I still think you were WAY off on Mirror's Edge... but regardless, best of luck to you sir!
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looking at the bright side, now the new Deux Ex game will have a chance at a fair review. But I do find a little reassuring that many of gamespot's sjw's are leaving: Petit, MCshea and now Vanord... It seems those comments sections are causing fatal PTSD to some.
Best of luck, Kevin! Have always enjoyed your reviews. It's been obvious from the start how much you care about the stories weaved and the atmosphere created in the games you review. And it's always been clear just how much you love games.
You'll do fantastic at Trion Worlds! And I don't play MMO's myself but hopefully you get round to writing a few single-player RPGs for us sometime too!
Good luck, Kevin! You were by far my favorite game reviewer. Thank you for all your honesty, passion, and hard work!
[I left this comment on your journey review since I wasn't aware of this blog post, so excuse me if I copy and paste it here with a little bit of edit]
wow Kevin I can't believe you're leaving!! I mean I was so used to reading your reviews and seeing you on the videos or podcasts for so long; I'm definitely gonna miss you a lot! :'( You were the best reviewer (and probably the most intelligent person) here in recent years for sure. thanks for all the hard work and dedication, and best wishes for your next journey! (see what I did there?!), and what a proper way to go after all these years...
I don't want to sound negative but now I don't know what this site will turn to with your departure! I mean you were pretty much the only one who actually could consistently produce high quality reviews. sure, I and many others would sometimes disagree with the score or some part of the review , but overall I think no one else could criticize a game as deeply and articulate his thoughts about it as well and as eloquently as you did. now I think Gamespot might as well just officially turn into a Youtube channel churning out dumb "top 5 GTA mod" videos (with occasional good videos by Danny). I feel like the time of written game reviews and editorials is dead anyway, so I may as well say good bye to Gamespot after 10 years.
Always enjoyed your reviews and writing style, Kevin. It sounds like you are going to still be involved in expressing that creativity so best of luck on your journey ahead! Keep up the quality of your writing as you have here and you'll draw a crowd in your new field as well.
Part of me is so sad, but knowing you are moving to the creative side of gaming makes me smile. You are too talented to be "penned" in by merely critiquing others. Its exciting to think of the limitless ways you will now be able to share your artistic gifts with all of us.
Still, to me and im sure many others, you have been the standard in which all other reviewers are measured. The field of game journalism is losing a guidepost, a rock star, and a paradigm. No one will be able to replace Kevin VanOrd, but there will be writers that achieve greatness because they emulate him.
Change is inevitable, and frightening, and wonderful, and difficult, and many times out of our control. Here's to this one being exactly everything you hope it will be. The words, "you will be missed" are insufficient but accurate none the less.
We cant wait to see the amazing things you do next.
Thank You for everything, Kevin.
Godspeed.
Thanks Kevin, you have been the primary reason I cared about Gamespot all of these past years. Good luck with everything and don't ever quit being around!
What an amazing opportunity! I hope you excel in your new career choice and I look forward to seeing where it takes you in the gaming world. :)
Thankyou Kevin for your honest reviews. And seeing you on the couch when I watched the lobby always put a smile on my face, as I knew instantly the show would be more entertaining with your presence. Good luck for the future.
for me this means that there is no reason to visit gamespot any more. with caro and tom gone for a while now, gamespot has now lost most of its creative force and writers who really have something to say. i came here for the things those guys/ that girl wrote, and i admired and pittied them for how relentless they kept on writing about what was important inspite of all the hate they got from this so called comunity. goodbye, kevin, all the best for you! i hope you're getting a step closer to doing something that matches all that talent you have. you're a muscian, writer, hobby physician and a cool dude (and that's only the little stuff i know), the sky is the limit!
Thanks for all the years of fantastic content, Kevin. You've always been a wonderful personality on camera and I enjoyed reading your reviews, so I'm sure you'll settle in perfectly to your new role. The very best of luck to you!
I know you probably won't read this Kevin, but I just wanted to say that Gamespot will not be the same without you. Your insightful reviews, unique personality, love of everything gaming, and engaging writing style have been one of my favorite reasons to visit the site. I trust your reviews and value your opinion. Thank you for all the hard work you have done over the years . You are going to be missed man... It takes a ton of courage to do what you are doing, I have nothing but respect for you, and wish you nothing but the best in everything you do. Good luck man!
I'm sad to say that I only got to know you and your writing since Giantbomb joined CBSI. But better late than never as I very much appreciated your personality and insightfulness shining through in all of your writing. I hope to see more of your work on the other side of the fence and wish you all the best.
Good luck and have fun!
You will be missed Kevin. You have definitely left your mark at GS and, much like the legendary Greg Kasavin, your name shall echo throughout this ever-changing website until it is nothing but a god-forsaken husk. (we're approaching there, I'd wager...but nevertheless)
If any bad games come from Trion Worlds I'll be holding you personally responsible...
Just saying
Farewell, Kevin. Gamespot has been changing, in my opinion for the worst, in the past few years and losing you is like losing a good friend. I've never read a review by you that I thought could have been done better. That being said, I hope that writing for video games is rewarding for you. I'll keep an eye out for your stuff! Best of luck Mr. Van Ord.
It was enjoyable reading and seeing your reviews Kevin, with the only exception being the video where you dressed up as an "apprentice" and was delivering the review in the most disturbingly geek friendly sociably awkward manner. You will not be forgiven for that :). Good luck with your new position and hopefully we can see better writing in games with your contribution.
Kevin your reviews could be polarizing at times but you always eloquently backed up your claims for some them. I definitely felt all your reviews were well written and you never backed down from your stance on a game even if I felt differently about a game. I always respected your opinion. You will be sorely missed. I joined Gamespot as a user shortly after you started writing your reviews so I have seen you become one of the main starts here. Even though I don't come here too often anymore(prefer Neogaf now) you will be sorely missed on this site. Gamespot has a lost a great writer.
Kevin, you are the main reason I ever come to gamespot, you are by far the best reviewer I've seen, you the most critical and honest compared to any other reviewer and I will really miss reading up on your blogs and seeing your reviews. I wish you the best of luck in your future career!
Only saw this now... very sad about this, but happy you are following what you believe is the best for you.
Best wishes from southern Brazil!
You mentioned how Greg was the Gamespot reviewer you read and who inspired you to write reviews. Well, you were that person to me. I started reading your reviews back around 2008(ish) and was immediately impressed and inspired by how you wrote about the games you played--your descriptions and vocabulary. I started to write more myself and used your reviews as guidance for how to write and I think it has helped me a lot (when I actually take the time to write and finish things). Thank you for that, thank you for introducing me to my favourite game series, The Longest Journey, and I look forward to following you on your next adventure, playing your games (maybe reviewing them myself!) and reading whatever it is you decide to write next.
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