Star Spangled Beasters: Part 2: L.A. Noire

I feel kinda bad for Dan and Abby. In another timeline, dressing up with funny costumes and making small dick jokes while chasing fake video game Dan would have made this the best video on the site for months.

It didn't bother me at all and I very much enjoyed the stabs at small genitalia, but I'm not from up there...Timing is a hell of a thing.

@jeff@vinny@alex @rorie

y'all need to take a good long look at this comment section and the theme of this video and decide right here and now what kind of place, and community, you want this to be.

this series is at best in poor taste and at worst a crucial reminder of the disconnect of white americans with the terrible history of their country and how so often they can be blinded by the propaganda that erases it

I’m gonna second that thought. Regardless of whether you agree with the criticism made in these comments or not, it’s really disappointing to see commenters being allowed to mock other people for “outrage” and “being salty” and so on. Same for drive by comments vaguely complaining about all the other comments.

That kind of thing being fine doesn’t really foster a good community that actually cares about what other people have to say.

yeah idk, all of this kinda just reminds me of the lack of diversity and gender representations at GB, I know Abby and Dan are good people but this is all reflective of a lack of representation that needs to be addressed by the site IMO.

The world does not revolve around the feelings of Americans. I enjoyed the content as an Icelandic soul, guess I'm a white nationalist...

What's the point in freedom of speech & expression if you guys keep trying to shame those that exercise it? Let people wave their flags and be proud of their country. There are people proud of countries that have much bigger problems than America does.

Dan and Abby are not even being serious with this content but some of you still can't handle it, makes me wonder the reaction if they were being serious..

Don't like the content, don't watch it!

They already decided what kind of place they want this to be. A website about video games.

Like, sorry if people can't handle that, I guess. As I said in the other thread, I'm American, I'm an immigrant, and I absolutely despise the current administration and the ultra-right, ultra-nationalists which revel in their hatred of everyone who isn't "them".

This video series has absolutely nothing to do with the current socio-political climate. It could not be any further removed from politics.

My wife and I take our rings off when we get home from work. Who wants to sleep with that on

On Topic: I like how, according to this video series, nothing of note occured in the US between the 1830s (Oregon Trail) and 1940s.

Jesus I had no idea the comments on this series were so dumb. If it means anything Abby and Dan, I'm a mexican-american and I think you should keep doing this series.

That being said, I was not able to finish either of the first two episodes because I find both of these games boring.

I've got some bad news for Dan. The Flag Code does in fact forbid wearing the flag as clothing.

I've never felt less patriotic in my life. Read the room GB.

As a Brazilian looking for entertaining content related to video games this series doesn't offend me in any way. I've enjoyed this episode. I only came to the comments section to see if someone has posted what they did wrong in the investigation, but couldn't bother sift through all the bullshit.

I get excited for any new GB content, and I've enjoyed all of the holiday themed videos. Keep it up, thanks!

I think Dan and Abby are good, well-intentioned people, but considering the trash fire that was/is this week in the United States, I don't understand how it's unreasonable to think this series is tasteless. I 100% get that Dan and Abby are not trying to be political with this but I do think that sometimes you need to take a step back and realize that there is such an thing as extremely bad timing. If I were them I would really just take the loss and ax this series.

@kevin_cogneto Trying to make arguments like "Are you saying the World Cup is bad because it focuses on nationalism?????" is a bullshit whataboutism that doesn't even work considering the US isn't even in the World Cup this year. We're not talking about the nationalism of Denmark or Australia here. We're talking about nationalism in regards to a country that, up to yesterday, separated families from their children to punish them for crossing the border.

I'm embarrassed to be a premium member of this website after reading these comments. Holy crap you people need to lighten up and realize why pushing so far left with your political ideology turns those of us a little more central off just like the crazy right wingers do. Think about your "inclusive for all" ideology before you shit all over two people goofing around in a video game in silly costumes for not being exactly what YOU want.

You don't have to hate the good parts of America along with all the shit, you can wear goofy costumes and like the good stuff while recognizing the horrors of the past, present, and sadly future. It's not all or nothing god damnit, and you're being the exact opposite of what you preach when you try and force your opinions on everyone else all the god damned time.

Yeah, reading these anti-nationalist diatribes during the world cup where america didn't even qualify is pretty hysterical

I feel like I'm going crazy reading some of these comments. I realize there's a lot of free-floating embarrassment and concern about america these days but honing in on ironic, gender swapped lady liberty / uncle sam as, like, Actually Not Okay because America is Bad Now is just inconceivable to me. Take your own advice about reading the room, and think about whether the comments section of a video game website is the place to litigate this stuff.

Im less offended by the silly patriotism and more offended by Abby skipping cutscenes in an adventure game... What is the point of playing this game if NOT for the story? Why this restless hurry to progress and in the process missing vital clues and such?

Here here, down with skipping adventure game cut scenes!

@doncabesa: Right there with you. I've been slowly walking away from the left this year. Too much crazy policing of benign "offenses". It's been really disheartening seeing how much the left likes eating their own.

Some people just don't realize that even being on what I believe history will consider the "correct" side of things doesn't give you cart blanche to dictate everything that anyone can do at all times. You can go so far with being inclusive that you end up just being the opposite side of the same coin as the crazy right wingers. Being conservative does not mean being evil, same as being liberal does not mean being open to EVERYTHING.

Sassy Abby is my favorite Abby

Other then not paying attetion to the story and skipping cutscenes.... Abby is great.

Political statement: Both the Republican and Democratic party are TRASH. You people need some liberal agressive progressives to turn your America around. A third party. Good luck with that. You need it.

Now back to gaming! :)

This a great feature! Great job Dan and Abby!

They really rode that dick joke in to the ground.

@doncabesa: Personally, what I find more embarrassing is people whining about respectful criticism and implying that making that criticism somehow turns people more conservative.

This series is fun. Calm, haters!

I never post to comments here or even read them but for some reason I did on this feature. Kind of wish I hadn't. This is a website where people come to watch other people play video games and in some cases pay money to see videos. In the last century 50 million people died of the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu and between 44.4-70.5 million died of famine. Yet we have become so decadent we can spend hours of the free time that generations before us never had watching other people play video games and complain about what they are wearing.

Dan's "ironic" nationalism is by far one of the least appealing things about this website, and seeing a whole feature dedicated to reveling in that is a huge let down on its own, never mind the completely tone-deaf decision to keep it going in spite of all the repugnant things this nation is doing at the moment.

these comments are really eye-opening, as well. pretty sad to see what the community is becoming. full of people who would rather shut down and cry foul than interrogate their world view, and people who balk at the idea that content creators should be held to any sort of standard, or be criticized.

im gonna sit this series out, as well. this is not the kind of stuff i wanna see my subscription money supporting.

Man, I miss the time when Obama was President. I live in Germany and America seemed always like a good allie and a stable country.

Now, it only takes two people wearing silly costumes to start political discussions.

In the next election, please vote for a good, smart president that just does his/her job and lets the people focus on important stuff...video games for example ;P

They have one, it is called Civilization because your description is the story of humanity and more recently ALL Western societies. Does resting it on the shoulders of all humanity make it right? Of course not. However if you do want to dredge it up then you need to take the whole damn world with you.

Please drop this bit.

@dougcl: I am not sure Dan has given any indication that that part of him is ironic and given everything else about Dan I find that hard to believe. Agree with everything else you have said.

After some discussion, Giant Bomb has decided to cancel this feature. My original intention was to have a lighthearted holiday feature in the same vein as Six Crazy Frights and The Dating Games. The feature was planned months ago and I tried to do a careful job of curating games loosely tied to American history that we might not normally get to play. It is clear the discourse has moved far beyond the content of the feature.

The timing of the release of these episodes is, admittedly, the absolute worst. These videos are in no way a condonation of Trump's current immigration policy. I of course think these practices are abhorrent and go squarely against American values and ideals.

I am going to continue to do my job as an American citizen to fight for marginalized groups and I hope you do, too. Take care.

A boy scout in the ‘50s? I think so.

Why do politics have to ruin everything?

Damn remember when y'all went crazy over an Uncle Sam outfit lmao

i take my wedding ring off all the time if i'm at home. but mine is made out of rocks and i'm worried that it'll break or shatter or something if I donk it against something, so I try to be really careful.

anyways what else is going on in these comments oh nooOOOO