R.I.P. Quick Looks?

Hyperbolic title and i don’t want to complain too much given how weird everything has been but i’ve been kinda bummed that the only free series with multiple hosts seems to have been put on ice for the past couple weeks.

Where is the Streets of Rage QL, any Chimera Squad content? Or looks at smaller games like Jet Lancer?

Just miss the format is all, hope we can get some more in the weeks ahead.

There was a SOF4 Quick Look - except it was solo ran by Jason

SOF4 Jason Stream

Not a traditional QL I guess but it was very informative about the game.

Not a whole lot of big games coming out and GB has never really covered smaller stuff like this Jet Lancer game with QL unless they're really starved for content. I can agree that maybe instead of another Alex drumming stream or Jeff playing more Mister games which we've had plenty of lately it would be a nice change of pace if they checked out some random smaller games. Ultimately it's on them what they wanna do.

I've found the content from the Lockdown that I enjoy and watch those. There is a decent variety so if you're not into old games like myself, then there is still plenty of other stuff to watch.

These are trying times after all.

@humanity: Ah thanks, I missed that stream. Although tbh solo streams aren’t my thing and Jason ain’t my guy so it’s still a slight bummer. And GB have def put me on to smaller games before (at the start of all this there was that Another World looking game) so it’s not unheard of.

To be clear, I have been enjoying a lot of the premium stuff, everybody is doing a fantastic job. It’s just money is very tight for me after being furloughed and even though I consider GB an essential thing, I have considered unsubscribing until I’m back in work. But every free video being solo makes that an extremely tough call.

Anyway, I know this post is unnecessary and catty, just needed to vent online for a bit. Apologies.

There also hasn't been a ton of interesting new games. Lots of ports.

I think the site is still tied to the idea of 2-3 people sitting on a couch is a quick look. Obviously that's not doable currently and their attempts to emulate that style remotely were, by their own accounts, extremely difficult to do. The PSO 2 quick look had the audio out of whack for most of it, and the FF7 quick look apparently took forever to set up. It sucks, but it looks like we'll have to wait for the CBSi offices to open back up for quick looks to return in full force.

Still, I'm enjoying what they are putting out.

@onlineatron: I am actually with you, I was thinking of posting something similar until I saw your post. Giantbomb was one of my main ways of finding out about games and seeing if I would want to purchase something, but understand their limitations at the moment. Plus, I dont really enjoy most of the lets play/single person twitch stream style stuff that is the lockdown content. But they seem to be enjoy doing something different so as long they are still enjoying their job that's good, but I hope something to replace Quick Looks that does cover newer games comes back in some form.

It feels like the current format is folks taking a block of an hour or two. Maybe they're thinking about best ways to fill that time rather than 30 to 45 minutes for a Quick Look.

Kind of bummed because I would like some shorter videos, which is why I'm skipping a lot of content. This format works for their workflow right now, but all day streaming just doesn't interest me (although I have watched a handful). I do pay for premium so I have to be representing a portion of their demographic.

And I disagree that there are no decent new games to cover. Everything is weird now so I'm not upset or anything, but I feel like feedback is worth giving.

For me personally, the Quick Looks have never been informative enough to affect my purchase decisions. My impression has been that they don't really know that much about the games they are [casually] testing out, hence a "quick look" and not "a review". There are other sites and people who do a much better job at explaining a new game, in my humble opinion.

I agree, I also prefer their co-op videos or those that feature multiple hosts, over the single-host ones. It depends on the game as well.

There's no shortage of new and interesting games in my opinion, that have arrived since the lockdown, but I think the GB crew is taking the time and opportunity to play games they've always wanted to play through, like Abby with Red Dead Revolver and Jan with Bloodborne. It's a good time to do things you've put on hold.

Its a crazy time right now but I'm also a little wary about content changing as well so I understand where its coming from. I like the produced stuff like say Crime Crew a ton.

Hey folks, I’m back here with a list of games I’ve seen released over the past couple of months that would have been great to see a Quick Look for:

treachery in beatdown city

cloud punk

unmangi generation

jet lancer

boreal tales

drake hollow

ynglet

if found

a fold apart

tales from offbeat city

wildfire

bug tales

monster train

embr

tôtem

Some of these are a little more obscure than others but they’re all games I’ve seen either talked about by staff here or on other podcasts and other websites.

I get that the time and prep that goes into a QL can be substantial so it may not be worth the effort to get a 20-30min video together for all of these, but I’d love to see some of them covered one way or another – maybe in a UPF-like quick hit show?

I’m with this thread. Major releases have gotten either proper Quick Looks, or a 2-hour stream that is effectively a Quick Look in everything but name.

But as onlineatron just pointed out, there are a lot of smaller games that would’ve warranted a 20-30 minute Quick Look (or segment on UPF) that feel like they’re getting no coverage at all.

Sometimes a game gets lucky like One Step From Eden with Jan playing it, or Maneater with Jason playing it, but mostly not. I appreciate that the staff has gotten many Premium series back online and launched new multiplayer streams like all the Minecraft and Astroneer streams, but I’m kinda confused lately on whether the site is attempting to cover a variety of new releases, or focusing more effort on being salaried variety streamers of older games.

Despite being the feature that is just "Lets just play some of this game" the quick looks always seemed to be a big part of their planning and it's probably actually much easier in these times to just be like "I wanna stream that game".

@efesell: yeah they’ve always talked about how time intensive prep for QLs is so I get why we’ve seen less of them.

But I’m really hoping for a UPF style variety show to come back in some form so the smaller games that maybe don’t warrant getting folks together for a stream on their own get some air time.

QLs have always had a higher standard of production than the "Hey, let's sit down and shoot the shit over some game footage," so I can understand them not wanting to put the branding on a piece of content that doesn't live up to that past excellence.

I get the impression that Quick Looks are more informative and are more likely to be seen/shared by devs and publishers, so it feels like they just don't want to have the more slapdash setup necessitated by recording separately (with some notable exceptions, of course, like Vinny and Jeff's Persona 5 QL, but that was literally a special occasion).

I think they'll come back once the offices open back up.

Aside from half the crew having families without the help of daycare or schools, it’s just hell making sure the games run in a way that is reflective of its quality, while in screen share, factoring in all the differences in power/configuration between each setup among the staff. So much of what makes QLs singular is in everyone reacting in real time to what is happening onscreen. It’s really not as easy as recording locally and everyone sending in their stem to conform to video.

They regularly talk about making improvements to their respective setups, but there is only so much that can be done, and I can understand if they want to hold off on the QL format until it can be done in the quality they established.

There are a few reasons why QL’s are probably on hiatus:

- the current state of the world

- not that many new games coming out

- coordinating production is probably a real hassle working from home

- even though there’s no E3 they still have to plan for the upcoming 3+ months of announcement livestreams

I miss the QLs and I REALLY miss the UPFs! Wreckfest on Fri is such a letdown when I get home from work and am ready for the weekend to start with some Unprofessionalism. Minecraft is cool enough, but I can't really watch all 4 versions of the game with the same banter. It leaves my weekend wanting for content. I'm down for some all day Astroneer streams though. Love the Brad / Vinny teamup!

That said, I appreciate the effort everyone's been putting in under these messed up circumstances. Just wanted to put in my vote for some UPF to return. (Been premium since day 1 and been down with the Duders since Arrow pointing down days)

It really is just a lack of big games, and they don't really cover smaller ones with Quick Looks very often.

The state of the world is that everyone for the past three months has adapted to working from home and they already do plenty of cross-coast content so it's not really anything different than the Dead Space playdate or what have you. When the Last of Us 2 embargo drops they will definitely do a typical Quick Look for it because it's a big name. Until then it's gonna be this grab bag of ideas they're rolling with now.

Quicklooks I feel like were a bit more organized, planned and professionally edited. I also think quick looks were an evolution of video game reviews when videos needed to be short because of size restrictions and general trend of people not being interested in hanging on a video for hours. We have come a long way as far as content trends since 2008 or whenever.

Just another evolution, especially with covid-19 kind of forcing that evolution. Really like what the GB crew is doing still!

I don't miss QLs at all and I love the longer streams they're giving us now every day,
but I also have no problem consuming everything GB does while working or chilling.

Would love a Xenoblade quick look

or any Xenoblade content at all :|

Could be a good time for the return of Encyclopedia Bombastica.

I think the current circumstances make doing traditional quick looks extremely difficult.

The ideal format for a quick look is for the one person who has completed/played the most of the game to be interacting with someone that is coming to the game fresh.

A lot of planning most go into scheduling the streaming content too, so finding a place to slot quick looks into would be a challenge.

But I think the biggest factor is the lack of games warranting a ql.

Good post, interesting topic.

Will second this request. I know big games have been pushed but there are so many indie games hitting id have really liked to see more coverage for if possible. That list above is a good starting point.

Yeah, I would've loved to see a Huntdown QL from Jeff since it feels so much like an Amiga game. Well, and it's pretty great.

The streaming content is good and all but despite the recent lull with regards to major releases, there are still new games (Huntdown!!) that I would love to hear the crew talk about.

I appreciate all the hard work the Giantbomb crew has done while working from home, but I just haven't been a fan of the majority of content coming out. Bloodborne, Fortnite, We be Truckin, We be Drummin, Fallout 2, and the Minecraft streams.... I just don't find them games that are entertaining to watch other people play. Luckily Giantbomb has such an immense back catalog of videos that I've been re-watching instead.

@humanity: GB used to Quick Look small games all the time 5+ years ago. Then they shuffled that stuff off to UPF. Now there’s no UPF, really.

Yeah, I really miss the Quick Looks. I know we know have some solo streams where people look at some games but it doesn't feel the same to me.

First, I think Quick Looks are at their best when it's two people on them, usually one who knows the game and can explain the game to the second person while said second person asks questions. This works great specially for bigger AAA games. However, Quick Looks for smaller games are also really great not only to help us discover some great games hidden on online stores but also because many of those Quick Looks also result in some funny moments.

Some of my favorite Quick Looks were the ones done by Vinny and Alex earlier on the East studio days, when they did QLs for smaller stuff. Don't know exactly what it was but there was something about it that worked really well.

I appreciate all the work GB kept doing on "these unprecedented times", but most of the long solo streams don't really work for me. Bringing back the Quick Look format of two people looking at a game for around 30 minutes would be nice.

@onlineatron: That's a good list... and I have heard of none of those games. If they are interesting, that'd be good to know. The only game I've bought at all recently was SR4, and that was after seeing Jason playing it, which made it look fun.

Doesn't have to be called "quick looks", just some sort of new feature where some of them are covered. It's pretty crazy that this isn't happening with all of this streaming. I mean I like trucks and drums but... weekly, woof.

No, I don't know why I'm picking on Alex, he's great.

i only watched jeff's videos minus the minecraft ones this past few months.....i watch Dan on twitch tho....but that's not giantbomb content anymore :P

@ninkendo: Its a real shame none of the staff members care enough to do this. Instead we get a ton of Minecraft videos and Fortnite. I realise the Virus has caused issues but if anything it gives staff members more time at home to stream this sort of stuff

They're just doing too much mainstream stuff I can find everywhere on youtube: fortnite, minecraft, sims, cod.. It's just not interesting at all. I only watch the trucking and drumming and the podcasts. And the Astroneer stuff can be very entertaining.

Would've loved some QL's of games like Wintermoor Tactics Club, Garden Flipper, Signs of the Sojourner, Cloudpunk and a bunch more interesting games that came out in the last couple of months.

@north6: I love Alex and it’s clear he gets a lot out of those streams but I’m with you.

@brainscratch: Yep! It’s the solo stuff that really kills me, I’ve just never been into solo streamers. Every time a game I’ve been looking forward to coverage of (Maneater, MK: Aftermanth, Umarangi Generation) pops up and it’s a solo stream it’s a bummer. Obviously that’s just me being a dumb spoiled asshole but, argh, yeah...

Honestly, I'm skipping nearly every solo stream. Over the years, GB became something for me to have on in the background as people talk. Solo streams require focus on the screen as people talk about the game. Which I can do for like 10 minutes. But 2 hours doesn't do it for me unless I'm super into a game.

Which is fine, I guess, it's probably better if I only spend a couple hours a week on GB vs. a dozen.

@fjor: Dan's streams have been a godsend. I still watch a couple GB videos a week as well as the podcasts (Hot Spot revival is probably my favorite of the quarantine content), but I really like what Dan's been up to as well.

Back on topic, I miss UPF more than traditional quick looks honestly. It was a regular part of my weekly routine to watch that and not having it sucks :(

I was hoping they'd cover the Wingspan beta as an Unfinished but maybe they'll do a ql when it gets released.

It's a tough time we're all living in right now. Clearly the distancing has an effect on how content is produced. Now, looking at a wider picture many businesses are dissolving away into nothing which includes the entertainment industry. I suggest we find features we enjoy in the current state, and support it with views and a premium membership if you have the means. What I value from Giant Bomb (ever since the Arrow Pointing Down days) is its integrity.

Everywhere you look you find influencers selling bullshit products, paid sponsorships masquerading as reviews, stroke-inducing fabricated YouTube feuds. While the videos may have changed, let's not forget who these duders are. I am glad to still see GB trying and doing their best.

I have to agree with a lot of the general sentiment here.

A majority of the time solo streams do nothing for me. I come to giant bomb for the dynamics between the group and would much rather fewer multi person streams than lots of solo ones.

I do appreciate that's it's a tricky time for the staff though and appreciate all the content they've put out!

I mean there haven't been games and there have. The Mafia II Remastered would've been a great choice for a Quick Look, for one. I was tempted to buy it (having never played the series), until hearing an off-hand Bombcast comment that it was busted as fuck. A Quick Look would've helped me there.

There was also that Picross/Ace Attorney game Murder by Numbers (I think Vinny expressed interest when it was revealed) that would've been really interesting to see too, but now that it's out, nothing. But that's a Switch game so they might have some trouble creating Switch content from home... Then again, Abby has been doing Switch games, so maybe not.

Here here, more Quick Looks! Though I can understand the challenges, I trust the GB crew and enjoy the reactions and critique. C&C Remastered for example, would love to see the GB take on it before I pull the trigger, even if it's pretty well priced. Either way, keep on keepin' on duders.

I miss UPF so much. It was on 11pm my time and ended the week /started the weekend perfectly.

It was usually a nice hangout with the west crew.

completely understand the need to change things obviously.

I should try the minecraft stuff again or watch the millions of hours of old content.

Yeah glad to see I'm not alone. I was giving them a try for a bit but its just boring and shoveled out content.

I really wished they would have tried to get back to multi person streams and some sense of a normalcy over time but it seems like the solo streams are only growing more prevalent.

I guess I'll be back to watching more content when this all blows over. Sadly I don't see them taking feedback.

@csl316: I feel and agree with your post as well. What you're speaking to is the real waste of solo content to me. There is no shelf life to it. There is no substance to it outside the game.

We don't pass around and revisit old Giant Bomb clips like "sit back and watch a master" or "pick up the purse" because they were doing something sick in a game when it happend. It's all about the group and talking together and the chemistry and reactions.

Shame to see how it's been going over quarantine because I could use the content.