Top 10 Worst AVGN Episodes

Maybe your top 10 list looks different than mine, this is just my personal opinion. I've been watching AVGN since 2006 and couldn't have made this video if I wasn't such a huge fan.
#avgn #angryvideogamenerd

[@TrashQueenAndKing]

This is the first top 10 list I've seen on KZbin that gets directly into it without a 3 minute introduction about how it needs no introduction.

[@paxe.j.1723]

They always promise "without further ado" but the ados will always be furthered.

[@NearLife4life]

This video is shit

[@Ismnotdeadyet]

Watch Weasle Batches

[@hugocastilla3102]

Yeah. I felt I was missing something

[@Gamingtrevor]

I'll be honest, I came here specifically to talk about the editing- primarily that he needed at least SOMETHING to start the video. I do see your argument as well, however, because digital video is still an evolving medium and KZbin is constantly changing their platform(who KNOWS if written titles will be seen in the future), I would still recommend you at least preface your video before diving in. I didn't really get a sense of the creator until the end- and that could be a harm to gaining followers, and also gives more picky watchers something to grab onto instead of just the promised subject. Either way, good list- but I feel it's very Screenwave centric (not without reason), and I would suggest another video focused on his 10 worse EARLY videos, because man- there are some stinkers in there as well. Despite that, the Nerd was known for his honesty and passion, and I'm sad to see that slowly going away as it becomes more of a product. Keep doing what you all are doing, keep that same passion up, and I may jump back in if KZbin recommends another of yours. :)

[@murilocelebi]

The Shrek cult skit feels like something nostalgia critic would do

[@waderoberts3701]

Every Screenwave era skit feels like a Nostalgia Critic skit, and that's the fundamental problem. James loves practical effects, and it really showed when he got creative in his first few years of Halloween episodes. But everything Screenwave has done is green screen crap. It's uninspired.

[@dimitriwarchief301]

Yeah

[@gameroftheyear1000]

That’s the one sketch I can forgive. The sketch is supposed to based off the 1973 version of the wicker man. And I’ll admit, they got the tone of the cultist in the movie down pretty good. I’m not a modern AVGN fan all that much, but I’ll admit the plot and execution in the Shrek episode is actually well written.

[@BMovieMadness]

Bingo.

[@jamespuso1627]

Not gonna lie, I really liked the Shrek one and the Black Tiger one. I admit that might just be because I'm a huge fan of Shrek and the Wicker Man and in the case of the latter because Gilbert Gottfried carried it. Admittedly in the case of Black Tiger it did feel like the game was giving more material than was really used.

[@PhillipCummingsUSA]

Getting rid of Mike was obviously the worst mistake. People don't like him yet he did a lot of the concept work and wrote many people's favorite episodes.

[@bestudesu4833]

Mike was the actually AVGN. I've always liked Mike but understand while some don't. He's still streaming himself playing games 8 hours a day and loves the hell out of it. The second Mike left I stopped watching the channel.

[@gengarrhea]

he also was my favorite version of the joker.

[@thunderstudent]

I got to disagree, I didn't like Mike unless he was playing a character. Mike himself just annoyed me.

[@gurvmlk]

@@thunderstudent I hear that. And much as I enjoyed James & Mike Mondays, there were more examples than there existed episodes of me just wanting Mike to either shut up, chill out, or both.

[@troywright359]

Bootsy > Mike. I'm sad we never got more Bootsy beats.

[@m8rs558]

I love how you review the episodes in the same style as AVGN would

[@energeticyellow1637]

Not even a minute in and this video is giving me strong 2010 vibes.

[@jpeezyYT]

I like how he sounds like avgn reviewing avgn episodes

[@asmodeus58XX]

Also, he sounds like the Nerd sounded back in 2006-2009, when he was at the peak of his passion.

[@phooeyfudge]

Nothing will surpass your experience watching the kingdom hearts episode? Hold your horses

[@spidermarcel]

New contender released this week

[@The_October_Man]

I think the genie in the Aladdin Deck Enhancer video is supposed to be unbearable. Because I’m pretty sure that episode dropped when the live action Aladdin remake was released.

[@nota444tm2]

yeah, i don't think this guy caught that.

[@frogglen6350]

What's crazy is that the nostalgia critic is more passionate and knowledgeable about kingdom hearts than avgn

[@TrashQueenAndKing]

One reason for that is that there is irrefutable proof he actually played the games.

[@karlimo4034]

Nostalgia has played more games than James, and also has watched more movies, James just watch movies that fall on his very small nich taste.

[@markus7166]

Nostalgia critic is levels ahead of James. At least he puts effort into his job, unlike lazy ass James. Even if his content is shit like recent AVGN, I can at least respect his work ethic and determination.

[@ooferrell]

Kingdom's heart is trash anyways I hate Disney and the fact that they try to put square inks with the collaboration on a video game title. It's dumb to me

[@Cheesehead302]

So like, I'm one of the people who through all of the years has kept watching Nostalgia Critic videos and I will say this: 100 percent, everything people make fun of, the cringe worthy skits and the fact that he's just kinda watching the movie along with you for most of the video is absolutely not good. But, in my opinion, the sections where it's legit just doug walker talking about what he thinks about a movie and explaining what works and doesn't is the one thing keeping me there. In a Nostalgia Critic episode, it's customary for me to skip past the terrible skits to protect myself from cringe. But once you get past that, he actually does have really informed opinions and explanations for why he feels a certain way on movies. The "Doug Reviews" videos on his channel are by far his best videos in my opinion, just 20 minutes of his thoughts. Honestly I would much rather the cringe skits that I can skip and a guy that genuinely talks reviews the media to an extent than what modern AVGN is at this point, which in my mind is essentially nothing but cringe skits. Like, any "review" section from a modern episode just feels so unmeaningful, and the skits lack any kind of passion and are largely just as cringe as the Nostalgia Critic thing.

[@amandamakin1542]

Personally my most HATED AVGN episode is the Ecco the Dolphin one. Ecco isn't really a bad game, it's just frustratingly hard. AVGN didn't even use the Passwords to get to the final levels, which is a shame, because his reaction would have been priceless, ESPECIALLY his reaction to the final boss, how different it is in the Japanese version, & everything else. And the ending of the episode, DEAR GOD, it offended me! Ecco does NOT deserve the hate, it's not Jekyll & Mr. Hyde bad, just a super hard & surprisingly weird game.

[@Bullboy_Adventures]

I was sad he didn't find out about the disturbing final boss

[@alexfischer7876]

I'd prefer _Somecallmejohnny_ version of the review over the _Nerd_ one any day. "ECCO DIED SAVING HIS FAMILY, A TRUE DOLPHIN HERO! _Get this shit outta my Genesis!"_

[@whyareyoureadingmynickname8158]

True, that episode had so much potential for great comedy, but instead it relied on the lowest and cheapest possible humor. It honestly felt like he didn't want to review it but someone offscreen was pointing a gun at him.

[@amandamakin1542]

@@whyareyoureadingmynickname8158 And whoever made the Nerd review this hated the game & sabotaged it

[@alexfischer7876]

@@amandamakin1542 Probably _Cinemassacre_ staff themselves. As for _Somecallmejohnny_ version above, Ed Annunziata (the creator of Ecco the Dolphin himself) praised it. And that was _years_ before Nerd got around to that unfortunate dolphin hero.

[@wolvepotter5858]

The Life of Black Tiger’s review itself was just ok, but Gottfried really does elevate it a ton. He always knows how to nail a line delivery even if the joke itself isn’t that funny, but it was probably more script driven than improvisation driven. As for the Shrek review…….eh. As much as I love it when the Nerd goes full on horror like with the Polybius or Bearstein Bears and it could’ve worked on its own as a fun little short, Having it be needlessly tacked onto what was mostly a pretty comedic review just felt out of place

[@eltiolavara9]

yep

[@RaposaCadela]

I didn't know who that guy was in the Black Tiger review, so to me it just seemed like a random old man told to read offensive dialog, so I really didn't think it was even barely funny tbh

[@alexfischer7876]

@@RaposaCadela That "random old man" - Gilbert Gottfried, the iconic nasal screamer - passed away in 2022. It's not funny to point that out, either.

[@RaposaCadela]

@@nero48 dude I'm brazilian it was dubbed lkashdlajksdhajklsk

[@RaposaCadela]

@@alexfischer7876 sorry to hear, opinion stays the same

[@HEYitzED]

Why the hell did they reference The Wicker Man at the end of the Shrek episode. Like what?!

[@doddsino]

Because James likes to insert things he admires, only his homages tend to be almost knuckle-dragging insultingly shitty. Imagine any of the adults in those scenes...how embarrassing to be seen in those years from now.

[@KBXband]

Also the fans of Shrek are like super obsessed with it.

[@trentben0]

Why the hell not?

[@user-zm1sm7ho8b]

My only guess is because The Wickerman is set in Scotland and Shrek has a Scottish accent.

[@stellviahohenheim]

James "duck walk" Rolfe

[@orionsr2d264]

I forget half of theses episodes, yeah I think 200 probably should have been on the list. I'm interested in your favorite AVGN episodes?

[@RetroSpectors]

I mentioned episode 200 during the outro and as for my classic-era favorites I'd pick Plumbers Dont Wear Ties, Batman Part 1, Sega CD, Sega 32X, Wizard of Oz, Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle, Halloween, Back to the Future, Nintendo World Champion, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I can't list them all because 2006-2013 is the best era in my opinion. Some post-2014 episodes that I liked were Berenstein Bears, Megaman, Amiga CD32, Planet of the Apes, Contra, and I really enjoyed the 12 days of shitsmas as a whole. I also enjoyed the Sega Activator episode even though I know that one got some backlash when it came out.

[@orionsr2d264]

@@RetroSpectors awesome thanks!

[@kieranstark7213]

@@RetroSpectors I love all those episodes of AVGN (and most episodes from that guy in general, especially from the 2000s - early 2010s), but when no one would make a list of AVGN episodes that suck ass, I’m glad you would!

[@DeathCrustPunk]

@@RetroSpectors cintra sucks shit so much

[@nevenpatrk9661]

It's fitting how most of these came after I stopped watching AVGN so I never got to experience most of these.

[@shaye1444]

Yep. The classics are the best. If you do when he intended to stop, you get no disappointments

[@doddsino]

You're going to need to redo this list pretty soon.

[@badulakhemagico7029]

Y?

[@McLovin_2007]

It was a perfect choice to use Justin Silverman to play Dennis Nedry from Jurassic Park. He looks just like him. I've often joked about Justin looking identical to Craig on Malcolm in the Middle.

[@RetroSpectors]

Chick chicka ya fake ID how tight!

[@zachtwilightwindwaker596]

@@RetroSpectorsYeah he did look like him.

[@backstabbingscumbag6657]

Don't insult Wayne Knight like that

[@keithswiniarski7766]

Fast forward a year and there's a new batch of contenders for this list. Holy shit.

[@snowblind9551]

0:07 I agree that it was lazy of James to overuse Matt, but to refer to Matt as just "some other KZbinr" is just ignorant. Two Best Friends was an influential internet classic, just like AVGN.

[@isaigutierrez1617]

What Happened is fantastic too

[@lastgengamers1137]

Idk I liked that Matt got some spotlight. It was like every gamer youtubers dream to be noticed by James. That being said Matt does great deep dives into games

[@Boots43096]

I assumed that was a sarcastic joke

[@lastgengamers1137]

@Boots43096 it's not too far fetched mat has his haters

[@thekeybladeninjaturtle7380]

I lost interest in AVGN after his Shrek: Fairytale Freakdown video The Shrek Cult joke was spoiled at the beginning and the joke about James saying he never saw Shrek in a while went on for far too long

[@zeebooboo9663]

In the Jurassic Park Tresspasser episode, hearing about the development behind the game by Spencer himself was really cool

[@thegamerzonewithgrimmxiii]

Aside from the punchline and the genie, I actually liked the Deck Enhancer episode. I'd say Planet of the Apes would have been a good pick, too. I remember seeing it once and he rage quitted near the end of the level and the video ended, and I was like, "That's it?". And yeah, I agree his Kingdom Hearts video felt like a big middle finger to the audience. Also kudos to you for being one of the first Top 10 listers who go straight to the point without having to explain themselves for 4 minutes.

[@lightningmanectric3096]

It's of course also obvious that they picked the Kingdom Hearts timeline to rip apart because of the third game's release.

[@RetroSpectors]

gotta chase muh trending topics for muh algorithm

[@Pendarr]

True but to be fair they were doing that since the old days. Rocky, The Simpsons, Rambo etc. were all done with their new movies coming out.

[@seank.cunningham3841]

@@Pendarr I'm aware of that now that you mentioned it. Just kind of coming up with a reason for why the retrospective happened.

[@pinio5132]

This video is structured just like a classic Cinemassacre top 10. Great stuff.

[@mathewbarrie]

There's only really one way to structure a top 10.

[@mver191]

R u my WILD brother?

[@mracula1667]

The biggest red flag that James didn’t write the script is when their are lines that explain the joke or the reference after the punchline. It’s feels like someone at screenwave trying to add extra context so James understands the joke.

[@Acidonia150reborn]

The Echo the Dolphin episode because it barely goes halfway into the game even though the game has a password feature.

[@amandamakin1542]

I HATED the Ecco the Dolphin episode too. It's not a bad game, just frustratingly hard. Plus, if he had got to the final levels, the reaction would have been priceless. And the ending, DEAR GOD! Ecco does NOT deserve the hate, it's not Jekyll & Mr. Hyde bad!

[@liukang3545]

James is just a piss player lolw

[@deanolium]

@@liukang3545 Well James doesn't play the games. But Mike is basically the kind of gamer who has played a couple of games to death when he was a kid and so thinks he's great at all games, and thus if something is hard it's obviously because it's broken or bad. It couldn't be that he's not as good a gamer as he thinks he is...

[@liukang3545]

@@deanolium LOL he does he even made an episode explaining how he plays hahahhha, and mike, lolw who takes that racist mfking creep seriousky? =DDDDDDDDDDDDD

[@josh984gamer5]

This list might need to be updated real quick

[@ArmlessSteve4487]

I honestly feel bad for James Rolfe It’s very clear that he doesn’t want to do more Avgn videos anymore

[@control_the_pet_population]

Yep... at some point the dream job became just a job.

[@user-oi9hc1tc7u]

I mean he ran out of games to review. At least the ones that had meaning to him like dick Tracy and ninja turtles

[@AtheistJr]

I don't know, when i watch stuff like the Earthbound episode, it seems like when he gets the right game, he shows he really is still passionate about it.

[@board-qu9iu]

@@control_the_pet_population Didn't he care more about Films than video games originally? Like he went to Film School for that reason before he did Avgn as a little thing before it took off

[@Jay-uu5lu]

He does he just doesnt know how to make money from them

[@rnRN-hg1pv]

i think the nerd has become less angry over time

[@LordSluggo]

He's gone from being 22 to 40-something. It happens.

[@josephbrown9685]

@@LordSluggoYeah, it’s impossible for it not to change. I’m close to James’s age and I feel very little in common with my 22 year old self. I can’t imagine what it must be like to continue trying to play that same character two decades later.

[@iamstewpit6740]

I mean...the show's been going on for 20 years at this point.

[@CAnAbrAvA2011]

And the games from his childhood are probably over, so the rage is not legit

[@unimportantcommenter4356]

I think the Shrek episode was born out of Screenwave's seething anger that Shrek was documented by the Library of Congress. This and the Shrek memes have to be the explanation why the video features a cult.

[@rontia]

That Doom Halloween episode was pretty rough too and that glorified compilation thats episode 200.

[@doddsino]

2023 ain't starting out great either.

[@Markeplier23]

I liked the Doom episode

[@eltiolavara9]

the doom episode i thought was good, episode 200 not so much

[@tickleson8661]

I feel bad for the doom episode, I can't remember anything besides the 3DO's music Vs the jaguars silence and John Romero's cameo

[@viewtifulboy]

The Aladdin Deck Enhancers exploding thing was actually in-character for the AVGN character and it was pretty funny having a montage of it happening to gaming enthusiasts.

[@TexasWench]

Meh

[@liukang3545]

No it was not, it was sheet

[@Ian44_92]

I started watching The Nerd around 2008 but I gave up on it around 2016. The reviews are not the same anymore and when you said that he doesn't even write the scripts anymore it all starts to make sense

[@LordSluggo]

That's what the whole Monster Madness debacle boiled down to. Everyone thought that the plagiarism was the problem, but the actual problem was that it proved James isn't writing his own material anymore.

[@technounionrepresentative4274]

The worst part for me is that james is pretty much the only guy from the 2008 era that is still around, It's just him and some painfully unfunny schmucks from a company that bought cinnemassacre (I think that's what the screen wave debacle is, not sure though)

[@LordArikado]

I agree with a lot of these being on the list. My personal number 1 would have to be episode 200, because it takes a neat concept (Nerd reviews every LJN game), and then spends most of its runtime on recycled clips from old episodes, with most of the new review bits amounting to "It's okay, I guess", and in doing so, it means he's got nothing left from his arch-nemesis to cover going forward. And that's without going into how it was split into multiple parts solely because the Screenwave guys booked too many sponsors.

[@pulsewitch6484]

My hot take is that trespasser was a great episode. I really liked the boundary break session as well as the interview with the devs were interesting and I feel like bringing devs into avgn was a very unique and fun twist

[@justinkratzer8562]

Yeah I’m with . It actually had some funny and cool parts in it

[@dreamlandnightmare]

Not a great episode, but it was mostly enjoyable besides the overly used dinosaur costume site gag, and certainly doesn't deserve to be on this "worst of" list.

[@waderoberts3701]

James remarked about how hard the Shrek episode was to do during covid, so why did they have to make it then? The Kingdom Hearts episode was unapologetically insincere. He even admitted to not playing the games, and it was sponsored by SquareEnix.

[@teh_supar_hackr]

That video being sponsored by Square Enix is like the ultimate final blow to watching the episode.

[@gameroftheyear1000]

Because, contrary to what people will always say, money will always talk if you’re someone who doesn’t have a lifetime supply to sustain it. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take crappy side jobs I didn’t want to do to make a bit of extra cash. I know James has a fan base to appeal to which makes it much different, but sadly the money came first in this case.

[@txcforever]

Maybe on paper a recreation of the final scenes of the Wicker Man sounded appealing to him as a movie buff I guess. Same with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

[@blueadeptrogue]

What's wrong with the Kingdom Hearts video? What was unapologetic about it?

[@txcforever]

@@blueadeptrogue Mostly because it was clear that he didn't really know about the games or played all of them to know the complexity of their timeline. They just happened to get a sponsorship deal for promoting KH3.

[@misalazagamers3443]

You say Kingdom Hearts Ep is the worst , watch AVGN My Horse Prince…😔☹️

[@AlexHidanBR]

Exactly... that shit is just WTF man

[@ejordant2112]

Never seen the kingdom hearts episode, but the horse one was pretty funny, idgaf. Hope this whole "talking shit about AVGN" trend of youtube videos dies out soon.

[@jackcarraway4707]

I notice a trend where the worst AVGN episodes, besides the ones where he obviously didn't write it, are the ones with guests and special effects.

[@spidermarcel]

Yeah,even before the "screenwave era",Toxic Avenger and Sega activator,2 episodes with special guests,were considered the worst episodes

[@backstabbingscumbag6657]

@@spidermarcel Don't forget the glitch gremlin. The idea of angry reviewing glitches is a pretty good one, but he had to ruin it with that shit

[@christocream]

I loved the Aladdin deck enhancer video I thought that was hilarious with the genie and how he made a wish to blue up every deck enhancer

[@Juanknes]

Me too. And the genius was cringey in a good way haha.

[@Nov-5062]

Pretty sure the cult in the Shrek episode is a reference to the movie Wicker Man. Still doesn't mean it's good though

[@deasteinza3987]

The Joke about the "Crowbar" and the lame ass Genie in the Aladdin Deck Enhancer episode seemed to be things taken out from an early Irate Gamer Episode, not something you expected to see on AVGN. That's the level of content James is doing nowadays.

[@averageant7173]

The Shrek episode is even worse when you realize that James is not the one in the shrek mask with all the people in the snow

[@ilovepepsi6670]

Still better than the AVGN Movie.... Now that was painfully bad...

[@cadenleonard3714]

Yeah but in fairness james probably knew going in it wasnt gonna be good and just wanted to make a fun avgn movie

[@Nagai1989]

The genie in the Aladdin deck enhancer review felt like it came from an Irate Gamer review.

[@garfieif8187]

It would have felt more like Irate Gamer if James said "fusstrating"

[@SuperFitzieZX]

I feel like that was the point. The genie was supposed to be that way for comedic effect in a so bad it’s good way.

[@Czyszy]

But at least the AVGN Genie's rug wasn't double parked outside.

[@andrewplays4079]

this feels like an avgn episode about avgn episodes

[@Tronathon242]

2021 was the worst year for James in my opinion. A streak terrible of AVGN episodes followed by the Monster Madness debacle.

[@RetroSpectors]

I can understand that. I would personally classify 2021 as the most forgettable year for AVGN, but 2019 had some really bad cringe I can't forget.

[@chaotf]

And now he has an alternate persona where he pursues a Weezer wannabe band

[@marmcd2003]

@@chaotf Yeah Rex Viper is absolutely horrid.

[@chaotf]

@@marmcd2003 no it isnt, i love gargling on Mint Chocolate Soylent while duckstomping to a metal cover of Mario Bros

[@Emigdiosback]

The only one I remember was the 3DO episode

[@ChaseMC215]

I actually don't like the Carmageddon 64 episode for one reason. It doesn't seem like The nerd actually knows that the version of the game he's playing was based off of the censored german release of Carmageddon 2, not the original Carmageddon, which has a PS1 port exclusive to Europe. Here he's just not made clear of that, unlike in the Atari Sports episode where he intentionally acts dumb just for the episode, here he's not even acting dumb, he doesn't get the fact that it was based off of Carmageddon 2. In fact, he did say that the reason why Titus didn't use the john williams theme in Superman 64 was due to it being based off the pretty awesome cartoon show, the only good thing coming from him during the Titus trilogy (which is what I call it), but he never mentioned this game being based off of Carpocalypse Now's gameplay. He also asks why Konami didn't do the console games based off the Simpsons line when he never realized that Konami never owned those console rights to begin with.

[@tohomaster4664]

Ever since he partnered with Screenwave, ya he hates when us fans complain about them, then again if your making videos on KZbin, you have to expect there are gonna be people who dislike your videos.

[@vakyak]

I’m rewatching the episodes oldest to newest right now! I think this is the second time I’ve been recommended your videos. Those old videos really do have a charm to them.

I loved the Life of Black Tiger episode, the others on this list... Not that much. I feel like, the early videos were better when it was so simple, raw, lots of things were condensed into one. And while they were scripted obviously they felt more natural. His reactions, the rage, the jokes were all awesome!

[@karlimo4034]

That black tiger one was aweful, also the one with that Sega Kinect thing where he destroys stuff during the whole thing, not funny and overproduced.

[@laughingseal2282]

It wasn't funny and Gilbert was just there to screech and rely on his delivery.

[@TheBlackSeraph]

@@laughingseal2282 They really over-relied on Gilbert's appeal/delivery. Some of his dialogue hit really well (like the clip shown regarding building a console in the jungle), but the script was so that most of Gottfreid's lines were comedic one-liner trailer bait that took away from the actual good jokes.

[@iamstewpit6740]

"I feel like the early videos were better" Well uh...duh? I mean, the show's been going on for 20 years at this point, it's obviously going to get old over time. Newer episodes obviously aren't going to be as good as the older episodes. And I know people complain about "weh James doesn't even write his own scripts anymore" or "the humor isn't the same anymore" and all of that shit. But I feel that even if these problems didn't exist, newer AVGN episodes *STILL* wouldn't hit the same as older ones. That's just kinda the natural way of things. The longer something goes on, the less fresh and original it feels. I mean, even bread gets stale, the older it gets.

[@iamstewpit6740]

@@karlimo4034 Idk, I enjoyed both of these videos. I don't why we're trying to tell this dude they're wrong for enjoying one of these episodes. If they like it, let em like it.

[@misterjack4595]

I actually like the Aladdin Deck Enhancer episode aside from all the cameos at the end. The Nerd being so ruthlessly cruel to the genie, who is offering to grant him any wish he desires, for no reason other than being in a bad mood gets a pretty good laugh out of me.

[@YourPalJamieEllis]

I think this really cuts to the heart of watching newer AVGN--the side parts and skits in the episodes are sooo hard to watch when they're half-assed. What's more, the years have not been kind to James' effects style and production level, as he went from legitimately the most adept and equipment-invested creator on KZbin in the late '00s to someone doing it in a way that's seemingly deliberately sophomoric, even in ways that aren't entertaining. In the older episodes, the little episode gimmicks are like fun pieces of candy throughout the meal. Think Kevin's ninja in Ninja Gaiden--it's so silly and cliche, but is executed with so much gusto that it's hard not to enjoy. When you're making these silly little jokes, any insincerity in committing to the bit is going to stick out like a sore thumb. The game review content is generally watchable even when James sleepwalks through it, which is a testament to how much practice he's had making that kind of expository delivery engaging. And I'm actually going to give the slobs--err, the Screenwave guys some credit and say that they managed to replicate James and Mike's written nerd voice pretty successfully a few times, and legitimately brought some adaptive flair of their own to the narrative style over the years.

[@spaceghost681]

If you think the kingdom hearts episode is bad then wait until you see his new episode

[@300fusionfall]

was thinking the same lol, I had to stop midway through, too bad because he had something going with Final Fantasy VI

[@ericchung3177]

I'd say that the Jurassic Park one is the closest an AVGN episode has ever come to feeling like a Nostalgia Critic episode. That's not a good thing.

[@tickleson8661]

Especially that last clip with the "Allen" jumpscare reference... remember how funny that was when Doug milked that single joke for over a minute? No?

[@Cyberbrickmaster1986]

@@tickleson8661 It was literally just a dream sequence in a bad Jurassic Park movie. The Critic didn't need to make a big fuss over it!

[@zachtwilightwindwaker596]

Didn't the Critic make a Nerd episode as well?

[@RcAHS]

8:25 - The next episode was Darkman and it could have been a sequel where Nerd was bandaged and appeared as Darkman like in the movie. But in the episode itself there was a phrase that the audience did not want to see scenes with characters in disguise. I think that's why the burning scene didn't get a punchline.

[@thestuff10]

“What was he thinking!?!?”

[@gjbsarmeri3957]

I think at one point of the Kingdom Hearts video he literally just said something like "I never played Kingdom Hearts games" and it was pretty obvious to realize that while watching

[@stproducciones9140]

The shrek cult skit is a reference to The Wicker Man. doesn't make it any better but at least there is a reason why it just ends with them burning the nerd alive

[@tjames6427]

The board James episodes were gold and made me laugh the hardest.

[@Jobocan.]

TBH I legitimately don't remember most of these episodes. Shrek, the Sega VHS one, dirty harry, the one with the dinosaurs, carmageddon... Weird that I must have for sure seen them, but I have no memory of it ever happening.

[@SwearfoGod.]

I love that you have no BS flashy intro; just got straight to the point

[@ProGremlinPlayer]

Massive old youtube vibes from this video, I love it. Keep up the banger videos.

[@weston407]

they’re pretty much all Screenwave episodes - ever since he got that terrible shirt i’ve had a hard time making it through episodes

[@RoyStantz]

We were dealing with a phenomenon that has a certain cyclical quality to it anyway, you know, it runs in cycles, and you have periods that are up and periods that are down, and that quality was made even more pronounced by the fact that we had some key departures with Kyle Justin and Bootsy, and there was a very pronounced downturn in the operation in about 2012 that continues to this very day.

[@vankook]

I tapped out with James at the wii pets episode. I looked at the thumbnail and just knew I was done. Haven't watched anything by him since.

[@iamstewpit6740]

Tbh. Even tho AVGN episodes aren't as great and funny as they used to be, I don't really have a problem with it. I mean, the show's been going on for 20 years at this point, it's obviously not going to be as good and funny as it was back then. And I honestly don't see him having a few bad episodes as a good reason to dislike him or stop supporting him. I mean, from my personal perspective, that's kind of a petty reason to stop supporting him. At least he's not a piece of shit. Like at least he's not a p3do, or harassing his fans, or telling people how they should vote or anything.

[@Vectormantudeoz]

The Aladdin Deck Enhancer episode didn't go badly for me personally, apart from the fact that thanks to the cameos I got to know Rerez's channel.

[@darksydeernie]

Respectable opinions. I would have slotted Toxic Crusaders in there for being the first truly awful episode.

[@RetroSpectors]

I didn't like it when I first saw it either but I'm not too harsh on it anymore since it seems like it was made just for fun. I don't think there was even a script, Lloyd was just being his normal wacko self

[@PoutingTrevor]

I like that episode. Lloyd Kaufman is a treasure.

[@imthethriller]

Toxic Crusaders Episode gave Me Blue Balls because there was so much more they could have done

[@skylarblackwell2279]

I admit I disliked it at first but over time it's become a favorite, the more I rewatch it the more it makes me laugh

[@BMovieMadness]

Nah that episode rocks

[@thydungeonman26]

I honestly really liked the fear and loathing episode. Mostly because you can see James really loves the movie. There's definitely much worse.

[@redacted2275]

He made a poor carbon copy of the movie, Nostalgia Critic style. That's all. If the video was a preschool assignment, great, I would be glad he was happy... but it's not. The SEGA activator, "The Immortal" videos at least had some original thought by James, regardless if he "had fun or not" or if the final products are questionable but they're not totally uninspired.

[@user-oi9hc1tc7u]

I agree I like that episode cuse you can tell he loves that movie.

[@markus7166]

Much worse ?? Please, name one. I’ll be waiting.

[@randommanwill802]

Dude, James didn't outsource the Final Fight review, he collaborated with Matt McMuscles.

[@Pendarr]

I think I'd disagree with Aladdin Deck Enhancer being that bad. The CGI genie was .. a choice. But the dialogue didn't feel much different than a low tier James/Mike script. Otherwise though definitely can't disagree with this list, nice video!

[@magicaltrevor3781]

You didn't even elaborate AT ALL what you found wrong with your number one pick, being AVGN's Chronologically Confused About Kingdom Hearts episode. All you said was someone else probably wrote the script. Just about nothing else beyond that other than you find it to be the worst episode. I'm assuming you've heard of KH, the franchise with one of the most chronologically confusing plots of all time along with some of the funniest/cringiest videogame dialogue of all time in tandem. Also famous for putting a bunch of micro sequels on handheld consoles just to make sure it's difficult as possible for casual fans to keep up with some of the absolute laziest and nonsensical storytelling ever put to fiction in gaming.

[@pamateriapamdrammelech5930]

Came straight down to the comments to see if I was the only one thinking this. Something tells me he picked that one as the worst episode solely because he's a KH fanboy because there is NO WAY you can justify KH games' naming scheme without sounding pretentious. You know something is wrong when the game titled Kingdom hearts 3 ISN'T the one you need to play after kingdom hearts 2.

[@CirnoFairy]

Surprised the Sega activator episode wasn't mentioned at all.

[@yourface07]

Props to you for jumping right into it. Can’t put into words how refreshing that was

[@haircafekevin]

If we count the AVGN movie as an episode then that one is the worst by far.

[@cantbehelped]

This video is definitely in my Top 1 Unexpected Banger Videos list

[@gpocketgamer7981]

Anytime when James has any guests in his videos that are not from the OG videos I tend to be very skeptical on them, and those usually turn out to be the ones I like the least. I especially don't like the videos where the guest basically reviews the game with him for almost the entire video! Though I did enjoy the Home Alone one not going to lie.

[@Cyberbrickmaster1986]

I thought seeing Macaulay Culkin and James Rolfe team up to do a Home Alone episode and then beat up those awful games with booby traps was quite charming. Also, Macaulay's take on a "I'd rather have a..." joke, although disgusting was quite creative.

[@randomstuff508]

It all really depends. Llyod Kaufman was fucking phenomenal in the Toxic Crusaders episode!

[@DrMadd]

Honestly the biggest problem with the Kingdom Hearts episode is how lazily written it is. Having an episode where the Nerd discovers Kingdom Hearts and slowly loses his mind trying to understand it could be really funny. Have it end with the Nerd creating a giant insane conspiracy board. Instead we just get James speaking like an authority figure on a series he knows nothing about.

[@Mockthenerd]

Honestly, after so many years if the worst you can say is "it's just a little boring", then that's not half bad.

[@noahnorman6877]

In my opinion, the Fear in Loathing episode is actually one of my favorites and I don’t think it was really that bad. On the other hand, I can agree with _Shrek Fairy Tale Freakdown_ being ranked that high because like you said the ending didn’t make any sense at all.

[@critchblackpoolful]

The casino one is one of the worst

[@markus7166]

Fear and loathing was beyond awful. I couldn’t watch more than a few minutes before I had to turn it off. Ironic considering he may have spent more time making that episode than any other. Just goes to show he knows nothing about what his audience wants, and just highlights his incompetence.

[@critchblackpoolful]

@@markus7166 you can tell a lot of effort went into it but I can't stand it

[@gametech4101]

Same. I didn't know people hated it so much

[@tomservo5007]

@@markus7166 have you seen the movie?

[@baffledbrandon3132]

Happy to see the Fear and Loathing in Vegas Stakes video on this list.

[@SuperRat420]

If you haven't seen the Wicker Man, just say so

[@47drift]

Was surprised to not see The Immortal on this list. I couldn't finish that one.

[@frogglen6350]

#1 The Wall. I seriously don't knkw how he missed the point of that movie. oh wait. Wrong guy

[@anotheryoutubeaccount5259]

Lame comment

[@dreamlandnightmare]

I actually really enjoyed the "Vegas Stakes" episode. For me, the worst is Life of Black Tiger. With all due respect to the late Gilbert Godfried, I always found his voice and schtick nothing but obnoxious, and the whole "Fred Fuchs" joke was only ever funny in its initial usage in the "Dracula" episode. It was done to death, especially when you consider the actual Mr. Fuchs - whose name is pronounced "fewks" - had nothing to with the design or programming of the Bram Stoker's Dracula NES game. He is a film/TV producer and his name only appeared in the credits of the game because he produced the movie on which the game was based. Yet, anywhere his name appears on the internet, it is met with stale, cringeworthy references to the AVGN gag. (The comments in a video interview he did on KZbin had to be disabled for this reason.)

[@masterofdoinit6697]

Basically, the whole AVGN Shrek episode was just about James Rolfe being unironically boomer af, only making superficial Shrek jokes and rather ending it up as an irrelevant Wicker Man spoof. But if we talk about cringiness, watch his Prince Horse episode (at your own risk; or maybe you already watched it). Seriously, what was James thinking!?

[@vario6492]

Where would you put Horse prince episode? 🤣🤣

[@ItEm55]

I actually think the Aladdin Deck Enhancer episode was pretty decent, even though I agree it wasn't James' inspiration that wrote the script.

[@azaze88]

That other guy is Matt Mcmuscles and he's had his own channels for years and he's friends with James, Matt is known in the gaming community for his love of final fight, I liked that he had Matt come in and talk about final fight

[@alpzepta]

I guess I'm not only one not a fan of a modern AVGN. My favourite AVGN were in late 2000s. I'm disappointed it's kinda like a product that used to be Made in Japan now Made in China

[@TheBestToasty]

number 1 is on point, I didn't hate Fear and Loathing as much, but I've only seen it once

[@skylarblackwell2279]

As much effort that got put into the fear and loathing episode I almost feel bad I've only watched it once

[@ultraguy14]

What's on point about it?

[@carbonadox5730]

@jeffrey Ep I actually liked the Doon episode.

[@RetroVisionist]

This could easily be a *Top 50* Worst AVGN Episodes video. The 'quality' from 2019 onwards is just atrocious.

[@ianfontanet4230]

Imagine if there was an AVGN episode, where the Nerd is in the Court of Time, where he sees Douchey McNitpick as being the judge? That would have been a fitting episode, seeing Douchey talking Nerd down about the all mistakes he made in the past, especially the Shrek one. But, in return, AVGN gets so angry after finsished see Top 30 AVGN Screwups, he then beat the crap of Douchey McNitpick, just to remind us that this is the real AVGN that we all know and love.

[@JitteryJackanape]

The fact that we just get right into the list, no bullshit. Nice. Subscribed.

[@grantmortensonva]

How is that Sega Activator episode not here lol

[@mrister24]

Far and away my least favorite

[@Coolremac]

I don't remember half of these episodes. Where all of these during the screenwave era?

[@asdfghjkl2261]

Same

[@ParanoidThalyyMVS]

I'd like to see a top 10 BEST AVGN episodes from you.

[@fernweh8709]

Man I remember watching the at the time new AVGN episodes in 2019 and thinking that maybe I'd changed. I had to go back and watch the old ones and that's when I realized I wasn't the problem. I couldn't believe how disappointed I was with those episodes.

[@ShinSeikiEvan]

#1 is well deserved. It is the only AVGN episode I shut off midway and couldn't finish. But that Drake and the 99 sDragons would be my #2 pick. It was just as dull and boring as Kingdom Hearts. You could tell James had never played the game. No enthusiasm at all in his acting... all monotone.

[@ScourgeZX]

Episode with VHS tapes was not that bad, but if feels more like ordinary Cinemassacare documentary rather than full blown AVGN episode.

[@HupCapNinja]

The Kingdom Hearts one was just insulting. Honestly I would’ve just like if he did a episode on playing the game etc. dude had no idea what he was talking about and didn’t talk about it’s deep combat mechanics or how it revolutionized Action RPGs and action games as a whole. Since it’s one of the first third person action games that got the hack and slash combat right.

[@MIloszKluski]

The punchline of the cult skit in Shrek is the fact that it's all reference to film "The Wicker Man" from 1973 (not to be confused with the film with Nicolas Cage). I'm not saying it's good punchline, I'm just saying that's why AVGN's crew thought it will be funny.

[@MBRSims]

The worst thing about the Shrek episode for me is how heavily it relies on the really tired, outdated Shrek memes, instead of perhaps using the Shrek games to talk more widely about how licensed games always fail to capture to essence of the beloved properties they're based on. Heck, even having Shrek just show up at the end to fight the Nerd would have been better.

[@anotheryoutubeaccount5259]

How many more times do you need to hanmer that shit in? "Durr I think licienced games based on children's movies suckk". God damn, I get it. That's not funny either.