Poll: Totalbiscuit

[Weaver]

I generally like him, often agree with his opinions and I like the complete PC bias he has, as I myself, have a complete PC bias.

That being said, he's kind of an impersonable asshole at times. It sort of annoys me how he goes on about how terrible the youtube comment community is but then engages in mud slinging and childish, opinionated nonsense not only on other channels, but his own as well. If you look at his comment history, even his twitter feed, it's essentially nothing but vitriol. Sometimes it's justified, sometimes it's not; but what matters is he's clearly not above it as he seems to believe he is.

I also dislike his disdain for LPers when he has over 100 episodes of Terarria with Jesse Cox. Indeed, they've stopped making them, but that's still incredibly hypocritical in my opinion. In reality, "WTF is?" is basically a LP series, except TB is in the luxury position of not having to pay for games, and can thus do 3 - 5 new games every week.

In his last VLOG he said he hasn't paid for a game in over a year. While it's all nice to criticize other youtube channels for playing games, they don't all have free review code given to them; and likely aren't making any money at all. Also, I just really like LP's. They're honestly what I watch instead of TV when I want to just veg out.

That said, I respect him, I like his videos; but he's not someone I think would be very fun to have around at a party.

 

[cahtush]

Personally I like him, he makes good videos and has done, and continues to do, a lot for eSport.
Very much supports indie games too.

 

[Slycne]

I don't particularly follow his content religiously, but anyone that bring that much attention to PC gaming gets a thumbs up in my book.

 

[Total LOLige]

I watch his videos every now and then, only the WTF ones though. He is quite informative, sometimes funny and has a cool radio type voice. I'm not against the guy but I can see how he may get a tad annoying in large doses.

I hate when he bitches about FOV and options menus. Us console gamers play with the hands we're dealt. I'm sorry he gets a headache, but I don't need to hear it every other review he does. And poor him, sometimes getting less than 60 frames the poor soul. He just sounds so petty about stuff like that.

I've never really gotten the "OMG lower than 60 frames, this blows" mind set, maybe it's because I've played consoles most of my life. Sure 60fps is smoother than 30fps but it doesn't break the immersion at lower frame rates, hell I can play at 30 occasionally dropping to 25.

 

[DSK-]

He's done a fair amount of work in the Starcraft 2 community along with his wife who runs an SC2 team, but besides that I don't know much about him. I've seen one or two of his videos and for the most part agreed with what he said in them.

I doubt that is an accurate barometer of his character or content, though.

 

[omega 616]

I don't get how people can complain about "the PC master race" thing. The PC is objectively better, that doesn't make a console player less of a gamer though. TB knows this. The people who complain about TB are the ones who haven't watched enough of him, if they'd paid attention they'd know his stance on subject, and when he's joking.

I've been watching from his wow lore days and when he used to have his character dancing on a mailbox. So I have been watching for YEARS! I know what he's doing, he is never joking.

He says consoles are ok but only to avoid the flaming he would get from saying his honest opinion. His "I own every console" counter argument is wafer thin 'cos I know those things are just filled with dust ... lets be honest, if you gave TB an hour to play any game there is fuck all chance he would go to any console or handheld.

I'm not going to touch the rest of your post 'cos it's just bait.

 

[Chester Rabbit]

I like the guy who for some reason I always picture as that Blue Vulture guy from the Muppets...

I find him informative and is entertaining and even though I am a console gamer (have no idea where to start to build a PC) I, for the most part agree with him....except for when it comes to Bioshock infinite.(seriously I know there is something wrong with me seeing how I like Attack of the Clones and really loved Bioshock infinites gameplay quite fun)

 

[Lord Garnaat]

I don't really have anything in particular against him, but I don't watch much of his material. One thing about him that can be a bit aggravating is his frankly irrational hatred for all fans of anything - even his own. He seems to just hate anyone who professes any loyalty to any sort of media purely out of blind prejudice, even when they're the ones keeping food on his table. It just strikes me as a bit unfair.

 

[mike1921]

His 'WTF...' videos are a bore fest. He often makes the most entertaining games seem boring, with his commentary.

It dumbfounds me he has more subscriptions than the highly entertaining Classic Game Room.

OH, WAIT - I just read the OP's article. Turns out he was a financial adviser in Great Britain? That explains A LOT as to why he isn't a very charismatic person. I used to deal with those shmucks every day in my old job.

As in he portrays them as boring or what? Or just that he's generally somewhat calm? It's not meant to be incredibly entertaining it's meant to be informative. Sure it's a little entertaining and he tries to be a little entertaining but I don't think that's the main reason anyone watches him (besides SC casts which I can't speak on).

For one classic game room seems to focus on retro games, meaning it'll pretty much automatically be at a disadvantage due to not being very topical. I mean I found out about TB because he was talking about the D3 auction house when they announced it, being topical matters. Also, after checking them out I don't see the appeal, I just notice a somewhat annoying voice and don't see anything else that special. I mean don't get me wrong if these guys were highly popular I wouldn't take any objection to it but I see no reason to hold them up as "The guys who should have TB's subscriber count".

I don't get how people can complain about "the PC master race" thing. The PC is objectively better, that doesn't make a console player less of a gamer though. TB knows this. The people who complain about TB are the ones who haven't watched enough of him, if they'd paid attention they'd know his stance on subject, and when he's joking.

I've been watching from his wow lore days and when he used to have his character dancing on a mailbox. So I have been watching for YEARS! I know what he's doing, he is never joking.

He says consoles are ok but only to avoid the flaming he would get from saying his honest opinion. His "I own every console" counter argument is wafer thin 'cos I know those things are just filled with dust ... lets be honest, if you gave TB an hour to play any game there is fuck all chance he would go to any console or handheld.

I'm not going to touch the rest of your post 'cos it's just bait.

No there isn't, he plays through games on handhelds sometimes. He's mentioned playing both P4G and Soul Sacrifice on multiple occasions (although I don't recall if they were on his main channel).

 

[StriderShinryu]

I like his videos overall, and I agree with many of his opinions, but he also has a propensity to annoy me. In that way, he's a lot like MovieBob, right down to the way he often equates disagreeing with him to being a blithering idiot who is ruining the world and couldn't find their own backside if asked.

I also want to punch him just a little every time he mentions his dual titans.

 

[Rednog]

I'm suscribed and I like his WTF is & and his gaming news segment; and he's quite well spoken (knows what he's talking about)when it comes to PC gaming and the issues surround it. However, his interactions with the "community" are really "disheartening". It just makes me want to avoid anything else besides his core videos, his twitter stuff sometimes reaches levels of Spoony infamy.

What I'm going to say is a bit crass, but I don't know how to say it a nicer way.
The guy really needs to just take a step back and let the idiots spout their nonsense. He really needs to distance himself from that stuff because when he goes around telling people to fuck off and that he doesn't need anyone he's really acting kinda like a douche. Yes I know he does all the charity work and that his videos are his lifeblood, but for the love of god he needs to stop making me close videos when he goes off on giant "butt-hurt" monologues.

It also drives me up the wall when he bashes let's players, yes a significant amount of them are garbage, but how can he decry them when his friends do let's plays.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

I like his videos mostly. He makes good consumer advice, although I don't rely on him totally out of principle. Really my only complaint of his WTF is... videos is that occasionally he'll take on a genre or game series he clearly doesn't get certain aspects of. Thankfully this is mostly rare. Only thing I really hate is his "CynicalBrit" moniker, since I despise people priding themselves on being "cynical" on the assumption it makes them intelligent or something.

As for his personality, I don't follow his twitter so I can't say anything there, but he can get occasionally a bit too snarky in the YouTube comments and places like that. I would prefer if he just not interact there at all and ignore it, that way the babies get their bottles and he isn't affected at all.
I never understood people complaining about his apparent "view obsession", he doesn't seem to do the "MY VIDEOS ARE GOOD YOU JUST DONT UNDERSTAND THEM" thing and actually asks us what we want, which is a nice change of pace from most of the passive-aggressive reactions people give out to criticism.

 

[loc978]

I enjoy his "WTF is" series, it occasionally introduces me to a game I wouldn't otherwise be aware of... and it's hilarious when he tries to play puzzle games. Occasionally he also makes comedy gold with collaborative videos, my favorite of which would definitely be the DungeonLand multiplayer video where he played a pitch-perfect mustache-twirling evil dungeonmaster.

I'm also glad that he points out the things common to bad console ports that don't work well on PC... and to anyone who calls that hate: You're wrong. I'm sorry, but you are. What the man does is not "hating on consoles". He just points out incompatibilities between two common forms of gaming.
If you're going to be developing a 3D game for PC with a crosshair you control directly (as opposed to a cursor), the new standard FOV of 60 degrees is extremely claustrophobic and can actually induce motion sickness in some people. We had a standard back in the 90s, it was 90 degrees, and it still works great for any screen that's not all the way across the room from you (which is also how I game on consoles... with a 19" CRT TV that's older than some of you Escapists).

He is a bit of a snob about the higher end of graphical fidelity, though he does often acknowledge that not everyone is playing on a system that cost well over $3000 in parts alone (seriously... dual SLI'd GeForce Titans. Who does that?).

 

[GundamSentinel]

Why isnt there an option which mixes the top and bottom choices?
because thats what he is.

but i do like most of his videos..... except when he goes off o the deep end and says games are broken because they dont have the almighty FOV slider of destiny.

That's basically my opinion as well. He makes some great and earnest videos and I enjoy watching a lot of his work. But as much as he tries to deny it, he often comes across as an entitled graphics whore. Oh, and never read any of his own youtube comments, you'll want to punch him.

 

[sir neillios]

What exactly are you asking? Because it seems like you have an opinion that you're not sharing and desperately want validated. Anybody with a large enough fanbase is inherently polarizing: you will have people that like and don't like them because more people who all hold different opinions and values will have heard of them.

Poll seems pointless, especially considering it's the 4th or 5th thread either bitching about him or sucking his dick.

Well I wasn't expecting to get pyscho-analysed when I wrote this but there you go! I actually kept my OP deliberately neutral so I wouldn't be buried under a mountain of quote replies. My opinion is... actually not very well covered in the poll options to be honest. I like him as a journalistic personality, the WTF is series I tend to watch a few minutes of each on and then decide if I want to watch on or not, I've been exposed to quite a few games I'd never have heard of through them. His content patch or other opinion pieces I tend to put on in the background when I'm doing things, maybe I just like the sound of his voice I'm not sure, but he seems to encourage balanced thought on any given topic. But like everyone else I do sometimes find his PC elitism abit grating.

Okay so maybe I did know full well this topic would be flamebait, isn't half the threads these days? Just wanted to satisfy my own curiosity on how polarised the escapist is over him. I'm not desperate for validation, I don't tend to look on the internet for that, I just enjoy reading these forums, and I rarely take the effort to write anything as you can tell by my low post count.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

I watch his WTF series for games I am unsure about, but his constant bitching about FOV and "unacceptable framerates" can irk me. I am one of those PC gamers who only has a mid range PC, and as long as I am getting 20 FPS or higher, I am satisfied, whereas TB will scream his head off if he has anything less than 70.

He's said that he's actually the type to get eye strain if the FOV and FPS is too low. I might not have it but you must understand that if a game gives you trouble and illness while playing, it's something to address.

As for me, he is the type to be a bit more direct about opinions and willing to go against the curve, I can respect that

 

[Caiphus]

I watch his "WTF is..." series on occasion and some of his mailbox episodes. I probably bought FTL because of his video on it. And I agree with some of his opinions and disagree with others.

I actually understand his issue with FoV. Probably the main reason I couldn't finish Kingdoms of Amalur was because of the shoddy camera.

But yeah, I can see why some people would find him abrasive. He's honest, and that honesty can be brutal at times. I enjoy it, but some people just want to giggle like a hyena at their LPers. Pewdiepie wouldn't be so popular if that wasn't the case.

 

[JokerCrowe]

So I've wanted to write this thread for a few days now but haven't had the time, and now most likely it will be buried under the mountain of Xbone threads.
So anyway, lets talk about a certain personality that has gained alot of fame on youtube over the past couple of years, and is a rather divisive figure in gaming. John Bain, or as he is better known; Totalbiscuit, the Cynical Brit.

So nearly every time he gets mentioned in some regard I notice someone always responds with complete venom, and normally there will be someone to respond in his defence.
Here's an article Eurogamer did last year which offers more in-depth details on him http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-14-the-cult-of-totalbiscuit

So how I'd like you to answer this poll. First option is if he is your go-to place for video game information, and you watch pretty much all his content as a result. Second option you would watch his "WFT is..." series for information on a game you are thinking about getting, but not much else besides. Third option you neither know nor care that much about him or his videos. Forth, you don't like the style, length, content or whatever of his videos and thus don't watch them. Fifth option you actively despise his personality.

Go!

Quite honestly, he seems like kind of a dick.
For a while I hoped it's only his Internet Persona that is like that. I mean, I've seen other people who came off as complete cockhammers on the internet only to find out that they're only playing a "roll", and are actually quite tolerable people IRL. *cough* Jim *cough*

However, the few videos I've seen him do when he's talking to other people really makes him seem like a dick, a dick with zero ability to laugh at himself. I really hope he isn't, but I think it's hard to keep a "persona" like that up for as many videos as he's made, so my only conclusion is that he's really like that. And as such I don't really watch his videos.

I do however watch Dodger, who is also a part of the Gamestation, and she seems to quite like him, and I quite like Dodger, so I've actually thought about giving him a second chance; unfortunately he never really seems to talk about games I'm interested in, so I haven't really had any Reason to watch him. Yet.

 

[zalithar]

And for being so "cynical" he's really not. Not in most of the videos I watch. ComplainingBrit maybe. OccasionallySomewhatAggrevatedBrit would work too.

Actually that is to be cynical, "to doggedly attack." From the original definition. In a modern sense, you would be right.

OT Some of what he says in misinformed, he often gives things a little extra touch in the way of PCs; but in general he is accurate, intelligent and a good way to get gaming news. Just take his information with a bit of salt, and maybe cross reference a bit.

 

[Furrama]

I tend to like his videos for their production quality and I admire what he's trying to do, but his personality rubs me the wrong way. He tends to belittle others too much. If you disagree with him a little he's apt to verbally rip you apart over it. His youtube comment levels are at the point where I wouldn't even read if I could help it, and I would never respond to them if I were him, unless it was a simple direct question. His professionalism in that regard isn't terribly good.