Marvel's Spider-Man Review

I am for experiments, but I have been listening and watching less and less of GB content because it is so long. There is really no need for the Bomb/Beastcasts to be 2.5-3 hour behemoths every week, and an hour long review of a game is really just more of the same problem. I like the short and to the point review, but I shouldn't have to find a way to devote an hour of my day to get something more in depth.

This is a great idea but I am legitimately shocked this was the first time this podcast style format was used for a review here (well, to my knowledge).

Awesome, I love this review format!

To add to my earlier post, why not just talk about this stuff during the quick look? Now there are 3 different videos where you go over what you think about spider man. The QL isn't up yet but do you just not talk about what you think of the game so you don't overlap with this video?

It's lazy, and below their pay grade. If I wanted an unprofessional discussion of the game, Joe Schmo on Youtube can give me that, or I could actually have that discussion with my own friends instead of my favorite internet talking heads. I want a professionally written think piece about the game that highlights its highs and points out its lows, and if I want other opinions, I'll go read other reviews. If you really think that Giant Bomb's unprofessional content is leagues better than their professional content, so far as to replace the latter with the former, than maybe they're no better than Youtube personalities.

Plus it's worth mentioning that even though the GOTY videos are usually pretty fun to watch, they're unwatchable when people are incapable of talking about the subject, and these discussions will most definitely suffer the same issues.

I like the format, as long as you aren't committed to the written sections being so much shorter. If the reviewer feels like they want to write a longer piece, let them, basically.

I like the video component because it approaches something I've thought is an issue with the podcast, namely no timestamps for discussion. Splitting off the discussion for major games like this is a good balance and really helps for folks that don't have time for the full thing.

This kinda renders the Spider-Man discussion on the bombcast pointless. That or the other way around. I think it needed to be either a lot tighter and more edited or a lot more in depth. You know, besides Joseph Anderson's gargantuan three hour videos, you can get a lot of in-depth video reviews or critiques that take less than an hour of chatting. And when they're longer than that, they're really in-depth. I'm not sure I really see the point in an hour-long discussion that's just an elongated Bombcast segment. You can get this info in ten minutes from any of the text reviews out there, and the video reviews too, and they'll at least have some pics to break up the text or gameplay in the background.

Personally, what I would want is either a more spoiler-filled chat that goes in-depth on the story a la the spoiler videos/podcasts you guys have done in the past, or a more critique-like video like what's hot on youtube these days that goes in depth on the systems and missions of the game, with some entertainingly edited clips. This is just a super slow version of a text review.

Props for trying something new, but I think there's a better option. If you're doing this again though, have Jan do what he does during Bombcasts and put up some related clips here and there. That helps.

People will complain far less if you make these video like the bombast I onk6 watch because I can't focus on audio and look at something else and a lot of people prefer to watch the podcasts instead of listening to them it would be bett3r to do watch ywllsitaround and talk instead of listen.

Please play Dragon quest xi it's 48 bucks on gmg right now

4/5, mostly positive reviews across the board including this site, but the game didn't turn out? I don't get it...

Did you even watch/listen to the video that was posted?

An hour may be too long for this sort of thing, personally. Also may have concerns about Bombcast overlap, how this might or might not work for the east coast crew, etc.

I haven't watched it yet, but on paper this sounds cool. I presume it would take away bombcast discussion as well, with maybe only a quick touch up on new parts of it?

I did listen to the first few minutes though, and I wonder if it would be better with multiple people playing it a few week's after release. I'm not sure how that would work, since there's a huge emphasis on pre-release timing and all that. I guess that would be more akin to their spoilercasts they have done from time to time.

This is a great idea. I’m way more into listening to a podcast round table review of the game than reading a review.

@nfugitt: I for one appreciate the longer podcasts. The more work time I can fill with Giant Bomb the better.

Thumbs up on the new format!

I don’t like it at all, I want full written review or the discussion on the bombcast. This just seems a mess of inconvenience

I like when Waypoint does this, turns out I like it when ya'll do it to, Though I think, it would be more interesting as a discussion between multiple people who have played the game? not that we need multiple people who have 100% it, but if you could have a more incisive conversation instead of just Ben walking you though the game it would work better

@thatlad: GB has been moving away from written reviews for years now, that’s just not their thing here and there are so many sites you can get that. When was the last time they even did a written review? It’s weird to me that this is suddenly an issue to people when we’ve been getting barely any written reviews for years anyways.

I definitely like this format and agree with a lot of other comments that it fits the style and plays to the strengths of the site. My one critique would be that asking about the "Sound and Music" felt a little like checking a requirement off a list. Not every game needs to address every single category (but does this game support System Link??)

I really want to see how Giant Bomb East tackles this format

I enjoy this format very much. hope to see more of it. good idea

Appreciate they want to change things up and from the comments already posted the user base seems split. I personally do enjoy a well crafted written review so feel a little underwhelmed with this much shorter review and focussed video chat. Maybe a ten minute video would have been more watchable for me with background clips but over an hour is asking too much.

Like I said, I appreciate them changing things and adapting but it's just this particular change doesn't work for me yet may suit many users.

I love the format, feels like GB getting out ahead of everyone yet again. Forcing people to talk through their thinking is a fantastic addition to reviewing.

Worth bearing in mind this is very much the Giant Bomb A team these days, not sure how well it would work with a different combo, but this is great.

Another GB win for me. Thumbs up.

This seems like it caters specifically toward the audio podcast format and I love that, I really do but if its this exhaustive and we are already going to get something like this during GOTY, perhaps maybe instead of overlapping your content, try to make this a video catered one with you guys on the couch with some pre-bundled footage to show like a super relaxed presentation of opinions, nothing powerpointy.... idk hopefully you see what I mean

I do feel like the written portion could use more content. Even if it is quotes pulled right out of the discussion. Maybe time stamps to make specific things easier to find in the video? I think this is a good way to do a review for this site in particular, but the written content referencing the video content might make it easier for more people to get the information out of the review.

Really really really love the video review in a podcast form idea!

@nfugitt: As someone with a long commute, I couldn't disagree more. The current lengths aren't even enough to get me through one week of driving to and from work.

Well I don't know why but I retr4shed this and it was a video but it just waas audio for the first 20 minuttrs so I thought there dawn I video

Play Dragon quest xi lol

Definitely a fan of the 1-hour discussion-style review as opposed to the standard written stuff (though both would be fine as well, but I'm here to listen to you folks discuss things so this is more appealing).

I think Waypoint does this in a better way. They have the reviewer read through the review and then they have a discussion over it. When they do provide a video component it will usually be the same read of the review but with gameplay footage.

One hour is a long time especially when there isn't any gameplay footage to help. This is why I enjoy the quicklooks cause you can essentially provide your review while gameplay is being shown.

Ohhh neat... I like the idea of consolidating thoughts from pods and streams and distilling them out rather than dedicating yourselves to a long-form review.

Cool idea. It'd be cool to have some related gameplay footage.

I feel like 10mins on the bombcast + a QL is all you need these days. I'm sure that all these talking points will be rehashed for the QL so why bother with this?

...thats it? What kind of tiny review is this? Im not watching an hour long unedited rambling talk about the game as a "review" either.

Its not long enough of a written review to be helpful, and its too long of a video review to be easily "consumed".

The worst of bolth worlds.

I know GB is always looking for feedback. So I'll give it.

I prefer my reviews in text form. Nothing against a video review, but please transcribe it too. 3 paragraphs of text just isn't it for me.

This style of review sort of reminds me of the way Kinda Funny does their reviews—which is basically a discussion of the game on their podcast.

I actually really like this idea though, and I'll tell you why. Sometimes I'll play a game way after its initial release date. Sometimes it's 6 months, while other times it may be 2-3 years. While playing I often forget what the guys on GB thought of the game, but I couldn't be bothered to dig through a bunch of old Bombcasts or Beastcasts in order to find out. Now I can just load up the review and listen them their thoughts right away. It's a cool idea. I'm into it.

EDIT: I'm also excited that they are keeping scores. I like Giant Bomb's 1-5 star scale. Best in the business.

Wonderful format. Seems like the most accessible way to write/record a review in 2018.

love this format.

Heck yes!

Love this format.

I feel like people need to think about the future a bit. Currently I only buy games in a Steam sale, so they're 3-7 years old. If I'm looking for the thoughts of GB, this is better than a written review, and I can locate it easily. Usually Podcast discussions are lost to time after the first few weeks, because who knows what was discussed when? This solves that issue for me, provided games are still sold as single entities for the next 5 years or so, this will be useful.

Keep the stars. Keep discussion. Do away with written reviews. I know what this site is and the people that make the staff. GB4L.

I...I like this change in reviewing format. A short essay about the game to read but you get the real review from the podcast clip.

Hey! This seems like a fun format. Only saying this because this time you asked for feedback:

-It seems odd to have it be audio/visual without the visual being the actual game. Is not like I don't want to see your heads talking, but it kinda brings up to light comparisons with QLs.

If you want to go minimalistic with this, then leaving the visual aspect out can help setting the expectations and separating it from other features.

If you want to add a visual component along side the podcast with some game footage, that can be pretty cool as well, albeit more production work.

It just seems that trying to describe the action gameplay through conversation is not the best way to make it clear compared to something more carefully written or just watching someone play the game.It does not have to go back to the olden gamespot ways of cutting gameplay footage, but I wonder if there's a good new way to integrate it that fits your set up and feels fresh. ( it was getting dangerously close to old GS when discussing the game by categories already)

Yeah, I'm not into this format. This seems like a really lazy way of avoiding actually writing a review.

You probably could've written a perfectly concise review in the hour and two minutes it took to record that video.

Giant Bomb kickin' new flava in ya ear

I'm all for long form discussions/reviews of games showing up in podcast feeds. More audio content is a good thing. Hope they continue this and do it for Hitman 2.

Hey guys, this is an absolutely brilliant format for your reviews. I am so here for this. I loved it when Waypoint started doing something similar recently; I think it's so cool to be able to listen to an in-depth discussion of your thoughts. I was not sure if this was a day one purchase, so it was really great to hear you talk about it for an hour. This is the kind of content that I love, thanks for doing it.

Also wouldn't mind terribly if we did away with scores completely. I really don't care for the toxic meta score culture that we have right now, and I don't think there's a better solution than just straight getting rid of them. My two cents. But I really loved this review style.