Giantbomb is not what it once was to me.

I have been a premium member for 3 years, and a visitor since giantbomb went up.

When Patrick left, Vinny and Alex moving, when Alexis left, when Ryan left us.

Dan is great at times, but one guy cannot replace the magical place this site once was.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE GIANTBOMB.

I have laughed and cried several times with the site.

But i also feel a sadness of what was lost, Call me nostalgic maybe?

It also saddens and reminds me every unprofessional friday when you only manage to gather 2-3 people.

I just needed to get this off my chest. It really hit me when watching the Big live live show, It didn't feel the big cozy family anymore.

// Johan

Another one of these, huh?

@shortbreadtom: Thanks for being disrespectful to my feelings.

Disagree, they certainly are different than who they were a few years back, but they are just as good now as they were then. Dan has been a breath of fresh air that the site needed during the back half of 2013/early 2014 that was a weird limbo for the site. But now things are moving and its great.

@nightriff: I am glad you feel that way, wish i could feel the same.

Things change, duder.

I agree Johaneriksson.

But I will stick by and hope it gets better.

Just as I read this thread I was watching the big live live show from 2010 on youtube and that shows just how things have changed :(

@cabbages: Watching the big live live show from earlier years feels like an adventure :) Content filled to the brim :)

@dt9k: Yeah i know :( Maybe going back and watching all the old material will ease the pain :)

I don't know. I've been around since late 09. I think they produced their best content fairly recently.

to be fair we diddent just get dan, we also got jason. who is also amazing and not only that freed up drew, who i personally always have thought to be so god damn amazing. and rorie has come back to the surface as well. so we lost some we gained some. sure i miss vinny and alex and i for some reason shy away from the QL gbeast does because it for some reason does not do it for me. but everything else that do is amazing.
vinny and alex leaving for NY was for the best, for them personally. and i dont know the reason for patrick leaving but no matter if it was personal or professional then im happy for him. same with alexis.
basically what im saying is things are the way they are and are still great.

I came here right around the same time you arrived, though only became a premium member a year ago. I think it's more a matter of things changing and having to deal with that. Circle of life stuff alongside terrible tragedy. I mostly miss Patrick's content, but Dan brings his, ah, unique contributions and we'll see who gets hired next. Onward and upwards, duder!

In terms of content, I think things have only gotten better on the average. I've backtracked and watched a lot of the stuff that was before my time, so I don't think I'm being biased.

Sorry to hear that, duder.

@johaneriksson: I agree with your sentiment, but I'm not sure how much of the magic is nostalgia and how much is a real fundamental change. I know that I miss things like spoilercasts, endurance runs, and other deeper looks at games. Outside of Metal Gear Scanlon most of the video content on the site is some variety of quick look or variety show with a bunch of games being effectively quick looked. I also miss the interviews that Patrick conducted since they brought more in-depth coverage of topics that the main staff don't usually broach. I certainly watch and read less content on this site than I used to, but that is also a function of how much content I now produce and my current lifestyle.

@johaneriksson: I'm sorry, I guess. Should have been more understanding. You're a stranger complaining about a website, after all.

That's kinda sad? I've been a fan of these guys since Gamespot days and while it's been a roller-coaster since then I too fully believe some of their current content is some of their finest. Life is about change and some changes are harder to take than others - but in the end it seems to be worth it.

@thatpinguino: I agree with everything you said. Metal Gear Scanlon is a window into what once was always there. Something to look forward to and follow.

I think real variety and depth is what i'm missing.

I do miss the days of just Ryan, Jeff, Brad, Vinny and Drew, but I like Dan, he's funny. And we still get Vinny videos, so things are still good enough for me to stick around. I miss the original Giant Bomb sports team of Jeff and Vinny though. And the original Bombcasts with the original four. I could take or leave Patrick.

I didn't think much of the BLLS:L until I watched the UPF last week, and then I was reminded of how awesome BLLSL was... I don't know, it reminded me of my childhood when I left summer camp and how lonely it made me feel, like "hey boy that was a good time now awww".

Also, remember the old UPF when the couch was full and so were the extra sits behind the computer desk? man, good times.

@johaneriksson: I feel the same way. Has not been the same since Ryan left, that dude was awesome. I come back every now and then to see what is happening.

@johaneriksson: Yeah I enjoyed the first two MGS series, but I gave up on the third. It turns out that I hate Kojima's storytelling style more than I like Endurance Runs.

I have been around since the Arrow Pointing Down days. When Ryan died the site changed irrevocably and it will never be how it was because it was shaped in many ways by his quirks and preferences and those are gone. That doesn't mean it is worse now but it is different and it has to be. Time changes everything. Nothing stays the same.

I sort of agree and disagree. I think that the highs of a few years ago with Ryan, Jeff, Brad, and Vinny with soem Drew/Patrick thrown in were amazing and probably better than most of the stuff we see now. But on the whole? Giant Bomb is producing a higher volume of quality content than at any point during my 5 or so years visiting the site. You do occasionally get the impression that a show is getting mailed in, but overall things are pretty good. I am hopeful that Giant Bomb East finally seems to be rounding into form nearly a year after Vinny left for New York and that might start to fill in some of the gap that was left by his move.

I think once GB East gets running full-steam things will pick up even more. It seems like there's just been unavoidable snags on that side, so some of their content ideas might be waiting on that. Even then, I like the direction things are going in. Dan pretty much revived the "endurance run" with the MGS stuff, and I don't think they'll be done once they finish that series.

Stuff is different than it once was, though personally I think the last year has been pretty great for GB. I'm sorry to hear you feel that way duder.

@arbitrarywater: Yeah it really sucks :/ I'm glad i could get a few responses and thoughts, that was the goal of the thread, to hear other duders feelings :D

The golden age of Giant Bomb has passed, I agree, but I still think there's some decent content on the site. Unfortunately, far too much of it is behind a paywall.

To be fair, the original BLLSL was a combined effort of 4 different sites with their own hosts all contributing different awesome things.

The Whiskey days were fantastic, but unsustainable. And GB has had to change a lot to stay afloat, and in doing so it's lost the DIY feel of those weirdos doing weird shit in a weird basement.

But considering they're working for a monolithic corporate entity now, I'd say the weird shit they're still able to do is not only still great, but pretty damned impressive to boot.

@shortbreadtom said:

'Bout that time.

I'm sorry to hear like that but you're never gonna get anywhere constantly thinking "Man, it was way better back then." Things change. Even the site, today, would be exactly as it was three or four years ago, things would still be different, and you might still not entirely be into it. I think we all hold past moments of the site dearly in our hearts and minds, but holding them up as some standard is a pretty easy way to feel bummed 24/7.

I feel more and more lately like I've either out grown Giant Bomb or they've lost me in some way. I'm not sure if it's my fault or the site but I definitely don't consume content from here obsessively as I once did. I pretty much just tune in for live streams nowadays and skip everyone else (besides Metal Gear Scanlon, of course).

@aurahack: I agree. But this is the underlying feeling i have had for a long time now. And i cannot help myself but start a thread and vent my thoughts.

Sorry if this comes off as short or irritable.

Nostalgia for the "good ole days?" Cool. Learning to love when things change and the great things that came from that change? Even cooler.

Small relevant anecdote: when I was growing up I was super into many bands, but REALLY into Nine Inch Nails. Once Mr. Reznor and the band starting getting older (and the truth is *I* was getting older) I started "growing out" of the music and the feelings associated with it. I was sad about it for awhile, but then I turned the proverbial page and found that I am enjoying the new "shitty" NIN music more than the stuff in the "relevent" era of NIN. Why? I grew up, so did Mr. Reznor. That weird connection I had with this guy and his music was growing up with me, not doomed to be in the past.

What I'm saying is, if you can love what it is now, great! If you can't, move on, maybe come back to it later on and see what's up and you'll mesh with it on a higher level again.

EDIT: To clarify, I think GB at this moment in time is the best it has ever been. Do I also long for the "good ole days"? Absolutely. You can have both feelings. :D

@milkman: Everytime i see a new "Metal Gear Scanlon", "Mario Party Show" or "Mailbag Time", It puts a smile on my face.

These three things takes me back at the moment :)

This is one of my favorites: http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/thursday-night-throwdown-120811-part-01/2300-5379/

I too don't approve of these threads. Giant Bomb is Giant Bomb, regardless of how it changes.

it seems like every couple of days there's someone writing a dramatic letter going "I'M SO DISAPPOINTED"

I personally feel the site is better than it has ever been. They SORELY needed new faces, and now we have that I think they are going from strength to strength. The only downside I can see is the lack of Vinny as of late, but it seems that is finally going to be changing very soon.

things change. Ever since Jason and Dan joined the site has started to put out tons of great content again. Anything with Mary and Danny is gold too. What I miss is the developer cameos. Seems like we've gotten less and less of those. Brad Muir needs to hurry up and finish his game so he can be on more.

I think it is a combination of this next gen video game drought we have been stuck in. And the lack of a new opinion from the crew. We know what to expect from years of watching and loving the site. We want something that challenges the bombcrew...WE WANT BLOOD ha I dunno I am just hoping they push forward this year and try something new.

For me the site was way better back in the crazy days of old offices and sharing space with the Tested and Comic Vine. The crazy content they made was epic. But then again everything changes and we have to get used to it. People like Ryan are irreplaceable and a lot of good guys went to do their own things like Patrick, Alexis, Cool Baby, Ian, Dave.

You know what? Things change, and that is good. If it stayed just the same all the time it would be boring. Some of the funniest moments has happened the last few years, and every week they pump out awesome content. The future is looking even brighter, with more stuff coming from Vinny and Alex. I am always looking forward to what kind of insane stuff Dan can reveal from his life as well. Seriously, I won't fully believe he is real until he sits down to have a beer with me here in Norway. You hear that @danryckert! Get your ass over here, and bring the rest of the crew!
And I'm one of the old guys by the way. Real old. I turned 28 last month! Oh, and I have been a member since 21th of July, 2008... So I think I know what I am talking about.

I disagree. As I read your OP I'm sitting here listening to "Danswers" with Vinny and they're discussing peeing in the kitchen sink.

While things have certainly changed, I suspect you're young and you want things to always be exactly the same. They won't be- for anything in your life ever. Evolution is part of life.

The site has had it's down times and it's up times, but it's always been the same site. No one person defines this site, and while it does have a specific feel to maintain it has never broken balance (minus maybe during the aftermath of Ryan's death- which honestly is something that always shakes anything up).

The site continues to get better and better everyday. I've always said I'll support these guys and the site as long as I have money to do so. That hasn't changed, and it won't change unless somehow the site personality becomes something completely opposite (which will happen eventually, but I can't predict when- maybe when people stop giving the site money and then they have to start bending to corporate pushback which will probably be when Jeff no longer wishes to work for the site anymore in any capacity).

The recent BLLSL was amazing, and it was so good to see them do another one again (having seen all of them live to date, myself). I have even been watching the Dave Lang premium archive and that's been great too.

It's also funny how you talk about change and ignore Dave Snider- who was a pillar of the site for years (as well as a founder) and then had to leave to do his own thing. Dave is one of the things I miss in a lot of ways more than anything. You'll still see Vinny and Alex (they're still doing stuff, and will do more stuff soon now that their office is finally setup), and you'll still see Jeff and the gang in San Francisco. They're doing basically the same thing they've always done, with few minor tweaks and changes. I'm happy to go along with it because change is always for the best and life will always change.

I also still find it strange when people say they miss Alexis just because he was barely on anything when he was here. He's great, but I don't know him as a person, and on the site he was always a guest star and never a pillar of the site. We should add others: I miss Ian too, and the site just isn't the same without him (it's not, but again guest star). What about Kessler, Lemon, undeadpool, steve, and the other interns I forget the name of? I guess it only matters what you know about or remember and not really what the site has always been. (Edit: I thought of more, actually. Coonce, the guy I forget the name of but did the funniest Bill Cosby impression, Andy, Mike... and more but I'll stop haha)

Honestly, it's more likely you're experiencing burn out. Maybe you should take a break and come back (or find something else you like). Too much of anything is never good. If web shows are no longer good enough for you there's also stuff to do outside.

I agree with this sentiment- which is not at all disrespectful. The truth probably hurts.

Hopefully nothing I said is taken to be "mean" however I never know anymore. I'd hate my last post on the site to be one of the ones I spent over an hour writing, but at least I know my disagreement is legitimately constructive and is written with no ill intent.

Not as big a fan of what the site has become. Honestly the only thing keeping me has been Vinny and Alex's stuff. Be everything changes right? Complaining about it won't help. You either have to accept what it is or move on. Vinny's GBEast podcast keeps me hopeful. But if it get's to the point where I really don't like the content I'll just have to find something else. No one's fault. Nothing lasts forever.

Honestly, I feel the similarly sometimes. It feels like there's often a certain lack of...spunk and energy. Not that I expect every video to be a homerun, but you get my point. I still enjoy most of what they do, hence why I still visit the site on a regular basis, but yeah, it's certainly different to say the least.

They change and we change. If the current stuff isn't clicking with you it's okay. You had some great times and made great memories and nothing can change that. Giantbomb shouldn't be the most important thing in your life, but you can be glad for how good it was for you at a certain time.

I mean, you can't just lose one of the most lovable and entertaining men of the site (Ryan, of course.) and expect everything to be exactly as it was. That was a big blow for the site, and a huge shocker to everyone. I think the fact that they kept on truckin', brought in some new faces, moved people to entirely different area codes and are still putting out fantastic and regular content, is an amazing feat. Sure, nothing will ever replace the golden years of Whiskey Media, with R.V.J.B on the bombcast every week, but things could have gone very differently following Ryan's passing, so I'm glad we are where we are.

They're just getting used to the new office. What with the site redesign and the move, things have been pretty busy lately. Give it a little while, and I'm sure they'll be alright.

I don't think things are worse, just different. Multiple irreplaceable dynamics have been lost or altered. But they're still plenty capable of knocking it out of the park. The Dan+Drew teamup is amazing, Jeff seems to be a bit more enthusiastic these past couple of weeks, GBEast is getting better and better as they build...

Do I miss Whiskey Media GB? Very much so. But given all the site has endured, I'm very content with where they're at right now. Not to say I don't have criticisms, of course, but there's still no other site that can do what GB does. Well, Gamebomb.ru and Boohbah Zone not included.

I really miss the whiskey media days, i get that, but i really like what they do now, besides i think a lot of the newer content is actually returning to the felling of the old office(s).

Not only metal gear scanlon or mario party, but also unplugged (pathfinder was better but d&d is comming into its own), load our last souls/there will be bloodborne, etc, all the danny content, the ocassional awesome cameo by mary kish, the return of flight culb, etc... i dont know man, i'm just excited for the site.

@cornbredx:

"I suspect you're young and you want things to always be exactly the same."

"If web shows are no longer good enough for you there's also stuff to do outside."

These two comments does not click well with me.

@babychoochoo: Exactly, it seems like the energy is lacking in some of the content.