Continuously losing interest in Giantbomb due to lack of focus / quick looks

The video section to me is a swamp of giant bombcasts, the exquisite corps episode 243, demo derby, all systems goku, and various other random nonsense I could not care less about. Meanwhile the last quick look was released on july 12th. As a site I visit to see new games I might be interested in that simply doesn't cut it anymore. I can't think of a single premium feature I enjoyed this year.

Can you please make (a lot) more quicklooks?

@jaccubin: Which games specifically would you like quick looks for?

I'm holding out for Might & Magic X - Legacy. ;)

Unless you're just trying to bait people into arguing, you could maybe phrase this in a more polite way than in this selfish sounding "Don't waste your time on this random nonsense that I don't care about, do things for ME instead." type of way. Unless you actually think that you're the only person visiting this site.

Instead, you could suggest those games that you think deserve a QL, unless those are all some bottom of the barrel Steam garbage that I imagine they (or most people) probably don't care about. If you haven't noticed, there isn't exactly that many big releases happening during this summer, so they can't really do any QLs of those AAA games either, when there isn't any out there.

Mmm it's kind of non videogame season but they should check out that mothergun game weird thing rogue like with building elements thing.

I’ve felt that way somewhat in the past - my gripe was that single game, multi-part series were pushing out QLs and one-off variety shows (remember the Old Games Show?). But I think they’ve gotten better through sheer variety and having a more consistent rollout of content. I’m more inclined to watch something like Ranking of Fighters if new episodes come out on a fairly regular basis rather than sporadically. Also keep in mind we’re in the summer doldrums for solid new releases.

The rate at which quick looks are churned out depends on the games that are released that are worth sitting down and doing a recording for.

Not all of the content is for everyone. I can honestly say that most of what pops up on the main page doesn't interest me, but that's because of my personal tastes, not the quality of the content. I can't stand the Dragonball stuff, but a lot of people love it.

I do kind of agree with you. The content of the last year(ish) has not appealed to me very much. I'm just not sure if posting in the forum, saying 'do more quick looks', is a constructive way to provide feedback.

I imagine that when the Autumn/Fall release window opens, you will get more of the content that you like.

@glots: My aim is to A) give direct and honest feedback to the site and B) see how others feel. I feel like I phrased my question reasonably politely, ultimately there is no really nice way to call something very bad though. What I am saying is: "Dear Giantbomb, I used to like what you were putting out, I don't anymore." I don't think I'm the only person visiting this site, but I am the only person I am in charge of.

I shouldn't have to know what games I'd like to see quicklooks for, I originally came to this site cause there was always a quicklook to watch and and with that new games to discover. But OK, I'll bite, here are some current games that one could easily make a relevant quicklook about: Bomb Chicken, Captain Toad: Teasure Tracker, Mothergunship, Warhammer 40k Gladius - Relics of War, Mugsters, GNOG. Runbow, 20XX, Ultimate Custom Night, The Vagrant, Warframe in its current State, the entire launch library of oculus go. I would however personally prefer a quicklook of ANY game whatsoever over the current staples of the video section, bargain bin steam shovelware or no.

Apologies if there is a quicklook of these games that I've missed, but that's kind of my point. They get drowned out.

@jaccubin: Actually does sound more reasonable when you put it that way.

Quicklooks are at this point the smallest proportion of Giantbomb content I watch.

They would pretty much have to be, by definition :p

For me, quick looks have been the least interesting site content since probably Ryan’s passing. It takes a really dumb looking game to interest me enough to watch one, and it’s been a while now.

I vastly prefer their current content, and especially would love for more Demo Derby’s. Besides that, I’d watch East watch paint dry at this point. Vinny can make just about anything fun.

@nev: Remember Hotline Miami? Such an amazing quick look.

Hmm. Ok so look at it like this: their Quick Looks are good and provide a nice little slice on if you'd like a game. Sure I've based my buying on seeing a few Quick Looks back in my day (e.g. Bloodborne and Nights of Azure), but I think you should look at it from a different angle. This is a site for occasional hot takes, but I think you should think of this site as a place to enjoy video game personalities in a variety of ways.

There are lots of new series and podcasts because they're trying to give you different ways to enjoy how they deliver game commentary to you, the viewer! For instance there are lots of "Dan" moments and "Brad" moments to be had, you just have to find a new series you're comfortable with. This is, at least, the mindset I had transitioning into their new content.

I hope this helps. I'm interested to see if you end up finding new joys to watch as you sink into your chair after work with a nice, hot beverage in hand.

I think at this point both Jeff and CBSi, look at the analytics of what is watched. I cannot imagine Giant Bomb is in the business of serving up what doesn't get results. Hoc ergo propter hoc, what Giant Bomb creates as content is based on what will get/has gotten views on their site - real world results. Any talk about, "what they really should do" is pretty much telling them how to do THEIR JOBS without even considering they know their jobs. The teams on each coast know their jobs, and the people with the purse-strings (CBSi) are likely not fools about how the money is spent.

@the_greg: “Not all of the content is for everyone.”

This.

The site used to have much less content with a more narrow audience. They’ve made no secret that they’re diversifying their content. Year 1, I’d watch everything. Here in year 10, I watch a vast minority of content.

Being more critical, I kinda wish there was more stuff released each week that appealed to me, and this certainly could be turning into an issue, but I’m largely satiated by podcasts.

@jaccubin: I felt like this for a while but you know, didn't want to upset the hardcore fans cause what's the point of arguing.

Well it does kind of suck that since there's no QL scheduled for today that means it'll have been a whole week (at least) since a QL tomorrow but it's kind of understandable since there's nearly NOTHING coming out right now.

I've also felt that for a while now they've had an attitude of "meh it's Tuesday, we do the Bombcast live so we're not going to put anything else out today." At least it seems to me that they don't post anything except the Bombcast on Tuesday's... And that extra sucks for me because I teetered out on the Bombcast a couple of years ago.

Anyway, to mimic others, there's different content for different people who may or may not be into it, I love Exquisite Corps, I've no interest in Ranking of Fighters or Goku (because, anime).

@jaccubin: not really. I could only watch all quicklooks and hardly anything else at all save for the odd thing and they would be the largest proportion.

Can't say I miss quick looks being the focus at all. Way prefer the premium series.

I feel like every year around summer this type of question gets asked, and every year people make like it's some new thing. Don't get me wrong, if you'd like to see more Quick Looks of lesser known things during the summer month, I think that is absolutely a constructive suggestion (if delivered as such). But the impression that it's some new thing and this site is changing that comes with this every year, give me a break.

This site doing longer playthroughs of games for Premium Features, or "Gimmicks" as Premium Features like Demo Derby Ranking of Fighters etc is super long standing. Demo Derby and RoF are both in the same vein as Flight Club, Old PC Games, TNT. And it doesn't matter if it is Yakuza or Shenmu or Until Dawn or do I need to keep listing? For years this site has output premium features dedicated to more extensive longer looks at games. And for years the QL schedule has been heavier during the early parts of the year, dryer during the summer and then a bit heavier again during the fall as more games get released. But the longer playthrough stuff has always been constantly heavy throughout the year except for during E3.

I think that things like this just happen from time to time, I find the Exquisite Corps to be laborious and well past its expiration date, but things like Who's the Big Boss really grab me. When features run their course new ones come up. I was en-fucking-raptured by 13 Deadly Sims for example. I couldnt name a good feature from west coast though, bens lens is funny?

Shut it down, we're done here.

This is a good post. To piggyback slightly, the July after the OP joined the site (July 2013) there were 7 Quick Looks between the 1st and the 18th. We've had 9 this year. So I do think it's a matter of perspective likely mixed with a little bit of nostalgia.

Listen, this is an obnoxious thing for me to post, but everyone just jump ship on this thread. The OP of this thread has 26 posts over the years and they are almost all nasty. No one on here is ever going to make this person happy.

I’m surprised these kinds of threads don’t get locked immediately at this point when they have such a whiny OP.

“I don’t like GB, make more quick looks,” then no suggestions of which games to quick look.

The people cried out for Garfield, and Giant Bomb answered.

To hell with the quick looks when there's an Arlene or an Odie to save.

Man, I'd be happy if all the video content was just Ben's Lens and Mailbag. Y'all need to send in more shit!

We don't criticism so long as it's actionable. Saying someone wants more QLs is fine to hear. I can't really speak to the editorial side of things, but I don't think anyone minds hearing this kind of stuff on our side.

I just clicked into the quick look

I find the Exquisite Corps to be the best feature on the site and hope that they will just roll into War of the Chosen when they finish Enemy Unknown.

For the sake of discourse, is there any game off the top of anyone's mind that should've been Quick Looked by now. Let's see what's actually available to Quick Look.

I'll start you off:

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

@foodmonster: i watched many episodes but they just keep churning them out, no time to get caught up. If they change the numbering convention when starting a new phase of the game mayve that would help me. Still great content just dont like to skip episodws.

@sethmode: I 1000% get where you are coming from but that may not be the best July to use for a comparison (even if there are now 2 offices and only 2 more QLs in the given time).

I agree it's always been a dry month but like the post you quoted said, there's not a whole lot coming out and I'd rather they didn't quick look everything that comes out anyway. People complain that they barely know anything about the games they play or miss something on the screen, imagine if they tried to quick look everything and had to rush them out.

@rorie:

Well, now you’ve opened the floodgates. There’s not enough videos on the website where you sit on the couch and read outloud “support” emails while someone else plays a game (a la that one episode of Kingdom Heartache). That has to fall under the category of actionable.

@gvalo: You know, I didn't even think of the extenuating circumstances around that time. That's my bad. Sorry if it came off as insensitive.

@jaccubin: There isn’t exactly a ton of stuff coming out right now.

no

@sethmode: not insensitive at all (at least imo) just thought I'd add on to why there weren't many QLs for that time frame!

Well, you know, it's valuable to hear when people feel it's important. It's impossible to please everyone, of course. It feels like one month the complaint will be that there's not enough Premium content, then there's too much Premium as opposed to free content, and so on. Again I'm not involved in scheduling stuff aside from the streams I do on my own so I don't have much insight there but I don't think anyone in editorial would say that they don't find this feedback valuable.

I want more anime.

I want less anime ;)

I vote more anime.

I want no anime :s

I’m mostly fine with what they’ve been releasing lately. Like others, I don’t care for the anime stuff but I’m subscribed to about 25 YouTube channels so if I’m not seeing something I like I might go to one of those.

I will definitely say though, they do seem to not stick with the new features they try that I tend to get excited about. Like what happened to Bring Your B Game? I loved that. Or like others have said, The Old Game Show. Or Blue Bombin? Or Gaiden The Ring (that one will probably come back). Or that thing where they were going to quickly review terrible games but Vinny ditched it after one episode because he could tell it was going to be too much work. I don’t even remember what that was called but I was all in.

I just realized that almost all of the content I miss was east coast stuff. I think that speaks to the quality of genius going on over in New York.

All I'll say is that I'd love to finally see some of those new series they've been talking about since a month or so prior to E3 (please don't just restart Murder Island) and that I'd also really like for them to do something else on Tuesday and not just the Bombcast (we get things on Friday too, which is also a Podcast day, so what gives?).

July 1 was the first time in years that i did not have active sub to Giant Bomb, for a long while now i have not liked a lot of their premium content. I am so tired of listening to dan drone on about metal gear (i also can't stand dan in any way shape of form) i have zero interest in anime and to be honest the content has been pretty mediocre as of late. There is specific content i have always enjoyed and would consume but that just ins't the site for me anymore. So i voted with my wallet.

What I like most about Giant Bomb is the live content. Just being in a chat room with a live stream going on is a lot of fun and it doesn't matter how shitty the game may be! *I'm looking at you Garfield*

Just caught the reference to Dan in the above post. Clearly Dan is an acquired taste, but for the record, I like, LIKE Dan. He's funny and even if half the shit he says is an act, I don't care. I still like his spiel. And, I don't much like Metal Gear, but it's still fun to watch him play it.

One more thing, I'd rather watch a game that the host wants to play rather than one I would want to play. I'd hate to see someone look miserable while playing a game they clearly hate even if I happen to like it.

So, I too feel like there are less quick looks these days. I remember there being weeks, a couple years ago, that when both East and West were cranking they'd have 2 quick looks every weekday and 1 each on the weekend days. That's a good pace to me, because quick looks are primarily what I'm here for. I listen to some non-GB video game podcasts, but this is the only video game site I frequent, so I want to know what's good to play from these guys. Of course, they never kept up that pace for long, because something (PAX, E3, GOTY, Extra Life, etc) would come along every so often and disrupt the schedule, but it was nice when it happened.

I even remember Jeff addressing this on a (I think) Bombcast a couple months ago and saying they consciously decided to scale back the QLs because of the (lack of) traffic on some of the lesser known games. Of course, they do still QL lesser known games when they want to, but I think they've decided not to QL stuff just to fill the schedule or feel like they have to QL every semi-interesting game that comes out, because it may not be worth the effort versus the other stuff they can do. Which is completely understandable, but I, personally, would still like the old schedule. Of course, I don't remember what Bombcast that was that Jeff said that, so I have no cite for you.

But, just to prove to myself that I wasn't imagining this, some numbers from qlcrew. Number of quick looks for each July (including unfinisheds):

Jul 2009: 15

Jul 2010: 26

Jul 2011: 29

Jul 2012: 28

Jul 2013: 20

Jul 2014: 42

Jul 2015: 28

Jul 2016: 23

Jul 2017: 23

Jul 2018: 12 so far (counting the 2 on the schedule that haven't been shown yet).

The first quick look was in August, 2008, so, coincidentally, the month you compared this one to was the slowest July since the first year of the site. And the way this month is going, it looks like it will rival it. They could definitely ramp up more QLs if they wanted to; yes there's not a lot of big games coming out, but there wasn't in July 2014 either. There's been plenty of times I've been looking at the new games on the Switch E-Store or Steam where I see something smaller I wish they had looked at, so I could have gotten a better idea of what the game is like. And yes, I could search youtube or something for footage, but I come here so I don't have to.

Where are the flight / space sim / steel battalion videos?

I'm on the opposite side of the fence, and believe that GB' content has only gotten better.