Haven't listened since Ryan passed away

For some reason I haven't wanted to listen to GB since Ryan left us. It's not because I think the podcast will be lacking in it's own right, and I'm not superstitious / religious etc. but for some reason I haven't felt compelled to listen. I genuinely don't know why, I didn't know Ryan personally - and if I was reading this, I'd probably be thinking "get your shit together". So perhaps I'm inviting a good old flaming...

I will come round pretty soon no doubt, but I wondered if anybody else has had this feeling of podcast malaise?

The podcast is still really good, I would recommend listening to it, because at some point you have to move on... But it actually fucking sucks that Ryan is gone, its so weird because I have never even met the guy before, but its a strange world (giantbomb) without him.

At least listen to the one right after his passing as they go and talk about their favorite memories of Ryan.

It was hard to get in but when i listened to drew say he cut up a cereal box and customized it for Halloween and went as a "cereal" killer i was drawn back in to the bombcast.

@kaos_cracker said:

This. There are some moments that are actually a little hard to listen to, but it gave me this reassurance that the crew is pretty much unstoppable. They'll keep putting on a great show every week no matter what.

I can't say i have, mainly because the podcast is like crack to me (I CAN STOP ANYTIME I WANT)...but Ryan being gone does fucking suck like Sumbog said.

It's still excellent but yes it is weird for now. There is a sometimes a bit of "do we still do this" but that's to be expected. Honestly I'm surprised that they've been able to go at it as hard as they have been in the last couple of weeks with so much enthusiasm across the site.

Drew is a regular now. You should listen.

It's different no doubt about it. Ryan was the best podcast host ever, so obviously its left a huge void. But I do think everyone is trying their best to pick up the slack now. Drew is great as a regular now, and Jeff is a fine host in his own right. But I completely acknowledge that the podcast will never be the same again.

Aye it's rough but the one bombcast of the crew remembering Ryan is a good one. The ones past that they seem pretty focused on keeping the bombcast going on at a good pace with plenty of tangent nonsense as well as normal bombcast talk on games. Just give it some time & the GB crew as well as all of us users on the site will be here when you feel ready. GLHB!

I would say the first two weeks of non-Ryan Bombcasts were very mediocre. I think it's hugely because there is one less person who would almost laugh at anything, which helps creating a much funnier and more harmonious atmosphere. I'm not saying there aren't funny moments, but these two weeks have felt a little bit stale.

I think it would certainly get better as time goes on when everyone on the crew are over the terrible mood (man, they are playing games to NOT feel anything still...). I miss Ryan too, but never as much as they do. It would take them sometime to find a new rhythm and general flow for these shows.

No where near the same and nothing will change that. Still enjoyable, as far as podcasts go, but nothing will replace the interplay of Jeff and Ryan. It is kind of depressing to listen to now, honestly....knowing how much Ryan was the wheel man. She's not the same man! she's not the same! :*0(

As sad as it might make me, the bombcast has changed, for better and worse. It is so damn unorganized but it is so much damn fun. Plus, like I told my brother, this is one of those bad periods to have Ryan gone because of the lull in gaming, right before some major releases at the end of this month and the impending console launches.

I do enjoy all the stupid talk they have, and laughed a lot during their GI Joe/Transformers Conversation a couple weeks back. Just wait, shits gonna get crazy with these new consoles.

I think the first two weeks were them kind of saying "We're going to keep doing these and fake it until we can figure out a new normal." I think Jeff even said that much. And Brad had that great comment about someone doing a knockoff Bombcast and the sad part was that it was them.

I think it has gotten back into the groove a little bit, though. I think Vinny has been working hard to manufacture lightheartedness. I respect the crap out of that guy. He seems to be the one who has the most emotional intelligence. He knows when to play things up and when to tone things down.

It's still fantastic. I miss me some Ryan Davis though :( He was so entertaining to listen to.

@360fov: Even though its been a month I'm still pretty sad about Ryan's passing and the site hasn't been the same since.

However, I'm still listening to the Bombcast and tuning into the QLs. This definitely feels like a transition period but the content is still really entertaining. I would encourage you to get back into it. The best thing that people can do to keep Ryan's memory alive is to enjoy one of the best things he ever created.

I can understand not being compelled at the moment, July was really slow in terms of releases and news (most of this was just gossip and trolling). However, there's a shitload of releases for August and next gen consoles are around the corner. The subscriber content has been great lately. The FMV games on Unprofessional Friday is hilarious.

Last week's bombcast has been a massive improvement over the last last week's one for sure. But oh man the juvenile Skyrim dick mod joke should have just stopped at one sentence but it went on longer than it should've. If Ryan were here he would clearly be "annoyed" and create a brief awkward moment and everyone would get a good laugh at it. But now, there's also no stopping the pun train, which was insanely funny and only possible in these circumstances as well.

You're certainly right to an extent, and I kinda thought Vinny should be host, even if my "respect the crap out of" person is Jeff.

Thanks for the constructive replies, great community here. I've queued up the downloads in iTunes, I can tell from what you've all said that it's really about embracing the situation and the sooner I listen, the sooner I'll get used to the change.

Awesome avatar pic @djou and amen @sumbog. Thanks @mcghee, noted and will do.

The Bombcast is still pretty good, although I find Drew's simulation talk actually more boring than Brad's DOTA2 talk so go figure.

Also as awful as this may sound, Quick Looks haven't been this good in quite a while. The 3-man QL team is simply amazing.

It's also important to remember that The Hotspot was also great and Ryan wasn't really on that one very much.

So, while the new era will inevitably be different, I think it will setting into being just as good.

I wouldn't even be sad to see them change the name or the format. It might be a fresh way to break from the old Ryan days. For example, Jeff seems to distinctly not doing the "Hey Everybody it's Tuesday!" thing because it was Ryan's deal, but I wouldn't be sad to see them go back to the old Hotspot into or something.

I felt the same right after it happened, but I couldn't not listen to the one that came out that following week. Since then it's been mostly back to the norm with the welcome addition of some new guests.

While I sympathize (it has been a bit difficult to hit play every now and again when I see a new Bombcast is up), I still maintain that it is the best 3 hour long bug-out-bag/ham radio/ridiculous ways to see terrible or awesome movies podcast in existence.

...

Oh. And video games. They occasionally talk about video games. Nearly forgot that part.

Drew is a funny case. When he first showed up it was like, "what's this good looking smart guy doing working with a bunch of big guys in a basement talking about videogames all day?" but then the more he talks I'm like "ooooh. He THAT kind of nerd." I think he just has to get beat up a little bit to learn how to become a "personality", and then he'll be great. I wish it weren't so, but you can't become truly great at anything without getting beat up first.

I took a few weeks off. Got back into them a few days ago and they're really good.

It's still really good. It might be hard to get used to, but you should really give it a listen, especially the Tribute podcast.

You really should. They're so good still. Drew adds a fresh dynamic to the show and even after the dark events of the past month they still manage to be hilarious.

The podcast is worth listening to if only for the fish puns

The only episode I had a hard time listening to was the one right after he passed where they brought on Drew, Alex, Alexis, and Patrick. Them sharing their favorite memories of Ryan was definitely funny and entertaining. No shortage of laughs there. The reason I had a tough time listening because it sounded like, at least to me, they were getting a bit choked up (understandably so, obviously) which got me a bit choked up and I had to pause quite a few times and just come back to it later on.

After that, the podcast was back in top condition imo. It'll never be quite the same, but it's still the same great, weekly 3 hour monster of a show we've all come to love.

I have to share this clip from a recent bombcast. It's so great!! The bombcast has definately changed, but that doesn't mean we should give up listening to it. There will definately be an adjustment period for some people.

The one right after was a tough listen for obvious reasons. The rest though are still the usual quality. Not to harp on this but I keep expecting to hear Ryan's usual intro.

I find bombcasts without Jeff to be more jarring.

I normally listen to old Bombcasts when I train but I can't do it any more. My heart breaks every single time I hear Ryan laugh or just "Hey everybody, it's tueeeeesday." I can't do it. It's so weird.

It's a tough one, but yes, I vote this too.

You're missing out then. Jeffcasts are great as always.

I've listened and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is less structured, but hella laid back too. I need my bombcast, with or without Ryan Davis. Rest in peace buddy.

Also the recent body builder ass clenching conversation was fucking gold, I laughed like a crazy person at work.

It's still fantastic.

Drew has a pretty good sense of humor, when he does chime in. It's still awesome. Less structured, since they haven't moved to replace Ryan-as-host. It kind of feels like the early days when they were just messing around, albeit tempered with a strain of melancholy.

I think GB and the bombcast is going to come out of this stronger.

It's a different beast, but just as good.

Ryan was great at keeping the show moving, but I can tell they're trying their best.

Keep the faith. It's still a fantastic podcast.

Yes.

For my part the entertainment level has remained about the same as before. Drew is great and brings a new dynamic. Different but just as much fun as before.

At first I couldn't listen but this week I started listening again. It sucks that Ryan is gone but the bombcast is still one of the best podcasts around. Having Drew as a regular is nice too.

Everything takes time. Some quicklooks i still cant listen too.

I'm actually enjoying the way these podcasts have been going since, well, you know. It's their way of trying their damndest to move on any way they can. In time, something at least resembling the old structure will return, but in the meantime, I'm digging the free-form, stream of consciousness, off-the-rails jam session they've got going on.

I will never stop listening to the bombcast.

It's... different. I've mentioned it before, but there's a different vibe without Ryan - the room is a bit quieter, and less coordinated. Ryan was a master host.

Ryan was awesome and I can understand it not feeling right without him, but the show must go on. I have to say, the podcasts since his passing have been genuinely good. Ryan's presence is missed, but the crew has done well in his absence.

I wasn't current with the podcasts when that happened, I was catching up from all the E3 coverage. It was very hard to listen to some of those June podcasts after hearing the news.

But the waters receded. Cities fall, but they are rebuilt. And heroes die, but they are remembered. We honor them with every brick we lay, with every field we sow, with every child we comfort and then teach to rejoice in what we have been regiven. Our planet, our home. So now, let us begin. (I figured a little Deep Impact quote would be appropriate)

miss ryan like fuck, still love the bombcast. it's the best way to honor his legacy i think.

Same here. May sound a bit callous, but I got back into the 'groove' of Giant Bomb pretty quickly once the quick looks came back, and the slew of 3-man QL's (besides the Pacific Rim one) were all really fun.

It may be because Ryan's death didn't affect me quite as much as it did the majority of users on the forums. If anything if it was imagining what Jeff and co. were going through that really tore at my heart. And hearing them, in some sense, sounding like their old selves really helped raise my spirits regarding the whole ordeal.

I get the feeling and I definitely his presence/leadership but I think Ryan would want you to listen to the podcast even without him.

Dude was a team player.