My Collection page does not update in the box at the top which by default reads go ahead and tell people about your great taste in games or something like that. In fact mine is a jumbled mess now where it superimposed something I wrote and saved.

I clear this text, write something simple like: What to play...

I click the Save button and a moment later I refresh the page... nothing.

I close the browser and try again... no joy.

I don't understand why something so simple as changing a text field and clicking a save button is broken but it is frustrating.

When I began playing Asheron's Call I decided to make a character of the Sho race who were loosely modelled after Asian people in some ways. I thought it would be cool to see if I could find an English to Chinese translator online so i went looking for one, found it and plugged my real life name into it. It came back with Lin Mukai which then became Linmukai and so my little Sho guy was born and the name has stuck ever since on and off. There is another one i like a lot in shooters that pokes fun at me but being something of a swear word I can't post it here even though it isn't that bad.

To give you the idea, I frequently call myself Dumbxxx in shooters and the name is a good fit since it also tends to match my performance ingame very nicely. I love playing shooters but sadly in fierce competition that is not always enough... It's telling when you begin to be aware of the quality of the death experience in shooters, you notice the death animation, you've learned to find fun in watching the death cam or following other players who know how to play and therefore are still alive while you are not, stuff like that. Naw, I'm not that bad. Sometimes I have my brief moments of glory but other times well, the name fits.

"If the experience moves you in some way or another... Even if it moves your bowels... I think it is worthy of some serious study." - Clive Barker

Great sig! LOL! Sorry I know this is off topic but I just had to quote that and say I think maybe old Clive needs some serious study if he really thinks that.

I went to play pool one night at a local bowling alley that had pool tables also and a row of pinball machines I often played too when I went there. The first video games I ever saw were there in these arcade machines about the size of a pinball machine and the first video game I ever played was Asteroids on one of them. It was so amazing. It really was at the time. Oh my God this is so cool! Look at this! Oh man, look what you made me do. Hey, got a quarter?

And so the addiction began many moons ago now... lol

I am a nurse. One early morning at work I was about to give shift report when a telephone call came in. The nurse receiving this call began to cry. She then related the content of the call and everyone sitting at that desk felt frozen in time, shocked by what we had just heard. One of the girls who was soon to deliver a new baby had just gotten the news that her husband stationed in Iraq had been killed in action. For me personally for the first time, the war in Iraq had just come home and landed right in front of me with the very real suffering and loss of life we become almost numb too after endless news reports of a death here and a death there always involving some poor person we have no connection to at all.

At that moment surrounded by tears I became connected in a new, intense and meaningful way.

Does it matter when a game makes light of any of this at all in way whatsoever? To me it sure does. There is nothing light about it. Zero. It is real. The horrific loss of life is real. This current conflict doesn't belong in a game at all. Not at all. If you saw and felt what I did that morning as I thought about a newborn baby who will never know her now dead young father I think you would view of all of this differently. To trivialize anything about a war we are presently in with our young men and women in peril daily and dying often, with scenes like I experienced played out just as often all over America, yes, it is damned offensive for any computer game to make light of it in any way at all. Not a little offensive but a lot.

Does the game deserve a good hard whack in the review for that little bit of indescretion? Yes it sure does. This is not about why Gamespot's staff or reviewer was so wrong. It is about why I have always chosen to come here first. If I want the juvenile take on life I can find that on Gamespy's pages and the like any time I want, which by the way is never.

I am sorry if that seems harsh but honestly, once you have been touched by the suffering firsthand it changes you. It takes away the numbness. The horror comes home. It makes you find a game that deals with it poorly when a game probably should not go there at all repugnant. On encountering that like I did with Vietcong I probably would have uninstalled frankly. So, should a review react to that and tell me? I think so. I am glad it did.

With all the quality entertainment out there I find giving a game that would cross that line even a fair review generous regardless of whether or not they hit every other note in creating a quality game well. They didn't have to blow it that way. Journalistic integrity even in game reviews is not about watering down what you think people might disagree with in large numbers even. On the contrary, it is all about having the guts to publish something knowing there is a good chance of such fallout because you feel you are doing the right thing and telling the truth as you see it.

My brother who is in his 40's and did not have to go at all volunteered to go over there for a year and just recently returned. He is a psychiatric nurse practitioner with a masters in his field as such. They were glad to have him. He gave up a year of the comforts of home to go help those young people who are suffering every single day after seeing and experiencing things most of us probably never will I hope. I have observed that my brother is not the same since his return. His face is not the same. He does not like to talk about it and I think it is because it is too painful. You see, he was the guy they go to see right after a best friend's body is mutilated and destroyed by gunfire or bombs. I will never know what he saw and heard exactly I don't think but I don't have to know. One look at the changed man he is tells me plenty. How can a game make even one reference to this in the current context and be ok? I don't know.

While some games such as the Call of Duty series or the Brothers in Arms series tend to give you some appreciation for what took place in the past and even can make you think about what those guys went though they are done tastefully and with respect for those men many of whom died to protect and preserve the well being and safety of others. It's too soon for a game that deals with what is going on and it is never right to be anything less than respectful of our men and women who put thier lives on the line for us.

This is not about the politics of the war. It's not about views regarding the President or whether we ought to be there or anything controversial. This is about a current conflict being in a game and references to that confict being inappropriate. The big question in my mind is how did so many other reviews fail to address this? Are they all numb to the reality? Maybe they are.

I think I will stop there on this subject but I just wanted to share that experience with you guys. The war however far away is real. The death and suffering and loss is real. The little girls who will grow up with no dad is real. Making offhand remarks of any sort that disrespect or trivialize a moment of what goes on over there is not cool at all. It's not just ok.

* Sorry for the edits, went in to fix some grammar (probably more is wrong) and added just a bit more.

I have to disagree with you here. I think it is appropriate for a reviewer to share his experience and perceptions fully. He did not go off on a tirade about his personal views on the subject referenced. But he did point out what he felt was offensive content in a game that I personally agree also is offensive.

For that reason I personally am glad the guy put that in so I know before spending my hard earned money that what I too find offensive is in there. If you do not find it offensive, so be it. That is your right and enjoy the game. The purpose of a quality review is to give both you and me the information we need to make choices we'll be happy with hopefully before spending the money. It's not to tell either you or me what we want to hear but rather what the reviewer experiences they best they can. Well he told you. So be it. Don't blame him for telling you. Go play it and have fun if you disagree. I have played games panned in the reviews and knew I would probably like them even after reading the reviews because of the information they provided which was always colored by the reviewers personal take on what is good and what is not. That's ok. I just want the info. I can form my own opinions once I have it. The more info the better, not less rather than risk offending my fragile sensibilities. I can take it. ;-)

Reviews ought to be as comprehensive as possible and its up to you what to do with the information in making your own decisions about what is ok with you and what is not, what you want to play and what you don't.

I did a reader review of the Vietcong 2 game in which I mentioned something similar and I absolutely felt my feelings about their trivialization of loss of life in a historically factual recreation should be shared. Don't care about that? OK, go ahead and play it. Do care about that? Glad I let you know then. The opening cinematic of that title makes light of someone in the US ARMY dying like its no big deal with a level of disrespect and disregard that I personally found highly offensive. So I said so. I would again too and I would hope a Gamespot staffer would as well if they encountered similar. I want to know this stuff, not debate opinions over it. I just want to know if its there.

There is just one other suggestion I would like to make directly to the powers that be at Gamespot, namely top management of this part of your parent company. When someone like Greg Kasavin or Jason Ocampo hands you a letter of resignation and notice, offer them whatever it takes to keep them and making staying worth their while.

I understand this does not always change someone's mind who is migrating toward a different path in the industry but these people are the face of Gamespot. They are what defines user perception of the site. They ARE the quality we seek here. A lot of cool looking pages mean zero without people of their caliber and as such they deserve whatever compensation it takes to retain them for the long haul. So many companies fail when it comes to realizing this and being proactive about it. I hope that this is not one of them because continued failure to retain the highest quality people and frequent turnover in a publication of this sort is very damaging to the bottom line ultimately. Surely this cannot be news to any management professional and yet the bleedout of your best staff begs the question, what the heck happened to cause it? Perhaps you discount or do not consider this but the main draw of this site besides these people, is a more sophisticated and mature user base and yes, we notice these things and wonder what is going on. Witness this post.

I am a long time visitor to Gamespot going back to before 2003 I think it was when history was wiped, etc. I can't remember how long I have been a visitor here but I do recall Greg Kasavin with a full head of hair if that is any indication. I remember when Desslock was doing RPG reviews, etc.

I've seen a lot of changes over the years and many have been for the good too. The site has a nice clean look today although it remains buggy in places and I hope that gets fixed. Visually it is far better than competitors such as IGN who blow you away with links and info overload on every page trying to make virtually the entire IGN/Gamespy universe available on every single page.

I have observed over the years a more mature tone and I think higher editorial quality on Gamespot than other gaming sites and so I have preferred to come here as my sole destination most of the time for all things gaming.

Of late like everyone else I have observed what appears to be a mass exodus of long time staff who I have come to appreciate over the years and just read Gamespot is now down to two reviewers and I am sure working hard to recruit new staff to fill the void while reviews go undone and the site falls behind its competition in delivering the kind of timely gaming news and reviews we have come to appreciate and expect.

As an online publication that charges a subscription (which I have had before and am on the fence about now) I think Gamespot has a responsibility to its users, especially the paying ones, to publicly explain the current situaion and what is being done to address it in no uncertain terms and preferably on the main site page where it would be hard for all to miss and perhaps even links to it on the major subdivisions of PC Gaming, Xbox 360, PS3, WII, etc. as many may bookmark those versus the main home page given their gaming rig or console of choice, etc.

When I see an exodus of talent that has been with this company for years, sometimes cloaked in mystery as was the departure of Jeff Gerstmann, and bugs on the site pages that remain broken for months, I have to wonder about the site's financial well being and continuing viability frankly. This of course translates directly into my hesitance to resubscribe again. Somehow, I would have to think I am not alone there and therefore this is costing Gamespot lost revenue at a time I am wondering if lost revenue is a problem.

For example, how could a major publication staff itself so thinly that a few departures leave them unable to continue their most important business which in this case is reviewing new games? All the other features are great but at the end of the day if you sort out the most important things many come here for I would have to believe reviews are either the top item or near it. And yet today you are basically caught with your pants down as the old saying goes. How could this happen?

I think you need to do more than post a brief reply here and lock the thread.

There needs to be for not only user benefit but for Gamespot benefit a detailed public announcement addressing recent events openly, honestly and outlining what I would hope is the solution you are already pursuing.

I do not write this to be unkind to Gamespot and I certainly am not bitter or disgruntled, etc. I am concerned. For a very long time this has been home to me on the web whenever I want to read about my favorite pasttime and I cannot help but feel I am watching some sort of self-destruct in progress here. Please tell me I am wrong and why and while at it, everyone else who doesn't come searching for such info buried in this forum.

Thanks very much.

In the brief time since I posted this yesterday I have since seen the title The Orange Box go blank in my list save for the number of users and all other fields displaying blank and refreshing the page not fixing it. Later on it mysteriously reappeared with no further deliberate intervention on my part. It probably doesn't matter but i later figured out the missing title I first was writing about above turned out to be Doom 3.

I am posting again because tonight I come here and find yet again some other title at the top of my collection is all blank fields except I can see there are some 600+ other people with this title whatever it is in their collections.

The unreliability of this feature that I personally like quite a lot is enough to have me evaluating IGN for similar functionality despite its overly busy pages and association with the juvenile Gamespy network. Honestly guys, I don't want to go but this drives me nuts.

Can I please get at least some acknowlegement of this issue and its status in this thread? I cannot imagine this undesirable page display behavior is news to you.

Thanks very much.