History Heartwarming / TheAngryVideoGameNerd

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPG4s1jT01U The review of]] ''VideoGame/{{Kid Icarus|1986}}''. It starts out as a typical Nerd episodes and even ends with the usual rant of how much it sucks. But right afterwards, the Nerd immediately mellows down, acknowledges the game's legacy, and admits that in its own way, it's good and deserving as one of the backbones of the classic NES titans (alongside ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'' and ''VideoGame/Metroid1''). In the true end, the Nerd shoots the cartridge with an arrow, turning it to a constellation of Pit himself floating alongside the constellations of [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 a Power-Up Mushroom]], [[VideoGame/Metroid1 a Metroid]], and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI the Triforce]]. Then, the Nerd salutes at the newly created Pit constellation.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPG4s1jT01U The review of]] ''VideoGame/KidIcarus1986''. It starts out as a typical Nerd episodes and even ends with the usual rant of how much it sucks. But right afterwards, the Nerd immediately mellows down, acknowledges the game's legacy, and admits that in its own way, it's good and deserving as one of the backbones of the classic NES titans (alongside ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'' and ''VideoGame/Metroid1''). In the true end, the Nerd shoots the cartridge with an arrow, turning it to a constellation of Pit himself floating alongside the constellations of [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 a Power-Up Mushroom]], [[VideoGame/Metroid1 a Metroid]], and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI the Triforce]]. Then, the Nerd salutes at the newly created Pit constellation.

* Episode 187: When the Nerd realized that the ''Bartman vs Radioactive Man'' game was made by Acclaim, which acquired LJN in that time, he lamented that "Why couldn't it have been Creator/{{Konami}}??", citing that they made good ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' games and ''VideoGame/TheSimpsons'' Arcade game. Considering Konami's down in the dumps status at the date of the video creation, it shows that the Nerd has a good sense to differentiate the past Konami (which was respected and made kick ass games, especially some licensed ones) and the more modern Konami (which was considered insulting to gamers), and unashamedly showed adoration to it.[[note]]In fact, much like James' stance towards certain controversial drama-baiting movies, he showed complete neutrality in Konami's debacle.[[/note]]

** And similarly with the piece at Episode 187, James does not let the issue/controversy with Creator/{{Konami}} ruin his memories of Contra. No matter the ups and downs Konami had today, James' memory with ''Contra'' will stay untainted.

* After the untimely death of Creator/GilbertGottfried on April 12, 2022, many came back to the Life of Black Tiger review to express memories and love for Gilbert and thanks that he would do the video for James.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPG4s1jT01U The review of]] ''VideoGame/KidIcarus''. It starts out as a typical Nerd episodes and even ends with the usual rant of how much it sucks. But right afterwards, the Nerd immediately mellows down, acknowledges the game's legacy, and admits that in its own way, it's good and deserving as one of the backbones of the classic NES titans (alongside ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'' and ''VideoGame/Metroid1''). In the true end, the Nerd shoots the cartridge with an arrow, turning it to a constellation of Pit himself floating alongside the constellations of [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 a Power-Up Mushroom]], [[VideoGame/Metroid1 a Metroid]], and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI the Triforce]]. Then, the Nerd salutes at the newly created Pit constellation.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8txDyH9ug0 The review of]] ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' starts off with the Nerd narrating that he once bought the game and was about to finish it... until a corrupted save brought his endgame progress to a screeching halt, and he unfortunately had to shelf it for almost 30 years. And now that he has beat the game despite the mishaps that happened to him, he declares that his personal experience with the game matches one of the game's themes of reclaiming what was lost. And to top it all off, this episode introduces the "Good-Ass Scale", the polar opposite of the Shit Scale, and he places ''[=FF6=]'', ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' at the highest rung of the scale.

* A meta one, but for the Angry Video Game Nerd movie, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiHhkUX96SM&feature=player_embedded James asked his fans]] to help contribute a small portion of the budget, $75,000, through [[http://www.indiegogo.com/Angry-Video-Game-Nerd-The-Movie here]]. ...and in less than a ''month'' after posting that video, over '''$100,000''' was raised, and ''rising''.
** The donations proceeded to exceed even this by a further ''$75,000'', less than a ''month'' after James posted a video [[http://youtu.be/Dmyhb5rczvE video thanking donators]] for their incredible support. To put this into perspective, the total donations have exceeded the original goal by '''$100,000''', and it's possible that the movie may end up being completely fan-funded.
*** Ultimately, they made over ''four times'' the intended goal.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEz0IoffV9g AVGN Games]] is just heartwarming both in a fiction and Meta example. Like with Bubble Bobble, the Nerd enjoys some good games for once, but these are made by his own ''fans''. Not once in the video the Nerd ever bashes them like the others since they are all pretty good to him. From the games made for actual consoles, to PC games, an actual board game based on Monopoly and even VideoGame/AVGNAdventures, this video demonstrates on how dedicated and passionate the fanbase is. In another sense, it feels like James himself is flattered with the fangames and wanted to thank the fans for their support over the years.

* Episode 200: The finale of the three-parter has the Nerd bury the hatchet with Creator/LJNToys after exhausting its entire game library, realizing that game development is already hard enough no matter what era of gaming he tackles. He then decides to forgive the bad games he has bad-mouthed and maltreated for the past 17 years... except ''VideoGame/DrJekyllAndMrHyde''.

* His absolute glee after beating Ghosts and Goblins, the very first NES game he ever played, and in turn, the one he had been trying to beat the longest. [[MoodWhiplash Then he finds out]] [[NotSoFast you have to beat the game twice in a row]] [[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle to complete it.]]

* Episode 156 had the Nerd play ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' and unlike the times where he's raging, fuming or both, he's actually ''surprisingly calm'' and spends most of the time praising the game's quirky nature and innovations, but still presents genuine arguments about certain mechanics that he deemed frustrating. Considering the amount of torture the Nerd goes through, it's pretty refreshing to see him ''enjoy a game''.

** The setup to the whole video is amazing too. The Nerd never played Earthbound as a kid and all he knows about it was the gross-out ads and the fact that it flopped. In his mind, Earthbound is the ultimate bad game for him to play and to his shock ''it's great.'' You'd expect the video to end on that gag right? Well, in a nice twist on things the Nerd ''keeps going.'' He finds himself legitimately enjoying the game and praising its most imaginative moments with genuine glee. We even get to see a rare [[WhenHeSmiles genuine smile]] from him when he's thinking about the "mandatory happy town music" before he catches himself.

* The Nerd and ''WebVideo/TheIrateGamer's'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWAeXHmOH-c crossover]], where they compete to finish the video game adaptation of ''Film/DickTracy''. Not only do they get on like old friends, and remark how their crossover will be awesome, but they even ''poke fun'' at the backlash Gamer got back in the day for [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute his very similar videos]]. The drama surrounding the Irate Gamer lasted for years, and was ''way'' overblown, and to see that there's absolutely no bad blood between the nerds behind the nerds James Rolfe and Chris Bores, and that they can even have a laugh together, is ''incredibly'' nice to see. And, although it happens off-screen, the Nerd ''finally'' finishing ''Dick Tracy'' is a nice little bonus too.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPG4s1jT01U The review of]] ''VideoGame/KidIcarus''. It starts out as a typical Nerd episodes and even ends with the usual rant of how much it sucks. But right afterwards, the Nerd immediately mellows down, acknowledges the game's legacy, and admits that in its own way, it's good and deserving as one of the backbones of the classic NES titans (alongside ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'' and ''VideoGame/Metroid1''). In the true end, the Nerd shoots the cartridge with an arrow, turning it to a constellation of Pit himself floating alongside the constellations of [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 a power up mushroom]], [[VideoGame/Metroid1 a metroid]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI the Triforce]]. Then the Nerd salutes at the newly created Pit constellation.

* The Nerd and ''WebVideo/TheIrateGamer's'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWAeXHmOH-c crossover]], where they compete to finish the video game adaptation of ''Film/DickTracy''. Not only do they get on like old friends, and remark how their crossover will be awesome, but they even ''poke fun'' at the backlash Gamer got back in the day for [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute his very similar videos]]. The drama surrounding the Irate Gamer lasted for years, and was ''way'' overblown, and to see that there's absolutely no bad blood between the nerds behind the nerds James Rolfe and Chris Bores, and that they can even have a laugh together about a decade-old InternetBacklash, is ''incredibly'' nice to see. And, although it happens off-screen, the Nerd ''finally'' finishing ''Dick Tracy'' is a nice little bonus too.

[[/note]]

* Episode 187: When the Nerd realized that the ''Bartman vs Radioactive Man'' game was made by Acclaim, which acquired LJN in that time, he lamented that "Why couldn't it have been Creator/{{Konami}}??", citing that they made good ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' games and ''VideoGame/TheSimpsons'' Arcade game. Considering Konami's down in the dumps status at the date of the video creation, it shows that the Nerd has a good sense to differentiate the past Konami (which was respected and made kick ass games, especially some licensed ones) and the more modern Konami (which was considered insulting to gamers), and unashamedly showed adoration to it.[[note]]In fact, much like James' stance towards certain controversial drama-baiting movies, he showed complete neutrality in Konami's debacle.

* The review for ''Purr Pals'' has the Nerd impressed with the amount of cat breeds to choose from, and picks the Turkish Van because of his own cat. Yeti gets a few clips just being her adorable kitty self. The video also has a dedication to Boo at the end.

* Episode 156 had the Nerd play ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' and unlike the times where he's raging or fuming, he's actually ''surprisingly calm'' and spent most of the time praising the game's quirky nature and innovations, but still presented genuine arguments about certain mechanics that were frustrating. Considering the amount of torture the Nerd goes through, it's pretty endearing to see him ''enjoy a game''.
** Add to that, he also rips into the argument that the game flopped due to the infamous Nintendo Power ads, stating how is it ''that'' ruined whatever success ''[=EarthBound=]'' would have had if the [=90s=] were ''all about gross-out humor''.

** Beating Giygas with the help of his fans.

* The review for ''Purr Pals'' has the Nerd impressed with the amount of cat breeds to choose from, and picks the Turkish Van because of his own cat. Yeti gets a few clips just being his adorable kitty self. The video also has a dedication to Boo at the end.

** Just the bare fact that he decided to review ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'' and its sequel ''Super C'', two good games for the NES, though he briefly takes a look at ''The Alien Wars'' and ''Hard Corps'' and also briefly roasts ''Force'', ''Legacy of War'', and ''The Contra Adventure'', thus making this review a BreatherEpisode.

* Episode 202: The end of the review. The Nerd goes on a genuinely heartfelt speech about how good games and the memories they bring will never change. How they remind you of good times, like playing with your friends or playing while a relative watches, and maybe those old friends are thinking back to those times or that same relative is still watching you, even if they've since passed.