It's weird seeing so many people on GAF complaining about this show when this is essentially what they been asking for out of the VGAs for years. Take out Joel and you have a very conservative show that is focused on the games, developers, and the awards.
Personally, this is pretty much as dry and (frankly) boring as I expected this type show would be. Without Joel, this would be pretty much unwatchable for me; it's basically just a series of interviews. Last years show struck a better balance for me.