THE SMASHING SEVEN

DUMBER ALIVE

New Episode: "THE BIG LIE"

New episode now LIVE:



Meanwhile, here's the next most-recent show from two weeks ago, which I neglected to put up here initially:

AN ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE!?

New Episode: MAKE MORE MAKERS

So That Happened

If you follow my social media (which I assume most reading this blog must, as it's updated exponentially more often) you may have noticed me pulling back or posting cryptically over the last two days. There are a few reasons for that, but the main one is that I'd been waiting to hear back on some test-results from my doctor (newly-acquired, along with my new health insurance). The tests came back today, and... well, it wasn't great news.

"Can The Nintendo NX Save The World?"

IS PIRACY EVER JUSTIFIED?

LOST GIRLS: 9 Forgotten Game Heroines Who Deserve Another Chance

Good News! The first six episodes of the new show (and with the six for IN BOB WE TRUST) were part of a trial-run for both franchises with ScrewAttack. And because of viewers' enthusiastic reception, both series will now continue into 2016. So, thank you all :)

RIP Saturo Iwata - 1959-2015

Tragic news. Saturo Iwata, the colorful CEO and "public face" of Nintendo since 2002, has died of an ongoing health issue at the age of 55.

JACKIE CHAN SHOULD BE IN SMASH BROS - NO, REALLY!

In Defense of Video Games

The Collection

Followers of my Twitter are no doubt aware that I've begun a little side-project/hobby in collection every issue of NINTENDO POWER Magazine. It's more of a "spiritual fulfillment" thing than anything, I guess - begun while cleaning old stuff out of my parents' house and realizing that more of my original collection had survived than I'd thought. At this point I've done pretty well, nudging myself just over the halfway mark. Helpfully, I decided early on that I'm not interested in grabbing up "mint" copies of anything - like I said, quasi-spiritual thing, not an "investment." I see it more or less as "re-homing" copies that fans loved like I loved mine and aren't comfortable throwing out.

Thus far, collector shops and eBay have been doing the job well enough. But now that I'm at the point where bulk-buying big collections of random issues will almost-certainly land me more duplicates than "needs," I figured it can't hurt to also reach out to see if there are any fellow fans/collectors among my friends and readership who are looking to unload such items.

VIOLENCE IS (still) GOLDEN

Take This

Mental health charity Take This (which is run/founded by dear friends of mine and which I continue to be proud to offer help and support) yesterday announced a partnership with IGN that will see their most well-known (so far) undertakings, providing clinician and volunteer-staffed safe spaces called "AFK Rooms" at gaming and fan-conventions, expand in presence beyond the various PAX iterations to other venues including SDCC.

Really proud of these folks. Good people doing the best possible kind of work. Take a look, and if so-inclined please consider showing your support.

GAMERS ARE (NOT) DEAD

IgaMANIA Lives!

DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK...

Okay guys, here's the deal:

Yes, The Game OverThinker (aka me) is back in an all-new, all-different incarnation at ScrewAttack. You can watch the first episode on YouTube now (direct link to SA once there is one.)

This show and a second top-secret series will be running on alternating weekends for several weeks heading into Summer. Will there be more after that? Well, we want that to happen - but whether or not it does is at least in part up to YOU; since things can really only stick around if people want them to.

That's where you folks come in...

Oh, You Didn't Know???

...Your ass better CALL SOMEBODY!!!

Can't wait for @the_moviebob to make his triumphant return to @ScrewAttack with The Game OverThinker this Sunday!
— ScrewAttack Crew (@ScrewAttack) April 27, 2015

Unhappy News

Sad news* to report from the Game OverThinker family.

Dylan the rabbit, who portrayed Commissioner John "Bunnyface" Buonoffacio on the series, is no longer with us. At an unknown time today while his humans were out, he (apparently) sustained an accidental self-injury that is, I'm told, unfortunately common in his species; and the only humane care option was to put him down earlier this evening.

We (myself, Dylan's pet-parents and everyone who knew him) are devastated. He was a loyal friend, beloved by all who came to know him and, to the end, an emphatically good bunny. He went to rest peacefully, with the people who loved him best, and he will be missed, dearly. I ask that you please send whatever prayers, thoughts, well wishes or "good vibes" you may be able to spare to Dylan's family and loved ones, who are understandably having a very difficult night.

Rest in peace, my friend. We will never forget you.

*P.S. I welcome Game OverThinker fans to share any thoughts or memories they have of Dylan's appearances on the show below. Additionally, given the sad nature of the event I ask that those who've made it their regular place to troll every post on this blog please be respectful and not do so in this case - because any abusive, mean-spirited on hurtful comments I see on this post will be deleted and likely result in an IP ban. I mean it.

Episode 100 - Final Episode (lost comments re-post)

Egh. Alright, many regulars have likely noticed that the Disqus comment-section under the original EPISODE 100 post has vanished, replaced by a mostly-empty thread using the default Blogger comments engine. I'm as annoyed about it as I imagine many of you are, and while I harbor no illusions that this explanation will satisfy anyone inclined to believe that I deleted the thread because I disagreed with certain posters; I feel I owe an explanation anyway:

EPISODE 100 - The Final Episode

Thanks for the ride, folks.



Every ending is also a beginning. If you'd like to help the next beginning be as great as possible, please consider The MovieBob Patreon.

EPISODE 99: The Legendary Hero Returns

The penultimate episode is here, but the new adventure is right around the corner! Check out The MovieBob Patreon and consider helping the next evolution of The Game OverThinker become a reality!

All Good Things

So. Straight and to the point: What you may have heard already is true - I am no longer working for The Escapist. 

The last episode of ESCAPE TO THE MOVIES ran today (It's Kingsman, it's good) as did the last INTERMISSION.

I'll have more to say later (right now, I've an appointment to keep) but suffice it to say that I am devastated, heartbroken and quite upset by this turn of events, which came mostly as a surprise to me. I am grateful for the time I had there, for the platform that was afforded to me and - most of all - to my loyal fans and readers, who I hope will follow me to whatever venture comes next. And for those wondering: No, this has nothing to do with hashtags, "consumer revolts" or any other such nonsense - not that I expect that will keep the chattering class at bay in that regard, but facts are facts

I have several projects that are already in the offing, which I will now likely be announcing sooner or later. I'd ask anyone who hasn't already done so to please subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

I am where I am because of my fans, followers and viewers - I have not forgotten that, and will not. It's going to be a rough near-future, for this and a variety of other reasons, but I plan to emerge on the other side of it in better shape and ready for great new things. And I hope that you will join me there.

Angry Joe on #GamerGate (and Everything Else)

There was some Internet Drama over the weekend as the great Angry Joe's yearly Top Ten Gaming Controversies video got hit with a (seemingly, from this angle) bullshit Copyright claim by some other YouTube fixtures I won't do the favor a mention. Suffice it to say, it's back up, so give it a watch. You'll want to go to 31:43 the "big news," i.e. AJ on #GamerGate; but you should absolutely watch the entire video HERE.

EPISODE 98: ENDGAME - PART I

It's finally here!

This is it - the beginning of the end for The Game OverThinker as you know it, starting with (like we do around here) the first of a two-part Viewer Mail showcase!



REMEMBER: There's still time to put you're mailbag questions in for a chance at being featured in PART II - post them HERE (not to the comments for this video.)

FINAL MAILBAG: PART II (Updated!)

UPDATE 1/27/15: Comments on this post (and thus submissions for mailbag entries in Episode 99) will close on Friday 1/30/15 at 11:59pm. If you have a question, don't delay in asking it :)

For those of you just joining us: Episodes 98 and 99 will both be dedicated primarily to answering a final round of viewer questions.

Questions for Episode 98 have already been culled from the comments of a previous post. If you'd like to try and get a question answered on Episode 99, post it in the comments of this post.

Godspeed :)

FINAL MAILBAG *UPDATE*

NOTE: This post will not have active comments, in order to avoid confusion.

Preparations are now underway to ensure that you will not have to wait the same overlong amount of time for Episodes 98 and 99 as you did for Episode 96. As those two episodes will both be dedicated to viewer mail, part of that entails locking of submissions at a certain point.

To that end: Episode 98 will exclusively utilize questions from the original "Final Mailbag" comments section (located HERE), which in turn will cease to be active (read: no more new comments) on WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7th. After that, a new post will go up, the comments for which will be used for Episode 99.

So! Anyone with questions, you still have until 11:59pm January 7th 2015 to post them to The Comments At This Link; after which a second opportunity will open in a new location. So get to it!