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''[[Title Drop|He's the Angry Video Game Nerd]]''|[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}qorFHyOVSsc The Nerd's theme song]}}
 
[[James Rolfe]] is the [httphttps://wwwweb.archive.org/web/20131027075843/http://cinemassacre.com/category/avgn/ Angry Video Game Nerd], formerly Angry Nintendo Nerd before he stopped focusing on just the NES (and realized he couldn't [[The Merch|sell T-shirts]] with someone else's trademark on them), a misanthropic, foul-mouthed, chronically ill-tempered gaming geek with a predilection for Rolling Rock beer who plays weird, old, and, more often than not, [[Nintendo Hard]] games, some of them with the worst [[Fake Difficulty]] imaginable. We're talking truly ''terrible'' here. ''Epic'' [[Snark Bait]]. "The Nerd" holds a specific torch of hate towards [[The Problem with Licensed Games|licensed games]], especially ones published by LJN Toys, which he sees as manipulating hopeful and oblivious kids into buying complete trash.
 
[[Nintendo Entertainment System|The Nintendo Entertainment System]] was a landmark in the history of video gaming - it was the first Japanese console to make a splash in the US, the first console released after [[The Great Video Game Crash of 1983]], and the first console that most members of Generation Y have [[Older Than the NES|firsthand memories]] of playing. During its lifespan of nearly a decade, the console introduced now-classic characters like [[Super Mario Bros.|Mario]], [[The Legend of Zelda|Link]], and [[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]], saw video games shift from [[Excuse Plot|thinly veiled excuses to kill bad guys]] to complex plots, and produced scores of truly great games, some of which remain classics to this day.
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Note, however, that a handful of episodes are not so much about a single shitty game as they are about a certain console or accessory (there are even a few that aren't about video games at all). Aside from giving reviews, the Nerd has also given a bit of video game history, such as a summary of the infamous [[Console Wars]].
 
When he isn't getting his nerd on, [[James Rolfe]] maintains a website at [https://web.archive.org/web/20100303060348/http://www.cinemassacre.com/new/index.php Cinemassacre.com] where he showcases various other ventures, including his own independent films and an annual "Monster Madness" feature each October counting down to Halloween.
 
The AVGN had a long and violent "rivalry" with [[The Nostalgia Critic]] that came to a head with a [[Battle Royale With Cheese]] in October 2008, and another in May 2009, this time a [[Massive Multiplayer Crossover]] with his guitar guy in the fray. See the Critic's page for more details (and [[TGWTG Year One Brawl]] for said crossover). In [[Real Life]], Rolfe and Doug Walker (The Nostalgia Critic) are good friends and Rolfe has even guested in several other [[That Guy With The Glasses]] projects, including [[The Cameo|Cameos]] in [[Kickassia|both of the site's]] [[Suburban Knights|subsequent anniversary specials]].
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* ''M.C. Kids ''
* ''Wally Bear and the No! Gang''
* ''[[DuckTales (1987) (video game)|Duck Tales]]'' (technically a Video Game Vault review and not an actual AVGN episode, though he's in character as The Nerd)
* ''Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu''
* ''[[Top Gun]]'' (and ''Top Gun: The Second Mission'')
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{{tropelist}}
== A-D ==
* [[Abusive Parents|Abusive Uncle]]: Uncle Crunch/[[Do Not Call Me "Paul"|Paw]] in ''The Wizard of Oz 3''.
* [[Accentuate the Negative]]: Played straight. Many viewers forget that he deliberately accentuated the negative in his review of ''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'', as pointed out on Cinemassacre's FAQ, because it was meant to be a ''caricature'' of easily-angered gamers.
** Played straight up with ''[[Ninja Gaiden]]''. However, the review was done this way not to emphasize how bad of a game it was, but rather how hard and challenging it was. He did the same thing with ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|Zelda II the Adventure of Link]]''.
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* [[Derailed Fairy Tale]]: ''Red Riding Hood'' has an interesting take on the children's classic.
{{quote|"Once upon a time, there was a girl named Little Red Riding Hood. She liked to jump in the air and whistle out her vagina. She kicked at trees until [[Sesame Street|Big Bird]]'s ballsack would appear. --what, that's not the story?"}}
* [[Deus Ex Machina]]: Literal case during his battle with [[The Nostalgia Critic]]. The Critic begins channeling the power of Satan, and the Nerd is helpless, until Super Mecha Death Christ 2000 {{smallcapssmall-caps|B.C.}} 4.0 Beta shows up.
* [[Disproportionate Retribution]]: In his revisit of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', The Nerd (who himself has been transformed into Hyde) is so pissed off by the game that he goes and digs up the grave of Robert Louis Stevenson.
** It then gets subverted when Stevenson's skeleton rises up and says 'Fuck you!' to the Nerd and foils his revenge. May count as a [[Funny Moments (Sugar Wiki)|Funny Moments]] for some.
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== E-H ==
* [[Easter Egg]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20111215075258/http://cinemassacre.com/2008/08/04/dark-side-of-the-nerd/ You can sync the episode of the review of the Wizard of Oz SNES game with Pink Floyd's'''Dark Side of the Moon''' album]. Done in purpose as a reference to the urban legend that the Wizard of Oz movie could be synced to the album.
* [[Edutainment Show]]: His reviews actually fall into this category, when you think about it. You may learn something you never knew about an old console or game, while being entertained at the same time.
** Many of his more recent episodes (2010 and beyond normally) were a little more like a documentary.
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* [[Guilty Pleasures]]: According to his review of "The Making of [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] Coming Out Of Their Shells Tour," he had a cassette of the tour, which he would listen to all the time, but is ashamed to admit it.
** He also admits to liking "TMNT 2: The Secret of the Ooze" as a guilty pleasure, despite (or perhaps because of) thinking it's cornier than the first movie.
* [[The Gump]]: As ''The History of Super Mecha Death Christ'' reveals, Super Mecha Death Christ has had an influence in history from its first chronological appearance in 2000 {{smallcapssmall-caps|b.c.}}, where the prototype spontaneously appeared after the events of ''[[Return to Oz|The Wizard of Oz 3: Dorothy Goes to Hell]]'' (one of James' earlier videos) and was subsequently destroyed by the cavemen, the vikings, and the Egyptosaurus. Notable appearances in history include:
** The discovery of the prototype SMDC2K's remains in Stonehenge (where Mechahenge was built the next morning but vanished mysteriously at sunset) in 900 {{smallcapssmall-caps|b.c.}};
** The construction of Mecha Death Christ by Prince Vlad Dracula in 1476 {{smallcapssmall-caps|a.d.}} after being haunted by visions of Death Christ (who aided St.<ref>Columbo</ref> in defeating Satan in the Loch Ness 911 years prior), which eventually went on a berserk killing spree and ultimately beheaded Dracula before heading off to whereabouts unknown;
** The recovery of Mecha Death Christ by Nazis in 1933, [[Stupid Jetpack Hitler|its upgrade to Super Mecha Death Christ]] in <ref>Hitler was looking for [[Raiders of the Lost Ark|the Lost Ark of the Coventant]] because he wanted to mount it atop SMDC to combine the powers of God! Probably the most insane weapon to have ever been conceived!</ref> (not to be confused with Super ''[[Megadeth]]'' Christ), and its killing of [[Adolf Hitler]] in 1944, the same year it was defeated and then recovered by the U.S. military;
** The reconstruction out of the same parts a year later into Super Mecha Death Christ version 2, complete with new weapons, electromechanical interface, capability of flying, and voice synthesis (however, all it could do was shout out German swears);
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** The completion of Super Mecha Death Christ 2000 in 1962 with stealth flight, which escaped detection, and flew off to an unknown location, only to be found 40 years later washed up on the shore of Maldives Island (up until then, the U.S. military dropped the SMDC project, and instead focused on what eventually became the Nighthawk), and rebuilt in 2004 into SMDC 2000 II;
** The discovery in 1972 by the NASA astronauts of what was presumed to be the remnants of SMDC2K, which was really the scrap metal from the SMDC2K prototype. They subsequently flew it back to Earth for testing;
** The creation of Super Mecha Death Christ 2000 {{smallcapssmall-caps|b.c.}} from the prototype in 1981, with laser, grenade, and machine gun cannons, and the upper body being mounted on a task for extreme combat;
** The release of [[RoboCop]] in 1987, which ripped off the model of the protoype of the SMDC2K;
** The completion of SMDC2K {{smallcapssmall-caps|b.c.}} version 2.0 in 1989, with a ray gun equipped to its chest, and the ability to blast laser beams from its eyes;
** The builiding of SMDC2K {{smallcapssmall-caps|b.c.}} version 2.5 in 1997, which was updated with a new voice synthesis (but it could only scream in rage); it was abducted by Satan the next year, and reprogrammed for world domination;
** The rampage of the automated robofied powertronic cyberbot Super Mecha Death Christ 2000 {{smallcapssmall-caps|b.c.}}, version 3.0 Beta ([[This Is for Emphasis, Bitch|bitch]]) in the land of Oz under the control of Satan in 1999.
** Its [[Critical Existence Failure|existence failure]] at the beginning of 2000, in which the Y2K bug caused the year 99 to 0, thus causing the space-time continuum to reset itself, which turned SMDC into [[Fountain of Youth|Baby Christ]] (obviously, [[Babies Make Everything Better|not an evildoer]]) who generated a force field that deflected the world-blower-upper bomb it fired into the air as SMDC and redirected it to Hell and it blew up Lucifer instead, sent the SMDC prototype to 2000 {{smallcapssmall-caps|B.C.}},<ref>Because this model was labeled as 2000 '''''B.C''''', it denies its existence in the present time</ref> prevented the building of version 3.0 Beta, and because Baby Christ was in Oz, it made no sense for him to be in the Bible, so without Jesus, there'd be no New Testament, and Satan would have nothing better to do than sit around and stick his pitchfork up his ass, [[The Omen|his son Damien]] would be playing croquet with the angels, dogs and cats would be rolling around in the mud, and Dorothy would be reincarnated as a pig taking a shit up the side of a barn (In short, the Y2K bug resulted in a [[Stable Time Loop]], and the events in Oz no longer exist);
** The take-over of SMDC 2000 II by Satan, yet again, after it was rebuilt, only to be intercepted by SMDC2K {{smallcapssmall-caps|b.c.}} version 3.1, who shows up out of nowhere, destroys it in the confrontation, and sends Satan back into Hell;
** The surprise appearance of the self-upgraded Super Mecha Death Christ 2000 {{smallcapssmall-caps|b.c.}} 4.0 Beta after AVGN encounters Satan possessing a Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge in 2008, and again in the same year during the battle between AVGN and the [[The Nostalgia Critic]] where Satan intervenes to assist NC; in both cases Satan was defeated;
** The final appearance of Super Mecha Death Christ 2000 {{smallcapssmall-caps|b.c.}} (whatever version it happened to be at the moment) to date in 2009 in a pitched battle between the forces of gamers and critics, in which he did combat with [[Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever|Giant]] [[Killer Robot|Robotic]] [[Donkey Kong]] [[Kung Fu Jesus|Jesus]] [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|Riding a]] [[Lost|Puff of Smoke]], culminating in a nuclear blast in the middle of Chicago; Neither have been seen since.
*** The moral of this story: Good ''always'' prevails over evil, no matter how corruptive.
* [[Gushing About Shows You Like (Sugar Wiki)|Gushing About Shows You Like]]: The main purpose overall of his ''[[Super Mario Bros.]] 3'' and ''[[Castlevania]]'' series reviews. This is especially prevalent for ''[[Super Castlevania IV]]'', since he had criticisms for the other games, but that game garnered nothing but praise.
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* [[Kindhearted Cat Lover]]: He includes Boo/Death Kitty in a number of videos, and has posted at least one picture of Yeti, his white cat, sitting with him at the computer. (Keep in mind James' actual personality - not his Nerd persona - for the "kind-hearted" part.)
* [[Kung Fu Jesus]]: Super Mecha Death Christ, bitch.
** That's Super Mecha Death Christ 2000 {{smallcapssmall-caps|B.C.}} Version 4.0 Beta, [[This Is for Emphasis, Bitch|bitch]]!
{{quote|or... [[That Guy With The Glasses|"whichever version you happen to be at the moment"]].
'''Super Mecha Death Christ''': ''[[Hypocritical Humor|WATCH YOUR FUCKING LANGUAGE!!!]]'' }}
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* [[Memetic Badass]]: The Nerd acknowledges that Noah—despite being an old man—is strong enough to pick up five cows and horses over his head without any problems, and that he can run with all of them without getting tired and even run faster than the screen can scroll.
{{quote|'''AVGN:''' Noah, man, nobody fucks with him. Not even [[Chuck Norris]].}}
* [[Memetic Mutation]]: The 2019 [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/youre-a-poopy-head "You're a Poopy Head"] video meme takes a clip from the Nerd's [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHWunsTLYa0 response] to the [[Nostalgia Critic]] and plays on the joke that streamers react to the Nerd's [[Big, Stupid Doodoo-Head|childish insult]] with [[Berserk Button|extreme anger]], as [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-SqNcrc31A this compilation] shows.
* [[Mercy Invincibility]]: You'll notice he points out ''why'' this trope is needed.
* [[Mid-Review Sketch Show]]: About 50% of his premise is about this trope, usually involving the many ways in which he can destroy the games he reviews, or the characters who appear in them.
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{{quote|"I got Dark Castle on C...D.........'''I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'''" (fire erupts all around him)}}
* [[Punctuated Pounding]]: The Nerd does this to [[Bugs Bunny]] during his review of ''Bugs Bunny's Birthday Blowout''.
 
 
== Q-T ==
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** You'd be forgiven for googling [[Inspector Gadget|Dr. Claw's]] Dump n' Pump or [[Full House]] Tournament Fighter, considering how he casually mentions these fake games during his reviews and even shows convincing (but false) cartridges.
* [[Sci Fi Ghetto]]: James discusses this in his Monster Mania movies, mentioning how ''[[The Exorcist]]'' was nominated for (and received) awards, saying it was one of the few pure horror movies to do so.
* [[Screw the Rules, I Have Money]]: His [[Alternative Character Interpretation]] for [[DuckTales (1987)|Scrooge McDuck]].
{{quote|"[''[[DuckTales (1987) (video game)|Duck Tales]]'' for NES] stars multibillion-dollar rich fuck Scrooge McDuck on an intercontinental quest to become even richer. Now, imagine flying into someone else's country, killing them with a cane and then taking all their treasure. Well, he's [[Memetic Badass|Scrooge McDuck]], and I guess he can do whatever the fuck he wants."}}
** He also notes that Scrooge is perfectly content to bail out of a speeding minecart, leaving [[Powerup Mount|Huey, Duey and Louie]] to fall into a pit and die.
* [[Sequel Escalation]]: In the ''[[Friday the 13th (video game)|Friday the 13 th]]'' review, he says that if they made a sequel, its [[Game Over]] screen should be [[Up to Eleven|even worse than the original]], and makes one up himself.
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** [[This Is Spinal Tap|"The question is, how much more black could this be? And the answer is, none."]] He's made a few Spinal Tap references before. Including "Like Sewer Shark, for this game I only have a two word review, Shit Shark."
*** And in Dragon's Lair when he says the bat kills you in 11 hits, [[Up to Eleven|why 10 when it can take 11?]]
** [httphttps://wwwweb.archive.org/web/20131029183907/http://cinemassacre.com/2010/02/10/american-movie-quotes-referenced-by-avgn-2/ Numerous ones] to one of his favourite films, ''American Movie''.
** He said in his [[Ninja Gaiden]] video that [[Wayne's World|he'd like to find whoever programmed such an unfairly difficult game and rip his still beating heart out of his ass so he could see how cold and black it is before he dies]].
*** This exact clip from the movie is used in his Wayne's World review.
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** The scene at the beginning of the Sega CD review is a shout-out/parody of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCQRcinZYH8 the 1993 Sega CD commercial with the angry black guy].
** At one time in his ''Plumbers Don't Wear Ties'' review, the Nerd mistakenly calls John and Jane "[[Harsher in Hindsight|John and]] ''[[Harsher in Hindsight|Kate]]''", which could be a shout-out to the controversial TV show ''[[Jon and Kate Plus Eight]]''.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20111215075258/http://cinemassacre.com/2008/08/04/dark-side-of-the-nerd/ Apparently], you can synch up the first half of [[Dark Side of the Moon]] with the "[[Wizard of Oz]]" episode, in reference to "[[wikipedia:Dark Side of the Rainbow|Dark Side of the Rainbow]]".
* [[Shown Their Work]]: He ''does'' actually do extensive research on titles and game consoles.
* [[Sincerity Mode]]: After spending nearly the entire review of ''[[Friday the 13th (video game)|Friday the 13 th]]'' for NES in [[Sarcasm Mode]], when he comes to commenting on how it had the best Game Over screen ever (considering it flew in the face of Nintendo's then-dominant [[Never Say "Die"]] policy), he had to add that he was actually being serious. Dead fucking serious.
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'''AVGN:''' You know, that's really not fair. I get Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger and Spider-Man, Bugs Bunny, but no naked chick. Fuck this shit. }}
* [[That's All Folks|That's All, Fucks!]]
* [[Theme Tune Cameo]]:{{context|reason=Is this the correct trope? Does the AVGN hear the show's theme?}} Played for laughs with the ''Christmas Carol'' ghost, who announces he's going to "Take [the Nerd] back to the past!" The Nerd stares skeptically and retorts, ""To play the shitty games that suck ass"? No thanks."
** Also in the Captain S crossover, sort of:
{{quote|'''Captain S:''' You must be the angriest guy I ever heard.
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* [[When She Smiles|When He Smiles]]: If you only know Rolfe as the Angry Video Game Nerd, even seeing him [[Corpsing|corpse]] during outtakes can be endearing, if not a little jarring.
* [[Wilhelm Scream]]: The Nerd gets one courtesy of [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|Super Mecha Death Christ 2000]] for swearing in ''The Wizard and Mario Bros. 3'' review. What makes it more amusing was that Super Mecha Death Christ 2000 was swearing more than The Nerd.
* [[Who's on First?]]: James and Mike do a variation with [https://web.archive.org/web/20131106233255/http://cinemassacre.com/2011/05/06/whats-the-movie/ What's the Movie?]
* [[A Worldwide Punomenon]]:
** On the 3DO [[Jurassic Park]] games:
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[[Category:The New Tens]]
[[Category:Web Video]]
[[Category:Other Sites]]▼
[[Category:Video Review Show]]
[[Category:The Angry Video Game Nerd]]
[[Category:ScrewAttack]]
[[Category:New Media]]
▲[[Category:OtherMemetic SitesCreators]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angry Video Game Nerd, The}}
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