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Old 12-01-2007, 08:54 PM   #41
Kane Knight
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9 or above is a pretty sick watershed.

Then again, in this day and age, if you don't blow the product, literally or figuratively, you're "too negative."

Anyway, there's always going to be an issue with reviews and finance, because you don't bite the hand that feeds.

GameFAQs, also, is pulling reviews they deem too negative on "AAA" titles. One guy got his SMG review pulled even though the gist of his review was "Pretty good, but don't expect much more than SM64." I disagree, because the world design is so...Borderline epic. But that's not the point. There's a squeeze on reviews these days.
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Old 12-01-2007, 09:11 PM   #42
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I know what you mean, man.

Problem is, for crumbums like me with not a lot of cash to throw around, I can't afford to pick a game and find out that it's a total piece of crap. Especially when it comes to handhelds (specifically the DS and GBA titles for me), since most video stores don't rent them out. Honest, detailed reviews which point out both the technical and fun factor aspects of the game are crucial to me.

When I went and picked up Super Robot Taisen: OG for the GBA for example, I knew exactly what I was getting into because the reviews I looked at were so accurate about everything. I knew that it was a mecha version of a slightly watered-down Fire Emblem with an over-abundance of "cutscenes" (pictures and text). But I also knew that it was a pretty satisfying game with 2 character paths, a fair bit of hidden stuff and over 20 unique mechs available to you. Usually, I'm rather annoyed at paying over $30 for handheld titles, but I happily plopped $35 for it. Worth every penny to me.

Got off on a tangent there... WTF was I talking about?
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Old 12-01-2007, 10:24 PM   #43
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Yeah, but you canget in depth reviews without the current trend of dropping trou to the fanboys and the corporates.
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Old 12-01-2007, 10:32 PM   #44
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Yeah, but it seems less and less to be that way now that the market has exploded and growth is higher than ever. It seems like the trend these days in just about all aspects of commerce: maximize profit by watering down product. It's retarded in theory, but people are making money shilling crap. [Eric Cartman]And it's wrong. IT'S WRONG[/Eric Cartman]
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Old 12-01-2007, 11:04 PM   #45
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1UP went protesting in front of the Gamespot offices now. Apparently Kane & Lynch is now at a 2.0 rating on User Rankings.

Yippie!
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Old 12-01-2007, 11:06 PM   #46
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lol @ backlash.

Too bad it's probably really only like 3% of the gaming world that's going to give a crap.
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Old 12-02-2007, 12:11 AM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DS View Post
1UP went protesting in front of the Gamespot offices now. Apparently Kane & Lynch is now at a 2.0 rating on User Rankings.

Yippie!
Gamespot has disabled user reviews.

Which I think is probably fair, given the massive spazz out, but considering what started it....
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Old 12-02-2007, 12:26 AM   #48
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Provided this is all true, I wonder if this will have any effect on Gamespot's message boards. I've been reading them quite a bit lately and I'd hate to have negative comments about a big budget games/sponsors/money-givers be removed. There's good and bad on the message boards, but it's a good way to get some more info on a game than just the review.... though the delete posts that are a couple of months old, which is kind of annoying, but not a huge deal.
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Old 12-02-2007, 12:35 AM   #49
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Honestly, I do think this is setting them up to lose credibility.

Maybe not with everyone, but really.
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Old 12-02-2007, 12:39 AM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kane Knight View Post
Honestly, I do think this is setting them up to lose credibility.
And how.
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Old 12-02-2007, 12:58 AM   #51
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Especially if this keeps getting drummed up.
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Old 12-02-2007, 11:38 AM   #52
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Final portion of something I posted elsewhere.

"Corporate issues are nothing new in the media, from entertainment to actual news. How long did we dwell under a press which refused to actually condemn cigarettes because the Marlboro Man was on a full-page glossy advert on the next page? The corporate pablum is played ad nauseum on the radio because the sponsors want to push that. The War in Iraq? Oh yeah. People lost sponsors for not being Patriotic, or for being too controversial. Corporate media decided people who spoke out against their interests had to be let go. A fair share of my own friends and associates lost jobs to that little bit of attrition.

I guess I'm saying it's no surprise that there is now a level of corporate politics inherent to game reviews, but it's disheartening that even something as simple as toys (Yes, video games are toys) have been whipped up with the rest of it. It's the Marlboro Man all over again."
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Old 12-06-2007, 12:34 PM   #53
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For anyone interested, this was posted on Gamespot:


Spot On: GameSpot on Gerstmann
SPECIAL REPORT: Following days of controversy and the first post-Jeff podcast, GameSpot answers burning questions about the most controversial staff change in its history.
By Staff, GameSpot
Posted Dec 5, 2007 10:25 am PT

For the past week, controversy has rocked the game news media--a controversy that originated here at GameSpot. The affair began last Wednesday when near-11-year veteran reviewer Jeff Gerstmann's tenure as editorial director ended. In keeping with the human-resources procedures of GameSpot parent company CNET Networks and in accordance with California State Law, no public comment was initially made about his departure.


HotSpot on Gerstmann GameSpot editors speak candidly about their take on Jeff Gerstmann's departure.
Watch | Download
In the void of information that followed, numerous conspiracy theories sprang up. First and foremost was that, as a result of pressure from publisher Eidos Interactive, GameSpot terminated Gerstmann because of his review of the multiplatform game Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. The game was released on November 13, 2007 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. (The PC version of the game was released on November 20, but has not yet been reviewed.)

Hundreds of reports pointed to the fact that the Kane & Lynch video review was pulled and the text review's copy was altered as evidence substantiating this hypothesis. In many readers' eyes, the fact that the entire GameSpot site was "skinned" with advertisements promoting Kane & Lynch all but confirmed the theory behind his firing. In the gaming press, the subsequent furor has been dubbed "Gerstmanngate."

Due to legal restrictions and corporate HR policy, GameSpot could not initially comment on Gerstmann's departure. Though the site officially addressed the issue on Monday, the full story behind his exit could not be told--until now.

In the spirit of full disclosure to our readership, GameSpot News has been provided the following answers by management to the questions below regarding the circumstances surrounding Gerstmann's exit. Further questions can be submitted to newstips@gamespot.com for review; those questions that merit posting will be addressed. (Please, no hate e-mail.)

Q: Was Jeff fired?

A: Jeff was terminated on November 28, 2007, following an internal review process by the managerial team to which he reported.

Q: Why was Jeff fired?

A: Legally, the exact reasons behind his dismissal cannot be revealed. However, they stemmed from issues unrelated to any publisher or advertiser; his departure was due purely for internal reasons.

Q: Why was the Kane & Lynch review text altered?

A: Jeff's supervisors and select members of the edit team felt the review's negativity did not match its "fair" 6.0 rating. The copy was adjusted several days after its publication so that it better meshed with its score, which remained unchanged. The achievements and demerits it received were also left unaltered. Additionally, clarifications were made concerning the game's multiplayer mode and to include differences between the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game.


Kane & Lynch The original, unaltered video review.
Watch | Download
Q: Why was the Kane & Lynch video review taken down?

A: Both the text and video reviews of Kane & Lynch went up on Tuesday, November 13. The morning of Wednesday, November 14, the video was taken down due to concerns of quality. Specifically, its audio was deemed inferior due to a faulty microphone. There were also concerns about the limited amount of footage, which was unrepresentative of the game in the review.

Q: Why wasn't the video immediately reposted?

A: Due to the crush of high-profile games being released the following week, there were insufficient resources to reshoot and re-edit the video review.

Q: Why hasn't the video review been reposted since the "Gerstmanngate" controversy broke?

A: A determination was made by GameSpot Live, GameSpot's multimedia division, that reposting it would seem reactive and might exacerbate an inflamed situation. However, in the spirit of full disclosure, it has since been reposted, and is viewable on the site in its original form (See above). For those who want to be sure that it has not been altered after the fact, the video review is also available on YouTube for comparison purposes.

Q: Was Eidos Interactive upset by the game's review?

A: It has been confirmed that Eidos representatives expressed their displeasure to their appropriate contacts at GameSpot, but not to editorial directly. It was not the first time a publisher has voiced disappointment with a game review, and it won't be the last. However, it is strict GameSpot policy never to let any such feelings result in a review score to be altered or a video review to be pulled.

Q: Did Eidos' disappointment cause Jeff to be terminated?

A: Absolutely not.

Q: Did Eidos' disappointment cause the alteration of the review text?

A: Absolutely not.

Q: Did Eidos' disappointment lead to the video review being pulled down?

A: Absolutely not.

Q: Why was GameSpot "skinned" with Kane & Lynch ads when Jeff was terminated?

A: Due to design and development considerations, media buys on GameSpot are made weeks in advance. The timing of said ads was extremely unfortunate but was purely coincidental and determined solely by the game's release date of November 13, 2007.

Q: Why did the Kane & Lynch ads disappear from GameSpot right as the "Gerstmanngate" controversy began to heat up?

A: Advertising sales on GameSpot are sold by the day. The end of the Kane & Lynch "skin" promotion had been predetermined long beforehand. Internal documentation filed before the review appeared shows that the site skin was scheduled to run from November 17 to 29, 2007. Site-wide ad campaigns automatically change at midnight, hence the "skin" being removed after hours.

Q: Was Jeff's termination somehow tied to the departure of former GameSpot Live managing producer Tim Tracy?

A: No. Tim and Jeff are childhood friends and had been colleagues until Tim transferred over to other CNET Networks Entertainment properties. His exit was completely unrelated.

Q: Why didn't GameSpot write about Jeff's departure sooner?

A: Due to HR procedures and legal considerations, unauthorized CNET Networks and GameSpot employees are forbidden from commenting on the employment status of current and former employees. This practice has been in effect for years, and the CNET public-relations department stuck to that in the days following Jeff's termination. However, the company is now making an exception due to the widespread misinformation that has spread since Jeff's departure.

Q: When will the PC version of Kane & Lynch be reviewed?

A: We haven't decided when that will happen.

Q: GameSpot's credibility has been called into question as a result of this incident. What is being done to repair and rebuild it?

A: This article is one of the first steps toward restoring users' faith in GameSpot, and an internal review of the incident and controversy is under way. However, at no point in its history has GameSpot ever deviated from its review guidelines, which are publicly listed on the site. Great pains are taken to keep sales and editorial separated to prevent any impression of impropriety.

For years, GameSpot has been known for maintaining the highest ethical standards and having the most reliable and informative game reviews, previews, and news on the Web. The colleagues and friends that Jeff leaves behind here at GameSpot intend to keep it that way.

For a special report on Jeff Gerstmann's dismissal and a tribute to his legacy, tune in tomorrow to GameSpot's weekly live webcast, On the Spot. For a personal look at Gerstmann's exit, listen to the latest HotSpot podcast in which host Vincent Caravella discusses the controversial event with longtime Gerstmann colleagues Ricardo Torres, Ryan MacDonald, Alex Navarro, and Ryan Davis.
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Old 12-06-2007, 04:16 PM   #54
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Well, that's settled.
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Old 12-06-2007, 07:55 PM   #55
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It's a work.

Gertsmann is the number 30 entrant in the royal rumble.

Callin it.
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Old 12-07-2007, 06:16 AM   #56
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So...when will Jeff be hired at IGN?
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