Some of what he says is pretty good but its mixed with his usual idiocy. Like being angry that games has climbing or hanging "it's not fun!" Well ok, is walking "fun"? Not really, its just a way to traverse in the game, sometimes it makes sense that you should walk, sometimes it makes sense that you climb a wall or hang and drop down or jump to a platform or whatever.
I think climbing or parkour is quite fun in games, at least its more fun that just being able to walk and not being able to take another route because that is extra work for the developer. It's a good thing we are now spoiled with being able to climb etc.
Games has in some ways has gotten better and in some ways has gotten worse, what's to blame? Casual gamers, which of course there are more of than ever, we are not in the age of "only nerds have a console/computer", everyone plays games.
I think most of all, Mack is angry at himself for not being able to appreciate modern graphics. He wants games to look simplistic, to not have any modern stuff like climbing because that is what he remembers from old games. If old games had a ton of climbing he would be so angry if modern games didn't have it and he would call it lazy and stupid.
Totally agree.
Sometimes it's hard to balance. I remember how that superhero saints row game made driving cars totally useless.
Flying ofc is more practical and faster while still being fun it was more fun for me to drive the cars.
Same goes for the Batman Arkham Knight game. people were critisizing the overusage of the car while in arkham city youd mostly fly etc.
It's not about the traversel mechanic itself but how you implement it and sometimes it's just a necessity.
He puts out a video blaming gamers and gamer reviewers for shit games.
Then turns around, as a gamer and game reviewer, and promotes what is a rough clone of the type of game that is THE main example used to talk about phone slop games, just made for PC...
-We don't control what happens to us in life, but we control how we respond to what happens in life.
-Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times. -G. Michael Hopf
Disclaimer: Post made by me are of my own creation. A delusional mind relayed in text form.
All I get from this video is: I only shill for games I like. If I don't like it I won't shill for it.
The whole intro of: It's a game I like, and already reviewed.
If you already reviewed it. You are shilling. You are saying: I already reviewed it, but you want me to review it again and you will pay me? Sure I will promote the game I already covered once, for cash. If he would not do the review again of his own accord for free. He is doing the definition of shilling.
His definition of a shill is conveniently wrong. He says it's only a shill IF they don't like the game.
He is confusing "I don't mind saying good things about the game for money" as the pivot point. You got paid to say good things, simply because it doesn't bother you to do so. Shilling isn't based on your conscience about it, its based on the context of it.
A shill simply someone who promotes an outside product for cash or compensation (one you do not work for, or produce). If you like or agree with it has no bearing. That simply separates a dishonest shill, from a shill.
If ANY contract is signed between you and the product maker. You are shilling, being open about it doesn't change the context of why you are promoting it. Now if they gave you a free key, no string attached. like a random email "Here is a free steam key, enjoy" thats different. If you negotiated any of your terms. You are a shill. An honest shill sure. But still one.
And why does he point out how many times he did paid promotions as a defense? So you shill less than others I guess. There isn't a bottom number of videos you need to make before shilling is applicable. You could have 10,000 videos, and only one of them was shilling a product.
-We don't control what happens to us in life, but we control how we respond to what happens in life.
-Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times. -G. Michael Hopf
Disclaimer: Post made by me are of my own creation. A delusional mind relayed in text form.
let the dude have his cake djees ... sponsorships are 80 percent of the income of big streamers n youtubers ... , yes 8 0 . as long as he is transparant i really dont care who pays his bills
When we go down to the details i don't see a problem with that. He talks up games he likes and talks down games he doesn't like, i'd expect that from any reviewer. Problem is if he doesn't mean it, and only then.
But i expect Mack to not be very truthful when he tries this hard to convince. At the end of the day, his channel is a business and people should always have that at the back of their head before they start fangirling and flicking their bean to his voice each time he makes a video thinking he's this divine messiah of truthfulness and integrity.
Not saying its a bad. I'm saying he is being quasi-dishonest in its framing. By trying to convince us it has no frame at all.
At the end of the day, he can do what he wants. His channel. I personally don't care if he goes 100% to getting paid to read line for line scripts they give him. I was saying he is defending a thing like he isn't doing it, when he is. I really don't care who pays his bills either. It's the matrix like dodging he's doing of justifying how he pays them.
His argument should have been:
Yes, I will promote games for money I like even if I reviewed them before, so it has new advertising about it. I like the game and dont mind getting paid to make positive marketing for it.
He acts like him liking it, and saying so, JUST HAPPENS to make positive marketing. When in reality it's he knows it does and aligns with giving it that for cash.
-We don't control what happens to us in life, but we control how we respond to what happens in life.
-Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times. -G. Michael Hopf
Disclaimer: Post made by me are of my own creation. A delusional mind relayed in text form.
Last edited by DXWarlock on Thu, 6th Aug 2026 19:51; edited 1 time in total
That depends on what he thinks himself really. He can't live on that so obviously he's doing it for fun, and works as well. If i enjoyed streaming i would just look at it as a fun side thing that earns me some extra money.
@friketje
Failed as a youtuber is subjective.
I'm not fond of him either. But who decides if he failed? You? Him?
I could have a channel with 100 subs, if I like it, and keep making it. I didn't fail.
The failure point is up to those trying, not those that watch them try.
-We don't control what happens to us in life, but we control how we respond to what happens in life.
-Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times. -G. Michael Hopf
Disclaimer: Post made by me are of my own creation. A delusional mind relayed in text form.
I dislike him more for his narrowly personally subjective reviews.
Not that that is bad. But he's not a good reviewer for people. He's a good review to point out what he likes.
I (don't think) I ever seen him go: Is a solid game, will appeal to the X/Y/Z crowd. Not my type of game but well done. The mechanics while not my style, are well done and thought out for those into that genre.
Its more like: It's got fucking hunger/material grind/no fast travel mechanics. I hate these game mechanics. Why do devs keep putting this dribble in their games. Stop it. It's pointless.
I really think his channel shouldn't be called "Worth a buy" it should be called "Why I bought".
Because he will review otherwise solid games as shit, because he doesn't enjoy that genre of games.
-We don't control what happens to us in life, but we control how we respond to what happens in life.
-Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times. -G. Michael Hopf
Disclaimer: Post made by me are of my own creation. A delusional mind relayed in text form.
He's not a 'bad' reviewer I don't think, in the grand scheme anyway.
He's a niche reviewer: Targeting the audience that want 'authoritative' shit talking of genes or games they dislike vocalizing the things they dislike about it too. And the equal for reinforcement of games/genres they like.
He's the critical drinker of video games: Hone in on an audience that wants to hear an overly critical attack on a thing, come to you because they know you will say that thing and link your video as a proof someone 'big' online said it so it's right (Despite being purely subjective opinions, on what is an individually preference based media). Repeat.
But where he differs from CD is his lack of range.
His game reviews are like a 15 year old angsty kid. Its either amazing, or shit. it's awesome balls or pure rubbish. Most everything is a 1 or 10 overall for specific parts of a game. Works in absolutes.
-We don't control what happens to us in life, but we control how we respond to what happens in life.
-Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times. -G. Michael Hopf
Disclaimer: Post made by me are of my own creation. A delusional mind relayed in text form.
He's a bad reviewer. I used to watch his videos every now and then like 15 years. The guy would just talk shit, no research or anything. His opinions were subjective as hell. If you'd show him proof that he's wrong, he will just go mad and start swearing at you.
I've watched a video of his every now and then over the years, he hasn't gotten any better. He is the definition of a bad reviewer.
Fair enough. I see it as he isn't a bad reviewer so much. Maybe because I don't see him as an actual reviewer?
He is a 'post knowledge reviewer' not giving you new information. He is feeding your already formed opinions. That why some people watch him.
He doesn't do reviews so much for people with no idea about the game usually. He does commentary for people that know about the game and want 'youtube star' backup of what they already thought.
But I agree on the no research. I can't remember the video. But I remember one where he was having issues with some crafting mechanic, or something early in the game. And called it 'shite' beacuse he couldn't figure it out. After skipping the tutorial and not looking anything up about the game.
Granted you shouldn't have to look online on how to play. But would be like saying Factorio is a shit game because you couldn't figure out conveyor belts by the very first one you put down.
I FEEL like hes trying to be Zero Punctuation clone. But lacks the nuance and objectivity to pull it off.
-We don't control what happens to us in life, but we control how we respond to what happens in life.
-Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times. -G. Michael Hopf
Disclaimer: Post made by me are of my own creation. A delusional mind relayed in text form.
Last edited by DXWarlock on Thu, 6th Aug 2026 21:54; edited 2 times in total
I think his videos should go in the relevant game thread personally, if it exists but since you asked, they can got here if I remember.
Won’t stop others from posting in the relevant game thread though
I don't agree with him on all his reviews (even more so lately), and I absolutely agree that from a purely "reviewing" perspective he tends to over fixate on certain attributes - but I still respect the hell out of him for calling developers out for pure bullshit laziness and shitty design choices.
When's the last time any of the major Youtube "reviewers" actively called out multimillion dollar devs. for not being able to remap mouse and keyboard controls (or hardbound controls)? Or brought attention to the ludicrous mechanics in most third person action games where you roll around on the ground like a fucking idiot to "evade" every five seconds? Answer - never, because they're all too busy faggin' it up on fucking controllers to notice.
The dude's anger tends to cloud his overall judgement, but I can't really fault him for it. He, like most of us here I'd imagine, has lived through the glory days and seen his once beloved hobby devolve to shit. He's right to be angry, and I'd rather him be around to throw a tantrum every once in a while than him not put out videos and everyone just pretends everything is OK - when it's all clearly fucked.
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