@jacquelineferre ads have nothing to do with the content of the website.... They also have PS4 commercials playing on videos, it's called ad revenue, it's the only way a site like Gamespot can continue to exist.

@Gelugon_baat @quakke Yes, you'd think people who hate a game as much as the anti-CoD fanboys claim to, would spend their time doing a billion different things other than trolling CoD articles. If that's not a bandwagon, then I don't know what is.

@Korvus85 @Jimzeel They aren't paid for reviews, nobody is because sites like Gamespot and IGN have parent companies, multi-million dollar corporations with monetary investments in keeping these sites alive, and getting visitors. The only thing keeping people from going to any one of the million other gaming sites, is credibility, if it was to be discovered that they were lying in their reviews, credibility goes out the window, and a large business goes under. Gamespot and IGN are both worth a million+, there is no amount of money any publisher/developer would pay that could justify that kind of risk.

@Jimzeel @Gelugon_baat Actually it happens all the time..... at least twice a month a game gets hands on, and preview articles, talking about how they sat down and played the game, and their experiences, sometimes they praise the game up and down, and sometimes they express concern, but there is always a mega hyped release that gets a horrible score and is bashed in the review, despite having preview articles written because of those trips. Every consumer journalist outfit goes to these things, always paid for by the developer, the only catch is that they are required through contract to write about their experience, however they are not allowed to make any attempt to control the content of these articles, this is common place in journalism, not just the video game industry.

@Jimzeel Wow, you have no idea how the industry works, do you? Every single developer pays travel expenses to get journalists out to their offices to play games early, it's meant to get them to write articles, which get the name out there, and create buzz... They do this outside of gaming too, you don't think every tech writer gets flown out to events and shit to get sneak previews of new products? Go to any website that involves consumer journalism, they all have "Hands on", "Sneak Preview" etc. articles.

Gamespot is worth far more money than they would ever be paid to falsify a review, and the risk is far too great to even consider doing this, they would literally lose the entire company overnight. All they have is reputation/credibility, once that's gone, people will stop coming to the site and it'd go under.

Think before you make ridiculous comments that involve the logic of a 10 year old ie. "I disagree with this score therefore they were bribed". Dumb as shit.

@raddys2001 @Karmazyn It's completely different, I don't know why people compare them, they feel and play like entirely different games, there is no crossover whatsoever besides the fact that they are FPS's and you can fire weapons.

@Daian The CoD bandwagon is to hate on the game now days.... I haven't seen an article regarding a CoD title that wasn't full of dumb kids talking shit about the game and insulting anyone who dares to say anything neutral about it, let alone those who are brave enough to actually admit to enjoying it. Gamers have become hipsters, spending all their time talking shit about CoD, and making sure everyone knows that they have better taste in games than them.

@Snight01 Paid off? Do you know how stupid that sounds? No amount of money would ever be worth the risk of losing the entire company if it was to be discovered that a video game journalism website was taking money in exchange for falsifying reviews..... They would lose all credibility instantly, and go under because the only reason people bother to come to these sites, is because they trust what they have to say. Grow up, Gamespot is worth a lot more than the highest possible dollar amount that would be paid for a fake review.

@quakke @tooitchy That's such a ridiculous statement, CoD4 was a massive step forward for the franchise, prior to that there was WW2 campaigns and really boring, bland multiplayer. CoD4 took the franchise to an entirely different level, and if you think that game was built to be easy for casual players, then you should go back and play it again because it didn't have any of the over the top kill streaks, death streaks, attachments, etc. that is standard in all CoD's since. MW2 was where it all started, but it by no means changed the industry the way you think it did, there was already tons of games marketed towards a mass audience, dumbed down for the non gamer crowd. This was a problem inherent to the new generation of consoles more than anything because they were marketed to be entertainment systems for movies, and music, as well as being video game consoles. The lifelike graphics and character control were also a huge part, because gone were the days of pixelated, stiff, and limited controls of systems in the past, suddenly games didn't require the kind of precision timing and limited motion that required substantial play time before you'd get the hang of it, now games were easier to hop on and feel comfortable right away.

CoD hasn't been a positive influence on the industry by any means, but the impact of its success on the dumbing down of games is completely overblown.

@Warlord_Irochi @tooitchy When have the CoD haters left the player base alone? That's like 50% of their argument.

Also, it's quite a bit different to come to an article/review with an open mind, and actually take an interest in the subject, than it is to seek out articles regarding CoD, just to try and tear down the game and those who enjoy it. Who the hell cares what someone else enjoys? It's not normal mental behavior to worry about, and attack others simply because they enjoy something you don't.