Okay, this isn't necessarily scientific or going to amount to anything, but I thought I'd take an informal poll of viewers/readers/fans/whatever. The subject: Here's a list of ten characters who've appeared on the show between, er... since we started having characters other than me on the show - I'd like to see people "rank" them in order of favorite to least-favorite in order of 1-10, 10 being least-favorite and 1 being favorite:
STRAWMAN
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
THE ANTI-THINKER
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
RETROTHINKER
NECROTHINKER
SENATOR LIEBERSON
IVAN THE INTERN
You'll of course note that there's no "I hate them all, just get rid of them and make a generic YouTube slideshow" option; but by all means feel free to opine in that direction as well - because surely this time it's going to register, as opposed to every other time ;)
80 comments:
IVAN THE INTERN
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
STRAWMAN
THE ANTI-THINKER
SENATOR LIEBERSON
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
RETROTHINKER
NECROTHINKER
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
IVAN THE INTERN
RETROTHINKER
STRAWMAN
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
SENATOR LIEBERSON
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
NECROTHINKER
THE ANTI-THINKER
1. Retrothinker
2. Necrothinker
3. Hooded Figure
4. Strawman
5. Ivan the Intern
6. Senator Lieberson
7. Commissioner Bunnyface
8. Pyrothinker
9. Cryothinker
10. The Anti-Thinker
My personal fave is the Retrothinker because of how much of a neat comment he is on where we were with gaming, and how much it has matured over the years (for better and for worse, actually, THAT is what makes him the most interesting) Plus it helps that he's someone that YOU (Bob Chipman) can probably relate rather close to.
I was never a fan of the Anti-Thinker stint. Maybe it was because it was your first dramatic set and were getting into it.
(BTW, I'm enjoying the more recent episodes a lot more than the Anti-Thinker ones, you're meshing your story a lot better with the rant/commentary stuff that I came to your blog for)
1. Senator
2. Comissioner Bunnyface
3. Retro/Necro
4. Necro/Retro
5. Anti-thinker (He'd be higher if he had been treated as a character in his own right. Elaborating on the park monologue [My pick for the best moment in the show thus far.] or just allowing him to grow a little. I don't think he was given the best possible send off.)
6. Ivan
7. Cryo/Pyro
8. Pyro/Cyro
9. Strawman
I refuse to pass judgement on Monster Voiced Guy untill I have a motive and an established character and does Retro/Necrothinker count as two different characters?
Also: I genuinely like the story elements that you've put into the show. Their fairly well done and you've got better choreography and production values than most of the other "one-man" shows out there.
I would also like to congratulate you on the latest story arc. Its the most interesting thus far and though the continued motif of evil opposites is a little frustrating it's better done here.
Also: Also: I've put some thought into why so many people have such an issue with your storylines. The most obvious of which is that people don't like change but thats a little too easy.
In all honesty I think that the biggest problem people have with your storylines is that your explicitly the chosen one. "One man can maintain the ballence..." "He is the Game Overthinker!"
This combined with how confrontational you generally are means that you're almost always talking down to and attacking the audience. It's implied even in episodes where you're being entirely positive.
I'm not sure how you would change it though.
Ok. Yes I do have a couple of ideas. This is my favorite:
Bring back the Anti-Thinker in the next story arc. (Or someone with a similar character and/or taste in video games. [Given that taste in video games shape character in this series.]) And have them join into a legion of Thinkers. He/ she faces off with enemies from their chosen genra.
Also: Also: Also: because I've never had the opertunity to say it before:
"First!"
Edit: Damn all your hides.
1. Commissioner John Buonifacio
2. Ivan the Intern
3. Retrothinker
4. Senator Lieberson
5. Anti-Thinker
6. Necrothinker
7. Hooded Figure
8. Cryothinker
9. Pyrothinker
10. Strawman
When are we going to be seeing more of Lieberson? That arc seemed like it was going in an interesting direction.
10. Strawman
9. Antithinker
8. Cryo
7. Pyro
6. Ivan
5. Retro
4. Senator
3. Monster
2. Necro
1. Bunny
Since he wasn't an option, I'll jest say that I would have put the Overthinker himself near the bottom of the list as well, as he, along with Strawman and the Antithinker are some of the worst cases of you just giving personal avatars to your opinions, whether it was intentional or not.
Thankfully, you seem to be going away from that with the Necrothinker, but I would still like to see the Overthinker have some flaws, or maybe (gasp) be wrong about something for once. As it is, there's still very little I find separating the Overthinker from Bob Chipman ever since you decided he should be a "character" like the AVGN.
1. Senator Lieberson (this was the ninja-american, right?)
2. Monster-Voice Guy
3. Strawman
4. Bald-guy from Rygar
5. G-Play crew
6. Pyro/Cryo-thinker
7. Anti-Thinker
8.Commissioner
9.Ivan
10.Necrothinker (mostly because the scene with him speaking in that first episode was the most unintentionally hilarious thing you've ever produced.)
Sorry for posting again so soon, but an example just occurred to me.
In short, instead of the Necrothinker being a flaw of the Retrothinker, a character who is less visibly "you" compared to the Overthinker, the Necrothinker could have been an "inner demon" created from the Overthinker's own darker thoughts about modern gaming, and would have been a threat and philosophy that the Overthinker would have to overcome and reject on his own, all the while knowing that he was responsible for his creation in the first place.
This would be better if it was "rate each character from 0 to 99 and say n/a if you don't care or know nothing about them" so I'm going to do that.
STRAWMAN 70
PYROTHINKER 40
CRYOTHINKER 40
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE 99
THE ANTI-THINKER 70
HOODED FIGURE 20
RETROTHINKER 30
NECROTHINKER 10
SENATOR LIEBERSON n/a
IVAN THE INTERN 99
CRYOTHINKER
NECROTHINKER
PYROTHINKER
THE ANTI-THINKER
RETROTHINKER
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
IVAN THE INTERN
SENATOR LIEBERSON
STRAWMAN
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
01.RETROTHINKER
02.IVAN THE INTERN
03.COMMISSIONER BUONIFACIO
04.NECROTHINKER
05.HOODED FIGURE
06.STRAWMAN
07.SENATOR LIEBERSON
08.CRYOTHINKER
09.PYROTHINKER
10.THE ANTI-THINKER
1: RETROTHINKER - It's hard to put into words why I like Retrothinker. I guess I just think he's the most interesting character yet.
2: SENATOR LIEBERSON - I love the concept of a "Ninja-American". Plus, I like the ominous foreshadowing of that comment he made in episode 61.
3: COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE - I definitely like him because he's a legitimately funny character with an entertaining running gag; not just because he's ADORABLE.(The adorable thing does help though)
4: IVAN THE INTERN - To be honest, I didn't like Ivan at first. But he grew on me. I think mostly because of his developing talent for lamp-shade hanging.
5: HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY") - Hard to get a peg on this guy really, since he's barely a character and more like a plot device at this point. That said, I sure do love me an over-the-top Big Bad Evil Guy.
6: THE ANTI-THINKER - I never really had a problem with him. I especially liked the Hidden Depths hinted at in episode 46. Shame he didn't get a chance to develop into a real character.
7: CRYOTHINKER - pair of silent, pallet-swapped, elementally powered ninjas? Sign me up!
8: PYROTHINKER - Same as above, minus a few points simply because I've always thought ice was a "cooler" element than fire.(ba-dum-psh)
9: NECROTHINKER - Being that he seems like little more than Retrothinker's dark side, it's hard to rank him as a character. That said, I like a villain who represents the hero's greatest flaws...cause that is what's going to happen right? Bob's going to realize that he could end up like Retrothinker if he doesn't come to terms with the gaming world of today...RIGHT?!
10: STRAWMAN - Pretty much the only character on this list I don't like at all. I was SO glad when he died. Maybe I'd have an easier time standing him if his arguments were better thought out, or more logical, but something tells me that would defeat the purpose of the character.
1. Game Overthinker 2009
2. Game Overthinker 2008
3. Game Overthinker 2010
.
.
.
.
.
.
10. Game Overthinker 2011
11. Game OVerthinker 2012
12. All of your plot characters.
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE is okay, the rest are just annoying. While the side show has it's occasionally funny moment, its mostly just annoying.
I may be biased, but my vote is for the Game Overthinker's Brother ;)
"I hate them all, just get rid of them and make a well filmed, well informed and interesting videogame discussion show without mediocre home video segments, which doesn´t have to be just a slideshow show."
Didn´t want to write anything, but you told me to :p, so there you have it.
1. IVAN THE INTERN
2. SENATOR LIEBERSON
3. COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
4. RETROTHINKER
5. PYROTHINKER
6. CRYOTHINKER
7. THE ANTI-THINKER
8. HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
9. NECROTHINKER
10. STRAWMAN
From #1 to #10:
Ivan the Intern
Commissioner Bunnyface
Strawman
Hooded Figure
Necrothinker
Sen. Lieberson
Retrothinker
Pyrothinker
Cryothinker
Anti-Thinker
1. Anti-thinker (I don't know why people hated him so much. He's funny in the same way Jay and Silent Bob are. They're dumb and vulgar and hilarious, though obviously Anti-thinker's much more mean-spirited.)
2. Ivan
3. Commissioner Bunnyface
4. Retrothinker
5. Strawman
6. Senator Lieberson
Then I feel the same about all the other evil characters. I think it's pretty clear that I'm more a fan of the comedy aspects than the action/mystery.
I'd like Lieberson more if his hand-gestures weren't so ridiculously exaggerated. Maybe that's the point, because he's a gesticulating politician, but it's just distractingly grand, in my opinion.
But I'm liking where the story is headed!
Okay, I'll bite:
1) Retrothinker/Necrothinker: A little heavy handed, but a nice commentary on both the best and worst of the "old school" crowd.
2) Bunnyface: My love of cute animals shows.
3) Ivan: Every hero needs a sidekid and every comic needs a straightman.
4) Hooded figure: Cool in an 80s villan sort of way.
5) Strawman: A little dangerous as it can make you look like or actually be a strawman yourself, but necessary in such a show.
6) Senetor: Really too little to go on.
7) Anti Thinker: got the joke, just didn't like it much.
8) Pyro/Cryo: I guess if you're a fan of mute ninjas that blow stuff up they're fine, to me, they were props more than characters.
PS I do like these story bits, but even if I didn't, I do admire anyone that goes such an extra mile on a fan project.
THE ANTI-THINKER
STRAWMAN
RETROTHINKER
NECROTHINKER
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
IVAN THE INTERN
SENATOR LIEBERSON
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
Bunnyface.
No question
1. Ivan the Intern!!!
2. Retrothinker ("redeem" him!)
3. Necrothinker ("redeem" him back to Retrothinker with the Necro powers = win)
4. Pyrothinker/Cryothinker
5. Commissioner Bunnyface
6. Anti-Thinker
7. Hooded Monster Voice Guy
8. Senator Lieberson
9. Strawman
IVAN THE INTERN
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
HOODED FIGURE
RETROTHINKER
NECROTHINKER
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
ANTITHINKER
SENATOR LIEBERSON
STRAWMAN
I don't particularly dislike any single one of these characters but I definitely love Ivan and bunnyface.
Oh, ans I'm really looking forward to see how you use that Hooded Figure guy. He has this Cosmic, larger-than-life 'feel' to him that I really dig in a villain.
(Best) 1. IVAN THE INTERN
2. COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
3. NECROTHINKER
4. RETROTHINKER
5. SENATOR LIEBERSON
6. HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
7. CRYOTHINKER
8. PYROTHINKER
9. STRAWMAN
(Worst) 10. THE ANTI-THINKER
I think Id like them all a lot better if you'd stop using a voice modulator.
Bunnyface - He's a bunny police commissioner, if he had a mustache and cigar I'd have to demand that you have a shop just so I can buy a pluch Bunnyface.
Antithinker - I admit, I kinda like the guy, in the sense that people like The Room. I wouldn't mind a comeback of Antithinker.
Retrothinker - I like the idea of a gamer from the past waking up to the present, though his fall to Necrothinker didn't really click with me.
Lieberninja - He's kinda eh, I know he is going to be a big character, but we never really see what he is going to do.
Ivan - Also eh, but I know he's there to poke fun at the situation and Pinkie-up the fourth wall; but I feel he's too direct at it.
Hooded Guy - I don't really have an opinion on him, I'm afraid.
Necrothinker - I get the idea of Necrothinker, but I don't like this guy. I can't say why, I just don't like him.
The Strawman Family (In order of who I like most to least: Pyro, Cyro, Strawman) - I'm grouping them all into one because why not. The ninja brothers didn't have much in terms of character, just revenge on Overthinker. Strawman's case was just unnessecary.
1.IVAN THE INTERN
2.STRAWMAN
3.COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
4.SENATOR LIEBERSON
5.HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
6.THE ANTI-THINKER
7.PYROTHINKER
8.CRYOTHINKER
9.NECROTHINKER
10.RETROTHINKER
Characters that should always (or almost always) appear:
1) IVAN THE INTERN
2) STRAWMAN
3) COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
Characters that should appear regularly on the show, but not every episode:
4) THE ANTI-THINKER
5) RETROTHINKER
Characters that are nice to have sometimes, but not "essential":
6) SENATOR LIEBERSON
7) HOODED FIGURE
8) NECROTHINKER
Characters that I wouldn't mind never seeing again:
9) PYROTHINKER & CRYOTHINKER
Strawman and Ivan.
The rest suck.
IVAN THE INTERN
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
THE ANTI-THINKER
SENATOR LIEBERSON
RETROTHINKER
NECROTHINKER
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
STRAWMAN
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
IVAN THE INTERN
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
RETROTHINKER
NECROTHINKER
THE ANTI-THINKER
SENATOR LIEBERSON
STRAWMAN
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
1. Ivan and the commissioner are basically flawless so far though Ivan needed time to grow on me.
2. Next would be the amtithinker, though most hate him I clearly saw what you we're going with this Guy and hope that someday he returns to become a more complex character than he was.
3. Retro/Necro is an interesting concept and I like his nostalgic melodramatic persona. Though I thought Retro would serve as a sidekick or as a spinoff series character rather than a villain or am I getting ahead of myself.
4. The Senator seems interesting if you plan to somehow get in really deep with video gaming's relationship with politics at a later time but he hasn't been really developed yet. Also g-play should have been this list, it's so accurate that it's scary :|…oh and Hooded Guy needs development before critique but I like him still
5. Next would be the strawman family: cryo/pyro/strawman had too little time to develop. Cryo was symply a joke to me and added nothing but the ""there's always an ice Guy" gag. Pyro went on a burning spree to lure over* to him, which works, but he should have at least said something. Strawman for me was strange, I thought of him as a physical manifestation of your anger which I liked but then he went off the deep end and you kill him off... just weird to me I guess.
I can't say I hated anyone because in the end they were entertaining to some degree. Keep at it Bob your doing a great job.
I find most of the characters annoiying with the exception of bunnyface and maybe the retro thinker. Strawman and the anti thinker serve a purpose at least.
I may be alone here, but what about Bobo the Overcaffineted Chipmunk? I know that Bobo was used as a tool to make your videos shorter, but I always saw him as a character. I could see him being used in future episodes. Just something to think about.
"I hate them all, just get rid of them and make a well filmed, well informed and interesting videogame discussion show without mediocre home video segments, which doesn´t have to be just a slideshow show."
this
enough of the self-indulgence
I kind of agree with... whoever it was that opined that there could be other people like the Game OverThinker. I've often thought that the show would benefit from a character that was grounded in retro-styling, but had grown up with the medium and could appreciate some of the things that were happening with Journey and I Am Alive, amongst others. A "RetroGamer", if you will.
But, I digress to the topic at hand. Personally, I enjoy the characters and new direction the show is heading in. I can't really rate the characters as "best to worst" for the same reason Yahtzee can't rate video games with a numeric score. I will say that Necrothinker and The Anti-Thinker are, by far my two most favorite because I think they represent contrasts of gamers, like myself, who either grew up around sports games and Doom/Wolfenstein, or gamers who wish, more or less, explicitly for gaming to head more in a "past" direction. I would like to see more of the Hooded Figure, but, I feel that's a slow building story arc. The rest, I feel, are kind of "throw away characters" and, while they're good for the time they're in, I don't see them staying past their usefulness. Though, a fight against a zombie Pyrothinker, Cryothinker and Strawman could be somewhat entertaining.
I loved me some Sonic, Vectorman and Earthworm Jim when I was a kid. Now, I love games like I Am Alive, Journey, and Gotham City Imposters because they are fun and, in the case of the first two, have something to say about people as a whole. I still play Sonic and Earthworm Jim. They just aren't my go to games any longer.
For a movie critic, is seems you can't really take much criticism. If people keep telling you that the characters suck, and the story bits aren't good, they're trying to tell you something, don't just brush them off.
I remember you saying something along the lines that you felt you needed to do something different with your show because compared to other gaming Webshows, featuring people actually working in the industry, something felt off, and you couldn't give as much of an in depth opinion, but no you didn't! The old show was fine. The story bits, I'm sorry, are just cringe worthy, not helped that you frequently reference inconsistencies and plot holes, you have, as you call, a $0 budget, yet keep trying to use low grade special effects which just makes it stick out even more (honestly do you see indie film makers try and match a $100 million dollar blockbuster, no of course not, they use what is available to them to still make their film look good), and it all just really undermines whatever message it is you're trying to get out in the episode. How am I supposed to tell someone about this show like, "Oh check out this really cool video on this situation...but skip the first two and a half minutes otherwise you'll just think it's stupid and want to turn it off"?
Just sayin'.
I like your videos, Bob, and even when I don't always agree at least you've explained your opinion in an intelligent and entertaining way, and I get that you wanted to shake things up a bit post Episode 50, but maybe it's time to re-think how to do that if this many of your fans are constantly complaining about the new format.
1. Ivan
2. Comissioner
3. Retrothinker
4. Anti-thinker
5. Necrothinker
6. Lieberson
7. Strawman
8. Pyro
9. Cryo
10. Hooded figure
The top 4 seem to be the ones that have the strongest personalities.
Bottom six less so.
I dont even remember hooded figure.
1-RETROTHINKER
2-SENATOR LIEBERSON (ninja...damn)
3-COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE (I thought it was Buonofacio)
4-IVAN THE INTERN
5-STRAWMAN (fine with him dead)
6/7-PYROTHINKER
6/7-CRYOTHINKER
8-HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY") - not big on evil
9-NECROTHINKER (my sweet doe-eyed retorgamer, say it ain't so!)
10-THE ANTI-THINKER (not big on tools, except the one for building and stuff)
Shit's brilliant, don't change a thing, except maybe turning RetroThinker good again, I mean, he's trying to lay waste to Activision, so how is that a BAD thing?
I'm not going to rank them all but I would like to say that I LOVE IVAN THE INTERN & COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE. I love the idea that the world is full of "normal" characters that are not human. that said. I like the new format of your shows. Keep up the good work.
1. Ivan the Intern (because of the moment when I realized his name is Navi backwards... It took me surprisingly long. I was delighted just the same.)
2. Anti-Thinker (I don't understand all of the hate. He makes me laugh.)
3. Retro-Thinker (very interesting character, has a lot of depth to be covered)
4. Strawman (fulfilled his purpose nicely, I think)
5/6/7/8/9-tied among Pyro, Cryo, Hooded Figure, Necro, and Lieberson, simply because they aren't developed enough for me to have a real opinion on them.
10. Bunnyface. (he just annoys me, the joke about his name isn't really that funny, and he strikes me as bland.)
In any case, I'm loving the show. Keep up the great work!
FAVORITE
IVAN THE INTERN
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
STRAWMAN
SENATOR LIEBERSON
RETROTHINKER
HOODED FIGURE
ANTITHINKER
NECROTHINKER
PYRO/CRYOTHINKERS (I can't honestly remember much about them as characters they were much more defined by their actions)
WLEAST FAVORITE
Despite there being no option for you as MovieBob/The Game Overthinker and despite it being a little inane to say I think you write yourself quite well and your character is one I genuinely enjoy watching.
1. Ivan
2. Bunnyface
...honestly it's kinda hard to rank the rest, but those two are my favorites.
for some reason i'm forgetting some of these, so i'll leave them out:
STRAWMAN
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
RETROTHINKER
NECROTHINKER
IVAN THE INTERN
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
THE ANTI-THINKER
RETROTHINKER
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
THE ANTI-THINKER
NECROTHINKER
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
SENATOR LIEBERSON
STRAWMAN
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
VAN THE INTERN
I think you had something going with Retrothinker, and I hope he finds some way to redemption on the current plot. Bunnyface is slowly growing on me as a character.
Anti-Thinker I thought was something that could be explored more, particularly if you could find those moments where he can make valid arguments (More than likely unintentional), and develop more as a character. I think what started as a parody to mimic what Bob seems to think a specific group of gamers can evolve into something more, and with his own growth I think we can find the possibilities with this douche to be a little more compelling.
Necrothinker I have to admit is a better attempt at a villain in the series because we know where he's coming from, and that unlike 99% of the characters, we've seen what he has become, what he was, and actually have hope for what will be for him, which is something that hasnt been done in the series, and with so few episodes dedicated to him.
Hooded-Figure is just the big-scheme baddy that shows up to say 'Yea, this might be relevant later', but not much else. My curiosity dwindles with him each passing episode.
Senator L was actually very comedic, I enjoy the idea of ninjas holding office, and being treated to parody actual racisim and ethnic concerns. An idea that can be expanded.
Strawman, Cryothinker and Pyrothinker were probably the worst of the lot. Though they had some comedic value, as characters they didnt compel anything out of the viewer. It's like being concerned for a Puddy in Power Rangers, you just dont care. I think that Bob took a hugely different direction with Necrothinker shows he's learning to make characters to go against the Overthinker actually have some wieght to them.
IVAN THE INTERN (Ivan is awesome and gives you something to play off, props for that)
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE (I'm not sure if I'd like him if he appeared more, but at his current appearance rate he's a fun diversion)
RETROTHINKER (what can I say, I like the character)
STRAWMAN (He was useful to help you argue a point)
THE ANTI-THINKER (bby far the best of the bad guys, he may have been strung on a bit too long but the idea was good)
PYROTHINKER (kinda bored me)
CRYOTHINKER (see above)
SENATOR LIEBERSON (Needs more development for me to liek ro dislike)
NECROTHINKER (Might like him more over time, right now he just seems like a strawman ;) )
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY") (Not a bad idea but again needs more development for me to form any opinion on)
Retrothinker
Necrothinker
Hooded Figure
Ivan the Intern
Senator Lieberson
Commissioner bunnyfacio (heh)
Pyrothinker
Cryothinker
Strawman
Anti-thinker
Retro and Necro are the favs since they relate more to the protagonist. I see the reason why anti-thinker came about but i gotta say retrothinker/necrothinker = much cooler ideas.
1. IVAN THE INTERN
2. STRAWMAN
3. RETROTHINKER
4. COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
5. THE ANTI-THINKER
6. NECROTHINKER
7. PYROTHINKER
8. CRYOTHINKER
9. SENATOR LIEBERSON
10.HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
1. COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
2. IVAN THE INTERN
3. THE ANTI-THINKER
4. STRAWMAN
5. RETROTHINKER
6. NECROTHINKER
7. HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
8. SENATOR LIEBERSON
9. PYROTHINKER
10. CRYOTHINKER
I actually like the Anti-Thinker because he was the embodiment of morons everywhere. Anyone who can reflect see themselves in that character should hopefully receive a wake up call.
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
THE ANTI-THINKER
RETROTHINKER/NECROTHINKER
SENATOR LIEBERSON
IVAN THE INTERN
STRAWMAN
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
RETROTHINKER/NECROTHINKER
IVAN THE INTERN
STRAWMAN
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
THE ANTI-THINKER
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
SENATOR LIEBERSON
Reason I put Anti-Thinker so low is that I think it over-exaggerates the "hardcore bro gamer" aspect a bit too much, since most people I know that like those types of games are not douchebags, and a great many of them like other, "more accepted" games. It also seems to divide current game culture into only two camps, the old generation and the new generation, the old ones liking the more classic style and the new generation liking shooters and cool graphics, when game culture is much more complex and interwoven than that. You have MMOers, RTS players, retro gamers, shooter fans, console fans, PC fans, JRPG fans, WRPG fans, fighting game fans, sports games fans, story fans, the list goes on, as well as people that are a part of many of these categories. So just separating it into yourself and Anti-thinker overgeneralizes things and probably pissed people off partly because of that, and partly because thought you were making fun of everyone who likes shooters.
I like Retrothinker/Necrothinker because it has the opposite effect; it shows that even on the other side people can take things a little too far. Your opposition towards him seems to reflect the point that even though you personally like Retro games, you abhor the idea of destroying another part of gaming culture simply because it is new and different, regardless of whether you are part of it or not.
It probably would have been better if Retrothinker and Anti-thinker came in about the same time to make the point clearer; having just the Anti-thinker makes people think "oh, here goes Bob ranting about how shooters are bad again". If you have both, it would be more like, "oh, both sides of gaming culture can have their negatives". It comes across as more balanced in my opinion, and would piss less people off.
The characters at the bottom of the list are more or less forgettable to me (having anything is better than forgettable imo). I like Ivan cause he's rather humorous, and Strawman was used to good effect beforehand. Bunny-face is just meh.
I'm not a big fan of the storylines, but here's my own list with the "best" at the top.
RETROTHINKER/NECROTHINKER - Probably your best idea yet, since at least it gives you a chance to say something a bit more nuanced about retrogaming beyond your usual "modern games are shitty" routine. Please don't waste this opportunity, because right now you're coming across as a bit of a dinosaur with your constant "good old days" nonsense.
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE - Okay, I do quite like the name gag even if others don't. I guess he serves the story purpose well enough, but he's not terribly interesting beyond the gimmick.
IVAN THE INTERN - He's okay... I get that if you're using this kind of framing device you obviously need a sidekick to talk to when the bad guys aren't around, but he's not really got any personality, he's just you speaking through a voice modifier thingy. Like you, he needs to stop breaking the fourth wall EVERY OTHER LINE because that gets really annoying after a while.
PYROTHINKER/CRYOTHINKER - I liked the retro throwback gags ("there's always an ice guy") but these guys were very forgettable and were in and out of the story far too quickly. And the link to the discussion (burning the arcade) was a bit tenuous.
SENATOR LIEBERSON - Eh, the ninja discrimination stuff was a decent enough gag. I don't really see him as a character though.
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY") - I don't think this guy works that well because he's mostly used for ominous cliffhangers, which mostly fall flat since we all know that the "plot" is just going to lead to a load of cheesy jokes and fight scenes anyway.
STRAWMAN - This is the trick that bad Simpsons episodes try to pull. Instead of fixing an issue you just drew attention to it and har har it's a joke now. Sorry Bob, your constant strawmanning is a HUGE black mark against your videos, and you need to work to improve it, not just try and pass it off as a joke.
THE ANTI-THINKER - Just awful. There was the start of a good idea here, but your overly-simplistic view on gaming completely ruined it. If you'd let this guy make actual good points and coherent arguments this could have been a decent set of episodes, but all you ever did was make him talk macho "bro" nonsense in a sad attempt to make yourself look smarter. It was nothing more than a longer, more-drawn-out version of the same "douchebag voice" you use all the time in other videos. HOWEVER, if you're thinking about bringing a character back, make it this one - in a more interesting way this time. You could make the Antithinker have something interesting to say about modern gaming and the FPS genre especially, maybe poke a few holes in your own rose-tinted perception of the 8-bit era, I dunno... but there's definitely potential in the character that you've barely touched upon.
My general thoughts: Since this is a discussion show, I think that the characters you bring in should add something to the discussion, not just gags and "monsters of the week" that get brushed off in thirty seconds. Of all these characters, the only ones I'd really like to see more of are Retrothinker and (an improved) Antithinker since they at least have something to say. You should build on that and make them part of the discussion on more equal terms. If you're serious about the Overthinker being a "character", maybe you should let him be wrong once in a while, eh?
IVAN THE INTERN
RETROTHINKER
NECROTHINKER
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
STRAWMAN
SENATOR LIEBERSON
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
THE ANTI-THINKER
Anti-Thinker is at the bottom with some regret, cause through him we got the rest of the characters, but I really did find him unamusing.
seriously I placed him BELOW two characters with no development, and another that has had minimal. that should say it all
Here's the problem--you're seeking validation, not feedback. You're trying to look like you're asking "which characters do you like?" but because you insist on this format you're actually asking "which character is your favorite?" So if I dislike them all but have to admit that, say, Bunnyface is the least objectionable, you get to pretend that Bunnyface is popular and rest on your laurels.
Granting that "should TGO have characters at all?" is a moot point, that does not mean "are any of the TGO characters any good?" has been settled. You won't ask what's wrong with these characters or what could be improved, because you don't really want to know--you just want affirmation. I can't give it to you, so:
10. STRAWMAN - I don't like him because he's a petulant attempt to whine about people misunderstanding your arguments by...misrepresenting their arguments.
10. PYROTHINKER - I don't care about him because he is just a man dancing in a red suit. I barely consider him a "character."
10. CRYOTHINKER - I don't care about him because he is just a man dancing in a blue suit. I barely consider him a "character."
10. COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE - I don't care about him because he adds nothing to the story. Each TGO/Bunnyface exchange could be reduced to TGO answering the phone with "Yes, commissioner? A Goomba is attacking a random forest? I'll be right there!" and nothing would be lost. Also I hate how the "office" background keeps floating up and down while Bunnyface largely stays still.
10. THE ANTI-THINKER - I don't like him because he's a really crude parody that you think is a witty parody of a crude person.
10. HOODED FIGURE - I don't care about him because nothing of consequence has happened involving him. I barely consider him a character.
10. RETROTHINKER - He's just you if you wore a hat.
10. NECROTHINKER - He's just you if you acted on your bugbears instead of complaining about them.
10. SENATOR LIEBERSON - This is definitely not a character, anymore than the narrator of those fake G4 ads is a character. Presumably you intend that Lieberson is a disreputable politician with scandalous plot involving draconian legislation that will harm video games, but none of that has actually been communicated for months. Shit or get off the pot before you ask how you did with this guy.
10. IVAN THE INTERN - I hate this character because he serves as little more than an excuse for your scripts and special effects to be sloppy. "Oh, on further reflection, this makes no sense, so I'll have Ivan point that out and now it's funny!" Just because writers can do that doesn't mean they always should.
1. THE ANTI-THINKER: I thought the Anti-Thinker episodes were pretty funny.
2. RETROTHINKER: I like the idea of a hardcore gamer from the past being transported to the present. I think it would work out better in real life though... (You know.... The real life where I have a time machine and what not...)
3. COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE: Rabbits are cute...
4. IVAN THE INTERN: He makes me think of Navi.
I don't really think anything about the other characters. I don't hate them, but I don't really like them either. I'd like to see you actually do something with the Senator Lieberson character...
GAME OVEREDITOR
Ummmm.....
Yea, that's it.
Mind you, he has singlehandedly saved your show from, well, itself. He's the best character you never created.
Liked the show better before it had continuity/plot/characters, but Ivan and Bunnyface are kinda fun, and Strawman worked well.
Retrothinker was fun before he directly became a mouthpiece for how much better things supposedly were in the "good old days." Introduce him to modern indie games, and maybe he'd be fun again.
Anti-thinker was the worst character ever.
I agree with Scott Glasgow, in that your videos are getting better at meshing the Overthinker story with the discussion topic at hand.
On that note, the way I see it, other than Ivan and Bunnyface (who top my list, incidentally), every character is an archetype for exploring a different aspect of gaming culture. Anti-Thinker can represent the perceived dude-bro bigot online game culture. Lieberson can represent the threat of censorship, moral panics, or basically any time institutions involve themselves in gaming. Retrothinker represents gaming as it was, etc.
I think they should be trotted out for relevant episodes as needed. I don't know where you're taking this series, but the characters can change from broad archetypes to reflect either how these aspects actually are, where you see them going, or where you want them to be. E.g., if you think the douchebag culture is reformable, Anti-thinker can develop to reflect that. If politicians actually become less hostile to gaming in the near future, Lieberson can change to reflect that. Although I confess I don't know where Pyro & Cryo fit in except as generic ninja goons.
Those are my thoughts, for what it's worth.
@Joe:
I think you've hit on a good approach to using these characters according to their basic themes.
The biggest problem with the story and the characters is that they do not enhance the main idea of the show. (And let's not kid ourselves, the main idea is the lecture portion, not the story, or Ep68 would be titled "Reluctant Call of Duty: Retro Warfare.")
As it is, the storyline seems to ramble along in random directions. Bob clearly plots the story out months ahead of time, but the topic of the lecture is often determined at the last minute by current events in gaming. So we end up with one all-zombie show that makes sense, but after that he just tacks the Necro plot onto unrelated thoughts about Mass Effect 3.
However, a clever writer could make this work. It wouldn't be so hard to link the concepts of "Necrothinker is a self-entitled gamer declaring war against modern gaming" and "Mass Effect fans are self-entitled gamers declaring war against a modern game publisher." What's maddening is that Bob doesn't even consider that solution because he doesn't acknowledge a problem--he's perfectly content to produce two totally unrelated shows, splice them together, and call it good.
With 1 being the best and 10 the worst.
1) RETROTHINKER
2) NECROTHINKER
3) COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
4) HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
5) IVAN THE INTERN
6) SENATOR LIEBERSON
7) PYROTHINKER
8) CRYOTHINKER
9) STRAWMAN
10)THE ANTI-THINKER
For me the retrothinker was the first time I really cared about a storyline. None of the earlier thinkers were interesting in my opinion and I was going to ignore the story segments of your videos but because of the retrothinker's story I've found myself enjoying your original fiction stuff much more than I used to and I find myself staying to the end of your videos to watch them.
I don't care for the storylines, at all. So I just generally skip them to get to the meat of the episode as it were.
But I have to say, having a Rabbit as a Police Commissioner is fucking brilliant. I don't care what context it is. More shows should have Rabbits as Commissioners.
I have to agree with Biff and Joe that the main underlying problem is that the characters just don't seem relevant most of the time. Even when there's a thematic link, as in Episode 63 ("Rose-Coloured Reality") the top rated Youtube comment is "2:52 to skip bullshit.".
I strongly recommend that you use more live action segments when you're doing the commentry bits. At the moment, the story is you in live action and wearing a "costume", while the commentry is a disembodied voice talking over a black background with some image macros. Your voice even sounds different. This further contributes to the feeling that we're watching two completely different shows that have been awkwardly spliced together.
It doesn't have to be anything super complicated. Maybe when you're talking about a game you own, pull out the physical copy instead of just putting a screenshot on the screen. Maybe if there's no relevant image to show, just have yourself talking in a room (or in the place where the current story is supposed to take place). Try and use the same microphone for everything, even if it's your crappy camcorder one it would at least be consistent. Save the video clips and image macros for when they're useful and to add a little variety (and sneak in an edit when needed).
You might worry that this wouldn't be visually interesting, but generally, seeing the person you're listening to is far MORE interesting than just seeing an image macro of Navi saying "Listen!".
You could also try and set up some kind of actual location for you to speak from, rather than just "sitting around in your parents' house". If you're going to pass yourself off as a superhero, why not set yourself up a "base" where you talk to us about games and handle the story at the same time. Nothing fancy - a desk with a load of glowing screens and a few retro homemade sci-fi props would do the trick, be easily affordable and enhance the low-fi look of the show at the same time. You could use that base to talk to the viewer, in live action, about whatever your topic is, and you could use that same base as a springboard for the plot.
Part of what makes AVGN's videos work so well is that his physical mucking about with cables and cartridges makes his gaming commentry seem more genuine than if he'd just made the games magically appear on a screen.
Just an idea or two you might like to think about.
I think they're all decent characters, and for the most part, I'm putting them in no specific order. Although, I will include commentary on some.
1. THE ANTI-THINKER - I agree with what Yaseen Kader said about his crude humor. I find it a shame that he wasn't received well, for I found it quite amusing seeing you act completely against your personality, plus I'm no fan of the demographic he represents (in fact, I echo Bob's sentiments that they've pretty much killed mainstream gaming in the west), so I couldn't care less if he seems spiteful. Also, though I am a Japanophile (or perhaps precisely because I'm one), his wild misconceptions about the place really had me going. XD
2. COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
3. HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
4. SENATOR LIEBERSON
5. IVAN THE INTERN
6. RETROTHINKER
7. NECROTHINKER - Honestly, I'd like the Retrothinker and Necrothinker a bit more, but I don't particularly enjoy your acting when you portray them. With Retrothinker, you sound like you're trying to be excited, but at the same time, you're keeping quiet so as not to wake up your parents in the other room. Necrothinker, same thing, except you're trying to sound diabolic while keeping your voice down, which somehow ends up seeming even more forced (thus his placement below Retrothinker). Christ, I'd understand if you were just some random YouTuber still in his teens, but you're something of a professional now. James Rolfe sure as hell doesn't keep his voice down when he films, and you shouldn't either.
8. STRAWMAN
9. CRYOTHINKER
10. PYROTHINKER - Frankly, I think Pyro and Cryo are just a waste of potentially good characters. I mean, I kinda get the whole appeal that they're just color-swapped ninja, since that's obviously appealing to the gaming audience. However, they could've stood to be fleshed out a bit more. Yeah, they're fighting to avenge their father, but that seemed to be a minor point that wasn't glossed over much, just a simple method of explaining their motivation. They use "Thinker" in their names, why couldn't you have portrayed that better and have them work as more of a foil for the Overthinker himself? Not saying they should just be elemental rehashes of Antithinker, mind you, but as "Thinkers" in their own right, they could've portrayed different ideals representative of gaming culture which you don't really agree with. Hell, when Pyrothinker first revealed his name (in quite a flashy style), I thought he was going to be representing some sort of nihilist "out with the old, in with the new" way of thinking (as I could assume with him torching the Sharcade). Sadly, that wasn't the case, he was just torching old places for the lols and to piss off Overthinker. Cryothinker got it even worse, as we saw him do pretty much nothing on his own, only acting in conjunction with Pyrothinker (we do get to see him fight solo a bit against Overthinker, but only because that was continuing a fight in which Pyrothinker fell first), so if he could potentially represent anything, I haven't a clue what it is. If it's possible to bring these two back, I'd really like to see what more you could do with them, and what they could bring to the table as another couple of "Thinkers".
1- COMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
2- IVAN THE INTERN
3- THE ANTI-THINKER
4- RETROTHINKER
5- STRAWMAN
6- SENATOR LIEBERSON
7- NECROTHINKER
8- PYROTHINKER
9- CRYOTHINKER
10- HOODED FIGURE
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
IVAN THE INTERN
NECROTHINKER
THE ANTI-THINKER
RETROTHINKER
SENATOR LIEBERSON
PYROTHINKER
HOODED FIGURE (aka "MONSTER-VOICE GUY")
CRYOTHINKER
STRAWMAN
Coming in a little late on this, but:
The ones I like:
1) Commissioner Buonifacio - although the way he drifts against his background, or rather, vice versa, is rather irritating
2) Ivan the Intern
3/4) Retrothinker/Necrothinker - these aren't sufficiently distinct characters yet for me to rank them separately; Necrothinker is the first 'villain' character you've had who actually has a motivation, which has to count for something
The ones I'm 'meh' about:
5) Senator Lieberson - not enough actual character development to care yet, just some ominousness
6/7) Pyrothinker and Cryothinker - for all that they got more screentime, they were never developed as characters, either; they had a single joint motivation and that was it. How did they get the "thinker" label if they never express any thoughts?
The ones I actively dislike:
8) Hooded Figure - oh, great, a generic background ubervillain with no motivation, either. More a plot device than a character.
9) Anti-Thinker - there were a couple of moments where he threatened to become a character rather than a cheap shot, and I wish you'd followed through on them if we were going to be subjected to three-plus episodes of his mushmouth
10) Strawman - oh, come on, you can do better than that!
1. Retrothinker
2. Hooded Figure
3. Strawman
4. Ivan the Intern
5. Necrothinker
6. Pyrothinker
7. Cryothinker
8. The Anti-Thinker
9. Senator Lieberson
10. Commissioner Bunnyface
1.COMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
2.RETROTHINKER
3.STRAWMAN
4.NECROTHINKER
5.PYROTHINKER
6.CRYOTHINKER
7.HOODED FIGURE
8.IVAN THE INTERN
9.SENATOR LIEBERSON
10.THE ANTI-THINKER
1. Retrothinker
2. Necrothinker
3. Hooded Figure
4. Strawman
5. Ivan the Intern
6. Senator Lieberson
7. Commissioner Bunnyface
8. Pyrothinker
9. Cryothinker
10. The Anti-Thinker
ivan the intern
commissioner bunnyface
strawman
the anti-thinker
senator lieberson
hooded figure (aka "monster-voice guy")
retrothinker
necrothinker
pyrothinker
cryothinker
Anti-thinker had be higher if he had been treated as a character in his own right. My personal fave is the Retrothinker. I was never a fan of the Anti-Thinker stint.
1.commissioner bunnyface
2.cryothinker
3.hooded figure (aka "monster-voice guy")
4.ivan the intern
5.necrothinker
6.pyrothinker
7.retrothinker
8.senator lieberson
9.strawman
10.the anti-thinker
ivan the intern
commissioner bunnyface
strawman
the anti-thinker
senator lieberson
hooded figure (aka "monster-voice guy")
retrothinker
necrothinker
pyrothinker
cryothinker
cool posting
SENATOR LIEBERSON
HOODED FIGURE
NECROTHINKER
THE ANTI-THINKER
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
IVAN THE INTERN
RETROTHINKER
STRAWMAN
PYROTHINKER
CRYOTHINKER
1.RETROTHINKER
2.IVAN THE INTERN
3.COMMISSIONER BUONIFACIO
4.NECROTHINKER
5.HOODED FIGURE
6.STRAWMAN
7.SENATOR LIEBERSON
8.CRYOTHINKER
9.PYROTHINKER
10.THE ANTI-THINKER
Commissioner John Buonifacio
Ivan the Intern
Retrothinker
Senator Lieberson
Anti-Thinker
Necrothinker
Hooded Figure
Cryothinker
Pyrothinker
Strawman
CRYOTHINKER
NECROTHINKER
PYROTHINKER
THE ANTI-THINKER
RETROTHINKER
HOODED FIGURE
IVAN THE INTERN
SENATOR LIEBERSON
STRAWMAN
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
PYROTHINKER
SENATOR LIEBERSON
COMMISSIONER BUNNYFACE
THE ANTI-THINKER
RETROTHINKER
HOODED FIGURE
IVAN THE INTERN
CRYOTHINKER
NECROTHINKER
STRAWMAN
Post a Comment