Do you really think that the bomb cast is too long???

Honestly, I wouldn't mind at this point if someone just sampled their speech patterns and crossed them with random Wikipedia pages, procedurally generating a theoretically infinite amount of off topic conversations. I already dream up enough of these in the night, only to forget them in the morning, so it'd be swell if someone'd do it in a more permanent manner.

I love my bombcasts stupidly long and full of pointless tangential discussion.

I have an 8 hour day at work.......feel free to go ahead and make it even longer. I have to fill my long ass workday with something. Keep up the good work guys.

No, I love pointless tangents and discussions about nonsense, it's stupid fun and I learn stuff sometimes. That said I rarely finish them myself, but that has more to do with Flash sucking ass and crashing pretty much every time I listen to it.

Are you fucking high?

I hate to say things, or type things rather. Lets just say I like em long, wide, and I like deep in my... ummmmm... Ear drums honey. A nice 3 hour aural experiance will send me in to ecstatic bliss, curling of the toes and goose bumps on my privates.

I listen to work at podcast and I have to say without these long podcasts I would have driven off the side of a cliff. So keep em' long, keep em' strong, and keep this "LISTENER" alive!

I thought so, til I started rationing between multiple days on the way to work. Now it's quite fine.

I'll let Agent Smith tell it like it is:

@flippyandnod said:

Yes,it is most definitely too long right now. They are just babbling about nothing. I understand it's been a slow time for games. Great, so make the bombcast shorter during those times and then expand it again when the flood of games returns.

You'll be glad in the long run anyway, because right now they are starting to repeat themselves in their diversions anyway. So not using up material will leave them more for next time.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm thinking of dropping the Bombcast from my podcast rotation.

I'm not saying I don't like banter. I like it. But when there is less content, don't feel the need to fluff up the banter to fill up the time.

More isn't always better.

There are only three types of people that visit this website: those who like video games, those who like the staff's personalities, and those who like both. I cannot understand for the life of me how any of the first type have stuck around. It's been pretty clear for years that this is one of the least "video gamey" video game websites, or to put it a different way, the most personality driven of all of them. Taking 40 minutes to actually get to anything game related isn't a new phenomenon, and even the E3 casts (which should contain the most game content) are full of Hawktaku and Time Belt bullshit, and they are better for it. The filler won't decrease when you get a lot of video game news happening, you'd just have a four hour long Bombcast instead.

Hell. even quick looks and TNTs are less about them competently showing of the game and its features, and more about them fucking around.

More is better. I understand what you are saying and I get that it isn't for everyone (believe me, I'm not trying to sway your opinion), but I have no idea why you still listen to the Bombcast when it has been very clear that video games occupy a 2nd tier in the rotation and have done so for a long time (if all games all the time is your thing).

Personally, I'd take 3 hours of how Jeff is/was a horrible tenant with a light sprinkling of video games over the reverse. That's just me, however.

Hell no. I have a long drive to and from school. The longer the Bombcast the better.

Nah, it's perfect as is. My favorite GB moments tend to be unrelated to games, and three hours gives me both uncompressed game talk as well as plenty of the ridiculous ramblings I come here for.

@MattyFTM said:

Personally I'd listen to and love a 10 hour bombcast. Or even longer. BUT that doesn't mean that it's not too long. We are in the minority. People who frequent the forums and vote in polls on this sort of poll are the super enthusiastic fans of the site and the bombcast. We aren't the average listener. And we certainly aren't the random internet users who may stumble across the podcast on iTunes. I know if I was looking for a podcast to listen to and I was browsing iTunes or whatever, I'd not even consider a 3+ hour podcast. I'd dismiss it as too long.

That's not to say they have to cater to random iTunes users, but having a podcast catering entirely to the most "hardcore" listeners and ignoring everyone else isn't a way to run a podcast either. There has to be a balance. A happy medium. The 2-2.5 hour mark is probably that sweet spot from this point of view.

I was going to write something all smart like this, but I'm glad you did because now I no longer think I'm alone. Sometimes I think the Bomb crew should be a little more business driven, but I never say that because everyone immediately jumps to the douche-iest possible definition of that term when I do.

Weren't they poking fun at the people who debate this?

@MattyFTM said:

Personally I'd listen to and love a 10 hour bombcast. Or even longer. BUT that doesn't mean that it's not too long. We are in the minority. People who frequent the forums and vote in polls on this sort of poll are the super enthusiastic fans of the site and the bombcast. We aren't the average listener. And we certainly aren't the random internet users who may stumble across the podcast on iTunes. I know if I was looking for a podcast to listen to and I was browsing iTunes or whatever, I'd not even consider a 3+ hour podcast. I'd dismiss it as too long.

That's not to say they have to cater to random iTunes users, but having a podcast catering entirely to the most "hardcore" listeners and ignoring everyone else isn't a way to run a podcast either. There has to be a balance. A happy medium. The 2-2.5 hour mark is probably that sweet spot from this point of view.

I actually first found the bombcast while looking through the lists of podcasts on Media Go trying to find German podcasts to download on my PSP Go and help me learn the language. Some of the randoms do in fact become forum regulars :)

They could be a little longer...

Depends. Some Bombcast really drag, but others are great for the 3 hours.

I definitely am a pauser, but I still haven't finished most of the recent ones.

It's a little long, but they know how to keep me listening.

Honestly, I wish it was longer. I know that's a fan-boy comment, but I love the side-discussions they have. Half the time I don't even care about the "literal" game talk. They are a funny bunch and it really shows when they let their personalities take over the discussion rather than an agenda. (Not to say they aren't good to listen to when they talk about games. Just when that's all they are focused on.)

As someone who has a 1 hour commute to work, I appreciate the Bombcast being as long as it is. I could see why people would prefer a shorter version, though.

I haven't listen to full Bombcast in a while the one with Will Smith was the last I heard entirely as opossed to other people I don't like when they go on weird tangets for too long sometimes because the topic is too local or too specific to something in the US that I don't know or care and sometimes because it feels like the same thing... that probably doesn't make sense but is like their style or rutine kinda repeats itself a lot sort of like when they said " oh how many.... all of it , all of the [insert thing] or the -est" that or someone brings something about a movie or a show that's clearly bad and they talk about how is the best thing. Stuff like that is what makes the Bombcast funny but ehh I don't know maybe is just me but it's like the same joke with a different subject , I do like when they talk about some weird story in the industry or some specific game but I haven't been interested , reading the desciption tells me if I want to listen to the Bombcast more than the lenght of it.

I'm going to say yeah it's a little on the long side.

I love the content but I wouldn't mind if it was two hours instead creeping on 4. As it is I only have time to listen to it in one hour chunks basically anyway.

The other things that strikes me is I don't know if all the guys should to be there throughout the entire cast, I'm not sure it's the best of their time for some of the members of the cast to basically just chime once an hour when it's not their turn to be the lead.

I think if Ryan were to host and the other guys were to come and go as needed it might actually be smoother. 5 people is a lot of dudes on a cast.

but whatever it's a great cast and you can't please everyone.

If anything they're too short. I like listening to the podcast while jogging sometimes and listen to it in sessions. When I finish an episode I may sometimes replay it.

People don't really say it's too long and the staff are joking about it when they say that it is. There is a reason it's a solid 3 hours every time, if not longer now.

no i don't think the bombcast the is to long.

I'd love it if it was longer, actually. I listen to the podcast on my commute to and from work, and I'll usually finish during the weekend, I think, shit, now I have to listen to other, lesser podcasts until Tuesday.

i think its good at around 3 any longer and it would be crazy

Where is the "sort of" option? I sometimes wonder if they should have a Monday/Tuesday and a Friday one that both would be shorter than 1h:30m. Or if that doesn't work, move the Bombcast to Friday.

Bombcast is king. Don't rush the king.

It's not long enough. 6 hour podcasts of gtfo.

No!

Never, the three to four hour bombcasts during E3 are insane. I don't know how those guys can keep up. Considering all the stuff they had to do through out those days.

I think it's pretty commonly known that Jeff is the only person who thinks the Bombcast is too long.

But seriously, the leisurely format is what allows Ryan to sus out some amazing pearls from his team once in a while. I will take the few slow parts, although Ryan is usually pretty good at moving things along to keep the temperature up. I really get irked by podcasts that stick to the plan a little too much and are too tight. Its not the evening news or a business meeting. When you got good interesting people you need to give them the environment to open up. If that requires talking to them about something non-work-related that they are excited about, then whooptee-do: they are human. And the more we know about the critic, the more value we can extract from their criticism.

I wouldn't want more than what they already offer. It's perfect as it is now.

It's not long enough. I can only squeeze like 2,5 commutes out of it.

Just because all of your attention spans are 5 minutes doesn't mean that the Bombcast is too long.

People complain about not enough content, then complain about too long of a Bombcast. Can't win.

Nope. Whether I have free time or am working on things a lot, sometimes I just want to burn away hours with something on in the background and a nice long Bombcast suits that need perfectly.

Not at all. It's quite comfortably long.

This question gets asked every few weeks and the answer is always a resounding; NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I LOVE IT LONG!

@pyromagnestir said:

You tell 'em, Emmerson Cod.

Your post made me simultaneously happy and sad.

Much too long! Listen to hotspots from 2005, and how many stories and laughs they could get into a 15 minute cast. They need to bump up the pace otherwise I drift off during it. Sometimes you can barely tell what game their talking about because the convo starts so nonchalant. More music cues between topics (stories) and individual games to discuss would help, too.

And maybe they should do separate podcasts for new releases/reviews/whatchabeenplayin, and another for news/stories/personal stuff/emails.

Its amazing they hit 3 & 1/2 hours WITHOUT Nintendo readouts.

And you can tell that the sheer length makes them seem bored, tired, hungry... that they themselves are distracted by their iPads and other work.

If anything I wish it were longer. I spend a lot of time driving so I generally end up listening to the new one and older one every week.

I usually listen to the bombcast while playing games, and my gaming sessions can go for a good while at times, so the longer the better really, it's given me a lot of memories of gaming that I pair with certain bombcasts, like during the E3 2011's, I was playing alot of Okami and Infamous, and so I sorta think of those bombcasts when I think of those games. I'm sorta getting off of the question though, I say that the pause button should be the perfect feature for people who think it's too long, as itunes will save where they are, so they don't need to listen all at once.

Out of the two answers no, but yes it is long but I take what I can get and would NEVER tell them to shorten it

It's fuckin great, longer would be even fuckin greater!

Why wasn't there a 'C' option for seeing XL Special Edition bombcasts running 4 hours. Sign me up for that.

no.

i realised awhile back that i don't have to listen to it in one sitting. what i can do is listern to a bit of it on my way to work, stop the podcast and then resume it on my way home. i can repeat this process as many times as i like untill the podcast is over.

also if you are listening on a ipod/iphone you can play the podcast back at 1.5x the speed. they do sound a little spend up but it means you can listen to the same content only in a shorter format.

you can go to 2.0x the speed but it just sound to silly.