Has GiantBomb gotten you into any genres you had ignored?

Ive been a premium member for a few months now and I gotta say thanks to the GiantBomb guys and the community for opening my eyes on these Indie games, particularly 2d ones.

I had been avoiding 2d games for years and years and due to the quality of Giant Bomb's quick looks and their explanation of game mechanics (and comedy) I have found myself scooping up plenty of 2d games lately when I wouldve never given them a second glance. I just had kind of ignored these games for years, thinking we had moved past them.

The game in particular that really made me make this post was The Fall. I watched Vinny and Alex's Quick Look and played the game yesterday and just was blown away by the quality of the game.

Just was curious to hear if any members here had actually been utilizing GiantBomb to venture into genres/games they otherwise would have ignored.

Thanks for your time guys!

Not since Dave left, they don't really play things in any specific niche genres now.

If I see the Souls games as their own genre, and I feel they are since they're pretty unique, I picked up Demon's Souls after Vinny toiled with it way back and I've been hooked, deeply, on the series since.

Same here on the Souls games. I never would have gotten into them without GB.

Souls/BB & Persona

No, not at all. I don't feel the staff plays very diverse games. And nothing wrong with that. But they don't seem very into any particular game either, with the exception of Brad from time to time (StarCraft, Destiny, Dota).

I mostly just listen to the podcast because it is fun and Quick Looks because they are informative. I appreciate the opinions and personalities. But the gaming taste is completely different from my own. I like to discover a game that I love in my heart and then play the shit out of it. None of them are really doing that, except Brad with Dota.

No, to me Giant Bomb is NOT the place for diversity...they don't play so many different genres. Dave, Drew, and Vinny with their simulators is the closest but I never actually bought a simulation game I just enjoy watching them.

The very obscure Picross-genre.

Dave's crusader kings 2 QL got me to try out that game and now i'm always looking for a new grand strategy game!! They're rad!!

FMV VIDEOGAMES THE GREATEST GENRE OF GAMES YO YOU GOTTA LOTTA REP TAH URN

Hearing Patrick talk about Amnesia: The Dark Descent was what pushed me into trying the game, along with catching a fortuitous sale on Steam. Before that, I never really considered myself "into" horror games, especially first person horror games, but after that I realized that no matter how much I hated playing them and the feelings they gave me, I also loved playing them. I had been missing out.

Before that, the only similar game I can recall playing was Condemned and maybe BioShock, but those weren't pure horror experiences.

Patrick got me into playing Virtual Novels, such as Virtue's Last Reward & Danganronpa, and I Never would have played those without the coverage on GiantBomb.

No, not really as they are not as open with different types of games. Even more so now that Dave and Patrick are gone.

The souls games. Demon souls and Dark souls.

Honestly, Giant Bomb got me back into action games, especially the more questionable 3/4 star type games. For the entire 6th/PS2 generation, the only action games that looked appealing to me were the same huge franchises I'd already been playing. By 2008 or so I was also getting fed up with JRPGs and Warcraft, I bought a new console and was pumped for Mirror's Edge because this is the new generation, it's a new time for new action franchises that appeal to me and oh god this isn't that great. The year after I discovered Giant Bomb and their commentary made me play through games I otherwise wouldn't, to see for myself and to better follow the conversation.

The forums might have led me to actually go back and beat the survival horror games that I loved reading plot synopsis for but hated actually playing. I was the type who would've ate up Let's Plays if they were around when I was 20. I don't think I beat Silent Hill 2 until sometime in 2009, I didn't beat the original Resident Evil until 2012 and that was a game I played and hated as a kid without internet or FAQs.

Yeah, definitely, GiantBomb influences my game choices a lot. I bought XCOM, Dark Souls, and Fire Emblem mostly based on stuff from this site and those were all genres I had barely played.

There are also lots of smaller games I wouldn't have been aware of if it wasn't for Quick Looks posted here.

Not genres. I usually don't share any of their tastes so closely that I'll try something just because one of them likes it. Definitely certain games, though, mostly because of their Let's Plays. It might have happened anyway, but they did get me into Persona 4, Deadly Premonition, the Metal Gear Solid series and Saints Row the Third. Ended up loving pretty much all of those.

A lot of them, actually. Grand strategy games with their CK2 quick look, the Souls games (bought a PS3 specifically for Demons Souls after they did a quick look of it), and simulators with their Flight Club and Euro Truck 2 and Farming Simulator madness. Never touched a Metal Gear Solid game (except 4, but that came with the PS3 purchase, and I was lost probably 80% of the time) until they started Metal Gear Scanlon. Picked up the other remasters for the Vita and they've been great. Also would have 0 interest in Persona had it not been for watching the Endurance Run.

I wouldn't say they've gotten me to try any new genres but definitely gotten me to check out a few new games. The only reason I picked up Saints Row 3 was because of the gleeful discussion of it on the Bombcast.

No, not at all.

GB got me into a lot of more story-focused games like Telltale, Banner Saga, Brothers- A Tale of Two Sons....

Persona is probably the only big one I can think of. I mean I follow Giant Bomb closely but I have always played a lot of genres and pay attention to upcoming games. Probably the only game they really showed me.

genres? no

though they have certainly shed light on games I would have missed for sure.

They've sometimes gotten me hyped on a metroidvania game - so I buy it, play it for a couple of hours and then remember that metroidvania games is really not my thing.

Patrick got my to actively look at Ludum Dare games when they come out as well as fellow specific indie devs that I like.

I never played a Civ game before GB stuff got me interested in Civ 5. I used to think they (and games like it) all looked boring.

Vinny's Load Our Last Souls led me to actually revisiting Dark Souls and trying to finally get past the two gargoyles and now that is one of my favorite games of all time that I put nearly 300 hours into. Patrick's stuff opened me up to trying horror games that I would've never touched with a 10 foot pole (and I genuinely enjoyed them and now can't wait for the fatal frame game to come out on wii u this fall). Also, he opened me up (metaphorically you nasty creeps) to more indie stuff like The Swapper (my GOTY that year) and trying experiences that I probably would've never given a chance to had I not come here. Then there's Persona 4, which I'm generally not a big JRPG guy, but I tried it and loved it! So they certainly helped to an extent.

But, of course, I think the community here has helped more than anything. I heard so much crazy about Nier from its passionate fanbase that I threw myslelf into it and loved it. Thanks to @yummylee I decided to give the evil within a try and it turned out to be one of my Top 10 games last year. @demoskinos love of recent Final Fantasy led me to picking up XIII during the steam sale and giving it a shot soon as the first FF game I attempt to complete (I played 7 or 8 a little some time ago when I was younger but gave up and took it back to blockbuster lol). Oh and I'm wanting to give some of the XSeed games a shot. I think the community has had a pretty positive influence on keeping me open minded on different types of games and genres :).

Because of them I found the wonderful world of Puyo Puyo Tetris...

I had almost zero interest in metal gear before watching Metal Gear Scanlon. Now V is my most anticipated of the year. Thanks to Dan and Drew for turning me on to the insanity that is Metal Gear.

I tried out X-Com and The Walking Dead due to GB and other sites giving them praise.

Jeff's short-lived binge on Warframe got me to check it out. Other than that, though, nothing really comes to mind. I'm sure there's been others mind you, and I don't mean to sound as if I'm all mega unique my unique opinions are uniquely my own I cannot be influenced FIGHT THE POWER! But I've honestly found as the years go by that the games I play, or more importantly how I play, really doesn't match with any of the staff very much.

Success!

I picked up Yakuza 3 because of the quick look that was posted. I was pleasantly surprised by that series!

Their coverage of XCOM got me way into that game and genre. I've also been strongly eyeing Persona 3 and 4 on PSN (other games keep grabbing me first, though), which I *never* would have considered without GB.

I was a lapsed Metal Gear fan for quite a while, but I got back into it hard when Metal Gear Scanlon started.

Patrick got me into Fire Emblem type games and Vinny, Rorie, Brad and Ian got me back into the Souls series.

Also, thanks to dan and drew I've now played most of the Metal gear games.

I would never have played Dark Souls if I hadn't watched Vinny play through the second-half. I can't say I ignore whole genres; I try to play everything and judge for myself whether or not it's for me. However some games I would have skipped over without an endorsement from the Bomb Crew (Syndicate, Fire Emblem Awakening, Souls games, Monster Hunter 4) which is why I come to the site in the first place. They give good recommendations.

GB had a big influence in making me return to console gaming in general.

No. Without Dave and Patrick there is no much niche stuff. Almost played one of them flight simulators but without the Flight Club my will to check them out disappeared. There were couple games I got interested in thanks to Vinny and thats pretty much it.

I've definitely bought a decent amount of games just from hearing them talk about it on the podcast or from quick looks. They're usually games I would not have bothered looking into otherwise.

Brothers - A Take of Two Sons, The Swapper, Duck Game, The Fall, Gang Beasts, Luftrausers, Mount Your Friends, Nidhogg, Papers, Please, Shovel Knight, even Splatoon.

No, but I have bought and played games I wouldn't of otherwise payed attention to because of Giantbomb. Games like Deadly Premonition for example.

I too have found I quite enjoy the 2d indie games that I had been writing off for the entire last generation, though I suppose ps plus helps with that as well. Other than that I have noticed that I've gotten quite a number of things I wouldn't have if it weren't for watching content on GB like Bloodborne or the one that REALLY made me realize the number of games I'm interested in because of GB....that game of course being REGENCY SOLITAIRE...yeah that needed all caps

Patrick got me to try Fire emblem, and the Endurance Run made me retry JRPGs (and a few dating sims)

Is Metal Gear a genre?

Nope, it's actually really made me want to avoid certain games more than make me want to play them.

when Vinny did the quick look for the witcher in 2011 and I'm glad I tried something with complex systems like switching swords, oils and potions you had to think and prepare before each battle. and a patrick talk about how he wanted to find games out of his comfort zone so i played a lot of Indie games

Probably the same for me, honestly. The only sort of game the crew occasionally get into that aren't shooters or the AAA action-RPGs would be the occasional narrative-focused adventure games (Heavy Rain, LA Noire, Beyond, Gone Home, Walking Dead, those types), and I got increasingly put off those kinds of games the more I tried to give them a chance based on the coverage here. LA Noire was the worst with that, because I decided to put my faith in the 5-star review of it, figuring if I couldn't trust this sites reviews I couldn't trust any, and I pretty thoroughly disliked that game. I've been highly skeptical and critical of those kinds of games ever since.

I think it's because the crew spend so much time on the big mainstream stuff that whenever they try out something out of the ordinary they're too impressed by the sheer novelty.

I've also been put off a lot by the emotional indie platformer with an art style for Jeff-similar reasons. There's one of them every year that I get beaten over my head with that I've gotten exhausted with hearing about them. But whenever I've played them I've never actually disliked them, so that's different.

I wouldn't say "genres" but they definitely got me into the Persona series (which was my gateway to Shin Megami Tensei in general) and they really got me into Souls games.

But they also seem to encourage me to play some indy games. If it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't have played Brothers or Journey.

Drew and Vinny make me want to play more flight sims. Drew and Danny make me want to play more racing games.

I would have gotten into the whole dark souls/ bloodborne thing, if the gb crew didn't talk about it so much these past few years.

Not sure about genres specifically, but Giantbomb and its forums have introduced me and opened my eyes to a lot of things in general, (entertainment media and even otherwise)

Deadly Premonition, leading to Twin Peaks leading to Lost is the most specific one I can recall right now.

Not so much genre but I have a much better appreciation of indies now. When one gets mentioned I'll most certainly check it out.