kirklandkonnection Reviews (2)

The Angry Video Game Nerd (2004– )

Gone back to the past and enjoyed almost every trip!

[8/10 · 20 November 2012]

Well there's no real point in saying what has been said over and over again about the series but it can't simply be ignored either. I'll put it to you like this... I made mention of the show to a friend of mine who is overly critical about a lot of things in general. He told me he didn't like watching almost any web shows as he prefers his entertainment to have some sort of production value to it. That's fair I suppose, anyone can get in front of a camera these days and throw it online. Several weeks later he was over at my place and I threw it on for some background noise and my friend couldn't keep his eyes off my TV. I think that's a good example of how a lot of us felt during one of our first AVGN experiences. We couldn't stop and we haven't let AVGN stop since either.

He is very entertaining as he is extremely creative. He has friends work with him on reviews who also do a great job in adding to the +1 stuff that gives you more than just a standard video game review and hey are 'recyled' well throughout the series. That being said, the reviews will often do well to provide a history and back story to not just the game that being reviewed but almost anything applicable to it as well.

What I really appreciate about AVGN is that he plays well on his strengths and while turning his weakness into positives as well. He is quick to make running jokes about simple props and makes great use everything available to him. This obviously has a lot to do with his cinematic background and education.

Overall he is very entertaining and any flaws can be easily overlooked or spoken to. He has turn what seemed to be a weekend project of reviewing a select few games he wanted to speak out about from his childhood into one of the most successful web shows today. So successful that a movie is well on its way to the public as I type. That says a lot right there. So whether its a game, console or concept review I can safely say that AVGN will always hold a special spot in my heart as one of my favourite shows ever.

The Irate Gamer (2007– )

irate gamer is... a web show, take it at face value

[4/10 · 20 November 2012]

I realize there is a hate on for this guy but I'm going to do a quick summary of the big picture from a retro gamer/collectors perspective.

Honestly, I've seen worse. This doesn't justify anything good or bad from his reviews but it is what it is, a low budget web show. I don't feel he is the great actor or even a good one at that but I enjoy watching NES, Atari, and so on reviews. Because of his strength is not acting I think taking a more narrative approach (like Aqualungs Atari Reviews) would really help him out with this problem. Maybe do more of an animated approach to the review (Code Monkeys did a great job of this) could have help out with the lack of alternative actors that appear on the show as well.

I always though he was a bit of a mock AVGN wannabe but he's not alone in that department and you know what, his History of Video Games series made me think twice about making that initial judgement call.

Overall I think he tries a bit too hard and needs to play on his strengths more then rehashing his weakness time and time again. Its not a horrible web show and he gets a lot of flack for it, which is too bad cause internet heroes are a dime a dozen and I would like to see a fraction of people even make the attempt. Not defending him by any means, he's done some things that are a little hard not to comment on but there's a little more to see here than just flaws.

Me I watch it time and again but I don't think I will be buying anything from his store anytime soon. It is what it is, take it or leave it really. I got a soft spot for retro gaming, so this is one of the web shows I check out.