• 30Nov 07

  The Decline of Gamespot, and why I am leaving.

  This is going to be the first, and last blog I write. I know most people on the internet won't see this editorial for the simple fact that the only subscription-worthy submissions I have done are some very cool video's made by other people. So mabey atleast the people who were subscribing to me might see this.

  In any case, I've been going to Gamespot for over a year or two now as an offical registered user, and now I leave.

  It really hurts me to do this, because as far as game news, coverage, and reviews go, Gamespot used to be good. I remeber the days of Carrie Guskos, and reading some of her insightful Freeplay editorials. On the Spot was always a blast to watch, and thinking how cool it would be to subscribe to Gamespot so I can participate with some of the subscription-only features (like winning cool things at the On the Spot showings ). Black Powder Red Earth was cool, as was Freeplay editorials. I can't tell you how many cool things I've participated in at Gamespot, and I even won myself a Garmin 270 GPS system from the "Search for Lost Souls" sweepstakes that took place.

  The video quality, while it hit a bump in the road when they first switched to flash-only video's, was always good and suberb. And best of all, I could count on gamespot for giving me to COOLEST and absolte BEST E3 coverage. Damn, that week was always awesome with Gamespot. I remember in 2006 they even had a remote camera you could control. Not that I ever got to, being that the line for controlling it was huge, but it was still awesome.

  But when it came down to it, the reviews for almost every game made under the sun were why I kept comming, and the first sign of distress when Gamespot began to go downhill.

  It doesn't help that some of my favorite reviewers starting leaving Gamespot. Carrie, GregK, and the big slammer, our beloved content host, Rich quit for unknown reasons.

  Between Carrie's exodus and RichG's final flight to the East Coast, everything has been going downhill.

  On the Spot began to loose it's charm, content made for Gamespot that made it cool and unique stopped being made, and the big milestone, when they switched to an INFERIOR review system. I agree with the intentions of the change, but the results were worse than before. 0.5 increments for a review score isn't a good idea, and instead of implementing some new system to replace the old "graphics, gameplay, value, ect" system, they just ditched it all together. Since then, alot of reviews have been very biased, or incorrect compaired to what I used to know of Gamespot. There were a few bit's of honesty here and there, but it just felt like I wasn't getting an accurate score, and the actual review (what counts!) reflected this.

  This trend of inaccurate reviews in my opinion were slowly increasing ever since some of the reviewers I loved to read articles on started leaving, but it just completely went into the toilet when Gamespot changed the review system.

  Now, it ends like this. Wondering what Gamespot has left, we find ourselves with a website that is but a mere shell of it's former self. This shell has ultimatly been broken with it's final cruscendo, the fireing of Jeff Gurstmann.

  While for about half of his reviews I never particularly agreed with, it's now that I see how muchbull#*$&! CNET really is. A little game called Kane and Lynch was recently rated a 6.0 by Jeff. Ironically, this is also a game that has been pouring oodles of money into Gamespot, with sponsorships. And just recently, Jeff Gurstmann was fired for this score. I won't bother providing the details, a simple google on "Jeff Gurstmann Gamespot Fired" and a little trip over to http://www.penny-arcade.com to see thier comic on the issue will do good enough.

  But I do know now that Gamespot and CNET has lost all integrity now. "Was CNET behind the decline of Gamespot all along?". Who knows, all that matters now is the score in the end. And in the end, I give Gamespot a 1.0 (Abysmal). It was a great ride, but sad to see such a greatsite that I spent so much time onlive through a such terrible fate.

  Goodbye.

  • Posted Nov 30, 2007 1:49 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
  • 1 Comment
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