I really have to thank Dan Ryckert for getting me back into Giant Bomb. Towards the end of 2013 I was starting to lose interested not only in Giant Bomb, but in video games. Then I heard Vinny was moving away, so there was a couple months where I didn't visit Giant Bomb or play games. Then I heard they hired a new guy, and this sparked my curiosity. So I came back and I'm so glad I did. Dan got me and my friends to play Mario Party, we started playing Super Smash Bros., and he even got me to play through all the Metal Gear Solid games. So thanks again Dan you got me back into the world of video games.

Dan's a great addition to the GB staff, and I'm glad he's here

I was pretty giddy when it was rumored he was coming. Then there was the awesome swerve of him showing up in pictures at IGN. While I can't say that I've ever been down on the site I can say that I totally agree Dan is a great addition to the site. He's also been doing a great job spearheading new content on the site.

On a Vinny note ( the best kind of notes), I hope that when they get settled in at gbEAST that we start getting the Random PC Game segment back. That was always my favorite.

Dan is the catalyst to keep GB running strong. Wish he would interject more on the bombcast.

I've remained pretty strong with GB all the way along, but Dan is a great guy and I always enjoy the enthusiasm and upbeat attitude he brings to site content. I'm glad we have him onboard.

Some say he is the savior we need. Some say he is a threat to us all. But one thing is for certain with Dan Ryckert:

Actually, I don't know. I don't think anything is certain about Dan Ryckert.

@doctordonkey: He's never had a bad day, that's for certain.

dan is fucking amazing.

Metal Gear Scanlon, Demo Derby and Mario Party Party are some of my favourite series ever on GB, and his eternal optimism has really dragged the site out of the slump it had been in for a while. Thanks Dan!

Dan is the Vince McMahon of Giant Bomb.... or Russo.... im bad with analogies.

Dan is equal parts infuriating, and awesome....and beardy.

I too would like to say that Dan really changed things around for me. I love his optimism and his infectious enthusiasm for things he loves. I wish there was slightly less wrestling talk as Dan became a dark caralyst for Jeff to really let loose with that particular topic but hey no one is perfect!

After Vinny left I think we all felt it - the careful balance between Patrick's serious content to the typical wacky nonsense was put on tilt. Now with Dan we finally have the goofy, dumb stuff back in full force.

Dan and A-Striker are terrific addons to the cast, it was so fucking unfortunate how much shit they got in the beginning though for being 2 white straight dudes.

but yea, they definitely brought the energy back on the site to being more wacky and fun and loose.

Love A-Strikers i dont give a fuck attitude, and i love how Dan just goes for it and lets nothing faze him, that whole bit a while back on a bombcast where he talked about perseverance and dedication really made me respect him more.

I really like Dan as well, when he's not being judgmental. For a grown-ass man who eats entire cans of string cheese and loves wrestling, he also loves to bash anything he deems "not normal".

I hope he wins an Oscar for his performance as "Dan Ryckert." He's amazing

I remember when they posted the photo at IGN the morning of the announcement. My heart stopped for a second.

Started another playthrough of MGS thanks to Dan! Keep it up man!

For a second my mind disconnected the topic the forum was in from the poster of the topic and thought that Dan made a topic thanking himself.
And I believed it to be a thing he would do.
Luvudan<3

Let the circle jerk commence!

I agree. Vinny was my favorite part of the Bombcast and I almost stopped listening when he moved. Dan has made me love the podcast again.

The stuff he has done on this site is some of the best. I mean, there is now a video of him and Jeff playing mario on a rollarcoaster...just amazing. A-striker has been an awesome addition too.

I still miss Vinny, but Dan sure has found a niche for himself here.

Totally agree, Dan is the hero we need!

Also I find totally hilarious how FURIOUSLY MAD some people get because the guy has some quirky opinions.

@sinusoidal: Behind the heel persona he likes to portray he has actually been very open minded and willing to try out out anything and challenge his own preconceived notions. I don't see that very often and I am very impressed by it.

While Dan is great, having Vinny back on the bombcast reminded me that there's just no replacement.

Dan is one cool dude and a great addition to the Giantbomb family.

Nothing can replace the Ryan-shaped hole in my heart and the absence of Vinny is sorely felt, but Dan (and also Jason, hats off to the guy, he doesn't get enough credit) have been fantastic additions to the team.

The number of features Dan sparked in just a couple of months is astounding (we need another Mario Party before Xmas) and while he has some very strange ideas and ideals, as well as an unhealthy obsession with wrestling, I can't help but love his tireless enthusiasm.

No, you fools! John Drake warned us about this! He warned us!

I've been watching a lot of Game Informer's Super Replay series and I've only grown to like Dan all the more. Such a supremely goofy individual.

Also, Tim Turi is kind of a living legend.

@yummylee: Tim is amazing. He's the king of playing horrible video games at this point.

@gaminghooligan: Absolutely. The amount of patience and perseverance that guy has simply demands respect!

@watchmen877: Word. I think he's a great addition to the team.

No matter what some thought of him at first, Dan has proven himself as exactly the sort of person Giant Bomb needed. This place needed energy and drive because it had lost so much, and after Vinny moved away, it needed even more of an engine to push things back to where Giant Bomb had been. The site needed loud, optimistic pep. Someone who would have an enthusiasm for making new videos and new, silly ideas to make GB happy and fun again after the rough year it had after Ryan's passing. Someone to create new memes and gags. Someone hyper-focused on playing video games.

Dan has been that person and won me over right away. Jeff clearly saw this as well, how Dan would shore up GB's strengths, and made the right call. Now if we could only get more Vinny...

I'll admit that he sometimes skirts the line between "funny" and "obnoxious" (especially on Twitter) but 90% of the time, Dan is as great as I expected him to be when he was hired.

The guys were getting really negative about stuff in general, video games and otherwise. Ryans passing started it so I didn't blame them for it but I was losing interest. Dan very quickly helped change that, his pure joy at the dumbest shit and not caring that he is pretty stupid sometimes really changed the feel of the site back to what I loved about it.

Dan is great to watch, and Brad's reactions to Dan's... erm... shall we say..."gaps" in his common knowledge and etiquette are priceless. I think you're right though. There was too much negativity for a while and Dan is a relentless nuclear reactor of positive. On balance he's a great addition.

Dan (and Jason) exceeded my expectations of new hires. So glad their on the team.