Constructive Criticism for the Giant Bomb arm of Whiskey Media

Giant Bomb is a business, under the arm of Whiskey Media, which was founded by Shelby Bonnie (who in turn co-founded this little place called Cnet).

As a business, it's in their best interest to present as many features to a passerby as possible, not only to hook that passerby, but to hook them with the intention of converting them into a paying member. Money is kinda needed to run a business, and in order to earn some money, there has to be a reason (or product) in order for money to be exchanged from one party to another. In the case of the internet, it's all about content.

With the one year subscribers closing in on the end of their subscription (September 12), a percentage of that income is going to come to a halt. There now has to be an incentive to once again fork over money to our favorite patch of the internet.

So, let us look at the current offerings/content/products of the major brands (sorry Animevice) of Whiskey Media.

Numbers are as of the last 30 days (since July 23).

Comic Vine

Staff (# of articles, videos)

• Tony Guerrero aka Gman (49,1)
• Sara Lima aka Babs (32,1)
• Tom Pinchuk (12,0)
• Mat Elfring aka inferiorego (7,0)
• Undeadpool (3,0)
• Matt Demers (3,0)

1. The Comicvine video side has been fairly quiet as of late, save for the steady posting of trailers. Last day of CC was the 24th. They posted said content through August 2nd. Events are not counted.
2. Tony was the only staff member when the site launched, picking up then-user Sara Lima a couple years later. Tony remains the primary article poster.
3. Joey Fameli is the primary video producer for the site.
4. Their podcast has the occasional industry guest, where they not only discuss projects of said host, but also gain some insight on the workings of the industry.

Tested

Staff (# of articles, videos)

• Wesley Fenlon (91,0)
• Ryan Whitwam (21,0)
• Sam Cook (19,0)
• Matthew Braga (4,0)
• Will Smith (2,31)
• Jason Imms (2,0)
• Bobby Schweizer (1,0)
• Norman Chan (0,29)

1. There is no such thing as a 'copy-paste' Tested video. Every video they've done (in the past 30 days) is 100% original. Ranging from Coffee to a new feature covering CNC machines, these guys know what to do.
2. Norm and Will launched the site together. While the number of articles they've written has dropped, they are featured in every one of their videos.
3. Ana Hurka-Robles is the primary video producer for the site, occasionally making a guest appearance on their podcast, This is Only a Test.
4. Gary Whitta (former Maximum PC EiC and current screenwriter/apple fanboy) is a near constant voice on their podast, along with the occasional appearance from one of their writers.
5. Tested has yet to receive a full-fledged wiki side of it's site, although Designer Dave says it's on the way.

Giant Bomb

Staff (# of articles, videos)

• Patrick Kelpek (54,3)
• Alexis Navarro (31,0)
• Ryan Davis (3,26)
• Bradley Shoemaker (1,15)
• Jefferson Gerstmann (0,7)
• Vincent Caravella (0,13)
• Drew Scanlon (0,1)

1. Giant Bomb is easily the most popular website within the family. Relying primarily on the now strong news presense Patrick Klepek has introduced, as well as the in-depth coverage of the industry thanks to a seasoned staff, the site is the heaviest when it comes to video content, with 20 quicklooks in the past 30 days being the backbone amoungst it all.
2. I don't really have to tell you too much about the site history because, hey, chances are if you're reading this you've already seen some of the founding footage of this place.
3. Both Vincent and Drew are the primary video producers, with both of them lending input when needed for a feature in their field.
4. The podcast is number one in the business. With some of the top names in the industry guesting during events, and over a combined 40 years covering the business, these guys know whats up.

Screened

Staff (# of articles, videos)

• Matthew Rorie (75,10)
• Alexis Navarro (33,0)
• Tom Pinchuk (20,0)
• Andrew Godoski (5,0)
• Matthew Floratis (4,0)
• Andy Gray (3,0)
• Wesley Fenlon (1,0)

1. Screened is the newest member of the Whiskey family. Alex Navarro and Matt Rorie were the first staff members, along with some excellent outside voices writing some great in-depth articles on the workings of cinema.
2. With the recent move of Alex out of the office, Matt is the sole voice of the site in the Whiskey offices, making him the sole writer of all the scripts for their video features.
3. Joey Fameli spends most of his time working on their videos, and is doing a great job.
4. The podcast is home to all things movies, from red band trailers to discussion of types of cameras to be used on upcoming movies. While not yet enough of a name to catch advance screenings, they do see their chosen movies at midnight (or the earliest possible showing), write the review before sleeping, and are ready to discuss quite the gamut of topics.

The criticism aspect comes in this - I personally believe Giant Bomb to be slacking when it comes to video (and in some ways, written) content.

Video content is the (desired) backbone of each site, with the editorial content coming in a strong second. As such, it behooves each site to have an active gamut of features for which the consumer to ... consume.

Giant Bomb currently is putting out Quick Looks, a weekly community outreach called Thursday Night Throwdown, a weekly 90 second what-to-expect clip called I Love Mondays, and something to do with interns and Facebook games. Some agree with the belief that the Quick Looks have dropped in quality over the past year or so, almost as if the staff has gotten tired doing a feature that is proven to give them some of their highest number of page hits.

I see Screened as the model to be looked at when it comes to content. With a best-of feature called Besties, a Defending Your Movie feature where an editor defends a movie he favors that the general public may have frowned upon, Half Good covers movies where the film in question has certain redeemable qualities not quite balancing out it's not-quite-up-to-par side, and a Remake Rematch where the editor compares two movies spiritually (if not named) the same.

Yes, I know there are going to be some features to be announced in the near future with The Second Annual Big Live Live Show Live fast approaching, but I can only hold out and hope for the best when it comes to exactly what they're going to be announcing.

Forgot Anime Vice.

When i saw the thread title I was definitely going to mention doing more video content like Screened does- stuff like Defending your movie and Besties would translate incredibly well to videogames.

The other thing in video content I was going to say was more dumb shit, like the Video Things that used to be put up and Tang and stuff like that. QLs are great and all but now the bad games are less funny to watch and the good games sound like any gameplay walkthrough from any other site, whereas before they were more opinionated and funny/had more personality in general, and so were great to watch even if I had no interest in a game or had bought/played it already.

Excellent thread. In GB's defense, this is a slow season for games (although you can expect an increase very soon). However, that being said, I feel like other kinds of creative content should be filling the gap. Maybe Retro Quick looks? (not exactly original, but still something) 
 
I'm not a paying subscriber, and I personally don't expect anything more from GB, but I figure I'd throw in some thoughts.

There's no doubt that probably everyone on the site wants more original video content besides quick looks. I don't want the quick looks to disappear since I find them very useful for purchasing advice, and as you said it provides them with a ton of views for the site. I'm also one of those guys who agree that the quality of QLs have gone down, as if they're no longer psyched to be doing them.

I think you're right about the reasoning behind it. This is probably one of those features that they're forced to do, and they've always said that they will cover the games that they want to but in order to push page views they've probably had to do QLs for a lot of games they have no interest in which has resulted in the lacking enthusiasm so many of us has encountered.

On a side note, I would love to see Jeff and others do more in depth articles. These guys are some of the most experienced people in the field. Big fancy articles with a name like Jeff Gerstmann attached to it would likely get mentioned around the web and bring people here.

As I've said since this conversation really booted up again post-SNES marathon, I'd love to see some Screened-y features on the site. I had been thinking about this before the SNES marathon, and I agree that combining the Giant Bomb model with the Screened model would make an unstoppable powerhouse! Also, I don't get why people really think Quick Looks have gone down in quality because the guys are bored with them, they're just bored with playing sequels to games they've already played on Quick Looks. When I see these comparisons, they're often of Half-Blood Prince to Deathly Hallows, or Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 to DWG3. If you watch the TrackMania United Forever or Cargo!: The Quest For Gravity Quick Looks, they're totally enthusiastic because those games are actually a breath of fresh air. I'd say there's always room for new comedy based on licenses that haven't appeared on the site before, but Ryan is the only person on the site who knows anything worth a damn about comics, so actually decent jokes about Thor and Captain America are kind of limited in comparison to Half Blood Prince.

I also will reiterate that I think it's CRAZY that this site has tens of thousands of wiki pages and only one type (games) gets videos. Screened does articles based exclusively on things like "movies that could've been based on Philip K. Dick stories" or "Schwarzenegger films that aren't Terminator, Commando or Conan." I'd love to see "Developer Round-Up" as a feature on GB, or "Best RPG Party: Mass Effect 2 vs. Persona 4?", or a video based on the "Wilhelm Scream" concept page. Hell, you KNOW Jeff or Ryan could make a fantastic video exclusively about the work Johnny Vignocchi's put forth. There's tons of room for this kind of stuff, and part of the site philosophy is that there's more that connects games than just the games themselves, so why not support that with professional content? Unfortunately, I realized this AFTER the survey was done, so I'm just gonna keep posting it in different places hoping someone sees it.

Also, if you're not watching Betting the Farmville, you really should be. However, Episodes 8 and 9 have been really slow, so if Episode 10 doesn't salvage the series, I'll be done.

@Little_Socrates: Don't really like "WHICH IS BETTER, X VS X" articles cause most of the time they're just there to generate hits+comments, but agree on the more other shit kind of thing.

@DystopiaX said:

When i saw the thread title I was definitely going to mention doing more video content like Screened does- stuff like Defending your movie and Besties would translate incredibly well to videogames.

The other thing in video content I was going to say was more dumb shit, like the Video Things that used to be put up and Tang and stuff like that. QLs are great and all but now the bad games are less funny to watch and the good games sound like any gameplay walkthrough from any other site, whereas before they were more opinionated and funny/had more personality in general, and so were great to watch even if I had no interest in a game or had bought/played it already.

So true. I don't know why they haven't really gone off and taken those ideas from Rorie. Have Dave go off and tell me all about how Baldurs Gate is better than Icewind Dale. I want Ryan to Defend Samba De Amigo. And yep, even though some of the dumb shit they used to do (or have interns do) are now a youtube exclusive, no longer archived in the 'videos' tab. Don't really like the idea of going two different places for that sort of thing. The bad part is, some of their new ideas aren't going to be implemented until early '12 is my guess. It's not like they're going to have time, with all the new games coming out, and then shooting for the end-of-the-year goodness.

@clstirens: Thanks for the kudos. There's nothing wrong with not being original if you've got a Dave or a Jeff. Any member of the staff can bring a fresh angle on something thats been out for a few years.

I agree. I was interest in reading a GB review of El Shaddai and it's like the game barely exists here, yet we get a review of Toy Soldiers? How many people give a shit about Toy Soldiers? All the other major game sites already have their review of Deus Ex up, but not here yet. GB is quite often behind on their reviews if they do one at all.

This being said, I still love this site. These are just a few of my gripes.

MOAR VIDEOZ PLEASE!

That applies to all the sites.

@DystopiaX said:

@Little_Socrates: Don't really like "WHICH IS BETTER, X VS X" articles cause most of the time they're just there to generate hits+comments, but agree on the more other shit kind of thing.

Thing is, that's the specific one that I've heard people sort of crying for through The Metagame intern videos. Limiting it to specifically what's in The Metagame deck is kind of for crazy people, though, so I think that'd be a good alternative.

More videos is better. The interns over the summer proved the whole "Features need to be relevant" nonsense to be false. They launched a horror game feature in summer. Why? Why not is the bigger question. We don't need a reason for a SNES marathon. Just do it.

While I don't think it's fair to say Giant Bomb aren't delivering on video content, I agree that some more variety would certainly be welcome. Betting the Farmville has certainly gone a long way towards that, at least.

@JJOR64 said:

Forgot Anime Vice.

No he didn't.

@Anwar said:

@HandsomeDevil: but it was the anniversary of the snes!

*cough* about 3 days later...

That's the reason they gave but it's not necessary. Anyone who looks at something like that and says "This is arbitrary" and refuses to watch it deserves to die, plain and simple. Die in the worst way possible. Thrown off a cliff by the person they love the most. Then Superman comes down to catch them, only to drop them from higher.

Fuck you fictional internet person.

I'm way too tired atm to type anything informative, so I will just say this. I don't like the content that goes up since the move from the old offices as much as I did before, and it's gradually getting less and less interesting to come here every month. If you want to chalk that up to the guys not having the drive for it that they used to, a bad selection of games to work with, a lack of the random pointless videos the guys used to do, or what have you. All I know is that, as a whole, I don't enjoy coming to GB as much as I used to, and other then AV before they killed that site I have never had a desire to ever go to any of the other sites. I would rather them focus on trying to make what we have now good instead of spreading everyone so thin over all these different sites and projects.
 
I would list off some suggestions at this point, but I need sleep so I'm going to leave it at that. If I find this thread tomorrow then I will post some then. 
 
Also, good job to the OP for the effort that must have went into getting that info. Good post.

I really think the site needs more bombs. I mean it's in the title of the site, kind of reeks of false advertising. Maybe they could throw some bombs at people, or eat bombs, some sort of bomb action. 

@Matthew said:

@McGhee_the_Insomniac actually, there's a quick look ex in the site, and the guys are pretty friendly with Shane, and who is a big developer on it. I for one am going to buy it for sure, if for no other reason than for the art style, but i love the scenario they've got setup in it. And giantbomb often doesn't get an early review because they might not get an early copy. They might not get an early copy because they refuse to bend to any pressure whatsoever when it comes to reviews or coverage. Plus, unless it's an mmo or something, they have a standard when they at least finish the game before they start on the review. Remember the whole final fantasy 13 incident? We didn't get a review of that until like a month after it came out, simply because it was that much of a grind.

Giant Bomb gets early copies. And you think they aren't getting paid by game companies? Please. There use to be a straight-up pitch to game companies on the old Whiskey Media website saying something to the effect of, "You want exposure? We insert unobtrusive advertising directly into the content. By doing feature videos, contests, and the like, you will sell more games." Did you see when Brad posted a article saying "Photoshop something from the game Stacking. The top three that make me laugh win a copy of the game." This was advertising. There was another time where Ryan did full-on commercial for Dragon Age 2 at the end of a podcast. They DO get paid. They're just a bit more slick about it.

I'm not saying they get paid to give certain scores to certain games, but it is interesting to see which games they decide to focus on.

Just in case you hadn't noticed, and just in case you care, the interns have put out like 10 videos in the past week. See the bottom right side of the GB page.

@McGhee_the_Insomniac said:

@Matthew said:

@McGhee_the_Insomniac actually, there's a quick look ex in the site, and the guys are pretty friendly with Shane, and who is a big developer on it. I for one am going to buy it for sure, if for no other reason than for the art style, but i love the scenario they've got setup in it. And giantbomb often doesn't get an early review because they might not get an early copy. They might not get an early copy because they refuse to bend to any pressure whatsoever when it comes to reviews or coverage. Plus, unless it's an mmo or something, they have a standard when they at least finish the game before they start on the review. Remember the whole final fantasy 13 incident? We didn't get a review of that until like a month after it came out, simply because it was that much of a grind.

Giant Bomb gets early copies. And you think they aren't getting paid by game companies? Please. There use to be a straight-up pitch to game companies on the old Whiskey Media website saying something to the effect of, "You want exposure? We insert unobtrusive advertising directly into the content. By doing feature videos, contests, and the like, you will sell more games." Did you see when Brad posted a article saying "Photoshop something from the game Stacking. The top three that make me laugh win a copy of the game." This was advertising. There was another time where Ryan did full-on commercial for Dragon Age 2 at the end of a podcast. They DO get paid. They're just a bit more slick about it.

I'm not saying they get paid to give certain scores to certain games, but it is interesting to see which games they decide to focus on.

All paid advertising on Giant Bomb is clearly labelled as such. They do try to link advertising with their content, like the original Dragon Age adverts which did a Question of the Week competition thingy, the Halo 3 ODST site skin & wiki and achievement competition, or the quests/live show for that TV show they did a short while back. That's what they mean by that. They have made it very clear that any paid adverts are clearly labelled as such. They'll never sneak an advert into content.

I have actually been enjoying the Fear Gauntlet a lot. Features like that would be interesting. The stuff Screened does is really good too, and I would like to see Giant Bomb imitate Rorie. Quicklooks are cool, but they are just dudes talking over a game for half an hour. What else does the GiantBomb staff even do, other than Patrick ? The Podcast, TNT, Happy Hour, ILM and various QLs can only take so much time and there doesn't feel like there is a lot of planning for these things. I don't think they write scripts for the Quicklooks. There certainly aren't a lot of reviews going up, and posting trailers and stuff is done by the interns more and more. Do they just sit around and play games all day? 

6 hour SNES live show last friday, PAX this week, probably with a ton of podcasts, vides and a panel, 6+ hour Big Live next month along with the regular content, yeah they are clearly slacking off. Are you supposed to be more trustworthy because you spell out the full versions of their names and write as if to a person who doesn't know the sites? I don't get it.

I can agree with the declining quality of Quiick Looks though, because they are NOT utilizing the full potential of their lineup. They really need to match up Vinny with Ryan or Jeff some more.

I miss the old features like TANG ... we should get more of them when the slow seasons kicks in. But hey, around E3 time and November-February these guys produce a lot of content. I hate the blog posts on the front page, but I feel my few bucks a month is well worth it.

Truth be told I want Jeff writing more, less stories about "this is how I played LA Noire", and more video stuff is always a plus. But hey, I'm pretty happy at the moment so I'll leave them be.

I think the test will be the next 3 months when everything is coming out, then whether the content is up to scratch will be far easier to see.

The idea of Besties or Defending Your Movie (/game) coming over to GB is very interesting, it might make up for a lack of TANG (Where Ryan pretty much ran out of films)

Vincent 
 
 
The QL's have been just fine and are the same as they've ever been. This perseved drop in quality is the classic "The site used to be better it is turning into shit now", "back in my day" syndromes. 

I think the problem with some of the QLs lately, is that they are more "let's record a QL where I play the game" instead of "come look at this game; it has some good/bad/crazy shit going on".

Not all games, regardless of how popular they might be, deserves a QL.

I can barely keep up with all the video content the Giant Bomb puts up but this is probably because of my lifestyle and that I like to catch it all on backlog runs so it seems like a lot. I understand the criticism fully however, you are a brave man.

 
i think the guys are producing a good amount of content, i don't know if more is necessary - it would be great - but i think variety is needed more than anything.  
  
editing and uploading must take a lot of effort and vinny is as much of a personality as jeff, brad and ryan and if anything they should hire someone to help drew with that which would free up vinny 
 
its a lack of variety that makes things seem less enjoyable to watch or for them to create - not that its not enjoyable, they're still hilarious (the most recent laugh out loud moment for me was the end of the podcast before jeff's break talking about the dog) but anything gets stale after a while and quicklook / bombcast / quicklook / tnt / happy hour, everyweek would get tiresome 
 
and its not like every game has to be shown, i've found myself ending the videos if it sounds like they're just going through the motions and its a game i don't care about particularly either; 
they could do videos on things they do like, if anything the time they have now without an influx of new games should be the best time in the calendar as its a chance to show more of their own personalities or the interns, as they've been trying to do with the farmville videos - but they're still videos about farmville and are more a vehicle for the interns but it says something about a site with four people as funny and watchable as the main four guys if their interns are producing more videos or even more interesting videos than they are.
  
i think the site tends to dry up before big shows like E3 or PAX or even the BLLSL in preparation, and thats obviously because they want a large presence but might not have the man power, that or they just rest up before the shows 
  
but i think variety would go a long way to getting some vigour back - also they are in a basement, it might have something to do with the languid state they sometimes seem to be in

@Matthew: Giant Bomb's videos are generally much longer than those of the other sites, plus playing, and reviewing a video game takes way more time than a movie or a comic book.

Christ, I knew Tested had a lot of contributing freelance writers, but man, Wesley cleans house.

I just want the candid aspect of Giant Bomb to come back. I don't think I am wrong in saying that the majority of the people here just want to listen to the staff being funny even if it has nothing to do with video games. The mailbags, the dumb drinking bets, the get up the fridge challenges, ect are pretty much gone from the site. Like many, the Jeff situation brought me here but it was "Building the Bomb" and the other candid stuff that made me want to stay. 

@Matthew: For the record, unless Comic Vine gets an industry member to do an interview or a convention to go do (in which Joey and Ana produce the videos equally like they did at Comic-con), CV videos are done. They don't get enough views so for the most part they're strictly a wiki, written articles and podcast site only now. Joey is exclusive to Screened.

I just noticed a new type of ad being used by the main page on this site that kinda pisses me off. That being the little forced video box on the right side towards the mid section. The reason it pissed me off is, if my sounds is at a decent level I get blasted by annoying ass advert-speak or random shit music. Nothing like taking a late night drowsy cruise of GB to get my eardrums blown out by a fucking ad.  
 
Seriously when the fuck did they put that in? 
 
As for being a "paid member" .. The site offers nothing that appeals to me in the slightest. The special video features are pretty crappy in my eyes. I could care less about a t-shirt as well. I have clothes, I don't want some walmart t-shirt with a website logo on it. Sorry I love this site for the people and the staff ( I followed Jeff and Ryan here after the episode at GS that should not be named ), but I am not wearing a logo shirt. Finally, as much as some of the ads may get on my last nerve I can't justify the price to avoid them. 
 
The site needs to be more current on news also. If they could somehow be more vigilant or whatever in getting the scoops... or reviews for that matter. Where the hell are the reviews? They are either late or never show up..seriously guys, your opinion of the games i want, does matter to me unlike some other sites. Currently I end up using like 4 sites to get all the info that matters to me.. some of which I fucking hate.. but they do get the news about gaming I need. 
 
Look if you can amp up the video content to stuff worth watching/paying for, get your reviews set to a decent time frame (or at all) , come up with some swag worth paying for.. other than a cheap silk screened T-shirt I could print for 2 bucks myself, etc.. I would love to give you my moneys. I am not going to just give it to you because I like you. 
 
There are many things you could do worth paying for.  
Game servers worth joining that the staff plays on even. 
Better swag items/ an actual GB store. 
Better features like ask the devs stuff live.   
I could really sit here and crap ideas out all day for great features worth paying for... that is what I do.. lol. But I won't.
 
You do a lot of things right, just not anything you can really make money on. 
 
This is tough love GB. I am not gona sugar coat anything. I love it here and will still come here as long as it exists. Just some stuff you need to consider if you plan on pushing it any further.  
 
Now.. please point me in the direction of whoever is responsible for that little forced video ad thing.. so I can punch them in the crotch.

I'd like to see more video reviews.

@McGhee_the_Insomniac said:

I agree. I was interest in reading a GB review of El Shaddai and it's like the game barely exists here, yet we get a review of Toy Soldiers? How many people give a shit about Toy Soldiers? All the other major game sites already have their review of Deus Ex up, but not here yet. GB is quite often behind on their reviews if they do one at all.

This being said, I still love this site. These are just a few of my gripes.

Personally this is why I love this site. They don't do what is expected of them, they do what they want.

I have never been a payed member.  However, if their was more video content (and maybe the comeback of another Endurance Run), then I would gladly fork over some monies.

People keep saying that the content on Giant Bomb isn't as good as it used to be. I think i disagree, and i would also like to remind everyone that, either way, Giant Bomb is still miles ahead of other game sites. Let me illustrate it with this simple chart:

Doesn't Giant Bomb also do more work? I mean, they seem to review more product...they travel overseas and around the country...they also come to places like PAX. I gave them money to support what GB and Whiskey Media does...not just "what can they do for my dollar".

A good deal of you have pointed out that variety seems to be the key rather than sheer amount of content. True. Even sex can get boring from one or two positions the whole time, that's why stuff like tantra or kamasutra exists.
Also, the for the people who think I'm harping on them, please, these guys can do no wrong by me. Even if they keep doing exactly what they're doing after the live show. They're still going to get my moneys.
@Grissefar I write out their full version of their names, because I think they're awesome. Trustworthy... Hey, I'm just a dude in the Internet, not really a whole bunch of anything I can do to garner trust. It's words and opinions, and we're just exchanging ideas like 2 awesome people. As far as people who don't know the sites, yes, there are some people who have no idea Sara from cv exists (such a shame), or that norm loves writing down specs when reviewing gpu's. Again, I spend a bit too much time on these sites, so i just tell people the bare information when it helps out.
Also, in regards to what time of the year it is, yeah, the game season is fast approaching where we're going to be getting a huge amount of content, and that'll last into the next year. I'm just throwing some ideas and observations out there

The way they're going to get subs to sub again is the same way they did before: grovel on their knees and say please.

Giant Bomb's official response to complaints about lack of content or missing features: "Just wait, you'll see." That's the line they've been giving us for a year now.... definitely made my subscription feel worth it. But hey, they're promising new and exciting features if I just decide to give them another year's subscription! What could go wrong?

@Anwar: I enjoyed the Happy Hours, so I'm not sure what you mean.

@Anwar: Well, unfortunately for those who don't like it, it is the "Whiskey Media Happy Hour"...not the "Giant Bomb and Tested Goofy Time Hour". I like those things too but I enjoy all the Whiskey Media Sites. I play video games, I read comics, and I'm into tech...even though I enjoy some anime I don't hang around Anime Vice too much.

@Little_Socrates said:

I also will reiterate that I think it's CRAZY that this site has tens of thousands of wiki pages and only one type (games) gets videos. Screened does articles based exclusively on things like "movies that could've been based on Philip K. Dick stories" or "Schwarzenegger films that aren't Terminator, Commando or Conan." I'd love to see "Developer Round-Up" as a feature on GB, or "Best RPG Party: Mass Effect 2 vs. Persona 4?", or a video based on the "Wilhelm Scream" concept page. Hell, you KNOW Jeff or Ryan could make a fantastic video exclusively about the work Johnny Vignocchi's put forth. There's tons of room for this kind of stuff, and part of the site philosophy is that there's more that connects games than just the games themselves, so why not support that with professional content?

I almost didn't realize there was anything wrong until I read that paragraph. I think Little_Socrates hits it on the head and I definitely agree that more diversity would spice things up.

@Anwar said:

@Sammo21:

maybe I'm alone in this, but comics are not interesing at all to me. Nobody's fault, but the tested segment? One of the funniest in the past is now 'how do I brew coffee and what does x and y taste like'. And the screened segment is just stale and not really doing anything which I don't get from watching trailers and reading reviews.

I gotta say, I think that for the quality of them now, the HH's are really not worth the time and effort. Not much ever changes and no one has the time to fit in a significant amount of planning to make them interesting week over week.

The day they put some structure to their subscription service is the day I will subscribe, but I want some sort of commitment to content not just a "Hey guys, we're workin on thinkin of some great members only content - pay now and stay tuned". I mean, they could announce tomorrow that TANG was going members only but what does that mean? Thirteen episodes or three?
 
Honestly, I'd be more inclined to give them 50 bucks if they just called a spade a spade and said flat out "Donate 50 bucks to keep Giant Bomb (sorry, Whiskey Media :P) running and get a free t-shirt". Maybe it's just me but I find it's a little telling that their subscription ad at the top of the page is a list of jokes instead of a list of membership benefits.
 
I know this isn't easy for them, but hey, neither is getting my money.

I'm kind of disappointed to see ComicVine no longer produce a whole lot of video content but like Tony said they don't get views so I can''t blame them for scrapping them. Even as someone who buys comics, I gotta say CV is quickly becoming my least favorite of the WM Sites. I'd become a payed member but seeing as I'm 17; I've never had a job and don't plan on getting one anytime soon so I don't have the money too. Besides aside from the  Happy Hour, there isn't a whole lot of subscriber only content. There is the TNT but It's usually on games I've never heard of.