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Lazy Game Reviews, or LGR as the channel is listed and commonly called by most fans, is a long-running YouTube channel that helped showcase the possibilities and future of commentary on video games and hardware when it was still being defined. Clint Basinger first launched the channel on March 9, 2006 and it’s been filled with quality, passion, and incredibly interesting information on retro hardware, games, and electronics since the very beginning.
Clint’s laid back and warm delivery makes me feel like I’m walking around an old gaming or electronics museum with someone passionately explaining what makes the stuff around us cool or interesting. He’s genuinely interested in the exhibits and just wants to share what he sees with us. Lazy Game Reviews is the world’s coolest museum dedicated to vintage media — and it digitally materializes in your living room with the tap of some buttons!
Digital Exploration
I watch dozens of different YouTube channels that I desperately try to keep up with despite there never being enough time. Many of these channels are newer and were created in the last few years. They’re great and there’s nothing bad about being a post-2015 YouTube channel. But there’s something really special about YouTube channels that are pre-2015. I keep up with several older YouTube channels and there’s just something so beautiful about what they’re able to do.
There are numerous reasons on what caused YouTube to change, which is a whole different beast we’re not talking about today, but the channels established with a sense of stability before YouTube’s shift are so strong and have such a unique vibe around them. They know exactly what they are and they had time to learn and grow in an environment and time that didn’t provide as much resistance to creativity and visibility.
Lazy Game Reviews was started in June 2009 and Clint has uploaded at least one video a week the entire time. Videos have carried quality and purpose, with a ridiculous amount of research and passion poured into them. And then on top of that, there are videos on everything and anything you can imagine. I have literally learned about dozens of different pieces of old hardware that I didn’t even know existed until I saw the Lazy Game Reviews (LGR) video. I’ve gone from not knowing about something entirely to learning all about it in the span of twenty minutes. LGR seamlessly blends the calm and chill nature of a documentary with the energy and excitement of YouTube. It’s consistently been like this since 2009 so it’s never too late to subscribe and join in on the digital excavations. Clint uploads regularly so it’ll take you forever to get current and even then, there’s new LGR content every week to look forward to.
Digital technology and related interactive media has been around for decades and it ages faster than we do, with new hardware released almost constantly. LGR has a vast pool of games and hardware to swim through and new pieces consistently drop into the digital ocean, waiting for Clint to bring it to the surface and tell us all about it in a new video.
Lazy Game Reviews occasionally covers newer things if it feels like it has retro roots or is of huge interest to Clint, which means it’ll most likely appeal to LGR fans anyway. The stuff that’s slightly outside of the vintage media group feels retro-adjacent so it fits right in. He regularly does content on The Sims but he also covers other newer games too, like Flight Simulator 2020, Doom Eternal, Fallout 76, and Yakuza 0. And of course, everything gets old eventually unless it’s forgotten, which means LGR will continue covering stuff as it ages so the latter doesn’t happen.
A lot of his content will end up being nostalgic for you, whether you were there or not when it was first released. Learning about all these cool pieces of equipment will take you back even if you’ve never been there. He covers everything; from a $4,000 laptop from 1997 to a $10,000 IBM computer from 1985, it’s all here waiting to be discovered on Lazy Game Reviews.
He also does in-depth retrospectives on big box PC games and classic Windows XP titles. A few of my favorites are F.E.A.R – First Encounter Assault Retrospective, Sega’s Typing of the Dead: A Zombie-Slaying Education, Doom 3 – 16 Years Later: An LGR Retrospective, and Need for Speed II – 24 Years Later: An LGR Retrospective. I actually never played Need for Speed II back in the day and had no idea how interesting and weird the PC versions of it were so it was fascinating going through Clint’s personal history with the game while also learning the details of this game that’s been all but lost to time. I immediately went to GOG, hoping it was available to purchase but sadly learned it’s not available outside of the physical version. I wish game preservation was better. It’s especially weird for older PC titles since companies are just choosing to leave money on the table. Anyway, until it’s available, you can learn all about it from Lazy Game Reviews; then come join the rest of us in the Community Wishlist section on GOG and beg for a re-release with us.
One of my favorite sections of LGR’s content is definitely the MS-DOS PC Games. I grew up with some of these but there are plenty of games I’d never heard of or just didn’t get to play because I was a kid and had less control over what I was able to play. I love learning about these games on LGR though. Sometimes after finishing a video, I’ll work on purchasing a copy to play for myself, or just seek out a full playthrough on YouTube. It’s fun experiencing games for the first time, whether they’re brand-new or a few decades old. Video games are rad and LGR thinks so too. It’s clear in all of his videos and his passion is infectious.
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A few of my favorite MS-DOS PC Game videos from LGR are Mortal Kombat, Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?, and Duke Nukem 3D. You’ve probably heard of at least one of these games but maybe you haven’t thought about them in a long time and they’re distant memories. You can go back to them and learn all about them on LGR though. And that applies to almost two hundred other MS-DOS PC games.
He also does occasional Let’s Play style videos which are always fun. This section hasn’t been updated in almost a year at time of writing but there are still well over a hundred videos that go across a wide range of titles.
My favorite videos are definitely the hardware focused videos. From clock toasters to Windows PC/Phone hybrid devices from 1995, he covers everything in great detail. I love all of LGR’s videos but there’s just something so cool about deep dives and exploration essays on technology that’s pretty much just gone now unless you already know about it. Even then you’d have to find it on Ebay or in the back of a thrift store somewhere. Lazy Game Reviews is focused on sharing in-depth information on this kind of stuff though so it’s easier, better, and more entertaining to just watch LGR, where you’ll not only see the technology up close but also learn everything there is to know about it.
LGR is available free to everyone on YouTube but because of YouTube’s algorithm and ad revenue being unstable for fully committed content creators, he also has a Patreon you can sign up for. Not only is it cool getting to invest in good people and cool projects, but you also get some cool rewards. Early videos, talking with other fans in the Patreon comment section, Q&A videos and even a personalized and signed floppy disk from Clint. He’s still growing and expanding with even more content. After his Patreon gained enough support, he was able to start doing two videos a week and put even more time, money, and energy into the channel. I’m hoping that he sets up a Discord channel for fans to hang out in eventually because then it’d be like we’re all hanging out in a rad vintage-focused museum lobby.
More time to go back in time
Lazy Game Reviews hit a million subscribers in November 2018 and the channel has started growing even faster since the Patreon was started and Clint was able to put all his time and energy into something he’s passionate about. The channel is more active than ever and there are over twelve years of content waiting for you if you jump in now. LGR also has a pretty good and active Reddit community with a good fanbase as well. It’s a good place to hang after watching his videos and will only connect you other cool, like-minded retro fiends.
LGR is also on Twitter and tweets fairly often so you can usually get a good glimpse of what he’s currently working on or what he thinks about stuff happening in video games, typically in the retro space, which I would imagine you’re a fan of since you’re on a super cool retro website right now.
If you’re new to the channel then I’d recommend starting with his hardware videos or game reviews. Find a piece of hardware or game you’re relatively familiar with so you can fully appreciate how in-depth and well researched his videos are. Then you can go watch videos on games and hardware you’ve never heard of or have barely engaged with, and you’ll know exactly what you expect. I’ve learned so much from LGR over the years and continue to as he releases new videos. He also makes content faster than I can even hope to get current on so I’m constantly behind, which is completely fine with me. I always have great videos waiting for me from LGR whenever I want to learn and have a good time.
I’m going to bring attention to a few specific videos in case you’re looking for some great videos to start with, but you honestly can’t go wrong even if you just randomly pick any video from Lazy Game Reviews.
LGR – Half-Life 20 Years Later: A Retrospective
Even if you haven’t played Half-Life, you’re no doubt familiar with the game and its impact on the industry. It’s right up there with Doom, Resident Evil 4, and Halo: Combat Evolved in terms of its influence and how much it informed both the industry and players. Environmental storytelling, an engaging narrative, and great combat work were combined in a perfect harmony by Valve to bring us one of the best first-person shooters, even after a couple decades have passed since its release. The retrospective on Lazy Game Reviews highlights what the game was, how it was made and you even get to see the glorious big-box PC case. The box is as massive as the game’s influence, and that’s really saying something. As much as I love the availability and convenience of digital releases, I really do miss those giant boxes PC games used to ship in. Valve even went on to be influenced by Resident Evil 4 by almost exclusively becoming a merchant instead of a developer in the years since.
The Life & Death of Mad Catz [LGR Tech Tales]
You probably remember Mad Catz and if you don’t then you were probably handed their controllers by an older sibling after begging to be their Player 2. I used to plug a Mad Catz controller in a second controller port for my little brother, even if I was playing a single-player game. Sometimes it was the only way to get away with playing games late at night without my parents finding out I was working my way through Doom 3 at 2 AM. Despite being such a huge part of the industry (until they weren’t), most people don’t know a lot about the company. Lazy Game Reviews takes you through the company’s life, including their unfortunate end.
Origins of 3D Pinball Space Cadet: Only a Demo?
Everyone remembers this game. It’s something I see talked about in so many different parts of the video game community. It’s a strong part of early to mid 2000s nostalgia and so many millennials grew up playing the space-themed pinball game. I used to run to the computer to play it when my brothers successfully wrestled control of the N64 and Xbox away from me and I was fine with that. I had a great time learning all about this classic PC game, and I think you will too. Like all of the videos from Lazy Game Reviews, I think you’ll enjoy the game and the memories it’s a part of even if you weren’t there. After all, LGR can take you there whether it’s your first time or a return trip fueled by nostalgia. He has enough nostalgia to get you and anyone else who wants to take a trip back to the time from before.
Travel back in time with LGR
I watch several hours of YouTube every single week because even if I’m not playing a game, I want to learn about them or experience them through someone else. Lazy Game Reviews is a regular part of my YouTube history and I think that’ll be the same for you once you check out the channel too. It’s great going back in time, especially from the comfort of your couch. Take the trip today and experience the technology of before with Lazy Game Reviews.
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