For what reason did you come to Giant Bomb?

Hey guys... and mostly guys! =-P So what brought you here to Giant Bomb, and what influenced you into becoming a member or a bro?

When I came here in 2009, it was because I was getting bored of GameSpot, and I was in a rather deep depression. I wanted to become a member because this place seemed to have everything I liked and then some, and it did! The experience here has been very rewarding to me in more ways than imaginable. =-)

I started with Quick Looks. This one in particular was my first.

Years ago, in the black hole of the internet I somehow came across xpantherx's Best of Giant Bomb Quick Looks series and been a member ever since.

I think it was this one.

People said it was funny. They were right.

The girls

I listened to the Hotspot pretty frequently, and I remember thinking it was cool that Jeff spoke his mind regardless of what the advertisers wanted him to say (or whatever the situation was). So when he started up his own thing, I naturally followed that.

I came because of Jeff and stayed because Giant Bomb is Giant Bomb. They are an entertaining group of characters.

Most of the people I talked to on gamespot had moved on and I was ready to move on too. I signed up for GB the day the beta went live. The beta site had trouble dealing with the Opera browser (hitting backspace in a wiki edit or forum post would go to the previous page instead of delete a character) so I stopped using the site pretty quick. I still listened to the podcast and then began using the site again when quests came along.

Probably like most people. The podcast. I didn't even check out the site for some time after listening, but once I did and saw a few of the features I was hooked.

Someone had put references to GB videos on pretty much every TVTropes page I read some time in 2009, so I went here to see what the page was about and have been staying here since.

The Deadly Premonition Endurance Run is what gathered my full attention to this site. I came a few years late (Jan. 2010), but still made it here. However, I had watched and read the crew's material since their early Gamespot days.

Cause Jeff is the realest motherfucker in the business. No Jeff equaled no GameSpot at the time.

A friend clued me in and linked the Wheelman quick look. I thought it was hilarious and I've been a regular visitor to the site since.

I was looking up videos on Persona 4 and I came across the endurance run (I think they were 3/4 of the way through the game by the time I started watching). Ended up just watching that for a while (I don't think I even started checking out other parts of the site until I was caught up on the endurance run). Was familiar with Jeff from Gamespot but I had no clue who anyone else was (didn't know what Vinny looked like until I watched the episode 50 behind the scenes video. I think I imagined him to be a little fatter since he always sounded so jolly and it made me think of jolly fat guys...ya know, like santa).

edit: Now that I think about it, I think I remember visiting this site even earlier than that. I think I happened to hear about Jeff Gerstmann starting a new site (I remembered that he was the guy who got fired from Gamespot over Kane&Lynch) and so I briefly checked it out (I don't remember exactly when but it was probably around the time MGS4 came out since I think the video review was on the front page). Didn't actually come back until a year or so later due to the P4 Endurance Run.

I had been asking myself that very question recently and I don't honestly remember what first brought me here. I'm just really glad I stuck around and got to watch all the shenanigans through out the years.

I became a member when I saw a free happy hour from the Whiskey Media days and knew I had to see more. Plus I wanted to give support to what is now my favorite website.

The Persona 4 Endurance Run and these:

I can go back to these and always laugh my ass off.

I came here for the Jeff and the Ryan. I felt they were the only ones giving me honest opinions and reviews on video games and energy drinks. I remember a time when I felt anxious about the new guy, Vinny, he seemed kinda odd. Then I applied him directly to the forehead and I never washed it off. Brad won me over with his deep and nuanced look at Viva Pinata. Good times!

When Scott Johnson referenced the podcast on an episode of the instance back in like 2009. It was then like a year before I actually visited the site. Just listened to the podcast to that point.

@mbdoeden: Those are made by @turboman!

A buddy of mine found the site (Somehow) and told me about it. He told me "It's got all the really funny guys from Gamespot that left!"

I clicked on the site, and on the front page was the Incredible Crisis quick look throwback. One of my favourite games and Ryan Davis was there to great me with his god d*mn wonderful jolly laugh and I've been here ever since. Also Jeff and Brad. They where here too when I showed up.

Saw a post on Gamefaqs about the P4 ER, so I checked it out and good hooked.

I'd check reviews for games during work. This Giant Bomb thing kept coming up and I liked their reviews, despite the stupid name. IGN was starting to lose people that brought me to the site, and this Jeff guy seemed cool. I remember seeing him on Bonus Round on Gametrailers, as well (I had been going to Gamespot on and off since the 90's but always gravitated toward IGN at the time, or the boards at Gamers.com!)

Red Faction: Guerilla, that review seemed really well-written so I checked out the "game space" at home. I found the Quick Look and laughed my ass off.

I've been here ever since. Lord help me.

Because it was the site that Jeff and Ryan made after gamespot and have never looked back.

Followed the crew when they were at Gamespot. 1up imploded.

Jeff

I bought into the marketing of brink ... I hated brink ... I looked for people that warned of brinks sucking prior to release ... I found Giantbomb

Dragon Ball Z reviews.

I'd kinda always known about Giant Bomb but never really bothered visiting. Eventually, though, I found myself watching that Cherry High Comedy Club (or whatever the hell it was called) quick look, and noticed them making Persona 4 references. That led me to the endurance run which led me to paying for premium. That's how I got here, but as for why I still come...well, I enjoy it here I guess.

I was interested in purchasing Mortal Kombat vs DC in 2010, when I came across GB's video review on YouTube. I recognized Jeff (as Ulysses S. Pipe puts it, the "guy with the poorly died hair") and there was a notable difference between review styles compared to his earlier work at Gamespot. I visited the site, scrummed through more video reviews, and understood that clearly these were the folks to listen to for games, pop culture, and subcultures.

It's a shame video reviews are no longer thought possible or necessary. These narrated reels are still the best I have seen for video games.

I was looking about for new podcasts to listen to and the Bombcast was mentioned on AnimeNewsNetwork's ANNCast, so I gave it a try. Never looked back.

@mbdoeden: I made those! I'm really glad that some of those broke out and caused a good amount of people to join up to this site.

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I watched On The Spot and listened to The Hotspot for years and followed everyone after Kane & Lynch to this website. I've supported it ever since.

To see what Jeff would do next

I frequent GB's sister site Comic Vine and it led me here.

I came to this site after I learned that Ryan passed away, it was all over the news. I wanted to know more about him, so I started listening to every bombcast available and along the way just enjoyed the rest of the site and still do.

I was so distracted by Gerstmann-gate that I nearly failed my Foucault class in college. Also, I tend to follow arrows pointing places.

Gerstmann brought me here. Gersmann will, someday, take me away

All hail Gerstmann

Because jeffgerstmann.net redirected me here in 2008.

I probably started following Jeff and Ryan over at GameSpot around 2003. The Hotspot, On The Spot, Button Mashing and E3 specials were something that nobody else was quite matching at the time. 1up was becoming really interesting at the time as well but that didn't end up lasting. After the Kane & Lynch review caused Jeff to lose his job it was only natural to follow the two along with Brad and Alex to this new Giant Bomb thing they'd started messing around with. The rest is documented pretty well on this site.

I heard there was a forward thinking website where a bunch of smart people discuss video games and have fun and I thought that might be pretty cool.

Been here since Arrow Pointing Down.

When Jeff got let go at GameSpot, I actually was pretty sure I was done following games journalism. He and Ryan are the reason I still care.

Poster on a board referenced Jeff's scandal when discussing a similar case, and I looked into it. Found this site, read the mission/vision statements in the about page and was 100% in.

Funny thing is I don't even read reviews anymore.

Saw someone link this to me in maybe 2009, and knew that this humor was for me.

I followed Jeff here because he's the only one keeping me informed about the Gizmondo and Dietrich:

I immediately subscribed and have been paying every month since.

My friend showed me the P4 endurance run. After that, I immediately watched the Deadly Premonition ER, Quick Looks, etc. In my sophomore year of college, after casually using the site for about two years, I started listening to the bombcast. Eventually, I decided I wanted to support the crew, so I subscribed.

I saw Brad's video review of Mass Effect 2, and I liked it. Then when I started to visit the site every now and then, I realised that Jeff is here, who was as far as I was concerned the only recognisable face in video game journalism.

I was listening to listen up ( or weekend confirm..idk) podcast and Jeff and Ryan were guess on the show. They were fucking hilarious . came here to see whats up... never look back.

I came to the site from the get-go with a select few others, and joined because I really liked Jeff and crew when I saw them at GameSpot. I never subscribed.

@ltsmash: Next year will be the 10 year anniversary of the start of the Gizmondo saga. Where the fuck did time go?

The Gizmondo saga also gave birth to my favorite voicemails on the podcast:

I don't remember. I think the first thing I saw was the quick look of Demon's Souls. It took a few more years before I bothered with the forums.