Boycotting gamespot

[Walter]

I kinda want to play Kane and Lynch now, to see for myself how bad it is. This may have been an effective move to promote the game! ...

 

[handsome rakshas]

http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/jeff-gerstmann-gamespot.php

 

[Walter]

Honestly, after watching the video review on YouTube, I would have fired Gerstmann for being a little bitch. He rants on and on about the most arbitrary shit.

 

[CnC]

Honestly, after watching the video review on YouTube, I would have fired Gerstmann for being a little bitch. He rants on and on about the most arbitrary shit.

I disagree. I think the points he goes on about, namely the bad writing, unlikeable characters, and bad gameplay are fairly appropriate given that is pretty much the basis for the entire game.

 

[Walter]

Well, have any of us here actually played the game?

His line about how the characters are "impossible to like" sounds like a crock of shit. Anyway, Im not trying to argue the game isn't GREAT. I just think it was given undue attention thanks to the marketing explosion from EIDOS. The writing isprobably on par with an unknown third-person shooter made by the same company: Freedom Fighters. That didn't stop that game from getting rave reviews, despite repetitive gameplay.

 

[CnC]

Well, have any of us here actually played the game?

Well no (nor should any of us), but I don't think that was my point. My point was merely that Gerstmann was singling out the points of possible interest that the game had for the video review.

edit (damn your late edits ):

His line about how the characters are "impossible to like" sounds like a crock of shit. Anyway, Im not trying to argue the game isn't GREAT. I just think it was given undue attention thanks to the marketing explosion from EIDOS. The writing isprobably on par with an unknown third-person shooter made by the same company: Freedom Fighters. That didn't stop that game from getting rave reviews, despite repetitive gameplay.

Well again this brings it back to whether or not his opinion was a valid reason for his firing. In my opinion the review was pretty much in line with what everyone else was saying.

 

[Walter]

My point was merely that Gerstmann was singling out the points of possible interest that the game had for the video review.

And I'm saying that I wasn't convinced by his review. I didn't hear anything credible about why the gameplay was bad (other than NPC AI wasn't great), or why the characters were "impossible to like."

Well again this brings it back to whether or not his opinion was a valid reason for his firing. In my opinion the review was pretty much in line with what everyone else was saying.

THAT, I'll grant you. Even the normally overrated IGN gave it a 7.0 I doubt Gerstmann being fired was a huge loss for Gamespot's already mediocre review staff. I think it's amusing how the whole Internet got on this guy's side for purely principal reasons, despite his review being overall pretty benign.

I guess I just wish they'd publically say his reviews were "meh", and that's why he was fired.

 

[CnC]

I didn't hear anything credible about why the gameplay was bad (other than NPC AI wasn't great), or why the characters were "impossible to like."

Well that "tone" was likely what got him fired, but it looks like he was attacking all the points that were used to hype the game for the video review, and went into more detail on the written one. He attacked the "pull off daring heists like in 'Heat'" bullet point by saying AI was bad and you could rarely pull off taking cover. He attacked the "Gritty Story" by saying the characters were two-dimensional, uninteresting, and the writing was bad.
No wonder Eidos was pissed. If you take those aspects away, what else is there?

THAT, I'll grant you. Even the normally overrated IGN gave it a 7.0 I doubt Gerstmann being fired was a huge loss for Gamespot's already mediocre review staff. I think it's amusing how the whole Internet got on this guy's side for purely principal reasons, despite his review being overall pretty benign.

Well IGN is pretty notorious for their 7-9.5 scale for AAA titles. If they gave it a 7 it's possible it deserves even less. And yea, I consistently found that the Gamespot staff is extremely juvenile. If Gerstmann was the root of that cancer then they're all the better for his dismissal. However since they're managed by the guy who brought us gems like "Stuff" magazine, I'd say were in for more crap emanating from the website.
Isn't Navarro (first name escapes me) running the editorial side of things now? That means they've gone from silly juvenile to just annoying juvinile. Woo!

I guess I just wish they'd publically say his reviews were "meh", and that's why he was fired.

Helloooo, lawsuit!

 

[Walter]

Helloooo, lawsuit!

It's not unethical to fire someone because their performance wasn't deemed "up to a certain standard" by the publisher.

 

[CnC]

It's not unethical to fire someone because their performance wasn't deemed "up to a certain standard" by the publisher.

I was under the impression it was not only against company policy but California law to not disclose to the public for any reason.

 

[Walter]

I was under the impression it was not only against company policy but California law to not disclose to the public for any reason.

Im not familiar with California law, but it's common practice in Tennessee. At least, word definitely gets around if you're fired, and people inquire and will often get answers through the grapevine.

 

[Griffith]

I'm not going to miss Jess either, as I would also have fired him just for being a little bitch in the video. In his words, I found his review impossible to like. He was seemingly going out of his way to trash it in the whiniest of petty tones, even when he went over the good points, he'd make sure to use the opportunity to take a piss on it again, and as Wally said, in the most arbitrary ways. As shitty as this game probably is, it still didn't come across despite his crying. I was left more thinking about some of the cool stuff he mentioned, while simultaneously complaining about it, rather than his inability to use the controls. It was like he was being payed under the table by the competition to pan it rather than the other way around.

Not to mention he's a dumbass, that went beyond integrity to a total lack of diplomacy. He could have basically said all he needed to and given it the same score without getting fired if he'd just done it without acting like Kane and Lynch ruined his life (which I guess it kind of did =).

"Don't play this game, the characters are impossible to like... and you'll lose your fucking livelihood!"

 

[Aazealh]

Well it's not like he hadn't been doing that for a while already. The guy obviously just felt like being as provocative as possible. "Nerdrage lol." I'm sure he got a real kick out of the fanboys' reactions by trolling his own articles though. I'm sure he has no regrets. =)

 

[Griffith]

I've only ever seen one other of his reviews according to Wally (I forget where I caught it, but he and I used to make fun of it), it was the Shadow of the Colossus review, which was in the total opposite direction; that one he was fellating like a hungry bitch. =)

God it was nerdtacularly awful, Wally and I even had a wav saved from it for appropriate occasions, here it is, just as it's designated in my fun folder:

www.skullknight.net/griffith/collosal_fag.wav


I had no idea it was the same guy, even after seeing the Kane & Lynch video, until Wally told me the other day. Basically, I heard about him because he got fired.

 

[CnC]

God it was nerdtacularly awful, Wally and I even had a wav saved from it for appropriate occasions, here it is, just as it's designated in my fun folder:

www.skullknight.net/griffith/collosal_fag.wav


I had no idea it was the same guy, even after seeing the Kane & Lynch video, until Wally told me the other day. Basically, I heard about him because he got fired.

Yea that isn't Gerstmann. It's the previous editorial manager, Greg Kasavin. He doesn't work there anymore (I think he works at EA).

I'm not really seeing what part you guys found so petty about his review? I felt his opinion was pretty appropriate for a shit game.

 

[Walter]

Yea that isn't Gerstmann. It's the previous editorial manager, Greg Kasavin. He doesn't work there anymore (I think he works at EA).

Whoops. Sorry for the misinformation Griff, all these Gamespot dorks sound the same to me And yeah, I just knew it was the editor who had reviewed SOTC, and Gerstmann happened to be the editor before he was fired, so I was just confused and didn't check.

 

[Griffith]

I don't feel misinformed? I believe you were correct on a spiritual level, Wally. For convenience, and because I truly don't want to know otherwise, I'm simply going to continue to believe they're the same person.

 

[Ramen4ever]

I believe you were correct on a spiritual level.

Griff you're my hero!!!1
You ever think about trying standup?

On a side note I just listened to that clip and he doesn't make sense, "escalating to a crescendo?" Crescendo IS the process of escalating..
his Review didn't do the SOTC' remarkable soundtrack much justice.

 

[Aazealh]

On a side note I just listened to that clip and he doesn't make sense, "escalating to a crescendo?" Crescendo IS the process of escalating..

Yeah, I thought the exact same thing actually. Typical of people trying to be smart but failing miserably.