Happy New Year! We reveal the success rate of our 2011 gaming resolutions, and set some new ones for 2012. Plus, Fallout (the first one!), Infinity Blade II, Sequence, Darksiders, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward BORED—am I right, people? With Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, Richard Naik, and Tim "My Wife Really Did Say That" Spaeth. Oh, and I almost forgot! This is the show that changes everything.
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Cleveland native Tim Spaeth grew up in a happy household – a household with a father whose major client happened to be an Atari games distributor. This led directly to Tim's first nickname: "The kid who got Atari games before anyone else." Indeed, he knew Pac-Man and E.T. were colossal bombs weeks before the rest of the world, and the resulting celebrity brought him great pleasure.
Through the years every aspect of Tim's life has been touched by gaming. He mastered typing thanks to Space Quest, honed his poker skills on The Sierra Network, and learned to hate after a particularly traumatic game of Tecmo Super Bowl.
Today, Tim lives in Chicago with his three kids and strives to find that perfect balance between family, career, and Warcraft. He enjoys broadcasting, martial arts, rock and roll, growing and shaving his beard, singing show tunes to the homeless, and losing at Mario Kart to his lovely, talented, and amazing girlfriend.
In late 2008, Tim became the producer and host of the GameCritics.com Podcast, and he's thrilled to be bringing GameCritics' unique editorial voice to a brand new medium.
Through the years every aspect of Tim's life has been touched by gaming. He mastered typing thanks to Space Quest, honed his poker skills on The Sierra Network, and learned to hate after a particularly traumatic game of Tecmo Super Bowl.
Today, Tim lives in Chicago with his three kids and strives to find that perfect balance between family, career, and Warcraft. He enjoys broadcasting, martial arts, rock and roll, growing and shaving his beard, singing show tunes to the homeless, and losing at Mario Kart to his lovely, talented, and amazing girlfriend.
In late 2008, Tim became the producer and host of the GameCritics.com Podcast, and he's thrilled to be bringing GameCritics' unique editorial voice to a brand new medium.
Latest posts by Tim Spaeth (see all)
- GameCritics.com Radio 2018 GOTY Celebration - January 12, 2019
- GameCritics.com Radio 2017 Holiday Awards Spectacular - January 13, 2018
- GameCritics.com Radio Episode 5: The Switch and Zelda - April 7, 2017
More Rhea would be nice too. Just saying.
I agree 100%. Without Tim it’s not the Gamecritics podcast.
Tim would always represent the outsider of the group, give some perspective and a different point of view from the professional critics. Also, the laughs I’m getting from his tone is the main reason I listen to this podcast.
Having Dan as a regular would certainly balance the loss, but still I don’t know if th podcast can survive the loss of its host.
Don’t be silly, Dan (and Richard) are too pedantic to host a podcast. The whole thing would grind to a halt while they pointed out some fallacy.
Dan (and Richard) – no offence.
I’d like to see more of Dan as a guest though. His written articles here this year have been sublime.
We want Dan! We want Dan!
[quote=ckz]Tim can’t leave the show. He’s the voice of reason here. The only gamer who constantly questions the amount of hours he spends gaming. He is the guiltiness we have inside – the consciousness of the show.
And the sexiest voice EVER.
Tim, please, don’t do it.[/quote]
Agreed. 6 out of 5.
Tim can’t leave the show. He’s the voice of reason here. The only gamer who constantly questions the amount of hours he spends gaming. He is the guiltiness we have inside – the consciousness of the show.
And the sexiest voice EVER.
Tim, please, don’t do it.
Really sorry to hear you’re leaving, Tim; you’ve presented the show with great style and panache. As others have mentioned, you (and the other gamecritics) have a really good body of work to look back on over the past few years. Thanks for providing all the entertainment, and good luck.
I dunno — the flailing around bugs me. First off, I play games to relax, and having to spazz out to make my onscreen avatar work feels like the complete opposite of relaxing. Second, it feels like the next gen equivalent of button mashing in a fighting game. As far as where you’re at in the game, yeah — you’re starting to enter the valley of backtracking. I mean, to be fair, it’s not going back through the exact same things, but it is doing more of the same over and over again. I’ll be curious to hear what you… Read more »
“The Wii Motion plus does *not* use the sensor bar – your not meant to be directing your controls at *that*. You were suppose to be pointing directly at the screen.” It doesn’t matter though — the motion sensor is right on the TV — it’s not like anyone’s “aiming” at it in the first place. As if the Wii-mote were precise enough to even “aim” at anything other than a generalized direction… :p I never once aimed at the sensor bar — and none of that changes the fact that these controls still don’t work for some people. There’s… Read more »
Daniel Weissenberger is clearly the people’s choice and the people’s champion.
Gareth
[quote=Daniel Markstedt]
As a side note, I cannot help but second Brad’s plugging of the Cane and Rinse podcast. If you don’t mind massive spoilers, it’s the one other podcast I found that comes close to matching Gamecritics in sheer listening enjoyment.[/quote]
Just listened to 2 episodes. Thirded.
Too bad they don’t keep the older episodes though, only 3 or 4 available now.
[quote=paynemeister]
I enjoyed Daniel Weissenberger’s contribution in the end of year special podcast, so he would be a good new addition.[/quote]
Seconded. I enjoyed Dan’s contributions every time he was in, especially when he’s adamant about things, like Deadly Premonition. Make him a regular already.
Also, you should really try to get more guests from outside gamecritics on the show. Not every time of course, just to shake things up once in while. The more genuine discussion there is, the less you need a dedicated host.
I wondered to myself today whether Tim was actually quiting or that he was actually forced out by the guys because of his fondness for Assassin’s Creed…
I definately thought it was inappropiate.
Gareth
Sad to see that you are leaving, Tim, but do what you must. All good things have to come to an end at some point. Gamecritics was the first podcast I started listening to. I was drawn to it from Bioware’s forums after DA2, and was delighted to see criticism where I don’t have to wonder if there are forces in the background stopping the reviewer from expressing his true opinion. Anyways, Tim, you are an excellent host. What you lacked in the actual game criticism you more than made up with your ability to control the flow of the… Read more »
Gosh, Tim, I’m so sad to see you leave. With that said, good on you for prioritizing life, and best wishes in your future (non-GC podcast) endeavors. Loved your work!
Well this is gutting news. Tim Spaeth IS the podcast! I don’t see that you guys can possibly replace him. His wit, energy and professionalism are what makes the show stand out from its rivals. It’s clear he puts an enormous amount of time into creating the show and – despite his many self-effacing comments – has a rich gaming past and a lot of wothwhile things to say as a critic. I’ll miss him terribly.
Although, try getting John Teti.
[quote=Mike Bracken]I’m really curious as to what makes the controls work so well for some people when they worked so poorly for me. And the other can of worms there is that I still feel that anything the game does with the Wii-mote could have been done as well or better with a standard controller. As for the rest, it’s a good sign you made it through the dreadful tutorial stages[/quote] Yeah, I have no idea why people have such wildly different reactions to the controls. Maybe it is a setup or lighting problem, as you say. In the past,… Read more »
[quote=Mike Bracken]Zol, Some people profess to have no trouble with the controls, others have numerous problems. I’ve no idea why that is, but I can say the controls gave me headaches for pretty much the entirety of the 50 hours I spent with the game. The thrust was the worst offender, but not the only one. I’ve wondered if it’s a set-up thing — some people have different lighting, are a different distance from their sensor bar, etc. I’m genuinely interested in this because I’ve seen radically different responses to the controls. I don’t think for a second that everyone… Read more »
[quote=Flo]While Tim leaving the show certainly is a loss to everybody, why can’t any of you step in as “host”? I think Richard should try it. It could be amazingly awkward and unintentionally funny.[/quote]
Exactly my thinking too! Just imagine Richard constantly correcting the logic of everyone involved!
But really, I think Richard could give it a shot. He’s buddies with Tim Spaeth anyway, so maybe he can be Tim’s intern!
[quote=Flo]While Tim leaving the show certainly is a loss to everybody, why can’t any of you step in as “host”? I think Richard should try it. It could be amazingly awkward and unintentionally funny. Also, know that I would be excited to offer myself as a host for the podcast if english was my first language. But seriously, do you think you will find a suitable new host among your twelve listeners? Surely you do have a backup plan?[/quote] I agree. I thought straight away one of you guys should do it. However you guys all write quite alot on… Read more »
It’s funny how what paynemeister said completely applies to me as well. I had no interest in podcasts whatsoever before giving the latest Gamecritics show a shot last summer. The honest and (mostly) mature discussion of video games on the side was what piqued my interest, but Tim’s excellent (and funny) hosting sealed the deal! I’ve been totally hooked since and recently got through your entire archive. You will be sorely missed, Tim. As a side note, I cannot help but second Brad’s plugging of the Cane and Rinse podcast. If you don’t mind massive spoilers, it’s the one other… Read more »
It is a sad day for all fans as we will soon watch you leave. I must admit I was shocked by the news but obviously there’s no turning back. So now is the time to say a HUGE “Thank you!” to you, sir, for all your efforts and your unique presentation skills that have entertained people all over the world for three years.
It is now my turn to say – Good night and bonne chance, Tim!
While Tim leaving the show certainly is a loss to everybody, why can’t any of you step in as “host”? I think Richard should try it. It could be amazingly awkward and unintentionally funny.
Also, know that I would be excited to offer myself as a host for the podcast if english was my first language.
But seriously, do you think you will find a suitable new host among your twelve listeners? Surely you do have a backup plan?
Tim, i’m so sad you are leaving. Since this is anonymous, I can admit that while I was at work today listening to the last bit of your latest podcast, I almost started crying when I found out you were not going to be hosting any more. I guess I a kind of secret admirer. I’m sure my wife will be glad when I’m not talking about the poscasts all the time now but there will be a hole in my life. I got so excited to see a new podcast up yesterday. I check everyday since the last one… Read more »
Thanks for the kind words everyone. Regarding PC games: If my timing works out, I’ll have my PC built before my last show, so a chunk of Episode 70 could be a huge PC game blowout. Some of you may not know this, but PC game discussion quite literally drains Brad of his life force. If we talk more than three minutes about PC’s, he goes comatose. More than five minutes, it’s grave time. He does the show hooked to an IV drip, with a nurse standing by, just in case we get carried away. (I may have that reversed;… Read more »
[quote=sleeve]
I also don’t understand this categorical dismissal of PC gaming. There are so many amazing PC games out there that you really are missing out on a massive part of video gaming history if you just dismiss PC gaming entirely.[/quote]
As a PC gamer, I had the same reaction too, especially as a fan of Brad. But I’ve learnt to understand him his daily 4 hours of sleep, busy life and total lack of pc knowledge. Plus, his sofa is probably much more confortable than his pc chair 😉
Zol, Some people profess to have no trouble with the controls, others have numerous problems. I’ve no idea why that is, but I can say the controls gave me headaches for pretty much the entirety of the 50 hours I spent with the game. The thrust was the worst offender, but not the only one. I’ve wondered if it’s a set-up thing — some people have different lighting, are a different distance from their sensor bar, etc. I’m genuinely interested in this because I’ve seen radically different responses to the controls. I don’t think for a second that everyone who’s… Read more »
[quote=Mike Bracken] That aside, you may remember that the controls were hardly the only problem brought up about Skyward Sword. They are the major glaring problem most have with the game — but hardly the only one. [/quote] It’s weird though. I’m about 15 hours into the game, and I have not experienced any major problems with the motion controls whatsoever outside, perhaps, of the forward sword thrust, which is pretty unresponsive at times. Everything else works fine, though. Flying your bird isn’t even a fraction as difficult as a lot of people are making it out, and waving your… Read more »
Sleeve states: “At this point I’m not interested in having anyone else tell me why they feel motion controls ruin the game.” Good to know — I’ll be sure to keep your personal interests at the forefront of my thoughts on all future discussions. I’m planning to call the next episode “Episode 68: Where We Do a Show For Sleeve — Fuck the Rest of You.” :p That aside, you may remember that the controls were hardly the only problem brought up about Skyward Sword. They are the major glaring problem most have with the game — but hardly the… Read more »
Good luck to you Timothy, you’re a podcasting treasure not soon forgotten!
Tim, we’re all sorry to see you go. You were an excellent host, and the podcast will miss you. Having recently started my own podcast, I know how hard it is to keep a group of people on task, especially over the intarwebs. Chi, I really do enjoy your contributions to the podcast and I think you should step in more. No one seems to talk about 3DS stuff except you, and that’s a real shame. I think you guys are overdoing it with the Skyward Sword criticism. Look, I’m not a fan of the Wii, but even I think… Read more »
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I just hope Colin Baker doesn’t take over…
Gareth
If we listeners make a donation would you stay?
I’m saddened by the news of Tim leaving and wish him the best of luck in the future
Huh? Tim’s leaving the show? Fuck, why all good things need to change? Didn’t listen to the podcast yet (now downloading) but he needs more time for work? Worst excuse ever! He’ll be back…
Tim I think we speak for all the listeners when I say we will all miss you. I randomly found the gamecritics website when I had discovered that this site had given Halo 3 one of the lowest scores on Gamerankings. Since then I have been an avid reader. Concerning the podcasts, I would notice them but wouldn’t listen to them, the whole idea of podcasts never really appealed to me. Listening to people talk for hours is not very attractive nor does it seem a good use of time. However reading more and more of the writers on this… Read more »
I think this video captures my feelings of Tim leaving.
You did a great job hosting and creating some sort of order into the chaos that I expect a group of writers to be.
Wow, I’m really sad to hear you’re leaving, Tim 🙁 I know that the show will go on and everything, but you were as much a part of it as everyone else, and you brought a great deal of wit and insight to the show. You will be sorely missed. On a more positive note, I’m happy to hear Mike is enjoying Rayman Origins so much! It was my hands-down GotY for 2011, and it definitely deserves to be played by as many people as possible. I hope Ubi will make more games like this, but I kind of doubt… Read more »
…and scream despairingly to guilt trip Tim Spaeth into coming back. But, I will really miss you, Tim! You are the heart and soul of the show and I will say today, as I will say on your last episode, that you have my heartfelt gratitude for guiding the writers of GameCritics into creating my best-loved podcast.
[quote=Josh]Well this is gutting news. Tim Spaeth IS the podcast! I don’t see that you guys can possibly replace him. His wit, energy and professionalism are what makes the show stand out from its rivals. It’s clear he puts an enormous amount of time into creating the show and – despite his many self-effacing comments – has a rich gaming past and a lot of wothwhile things to say as a critic. I’ll miss him terribly.[/quote] I have to agree, Tim is the show. While I’m sure there are many great hosts out there to take over, the whole tone,… Read more »