Would you like to see video reviews on Giantbomb?

Yes.

I know they're work and I appreciate they have other things they want to get done but I love hearing the GB opinions (and seeing their wonderful faces) but quick looks are too fuckin' long. My average visit to the site is about 5 to 15 minutes. I don't have the time to watch an hour quick look, not even close, and I find them to have so much down time and repetition that information per minute is about the lowest of any video content I watch on gaming sites. I suppose I also find it REAL DULL to watch people play games. With the popularity of streaming now-a-days it seems I'm maybe in the minority here. (That still baffles me but I'm able to accept it) So quick looks do nothing for me.

I really like video reviews, they feel more personal and concise than even written reviews and I personally get something out of hearing the voice that wrote them read them. I like hearing how they say what they're saying rather than reading it, which I find to be a bit removed. I read reviews but I value the discussions on the Bombcast far more because I take so much from tone. Quick looks bore me and written reviews feel terribly detached.

So I'll still love the site and I don't mean to complain but: You Asked.

Yes, I'd like video reviews back.

It would be cool to see that, but honestly I think there are better places for the staff to concentrate their efforts. Reviews don't gain that much more from being put in video form, while content like quick looks or live streams rely entirely on it.

I voted yes. I always enjoyed watching their video reviews, because they were not only informative, they also showed how they played the games.

I would love for the Giant Bomb crew to do new video reviews, but sadly it won't happen. Quick Looks are what they do now.

I loved them when they used to do them.

No not really.

I wouldn't mind if they did, but considering all the other things they could do with the same time I say nah.

I'd definitely be down for more written reviews tho.

I wish they would do a bit more of a produced video rather than just all livesteam/quicklook videos. Thats why i love the end of the year videos so much but i understand why they dont do more of those.

I really liked video reviews as a quick way to get the info from the review and see the game in action. A Quick Look handles some of that, but the video review was a good short format.

I'd rather see them stop doing reviews all together.

I would be happy if they would just play AND finish more games. I just recently listened to the GOTY podcasts and holly crap. How can you have a discussion about games if nobody plays anything? Tired of excuses, its kind of your job, right? To play, and discuss. This will probably be the last year i subscribe, seriously if you take PK and the wolf content out, what is left?

Yes, the video reviews probably influenced me more than the majority of quick looks. 90% of quick looks kind of make the game they're playing look bad.

No. Mainly because they never did it for every game. So rather than have to pick and choose, none works out great. No alienation of fans and it makes more time for them to be doing something else.

Also Quick-looks far surpass Video Reviews for me.

(didnt read thread, possible this has been said.)

I'm still waiting for my hot butt vids.

If they could afford to put in more production time, then sure. I'm honestly surprised at the amount of negative answers to this question. Not negative as in bad but just simple "no." I understand that the ol' gang didn't start out with reviews in the traditional sense but when they began doing, it just kind of became part of their thing. The lack of video reviews and reviews in general has been somewhat disappointing and worrisome that they may not continue covering video games much longer. But I guess they've put in more than their fair share of time. It was sad to see them break up and the loss of several members during the GameSpot era and it will definitely hurt when Giant Bomb comes to a close. Hopefully some worthy gamers out there will pick up the torch and carry us forward when that happens.

Honestly I was never big on the old video reviews. I much prefer the combo of a text review and a quick look.

Not happening anytime soon but one can dream.

This this this.

If they did crazy shit and weren't like every other fucking site on the planet? Maybe... I personally don't like video reviews for the most part, they're scripted 2-5 minute videos that use b-reel footage (for funny one liners and shit) and do little in terms of conveying the point. Sometimes they'll use gameplay, but it's poorly executed and many times hard to grasp the context in which it's used. Finally, this site didn't get to where it is by following what others had been doing for years, they said, 'Fuck it!' and did it their own way. If they were to start doing regular video reviews, I'd hope they'd do it their own way, the Giantbomb way, the way a small business owner could learn from.

(Video) Reviews would force them to get better feel for the game. Right now quick looks are mostly "this game is dumb" - kind of commenting. Podcast feels wrong format to go deeper into what makes game work and what does not. That said, I really don't care that much about video reviews them-self.

Video reviews seem to me like something from games journalism of 5 years ago, and I really don't think they fit the style of site that Giant Bomb has become. For me they don't add anything which can't be gleaned from a combination of Quick Looks, written reviews and Bombcast/other shows.

That doesn't mean I wouldn't like some more produced video. I really miss the old school I Love Mondays, but these wouldn't be the same without Mr Davis. Something else incentive and fun along those lines or like TANG would be really welcome, but I don't need video reviews.

I find that I get more out of the quick looks then I would from video reviews so I'd much rather have the big amount of quick looks that are being made today.

I liked the video reviews. I wouldn't mind seeing the odd one here and there like we do for written reviews. I just wish the QL's were shorter than 40mins.

EDIT: And contained as very little Menu interaction as possible!

I know right! SHIT'S DULL!!

What's the point? Watching them play and talk about a game in a quicklook for 1-3 hours seems to do a far better job at showing of a game to me. A number or star rating doesn't seem to do anything but feed gamefaqs arguments and metacritic bonus checks.

I'd rather they do more franchise retrospectives, like the "mortal monday" feature they did, where they played a bunch of old Mortal Kombat games. Those are awesome.

You mean would I like to see them AGAIN? Yes, I would.

what the heck are you on about?

No. That's what QL's are for.

What I would like is less premium paywalling.

I don't see any value in making a video review. Quick Looks do way more than a video review does by showing us how the game actually plays. Video reviews are mainly just reading a pre-written script over some fancy video effects and clips of gameplay. There's just no point, really.

@lunnington said:

I dunno, there are probably a lot of QLs out there that poorly represent the game in one way or another. Be it the staff being really bad at the game and potentially bringing up unfair criticisms because they missed a bit of basic info (not trying to complain, but it does happen), or as mentioned earlier too much spending time in menus. Though again, as I first mentioned, video reviews ain't ever coming back, I know that. I just don't think QLs are as perfect a substitute as so many other people often claim.

EDIT: Plus, it's not like they existed purely for informative purposes. Their video reviews were well-edited, carried a lot of the trademark GB personality, and were enjoyable to watch. I still occasionally like to watch a few again every so often.

I did not say that Quick Looks are reviews, I'm saying that if you want gameplay then go look at the quick look. The review does not need fancy graphics and background gameplay in order to convey to you why a game is good or bad. The point of a video review is to show gameplay, but you have an hour or more of unedited gameplay to view in QLs. I don't see the point in a video review, at least for Giant Bomb.

Yes and no. So much of what's great about Giant Bomb is video based obviously and I feel yeah sure the more video content the better .BUT I also feel Giant Bomb has a very distinct reviewer voice and I like that distinction as a purely written product that the site produces.

Reading is FUNdamental.

@lunnington said:

You were implying that video reviews are useless because of QLs, and again I don't want video reviews purely for the sake of information. I also happened to enjoy simply watching them for entertainment purposes as well. And given the video-focussed nature of the site, video reviews would ideally exist over regular written ones instead alongside quick looks, rather than be replaced by them entirely. Frankly it's the produced content of old with some actual editing in general that I miss really.

I'm operating purely in an idealised world here as I keep reiterating, and am trying to illustrate the appeal of video reviews and why I think it'd be great if they could somehow return.

there's a the quicklook, the bombcast and the written review all talking about their opinion on the game. I feel we get more then over 3 hours of content on a game then a 4 minute review. And most of the time I feel we get more nuance in the bombcast and quicklooks over what works and what doesn't about a game.

I like to determine a game purchase based on gameplay videos, video reviews, and user input/reviews, which is much more streamlined and less time consuming in my opinion and why GameSpot (before the redesign) was my main destination for critically determining game purchases, whereas I visit Giant Bomb mostly for the humor and creativity. I don't know if Giant Bomb wants to aim for an audience like that of the other gaming sites out there who are mainly looking for reviews to determine their purchasing decisions in the form of Quick Looks, but I guess they seem pretty content with what they're doing now.

I would probably watch the occasional video review if they did them, but I think there are other cooler projects that they could put their resources into that everybody would enjoy more. I do wish we would get more reviews period whether written or in video format, because while a Quick Look serves many of the same purposes, I still think a review brings a little something else to the table. Especially compared to the quick looks for games they aren't very far in yet.

If I had to chose between Video Reviews and the other content they put out on the site, I choose the other content.

UF is basically the only regular video content I looks forward to these days so, sure, something that isn't another Let's Play or first impressions would be nice. But I think that would take up too much of their time.

@yummylee: I suppose if Giant Bomb put their own spin on what a video review should be that it might be more entertaining. I'm just speaking from a practical standpoint, based on what we usually see from video reviews.

Not really? I've never understood the desire to bring back Video Reviews, especially when there aren't a ton of reviews period.

They could stop doing reviews entirely and I'd be pretty happy with it. In some ways I'd prefer that, because it'd stop arguing over review scores, and they could focus more on the playing games and making videos part of the site (Which is what most people care about anyways). I don't trust any of the reviews that come out of this site (Or any others) anyways, or maybe it's more accurate to just say I don't put any stock in them whatsoever, so a more casual, less 'official' format would be fine.

All that said, I also generally just don't take any of the Giant Bomb guys' word on anything game related or otherwise, especially in the quick looks. Those things are a festering pit of misinformation and flat out lies, but they are generally entertaining. The problem is the notion that they would replace a review as a way to 'judge' a game's worth, because it's attributing to both of those things a vastly inflated sense of accuracy. Unless you have a friend you trust and know well, there's really no good way to find out whether a game is any good or not until you actually play it.

I like more video reviews the same way I want more original content on the site, but its not like that niche is not covered by hundreds of different sites out there; and I find quick looks and podcast conversations way more informative, anyways...