Sometimes having a slow week, with very little to write about, can be very difficult for me. There are times I will just be gazing endlessly on my computer screen, not sure about what to write about. But usually when that situation arises, I start to watch either random YouTube clips or a stream on Twitch to help get some ideas. This is one of those times. It never occurred to me how much I watch both services and there are many channels that I subscribe to. Of course, I’m subscribed to the official GiN YouTube page, and I recommend you do so as well.
I also hope that in the next few months, after my move to a bigger house, that I can resume streaming and be able to contribute to it, as well as my personal Twitch page.
But in the meantime, I thought I’d give special attention to a few channels that I do watch on occasion. A majority of them deviate from the standard tropes of “let’s plays” and “caustic critics” that have now become passe, and thus, capture my interest more. Here are what I consider my top 5.
For someone who is used to R-rated reviews and constant negativity, No Swear Gamer is a breath of fresh air, as his reviews center on more family-friendly material. While a majority of his reviews center on the Atari 2600, he has also reviewed games for the Intellivision, NES, Atari 7800, Sega Genesis and up to the Nintendo Wii for starters.
Aside from mentioning how the games stand up family friendly-wise, he also goes into detail on how much each game costs depending on whether it is loose, boxed, or sealed, and then ranks them on his own personal list based on the system it was reviewed on. Granted I will sometimes disagree with some of his reviews (ranking Atari 2600 Vanguard in the low 80s out of over 130 games) but I will not deny how detailed they are and a must watch for any retro game fan.
#4. Joe Gagne’s Funtime Pro Wrestling Arcade
No matter how hard it is for me these days, considering how weak a product the WWE has been lately, I still consider myself a huge wrestling fan. Excellent promotions such as Lucha Underground, Ring of Honor, and New Japan seem to help me out a lot. But I also enjoy playing a lot of wrestling games, and this year I have both Fire Pro Wrestling World on Steam and WWE 2K18 on X1 to play.
JGPFPWA is a collaboration of every pro wrestling game that has come out in existence starting with Pro Wrestling on the NES. Each episode centers on one game in complete detail of how it plays, its controls, its modes, and whether it’s worth your time or not. In fact, the First Pro Wrestling Returns episode I linked here convinced me to get World on Steam. I’m curious to see what they have to say once the game is finished (it’s still in Preview mode on Steam, and not released yet on PS4) but I’m sure in the end, “A winner is you!”
#3. Guru Larry
I’ve followed Larry Bundy’s videos for a while, going back to when he was part of “ScrewAttack UK,” but since then he has moved on to his own work, most recently working on his “Fact Hunt” series which centers on interesting topics of games that were recalled and destroyed, the actual WORST selling consoles, and as posted above, game consoles that are literally rotting away.
I’ve always enjoyed Larry’s brand of humor when it comes to reviewing, and even started to predict what joke he would make about Peter Molyneux in each episode, only to see myself fail, just like Peter.
#2. Drink A Beer and Play A Game
Normally I shouldn’t like these guys because I don’t drink beer (just Jack Daniels and vodka on occasion.) But Philly natives Brian Quinn and Jim Napoleon are just hilarious with their reviews, even with a special “Beer Requirement Meter” rating based on how terrible a game can be and how drunk you need to be to survive it, as well as a beer recommendation for each game.
Trust me, I need to resort to the Jack Daniels when I play something horrible. *cough* Dishonored 2 *cough* But in addition to their reviews, the site features Top 10 Beer Worthy Moments, their “Power Hour” Podcast that I’ve taken part in with the comments, and as shown here, drunken longplays. Recently they hit (Atari) 2600 subscribers, but they need to have more, just to see Jim get THWACKED. And whatever you do, never call him a “blub blub.”
#1. The Mommy Gamers on YouTube, and also on Twitch.
I have a little history with the Mommy Gamers. It’s founder, Marcia Morgan and I were friends (and at times, rivals) on another site called Sarcastic Gamer. After leaving that site, Marcia founded The Mommy Gamers along with fellow SG cohosts as a podcast, but has also added Twitch streaming to her channel.
https://youtu.be/PraT_FqdRNo
Those of you who may have listened to mine and Kelly’s podcast a few years ago might remember he guest hosting in one of our Best (and Worst) of the Year roundups.
Marcia usually streams on weekday mornings, at about 10am-3pm, so make sure to check her out, and even harass her in my name. Don’t worry, she’s ok with it, and I’m even a mod, so I won’t ban you!
With that, I’m going to go back to watching some more clips and streams, and get ready for when Agents of Mayhem comes out. I’m only hoping it is as good as Saints Row IV was!
Currently Playing: Tekken 7
Waiting For: Agents of Mayhem