Totalbiscuit is totally lame.

Xios

Who else hates this guy?
He looks like a clown, and i think he's hurting the image of esports, someone who doesn't follow the scene will just see him and go "nope"
We need a black van.

gearoidof

Sexy voice though.

Columc

Many times have I gotten into twitter wars with that twat!

Decerto

He admits his game knowledge is pretty poor so he casts with apollo or someone else knowledgeable all the time and doesn't try to analyse. People like HD, catzpajams and moletrap on the other hand I'm not a big fan of, especially considering the level of games and tournaments they are paid to cast.

Xios

Decerto wrote: »

He admits his game knowledge is pretty poor so he casts with apollo or someone else knowledgeable all the time and doesn't try to analyse. People like HD, catzpajams and moletrap on the other hand I'm not a big fan of, especially considering the level of games and tournaments they are paid to cast.

Yeah, but he looks like an asshat, it was embarassing to see him sitting on the stage at dreamhack. All other casters look pretty normal, but him, not a chance and the hat ain't helping

Lafortezza

His voice is too much like a cheesy radio DJ for me to be happy watching him. He's decent at describing whats going on in a fast paced game while letting a better caster analyse.

NeoSlicerZ

Always mute him.

Tenger

I did like his "I suck at Starcraft series",being a low level player myself.

I do think he is a good commentator but not as an analyst of the game itself. He looks at the action onscreen rather than the economy/strategy behind the action.

The hat is truly awful,no excuse for it.

NighTxX

We should start a "sign this thread if you hate him too". Feel free to sign me up 25million times. HATE HIM WITH A PASSION!!!!!

Sabre0001

Don't really like the guy - better casters out there I think and he comes across very...unlikable at times.

Recent exchange with some random guy on Twitter:
TotalBiscuit: BRINK is stupidly cheap this weekend and I still believe what I said in my WTF is, it's a good, but flawed shooter
Other guy: are Brink team paying you to say this?
Response from TB: is anyone paying you to be a ****tard because you could go pro

In response to his opinion on Brink, another guy weighed in:
it's a crap game not worth the cash
TB response: nobody gives a **** about your dumb opinion though
And then followed it up with (to general followers): Look, if you want anyone to care about your opinion on games, go start a blog/YTchannel/podcast then build a fanbase. Otherwise, *shrug*

BlitzKrieg

I dont listen to him for casting but now and then I might watch a video of his if its about a game that interests me.

his wtf is... series is ok but flawed, he gets facts wrong all the time but he does give what appears to be a genuine first impression responses to unknown titles or upcoming betas.

except his mw3 one which was a 45 minute rant about FOV

Jonny7

Xios wrote: »

Yeah, but he looks like an asshat, it was embarassing to see him sitting on the stage at dreamhack. All other casters look pretty normal, but him, not a chance and the hat ain't helping

His joke-a-second/cheesy style casting irritated me at first, but then he grew on me because he doesn't suffer bull****, is genuine and speaks his mind.. SC2 is almost a side thing for him.. he has a huge following on youtube casting and reviewing other games
http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalHalibut

He has also set-up and run community tournaments with ad revenue and donations - 8 top players each time - up to 5 grand prize money - basically all done by himself.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

aye, I dont like his casting at all and I'll try to avoid him as much as I possibly can but you can't deny that he does an awful lot for the sc2 community with hosting tournaments and producing content (even if I see none of it because of how much he irritates me)

Grimebox

In his defence, some of the metaphors he comes up with are fantastic.

Tenger

Grimebox wrote: »

In his defence, some of the metaphors he comes up with are fantastic.

As a 40K fan I loved his "WTF is....Space Marine" video, his reactions as wonderful to watch. "

fenris

He is a broken man since he was chucked out of the Halibuts!

MagicSean

I like him at first but I think all the fame has gone to his head.

SeantheMan

I enjoy his WTF series and his Mailbox series, as he is willing to at least try some of more indie and unheard of games, and talks about pretty serious topics in gaming with some interesting and informed views.

Have no time for his podcast or his adventure with Jesse on Terarria, or any of his SC related activities.

With regards to the OP , I don't see why his personal appearance should have anything to do with it. He should only be judged on his content and views.

Shiminay

Old thread being resurrected

Like him or not, in SC2 terms he puts his money where his mouth is - shares ad revenue with pros who give him games to cast, sponsors Dignitas Bling and sinks a fair amount of the money he makes back into the community with his SHOUTCraft Invitational. I like what he does and how he does it - just yesterday I was watching the Pro Monobattles series he had and it had 30k live viewers, so he's obviously doing something right.

MagicSean

Shiminay wrote: »

Old thread being resurrected

Like him or not, in SC2 terms he puts his money where his mouth is - shares ad revenue with pros who give him games to cast, sponsors Dignitas Bling and sinks a fair amount of the money he makes back into the community with his SHOUTCraft Invitational. I like what he does and how he does it - just yesterday I was watching the Pro Monobattles series he had and it had 30k live viewers, so he's obviously doing something right.

I agree that he does a lot for SC2. He also does a lot for indie games. i do enjoy him for the most part and he is very knowledgable in relation to gaming and the law as well. But his latest videos show him as slightly arrogant yet at the same time desperate for recognition from his peers.

You spoke of the monobattles. I watched them and he kept talking about how he was drunk or drinking. It reminded me of school when the lads at the back of the class would brag about how much they drank over the weekend.

He is a good presenter in his own right and I will much prefer it when he realises this and goes back to just being himself.

Dcully

For a start i dont see what he looks like has anything to do with anything, OP seems fixated on his appearance :rolleyes:
I dont watch his SC2 stuff at all mainly because ive always sucked at the game lol so i cannot comment on that but i often watch his WTF series and to me its one of the better efforts out there.
Like him or not he does a lot for gaming in general especially indie games,ive bought games thanks to his vids that i would never have considered.
Personaly i couldnt care if i like a commentator or not once the content is interesting and informative, 9 times out of 10 his content is decent.

Maherdj0

Tbh, I like the guy a lot, but i have a biased oppinion because Im a total TGS fan boi.(As I followed Huskystarcraft from the SC2 beta, seeing him Co-found TGS etc.etc.)
Ok so TB's casting may not be on par with??....well the majority of casters and he has no Pro SC2 or SC:BW experience what so ever. but you cant take his SC2 work in isolation from his general gaming content. Because his Wtf is series + the mail box are by far the main stay of his you tube channel/ online career. watch any of the TGS podcasts and overall he is a balanced person, and one who at times does get easliy offended by the comment of his fans e.g. the taken down darkness II video. and if you still want to vent about tTB there are options: teamliquid.net forums or - captainclassyas**** -on tumbler (warning that is some weird and messed up fan fic!)

SeantheMan

Well this IS a Starcraft forum, so I think it's directed at his SC2 experience/activities.
I don't think anyone doubts his quality in terms of WTF or other content on the Mailbox .
However in recent times the fame has got to his head somewhat I feel, I recently unsubscribed from him because he began to annoy me.
I'll still occasionly watch a WTF vid, but only if it's related to a game I'm interested in.

I wasn't able to watch the IronSquid because his commentary is so poor.

Maherdj0

Yeah fair point. Next time I post I'll try to keep it on topic.

Grimebox

I compare the casting of SC2 to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trq0TRr9kcU

Most english commentators can't get close to the strategic level that the koreans do. TotalBiscuit doesn't even ****ing try, he adds nothing to the game for me. I was appalled to find him casting Iron Squid

joshrogan

Grimebox wrote: »

I compare the casting of SC2 to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trq0TRr9kcU

Most english commentators can't get close to the strategic level that the koreans do. TotalBiscuit doesn't even ****ing try, he adds nothing to the game for me. I was appalled to find him casting Iron Squid

Artosis-

Hey guys, just to verify:

Korean casters, of course, are very good and skilled.

BUT. Its a different product. A script + 3 casters, and a set way to do things.

English commentary is thought up on the spot with 2 casters.

Korean commentators, over all, are analytically superior to most English commentary.

Different production values, styles, etc.

SeantheMan

Grimebox wrote: »

Most english commentators can't get close to the strategic level that the koreans do. TotalBiscuit doesn't even ****ing try, he adds nothing to the game for me. I was appalled to find him casting Iron Squid

The likes of Artosis, Tasteless, Day9 , DjWheat are excellent casters I find, because they actually have an in depth knowledge of the game, and most played at an extremely high level.
I think MLG is going in the right direction by having an post-analysis panel also...I think Sheth, Qxc and Grubby covered their respective races in the last Arena afterwards.....and Grubby has been on the commentary panel now and is very good.
Similar to football, you need people who have experience or have played at that professional level for the best commentary...and it helps that they are funny and insightful (also, this is their MAIN source of income...SC2)
Totalbiscuit has his other Youtube series , so can never dedicate the time needed to SC2 as the others do...and will therefore never reach the same level of commentary.
That and he's very annoying of late

Gumbi

SeantheMan wrote: »

Grimebox wrote: »

Most english commentators can't get close to the strategic level that the koreans do. TotalBiscuit doesn't even ****ing try, he adds nothing to the game for me. I was appalled to find him casting Iron Squid

The likes of Artosis, Tasteless, Day9 , DjWheat are excellent casters I find, because they actually have an in depth knowledge of the game, and most played at an extremely high level.
I think MLG is going in the right direction by having an post-analysis panel also...I think Sheth, Qxc and Grubby covered their respective races in the last Arena afterwards.....and Grubby has been on the commentary panel now and is very good.
Similar to football, you need people who have experience or have played at that professional level for the best commentary...and it helps that they are funny and insightful (also, this is their MAIN source of income...SC2)
Totalbiscuit has his other Youtube series , so can never dedicate the time needed to SC2 as the others do...and will therefore never reach the same level of commentary.
That and he's very annoying of late

Artosis is the man. Likeable, good cAsting, excellent knowledge of the game. Tastess is a joke IMO. I can't see how people like him. People cite him as having game knowledge - he doesn't. He says stupid/completely untrue/vague/irrelevant things all the time. I facepalm constantly listening to him.

I like DNWheat. Mediocre game knowledge but fun to listen to. His lack of game knowledge doesn't bother me 'cos he doesn't BS like Tasteless.

Day9 has decent game knowledge. I don't like him as a caster though. He talks too much.

I really like the bitterdam duo. Rotterdam is probably up there with some of the pros in terms of skill, and his partner is pretty good too.

Grubby is awesome. Superb game knowledge (obviously), intelligent and articulate. Perhaps overly analytical, but hey, he was on the analytical desk and not casting.

TB does
Do a lot for the community. His lack of basic game knowledge bothers me; all casters should endeavour to work on improving that. His voice bothers me too.

LordAlf

agreed. hes complete cack. some lads with a "radio" voice playing king of games. theres only one king of games and his name is Jimmy Woods. hes in that documentary i watched, the wizard. really good. i didnt know frankie muniz was a gamer

Grimebox

I think this ultimitely comes down to preference. There is no one 'right' caster. From that artosis qoute comparing Korean casters to foreign "Its a different product", the product I want is that of an very analytical nature which is not what the foreign scene is aiming for or needs as much. They are more preoccupied with actually making the game as exciting as possible as there isn't nearly as much of a following outside of korea. Accessability is what they're going for and that is what TotalBiscuit is

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

Gumbi wrote: »

Artosis is the man. Likeable, good cAsting, excellent knowledge of the game. Tastess is a joke IMO. I can't see how people like him. People cite him as having game knowledge - he doesn't. He says stupid/completely untrue/vague/irrelevant things all the time. I facepalm constantly listening to him.

people like him because of what he did casting bw. he seems to just not like sc2 so he doesn't give much of a ****. it really shows when you see his regular casting.. versus the casting he did for some event recently enough.. I can't remember the event, one of the dreamhacks maybe but there was an excitement in his voice and a quality to his casting that is just lacking the rest of the time.

Gumbi

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

people like him because of what he did casting bw. he seems to just not like sc2 so he doesn't give much of a ****. it really shows when you see his regular casting.. versus the casting he did for some event recently enough.. I can't remember the event, one of the dreamhacks maybe but there was an excitement in his voice and a quality to his casting that is just lacking the rest of the time.

Apart rfom that, though, he says generally stupid things all the time too ^^

SeantheMan

Gumbi wrote: »

Tastess is a joke IMO. I can't see how people like him. People cite him as having game knowledge - he doesn't. He says stupid/completely untrue/vague/irrelevant things all the time. I facepalm constantly listening to him.

TB does
Do a lot for the community. His lack of basic game knowledge bothers me; all casters should endeavour to work on improving that. His voice bothers me too.

He has just been announced as a caster for the next MLG Spring Arena *sigh*

The Casters

We're switching things up a bit this time around, to bring you even more of the best casters in the business. We'll miss Tasteless and Artosis at Arena 2, but we're incredibly happy to announce that the casters for this event will be none other than Apollo, Totalbiscuit, Wolf, djWHEAT, Rob Simpson, and JP McDaniel

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=336091

Tasteless is brilliant ! I don't know how you can say such things !
He has also paved the way for casters in fairness.
He played at a high level and has been casting for years, so clearly knows what's going on.
I think they stated before, that because they cast for such long hours, and there is always a lull in the first 4 mins of a game...or when nothing is happening ingame, that they try to inject humour into it and entertain the viewer.

Maybe you've seen this, if you haven't, maybe it will change you opinion somewhat or enlighten you at least to why they commentate in that way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvm6CNOApfU

Gumbi

SeantheMan wrote: »

Gumbi wrote: »

Tastess is a joke IMO. I can't see how people like him. People cite him as having game knowledge - he doesn't. He says stupid/completely untrue/vague/irrelevant things all the time. I facepalm constantly listening to him.

TB does
Do a lot for the community. His lack of basic game knowledge bothers me; all casters should endeavour to work on improving that. His voice bothers me too.

He has just been announced as a caster for the next MLG Spring Arena *sigh*

The Casters

We're switching things up a bit this time around, to bring you even more of the best casters in the business. We'll miss Tasteless and Artosis at Arena 2, but we're incredibly happy to announce that the casters for this event will be none other than Apollo, Totalbiscuit, Wolf, djWHEAT, Rob Simpson, and JP McDaniel

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=336091

Tasteless is brilliant ! I don't know how you can say such things !
He has also paved the way for casters in fairness.
He played at a high level and has been casting for years, so clearly knows what's going on.
I think they stated before, that because they cast for such long hours, and there is always a lull in the first 4 mins of a game...or when nothing is happening ingame, that they try to inject humour into it and entertain the viewer.

Maybe you've seen this, if you haven't, maybe it will change you opinion somewhat or enlighten you at least to why they commentate in that way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvm6CNOApfU

Na, that doesn't change my opinion. I concede that he is reasonably entertaining. What I find truly irksome, though, is consistent inaccuracies stated throughout the cast. This point stands apart from that of him being a good entertainer during lulls ingame. His game knowledge is pretty poor. I can't agree with you that he clearly knows what's going on. I could probably pull out some really bad analysis from most any series he has cast.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

i remember watching that video when it aired on gom and in it he says he wants to move into other broadcasting in the future. that's how he sees his casting, not casting the game but as a traditional broadcaster. now fair enough, i dont think every caster has to have artosis levels of passion for the game and im not knocking tasteless for treating his job as a job, but imo it shows in his casts.
he's just not that good and if he wasn't a plott with his history of bw fanboyism he'd have been turfed out long ago. He's a fine broadcaster and the scene does need people in it who are in it "for the job" if everyone was a fanatic about the game it'd be too insular and the barrier to entry would be higher for new viewers. I suppose im trying to get across that i'm not knocking him for the sake of knocking him, I just genuinely think he's a bad caster although at this stage.. while I would prefer artosis/apollo or artosis/wolf for mlg's/dreamhacks/whatnot.. it just wouldnt be the gsl without tasteless even if all he does that's worthwhile is to make artosis laugh like a retard every now and again.

Gumbi

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

i remember watching that video when it aired on gom and in it he says he wants to move into other broadcasting in the future. that's how he sees his casting, not casting the game but as a traditional broadcaster. now fair enough, i dont think every caster has to have artosis levels of passion for the game and im not knocking tasteless for treating his job as a job, but imo it shows in his casts.
he's just not that good and if he wasn't a plott with his history of bw fanboyism he'd have been turfed out long ago. He's a fine broadcaster and the scene does need people in it who are in it "for the job" if everyone was a fanatic about the game it'd be too insular and the barrier to entry would be higher for new viewers. I suppose im trying to get across that i'm not knocking him for the sake of knocking him, I just genuinely think he's a bad caster although at this stage.. while I would prefer artosis/apollo or artosis/wolf for mlg's/dreamhacks/whatnot.. it just wouldnt be the gsl without tasteless even if all he does that's worthwhile is to make artosis laugh like a retard every now and again.

That's close to how I feel.

My main problem is the feigned game knowledge, and mistakes. That's what I like in a cast, and so he irks me. That's why I like Bitterdam. They both have good insight; even apart from that, they complement each other; they make a good pair.