Thursday, July 7, 2011

DEMOCRACY!!!

Alright, folks - let's get some audience-participation on! Should Episode 54 focus on:

A.) "Operation Rainfall"?

or

B.) The Supreme Court?

Start voting now in the comments or on Twitter (please RETWEET this page if you do.)

NOTICE: Any and all write-in votes for "turn series back into a generic slideshow" will almost-certainly produce the opposite of the desired effect ;)

Have at it!

119 comments:

Dollar Optimizer said...

Supreme Court

The Mason said...

I vote for Operation Rainfall.

cosmosrules said...

B) The Supreme Court

Patman_Forever_51 said...

Rainfall. N of A could stand to be taken down a peg by a Ninetendo fan.

J.C. Hedges said...

Supreme Court

Kyle said...

Looking forward to both, but lets go with Operation Rainfall for my vote.

Drunken Lemur said...

Definitely Supreme Court.

Anonymous said...

Operation Rainfall

Anonymous said...

Operation Rainfall, since I haven't heard anything from you on the subject.

Also, maybe whatever topic doesn't win could get a short article written about it and linked to under the video or something. Just a thought.

Mads said...

Vote Operation Rainfall.

The supreme court case isn't that interesting because it has very minor impact in practice.

The justices who said the law was bad didn't say that the theoretical existence of a law against the sale of deviantly violent entertainment is bad...they struck it down primarily because it was medium-specific.

Games that include too many erotic themes still aren't as well protected speech, for example, as the rest of games. So we now know you can't target a specific medium. But we already knew that because it's been tried before. So we really know nothing new.

Oh, and justice scalia called them speech. Which even a blind mole can see is true. So...we didn't really learn anything new there either.

So uh.. We won. Untill they decide to censor all entertainment rather than just games, when it comes to sales to minors. Then we'll lose.

That hardly sounds like it'll make for a good episode.

There are some excellent articles on it at ars technica, and the daily show treated the ruling by mocking how inane it is to restrict sale of eroticism to teenagers by law, while violence is unrestricted. I doubt you can really add anything.

Now, that other thing, that sounds curious, strange, and weird...right up your alley! Do want!

ConanThe3rd said...

Cancel the show.

I don't want ether point being hidden in a crap story and as you will not produce a "Story Free" version for those who would rather the point (An irony given that you are fulling your own prophecy about the show not being the "Bob gets to the fucking point show"), I vote nether and rather an end to this farce.

But you won't do that, will you?

This isn't New Game OverThinker, it's Game Overthinker Destiny, it's Game Overthinker Underground, it's Game Overthinker Other M.

And no, sir. I don't like it.

Youngoli said...

Operation Rainfall gets my vote.

Andrew said...

Wow, it's a tied vote as of my typing this. I vote Supreme Court, as I think that episode should be done while the decision is still fresh in our minds. Operation Rainfall is still sort of ongoing, so it'd make more sense to do the Supreme Court decision first.

webfox100 said...

Do one over the Supreme Count has that is said and done where as Operation Rainfall could change it the future.

rahvii said...

Operation rainfall

ZigTheHunter said...

Operation Rainfall.

ScrewAttackSamus said...

Supreme Court, though I take it you'll get Rainfall when you can?

Logan.Barnett said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Persnickety Penguin said...

Operation rainfall

The Persnickety Penguin said...

operation Rainfall, mainly because that will only be relevant for a little while while, the supreme court issue will remain relevant for quite some time

Arturo said...

IMHO, Rainfall can wait, let's go for Supreme Court.
I believe Bob should get on this ASAP, before talking about it loses relevance. I get the feeling that Rainfall and everything surrounding it could linger on for a while.

3dpprofessor said...

When you say "Supreme Court" I assume you're at least inspired by S.978? Otherwise you're doing a bit more for you political show on YouTube.

And, listen, I wanna chime in on this. Ever other video game rant show out there wants to be a knock off of AVGN with the mix of funny commentary and crappy action sequences. The thing that set you apart is you had no aspirations.

Why did you go and level yourself with /them/?

Margaret J Evans said...

I vote for the Supreme Court decision.

Axl said...

A) Operation Rainfall. Final answer.

scalesword89 said...

Operation Rainfall

Logan.Barnett said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Logan.Barnett said...

Operation Rainfall. I still haven't heard your thoughts on the subject. Btw several of the higher ups in Operation Rainfall have stated they've received confidential information that at least Xenoblade and Last Story are planned for a North American release and have been before this campaign even started.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=217543364947882&id=100002207167728

http://oprainfall.blogspot.com/2011/07/source-ntsc-xenoblade-done-last-story.html

SatansBestBuddy said...

I'd go with Supreme Court.

Operation Rainfall is still very much a story in progress, and it'll probably be best to wait until the campaign is finished so we can stand back a bit and get a better grasp of the bigger picture.

There's also been some interesting (and good) news for Rainfall today, so it would be in your best interests to examine the fallout rather than dive in head first and end up with an episode that's outdated not even a week after it's finished.

Antonio Black said...

I vote for Operation Rainfall.
It might make for a damn good episode.

Matthew said...

Operation Rainfall =D

Unknown said...

I had no clue what Operation Rainfall was until I goggled it, so I vote for it. Definitely want to hear more about that, and your thoughts about it. Although I'm sure it would be interesting either way.

And I wouldn't ask you to go back to the slideshow. Why I do enjoy that format better, you have now 3 series that do it already (Escape to the Movies, Big Picture, American Bob) and you're obviously having a lot of fun here, so have your fun! You probably need it.


I would however reiterate that I really enjoyed the commentary video on episode 50, so if it's at all doable I'd love for you to release more "making of" videos or commentaries or anything like that.

For ease of counting up the votes, I'll write mine again in ll caps:

A) OPERATION RAINFALL

Zelkian said...

Supreme Court

The Almighty Narf said...

Operation Rainfall

Isn't really much to say about the Supreme Court thing,

Anonymous said...

I would join the both vote, but might as well get the Supreme Court out of the way while it's still newsworthy, then tackle Rainfall (which I didn't know about until I checked Wikipedia).

Smashmatt202 said...

Umm... Supreme Court.

I don't know what the other thing is, and I think the Supreme Court thing is more relevant, IMO.

Smpoza said...

1. Operation Rainfall-A SC case will undoubtedly remain relevant long enough for you to get to eventually, but a fan boycott against a game company that seems to actually be WORKING...now that's interesting. Plus, as one of the internet people somewhat more friendly towards Nintendo than others, your take might be interesting.
2. While I'm not nearly as anti-story as some of the other commenters (seriously guys, he's ENTERTAINING YOU FOR FREE. That's like complaining that the guy who gives you free popcorn switches to kettlecorn.) I'd say the main problem I have with it is pacing. Probably the best executed review stories are in Linkara's videos, and what he usually does is makes 95% of the show review and 5% at the beginning or end story or action, culminating in one episode that's all story. What's disconcerting about your videos is that you spend probably only 60-70% on the review, and spread review and story out equally. The transitions are annoying; it's like having to stop playing SMB3 every five minutes to play three minutes of Super Metroid. Neither are bad per se, but it's just annoying to keep shifting focus.
Golly that was long. But yeah, OPERATION RAINFALL

Sir Laguna said...

Operation Rainfall.

Nathan said...

operation rainfall please, thank you for taking votes on new content!

I will be honest and say i wish we were voting about another matter as well...

Alien426 said...

The Supreme Court, please.

imsmart said...

Good. Use your aggressive feelings, boy. Let the hate flow through you.

Ralphael said...

I must say that this is a very cute attempt at pretending to care what your fans want from the show.

Wish you'd stop shitting on the fans who got you your job at Screw Attack.

Anonymous said...

Both very good, I hope you do both eventually, but I vote for Operation Rainfall first.

Anonymous said...

Anything without the cringeworthy AVGN knock-off wacky funny hilarity would be good.

YES, THIS AGAIN.

Anonymous said...

Rainfall.

Crimson said...

First off, my vote: Operation Rainfall. That needs some more press, dammit. Nintendo of A and Fils-Aimee really need to get wrist-slapped by a true diehard fan. So far, all we have is Jim Sterling... and he's a bit harsh at that.

So, for my vote: Rainfall.

Second, everyone... chill the hell out. Two shows on the Escapist AND this monthly blog-show with connections to S.A. is what we get from ol' MB, as well as his new political commentary show on Tube. What more do you want, egg in yer beer? I've not always agreed with his opinions or thoughts, especially regarding some games or movies, same with Yahtzee, but it's mildly-fun with deeper things to consider in the meanwhile. Cut MovieBob some slack, fer chrissakes! You want straight up commentary, go to American Bob or Big Picture. You want off-the-wall review, go to Escape Movies. This is where Bob gets to be just Bob. I'm for it.

JPArbiter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JPArbiter said...

Can't I have both? Pick Operation Rainfall, as it is more interesting, and will be prone to less gloating to the Anti Gamer Crowd.

and stick to your guns man, the show has gotten more amusing to me since you ditched generic slideshow.

counterpoint said...

Operation rainfall, as I'm pretty sure i know what you have to say about the supreme court...

also, there will be, sadly, more opportunities to discuss the Court in the future...

RestamSalucard said...

Gotta vote for Rainfall.

Patrick said...

I vote Operation Rainfall. The Supreme Court stuff is cool and all, but I feel like everything that can be said about that has already been said. Operation Rainfall, on the other hand, isn't as widely known and deals with a lot of interesting issues regarding game localization, American video game audiences in general, American Wii owners in particular, and the ability of fans to actually make a difference in the industry despite often feeling like we can't. The Supreme Court stuff is more like "Yay! We won! Now what? *Insert Speculation Here*". I'm sure you could think of something interesting to say, Bob, but it feels over-done and I feel like you would have a lot more to say about Rainfall since you are a fan of Nintendo, a fan of Japan, and a fan of RPGs.

I'll tune in either way. I think you're getting a lot better mixing the overthinking with the story elements. Commissioner Bunnyface is awesome, by the way, though I think you should work on making his desk wobble less.

onlyelisha said...

Operation Rainfall, and to the person that said that it was a boycott, it is not. It's a letter writing campaign with other similiar methods. They encourage people to continue to buy Nintendo products to show Nintendo that we actual want there games.

Kindberg said...

Operation Rainfall

Smashmatt202 said...

Wow, there are a LOT of votes for Operation Rainfall. I wasn't expecting this...

Max2k3 said...

turn series into generic story series referencing video games with wacky monkey cheese humor. and with some commentary as an afterthought.

Smashmatt202 said...

Okay, I just found out what Operation Rainfall is, and I'm glad to see so many people passionate about it... But I doubt it will work.

After all, if Nintendo of America isn't going to publish Mother 3 in America, then what are the odds of Operation Rainfall working?

Colin said...

Operation Rainfall, please.

Reneiw said...

Operation Rainfall would be nicer because it could turn out to be an "Open Letter to Nintendo (Of America)".

Seriously, the only reason Rainfall didn't work was because Nintendo of America doesn't like touching Nintendo of Japan other than:
---To drag Shigeru Miyamoto on stage for E3 to brag about being one of the Founding Fathers of Video Games, or
---To take credit for franchises they didn't make.

Evil Monkey said...

Well, since extra credits alredy talked about the implications of the supreme court decision i'll go with rainfall.

But that dosen't mean that you cant do both.

DarkKnight86 said...

Operation Rainfall

DarkKnight86 said...

Operation Rainfall

Curttehmurt said...

I care very little about Rainfall, I mean I guess NOA are kind of being dicks, but I don't really care about those 3 games

So I'd say talk about the Supreme Court thing

JodeciDeion:TheWon said...

Supreme Court! Rainfall is like the 3rd or 4th biggest thing this generation. Yet for some reason it's treated like the biggest injustice to gamers of all time. PS3 Linux Removal Campaign members are laughing at ORF. Let a company take away something you paid for ,and then comeback and talk to me. Most gamers who really wanted those games already imported them last year. So ya Supreme Court please!

Jared said...

Operation Rainfall!

wolf deity said...

operation rainfall

Fever Dream Dog Party said...

I'm glad that you're having a good time adding more depth and story to this once great series but i'm not a big fan of this change. I honestly prefer the older style where you would just talk about a subject and not have any strange plot to it.

But hell if you stop doing your videos in this format you may never perfect the art of film making, which is why you got into all of this (i think) and who knows maybe the quality will improve over time.

I vote Operation Rainfall simply because i have no idea what it is.

MajorRed53 said...

Supreme Court

Mr Thee said...

Operation Rainfall, and maybe the history of video game fan outbursts. The Supreme court can wait.

Samuel said...

Rainfall, as I'm already well aware of the supreme court story.

Do both,preferably. They're both quite relevant.

KaiKasparek said...

Operation Rainfall

Also, you are really selling yourself short by calling your old way of doing this "a generic slideshow." half of the fun of your videos was pausing them when we had noticed a blink-and-you-missed-it smartass comment.

Another thing. I was watching a Black Sabbath DVD and Ozzy Osbourne was talking about how maybe he should learn an instrument or learn music theory or "learn what it's all about" and we he told that to confidants they said back to him "if you do that you'll be making the biggest mistake of your life, because you will lose what you already have."

and that's the way I see you right now Bob. The more you go down this road that reeks of everything bad about the modern internet reviewer (storytelling, characters blah blah), the more you are losing what made you special in the first place.

Adam said...

Right now I want to hear more about Operation Rainfall.

Laserkid said...

thats a really close call, but I think we can get a lot more depth of conversation from operation rainfall, so thats my vote

Nick said...

Operation rainfall.

The supreme court decision is too clear cut for this. It happened, we won, awesomeness ensues, not much to really say.

Operation rainfall, however, has room for plenty of interesting opinions and arguments.

Ramzeltron said...

The Supreme Court.

As much as I would like to hear your thoughts both issues, my most desired choice is that one.

Jwillx70 said...

operation rainfall

David said...

Operation Rainfall. I've heard way too much about the supreme court lately.

Reverend Allan Ironside said...

OPERATION RAINFALL!

Bob, the Supreme court thing is done and over and we won, but the JRPGs are DYING! It[s a drought this generation and we of the RPG faithful are STARVED! I blasted through Blue Dragon, Lost Odyessy, and Eternal Sonata and now I'm DYING! Where's the RPG library that dominated the PS 1 and 2 era? Those games sell like hotcakes and Blue Dragon is STILL the most popular RPG on the Xbox, even in Japan.

My God Bob, you HAVE to help us. Spread the word. Get the vote out. THe world has to know how bad this situation is or JRPGs may go back to the obscure fanbase they were before Final Fantasy VII blew up the series.

Bob, your country--your Gamers--need you.

Unknown said...

I vote for Operation Rainfall.

Unknown said...

Operation Rainfall, please.

Joobaloob56 said...

B) The Supreme Court!

Because the 9 most powerful people in the country deserve a special episode for the recent decision.

Cyberwolfe4dk said...

Go with "Operation Rainfall", please.
Continue the good work and please give us more "American Bob"... that has been really popular at work.

Fej said...

Operation Rainfall.

Phantos said...

Operation Rainfall.

The Supreme Court decision is monumental, to be sure, but it can wait. Operation Rainfall, on the other hand, has a decreasing window of opportunity to get some decent exposure and still(maybe) amount to something.

That, and I think the angle of making a dialogue between consumers and publishers/developers, and Nintendo's supposed arrogance in the matter would provide more to talk about anyway.

Anonymous said...

Operation Rainfall

linkzeldi said...

I'm so unsure. They both sound like good topics.

Eh I'll go with Operation Rainfall. I'm a nintendo fan before I'm a civics major.

Wes said...

I vote Operation Rainfall, personally. I think it has more relevance for the moment, while the Supreme Court decision is something that analysts will be discussing for years to come.

On a separate note regarding the change to a story-driven narrative: I don't dislike the story. I did at first, but it has grown on me. However, the current format just isn't working(by current format, I mean this last episode as my primary example, since that seems to be where you are focusing). I believe Ben Croshaw(or Yatzhee as he's known professionally)said it best in his review of Portal 2: "Story should never disrupt gameplay." Likewise, story should never disrupt commentary. I was genuinely interested in both arcs, but the early interruption just threw me off, and I'll admit made me more than a little annoyed. However, I'm not just here to criticize you. If you'd allow me, I'd like to offer an example of a solution that both fulfills what you appear to be working with, while also appeasing the more reasonable detractors among your fans. It's a relatively simple fix: Just introduce your main story plot point, if there is going to be one, right at the beginning. In this case, the time-line would be something like this:
Recap of crazy arsonist man.
Officer Bunnyface calls The Overthinker over videogame intrusions.
Overthinker hops on his cloud, starts musing about the Security issue at hand to kill time while the cloud takes him to the industrial district.
Overthinker touches down after getting through the meat of the topic, has second conversation with Bunnyface.
The final points are made over the fight with Abobo.

It is still not a perfect structure, and it won't appease the people who don't want any story at all(though honestly, I get the feeling that those type of folks are the ones who would bitch at you about the font you were using if you took out the story, then the speed of your cuts, then what picture you choose, etc. etc. Troll Critics, if you will), but it would improve the flow and allow you to do both ventures without making them fight for screentime. Just my two cents, keep up the good work!

Vyse said...

I say Operation Rainfall. Not much left to say about the Supreme Court.

Anonymous said...

Operation Rainfall

3DSNewNews! said...

Operation Rainfall.

Raso said...

Operation Rainfall could really use the extra hype now.

The past will always be there but the present waits for no one. And presently, Operation Rainfall needs the love.

Oliver said...

Operation Rainfall. Period.

Unknown said...

operation rainfall

flamey said...

operation rainfall

Anonymous said...

Operation Rainfall, please!

KJBaruch said...

DEFINITELY operation rainfall

sonikirby said...

My vote is Operation Rainfall

MagmarFire said...

Operation Rainfall. As if there were any doubt!

Funja said...

Op rainfall

Jetamungo said...

Operation Rainfall please.

urahara75 said...

Humbly petitioning for your 2 pence on Operation Rainfall.

Loneliness Ends With You said...

Operation RainFall

JMinor said...

operation rainfall

question said...

Operation Rainfall all the way.

Yangsta said...

Operation Rainfall

Anubis C. Soundwave said...

I'd say Operation Rainfall.

While I suspect that NoA is "saving" the games involved in said Operation for the upcoming WiiU, hearing your thoughts on Nintendo (NoA and Nintendo Co., Ltd.) and Operation Rainfall--as a Nintendo fan--would be enlightening.

O/T: As far as your "story" segments, I'm not a huge fan, but it's your show and your blog, MovieBob Overthinker--do what you want.

Mousa the 14 said...

Operation Rainfall is my preference dear gent and good luck on your next video.

Zachary Gallant said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Zachary Gallant said...

Supreme Court

Gabriel said...

Rainfall

£«» said...

Operation rainfall

Johnny Josefsen said...

Operation Rainfall

Not that it would help, but just wanted to say that i wouldn´t want it to go back to slideshow. The new walking around in neat scenery is quite nice, and it´s cool to have some different camera angles. But That could work really well without the storyline :)

genevainabottle12245 said...

I'm going with option C: make an episode that's actually good for once in 30 episodes.

GoofierBrute said...

Operation Rainfall

pyrox52 said...

rainfall cuz i dont c how u can make a good full ep on just the supreme court case

Highman_95 said...

Definitely option A or Operation Rainfall since it's really current and it also really reminds me of the whole Mother/Earthbound series that NOA (Nintendo of America)have been almost completely giving the middle finger to Mother fans in America. But I definitely want the Supreme Court episode to be 55 since it's obviously huge, but it will also be 30 episodes after the last time you tackled this subject. Anyway, I'm still excited for new Overthinker episodes in the near future.

Unknown said...

Rainfall. "Make it rain!" ;-)

chartos said...

I have vote for Supreme Court

(Null) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
(Null) said...

Operation Rainfall

things i'd like to be discussed within this show:

-NoA and Global Nintendo min-max way of thinking. Where does it lead?
-where the JRPG stands today.
-the positive impact of niche small sales games for the platform, the company and the industry.
-commercial model alternatives. Wii JRPG Redemption Pack for NA.

Gwendolyn said...

Thanks for your article, very useful information.