Gamespot US fires Jeff Gerstmann over Kane & Lynch review

[Shino]

For how long has he been paid for good reviews? Maybe this time he just didn't get his paycheck and decided he would do it right.

[fex]

8.8 for TP is perfectly fair all these reviews giving it 9.4 + are just talking rubbish, all Nintendo did with TP was grab OoT and update the graphics and make it more cinematic. Who cares if this guy gave Tony Hawks 3 a 10, if he liked it then what the funk does it matter? the majority of people will think hes talking rubbish. I might think Point Blank is flawless, I'd quite happily give that game a 10 along with Guitar Hero because they give me so much satisfaction. As long as reviewers aren't giving a game a good review because theres pressure upon them to do so.

 

I stopped buying Official Nintendo Magazine after there Red Steel review, just because they were an exclusive to reveal the game and its features (im sure they were wernt they?) theres no doubt in my mind there was an exchange of money between Ubisoft and ONM. I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine so to speak. I believe that review ONM gave it 9.1 (or there abouts) im sure every other review pretty much slated it.

 

Kane looks a terrible game anyway, whats wrong with slating a game if it needs slating?

[Cube]

8.8 for TP is perfectly fair all these reviews giving it 9.4 + are just talking rubbish, all Nintendo did with TP was grab OoT and update the graphics and make it more cinematic. Who cares if this guy gave Tony Hawks 3 a 10, if he liked it then what the funk does it matter?

 

That makes no sense whatsoever.

[Guest Jordan]

 

Do it.

[c0Zm1c]

The Flight Simulator review was completely valid in it's content. If he reviewed it from a flight enthusiast point of view it would have gotten a 9/10, he even stated this in the review. Problem is most flight enthusiasts will buy the new flight simulator regardless of reviews.

This would make the review very unhelpful to those who actually need to read it

 

As for the Resi4 review, he's not the only reviewer that didn't like the control scheme (didn't take me long to find that 1up didn't like it either, probably a few others out there too). The bloke obviously preferred Resi 4 with a dual analogue stick controller, why is that so wrong?

 

Comparing that review against others highlights that not everyone puts the Wiimote at the top of they're controller list. Wiimote/Nunchuck, Dual Analogue and Keyboard/Mouse are alternative control schemes, which is better is down to taste.

 

Even if he is in the minority in not liking the Wiimote/Nunchuck set-up, that doesn't make him wrong

Okay then, regarding the flight simulator review, let's all wish that every review is written by people who they're not intended to be played by and see the negative reviews explode and their respective scores fall drastically.

 

And regarding RE4's control scheme, let's also see reviews for 360 and PS3 games written by people that don't like playing with thumbstick controls, and also PC game reviews written by people who don't like playing with keyboard and mouse.

 

[McPhee]

Im not visiting gamespot again, never mind tomorrow

[Bluejay]

 

Do it.

 

I can go a lot longer than 24 hours without Gamespot. Haven't visited in a long while, not sure why exactly.

[Shino]

I've only went there once, I really dislike that site. Looks too corporate, and Jeff looks full of himself. I know it isn't rational but thats what I think of him.

[McPhee]

Okay then, regarding the flight simulator review, let's all wish that every review is written by people who they're not intended to be played by and see the negative reviews explode and their respective scores fall drastically.

 

That'd be as dumb as only having reviews from people who are big fans of a series. Variety is the key.

 

And regarding RE4's control scheme, let's also see reviews for 360 and PS3 games written by people that don't like playing with thumbstick controls, and also PC game reviews written by people who don't like playing with keyboard and mouse.

 

This happens. People comment all the time on how some console games would be better with a keyboard/mouse and some PC games are better using a controller.

UT3 on PS3 and Assassin's Creed on PC will be two very clear examples. Both will see a mixture of people using a dual analogue stick controller or a Keyboard/Mouse set-up

[That Guy]

 

Do it.

 

The only reason I've visited Gamespot since I heard about this was to find out more about it, read a couple of ex-staff blogs who posted about it, and to see if they actually annouced it on the front page or anything.

 

I deleted The Hotspot from my iTunes podcasts and On the Spot wont be watched again, except possibly the next one as I'd be interested in the 'feel' of the show after this has happened.

[c0Zm1c]

That'd be as dumb as only having reviews from people who are big fans of a series.

Not really. The fans or enthusiasts of a certain genre will know it better than those who are not, and will be able to comment better on what's good and bad about a given game within that genre.

 

Getting a casual gamer to review a complicated flight sim, or a hardcore gamer to review said game from a casual gamer's perspective, is dumb.

[fex]

That makes no sense whatsoever.

 

Correct that doesn't make any sense but neither does milking a cat

[McPhee]

Fans aren't always objective, and they usually give one side to a story.

 

Let me refer you to this thread then c0Zm1c: http://n-europe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17987

 

Note that a few people rate Marvel vs Capcom 2 highly. By you're reasoning the opinions of fighting game fans counts higher than the others. So does that mean that Marvel vs Capcom 2 doesn't belong in the Top 10? The Bard is probably the biggest fighting game fan on these boards and he dislikes the game...

 

Having variety in reviews may be damaging to a game Game Rankings placing, but the content of the reviews themselves will be 100 times more useful than reading the same thing over and over, just written by different people.

[Daft]

 

Do it.

 

Great...now you've told me not to visit it, I want to....

[Helmsly]

The hate that Jeff got for giving Zelda TP 8.8 was almost too pathethic to be funny:

 

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/2545/88wj0.jpg

[c0Zm1c]

Fans aren't always objective, and they usually give one side to a story.

 

Let me refer you to this thread then c0Zm1c: http://n-europe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17987

 

Note that a few people rate Marvel vs Capcom 2 highly. By you're reasoning the opinions of fighting game fans counts higher than the others. So does that mean that Marvel vs Capcom 2 doesn't belong in the Top 10? The Bard is probably the biggest fighting game fan on these boards and he dislikes the game...

 

Having variety in reviews may be damaging to a game Game Rankings placing, but the content of the reviews themselves will be 100 times more useful than reading the same thing over and over, just written by different people.

Well it's obvious that fans who aren't objective wouldn't make very good reviewers, and shouldn't be employed to write them.

 

The Bard doesn't give a reason, objective or otherwise, why that particular game doesn't deserve to be in that top ten, so I can't comment. Perhaps he has already in another thread?

 

I don't care about a game's score on Game Rankings, but in the flight simulator review's case, the variety or different perspective you speak of is irrelevant to people who will be interested in the game and makes it a review that can't really be taken seriously.

 

I have zero interest in football games (or the sport in general), would I be a good choice for a review of the next FIFA or Pro Evolution game? Of course I wouldn't. It'd be a waste of my time writing one, and a waste of other people's time reading it.

[Ramar]

I have zero interest in football games (or the sport in general), would I be a good choice for a review of the next FIFA or Pro Evolution game? Of course I wouldn't. It'd be a waste of my time writing one, and a waste of other people's time reading it.

 

I'd say you'd be a good person to rate it. If you don't like it, you'd probably see good reasons for not liking them instead of playing games with rose tinted glasses thinking everything is amazing.

 

8.8 for TP seems fair having played the game.

 

Does the gamespot no-go include gamefaqs?

[c0Zm1c]

I'd say you'd be a good person to rate it. If you don't like it, you'd probably see good reasons for not liking them instead of playing games with rose tinted glasses thinking everything is amazing.

I think it's more likely that I wouldn't have a clue how to rate the game.

[Zell]

The hate that Jeff got for giving Zelda TP 8.8 was almost too pathethic to be funny:

 

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/2545/88wj0.jpg

 

Indeed, especially as the game wasn't even released then.

[Ramar]

I think it's more likely that I wouldn't have a clue how to rate the game.

 

Surely the way you rate any game, whether you thought it was fun, controlled well, made well. Obviously you wouldn't be able to delve far into how great it was at simulating football. But you'd be able to give an open opinion on how the game worked.

 

Contrasting reviews are vital in my opinion. Not that I read many reviews these days.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I think it's more likely that I wouldn't have a clue how to rate the game.

 

I agree with that. It's like if you shoved a copy of Fifa08 into my Mum's hands and asked her to rate it.

 

She'd probably say something along the lines of "ooo, there's music in this game, thats nice. Look at the grass, jim, its cut in squares. Ooooooooo! Its raining!"

 

Hardly the basis for an informative review.

 

So, in short, EA, stay away from my Mother.

[c0Zm1c]

The best reviews are those that avoid opinion, as much as is possible, and just give you the facts.

 

In that respect I could probably write a football game review, but I still wouldn't have a clue how it compares to other football games, unless I played them as well. But to play a lot of football games I would have to be interested in playing them, and I'm afriad I'm just not.

[Fierce_LiNk]

But then it's always good to get some kind of opinion, I feel. Like "this game is enjoyable" isn't a fact, it's an opinion, because to somebody else that game may not be enjoyable.

 

The main thing with games, for me, is the experience, to know that the gamer is having a good time. I don't read many reviews, but if I were to read one, I would like to see the reviewer mention in some way that they are enjoying the game, and why...if not, why they aren't enjoying it.

 

To be honest, I don't read that many reviews now. I leave things up to chance. Of course, I don't buy that many games anymore, but occassionally I will throw caution to the wind and buy a game that I may not be totally sold on. I like surprises. Reading a review kinda feels like the surprise is revealed, imo. No mystery.

 

Down with reviews, haha.

[Wesley]

I never understand why reviews can't just be a lengthy piece of text. Without some dumb assed score at the end, further broke down into scores for "graphics", etc.

[Mikey]

I make up my own mind, reviews are just a general guide to me on what is supposed to be good. Developer reputation is more important to me than reviews though. Nintendo releasing a new Mario or Zelda is something that is going to always be amazing.