Hype vs. Cynicism: The relationship between game fans and game critics at E3 2015

What a strange E3 it’s been. This year’s showing seems to have been a particularly massive spectacle motivated by the “go big or go home” mantra. Publishers used their press conferences as a means to invite excited gamers aboard a very packed hype-train with announcements of remakes and sequels to fan-favorite franchises. Fallout 4, Doom 4, the Rare Replay collection, Gears of War 4, Star Fox Zero, Just Cause 3, and of course Sony’s three big announcements all made for an E3 that was very heavy on fan service. Needless to say, this tactic has worked so far in generating excitement. Go to any forum or discussion board on the web that is even tangentially related to videogames and you’ll find everyone is all atwitter with nostalgia about the Final Fantasy VII remake, and the Shenmue 3 hype has already achieved tangible monetary progress through a Kickstarter that met it’s funding goal literally overnight. Plenty of gaming news outlets and journalists have even been quite explicit about their enthusiasm (look no further than the Game Trailers reactions to the Sony conference).

Some game critics, on the other hand, have occupied the opposite end of the hype spectrum. The Giant Bomb crew and George of the Super Bunnyhop YouTube channel, to name a couple I’m aware of, have remained level headed and oftentimes cynical about this year’s big announcements and the show as a whole. Super Bunnyhop’s recent E3 video features an interesting analysis that distills the show down to lies and marketing fluff, and the reactions of the Giant Bomb folks throughout the beloved Sony conference ranged from apathetic to angry (Jeff’s reaction to the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter is pretty hilarious). None of that is really new, but what’s interesting is that some of the fan reaction to this less-than-enthusiastic coverage has created a contentious relationship between the cynicism of game critics and the hype of game fans. The chat during Giant Bomb’s Sony conference stream and some of the top rated comments in the Super Bunnyhop video (and a little bit in this Reddit thread discussing the video as well) are all evidence of this, with commenters telling critics to “lighten up” and that “Your lack of hype is bad & you should feel bad.” You can also compare the comments in the Giant Bomb video to the comments in the GameTrailers video for further evidence. It’s like gamers really don’t want any bad vibes interfering with their nostalgia and elation.

I just felt the urge to write about this phenomenon because it’s the first time I’ve encountered it in this particular way and I feel conflicted about it. I think (or at least hope) everyone understands that E3 is all about hype, and I don’t think gamers care too much about getting lost in the hype and spectacle of the show because, honestly, it’s kinda fun. Also, I feel like I’ve been exposed to so much cynicism and disappointment from both game critics and fans that to see gamers so happy about something also makes me happy. However, I can’t help but think that this happiness is a little premature, and the general unwillingness to hear opposing views on this excitement is concerning.

For me, it raises some questions about the kind of games people really want to see at E3 and whether or not there’s an understanding about why those games are shown off. I don’t want to waste time here banging the “there are too many sequels and remakes” drum because that would be pointless and, in my case, dishonest. Hey, I got pretty excited and about being able to see some Fallout 4 gameplay, and if Dave Lang came up during one of those conferences and announced Windjammers 2, I would soil myself. It’s also worth noting that there were actually a decent number of original IPs shown off this year: Cuphead, Horizon, No Man’s Sky, and Sea of Thieves immediately come to mind. Regardless of whether the upcoming games are new or old, though, we need to remember the business and marketing motivations behind their announcements. Publishers want to give the fans what they want and make them happy, but they want to do so in order to start selling a product and eventually make money. To those currently aboard the hype-train: keep in mind that, even though you may be aware of these business-oriented tactics, you are getting excited about the idea of a game without actually having played it. Sure, your past experiences with, say, Final Fantasy and Shenmue confirms you’ll almost certainly enjoy their upcoming sequels, but past experiences in the industry at large have shown that games surrounded by buildup and promotion, particularly long-awaited sequels, are often met with disappointment upon release. With that in mind, is such unyielding excitement really warranted? Shouldn’t we be willing to listen to some degree of skepticism?

More importantly, this phenomenon raises questions about the kind of coverage people want from videogame journalism, especially in a time when instances of “corruption” and “bias” are running rampant in the industry. There’s a general suspicion and doubt among particularly savvy gamers toward news coverage and reviews of games that have an overly positive tone, as it often reeks of dishonest and shady practices behind the scenes. Now, however, it seems many of those same gamers are complaining about a lack of positivity from some outlets. Again, I direct this question to hype-train passengers: do you want videogame coverage and journalism to constantly echo your jubilation and generate even more (probably needless) hype around games, or do you want candid, impartial analysis that provides a counterbalance to the hype and could potentially save you from spending money on a disappointing product? Several commenters in the Super Bunnyhop video expressed that they would stop watching George’s content because they were tired of his negative attitude, and I recall at least a couple people in the chat of Giant Bomb’s stream of the Sony conference say they were leaving the stream in favor of outlets that were providing more positive coverage. So, if some significant number of gamers share these sentiments and would rather choose the first option in the above question, I think that’s cause for concern.

I should acknowledge that my favor of the cynical critic side of this debate is probably due to the fact that I’m not a huge Ico/Final Fantasy/Shenmue fan.Maybe if I cared more about those and other announcements, the tone of this blog would be very different, but I don’t know. And maybe this won’t be an issue in a week or two. Maybe all the hype will dissipate and we’ll go back to being more savvy and skeptical about the media and products we consume. What do you all think? Is this issue even worth discussing?

Also, apologies if this blog reads like a jumbled mess. I usually like to take my time when I write, but I wanted to get this one done in time for the end of E3. Hopefully it’s still relevant!

Chat broke for me during the big reveals in the Sony conference, so I couldn't get a sense of the hype there, but I can't imagine it being that far off from the norm.

I think a big problem is that people really don't like it if people don't toe the party line. Whether it is giving Twilight Princess 8.8, speaking up against certain tropes and practices in the industry or simply having a mildly dissenting opinion, people (over)react terribly. When I write it down like that, and especially when you take a step back and realise "IT'S VIDEO GAMES, PEOPLE!", that is really bad and undesirable!

Sadly, I don't see this going away any time soon. Just looking at the comments about Kevin Vanord's Arkham Knight review is just disheartening.

"I think a big problem is that people really don't like it if people don't toe the party line...simply having a mildly dissenting opinion, causes people to (over)react terribly."

@Gaff I think that this is a great summary of the problems with Internet discussion. Everything is talked about in extremes. 1/10 or 10/10. Not just reviews but everything is polarised. Less so in good communities like Giant Bomb, more so in terrible communities like YouTube. It's a problem for me and I rarely post online because of it. I read a lot, form my own opinions but rarely vocalise them. (This is definitely not a problem in real life, where I'm open and chatty). Maybe I have Internet social anxiety. I rarely play online for the same reasons. I can't deal with the "THIS IS THE BEST EVER" "NO, FUCK YOU. IT'S THE WORST THING EVER" type of discussion and I feel that if your talking online your never far away from that.

I've tried this week to write more on these forums. Maybe I'll keep it up, maybe I won't.

@topcat88: There's probably a case to be made that the polarisation and radicalisation of discourse on the internet is a sign of that in society as a whole, but that's probably a discussion for another time and by smarter people, who may or may not be named Austin.

On the other hand, I could start on my manifesto about the death of Enlightenment and Western ideals, but who would want to associate with people who write manifestos?!

Except when talking about FF7 and Shenmue, I didn't get a particularly cynical vibe off the crew this year. They each had their things they were really excited about, and Dan, Vinny, and Austin are rarely down on anything. That youtube video is another matter. When you start talking about 'inevitable disappointment' in reference to things that haven't happened yet, that's when you know you're a pessimist.

Anyway, anyone who's really excited about anything isn't going to want to hear someone trying to talk them down. It has nothing to do with which side of the equation is more realistic. It has nothing to do with video games either. It's the same thing in sports. As someone who roots for a team that isn't expected to do very well next season, I see a lot of kneejerk reaction to criticism among other fans, often misinformed, sometimes not..

@veektarius: I agree, I think they've been pretty positive about a lot of stuff. Even Jeff seems to be excited about some stuff!

I think a lot of why they seem more cynical is because they focus a lot on the business reality of this stuff (although I have nothing to compare it to really, maybe all games coverage is like that). This maybe makes it seem like they're always trying to pull back the curtain?

It can be frustrating seeing the crew's look on things because it can feel a bit elitist. Especially Alex, they way he says things like, "They probably don't deserve these games" comes off as a man that really doesn't like his audience. But that's getting off topic. A person is involved with the industry obviously have a higher opinion on games than a normal consumer so of course they will think highly of themselves to a degree, but its a line to tow that can lead to less of a communicator of facts and news, and more of a teacher and student, where the student is very much not interested in being taught.

Every time Jeff rants on about how yoshi or final fantasy are stupid or sucks or he just doesn't like a thing, he feels like he can be berating those that do enjoy it. Everytime someone mentions something cool but maybe a bit childish, and Alex responds "REEAAALLLY?????" I feel like I'm being lectured. Obviously that feeling is met with a more level headed opinion that its just one opinion, their own, and they aren't trying to force it on me and I could just leave if I felt strong enough about disagreeing with them. So I temper it. But people truely enjoy things in moderation, cynicism is fine and necessary on a certain level to survive, but being around a bunch of louts and having temper my emotions at all times can be draining.

Fans can be annoying with their blind optimism, and critics can be frustrating with their incessant cynicism. Its a balancing act and it can be hard to balance since it seems each side is on such an extreme scale, so anyone with a moderate position can just become tired out of trying to balance those two ideals, which can just lead to a bad time.

Also that bunny dude needs to realize that the whole point of e3 is to market your product, so the idea that everything is an ad shouldn't be a mind blowing revelation to him.

Eh, George's video on E3 is kind of broken. I mean in the sense that he cherry picked the hell out of his examples for "lies, blatant lies" and all. On the whole he was probably the worst offender of cynicism that I saw out of this year's E3 and I found that disappointing. He's usually a level headed guy who tries to analyze things from a neutral angle.

As far as cynicism versus hype goes, I have to wonder who declared that excitement was a bad thing. Being happy that something you wanted is getting made is terrible because why? How is it so vile and so evil to feel some emotion other than fucking contempt for video games? The backlash we're seeing to the cynicism is really what it says on the tin; a lot of people are tired of the constant bitching and moaning about trivial things. People are tired of the whining and wailing, and how quick a lot of critics are to shoot everything down. It wasn't five minutes after the Horizon demo that I started seeing people pick it apart to try and get their licks in across other communities I frequent.

As for me personally, did E3 excite me this year? Eh, not really. I really dug the news coming out of Bethesda. I think Horizon looks really cool. Aside from that, I saw a lot of promising things for people whose interests lie outside of my own. Final Fantasy VII Remake is a thing that's been begged for over the last decade, and I'm genuinely happy that the people who wanted that to happen are finally getting it. Shenmue III is a miracle at this point, and I'm glad that the fans of those games are finally getting their chance at closure to a story that's been left in limbo for over a decade. When I see people instantly shit on things like that, long running hopes that finally have a chance of coming true, it makes me think that those "cynical critics" are just being dicks for the sake of it.

I know for me personally, I'm tired of "hype" and I'm tired of cynicism. If someone wants to be excited for something, let them be excited. It's no skin off your ass to let someone enjoy looking toward the future. If they wind up with a half-baked game that is a crushing disappointment, well, that's their problem; it's not yours.

This isn't new at all.

I honestly think that the majority of readers of games press never wanted objective reporting or critical reviews, they just want validation of whatever they personally believe. They say they do, but repeatedly they show over and over that they really don't. Most of the time that means positive coverage because people want to like things , but there are times like with the Mass Effect 3 ending controversy where they expect journalists to echo and acknowledge their outrage.

It's always been there whether it was the outrage over Jeff's 8.8 on Twilight Princess, or the furor over some speculative editorials about the Gamer identity being dead, or even today with the people losing their minds on Kevin Van Ord's Batman: Arkham Knight review ( a game which i'm sure 99% of them haven't even played yet).

And then it turns tribal, with angry fans turning on anyone who dares criticize something they like.

The reason I came initially to Giant Bomb and what I suspect why many of us did, was that I just wanted honest and fair opinions about games. I think the guys do a pretty good job of that. There's things and genres they don't like, that I think they really don't give much of a chance sometimes, but they are very upfront about what their personal tastes. So it doesn't bother me, because I know what to expect because they are honest about it.

Personally I'm sick of all the cynicism and pessimism, this was one of if not the best e3 in the last decade, why can't you just fucking be happy?

So many personalities in this industry claim to love games, but you don't even see a goddamn smile on their face over anything, if you're so dead inside why even bother being a part of it?

I think excitement and hype are seen almost as unethical these days. Of course it can be embarrassing when games journalists go all fanboy in the audience but some level of general enthusiasm is healthy. I don't mind as long as when it comes time to do their jobs they can be fair and levelheaded in the review. And honestly since gaming websites are becoming more and more about long form video and not really reviews or critiques I can't really this this being the conflict of interest that it once was.

It was very refreshing seeing that Gametrailers video how excited the hosts were. Like, oh yeah, these are human beings and games are about fun. GB was like sour milk on the other hand, ranging from indifference to mockery to anger. I think part of it might also be a generational thing. Maybe if it was a new Alex Kidd or some Turbografx game Jeff and Brad might be more hyped, I don't know.

Most game journalism is of the enthusiast variety. You don't read about the unhealthy side of video gaming on GB, Kotaku, IGN or any other major video games site. Nor do you read about the difficult working conditions of game developers or whether or not modern video games are sexist. I mean, for the most part you don't read about that stuff here or pretty much anywhere. They concentrate on the games and whether they're worth playing or not. But everyone has their personal tastes and games journalists have their own preferences. FFVII and Shenmue are JRPGs and the folks at GT clearly love JRPGs. The guys at GiantBomb? Probably not so much and it showed during their talk over at the Sony press event.Both GB and GT acted okay in my opinion. They just have different tastes.

I think the people claiming that this backlash is merely a result of fans getting angry at journalists for not towing their particular line are missing the overall point. I think that in the case of E3 and the other couple of notable video game events people aren't necessarily just looking to have their own biases reinforced, I think most people are looking for excitement and energy. Now if that's all people wanted from their video game journalism 100% of the time these people might have a point, but the events take up roughly a combined week and a half throughout the year. I don't think it's asking too much to just be positive for a few days out of the year.

Another thing that I think may feed into people's frustration is (semi)justified jealousy over the fact that these journalists get to go to E3 and see all of these magical things, and some of their reactions are decidedly drab and uninterested. To be frank, this can come across as pretty ungrateful.

In my opinion, there's already more than enough criticism, cynicism, scrutiny, and negativity in this whole industry. When E3 comes around I want to see people excited about gaming's future potential. You have 51 weeks that aren't E3 where you can do that other shit.

TL;DR: Yeah, maybe lighten up at E3 a bit.

Man, I feel like you just succinctly summed up my thoughts on this issue in just two sentences. I clearly need to work on brevity in my writing! Anyway, I totally agree that being exposed to too much cynicism can be aggravating and even insulting at times. I know I've sometimes felt frustrated with Jeff's aggressively negative opinions toward Yoshi or other game series' he dislikes, as it often feels like a slight toward the people who do enjoy those series'. I can totally understand not being around that sort of negativity. I believe, however, the GB crew's skepticism during their E3 coverage was at least somewhat reasonable, and I thought it was worth noting how the "blind optimism" of fans clashed with that skepticism.

It's weird how finding that balance between the two extremes, as you mentioned, can be so hard when discussing videogames. After all, as Gaff mentioned in his comment earlier, it's just videogames we're talking about. And yet this goofy medium continues to be a source of many emotional, polarizing arguments.

@berserker976: Your post and others that share your sentiments make me want to side with the fans a little more. I can definitely see how skeptical E3 coverage can come off as snooty and insufferable during a week that should otherwise be an exciting spectacle, a collective celebration of the medium we all love. Maybe it's better to save the cynicism for when the games are actually released and the consumer's money is actually on the line. Of course, the consumer's money is already on the line in the form of preorders and Kickstarters, but those issues have already been discussed at length in many other places.

Considering how many people screamed "it's about ethics in games journalism" this year I'm surprised at the idea that some cautious skepticism is considered a bad thing. I prefer the people reviewing the quality of video games to not be running around a room screaming over an announcement. I know that I got excited over some of the press conferences, but nothing caused me to lose my composure and weep openly. I don't trust people who don't have some skepticism about things like more early access in games, or announcing a kickstarter on a multi-million dollar company's stage.

Just watched the GT reactions thing. People falling over and crying and jumping on chairs. Those guys are great.

Honestly, after their layoffs they've become this fun, scrappy bunch that are super likeable.

As long as it's genuine, I'd take hype over cynicism any day. Hype can be balanced with cautious optimism or basic hopefulness. Cynicism--as far as I'm concerned--often comes off across as someone who's trying to build themselves up by tearing down everything around them.

It's an interesting issue but also a non-issue for me. Partially because I don't need games media persons to justify my opinions or agree with me, but also because those people are their own person they will react how they feel they should react. You can't force reaction or opinion on someone otherwise it just comes across as fake.

I feel like a lot of people who take issue with this sort've thing aren't aware that they don't have to browse every website and have every website mirror their opinion. There are so many avenues for games coverage you can go to now that you can just up and leave if you don't like it. I actually barely share any opinions with the GB crew, Jeff especially but it's still my favourite game site.

I also think with that comparison between GT and GB's reactions is skewed. Look at the age of the people in GT and compare it to the age of the people working at GB. It's quite common for people to become more cynical as they age and I would say doubly so when it comes to big marketing events like E3.

One thing I will note that I disliked from the GB streams (and I'm not sure if they were light heartedly joking or not) was the complete disregard of the real working Pip-Boy and the people who enjoy those sort've novelties. I felt like the comments they made were essentially telling people they were wrong for wanting or liking it. But like I said it could've been a sarcastic joke that I didn't find funny.

That GT thing strikes me as the worst kind of Pewdiepie style shrieking pandering bullshit I've seen in a long time. Had to turn it off after a few seconds. Absolutely unbearable.

I dunno if this was aimed at me or not, but since I just said something similar, I'll respond

I totally get where this feeling comes from, people want to be excited and like things. That's natural. And I get that people may be frustrated they don't get the privilege see cool stuff in person

When E3 comes around I want to see people excited about gaming's future potential.

But here you just demonstrated my point that I was getting at in my post. It isn't their job to be excited as a default. This isn't a Sporting event.

If a journalist is doing their job, they will be positive when they feel it is warranted, negative when they feel it doesn't and keep their composure either way. That is professional reporting and commentating, what the Grametrailers people did by freaking out over Shenmue 3 was embarrassing. Human, relatable, sure, but 100% unprofessional. GB otoh I felt did that. They were pretty positive about things like Just Cause 3, Horizon & VR and nonplussed by Shenmue 3 and Final Fantasy Vii remake. That shouldn't surprise anybody as those games fit pretty well into their tastes. But at the end of the day multiple members of the staff said this was the best E3 they've ever seen (I think it was on the Beastcast, it all blurs together after awhile). I don't know how you can be more positive than that.

What you are asking for in this sentence, when you really boil it down, is cheer leading. That isn't their job and more importantly should not be their job. There are plenty of marketing outlets, youtube fan channels and PR firms happy to provide that. That's essentially what Nintendo's Treehouse is, or Nintendo Power back in the day. The Job of the critic is to render an honest opinion, not try to sell you something or to be excited on demand.

I guess my bigger question is why would you even go to a news and review site for energy and excitement? GB's role is to goof around with games and provide honest expert analysis, for the most part they do that well. If you go to news site and are disappointed they aren't providing something that they aren't trying to, that's frankly pretty much on you for not choosing the right place for the kind of coverage or Hype you want.

fwiw personally I thought this E3 had a ton of excellent stuff. Really made me feel better about the health of the industry.

It's a well known fact that the GB guys hate video games, especially Jeff. What do you think this is? A website about video games? Nuh-uh sir and or madam this is the number one internet destination for all things wrestling! racing! irish people! sometimes flight simming! Vinny! naked cartoon pussy! etc.

I think you are mixing hype for announcement with cynicism for actual game reviews. I mean I guess you could be cynical about anything really even announcement of a title but don't you think that is kind of weird. Like if I told you hey I will make ramen for dinner, you look at me and promptly shake your head "I mean I guess this is ok, looks bland tho. I can see how people would like it." Now there is nothing wrong with that but I probably wont have you back. Compare to a guy that goes "great I never had it or i don't like the last ramen I had but I am eager to try this one!" Pretty much the same opinion and they both might end up not liking it but I would invite the latter guy back. Its all a matter of attitude for me really. I love Alex but he can be kind of a bummer sometimes and thats ok no one is perfect.

Trying to create this supposed gaming utopia between the elite and the masses is never going to happen. It has never happen in any other field and it never happen in the history of mankind. If it did then we would not be human anymore.

I don't see this dark cynicism that people seem to feel they are putting off, Jeff joked about the "Save Shenmue" thing then said Kickstarter was the right platform for that game, Brad made fun of the FF7 reveal and then said he was happy for people who have been waiting for it. All I see is balanced level headed discussion and professionals not shitting their pants for remakes/followups of games that they quite clearly aren't that interested in.

The GT stuff is literally unwatchable for me, I want nothing more than for Half Life 3 to come out I LOVE those games and I will be stoked if/when it is shown but at no point am I going to cry or jump out of my chair and run around like a lunatic, I love games and I absolutely get excited for good ones, Horizon looks dope but I didn't kick my chair over when I saw robot dinosaurs.

If your level of excitement about a thing is diminished by another's lack of excitement... you have problems larger than video game hype.

I cracked up when I saw that GameTrailers video. Maybe I've spent too much time here at GB, but seeing those guys flip the hell out at the sight of Shenmue and Final Fantasy VII was hilarious given the rather stone-faced reaction of Jeff and co.

I don't expect Giant Bomb to be a fountain of positivity, I expect them to give their real thoughts on stuff. But sometimes constant negativity in the face of insane fairy-dust wish granting nonsense is a little hard to deal with? I'm trying to think what they got genuinely excited about at the Sony press conference and the only thing that comes to mind is Horizon. So... I dunno. Maybe this all comes back to my longstanding acknowledgement that no one at Giant Bomb has tastes that match up to mine and thus I'm left hanging whenever the subject of strategy games or RPGs comes up. Somehow, that probably ties into "I feel mildly irritated that they just made fun of Shenmue even though I've never played any of the Shenmue games". Video games are weird.

@slag: Yeah, I actually agree with many of your points here. To me, there's a distinction between saying: "I was disappointed that the GB guys were so negative during E3 and it made me not want to watch," and saying: "The GB guys should have been more hyped about everything." I think the former reaction is justified and it's personally how I feel. The latter is an attempt to push your views and emotions onto others, and I don't support that line of thinking. Obviously the GB guys are going to react however they react, there's no use trying to get them to change that. That doesn't mean I can't be disappointed and bummed out by it though.

GB's role is to goof around with games and provide honest expert analysis

Now I love this site and the GB guys, but I do take serious issue with this line. Not the first part, the first part is solid. But providing expert analysis is absolutely not one of GB's roles. There is a legendary amount of misinformation and mistakes in their video game analysis. I don't come to this site for technical content, and woe be to the man who does.

Even the biggest gaming reveal of all time isn't going to make me kick my chair over and cry or scream into a mic, being excited is fine but I honestly have no clue how you can watch that video and not feel a little bit embarrassed. If they were just fist pumping and getting excited and having interesting discussion on the reveal and the implications of how it came to be that is one thing but they were literally knocking their chairs over and screaming while that poor woman had to sit there as the lone bastion of sanity in the room, the comments on Youtube literally attack her because she didn't make an ass of herself.

Also Jeff's comments on Shenmue were immediately followed up by "They did this in the right way, kickstarter was the way to do this" Brad's FF7 comments were followed up by "This is great for FF fans" there was nothing negative about it those aren't games they are super invested in and even if they were I would never want them to act like screaming children. Horizon was one of the few new real interesting IPs to be shown the crew want new exciting experiences and if you want to see their excitement go watch them talk about the VR/AR stuff where they had legitimate new exciting experiences that they absolutely showed passion for.

I should probably have rephrased myself. The GameTrailers video is funny on its own merits because it's a bunch of grown adults acting like children and genuinely losing their shit when they are ostensibly paid to be professional videogamesmen. What makes it funnier was the part where no one at Giant Bomb was having any of that, the most they were able to muster being "Well, that's good for people who like those games" only after putting in their requisite jabs at Final Fantasy/Shenmue.

Honestly I think it wasn't so blankly cynical on stream with a few of the bomb crew throwing a jab at people who want a given thing and then someone else on the crew countering it with some perspective.

If I remember someone said that remaking FF7 was stupid but then Jeff of all people chimed in saying it's good for the people who want it.

The Super Bunny Hop video was maybe a bit too aggressive and ignored a lot of obvious shit but eh whatever...

I still feel like I'm missing some grand inside joke about this FF7 Remake. Hasn't everyone spent the last year and a half groaning every time an HD remake is announced? Why is this game suddenly different, it'll (presumably) still be the same turn based RPG but it'll look a lot prettier. I loved that game when I was younger but "Here's the same game a decade later" isn't really inspiring me to jump on my desk and scream.

Speaking of which that Gametrailers clip came off as super played up for the camera. I understand getting hype and all that but that just felt fake. It was a CG trailer, are you really going to randomly stand on a chair and start crying? I suppose more power to the excited people out there but I just felt way more excited by new stuff like Sea of Thieves and Horizon.

The hype is all a matter of perspective. Jeff and the gang seem to wonder who this FF7 remake is for and they weren't especially excited for it, but each time the Mario Maker thing is brought up they all light up with excitement. I didn't grow up playing a whole lot of Mario so each time I see the Mario Maker game Ikeep wondering "who is this for?" and why anyone would be excited for it. Surely the people who loved Mario before must be over it by now after the countless rehashes of Mario properties throughout the years. The excitement is especially perplexing on Jeff's part since he's the last person in the crew who ever wants to engage in level building or complex crafting on any level - him being the first person to say he will never touch any of the base building stuff in Fallout 4 and being once again perplexed who that stuff is for.

But at the end of the day I understand it's personal taste. I don't care about Mario anymore or any old Nintendo franchises so none of their announcements ever get any hype out of me. I was more disappointed by not seeing Dishonored gameplay than by Nintendo not showing the new Zelda - but hey thats just me.

I have been growing more and more frustrated with the general cynicism of the GB staff for a while now, far prior to this E3. Jeff in particular seems to dislike almost everything these days, and even when he claims to like something, the majority of the conversation usually revolves around nitpicky negatives. The overwhelming complaints about extremely minor elements of the Witcher 3, a game the staff claims to like, seems to dominate any conversation they have about it, which is just one example of many.

As someone that tends to like the majority of games I play, I've begun to feel an increasing disconnect with the GB staff. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for games criticism. I love digging deep into games and having a critical analysis about what did and didn't work, but the majority of the time it doesn't feel like that's what they're doing. It comes across more as being cynical about things that aren't out yet, harping on the same few talking points over and over about games they don't like, and focusing almost entirely on minor nitpicks when talking about games they do like.

We all know by now Jeff only likes a very specific type of game. We also know that he is among the most vocal in the cast. Him not being into Witcher 3 wasn't a huge surprise to me. Honestly thats why Vinny was so important to the Bombcast. He used to be the one member of the crew that seemed to always give any game at least a chance and I have rarely seen him outright dismiss something (well, besides Flower). Thats the element that is missing from the Bombcast atm. Dan kind of fills this spot, but not to the extend Vinny did. You just have to keep their tastes in mind.

Jeff not being into Witcher didn't make me enjoy the game any less.

@humanity: Yea, Jeff's excitement for Mario Maker still makes no real sense to me at all other than maybe the perspective of other people making more Mario levels for him to play. He's often contradictory in his statements, like that time when he said he wanted more from the AAA market and then immediatly said the only game he really got into that year was Call of Duty.

Meanwhile, duder emeritus Patrick was hooping and hollering in excitement over it. heh. A lot of critics also did the same on Twitter before making more sober comments on them. Heck, I was riding all along the hype train with many of these announcements, but after some time, I expressed a more nuanced and at times critical view of various things.

To me, a lot of it is the gamer culture. We see this in anime consumer culture, too. We've been pushed for decades to embrace hype over cynicism and consider blind loyalty to be a virtue. Combativeness over inane subjects has been championed, and pettiness is a hallmark of dedication, not childishness. Console war mentalities have made doubt a sign that someone is out to hurt games or a platform you care about, not simply expressing a differing opinion.

It's only natural that gaming would have conflicts over hype and criticism, especially now in a transitional period for a lot of gaming. Those who more conservatively tend to prefer how things were or are in games seem to lean more toward the comfort of hype after decades of hype-focused ads and media, and those who more liberally tend to hope for change in gaming and seeing new things seem to lean more toward caution and criticism of games as part of a hope that devs do more and different things. Though, even those devoted to the past have their strong criticism, and those interested in the future still have things they are very hyped about. There's a lot of individual differences amongst people's personal approaches to gaming today.

I appreciate that we have the criticism and hype, and in general, game critics are game fans and game fans are critical of some things, too. We're people with different positions in gaming, and now more than ever, those distinctions are blurred. In the end, we're all just interested in gaming in different and unique ways, and our approaches will vary from one another and likely even our former selves as we grow older. It's all just part of the wild, maturing culture around games. :)

@truthtellah: Dunno. That GT video seems to me to be completely cynical in it's execution. It's the let's play scarecam high pitched shrieking reaction youtube video of games coverage. No adult person in the world is as over the top and ridiculous as those clowns. I absolutely refuse to believe it. Much easier to believe that people shriek and overact in reaction to anything because those kinds of videos get millions of hits on youtube.

I think the cynicism angle is overreported. Sure there is snark but the vibe I have gotten from E3 from most places is positive.

An end to cynicism, easy irony, and trolling would be super, please Santa.

I don't think it matters. Insisting that the GB crew (or anyone else) react any differently to video games, or feeling bad about your own levels of excitement because they don't align is a waste of time. Everyone is free to feel however they want about video games, and while I hold the opinions of the staff in high regard, I am not so attached to them that I feel our opinions should always match. If anything, the only thing I want from the GB crew at the likes of E3 is genuine reactions. And I feel like I get that.

I'm sure the GT people were playing it up for entertainment a bit, but then, they're also entertaining a live stream of people specifically watching for their reactions. Like, even the GB guys play it up a good bit all the time. Dan almost always seems to be playing it up for entertainment purposes(sometimes just his own entertainment, but still). Being surprised or this cynical about entertainers being silly or over the top doesn't make sense.

The GT video was really funny, but it also well-represented how many felt inside. We don't have to be -so- cynical that we can't let others be outwardly excited, especially when they're actively attempting to provide a fun reaction stream.

Like, let people have fun. Let people laugh at something. Let people even make a living from entertaining people if that's what they want to do. It isn't anything we have to be down about.

@truthtellah: I'm not down about people being excited about stuff at all. That video in particular just struck me as either very dishonest or Tom Cruise jumping on a couch crazy. Either way not the kind of people I would trust to cover any industry.

Whatever floats your boat. I could relate to the silliness of their display even though it was obviously done up for amusement, but that's their job. It's not dishonest to act a bit. Otherwise, I'm sad to say, you may have reason to be pissed at the Giant Bomb guys. They very likely don't crack so many jokes and make so many funny faces when playing games off camera.

We're talkin about videogames. Even the most serious people involved in gaming today are silly and over-the-top at times. We're people covering and commenting about games.

Speaking of cynicism, the negative response coming from some Nintendo fans adult teen babies is kind of incredible. I have no idea of how much of a vocal minority this group makes up, but I've seen so much whining on social media these last few days. I mean, the petition to cancel Metroid Prime Federation Force is at 17,000 signatures. The whole thing feels very backwards compared to the reactions to the other conferences.

Destructoid mocked the absurdity of that petition and had to take new measures to stay up after being DDOS'd. Some "fans" are not only petulant but also aggressive toward anyone pointing out how ridiculous they are being.

A lot of the response around Metroid Prime Federation Force has been embarrassing to say the least.

The only kind of people worse than people who are overreacting and get hyped up about anything are people who think that the former kind of people are being serious.

I don't think people complaining about a lack of positivity are doing it out of ethical concerns, I'd say they're doing it out of entertainment concerns. I will never, ever watch Giant Bomb's E3 2014 coverage again, because it's just a really pissed off crew making fart noises for everything, and acting extremely unfair and dickish to everything. It was not entertaining, and that is my concern. I thought E3 2015 was alright.

They don't need to automatically be hyped for everything, but they need someone who is a reliable counterweight to Jeff shitting on everything, which is going to happen because that's what's going to happen. I thought that's what Dan would be. I come back to this website mostly to see Jeff shit on things, but there needs to be some balance.

Most of all, I really hate when people base their opinions on games based on who they imagine the games are for, and that's been happening way fucking too much as of late. Shouting WEEEEEEEEEED at any game that isn't bog-fucking-standard is super obnoxious.

What I believe that I want out of E3 coverage is 1) information about titles, devs, their plans and whatever concrete game info is available, 2) excitement over the things they're excited for, 3) funny but insightful commentary. If I wanted to watch a bunch of 35 year olds gripe and piss and moan I would go anywhere else on earth.

I still feel like I'm missing some grand inside joke about this FF7 Remake. Hasn't everyone spent the last year and a half groaning every time an HD remake is announced?

This is not a remaster, it is a remake. I can't remember the last time people were upset about a full, ground-floor remake barring major character changes or story reboots. The Resident Evil Remake is better regarded than the original or almost any of the other games.

Some game critics, on the other hand, have occupied the opposite end of the hype spectrum. The Giant Bomb crew and George of the Super Bunnyhop YouTube channel, to name a couple I’m aware of, have remained level headed and oftentimes cynical about this year’s big announcements and the show as a whole.

I didn't have any problems with Giant Bomb's coverage of E3. I thought Super Bunnyhop's video was bad. Not really level headed, just some dude having a bad day and wanting to complain about stuff for ten minutes on end. A good tidbit was the Hololens stuff though. Apparently the AR stuff only works for a tiny square in the middle of your screen. Lies & hype about holographic Minecraft!

I really enjoyed the GB E3 coverage this year. And if you watched the live shows, it seems like everyone in the crew was excited about something.

I don't need people to yell and jump out of their chairs over a remake announcement. I don't need a group of people to act like they are genuinely excited about every single game announced at e3. For me personally, I couldn't care less about the ff7 remake or Shenmue 3, but I am happy for the people that do care. I come to GB for honest feedback and discussion about games and that is what I got during the e3 coverage.

It seems like people are equating lack of excitement and difference of opinion to cynicism. If this is frustrating you, if you think that members of the Giant Bomb staff "hate video games", why are you still here? There are plenty of safe, crowd-pleasing, "everyone is a winner" gaming sites out there for you to choose from.

I'm not into JRPG's but I thought it was refreshing to hear Austin's point of view during the Sony conference.

I'm afraid that you're setting up a false dichotomy in that you perceive the staff are cynical just because they aren't smiling all the time. Jeff might not be the most enthusiastic guy but that is probably one of the drawbacks of being an ethical journalist.
I think he's more positive now than the last couple of years that was (understandably) nonstop burnt out sarcasm.

@thesquarepear: I'm starting to think cynicism wasn't the best term to use. Maybe "skepticism" or "level-headedness" (if that's a word) would have been better to emphasize? Just something that contrasts with the enthusiasm of fans watching E3 at home. Anyway, I agree with the point you made about Jeff: as I alluded to in the blog post, I think ethical and honest reporting should take precedence over unyielding hype.