I Rank Every AVGN

[@tomgiustra7087]

Considering your list joke was funnier than everything in the episode, I have to agree with your assessment lol

[@tehberral]

Tbh, even as someone who watched Keith Apicary I still rarely go back to this one. Can't imagine how confusing it might have been for someone unfamiliar with the character.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Yea, I had no idea who he was. I honestly thought maybe he was a friend like Kevin Finn or something.

[@TheSuckoShow]

This episode is like a fever dream, the yelling and thrashing just doesn't stop.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Hah, that's not a bad explanation!

[@dexstewart862]

This episode is actually a personal favorite of mine. I like to watch it every Christmas. It's pretty different from most of the series, but I usually like the different entries. My favorite part is when Keith is playing Sonic with the golf thing, and James turns the Genesis off. Keith says "You turned off Sonic! A Christmas offense!" I don't know why but I love that line. 😂

[@SuperAnthony3]

I understand. I think he could have taken this same idea and improved upon it. Like have the "kids" actually act like kids. Like, if a kid was playing a game that kept pausing they'd get frustrated and annoyed.

[@zach6372]

New to this channel and found this video in my homepage recommended. I totally agree with everything you said in this video. 4:18 resonates a lot with me, and I can relate. I remember intentionally not watching the video until Christmas Eve of that year, 2016, and being confused and disappointed. I was 13 and had religiously watched all of the past episodes repeatedly for a big chunk of my life and loved them, but this episode was so out of character for The Nerd. I felt wrong for not really enjoying a new episode from one of my favorite content creators, was I missing something? Took my 13 year old brain a while to come to terms with the fact that things that were great in the past can become worse over time, and that no creator is perfect. I feel this is when AVGN started to noticably lose its quality. Subbed, gonna watch the rest of your AVGN ranked. Glad I found your channel!

[@SuperAnthony3]

Much appreciated!

[@Mathias-jr2df]

Having someone else thrown in the mix can usually have a big effect on the equation. Mabye that guy being in the video had something to do with it but idk

[@FreeNintendo21]

Yeah, this is an AVGN episode that I rarely go back to. Compared to his NES accessories video, I can't find satisfaction with that video.

[@hanzfantasma8172]

Sadly this is the last Screwattack/Game Trailers episode before moving on Screenwave.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Oh really, I didn't know that. It makes a lot of sense.

[@ToniaGlitched]

uh... actually, I also loved this sega acessories episode, and tbh I think James did a different thing when compared to the NES and Game Boy acessories because he wanted to experiment on the formula, but, actually, two men hitting each other with weird and barely functional pieces of hardware and reacting masochistically at it is actually kinda in par with the rest of the show... Over the years it became a canon fact that the nerd is a huge masochist, and when you look at this episode from this perspective, it becomes a little weirder, but also funnier

[@SuperAnthony3]

Yea, this one is the sort that will be hit or miss with fans. I think my next two vids will be misses with almost everyone, but we'll see.

[@shinyagumon7015]

I think this episode had a lot of potential, but as you pointed out, good slapstick has a narrative reason and stakes to it, and isn't just there to be there. Also, for an AVGN episode they aren't getting all that angry, aren't they? They are just having fun, despite the shitty accessories, which would work great as an endpoint to the story. Like they play with the accessories, nothing works; they get frustrated and destroy the room, but at the end they think back about how much fun they had just goofing around, and it ends on a positive note. It would achieve the same goal of portraying the joys of playing with your toys on Christmas without making for a boring episode.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Yea and it's funny because I was thinking back to when my little cousins tried playing co-op Super Mario and screaming and yelling at each other when they thought the other one was getting them killed. So, if it was about pretending to be kids again, you'd think they'd be more frustrated with each other - kind of like the Battletoads episode.

[@samv.3217]

I can see why many didn't like it, and I don't necessarily think it's a good nerd episode, but I rewatch it a lot purely because I personally find it very funny. I personally find the slapstick funny and well shot even if it doesn't have said narrative tension. At least it's only 12 minutes so I don't think it overstays it's welcome. Again, it's not a good nerd episode, but I enjoy it for what it is.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Yea, I can definitely see this one as a guilty pleasure and even though it's ranked lower, this might have more value than some episodes which are just plain uninteresting by comparison.

[@ashes_blue]

Alright, you gotta admit “I’ll be right back” is kinda funny, it’s just so stupid

[@SuperAnthony3]

James clearly loves it, he even mentioned it in his Script Writing video.

[@ashes_blue]

@@SuperAnthony3 I think it’s just one of those things that’s either a crit or a miss with people

[@Firegroupfugl]

James' words really resonate with me personally. The thing that made the series special to me was how it would experiment. James would never do just one thing, even from the very beginning. Sometimes he would totally rip on a terrible stupid game nobody would give a fuck about (little red hood), in another he could go on a retrospective journey through a game franchise (Castlevania), in others (and honestly many of my favourites) he'd get into fights with characters like R.O.B, Michael Myers or Bugs Bunny, or in one of the modern episodes (although today it's pretty old) he played "Seaman" which was a very interesting and unique review because he played a more casual game waiting game. Many of these moments are highlights of the show to me, and they came from James experimenting and finding out new things to do with the character. This isn't even mentioning cool things like the Christmas episode told in rhymes or the Fester's Quest episode where James played nerd versions of the Addams family. It's those little things that really add to the charm! My main problem with modern avgn personally is that most of the episodes feel too generic if anything. Simple bad game reviews, many criticisms we've heard a 1000 times. The reviews haven't even really gotten worse, they're just too basic. In the old episodes James would do something unique for almost every video, either that or he'd give a more deep and passionate review (which he's still done from time to time more recently: Earthbound, Majora's Mask, Final Fantasy VI) This episode I wasn't a huge fan of either, so I give you that, but it was still a neat idea imo. And yeah, the idea that it was some kind of "turning point" for the show is silly imo. The episode before this was "Berenstain Bears" which is one of my favourites and very rewatchable, and a few episodes after this there was "Gameboy Accessories" which was definitely more of exactly what you'd want. I do agree that modern avgn isn't as great though, but really does it even have to be? I mean, personally I think it's way better than you give it credit for, but even if it truly is worse in quality, every now and then we get some great episodes and I think that alone makes me happy that the show's still being made. And as much as I bash the modern episodes, they can still be a decent watch; Goonies II was a fun review, even if it was very basic.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Yea, I think that's the thing. I think James might have overreacted to some of the negative backlash. Like just because this wasn't a favorite of mine and other fans, perhaps didn't mean he should have stopped experimenting. It's kind of a catch-22. I'll say, I didn't like the glitch gremlins episode when it first came out, especially after Plumbers... but then it later grew on me and became a favorite. So, one of the things I tried to say in this video was that even though this and Vegas Stakes ranks lower for me, in a lot of ways I appreciate those attempts a lot more than many of the generic ones.

[@Firegroupfugl]

@@SuperAnthony3Ohhhh I think I might've slightly misunderstood the video a little bit. :P Yeah I totally agree with you there. Another thing I've also noticed with modern avgn that I don't really feel like many people talk about is that the James acting doesn't seem to be quite as good. Idk what it is, but with the older episodes the nerd truly feels like the angriest gamer you've ever heard, he feels unstable, but in the modern ones I feel like it's just James in a costume. I think this along with worse pacing makes modern basic episodes not as entertaining. Oftentimes it affects gags and sketches too in more storybased episodes. The Shrek video is an example of an episode that's really hurt by this. The weird storyline at the end could've been somewhat interesting and fun if the acting was any good, but it's atrocious, and the scene where the nerd gets burnt to a crisp just makes me cringe. At the very least he could've put some emotion into the yelling, though really it just makes me wish he'd find a way out of the situation like the old nerd usually would. Texas Chainsaw Massacre had a somewhat similar story in a way, and I think comparing them perfectly shows what I'm talking about. The acting is just far better, so it's both easier to take the plot seriously AND it's funnier to watch. So yeah, I think this is holding him back, even in the less basic episodes. Also sorry for another essay, I just wanted to get my thoughts out! xD I think it's really cool you're doing this ranking btw! It's about time somebody gave that a try. I was very happy when I found this! :D

[@SuperAnthony3]

Much appreciated!

[@Sly88Frye]

I was thinking of making my own tier list of where I rank every AVGN episode, but just never got around to it. I hope when I finally do make such a video which I had been thinking about for quite some time that I won't be told that I'm just copying you. lol

[@SuperAnthony3]

Hah, anyone who tried to claim you were copying me would be ridiculous! So, have at it!

[@Sly88Frye]

@@SuperAnthony3 Yeah you're probably right. Well I've had a hectic schedule but hopefully sometime this year I'll make that tier list. lol

[@TinyGumba]

i love this episode. its just absolute psychosis

[@SuperAnthony3]

It's definitely a unique entry in the series.

[@Edge_Formerly_Dev]

Just out of curiosity will you still be doing these one at a time or is this just for the remaining F- tier?

[@SuperAnthony3]

It will probably just depend on the episode. If I have a lot to say about it, then there's a good chance it will be released as one. If I don't have too much I want to say it will probably get packaged in with others. Either way, once I have completed a "tier" I'll package those together as a whole and release them as such.

[@Edge_Formerly_Dev]

@@SuperAnthony3 alright thank you for letting me know

[@Vanessinha91Pucca]

Idk why he bitch about "if i do what works it's just a job".. Come on James, it IS a job and a good one, one that uses creativity

[@SuperAnthony3]

I think he's felt trapped by the nerd for a long time. Like, wanting to be fulfilled creatively but knowing his most popular stuff will always be these game reviews. That happens to a lot of people who become typecast in a way.

[@Vanessinha91Pucca]

@@SuperAnthony3Yea but the issue is that he doesn't really have a good side project to fade the nerd away with time by mixing both. I feel like RLM had the same realization with Mr.Plinket, but they don't just took the lazy rout they introduced other segments.

[@SuperAnthony3]

That's the thing though he used to have a ton of other passion projects. Monster Madness, YKWBS, Board James, Turtles Tuesdays etc.

[@Vanessinha91Pucca]

@@SuperAnthony3Yes, but i feel that he lost passion to make KZbin videos (hence why he restructured Cinemassacre) in general. But the issue is that this is his job and his rock band isn't that good to start fading away. In a sense he should feel lucky that he still have the nerd to keep his channel relevant and start investing on finding the passion for it again.

[@SkiNet201]

When i first saw this nerd episode, i was severely dissapointed.

[@Tonatiub]

Despite its flaws I still like this episode over the other three celebrity guest episodes. The Toxic Crusaders one I can't even rewatch, it's so painful.

[@SuperAnthony3]

The Gilbert Gottfried one is pretty rough too and I'm a fan of his. Kyle Justin cameos are great though.

[@Skullduggerydodo]

Didn't James make a video saying he can't do much action videos because of all of his equipment and having to hang the lighting of his roof ? Sounds like James got backlash from this episode and has to explain to the plebs what it's about

[@SuperAnthony3]

Yea BTS is a classic. Or that time he spent days repairing a dresser when he could have just gotten a new on by typing in amazon dot com

[@WashupCyclone]

I’m kind of a fan of this episode ngl. It’s very cursed but they went all out.

[@SuperAnthony3]

In some ways, I can see appreciating this a lot more than his most recent stuff.

[@jameskowanko7574]

This episode is fantastic, what are you talking about! It’s a whole three stooges bit, it’s great!

[@SuperAnthony3]

I mean, that's the risk of doing an episode like this. None of his previous AVGN content was reminiscent of the Three Stooges so it's not going to land with everyone.

[@TPD]

this is, IMO, the wrong way to present this concept. make it a long video with multiple episodes covered, or split it into 50 episodes or so.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Define "wrong". This is a hobby so when I have something, I make it, I finish it, and I put it out.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Also, here's what I see are the many advantages to being iterative: 1. More learning opportunities: I can improve one thing in each video and learn 2. I'm more engaged: Instead of working on something for weeks or months I can get instant feedback 3. Each Nerd Episode will get it's due: Otherwise I'd be more inclined to rush through my analysis. 4. Higher Quality vids: By learning, improving and keeping focused, I'll give my best each vid. 5. Building community: I suspect people subscribe to see what the next vid will be 6. Limited Downside: For those who don't like piecemeal, I can bundle these up into larger chunks later and they will be higher quality if I did them all at once. So, right or wrong I suspect really depends on goals.

[@skibot9974]

Won’t doing one at a time make this take forever

[@SuperAnthony3]

I rather take time and care with each episode than rush through them.

[@SunnySide_Gaming]

Yea. I never go back to this episode. When I initially watched it, I thought it could have been a good concept of a video, but it isn’t good. What a waste of SEGA accessories.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Yea, that's similar to how I felt. I was excited when I first saw the subject matter and as I kept watching it just occurred to me that I wasn't enjoying it.

[@FunAI-Auto]

I can't believe the AVGN ranked himself 208th! Who knew there were that many angry video game nerds out there? Maybe next time he should throw in a few more curse words and rage quits to move up the rankings. You watch my videos for hours and hours! Keep on raging, James!

[@SuperAnthony3]

I think this joke has officially gone over my head

[@99splashing]

@@SuperAnthony3 I've seen a few comments from that person and I legit wonder if it's a bot "You watch my videos for hours and hours!" what? loool

[@Niagaranobs]

First one I actually like. Although your points are still valid. I just think the episode's funny. That's all.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Yea, I'll probably keep saying this, I can see this as a guilty pleasure for me when in the right frame of mind.

[@baxterbunny4403]

Avgn ytp are better than the modern avgn episode

[@SuperAnthony3]

I did once post a question to people and asked them if they thought Irate Gamer was better than Modern AVGN. The answer did come back 'no'

[@MrRicadams1]

This episode was also when I stopped enjoying Nerd episodes. Honestly I don't understand James' reasoning for making it (wanting to create new content rather than reviewing older content? Really?). I had hoped for an episode where he would've covered Genesis/Mega Drive Accessories like he did the NES Accessories, give the add-ons for a Sega console a fair shout like with add-ons for Nintendo console. Instead with got two men being unfunny for no real reason like you described, and it comes off as unfunny. Yes James Rolfe, I DO enjoy slapstick...when there's a purpose to it.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Yea, it's definitely a bigger letdown if you had expectations from prior episodes.

[@Mathias-jr2df]

So has it run its course? Is it now outdated and obsolete? There are hundreds of episodes and the all of them have 100s of thousands of views or millions so what does this mean? People cant hit the mark 100% , 100% of the time hit or miss. regardless if this angry nerd video is not up to par to what we think it should be or thought it was. James was and is pretty successful.

[@SuperAnthony3]

I have nothing against James. There's 213 episodes to rank, they can't all be number one. My point at the end of this revie, is honestly, I think for him personally he struggles with how to relate to this content now.

[@acfreak55]

Yeah this episode was just weird. It didn't even feel like an AVGN episode. It had the vegas stakes vibe. Idk why they thought Vegas Stakes was a good idea after this horrible episode.

[@SuperAnthony3]

Yea, it definitely missed on expectations.

[@boltonrb]

I generally agree with what's a good / shit episode but there's something about this episode I like. I know it's not the best in The world but it's definitely nowhere near the worst imo. 6/10

[@SuperAnthony3]

I think for me, this episode stands out because when it first released cinemassacre hadn't yet created so much awful content.

[@NEStalgia1985]

Nathan Barnatt was funny

[@SuperAnthony3]

He definitely has a style about him

[@wade_r.]

Sir, if the first Jekyll and Hyde episode does not score low, then you need to rethink everything. Most of it is just the Nerd talking about how bad it is with a dozen pauses, and when we finally see the game, the camera work may just be the worst in the entire series. I know many might consider it classic, but if you re-watch, it's...well, I don't want to be to extreme, so I'll just say boring. Thank you for reading and good luck on this massive endeavor of yours.

[@SuperAnthony3]

I won't say it's going to be the highest, but will probably get points for being the second episode and the first with James on camera, while also establishing important lore of the franchise

[@wade_r.]

@@SuperAnthony3 Seems fair enough

[@hoisamuro]

Leach

[@SuperAnthony3]

snuffleupagus!

[@Skullduggerydodo]

I hate hate hate this episode, i like slap stick im from the uk and i grew up on bottom so i know slap stick but this is just stupid crap for no reason

[@floydharper1216]

I couldn't stand this episode and it has everything to do with the guy brought in to guest on it. He apparently has some kind of following but from what he does here I cant imagine why. He just comes off as overwhelmingly obnoxious, and kinda slimy and creepy...is that the joke?

[@SuperAnthony3]

Yea, it's a character that he plays, but rough to introduce him in this episode.