*UPDATE* A week or so after this video was uploaded with all the copyright problems fixed, another copyright was detected, I'm assuming manually, around the "Sega 32x" portion of the video so I apologize for the weird edit. I only noticed this in the editing phase but another thing I noticed about young James was he had a lot more "Jersey" in his Nerd persona which added some charm. You could definitely tell this dude was from the North East... that whole part of the Nerd character has been lost because I think James was infusing more of his personality into the character back then. Now it's all an act.
One of the other things, the deadpan repeating of certain phrases (which maybe was unintentional?) Was a funny kind of callback. And the jersey accent too, it just all had more.... heart.
I wouldn't know about "Jersey," but I think you're right on the money. James doesn't seem to understand what made the character great. I think he ended up thinking it was a laundry list of things like ranting, cursing and getting frustrated, while it was really more about the way HE naturally expressed things.
No matter how much people make fun of how he pronounces mountain and fountain, no matter how many people have been calling him Bimmy, or making fun of him for "No Time" and "My Kids", I think he will be looked back on fondly overall, when he calls it quits.
Yes. But do you remember the one with all the non-Castlevania Dracula games? That one gave us the Fred Fucks scene. I still laugh my ass just thinking about it.
Plumbers Don't Wear Ties may be my all time favorite. I'm hardly the first guy to say this but I feel like a less claustrophobic game room would make new episodes a lot better. The hangout vibe of the early episodes was key, and you don't have that when we're crammed up against a single video game shelf and James can't even get up and walk around comfortably.
solid choice.. i'm sure someone has made a graphic to illustrate this, but I'd love to see a side to side comparison between the old room and the new one size-wise
I remember they had a separate channel just called extras or something. It was James reviewing various movies and trilogies, like the 90's Batmans, Jackie chan movies and stunts, star wars Indiana Jones. They were all great but I just can't seem to find any of them anymore. When I first saw rental reviews I was excited because I think he's a great movie reviewer. We all know how that turned out
A lot of James Rolfe's old movie reviews from 2007 to 2014 got purged in one way or another. But reupload copies of those reviews do exist out there if you look hard enough for them. Although some reviews like Cloverfield were just him showing the movie poster on screen the whole and I don't think the original uploads should have ever been taken down in the first place.
Your thoughts on modern Rolfe overusing the "Horny" joke felt spot on, i could almost see it in my mind. "HOOORNY? THEEEY NAAAAAAMED HIIIIM.... HORRRNYYYYYY!" *Zooms out to space, earth explodes. Cut back to James who is almost fainting. "oh jeez... Hooorny... HOOORNY! That would be like if i..." You catch the drift.
The Atari 5200 episode has always been one of my favorites. IMO it has everything that makes a great AVGN video. It starts with a little history about Atari, and then goes into how the 5200 failed. It includes angry rants, comedy spots like dropping the TV on his foot, and he times music just right. I also like the relaxing touch where he grabs a beer from the kitchen. Many gamers can relate to that. We like to relax on the sofa with a beer or soft drink, and play some games. He even ends the video with a final joke where the controller plug doesn't fit.
I may be wrong about this but something that also sticks out to me about the older episodes - which the Slobwave-era ones lack - is the chiptunes music, which of course fit the theme of the videos perfectly, and the innocent sound of it made for a funny contrast with all the cursing and yelling. I think he does use that a bit in some of the newer ones, but I remember in that awful Majora's Mask video that everyone likes for some reason, the music is instead some generic royalty free junk that sounds completely out of place. Just another little thing about what made the old episodes great that seems to have been lost along the way.
yeah you know it's so weird, there are like hundreds of tiny little details that have been gradually changed over time. So much so that when you go back and watch one of the classics, it feels like you're watching a totally different show.
The Majora's Mask episode was fine to me, if only because I liked his assessment of the game near the end. It has a good story and characters, but the gameplay itself isn't that great, which fits my opinions pretty well regarding MM.
@@PetProjects2011 I thought the video was atrocious because of how bad he was at the game. I remember my jaw just hitting the floor at that part in the water dungeon where he just forgot you can swim, and instead tried to awkwardly ride the current to get into the next room. That's something that's so idiotic it gives DarkSydePhil a run for his money.
I've seen the first five seasons so many times that I'd be ashamed to know. Anyway, if I had to pick one favorite episode, it'd be the Atari 5200 one. The balance of information and entertainment, the pace of the editing, the use of music... it's just exemplary in every way. Also, James still had that indifferent tone to the character. Like, yes, the nerd's world revolved around the topic of classic video games, but he also didn't give a shit. It's hard to explain, but that's what's changed the most about the character itself through the years. Just the way he introduces the Trak Ball controller, delivers the line "...but it's an ungodly abomination that begs for apocalypse," and find outs that it doesn't work kind of illustrates what I mean.
The thing is, and as i've always said, I don't hate James Rolfe and I don't hate his old content... I hate the decisions he's made, the people he's surrounded himself with and all of his NEW content... totally different man/show than it was back in the golden age.
@@DancingwithGhostsapprently Bpril has been the one calling all the shots and mandating his work schedule, as well as most of his decisions the past 5 years or so. But that's according to reddit so who knows really. There's also the autism question.
The Sega CD episode single handedly led me to going for a full set. I had it as a kid with like 2 games and had completely forgotten about it and his videos perfectly captured the vibe of what it was like having those oddball consoles back in the day. For instance, I never knew I needed the mixing cable so the whole time I had it as a kid I was missing half the audio I should've been hearing lol.
Finally, I've been hoping someone would make make a video like this and now it's here. You are right about how modern AVGN really likes to take jokes and run them into the ground with "Purr Pals" being a prime example of that with all of the unfunny cat skits.
Little Red Riding Hood has to be on my personal top 10. Mainly for that camera angle of him looking back with the game on the background, one of my favs.
Fun random fact: James’ primary main gaming CRT is a 20” Sanyo model DS20930. It has a rear input with both composite and S-video, however due to his set-up with multiple consoles into a switchbox, and his lack of concern for graphical fidelity, he never uses the S-Video. This CRT would later be relocated from his original Nerd Den (the original is from his Havertown residence) to his new residence’s basement, where it is displayed in his videostore set and is prominent in many rental ree-view videos with the slobs. Since approximately circa 2016, he upgraded to a TCL Roku flatscreen (bought at Walmart) and uses a Framemeister upscaling device to remove input lag. It is theorized by the subreddit that James has not freely played a videogame on his own accord in over 7 years unless for the purpose of making a video for money.
Totally agree about the Polybius episode. Always one of my favorites. Looking back it seems obvious that he should have made some kind of video game horror movie instead of... what we got.
All of AVGN season 5 is my favorite. It's my nightly lullaby and constantly use it to fall asleep lol. I think it's because I found AVGN when I was really depressed and had terrible anxiety years ago. And watching his videos helped distract me from that pain of not knowing how to deal with my emotions lol
For me the episodes that sold the series was the 2006 Halloween episodes. They where so creative and had some creepy and funny stufff. Really like how simple early episodes where as well. Like one of my favourite scenes is from Karate kid when he just randomly drives his head into a cupboard. That kind of kinetic physical acting and performance only a younger guy would make
I recently rewatched series 2 and 3 of avgn and my god the difference in quality to what it is now, the old eps are timeless, the new eps are a waste of time
One you didn't have on here though that is one of my all time favorites is the NES Accessories episode. The one with the Power Glove and the other accessories. That one still cracks me up every time I see it. I remember when he landed the plane in Top Gun with the power glove it blew my mind when I first saw the episode. lol.
Plumbers don’t wear ties is unequivocally the best AVGN episode ever for me. I remember cry-laughing when I first saw it at 11, and I still laugh upon rewatches.
The one thing I miss is the occasional guest character. Bugs bunny, jason, etc. It makes the avgn world feel bigger than it actually is. Sure they might be a little corney but it definitly makes the nerd feel more "real" when he interacts with other people
Nobody seems to remember the Ninja Gaiden one that was hella fun. And the outtakes video was even funnier. The guy who played the ninja was insanely hilarious.
I have a theory that James is actually very tired of AVGN but he has to do it for the money, He probably got tired ever since like 2016 tbh, feel bad for the man.
I finally caved and watched this - great list! Much of my top 11 matches yours and a lot of these others are probably top 25 to 30 at worst, but great AVGN is great AVGN. Sorry in advance if in 5 years from now I accidentally Newt one of your thoughts when I reach my top 10 for my rankings. Though I doubt it, as you have a much different style. Love your duck walk cut and joke. Great job as always dude! Keep at it!
NES Accessories will always be my favorite episode, with maybe the castlevania, bugs bunny crazy castle, and double vision episodes are a close second.
Great selection! You definitely have some of my favorites on here. I can almost say that "Season 3" and "Season 5" include almost all of my favorite episodes. I think my favorite episode is a toss-up between Dracula and CDI Zeldas. I think Earthbound and Majora's Mask are his best newer episodes.
Of Course I watched this video as soon as it came out - but probably my Favorite AVGN Video is the Sega CD/32x segments for most of the reasons you mentioned other than my Older Brother had a Sega CD and I had the privilege to play it in its Heyday.
I grew up watching AVGN from back when the videos were hosted on his website. Admittedly, I find myself revisiting the old material a lot more than I do watching the new material. There's definitely a quality loss over the years, however. Nostalgia does it's thing, ya know? I'll always have a spot in my heart for AVGN content.
My top would be 1.) Plumbers don't wear ties 2.) Ghostbusters trilogy 3.) Bugs Bunny episodes 4.) Ninja Gaiden 5.) Batman Earlier episodes(first few seasons) have a certain charm, like Rocky episode has him going up the stairs, silver surfer has him taking ridiculous poses, and their anger levels are reasonably believable, over the top rants were used more or less sparingly , nowadays they are too overused, cartoonish, uninspired and cringy.
Great video dude 👍 I would pop Dick Tracy in the list also, it’s one of the only ‘later’ episodes where the rage felt genuine and real. Especially his absolute breakdown at the end and the way the audio clips, it’s just brilliant. I truly feel the last truly stellar episode he did was the Tiger Electronics one, his acting and commitment to the character in that one is just brilliant. I still love James and what he has achieved but I honestly cannot watch the Nerd anymore. Oh and his best episode? Silver Surfer. It is beat for beat absolutely perfect and so well written.
"Man, he really fucked up." That's an underrated AVGN quote. It's never really bothered my that AVGN doesn't express a lot of loud anger, as sometimes those understated moments are what can make me laugh a lot. I think my real complaint with AVGN the past few years (and you kinda touch upon it somewhat) is James isn't really focusing on lesser known obscure games, and seems to be doing episodes on more mainstream games... which is weird. Now tbf, he's done episodes like that in the past like Zelda 2, or Mario Is Missing, and of course that Earthbound episode, but those episodes were far and few between, now it's become pretty regular for him to do AVGN episodes that are fairly popular, and honestly are actually pretty decent games, with a few flaws here and there. This direction for the series ultimately puts him on the same level as The Irate Gamer (remember him?) he regularly made episodes on games that are actually decent, but ranted over very petty things in the games. His "Beating Jekyll & Hyde" video (his latest Halloween episode) was pretty good I thought, I although I think it really requires knowledge of The Exorcist to fully appreciate it. Also, the glitch gremlin did appear in one other episode, the Zelda 2 episode (albeit just a small cameo).
Plumbers Don't Wear Ties is definitely one of my favorites because of how absurd the actual game was and how james was actually lost for words. Earthbound is another really good avgn episode for me since i've always heard about ness because of super smash brothers but i've never really checked into earthbound since i suck at RPGs and i just prefer not to play them but having watch that nerd episode made me realize there's a whole lot going on with the game than just the gameplay so i remember starting playing that one soon after (idk if you checked out mother 3 but that game is really good too). TBH, the most influential avgn video for me was the 4 part castlevania episode since it felt james was really passionate about the old school castlevania games (also what got me into the series as a whole). Lastly, i wanna say i really like the legend of zelda majora's mask episode because it felt like it was the last good avgn episode for me and learning more about majora's mask (a game i wanna beat one day once i have the time lol). i respect your reasonings with your choices and i hope you can make more videos like this once awhile because most of us do wanna remember the good times before he became a bimmy.
The closest I get to a good angry nerd-esque video these days are Rerez's Just Bad Games. It's pretty funny and has some good editing that adds to the fun. Shane will often cover terrible plug n play or obscure systems as well.
AVGN's Godzilla episode was another one of my favs. Mostly because of my own childhood/teenage years of getting Gaming Mags and finding all these awesome games already released in Japan and waiting to get them on Nintendo (Region Locked) consoles so I could play them. So many awesome games never left Japan, thus is the reason why games on PSP and PS Vita were important.
I would have to include Simon's quest. It was the first episode I saw. It's funny to look back on now because it's so bare bones and he doesn't even sound that angry. But at the time it was hilarious.
We have a sveral top picks in common like the Zelda CDI, Sega CD, plumbers don't wear ties. I also love his Ghostbusters episodes it's so funny how long he spends on that one game, like it really did ruin his life or something 😂 Haven't watched any episodes in quite some time but still have quotes from em in my mind forever
His movie could have been about the real life nerd character, how he's stuck in that RUclips show and tries to reinvent himself. That could have given some real insight, some drama and should have been easy for him to write about. But alas... it wasn't meant to be.
Thanks for making videos, I genuinely enjoy what you do and look forward to your stuff. The OG AVGN Robocop, R.O.B., and Batman run of videos were pretty rad and amongst my favorites.
I just starting ranking every episode, so I'm so sad I can't watch this now so that my perceptions aren't colored - I'm sure it's great! Can't wait for the day I can check this out. Keep doing awesome work! Glad you did this!
Yea, I started the list years ago and put out my first few reviews these last 2 weeks, your content and Frankie's content helped inspired me to finally put that stuff out@@DancingwithGhosts
I think you found a great way to combine your "prick" asshole persona and stay positive here. Well done. Dare I say it reminded me of a once young RUclipsr who could criticize things in a funny way, but you could tell he still had a passion for that world, and it did because of his love for those memories... hmmmm .... . I think the appeal started to fade as James started to break the 4th Wall, through the scripts and the ad reads and RUclips's explosion itself -- the point where the Nerd became James Rolfe. Also that's what the criticism became more personal. You could be mad at the nerd and like a lot of people say the Nerd was an escape for difficult times and then it transitions away from the Nerd, the Nerd cave, all of it just being real, a RUclipsr making money. Once you break the fourth wall like that you can never put the genie back in the bottle. It's the problem with a lot of pop culture shows/movies the characters stop being characters and are viewed as the actors themselves. Then the viewer starts seeing it in a different light. That's why the fourth wall was a steadfast rule for so long, why you don't break it. Why even old Hollywood went out of its way to protect that fourth wall image with the actors outside of the movies. Elvis the performer is a persona, Elvis the person dies on a toilet. People get pissed about the Nerd as he was one of the last "characters" just replaced by no offense to reality-based RUclipsrs.
Awesome review--you hit a lot of the good episodes! One of my favorites was that Texas Chainsaw Massacre episode; seeing Mike do the chainsaw dance always gets me to this day. (that's gotta be Mike, right?)
Really nice list! Personally, my two favourite episodes are Battletoads and Sword Quest. The Battletoads video is just a reminder how fun it is to play with a friend and James and Kyles chemistry is really great and charming. I love Sword Quest because James manages even better than usual to take you with him on this journey.
7:33 I agree. I saw a CDi only once in my life. It was at the house of a friend or family member (I don't remember which) of my mom's boyfriend when I was a kid. I remember being fascinated by it (still have memories of it over 30 years later), but it got ignored and we ended up playing Sega Genesis instead. Lol
My first AVGN video I saw was Action 52, the one that had 50 or so really poorly made games. I saw some really funny stuff in that video including a Giant Saddam in that Desert War game. I remember those 100 games in one stuff from my old Windows 95 Computer days, my mom would just say here is 100 games now that is your PC gaming present. So I can relate to that Action 52 video and those poor souls who played it.
If the 32X episode was a modern episode... "Its like its on life support.. OHH MY GAWDDD I WANNA BE PUT ON LIFE SUPPORT BY SEGAAAAAAAAAAAA! AAAAAAHHH!!!!"
Resident Evil: Survivor is one of my favs. Pretty cool how James edited himself into the original RE intro movie. **Brad flies away** "Wow... what an asshole!" 😂
I agree with most of this list. I find the episodes I always go back to at least once a year are the ones about obscure consoles and peripherals like Sega CD/32X, Atari Jaguar, Intellivision/ColecoVision, 3DO, and the Pong consoles. Honestly, even the Amiga CD32/Town with No Name videos are ok in that regard despite being more recent. Overall I think older videos benefit from having more of a balance between wacky exaggerated character moments and James calmly explaining some gaming history. Echoing what others have already said, there used to be more of James in the avgn character and it is sorely missed. His Jersey accent, his 80s-early 90s childhood, etc. He was more than just camera mugging and poorly acted anger. Side note: Ironically I think Nostalgia Critic had the opposite problem. The NC character was more funny and likable in his earlier videos because it was a purely wacky cartoonish character mainly just riffing on movies. When Doug Walker tried inserting more of himself into his videos it became a more snooty, wannabe-film critic, wannabe-sketch comedian, and ultimately less likable. Just an observation I've noticed over the years
*UPDATE* A week or so after this video was uploaded with all the copyright problems fixed, another copyright was detected, I'm assuming manually, around the "Sega 32x" portion of the video so I apologize for the weird edit.
I only noticed this in the editing phase but another thing I noticed about young James was he had a lot more "Jersey" in his Nerd persona which added some charm. You could definitely tell this dude was from the North East... that whole part of the Nerd character has been lost because I think James was infusing more of his personality into the character back then. Now it's all an act.
One of the other things, the deadpan repeating of certain phrases (which maybe was unintentional?) Was a funny kind of callback. And the jersey accent too, it just all had more.... heart.
💯. His ‘acting’ or nonregional diction voice just seems inherently less angry and genuine.
I wouldn't know about "Jersey," but I think you're right on the money. James doesn't seem to understand what made the character great. I think he ended up thinking it was a laundry list of things like ranting, cursing and getting frustrated, while it was really more about the way HE naturally expressed things.
Well I'm sure he's changed as a person. He still makes great AVGN episodes though like the recent Contra and Final Fantasy ones.
Im pretty sure its a philly accent, not new jersey
No matter how much people make fun of how he pronounces mountain and fountain, no matter how many people have been calling him Bimmy, or making fun of him for "No Time" and "My Kids", I think he will be looked back on fondly overall, when he calls it quits.
I agree 💯
My all-time favorite is the 4-part Castlevania retrospective; those have infinite rewatchability
I agree! 🎉
Yes. But do you remember the one with all the non-Castlevania Dracula games? That one gave us the Fred Fucks scene. I still laugh my ass just thinking about it.
Plumbers Don't Wear Ties may be my all time favorite.
I'm hardly the first guy to say this but I feel like a less claustrophobic game room would make new episodes a lot better. The hangout vibe of the early episodes was key, and you don't have that when we're crammed up against a single video game shelf and James can't even get up and walk around comfortably.
solid choice.. i'm sure someone has made a graphic to illustrate this, but I'd love to see a side to side comparison between the old room and the new one size-wise
or how bout the over the shoulder camera angle he'd use 1 or 2 times per episode. it was great for a little variation.
@@austindolan7182 Yeah, it looks so flat now in so many ways. It's less like little movies and more like Zoom calls.
I love that episode too. Mike mentioned in a live stream that they made it as a filler between two high effort episodes, but it became a surprise hit.
Agree
"balding nintendo dad" - Cruel, but so very, very, very funny
The Balding Nintendo Dad actually might be a good direction for his channel.
"Hey watch me play Nintendo Switch with muh kids".
And the kids could bully him into playing awful games
Huge pedo base screenwave could start tapping into!
Mike’s Joker is one of the best joker performances ever
Uh... No.
Even Tommy Wiseau was a better joker.
I remember they had a separate channel just called extras or something. It was James reviewing various movies and trilogies, like the 90's Batmans, Jackie chan movies and stunts, star wars Indiana Jones. They were all great but I just can't seem to find any of them anymore. When I first saw rental reviews I was excited because I think he's a great movie reviewer. We all know how that turned out
A lot of James Rolfe's old movie reviews from 2007 to 2014 got purged in one way or another. But reupload copies of those reviews do exist out there if you look hard enough for them. Although some reviews like Cloverfield were just him showing the movie poster on screen the whole and I don't think the original uploads should have ever been taken down in the first place.
Your thoughts on modern Rolfe overusing the "Horny" joke felt spot on, i could almost see it in my mind. "HOOORNY? THEEEY NAAAAAAMED HIIIIM.... HORRRNYYYYYY!" *Zooms out to space, earth explodes. Cut back to James who is almost fainting. "oh jeez... Hooorny... HOOORNY! That would be like if i..." You catch the drift.
yesss exactly... he would beat that shit itno the ground and it wouldn't even be funny.. the flop sweat these days is real
The Atari 5200 episode has always been one of my favorites. IMO it has everything that makes a great AVGN video. It starts with a little history about Atari, and then goes into how the 5200 failed. It includes angry rants, comedy spots like dropping the TV on his foot, and he times music just right. I also like the relaxing touch where he grabs a beer from the kitchen. Many gamers can relate to that. We like to relax on the sofa with a beer or soft drink, and play some games. He even ends the video with a final joke where the controller plug doesn't fit.
This video was very respectful and I appreciate you doing this instead of just more dogpiling. Respect. 👊🏻
I always thought the 12 Days of Shitsmas marathon and the Bad Cover Art marathon were full of gems. So many good memories.
Yeeesh, the earthbound one was already *six years* ago? Feels like it’s brand new. Crazy.
DAAAAWWW! I thought it was a Nostalgia Critic reference!
I may be wrong about this but something that also sticks out to me about the older episodes - which the Slobwave-era ones lack - is the chiptunes music, which of course fit the theme of the videos perfectly, and the innocent sound of it made for a funny contrast with all the cursing and yelling. I think he does use that a bit in some of the newer ones, but I remember in that awful Majora's Mask video that everyone likes for some reason, the music is instead some generic royalty free junk that sounds completely out of place. Just another little thing about what made the old episodes great that seems to have been lost along the way.
yeah you know it's so weird, there are like hundreds of tiny little details that have been gradually changed over time. So much so that when you go back and watch one of the classics, it feels like you're watching a totally different show.
The Majora's Mask episode was fine to me, if only because I liked his assessment of the game near the end. It has a good story and characters, but the gameplay itself isn't that great, which fits my opinions pretty well regarding MM.
@@PetProjects2011 I thought the video was atrocious because of how bad he was at the game. I remember my jaw just hitting the floor at that part in the water dungeon where he just forgot you can swim, and instead tried to awkwardly ride the current to get into the next room. That's something that's so idiotic it gives DarkSydePhil a run for his money.
@@Henskelion Fair point, although it's far from the first time he played a game badly to make the game look worse than it really is.
Couldn't agree more about the Earthbound episode. A combination of nostalgia for me and him revering the game
I've seen the first five seasons so many times that I'd be ashamed to know. Anyway, if I had to pick one favorite episode, it'd be the Atari 5200 one. The balance of information and entertainment, the pace of the editing, the use of music... it's just exemplary in every way. Also, James still had that indifferent tone to the character. Like, yes, the nerd's world revolved around the topic of classic video games, but he also didn't give a shit. It's hard to explain, but that's what's changed the most about the character itself through the years. Just the way he introduces the Trak Ball controller, delivers the line "...but it's an ungodly abomination that begs for apocalypse," and find outs that it doesn't work kind of illustrates what I mean.
Woooo Plumbers Don't wear ties will get a remake I think. But man this episode was freaking wild😂😂
HES THE BALDING NINTENDO DAD
Polybius showed me that James truly has the capability to make a fantastic horror film, i wish he would flex that muscle again
right? it's so weird how he mis-directs his talents
Fair play for poking the Bimmy stans again after the last vid. Glad you didn't let them stop you from doing your thing. Quality vid as usual,Josh.
The thing is, and as i've always said, I don't hate James Rolfe and I don't hate his old content... I hate the decisions he's made, the people he's surrounded himself with and all of his NEW content... totally different man/show than it was back in the golden age.
@@DancingwithGhostsapprently Bpril has been the one calling all the shots and mandating his work schedule, as well as most of his decisions the past 5 years or so. But that's according to reddit so who knows really. There's also the autism question.
@@prick_slickfield lol that's true
Even though I would have included many of his earliest episodes, the Swordquest episode was incredibly gripping and filled with passion.
I faithfully watch season 1 and 2 daily....I fall asleep to them...I love his shows up to season 5
The Sega CD episode single handedly led me to going for a full set. I had it as a kid with like 2 games and had completely forgotten about it and his videos perfectly captured the vibe of what it was like having those oddball consoles back in the day. For instance, I never knew I needed the mixing cable so the whole time I had it as a kid I was missing half the audio I should've been hearing lol.
His Friday the 13th/Nightmare on Elm St episodes were always my favs
yea those were definitely solid episodes
@@DancingwithGhosts The Last Ninja and Commodore 64 are the BEST Most Recent Episodes.
Finally, I've been hoping someone would make make a video like this and now it's here. You are right about how modern AVGN really likes to take jokes and run them into the ground with "Purr Pals" being a prime example of that with all of the unfunny cat skits.
You should a worst Rex Viper moments list, from the songs, music videos, and live performances.
Little Red Riding Hood has to be on my personal top 10. Mainly for that camera angle of him looking back with the game on the background, one of my favs.
Cheetah men and the Mega Man episodes are probably some of my favorites
Fun random fact: James’ primary main gaming CRT is a 20” Sanyo model DS20930. It has a rear input with both composite and S-video, however due to his set-up with multiple consoles into a switchbox, and his lack of concern for graphical fidelity, he never uses the S-Video. This CRT would later be relocated from his original Nerd Den (the original is from his Havertown residence) to his new residence’s basement, where it is displayed in his videostore set and is prominent in many rental ree-view videos with the slobs. Since approximately circa 2016, he upgraded to a TCL Roku flatscreen (bought at Walmart) and uses a Framemeister upscaling device to remove input lag. It is theorized by the subreddit that James has not freely played a videogame on his own accord in over 7 years unless for the purpose of making a video for money.
damn that's fascinating.. but i do believe he actually played earthbound and that came out in 2018
old AVGN was primo, honestly I think his show should've ended in 2017.
The Earthbound video would have been the perfect way to cap off the series.
@mr_heck what do you mean?
Totally agree about the Polybius episode. Always one of my favorites. Looking back it seems obvious that he should have made some kind of video game horror movie instead of... what we got.
All of AVGN season 5 is my favorite. It's my nightly lullaby and constantly use it to fall asleep lol. I think it's because I found AVGN when I was really depressed and had terrible anxiety years ago. And watching his videos helped distract me from that pain of not knowing how to deal with my emotions lol
that's awesome.. the CU Podcast was kind of that for me
For me the episodes that sold the series was the 2006 Halloween episodes. They where so creative and had some creepy and funny stufff. Really like how simple early episodes where as well. Like one of my favourite scenes is from Karate kid when he just randomly drives his head into a cupboard. That kind of kinetic physical acting and performance only a younger guy would make
I recently rewatched series 2 and 3 of avgn and my god the difference in quality to what it is now, the old eps are timeless, the new eps are a waste of time
Should have ended the lyrics “making all his original fans sad, when he hangs it up we will all beeeeee glllladddddd”
lol
LMAO
Not all fans. Idgaf if the new ones are good or not, we'll always have the old ones. No judgement here.
One you didn't have on here though that is one of my all time favorites is the NES Accessories episode. The one with the Power Glove and the other accessories. That one still cracks me up every time I see it. I remember when he landed the plane in Top Gun with the power glove it blew my mind when I first saw the episode. lol.
yeah... i could have easily done a top 20 episode
Is that the one with "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!" just thinking about that cracks me up
Great intro and great list 😂 but I miss the Spider-Man and the Ninja Gaiden episodes, those were hilarious! 🤣
Plumbers don’t wear ties is unequivocally the best AVGN episode ever for me. I remember cry-laughing when I first saw it at 11, and I still laugh upon rewatches.
The one thing I miss is the occasional guest character. Bugs bunny, jason, etc. It makes the avgn world feel bigger than it actually is. Sure they might be a little corney but it definitly makes the nerd feel more "real" when he interacts with other people
Nobody seems to remember the Ninja Gaiden one that was hella fun. And the outtakes video was even funnier. The guy who played the ninja was insanely hilarious.
13:09 - Kevin Finn was used in the Ninja Gaiden episode if I remember correctly.
i thought mattei was the ninja
@@DancingwithGhostsMatei is the monster not the doctor
I have a theory that James is actually very tired of AVGN but he has to do it for the money, He probably got tired ever since like 2016 tbh, feel bad for the man.
oh that's more than a theory, that's pretty much fact at this point
Avgn's downfall really started when he started making sponsors with raycons
I finally caved and watched this - great list! Much of my top 11 matches yours and a lot of these others are probably top 25 to 30 at worst, but great AVGN is great AVGN. Sorry in advance if in 5 years from now I accidentally Newt one of your thoughts when I reach my top 10 for my rankings. Though I doubt it, as you have a much different style. Love your duck walk cut and joke. Great job as always dude! Keep at it!
thanks dude
NES Accessories will always be my favorite episode, with maybe the castlevania, bugs bunny crazy castle, and double vision episodes are a close second.
As a guitar player myself, that intro was awesome
oh why thank you! Kyle Justin wasn't the most prolific guitarist so the chords were easy to learn.
Nice video. I agree with almost every episode you chose. Doing a parody of the AVGN intro song was perfect!
Great selection!
You definitely have some of my favorites on here. I can almost say that "Season 3" and "Season 5" include almost all of my favorite episodes. I think my favorite episode is a toss-up between Dracula and CDI Zeldas.
I think Earthbound and Majora's Mask are his best newer episodes.
His megaman/earthbound episodes had great writing as well
Glad you did this instead of covering KingCobra.
haha yeah i looked that guy up and didn't see a video coming out of it
Your editing on this is super-tight! Great job,Josh.
thank you! I was actually feeling a bit insecure about my editing on this one so I appreciate your appreciation :)
What a time it has been to be alive...
I'm not sure Bamesy deserved a roast that scorching at the beginning, but I loved it.
"I shit all over it... With me glitches"
Of Course I watched this video as soon as it came out - but probably my Favorite AVGN Video is the Sega CD/32x segments for most of the reasons you mentioned other than my Older Brother had a Sega CD and I had the privilege to play it in its Heyday.
I grew up watching AVGN from back when the videos were hosted on his website. Admittedly, I find myself revisiting the old material a lot more than I do watching the new material. There's definitely a quality loss over the years, however. Nostalgia does it's thing, ya know? I'll always have a spot in my heart for AVGN content.
One of the ones that makes me laugh out loud is the accessories episode with the headset. Yelling “fire!” “Fire!” Is funny shit
The last two mins of Lester The Unlikely made me laugh so hard, I woke up everyone in the house back then. That's my #1 for sure.
My top would be
1.) Plumbers don't wear ties
2.) Ghostbusters trilogy
3.) Bugs Bunny episodes
4.) Ninja Gaiden
5.) Batman
Earlier episodes(first few seasons) have a certain charm, like Rocky episode has him going up the stairs, silver surfer has him taking ridiculous poses, and their anger levels are reasonably believable, over the top rants were used more or less sparingly , nowadays they are too overused, cartoonish, uninspired and cringy.
Great video dude 👍 I would pop Dick Tracy in the list also, it’s one of the only ‘later’ episodes where the rage felt genuine and real. Especially his absolute breakdown at the end and the way the audio clips, it’s just brilliant.
I truly feel the last truly stellar episode he did was the Tiger Electronics one, his acting and commitment to the character in that one is just brilliant. I still love James and what he has achieved but I honestly cannot watch the Nerd anymore.
Oh and his best episode? Silver Surfer. It is beat for beat absolutely perfect and so well written.
silver surfer was definitely a good one especially when he broke down the trajectory of all the projectiles and how impossible they were to avoid
@@DancingwithGhosts *If you talk most recent: The Last Ninja and Commodore 64 is the best!*
Nintendo Accessories will always be my favorite episode
"Man, he really fucked up." That's an underrated AVGN quote. It's never really bothered my that AVGN doesn't express a lot of loud anger, as sometimes those understated moments are what can make me laugh a lot.
I think my real complaint with AVGN the past few years (and you kinda touch upon it somewhat) is James isn't really focusing on lesser known obscure games, and seems to be doing episodes on more mainstream games... which is weird. Now tbf, he's done episodes like that in the past like Zelda 2, or Mario Is Missing, and of course that Earthbound episode, but those episodes were far and few between, now it's become pretty regular for him to do AVGN episodes that are fairly popular, and honestly are actually pretty decent games, with a few flaws here and there. This direction for the series ultimately puts him on the same level as The Irate Gamer (remember him?) he regularly made episodes on games that are actually decent, but ranted over very petty things in the games.
His "Beating Jekyll & Hyde" video (his latest Halloween episode) was pretty good I thought, I although I think it really requires knowledge of The Exorcist to fully appreciate it.
Also, the glitch gremlin did appear in one other episode, the Zelda 2 episode (albeit just a small cameo).
Atari Sports, Big Rigs and Rambo are my favorite. Rambo mostly because that's how I found his channel a couple years ago.
I've seen people get mad over your top 3 episodes
I'm surprised to see that you like them
*shrug* i donno, i have a mind that thinks for itself
Plumbers Don't Wear Ties is definitely one of my favorites because of how absurd the actual game was and how james was actually lost for words. Earthbound is another really good avgn episode for me since i've always heard about ness because of super smash brothers but i've never really checked into earthbound since i suck at RPGs and i just prefer not to play them but having watch that nerd episode made me realize there's a whole lot going on with the game than just the gameplay so i remember starting playing that one soon after (idk if you checked out mother 3 but that game is really good too). TBH, the most influential avgn video for me was the 4 part castlevania episode since it felt james was really passionate about the old school castlevania games (also what got me into the series as a whole). Lastly, i wanna say i really like the legend of zelda majora's mask episode because it felt like it was the last good avgn episode for me and learning more about majora's mask (a game i wanna beat one day once i have the time lol). i respect your reasonings with your choices and i hope you can make more videos like this once awhile because most of us do wanna remember the good times before he became a bimmy.
Better than James' own Top AVGN videos which at the time I thought was cynical and selfgratifying.
oh god he made a video like that??
the intro........ 10/10, kyle would be proud
The closest I get to a good angry nerd-esque video these days are Rerez's Just Bad Games. It's pretty funny and has some good editing that adds to the fun. Shane will often cover terrible plug n play or obscure systems as well.
AVGN's Godzilla episode was another one of my favs.
Mostly because of my own childhood/teenage years of getting Gaming Mags and finding all these awesome games already released in Japan and waiting to get them on Nintendo (Region Locked) consoles so I could play them.
So many awesome games never left Japan, thus is the reason why games on PSP and PS Vita were important.
I would have to include Simon's quest. It was the first episode I saw. It's funny to look back on now because it's so bare bones and he doesn't even sound that angry. But at the time it was hilarious.
We have a sveral top picks in common like the Zelda CDI, Sega CD, plumbers don't wear ties. I also love his Ghostbusters episodes it's so funny how long he spends on that one game, like it really did ruin his life or something 😂
Haven't watched any episodes in quite some time but still have quotes from em in my mind forever
I’ll be waiting for your video on the new AVGN Mobil phone game review. I’m speechless! Hope to see it up soon
His movie could have been about the real life nerd character, how he's stuck in that RUclips show and tries to reinvent himself. That could have given some real insight, some drama and should have been easy for him to write about. But alas... it wasn't meant to be.
Mega Man + Radiohead = I like this guy
This is where its at. These are the classic. Not just novel at all. 😅
Thanks for making videos, I genuinely enjoy what you do and look forward to your stuff.
The OG AVGN Robocop, R.O.B., and Batman run of videos were pretty rad and amongst my favorites.
I really support your sidestep into this content. You are truly the right person for this type of stuff.
Forgot to say the video was perfect, well written and delivered.
You are definitely a natural performer/artist bro.
Nice job with the video and I enjoyed a lot of your favorite episodes as well.
I completely agree with your assessment that EarthBound was the last truly good AVGN Episode.
for sure.. nothing really wow'd me after that one
OMG it made me so happy that you started this video with a song
I just starting ranking every episode, so I'm so sad I can't watch this now so that my perceptions aren't colored - I'm sure it's great! Can't wait for the day I can check this out. Keep doing awesome work! Glad you did this!
EVERY episode? good lord what a task that would be
Yea, I started the list years ago and put out my first few reviews these last 2 weeks, your content and Frankie's content helped inspired me to finally put that stuff out@@DancingwithGhosts
@@SuperAnthony3 hell yeah.. fun fact.. i asked frankie to be a part of this video and have us make it a livestream but it didn't end up working out
Also random but would you say Bimmy is in his Megaman X7 form? or has he reached X8 at this point?
Sad to see dark castle not be on here. It’s my favorite episode. These are great choices though
I think you found a great way to combine your "prick" asshole persona and stay positive here. Well done. Dare I say it reminded me of a once young RUclipsr who could criticize things in a funny way, but you could tell he still had a passion for that world, and it did because of his love for those memories... hmmmm .... . I think the appeal started to fade as James started to break the 4th Wall, through the scripts and the ad reads and RUclips's explosion itself -- the point where the Nerd became James Rolfe. Also that's what the criticism became more personal. You could be mad at the nerd and like a lot of people say the Nerd was an escape for difficult times and then it transitions away from the Nerd, the Nerd cave, all of it just being real, a RUclipsr making money. Once you break the fourth wall like that you can never put the genie back in the bottle. It's the problem with a lot of pop culture shows/movies the characters stop being characters and are viewed as the actors themselves. Then the viewer starts seeing it in a different light. That's why the fourth wall was a steadfast rule for so long, why you don't break it. Why even old Hollywood went out of its way to protect that fourth wall image with the actors outside of the movies. Elvis the performer is a persona, Elvis the person dies on a toilet. People get pissed about the Nerd as he was one of the last "characters" just replaced by no offense to reality-based RUclipsrs.
Great video as always my man! Love ya!
Awesome review--you hit a lot of the good episodes! One of my favorites was that Texas Chainsaw Massacre episode; seeing Mike do the chainsaw dance always gets me to this day. (that's gotta be Mike, right?)
great intro mate !
Really nice list! Personally, my two favourite episodes are Battletoads and Sword Quest. The Battletoads video is just a reminder how fun it is to play with a friend and James and Kyles chemistry is really great and charming. I love Sword Quest because James manages even better than usual to take you with him on this journey.
ya battletoads was definitely a classic
I think the movie really crushed James when he saw what a flop it was and how unwell received it was I think it kind of killed his 100% drive
7:33 I agree. I saw a CDi only once in my life. It was at the house of a friend or family member (I don't remember which) of my mom's boyfriend when I was a kid. I remember being fascinated by it (still have memories of it over 30 years later), but it got ignored and we ended up playing Sega Genesis instead. Lol
My first AVGN video I saw was Action 52, the one that had 50 or so really poorly made games.
I saw some really funny stuff in that video including a Giant Saddam in that Desert War game.
I remember those 100 games in one stuff from my old Windows 95 Computer days, my mom would just say here is 100 games now that is your PC gaming present. So I can relate to that Action 52 video and those poor souls who played it.
I hope Screenwave reaches out to you to use your new AVGN theme from now on. Cuz it’s awesome
haha
If the 32X episode was a modern episode...
"Its like its on life support..
OHH MY GAWDDD I WANNA BE PUT ON LIFE SUPPORT BY SEGAAAAAAAAAAAA!
AAAAAAHHH!!!!"
haha yes, all very over-dramatically acted
plug the tv into the power strip to free up the wall socket, James! sorry that always bothered me.
there still wouldn't have been enough room with those massive power adapters lol
Resident Evil: Survivor is one of my favs. Pretty cool how James edited himself into the original RE intro movie. **Brad flies away** "Wow... what an asshole!" 😂
Loved your rendition of the avgn theme
Those Castlevania videos are some of my favorites
The sword quest video always got me hyped that it would get a follow up mini movie one day
I agree with most of this list. I find the episodes I always go back to at least once a year are the ones about obscure consoles and peripherals like Sega CD/32X, Atari Jaguar, Intellivision/ColecoVision, 3DO, and the Pong consoles. Honestly, even the Amiga CD32/Town with No Name videos are ok in that regard despite being more recent. Overall I think older videos benefit from having more of a balance between wacky exaggerated character moments and James calmly explaining some gaming history. Echoing what others have already said, there used to be more of James in the avgn character and it is sorely missed. His Jersey accent, his 80s-early 90s childhood, etc. He was more than just camera mugging and poorly acted anger.
Side note: Ironically I think Nostalgia Critic had the opposite problem. The NC character was more funny and likable in his earlier videos because it was a purely wacky cartoonish character mainly just riffing on movies. When Doug Walker tried inserting more of himself into his videos it became a more snooty, wannabe-film critic, wannabe-sketch comedian, and ultimately less likable. Just an observation I've noticed over the years
haha that's very true about NC
I'm surprised you didn't mention the best part of the Big Rigs episode: it gave us Rex Viper.
yeah i was looking for where he mentions rex viper but i couldn't find it for some reason