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15th anniversary of Angry Video Game Nerd/Angry Nintendo Nerd's first video

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
It's certainly an interesting thing. I like what James has achieved and his edits are usually funny, well edited and entertaining.

That said, the legacy of this type of video isn't my favorite thing. Aside from the copycats that popped up with the Angry-shtick, some of the episodes he's produced have resulted in an unfair bad reputation for certain games and consoles. It's obvious that it's all in character, though, but still. I prefer to look at games through a different lens - find the good and discuss where it fell short. Obviously that sort of approach would not work with AVGN but that's what he offers in the film driven videos he makes.

Either way, my hat is off to AVGN - it's a great series!
 

Petrae

Member
I didn’t get into AVGN until a couple of years later, but I’m glad I did. It’s been hours of entertainment and laughs since.
 

TacosNSalsa

Member
I found AVGN in Justin.tv , some streamer just played all his stuff over and over again and I'd watch it over and over again . I haven't been watching his newer videos though ...There is a certain charm to the older low res grainy videos that I love
 
I wasn't there from the beginning but I'm proud to say I discovered him before most people (back when he was in fact called Angry Nintendo Nerd, not Angry Video Game Nerd), it was September 2006, the first episode I saw was Top Gun, I went back and watched all the episodes up to that point, I was already impressed, but it was the Friday The 13th video, which I was there the night it premiered, when I knew I was witnessing the birth of something legendary.

It's crazy to think how long ago that was, I remember it like it was yesterday, there's a weird phenomena for me, being someone born in 1989, that I have nostalgia for nostalgia basically, I'm too young to remember the '80s personally, but I remember how big '80s nostalgia was on the web back in the 2000s, with stuff like AVGN and I-Mockery and that's in turn nostalgic for me, so it's nostalgia for other people's nostalgia lol.

But man, 2006, what a hell of a year that was (I know we're talking about his original video circa 2004, but you get my drift)
 

shark sandwich

tenuously links anime, pedophile and incels
I messaged him on MySpace thanking him for making this video. He responded and said something about how much he loved Super Castlevania IV.
 

stranno

Member
Not really a fan of his VG videos but he introduced my into THE TWILIGHT ZONE and it is still my favourite TV series of all time.

I also like his Monster Madness series.
 
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MayauMiao

Member
Gametrailers introduced me to James with the Atari 5200 video. Been following him since then. So proud of James Rolfe continue to do what he does best. He is the gold standard of a youtuber.
 
I learned a lot about old(er) games because of his videos. I was around for the SNES, but anything before that I knew little about. His videos are entertaining and informative. I still watch new episodes as they release.
 
I first watched him when his videos were on Gametrailers and have seen every one since. He's been making more movie-themed videos recently but still puts out a decent AVGN video and sometimes goes above and beyond with guest appearances.

Personally, my favorite videos of his are the console-themed ones: Atari Jaguar, SEGA CD, SEGA 32X, CD-I etc. Like InterMusketeer, I knew very little about games before the SNES.
 
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Lucumo

Member
I started watching his videos around 2006.
Same. Liked his gaming videos and eventually got more interested into the movie ones over time (GodzillaThon <3). Stopped watching his AVGN side in 2011 after he stopped releasing as frequently and stopped watching altogether after that other guy (Mike) which I really disliked got involved into the movie reviews.
 

Aranea

Member
I believe i started to watch his content around 2011, i'm glad that i did as his videos are pretty funny.
 

VulcanRaven

Member
Same. Liked his gaming videos and eventually got more interested into the movie ones over time (GodzillaThon <3). Stopped watching his AVGN side in 2011 after he stopped releasing as frequently and stopped watching altogether after that other guy (Mike) which I really disliked got involved into the movie reviews.
I haven't seen some of the new ones but I have watched most of them. This episode from 2017 is great:
 
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Bakkus

Member
It's certainly an interesting thing. I like what James has achieved and his edits are usually funny, well edited and entertaining.

That said, the legacy of this type of video isn't my favorite thing. Aside from the copycats that popped up with the Angry-shtick, some of the episodes he's produced have resulted in an unfair bad reputation for certain games and consoles. It's obvious that it's all in character, though, but still. I prefer to look at games through a different lens - find the good and discuss where it fell short. Obviously that sort of approach would not work with AVGN but that's what he offers in the film driven videos he makes.

Either way, my hat is off to AVGN - it's a great series!
Which games and consoles are you thinking of?
 
I remember watching him on Gametrailers.com. I had just learnt enough English to roughly get what he was talking about. Good times.

I remember when he started off on Screwattack, then Gametrailers for the longest time, before eventually winding up on Youtube like everyone.
 
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Stuart360

Member
I just wish he did more modern games. I know thats kind of the point that he's supposed to be a nerdy manchild living in the past, but James plays modern games himself so i wish he would bring them into the nerd shows. Plus it would give him more content to play with.
 

brap

Banned
I just wish he did more modern games. I know thats kind of the point that he's supposed to be a nerdy manchild living in the past, but James plays modern games himself so i wish he would bring them into the nerd shows. Plus it would give him more content to play with.
No he doesn't.
 

brap

Banned
He siad on one of the episodes of James and Mikes Mondays that he does play modern games, just not as much as old games.
He plays whatever random new nintendo games come out and that's basically it. He doesn't care about many old games either.
 
I just wish he did more modern games. I know thats kind of the point that he's supposed to be a nerdy manchild living in the past, but James plays modern games himself so i wish he would bring them into the nerd shows. Plus it would give him more content to play with.

Yeah, it's always been a missed opportunity that he has never fully dived into 5th and 6th gen games beyond rare exceptions.

These days something like the PS1 is as old school as anything else, it's only James personal biases preventing it.

I've always wanted to see him tackle the Army Men series.
 

Orenji Neko

Member
I remember stumbling upon his Castlevania 2 vid around 2005/6. Somebody mentioned it on some other forum I was hanging out in back then. Don’t remember the forum, but I do recall that we were talking about Pure Pwnage, a web series I adored and still do as far as the original episodes are concerned.

Come to think of it, this mention of the Angry Nintendo Nerd, as he was known then, may have been on the Pure Pwnage forums.
 

VulcanRaven

Member
I just wish he did more modern games. I know thats kind of the point that he's supposed to be a nerdy manchild living in the past, but James plays modern games himself so i wish he would bring them into the nerd shows. Plus it would give him more content to play with.
He did play Sonic 2006 not long ago:


There is also part 2.
 
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Traianvs

Member
quickly someone make a post how he did something wrong in his past and then we can all bash on him for 50 page... oh shit sorry wrong forum
I love how in this forum we can talk about someone without cocksucking each other or comparing them to Hitler.
I discovered AVGN in 2008 and I watched him on my laptop at work. Still loving him
 

Hudo

Member
I remember when he started off on Screwattack, then Gametrailers for the longest time, before eventually winding up on Youtube like everyone.
Yeah, I became familiar with Screwattack stuff through Gametrailers.com. But after Gametrailers folded, I kinda stopped watching AVGN. But it's cool to see that he's still around doing his stuff!
 
Yeah, I became familiar with Screwattack stuff through Gametrailers.com. But after Gametrailers folded, I kinda stopped watching AVGN. But it's cool to see that he's still around doing his stuff!

I'm trying to remember when Gametrailers went bust, but I know that in 2011 when he started production on the movie he slowed way down on episode production and never regained the pace he used to have ever since.

But when he does put out an episode once in a blue moon it's still high quality stuff, I'm glad he's still doing it all these years later.
 

Hudo

Member
I'm trying to remember when Gametrailers went bust, but I know that in 2011 when he started production on the movie he slowed way down on episode production and never regained the pace he used to have ever since.

But when he does put out an episode once in a blue moon it's still high quality stuff, I'm glad he's still doing it all these years later.
... he did a movie? Like for theatres? Holy moly.
 
... he did a movie? Like for theatres? Holy moly.

Yes, in 2014 he came out with a movie, but keep in mind it only played in a handful of theaters.

Unfortunately it's not very good, it suffers from a sidekick character that's introduced who we've never seen before and who feels pointless and unnecessary.

It also just isn't very funny overall, as much as I love AVGN I'm not sure the whole thing was able to carry a feature length movie, maybe a special hour long episode could have worked, but it tries very hard to be a real movie but still feels very spread thin.

It's way disappointing, James worked his butt off for years and spent millions of dollars to get it made and it resulted in a meh movie that's pretty much already been forgotten, I'd trade the movie for the last 8 years of him outputting new episodes at the pace he used to in a heartbeat.

I will say that it's worth watching if you're curious though, it's not a chore to watch or anything, just not as good as you'd hope.
 
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I just wish he did more modern games. I know thats kind of the point that he's supposed to be a nerdy manchild living in the past, but James plays modern games himself so i wish he would bring them into the nerd shows. Plus it would give him more content to play with.
Gen 6 consoles are considered retro now, so it's not like James is in danger of running out of material any time soon imo.
 

BunzLee

Member
Looks like it's about time to start my annual AVGN rewatch. I usually hold off on new episodes until I'm through all the seasons. Can't even explain why I do it, there's just something comforting about seeing him do his thing.
 
Looks like it's about time to start my annual AVGN rewatch. I usually hold off on new episodes until I'm through all the seasons. Can't even explain why I do it, there's just something comforting about seeing him do his thing.

I haven't watched any of the classic episodes in years, maybe since 2012 or 2013? It's been a while.

I should definitely have a marathon one day.
 

#Phonepunk#

Banned
it is funny that he got his start with this video. i feel like the game has always been a little controversial but that with this video the narrative that it's a poorly made game or whatever has taken off and isn't going away. Simon's Quest is my favorite game that i feel like has gotten a bad wrap and it's mostly due to this video of a guy raging at it.

the worst part is how in some later videos, you can tell he is just forcing playing bad in order to have something to be mad about.

used to watch AVGN when i was bored. tbh i think he's responsible for normalizing a lot of toxic gamer behavior. his persona has left a horrible mark on DIY games journalism tho thank god people are getting away from the "angry gamer" paradigm.

the movie was absolutely horrible, one of the worst things i've ever seen, and it even had a "fake gamer girl" plotline in it. i can enjoy a bad movie like Plan 9 From Outer Space or Troll 2 but this felt like people who tried to make a bad movie. that only works if you are sincerely trying to make a good movie and spectacularly fail.
 
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SegaShack

Member
Love the AVGN. His episodes, especially the old ones, are classics.

The movie was a big let down but considering his free entertainment is so great, I can not complain.
 

NewComer

Member
AVGN was alot of fun for me for the first 80 episodes though they lose their charm once you get tired of the rather formulaic layout and nitpicking. I'm still fond of his content. It is worth a re-watch on occasion.
 

wondermega

Member
Been watching since way back in the day. I don't recall the exact details - someone fwd'd me a link, or I saw a post on gaf, or something was going around the office. Regardless, I was pretty excited to hear someone have ANYthing to say about Simon's Quest, that game had particularly stung me.. like so many others, I had a love-hate relationship with the game (can';t think of many more games I pined for that badly, upon release) and when I got my hands on it finally.. well, I enjoyed it but I also "wait what?" Still finished the damn game but yes. I learned my lesson. Screw you, kneeling after a lake with a crystal equipped. Games were different then.

James has done an admiral job, he's outlasted the outlasters, like anyone else he's never batted a thousand but he's managed to keep it interesting and lively after all this time. You can tell that he still gets pleasure out of it, the movie was obviously a vanity project and yes it.. wasn't good, but it was true to what he is/wants and felt appropriate if forgettable (and shlocky garbage). Sidenote, I'd love to actually see him do something else because I am sure he learned so much from that and would turn out something partly interesting with a sophomore effort.

Go nerd! One of my defining moments was running into you at E3! Here's to 15 more years-
 

RAIDEN1

Member
I've been seeing his video's for probably the best part of 10 years I think...or maybe just under....I did wonder what would happen to him after G.T fell, good to see he is still going strong....some felt he was a little unfair to the CD32 in some respects....
 
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