Giant Gongcast

Looks like our worst fears are coming true: The Giant Bombcast has taken a severe nose-dive ever since they sold out to CBS Interactive. So, this is the last videogame podcast that I listen to ever since Joystiq lost McElroy, Grant & Kietzman. It's been quite disheartening to hear the Bonbcast devolve into completely irrelevant subjact matter like the last two, beginning with hours of talk about HAM radio... It's not even that it has nothing to do with videogames, I mean there were so many inaccuracies with the HAM talk (yes, I've got my license) and then this past week, more talk about nothing really. Look, I understand that gaming goes through dry-spells, but there is plenty of gaming-related things that can be discussed. Normally Mr. Davis does a good job keeping everyone on track, but I just have this sense that any podcast magic that may have been there just dried up practically overnight... WTF is going on?

Duder... bombcast has always been like this, since the earliest days of Arrow Pointing Down. For fuck's sake, Ryan and Jeff started off by talking about energy drinks.

This has always been the dynamic, and if anything its only gotten better.

Sounds like you were mostly just butthurt that they didn't treat HAM enthusiasm with enough respect/accuracy.

I love the fact that they go off on mindless tangents for 30 minutes at a time. Hearing them talk about video games and articles/topics that are all over the internet would get kind of repetitive at times. So I guess I am in the exact opposite boat as you.

I listen to it more because of the people involved, not the topics involved.

Them going off-topic makes it more entertaining.

@MstrMnyBgs said:

I listen to it more because of the people involved, not the topics involved.

Exactly! This is why Giant Bomb has been successful. People like the personality driven content.

Moreover, you basically said it yourself. This is a dry spell. Ain't a lot of videogame shit to talk about, and probably even less that the crew actually care enough to talk about. Better for them to talk about things that interest them than to artificially limit their conversation to vidja-game talk

Don't listen then, just masturbate with the sweat of your disappointment.

@Imsorrymsjackson said:

Don't listen then, just masturbate with the sweat of your disappointment.

Disappointment makes you sweaty?

Everybody talks about videogames. You want video game discussion then there is a whole section of podcasts on itunes that have you covered. How many are going to talk about Japanese arcade boards or the Olympics video game? None but the bombcast. They've been doing off topic discussion since the very beginning.

Yup, its always been this way. The move to CBSi has not affected the quality of the bombcast, as far as I can tell.

I thought this weeks podcast was pretty hilarious, there's literally nothing going on in videogames so I don't know what you're talking about. And way to be the guy that gets annoyed about inaccuracies, because there aren't enough of those to go around.

I love that you expect their HAM talk to be completely accurate when not one of them has their license for it. That part just makes me think you're either a troll or someone expecting way too much from these guys when they talk about subjects that are completely new to them. They've always had really weird conversations about stuff that isn't video games. That, and the personalities themselves are why the bombcast is so good.

You're right, we need more beverage reviews and Nintendo downloads.

I'm sorry, the primary subject of the the first episode of Arrow Pointing Down is Tiger Woods Gatorade. That is a silly criticism.

@mtcantor said:

@Imsorrymsjackson said:

Don't listen then, just masturbate with the sweat of your disappointment.

Disappointment makes you sweaty?

A little, yes. I sweat when im disappointed, aroused and when I see nice cats.

@mtcantor said:

@Imsorrymsjackson said:

Don't listen then, just masturbate with the sweat of your disappointment.

Disappointment makes you sweaty?

He's sweating the small stuff. Don't sweat the small stuff.

@Imsorrymsjackson said:

@mtcantor said:

@Imsorrymsjackson said:

Don't listen then, just masturbate with the sweat of your disappointment.

Disappointment makes you sweaty?

A little, yes. I sweat when im disappointed, aroused and when I see nice cats.

Admit that those two are the same thing, you sick bastard.

@killr0y: Have you actually ever listened to the Bombcast before?

Tangents is what they have and always will excel at.

... what? They talk about whatever the hell they want to talk about. The idea that the discussion of hame radio is because of the CBS purchase is just nonsensical.

Also, if you know enough about ham radio to realise anything they said is wrong, you have bigger issues than the podcast not being about games.

Ever since CBSi bought Giantbomb, your thread titles have gotten worse.

This is just more evidence of CBSi's pro-HAM agenda!

I just think it's funny how their topics are getting dangerously close to the craziest corners of the internet. Between the Ham radio, the bug-out bags, the food buckets, the numbers stations, the chemtrails... they're getting into some weird shit right there. They keep this up and they'll attract a lot of those survivalist conspiracy types and other undesirables to the site.

Your threat title disappointed me. I thought this was the genesis of a podcast about Ryan buying a gong.

@MikkaQ said:

I just think it's funny how their topics are getting dangerously close to the craziest corners of the internet. Between the Ham radio, the bug-out bags, the food buckets, the numbers stations, the chemtrails... they're getting into some weird shit right there. They keep this up and they'll attract a lot of those survivalist conspiracy types and other undesirables to the site.

pretty sure Jeff was at least making fun of the chemtrails stuff.

also, I'd be perfectly happy with survivalist trolls, it'd be better than some of the others we get.

@Animasta said:

@MikkaQ said:

I just think it's funny how their topics are getting dangerously close to the craziest corners of the internet. Between the Ham radio, the bug-out bags, the food buckets, the numbers stations, the chemtrails... they're getting into some weird shit right there. They keep this up and they'll attract a lot of those survivalist conspiracy types and other undesirables to the site.

pretty sure Jeff was at least making fun of the chemtrails stuff.

also, I'd be perfectly happy with survivalist trolls, it'd be better than some of the others we get.

Yeah, he was having some fun with the Alex Jones crazypants folks.

Still a little disturbing how accurate he is when making fun of that stuff though.

@Slax said:

Ever since CBSi bought Giantbomb, your thread titles have gotten worse.

Listening to that ham radio talk and the UVB-76 "the Buzzer" was so fascinating and led me down a dark rabbit hole of searching for weird stuff and eventually led me down to reading about James Bulger which I won't talk about, because that's messed up. Anyways, there really hasn't been that much happening, nothing worth noting.

There are hundreds of gaming podcasts that only talk about gaming listen to one of them. The Bombcast is great because they go off-topic.

@killr0y said:

Looks like our worst fears are coming true: The Giant Bombcast has taken a severe nose-dive ever since they sold out to CBS Interactive. So, this is the last videogame podcast that I listen to ever since Joystiq lost McElroy, Grant & Kietzman. It's been quite disheartening to hear the Bonbcast devolve into completely irrelevant subjact matter like the last two, beginning with hours of talk about HAM radio... It's not even that it has nothing to do with videogames, I mean there were so many inaccuracies with the HAM talk (yes, I've got my license) and then this past week, more talk about nothing really. Look, I understand that gaming goes through dry-spells, but there is plenty of gaming-related things that can be discussed. Normally Mr. Davis does a good job keeping everyone on track, but I just have this sense that any podcast magic that may have been there just dried up practically overnight... WTF is going on?

Someone doesn't remember pizza spheres.

Yeah I hear ya tc, but I blame it on the bath salts, and Vinny's endless experimentation phase.

To be fair, Ryan has barely edited the podcast since a month or so ago, so the podcast generally runs around three hours. Before when he was editing it, it ran closer to two hours. I assume this is what he's referencing? I don't mind.

So you didn't like the bit about the luchadore organization made up of hummingbirds?

God help your soul.

@MariachiMacabre said:

@Imsorrymsjackson said:

@mtcantor said:

@Imsorrymsjackson said:

Don't listen then, just masturbate with the sweat of your disappointment.

Disappointment makes you sweaty?

A little, yes. I sweat when im disappointed, aroused and when I see nice cats.

Admit that those two are the same thing, you sick bastard.

Meow

The reason I listen to the bombcast is because it goes off-topic. Constant video game discussion gets boring after a while.

@mrpandaman said:

Listening to that ham radio talk and the UVB-76 "the Buzzer" was so fascinating and led me down a dark rabbit hole of searching for weird stuff and eventually led me down to reading about James Bulger which I won't talk about, because that's messed up. Anyways, there really hasn't been that much happening, nothing worth noting.

Man I really shouldn't have Googled James Bulger. That's going to haunt me for the rest of the day.

Anyhow... back to luchadore hummingbirds.

Fair enough, your allowed your opinion but you seem to hate what is the best moments of the bombcast, when they go off-topic and talk about anything.  
 
Not sure if you've noticed but there ain't an whole lot going on with games right now. Personally found the HAM radio stuff fascinating actually, mainly because it taught me about UVB-76, something I'd never heard of and are now fascinated by. 

This weeks podcast was the best on in a while

You're crazy, they've been going off-topic from the very start.

@Animasta said:

@MikkaQ said:

I just think it's funny how their topics are getting dangerously close to the craziest corners of the internet. Between the Ham radio, the bug-out bags, the food buckets, the numbers stations, the chemtrails... they're getting into some weird shit right there. They keep this up and they'll attract a lot of those survivalist conspiracy types and other undesirables to the site.

pretty sure Jeff was at least making fun of the chemtrails stuff.

also, I'd be perfectly happy with survivalist trolls, it'd be better than some of the others we get.

Of course, the day they take chemtrails in earnest is the day I slowly back away from Giantbomb while cautiously looking over my shoulder.

And yeah I agree with need some real nutjobs in here. Video game nutjobs are getting boring.

I believe that the Giant Bombcast is at its most boring when the crew is talking about video games.

At least beverage reviews are tangentially related to videogaming. I can handle that, and have enjoyed those bits in the Bombcast..

Also, why is Jeff so strongly opposed to playing The Walking Dead?

@killr0y said:

At least beverage reviews are tangentially related to videogaming. I can handle that, and have enjoyed those bits in the Bombcast..

no they aren't. How are they? Stop being hypocritical.

I'd be fine if they just bs'ed for two hours.

Don't let the door hit ya on the way out.

@mtcantor said:

@mrpandaman said:

Listening to that ham radio talk and the UVB-76 "the Buzzer" was so fascinating and led me down a dark rabbit hole of searching for weird stuff and eventually led me down to reading about James Bulger which I won't talk about, because that's messed up. Anyways, there really hasn't been that much happening, nothing worth noting.

Man I really shouldn't have Googled James Bulger. That's going to haunt me for the rest of the day.

Anyhow... back to luchadore hummingbirds.

I said it was messed up... I should of probably said it's really messed up and will haunt you.

I learned to palate cleanse by watching cute animal videos on youtube and then 2 hours pass and i temporarily forget who I am.

People gotta drink when they're gaming.. People snack when they're gaming. Some people use porta-johns when they game. I don't know of anyone who use bug-out bags, HAM radios or other survivalist nonsense whilist gaming.

@Animasta said:

@killr0y said:

At least beverage reviews are tangentially related to videogaming. I can handle that, and have enjoyed those bits in the Bombcast..

no they aren't. How are they? Stop being hypocritical.

Yeah, by that logic so is any review of anything.

"Let's talk some video games! Red Lobster is a shitty place to eat guys."

OP is nuts, 2012 has been one of the most solid years for the bombcast... maybe it ends up being better than the 08 season, MAYBE