I think the forums are dead because people who don't like the new look are migrating to places like IGN. I can go there too, sure. It's just sad to see the once-popular Gamespot lose popularity. They should've adhered to the proverb "if it ain't broke don't fix it". They've gone and "fixed" it and now all the ants are leaving the farm.

The new look/layout doesn't inspire me the way the old one did.

Staff ought to stay in the background and let their pens be their collective personality - journalism is more respectable that way unless it's a video interview. Can you imagine reading Electronic Gaming Monthly in 1998 and having to see nothing but the faces of staff members all throughout the magazine when they should be focusing on game characters? It's distracting at the very least. You go to IGN, and it's all about the games and characters, with cool game promo art that excites you, inspires you to want to read articles, and makes you want to play games!