a return to form

as promised, this post will actually be about games, i just had to get that story off my chest.

and what a time to weigh in opinions when the biggest gaming press related story of the last ten years is taking off as we speak...

it's obviously not the firing that is the story here, but the implications rumour facts, that Jeff Gerstmann, a controversial and brutally honest reviewer for gamespot, was let go just after he slammed Kane and Lynch: Deadmen, and gamespot lost an advertising campaign that had the entire site branded by the Edios IP.

everyone is chipping in on this, including my favorites, the dudes at the penny arcade, and it's becoming a riduculously hot topic. the lines between advertising and editorial in online have always been thin and maybe even blurred. if gamespot aren't telling the truth, and this was because of jeff's review, or even if they are, and it really is his 'tone' that got him fired, this may set a dangerous precedent and scare good reviewers into doing not-so-honest game reviewing.

it's a very slippery slope, and of course, edios are doing nothing to help themselves in the situation. absolutely nothing.

i don't know if there is a real cause for concern at this particular moment, but i do think that awareness should be raised. gerstmann wasn't the perfect reviewer, i mean hell, he gave tony hawk 4, a game that took the stupid score-orientated challenges of the first three games to a height that was un-fun and barely playable, 5 stars, but he was an honest reviewer. he took down xxx bmx for what it was, and his review of kane and lynch-if you can find the video on youtube-looks like he's trying to like the game but there were a few fundamental flaws that prevented this.

given, i've never played it, but from what i've heard elsewhere, he can't be far off.

this is a story i'll keep my eye on, so stay tuned. this is not the end of it.

looking shiftily at the advertising staff,

JD