You've probably heard....
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/11/29
Here's the review in question:
Discuss!
Hope you don't mind if I throw in a few links that summarize the events really well. ~ Mozgus
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/01/lates ... mann-gate/
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/01/rumor ... e-edition/
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/02/gerst ... ng-update/
Gamespot Writer Fired Over Critical Review
I was discussing this on another forum. Apparently, they're trying to say that it was just a coincidence that he was fired after that review, but it does seem awfully fishy.
The review looks entirely fair. The game stumbles over itself and the gameplay videos just don't look all that awe inspiring...
The review looks entirely fair. The game stumbles over itself and the gameplay videos just don't look all that awe inspiring...
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All Hail The New Flesh
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Thats just plain unfair, he got fired for just doing his damn job! There are rumors that Eidos (the publishers of Kane & Lynch) pay CNET alot of money for advertising and for actually giving a game a good review. Comes to show how greedy game publishers are, they don't care about games or gamers alike, all they care about is money, dirty dirty money. Maybe I am overreacting but from this day forward, I am boycotting Eidos.
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The Apprentice
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Espio 1919
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It's too bad he was fired; I enjoyed his reviews more because he was one of the few reviewers that just didn't conform to what the masses want to hear. Most other sites gave Kane and Lynch scores averaging in the 70-80% range, but he spoke up and said basically "this game is average at best, it's the same boring stereotype of a criminal game that's been re-hashed again and again, only this time you actually get to rob banks...oh wait that's been done in a game as well. It gets a 60% from me.". I believe that this may be foreshadowing into the start of numerous reviewers finally coming out of their shell and saying "You know what? Even though everyone thinks this is a great game, it's not all that it's cracked up to be, and I'm not going to buy into this!"
One other interesting thing I came across in the GS forums shortly after this is that many members are going to participate in a day-long boycott of any CNET affiliated site (GS, GameFAQs, tv.com, etc.) on Dec. 3; they will not visit, log in, or check forums on any of these sites for the entire 24 hour period. I am even considering taking part in this.
One other interesting thing I came across in the GS forums shortly after this is that many members are going to participate in a day-long boycott of any CNET affiliated site (GS, GameFAQs, tv.com, etc.) on Dec. 3; they will not visit, log in, or check forums on any of these sites for the entire 24 hour period. I am even considering taking part in this.
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Droid party
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Disgusting. 
It's things like this that are the reason I can't take GS seriously. Honesty to your readers should be paramount, not an afterthought once you've considered what will make your sponsors happy or what you think your readers want to hear.
It's things like this that are the reason I can't take GS seriously. Honesty to your readers should be paramount, not an afterthought once you've considered what will make your sponsors happy or what you think your readers want to hear.JT wrote:Yeah, like vampire aliens invade and hit us all with a ray beam that paralyzes all of our arms. The only way to deactivate the ray beam and fight back the vampire alien threat is with a complicated series of foot patterns on the device's control board that looks remarkably like a DDR pad. We will all praise this man for saving our lives and buy him a mountain of stuffed animals.
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lordofduct
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in the movie world (well it used to be for the most part) a critic was someone you looked to please so that your movie got a good review. They were usually VERY harsh and the readers expected harsh reviews from critics... so they didn't take it whole heartedly, but it was a good pointer at what to look for. And when these harsh critics went thumbs up, YEY, now that's a movie to see!
Instead though we just have Critics trying to please publishers. These are critics, these are brown nosers... why? Fear of being fired. Fuck that. And they wonder why no one trusts critics.
meh.
Instead though we just have Critics trying to please publishers. These are critics, these are brown nosers... why? Fear of being fired. Fuck that. And they wonder why no one trusts critics.
meh.
I've been keeping up with this story since it broke. Now I never liked Gurstman. His reviews always gave me the impression that he had no talent, that his writing skills were even worse than my own, and that he only enjoyed games with brutal in-your-face action because he was too stupid to appreciate a good story. And of course, he ignores music.
But this was too much to be a coincidence, so it still angers me. I wanted him fired, but not like this. It also pisses me off that the score was what did it. All too often, a game will sound terrible in the review, but then get a good score for the publisher to see and be pleased with. All that matters is that fucking number.
But hey it's no surprise. Many of us has been saying it for years. Reviews are influenced by the dealings between game publishers and owners of these sites. Anyone who tries to deny this is a jackass, and every time something like this happens, it only gives us more evidence.
I was talking to LordofDuct today and I think it's time we all stop giving reviewers any attention. We all need to go back to primitive times when we bought the games that gave us good initial impressions from the boxes themselves. I dunno about you all, but I seemed to have much better luck avoiding turds when I just went with instinct on purchases.
But if you absolutely need to rely on reviews, then what do you do? You read fan-reviews. That way you at least know that this person had to drive to the store, pay hard earned money on the game, drive back, and he was able to play it with no pressure from a deadline. Ignore the fan-reviews that are poorly written. Read a few quality ones, average them, and compare their interests with your own to make your decision.
But this was too much to be a coincidence, so it still angers me. I wanted him fired, but not like this. It also pisses me off that the score was what did it. All too often, a game will sound terrible in the review, but then get a good score for the publisher to see and be pleased with. All that matters is that fucking number.
But hey it's no surprise. Many of us has been saying it for years. Reviews are influenced by the dealings between game publishers and owners of these sites. Anyone who tries to deny this is a jackass, and every time something like this happens, it only gives us more evidence.
I was talking to LordofDuct today and I think it's time we all stop giving reviewers any attention. We all need to go back to primitive times when we bought the games that gave us good initial impressions from the boxes themselves. I dunno about you all, but I seemed to have much better luck avoiding turds when I just went with instinct on purchases.
But if you absolutely need to rely on reviews, then what do you do? You read fan-reviews. That way you at least know that this person had to drive to the store, pay hard earned money on the game, drive back, and he was able to play it with no pressure from a deadline. Ignore the fan-reviews that are poorly written. Read a few quality ones, average them, and compare their interests with your own to make your decision.
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lordofduct
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my buddy Adny made a good point about this though...
He's now gonna get hired by some other company because readers out there are going to WANT to read him because he got fired for telling what some might call "truth"... not sure how accurate his opinion matches the real quality of the game (I'll never know, not my kind of game to play), but it will look that way to readers which gets this man a bigger pay check.
Some become talented writers... others hack their way up the latter. Hrmmm... I want to be a hack when I grow up!
He's now gonna get hired by some other company because readers out there are going to WANT to read him because he got fired for telling what some might call "truth"... not sure how accurate his opinion matches the real quality of the game (I'll never know, not my kind of game to play), but it will look that way to readers which gets this man a bigger pay check.
Some become talented writers... others hack their way up the latter. Hrmmm... I want to be a hack when I grow up!
