. Constructive criticism time. Dan needs to step up and back up his opinions. Things are not awful because he doesn't like them, and opening himself up to new experiences would go a long way toward that, I think. Try mayonnaise, wash a dish like a big boy, and take a cooking class. Hell, those things would even make for interesting podcast banter.
It would also be nice, and this is just a pet peeve of mine, if everybody who disagreed with him wasn't instantly branded an idiot. And realize that, especially in San Francisco (and everywhere else), Taco Bell is neither the best nor real Mexican food.
And I think with the bomb squad around him, there's a pretty decent chance of that happening.
ok maybe interesting is the wrong word. I meant in terms of "able to offer substantial arguments" instead of "saying the craziest shit"
i assume that you would be expecting the same of Jeff 'Red Dead Redemption is a bad game' Gerstmann, then
He said previously that he doesn't like old guns in games, RDR was full of open world jank, and that the part he played was full of mundane tasks. He also, if I recall, doesn't really like westerns. A couple years later, it is just "I think it is a bad game" but Dan never gives that explanation. He goes right from zero to "I hate it" without any reasoning in the middle.
Jeff lists reasons for disliking Yoshi's Island as well, and he's not wrong. The egg throw mechanic is tedious, and the crying is awful.
I generally hate willful ignorance, but it hasn't bothered me with Dan so far. He seems pretty self-aware of his shortcomings for one, and I think he gels well with the crew. At the end of the day, I just don't have the energy to care whether a stranger the other side of the world likes mayonnaise or not.
I found the backlash to his comments on Halo novels pretty amusing, to be honest. This is the guy who felt cool getting all Star Wars kid in a Ninja Turtles Kinect game - he'd be the first to admit he's a total dork too. If I was bothered by Giant Bomb making flippant remarks about things I love, I'd have stopped listening a long time ago.
Again, though, it's about frequency. When somebody typically makes well-reasoned arguments and then says "Oh, X is dumb" it's just one of their things. When it's the only way they know how to argue (see: Dan) it gets grating. I don't care that he doesn't like Lord of the Rings, Halo books, or mayonnaise. I care that he dismisses them without trying them. And I care that, even when he tries them (he read a good bit of Fellowship) he offers no real reasons why he dislikes them; they're just dumb and full of idiots. I'd much rather hear thought-out reasons why he hates things, even if they're things that I like.
Hell, I disagree with Jeff about RDR, but he played enough to formulate an opinion and is well-spoken enough to deliver it. Dan, even if he has valid reasons for disliking a thing, never gets past "It's icky! Next!"
And I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I never speak that way, because I do. But I know that ranch is loved by a lot of people so I figured out what I don't like about it. People are a lot more receptive to "it tends to drown out the other flavors in food" than they are to "it's gross and you're an idiot."
His LotR reasoning was sound: "All fantasy is garbage" or something to that effect. I don't agree with him, but that seems to be a common enough sentiment (Jeff has said pretty much the same thing) that I give it a bit of a pass.
His food issues are far more weird than being another dude who dismisses whole swathes of popular media because it doesn't fit a narrow genre definition of what he's established in his mind as "acceptable".
But apparently Vinny is also doing VO for their show advertisements. Someone found one and posted it to a GB thread, and someone else found a bunch more, including this one for Naked Dating.
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