Quality of the past year of video content

 The dog days are getting to everyone it seems. 
 Seriously I think the games this year for the most part are just too "meh" to make interesting quicklooks. Hopefully the big releases soon will perk everyone back up.

I still watch everything they put up aside from trailers and while I agree that some of the more recent quick looks aren't as funny as they used to be it's probably just because there haven't been that many games with either really awesome or really awful content so far this year. How funny or entertaining a quick look is has a lot to do with the game itself, not just the jokes that the guys make while playing the game. To be honest, I haven't been particular enthusiastic or excited about many of the games that have come out this year so I'm not that surprised that the video content isn't as good. As others have said, there have been a lot of mediocre/just competent video game releases in 2011 and that doesn't make for particularly entertaining quick looks.

There's still enough good original content to justify my continuing monetary support, but I think the OP's point is mostly well made. I too have noticed a considerable drop off in enthusiasm and liveliness during most Quick Looks, though it still shines through for some games. They often seem like they are just going through motions and don't want to be there - in some cases they almost literally seem to be saying "can we go now?". I understand that it's hard to be off-the-cuff entertaining all the time, particularly while playing some soul-crushingly bad games, but if that's the case, maybe it's time to cut down on the number of QL's and replace that void with something new.

Thursday Night Throwdown is hit or miss for me. It often seems like no one really wants to do it, though they occasionally get a full couch for the show. I've always thought, at minimum, the entire GB editorial crew should be there unless they are on assignment (except for Vinny, obviously). This is their one Giant Bomb-specific live show of the week, and it's common to not even see Jeff on the couch. I also miss Vinny screwing around with the video feed more. This seems to be another show that they've kind of gotten bored with, which I'm guessing is why they are trying to freshen things up with older games more recently. I do notice they seem more upbeat and talkative when other people are present (i.e. the NBA Jam TNT with Coonce, or the Trenched TNT with the DF guys)

The WM Happy Hour is also hit or miss, but is becoming a lot more miss than hit. I actually don't mind the current Comic Vine segments, where they just talk about comic plots and stuff - much better than early shows, when they tried to be funny, though not as good as Preview Theatre, when they got other WM people involved (the Spider-Man one where Jeff goes "AND CAUSE PANIC?!" will forever be burned into my memory, haha). The Screened segment needs to change - Rorie talking about movies he has seen and reviewed is fine, but the trivia segment continues to be painful. The Tested segments can still be good, although I wish they'd do more actual tech stuff, and less dragging food/coffee segments. The Giant Bomb segments seem almost non-existent some weeks - this past Friday was just Jeff talking about a free PC Quake-clone for a few minutes.

And like the OP, I also miss a lot of the off-the-cuff crazy content they used to put up on the site - mailbags, and unboxings - or how about stuff like that "Too Human" rap from ages ago? (Chico! Pass me my chocolate taco!)

I love Giant Bomb, and I offer this criticism from the perspective of loving Giant Bomb. I always try to keep in mind that it's just four (I guess five now) guys trying to cover a huge industry, and that they can only do so much, and create so much. The Bombcast is still top notch, and is still my most anticipated podcast of the week. Their E3 and PAX coverage is the best in the business, as far as I'm concerned. Their really good Quick Looks lend themselves to repeat viewings, and lots of laugh out loud moments. I loved the Endurance Runs, but also totally understand why they haven't done another one in a while. I'm just a bit worried about what seems like a creeping malaise in a lot of their video content. Perhaps it's just over-analysis.

- Scott

@Ben_H: Again, not sure that QL comparison was totally fair based on the fact that you picked possibly the greatest QL ever (in competition only with maybe DB Evolution and a select few others) and compared it to a "just good" QL; by the fourth (6, 7-1, LEGO, and now 7-2) it's hard to imagine their basic Harry Potter humor may not be as strong.

I think it's easy to look at '09 with rose-tinted glasses. Wait till the end of the year, and even if the "Best Of QL's 2011" thread isn't as strong as 2009 or 2010, I doubt it'll be a "weak" year. It definitely sounds like they're trying to come up with some decent new video content ideas, and it sounds like most of what they've come up with has been thrown away. The only games this year that seem Endurance Run-worthy have been Yakuza 4, The Witcher 2, and Skyrim, because it doesn't seem like anyone in the staff has even a small chance of playing through those games (well, Skyrim has a decent shot) this year. I will agree I'd like some more in-house video being done, though, especially if they're going to keep talking about "how good the Twisted Pixel FMV is" when theirs is so much better!

I really come here for the Quick looks, the bombcast and the community. its been fine for me, can't say i have any complaints but i do definitely have a preferred quick look team.

For god's sake, where do all the whining non-paying members suddenly come from? Just shut up. GB is better than ever, we get more content than in the first 1-2 years (and no, it's not worse).

@carlthenimrod said:

If you go back to when the site first launched and watched every quick look chronologically you would find a lot of clunkers along the way. Catherine wouldn't make a entertaining quick look today or two years ago because it is a block puzzle game. Not every video is going to be a winner.

This!

You are right but you don't know the reason why, so I will tell you. I will list the Quick Look particinapt combinations from most entertaining to the most boring. This is subjective, however I think people will largely agree:

1. Vinny + Ryan
2. Vinny + Jeff
3. Ryan + Jeff
4. Brad + Vinny
5. Brad + Ryan
6. Brad + Jeff

Notice that Vinny is mostly at the top while Brad is at the bottom. This is because Vinny really lightens the mood overall. He cracks a lot of jokes, he laughs a lot and the conversation keeps going. Brad, however, is the opposite. With him in the room, the conversation constantly halts, there is few jokes, only forced laughter and responses often consist of "Yeah" followed by silence. Often, it gets so monotonous that the participants actually have to say out loud "hey, I actually like this game" or "That's crazy" because the video itself has been boring despite the fact that they like the game.

That's why is baffles me Brad has been overrepresented lately while Vinny has not been doing much with Ryan or Jeff apart from the adventure games and Wipeout and the Witcher. Vinny is probably busy with video editing and management across all the sites but why the hell is it that way? They should really consider hiring a guy to take some load off of Vinny. Free up some of his time and think twice about who they pair up, especially with Quick Looks for big huge games that have a chance to bring new viewers to the site. Halo and Call of Duty all occupied by Brad and Jeff? C'mon, have some awareness.

tl;dr: Vinny should spend more time on videos and less time in the control room, while Brad should be doing less videos and more reviews.

For god's sake, where do all the whining non-paying members suddenly come from? Just shut up. GB is better than ever, we get more content than in the first 1-2 years (and no, it's not worse).

@Turambar said:

@CptBedlam said:

For god's sake, where do all the whining non-paying members suddenly come from? Just shut up. GB is better than ever, we get more content than in the first 1-2 years (and no, it's not worse).

The same place the retarded concept that the image of a silver or gold ribbon has any effect on the merits of critiques on video content. Also I will say that I have been enjoying the video contently recently less, though they aren't horribly by any means.

Like it or not, we pay for the content ... we'd have an actual right to complain. But we mostly don't, it's usually non-paying members - I wonder why. GB is better than ever now.

Like it or not, we pay for the content ... we'd have an actual right to complain. It's just that we aren't delusional. GB is better than ever now.

@Turambar: Just vote with your "click", meaning: don't watch what you don't like.

@Turambar: Just vote with your "click", meaning: don't watch what you don't like.

I thought that call of juarez: the cartel QL was pretty fantastic. I think some QLs are indeed damn boring such as the virtua tennis one. I also think that as of late, the TNTs have been boring. That Quake one was deadly, the C&C; one was cool but the Uncharted 3 one was also a snore as well as the TF 2 one. I know they want to play old games due to the fact that nothing is coming out but if they could make those things more entertaining, it would nice.

@Turambar said:

@CptBedlam said:

@Turambar: Just vote with your "click", meaning: don't watch what you don't like.

You do the same. Watch what you like and support the site instead of going into threads with opinions and berating people for having them.

I voiced my opinion about the content and the whiners.

@Turambar said:

@CptBedlam said:

@Turambar: Just vote with your "click", meaning: don't watch what you don't like.

You do the same. Watch what you like and support the site instead of going into threads with opinions and berating people for having them.

I voiced my opinion about the content and the whiners.

I haven't seen any decrease in the quality of the Quick Looks, at all. I'm quite happy with it and will continue to support Whiskey Media for more quality content once my subscription ends. If that makes me a "white knight" or somehow hurts people who don't agree with me, well, fuck you too.

@Turambar: Alright, the "shut up" was maybe a bit too much but these threads just piss me off. People have a delusional memory of the site's early days. There were far fewer QLs and not all of them were great either.

Mmm, I guess Jeff does seem kinda more jaded.

@Grissefar said:

You are right but you don't know the reason why, so I will tell you. I will list the Quick Look particinapt combinations from most entertaining to the most boring. This is subjective, however I think people will largely agree:

1. Vinny + Ryan
2. Vinny + Jeff
3. Ryan + Jeff
4. Brad + Vinny
5. Brad + Ryan
6. Brad + Jeff

Notice that Vinny is mostly at the top while Brad is at the bottom. This is because Vinny really lightens the mood overall. He cracks a lot of jokes, he laughs a lot and the conversation keeps going. Brad, however, is the opposite. With him in the room, the conversation constantly halts, there is few jokes, only forced laughter and responses often consist of "Yeah" followed by silence. Often, it gets so monotonous that the participants actually have to say out loud "hey, I actually like this game" or "That's crazy" because the video itself has been boring despite the fact that they like the game.

That's why is baffles me Brad has been overrepresented lately while Vinny has not been doing much with Ryan or Jeff apart from the adventure games and Wipeout and the Witcher. Vinny is probably busy with video editing and management across all the sites but why the hell is it that way? They should really consider hiring a guy to take some load off of Vinny. Free up some of his time and think twice about who they pair up, especially with Quick Looks for big huge games that have a chance to bring new viewers to the site. Halo and Call of Duty all occupied by Brad and Jeff? C'mon, have some awareness.

tl;dr: Vinny should spend more time on videos and less time in the control room, while Brad should be doing less videos and more reviews.

I think I completely agree with this. I actually get excited when Vinny is part of a QL... Brad, while irreplaceable, not so much. Ryan is super fun too and very charismatic, hence his being the host of the HH I suppose. I thoroughly enjoyed the DP ER VJ but BR... Man, a lot more silence.

I just want more Vinny video, that's all. :)

Totally agree with the OP. Quick Looks used to be about hilarious banter while a game happens to run in the background and occasionally gives them more stuff to riff on, now it's 100% exclusively "So here's this game. I can jump and swing my sword and I can do that to these enemies. Seems kinda crappy. Thanks for watching"
 
I can get all that information from the video I'm seeing thank you very much.

I continue to be happy with the content on Giant Bomb. That is all.

@G3RHRT said:

@Grissefar said:

You are right but you don't know the reason why, so I will tell you. I will list the Quick Look particinapt combinations from most entertaining to the most boring. This is subjective, however I think people will largely agree:

1. Vinny + Ryan
2. Vinny + Jeff
3. Ryan + Jeff
4. Brad + Vinny
5. Brad + Ryan
6. Brad + Jeff

Notice that Vinny is mostly at the top while Brad is at the bottom. This is because Vinny really lightens the mood overall. He cracks a lot of jokes, he laughs a lot and the conversation keeps going. Brad, however, is the opposite. With him in the room, the conversation constantly halts, there is few jokes, only forced laughter and responses often consist of "Yeah" followed by silence. Often, it gets so monotonous that the participants actually have to say out loud "hey, I actually like this game" or "That's crazy" because the video itself has been boring despite the fact that they like the game.

That's why is baffles me Brad has been overrepresented lately while Vinny has not been doing much with Ryan or Jeff apart from the adventure games and Wipeout and the Witcher. Vinny is probably busy with video editing and management across all the sites but why the hell is it that way? They should really consider hiring a guy to take some load off of Vinny. Free up some of his time and think twice about who they pair up, especially with Quick Looks for big huge games that have a chance to bring new viewers to the site. Halo and Call of Duty all occupied by Brad and Jeff? C'mon, have some awareness.

tl;dr: Vinny should spend more time on videos and less time in the control room, while Brad should be doing less videos and more reviews.

I think I completely agree with this. I actually get excited when Vinny is part of a QL... Brad, while irreplaceable, not so much. Ryan is super fun too and very charismatic, hence his being the host of the HH I suppose. I thoroughly enjoyed the DP ER VJ but BR... Man, a lot more silence.

I just want more Vinny video, that's all. :)

It's cause QLs are supposed to be funny and I just want Brad's voice to whisper huskily in my ear right before I go to bed, Bombcast style but with lit candles and only Brad. In this fantasy world, Brad's voice is about 3 octaves deeper as well and he's been smoking all his life.

/creepy.

The takeaway from this thread: I never, ever want to play Dynasty Warriors: Gundam.

@CptBedlam said:

@Turambar said:

@CptBedlam said:

For god's sake, where do all the whining non-paying members suddenly come from? Just shut up. GB is better than ever, we get more content than in the first 1-2 years (and no, it's not worse).

The same place the retarded concept that the image of a silver or gold ribbon has any effect on the merits of critiques on video content. Also I will say that I have been enjoying the video contently recently less, though they aren't horribly by any means.

Like it or not, we pay for the content ... we'd have an actual right to complain. But we mostly don't, it's usually non-paying members - I wonder why. GB is better than ever now.

Dude, Bedlam, just shut up. Paying for a t-shirt and getting some extra features on the site does not make you any better of a member. Their criticism is just as valid as coming from a paying member.

@Little_Socrates

@Ben_H: 

I think it's easy to look at '09 with rose-tinted glasses. Wait till the end of the year, and even if the "Best Of QL's 2011" thread isn't as strong as 2009 or 2010, I doubt it'll be a "weak" year. It definitely sounds like they're trying to come up with some decent new video content ideas, and it sounds like most of what they've come up with has been thrown away. The only games this year that seem Endurance Run-worthy have been Yakuza 4, The Witcher 2, and Skyrim, because it doesn't seem like anyone in the staff has even a small chance of playing through those games (well, Skyrim has a decent shot) this year. I will agree I'd like some more in-house video being done, though, especially if they're going to keep talking about "how good the Twisted Pixel FMV is" when theirs is so much better!

I agree with the general sentiment of the OP. I also don't think it helps when the person running the QL has no fucking idea how to play the game and makes watching the video a boring and unpleasant experience.

While I will agree that they haven't been terribly enthusiastic about a lot of stuff lately, I wouldn't call their recent stuff bad. There's still some great QLs in there. The recent one about that bad FMV western game on PSN was pretty good. 

@Turambar said:

@CptBedlam said:

For god's sake, where do all the whining non-paying members suddenly come from? Just shut up. GB is better than ever, we get more content than in the first 1-2 years (and no, it's not worse).

The same place the retarded concept that the image of a silver or gold ribbon has any effect on the merits of critiques on video content. Also I will say that I have been enjoying the video contently recently less, though they aren't horribly by any means.

Like it or not, we pay for the content ... we'd have an actual right to complain. But we mostly don't, it's usually non-paying members - I wonder why. GB is better than ever now.

Okay, here are my 2 cents:
Mediocre games and often handheld games make for bad QLs. They covered most of the mediocre 3DS titles so far and that has shown.

The guys get alot of their crazy out 24/7 with the videos, bombcast, an article here and there, TNT, Happy Hour and all the social media stuff. They actually do ALOT more now then they did two years ago, maybe they got too much "air time" now, I don't know. But you can't say they aren't doing enough, it's just different now.

I agree with you, maybe not as strongly as you do. I felt the quality and amount of content had dipped slightly for the past year or so. I gave them leeway for a couple of months initially as they had just moved into their new offices, but I find myself more often than not finishing watching their videos now. I think its picked up a bit recently though (the Harry Potter quick look was great). Its not like I'm going to stop visiting this website anytime soon, but yeah, it is a bit disappointing. 

I think there should be way less Patrick in QLs. I mean, he should do this occasionally and not like recently, nearly half of them. I also think Brad isn't as entertaining as the other 3. 
Seeing Brad + Patrick QL makes me sad.

I know this won't spark much discussion, but yo the intro to I Love Mondays sucks! I get that it's a joke on how slapdash it is, but come on! That's dumb even by like Youtube-dude standards, the stock-footage turkeys were better than that.

and I still think they should've cut the bombcast in half to make room for other content.

The Happy Hour's weird, but I don't wanna gripe abouit that that cos that's probably the most difficult thing to pull off ever.

Also I'd rather have a video review for games like Catherine or Duke Nukem than the Quick Looks of these 3DS games, or MLB Bobbleheads, or BoulderDash XL.

I'm not demanding it or anythin, I'm just sayin that's what I'd rather watch.

I don't read reviews. When I wanna know about a game, I search for it on Youtube. Am I a lazy jerk for not wanting to read reviews? No. I just have a way better time watching them.

@I_smell said:

I know this won't spark much discussion, but yo the intro to I Love Mondays sucks! I get that it's a joke on how slapdash it is, but come on! That's dumb even by like Youtube-dude standards, the stock-footage turkeys were better than that.

and I still think they should've cut the bombcast in half to make room for other content.

The Happy Hour's weird, but I don't wanna gripe abouit that that cos that's probably the most difficult thing to pull off ever.

Wow, that post is so wrong.

1. ILM Intro is great

2. It wasn't stock footage, the turkeys belong to Ryan's father's ranch

3. Bombcast is easily the best feature on this site. Not one second should be cut. There's already mass-disappointment if it's less than 2 hours long.

4. Regarding your second post: QLs >>> VRs

@mutha3: I agree with everything you said except the last sentence which may unintentionally very well be the basis of all your complaints.

Every time somebody requests or mentions Endurance Run, I think to myself "Why do you want an ER? We can see similar tones in the current Quick Looks." I think the problem you mentioned stems from the pressure of providing "subscribers" quality content and they feel that pressure when playing a not-so-quality game. Sadly, that same pressure is counterproductive to why many people subscribed in the first place and when Whiskey Media staff feels there's alot more on the line, it just elevates that pressure to perform.

I can't speak for all subscribers but I hated the idea of subscribing for this very reason. Subscribing assumes entitlement to a product or service and I simply don't feel that way with the amount of content and "happiness" I gained from the pre-subscription GiantBomb days. Donating however assumes appreciation for the content you were given and that's the pool I fall into. I can't help but feel that Donating is more of the GiantBomb mindset while Subscribing is more of the Whiskey Media "corporate" mindset. Of course I have no access to the metrics but I still believe many people would have donated as much as people currently subscribe and if they put a donate system instead of subscription, they would have alot of pressure taken away from them because it shows "We like what you do, please try to keep it up" as opposed to "Hey, here's some money, you better pony up content or else you won't see any more of it."

I'm still not enamored with being forced a medal on my avatar and when it comes time to resubscribe I won't under this account. Ironically, I'll likely just make an inactive account and just subscribe with that.

@LunarAura said:

@mutha3: I think the problem you mentioned stems from the pressure of providing "subscribers" quality content and they feel that pressure when playing a not-so-quality game. Sadly, that same pressure is counterproductive to why many people subscribed in the first place and when Whiskey Media staff feels there's alot more on the line, it just elevates that pressure to perform.

It's stupid threads like this one that creates pressure on them. I love that the crew tries new stuff all the time - even if it's hit and miss sometimes.

But the idiotic "Be funnier! / Make better QLs! / Don't do bad videos!"-demands create a hostile environment that works exactly against these demands. No magic can happen in this environment. The whiners should just shut up and let the guys do what they feel like doing.

@CptBedlam: But this thread wasn't intended to be stupid. It was intended to be critical and there's really nothing wrong with that. I'm not as displeased as mutha3 but I can definitely understand where the displeasure is coming from. It certainly isn't his fault if people take the thread the wrong way and get too offended.

No magic can happen in this environment but staying silent just encourages the status quo and no magic can happen from that either.

@LunarAura said:

@CptBedlam: staying silent just encourages the status quo and no magic can happen from that either.

Yes it can, just not all the time. People should not start freaking out if there's a few weeks or even months with content that's only "good". Sometimes it's weak games, sometimes the crew is a little burnt out - but threads like this won't change this, on the contrary. Just give them time and let them do what they feel like doing.

I think I kinda know where the problem lies.
 
I'd divide quick looks on the site in two parts: informative quick looks and entertaining quick looks.
 
The purpose of informative quick looks is to show the user base the newest games, what's special about them, what are the game mechanics, etc. I may have not laughed more than a few times during quick looks of such games as From Dust or Journey, but that was not the point. I felt entertained throughout the whole videos because I was genuinely interested in the games, their mechanics, how they work, and what's special about them.
 
Entertaining quick looks, on the other hand, are meant to, well, entertain. You'll notice that the funniest quick looks are generally about quirky games, or ones that are flat out bad. I couldn't stop laughing during the quick looks of Garshasp or Cargo: the Quest for Gravity, and the Multimedia Celebrity Poker has already achieved a legendary status on the site. That's because the games are not good enough to be interesting on their own (a generalization, but bear with me here) so the staff feel the need to crack a joke here and there to keep the viewers - and themselves - entertained. Such an issue doesn't exist while doing a quick look of a good game because the game itself is entertaining enough (of course that doesn't mean that quick looks of good games can't be funny).
 
The problem occurs when the staff try to do an informative quick look of a bad game - this results in the quick look being boring because the game itself is not entertaining enough. That's why the Gundam 3 quick look is not exactly the best one (I personally think that Brad does informative quick looks better than entertaining ones - of course I don't mean he's not funny [Cargo comes to mind], imo he just tends to talk about the game itself more).
 
I agree there are some times when the quick looks can be not the best for a few weeks in a row, but I don't think that their overall quality has decreased at all - some might be not so good, but others are extremely informative or hilariously awesome.

I have no major complaints really - I resubscribed for another year several months back even though my current subscription is still going.

But I definitely would like more random content - very few mailbags these days or other miscellanious office hijinks. Thankfully the interns have covered that to some degree through the YouTube channel, but still. Also, I would like to see GB have a bigger part in the Happy Hours. More often than not, most of the time is spent with CV, Tested and Screened content - I want more games in my HH, Last one was already more interesting, thanks to Jeff showing us Xonotic.

TNTs are hard to get right - I kind of wish they'd go back to old games more often, like they're doing right now with these FPS games. It's just a damn shame that since I'm in Europe, there's no point on participating due to the latency.

As for QLs, they really depend on the right crew combination in my opinion. I keep suggesting it often, but I'd really like to see some Retro QLs - if they don't have any good games to do QLs about right now, pick some gem from the past and showcase that. I wouldn't mind seeing a Planescape: Torment QL.

@imsh_pl said:

I couldn't stop laughing during the quick looks of Garshasp or Cargo: the Quest for Gravity

Good examples of great QLs that are pretty recent.

Also, I get your point about entertaining and informative QLs. The number of QLs has increased in general but the relation informative/entertaining didn't stay the same. We don't get fewer entertaining QLs but way more informative QLs (among them every single QL EX since the devs/promoters are never funny except for the Double Fine guys).

Some of the best entertaining QLs were hosted by Kessler during the last weeks, just saying.

@Dunchad said:

TNTs are hard to get right - I kind of wish they'd go back to old games more often

I'd really like to see some Retro QLs.

I am totally in favor of this. I was just thinking about starting a thread to ask for more retro content. Make retro stuff into a regular feature; name it "Quick Look Back" or something.

What was that show during which they played retro games like Toobin for a few hours? I forgot what kind of feature that was and therefore I can't find it anymore. I believe they did it before they went into xmas holidays or something.

To me, GB still has the best video content and podcasting on the web. I just wish Dave would be on more quicklooks, even if the game isnt a weird russian rts.

The quick look quality is only ever going to be as decent as the games, and we have been going through a summer slump at the moment.

Having said that I do think there has been a lot less enthusiasm and love put into some of the more recent content than we used to get. Just seems like more of a job and a chore for them now than it used to do.

I still think we need more older games in QL format, especially if you listen to old podcasts we were promised a whole bunch of rare and old games that the guys had copies off which didn't come to fruition.

Probably my fav thing from this year so far was that live look at all of the old MK games, there were even a few in there that I had never heard of and I found it both funny and informative.

Speaking as someone who is brand new (joined today), what exactly are the main benefits of the paid membership?

I still love me some giantbomb I just miss the office videos.

It seems to me that the amount of content we get now has gone down as well. We used to get a ton of fun little videos that I enjoyed, now it's just quick look after quick look, and the quality of them has indeed dropped. Still eniy them, but clearly they aren't as entertaining as they used to be.

@KeyboardJunkie: You get to watch the weekly Happy Hour, the feeling of gratification for supporting the site, you can download every piece of video in HD and some minor stuff like theater mode. Oh, and you get a t-shirt.

Could be more but that's what I use or know of. Just read the membership faq.

I do miss the random videos where one of them would just whip out a camera and just have a conversation about stuff, it was great, no fake living-room with a couch and stuff, it was just dudes that cared about games talking about games, We just dont see those videos anymore. GiantBomb has changed a lot since it first started, the only thing that I think has stayed consistently good has been the bombcast. I dont tend to watch the quick-looks as much as I used too. 
 
Also I dont think OP is just hating on GB I think he has posted this because of how much he likes the site and wants to to return to its former glory.