Nostalgia Critic vs Angry Video Game Nerd [Channel Awesome/Cinemassacre general]

[nsequeira119]

As I see it, comparing AVGN to Nostalgia Critic is a weird comparison to make, I don't even really consider them to be in the same field.

Hands down I prefer AVGN, because even though I'm not a gamer, the old Bugs Bunny and Dr. Jekyll reviews never fail to make me laugh, and that's impressive. You can tell that back in the day James had a legitimate passion for filmmaking and the prop work and set design is some of the best the Internet has ever seen. Classic AVGN is an artifact of a point in time where a popular series on the Internet could actually be good.

While I can't deny that Cinemassacre has gone downhill, and that "Rental Review" series they tried which was obviously just a ripoff of Half In The Bag is some of the worst crap I've ever seen, I do still like the occasional video James puts out where it's just him, like the one about TV broadcast censorship or the one about the caveman movie in Troll 2. Those are both pretty good. Not as hyperactive and entertaining as AVGN, but well-researched and informative.

Nostalgia Critic, on the other hand, is just stagnant. It never changes, it doesn't get noticeably better or worse, it's always been completely devoid of humor or thought and it'll probably stay that way for 50 more years. Doug Walker has been sticking to the exact same formula for so long I don't think he even knows where he is anymore. It's kind of surreal to watch, but not as entertaining as Doug presumes.

 

[stonehead]

I think it's the difference between something that was of it's time, and something that was just bad. AVGN's humor (actually, everything about him, really) was very Y2K. Maybe that's a little unfair because he kind of defined what that meant, but the extreme hyperbole, violence, and vulgarity kind of defined early 2000s internet culture. IMO it's because it was the first time self-made content with no review-board could see widespread distribution. If you look at independent films from the 80s and 90s, it often had a similar style to early web videos, but almost no one watched independent films. So, all of the entertainment that we could see was heavily moderated, so seeing the nerd's over the top rants and fights was new and interesting. Never before seen.

Now I'm older, and the market is over-saturated with fake rage filled "reviewers" so that style of humor has lost it's novelty. we're also ~15 years older than we were when he started so our tastes have changed. But I still look back on it fondly.

Nostalgia critic was just bad, and I was young and didn't see that. I don't really have anything insightful to add he just wasn't funny, he didn't add any insightful commentary, and nothing he's made is an informative review. I just liked it back then because it was loud, free, and on the internet.

AVGN is like your music taste in middle school. It's probably not what you listen to now, and parts of it are a bit outdated, but whenever you hear it, fond memories fill your head. Nostalgia critic is like the lyrics to the music you tried to make in middle school. It's just awful, and remembering it fills your head with pain, and regret.

 

[Brimstoner]

Nostalgia Critic seems pretty cool from the few episodes I watched but I know for a fact that AVGN is better.

 

[Alice N Chain]

Most of nostalgic critics stuff if not all of it has aged like milk. AVGN I will pull up once in a blue moon to chuckle at because the older episodes are still decently enjoyable. Even when I was younger I remember hating Doug's skits in the reviews.

 

[nakadashi]

As most people have said in this thread. AVGN old content is still pretty enjoyable. Furthermore, some of his recent content is still quite watchable. And, just as others have said so, I believe Nostalgia Critic's content has aged quite poorly. I think that the reason why early AVGN content is still enjoyable is because it was conceived as a passion project of an amateur filmmaker, so you can really appreciate the effort put into the script and the practical effects. A lot of this has been excluded from some of his more recent content, but there are at least some episodes (the Earthbound one for example) that I would still recommend watching.

 

[Alice N Chain]

I should also say, James is at his best when he's talking about something he's actually passionate about, which is why I think he isn't the same anymore, he just lost interest in vidya by this point. The guy got me into Godzilla and castlevania, and it's probably due part on how he actually loves those subjects.

 

[Nicodemus]

I was big into both AVGN and the Nostalgia Critic as a kid, but while I can still get a chuckle out of some of the older AVGN episodes everything Doug made is painfully unfunny in retrospect.
It's weird to think about how big "angry reviewers" used to be. Nowadays "internet celebrities" are just real celebrities, but back in the day they were just grown-up versions of the extra-loud kids who are attracted to high school anime/video game clubs. And people loved it, I don't remember hearing anyone made fun of the Nostalgia Critic, the AVGN, or even the great Linkara for doing potentially embarassing stuff in public until recently. It's a perfect example of how much internet culture has changed.
One of my dream movies is a Spinal Tap-style angry reviewer mockumentary, loosely based on all the stories about the making of Kickassia. I think the idea has a huge amount of potential, both as a parody and as a semi-serious Y2K period piece.

There is also something to be said about Dougs actual legitimacy as a critic at all. Half of the reason "angry reviewers" were popular at all is because it is easy to dunk on art that is so blatently shitty, but Doug continually has such poor analysis that I wonder how he engages with art at all. Just off the top of my head from a teenager I recall him constantly complaining the Pokemon tie in movie never explains what a Pokemon is, that The Truman Show is a bad movie because "its too perfect", and let us not forget his catastrophy with Pink Floyds The Wall. James for whatever his drawbacks were as a content creator at least never had any outright bizarre opinions that he couldnt make arguments for.

 

[stonehead]

I should also say, James is at his best when he's talking about something he's actually passionate about, which is why I think he isn't the same anymore, he just lost interest in vidya by this point. The guy got me into Godzilla and castlevania, and it's probably due part on how he actually loves those subjects.

There is also something to be said about Dougs actual legitimacy as a critic at all. Half of the reason "angry reviewers" were popular at all is because it is easy to dunk on art that is so blatently shitty, but Doug continually has such poor analysis that I wonder how he engages with art at all.

I think these two together probably get at the main difference. Bad movie reviews/riffs are a big guilty pleasure of mine, and there's a big difference between those who love bad movies, and those that don't. I love Mystery Science Theater 3000, partly because it's so clear that everyone involved loves movie making, and "cheesy movies". I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a celebration of the films featured, but it does come across as a bunch of guys who enjoy watching and goofing on them. Some of my favorite bits, like the forklift song and the cast's obsession with Megaweapon aren't the type of thing you do for movies you hate. Red Letter Media is a good modern Youtube example. It's clear they all love bad movies, because they celebrate every big explosion, or good stunt.

A lot of the "bad movie review" genre of Youtube video however, don't come across that way at all. They seem like someone who hates small filmmakers, and goes out of their way to mock them. Like, "I looked up the lowest rated direct-to-VHS cartoon, and the writing was bad??? What were they thinking??? This movie gives me cancer???" It wouldn't be hard to come up with a dozen or so examples, but I don't think I need to. I'm sure you've all seen them.

James definitely loves filmmaking. While he definitely didn't love the garbage he often reviewed, he at least seemed to have a good time dunking on them. Doug would act like he was suffering while watching a movie he voluntarily chose to "review". Whenever he had any actual criticism, it was always cinemasins tier nitpicky stuff. Has anyone watched a Nostalgia Critic video and come away thinking "now that's a man who loves cinema"

 

[spronket]

I like both of them. I prefer James because I see more of myself in him. I respect Doug because he is not afraid to laugh at himself and has kept making stuff, despite the implosion of TGWTG/Channel Awesome. The only one I watch at all anymore is AVGN, but only his main series. I haven't seen a Nostalgia Critic video in years.

 

[Lolcow]

I was a bit too young for these two but just old enough not to miss out on other YouTubers making constant references to them shortly before they lost relevance. I checked them out a bit but the intentionally cheesy style was too obnoxious for me because I like serious stuff, so when Nostalgia Critic had his controversies I enjoyed it, especially the thing with The Wall, which demonstrated how antiquated the So Bad It's Good style is and that unlike the rapidly aging Millennials, ironic media is not an appeal for Zoomers, even though a distorted Millennial lens casts the opposite impression.

 

[eris]

I was a bit too young for these two but just old enough not to miss out on other YouTubers making constant references to them shortly before they lost relevance. I checked them out a bit but the intentionally cheesy style was too obnoxious for me because I like serious stuff, so when Nostalgia Critic had his controversies I enjoyed it, especially the thing with The Wall, which demonstrated how antiquated the So Bad It's Good style is and that unlike the rapidly aging Millennials, ironic media is not an appeal for Zoomers, even though a distorted Millennial lens casts the opposite impression.

Sorry about your buy-in to bullshit 'generations', bruv