Personally - long story short - I also pretty much despise just about all video toy reviews. But fortunately I've always been able to find great pic and text reviews for every toy I've ever wanted to see a review of, so it's hardly a problem for me. =)

Video reviews just prove that just because you CAN record yourself talking about toys doesn't mean you SHOULD record yourself talking about toys. I've yet to see a video review I DIDN'T hate.

Toy video reviews are most useful for difficult Transformers. Had to rely on one to figure out movie Megatron (ROTF)

Don't get me wrong...I really do respect the time and effort that go into doing it.

But it just seems like every reviewer wastes time by:

1. Filming a portion of the review in the actual parking lot of the store they buy the product at
2. Spending 2 minutes talking about what they plan to do with the product
3.Comparing the packaging and item to earlier releases
4. Creating a 30 second long title sequence that belongs on a Nickelodeon show

If you are doing a video review, get to the meat first and offer the dessert later with some of the actual other details about where you got it, how it compares to past releases and personal anecdotes of how you found it.

I'm sure I am not the only guy that gives it ten seconds before shooting to a different review if I experience and of the above. Plus, if the resolution is fuzzy, why bother at all?

Sorry to sound cranky, but it seems like reviews have actually regressed.

Give me pictures and text over a video review any day. The only time I watch a video review is if I want to see how a Transformer transforms. Most of the time I don't even need a video review for that since a lot of photo galleries show 3 or 4 mid transformation pictures.

I like my video reviews like I like visits with my accountant: short and to the point.

Keep 'em about 2 minutes, showcase the figure and talk about what works, what doesn't. Period. If possible, throw in some humor to make the experience more enjoyable.

I still tend to prefer traditional reviews merely because I read the text and then can re-examine the pictures at my leisure. Can't do that as easily on a video review.

I feel like a cranky old man too sometimes, but it blows my mind to see this obsession with participation combined with zero ambition and pride in your work that seems a trademark of this generation.

Participation and wanting to do stuff is wonderful, the internet being there to distribute all over the world it is awesome. But no one is going to die without your rambling, amateur review of NECA's latest Predator. How many reviews start off with "Sorry this is so dark/blurry/crappy, I'm doing this on my phone.." Like the world NEEDS to see this immediately and damn any technical obstacles getting in the way! If you're really interested in getting reviews out there for the people, why not save up for a camera that's..good? If you have a camera, why not practice using it before putting together an actual review so things are...ya know, in focus? Will hammering out an outline of bulletpoints so you're not stammering and mumbling through the thing take the thrill out of it for you?

It just saddens me to see so many not have any self-awareness or any drive to improve themselves. The internet has certainly lowered the bar..well, removed the bar really. There are gems out there, but the majority has zero standards for what they produce. When you can shoot a video and upload it from your phone directly to YouTube in minutes, there's no mandatory break in the process for any self-reflection or analysis. You just slap it together, it's online and you move on to Tweeting about the awesome sandwich you're gonna eat. I've messed around with video since the mid-90s when just getting footage onto the computer was quite an ordeal, then you had to edit and it took a long time to render even short videos. And then what would you do with it? No YouTube, no high speed internet connections...if you wanted to be seen, it truly had to be worthwhile. So you spent a lot of time in each step of the process. No longer the case anymore.

Now, Pixel Dan is a step above the people I'm really talking about here. But he still falls into some of the same trappings so even though technically the picture looks good, they're still annoying to watch. I certainly think good video toy reviews are possible, I personally would appreciate consistent, well-shot visual rundowns of figures where you can see them more in three dimensions. A site like CoolToyReview doing just a quick, to-the-point sweep around the figure would be awesome and sufficient. But most reviewers doing them now frustratingly feel the need to stuff so much crap in their videos.

Amen.

The internet has somehow convinced everyone that everyone cares what their opinion is. The funniest is the new list system over on IMDB. Like anyone really care what actresses some random stranger thinks are hot.

I get wanting to do something that can be enjoyed by the world. Writing, acting, directing, etc, but sometimes no matter how passionate a person is at it they just aren't any good and don't have the aptitude to be any good. It's a harsh truth that clearly a LOT of people never face. Whether it's delusion, lack of friends, lack of friends with any taste or the ability to be honest I don't know, but it's frustrating sometimes.

And the irony is we're all responding to an opinion on the internet in this very thread.

Me, I'm really wondering where all the sudden hate for Dan and other reviewers is suddenly coming from. If you prefer a good old fashioned text review (and nothing wrong with that), fine. Me, I peruse both types, and get something from both.

As for the supposed bias, I've seen Dan slobber over figures he likes (expect plenty of drool when Mosquitor lands in his hands), and I've seen him point out major flaws in figures, as well. If he simply blasted every toy he got so he'd look cool to fellow collectors, he wouldn't be doing reviews for very long.

I like Thew: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aWbzgZ-beI

I don't like Pixel Dan. It's difficult to take the review serious from someone who never has to buy his own action figures. I mean, if a company were to grace my mailbox with package after package every day, I'd tell everyone that everything they produce is the best of the best too. Dan is just a tool of toy corporations to sell more toys. Nothing more, nothing less. He's about as interesting to listen to as someone taking a loud dump, and his opinion stinks of that same said dump.