Gamespot Reviewer Fired after Poor Review for Sponsor's Game

[YellerDog]

Does the CFO crack the reviewer in the head with a folding chair midway through?

[SpoDaddy]

There's got to be a way to get Mark Bozon fired if GameSpot can fire Gerstmann...

[AaronChance]

I never liked his reviews either, but dude he was with the company for 10 years.

Seniority shouldn't mean anything if you're not good at your job, but to be fired over this payola garbage is terrible and undeserved.

I can't believe it but I'm going to defend IGN's mccrap. At least that sort of promotion has nothing to do with games and can't compromise reviews.

I will never hesitate to bring up IGN giving Tao Feng an 8.7 after weeks of ads and shit about that truly terrible game. There are other cases as well, like the infamous 9.9 for Jade Empire.

[Hero]

The other side of this is that these are the same people who complain about how they're not taken seriously as journalists. I wonder why that is?

I think if anything this proves game reviewers ARE like journalists - say something that goes against the grain and get canned. Placate those you want to get "exclusives" from. And so on and so on.

[Frogacuda]

I think if anything this proves game reviewers ARE like journalists - say something that goes against the grain and get canned. Placate those you want to get "exclusives" from. And so on and so on.

Agreed completely. Gerstmann took his pinch like a man, and proved that while the corporate pressure is there, he does still have his integrity. Like I said before, I never liked the guy's reviews much, but I respect him for this.

[Fe 26]

It all comes down to who pays the bills, and I guess the media is just willing to sacrifice some of its integrity in order to make sure the ad revenue is there. The other side of this is that these are the same people who complain about how they're not taken seriously as journalists. I wonder why that is?

it isn't just game reviews though. Guitar mags are like that and so are toy or hobby mags. Hell, I really can't remember the last review I've read in a real magazine that totally shit canned something.

[MarsKitten]

Then don't put up any early reviews at all.

Then sites with publisher ties have no advantage over say, game faqs. LOL. You can only talk total shit about people who give the magazine nothing (no advance copies or freebies) and games by publishers without an advertising budget, meaning the only reviews you can REALLY trust are about small publishers with no distro. Which fittingly are the ones who need the most press. Shit with all the potentional corruption with big publishers is there any real reason to ever read a paid reviewer's opinion on them?

[Yoshi]

I'd boycott Eidos but their Fresh Games label doesn't publish anymore and the main company does nothing worth buying. I think the last thing I had an interest in was the Crystal Dynamics Tomb Raider games, which I never found time for.

Weren't you one of the people who found time/money for Excite Truck? But not Tomb Raider Anniversary? At least we still know bribery isn't the only cause of completely worthless reviews.

[RoleTroll]

At the very least, at the top and bottom of each suspicious review, run a disclaimer: "In recent weeks, Eidos has purchased an enormous amount of advertising through our site. Although we strive to be objective, in the interest of fair disclosure, readers should consider this when reading the review."

[Kidnemo]

I hope all this bad press doesn't hurt the upcoming blockbuster kane and lynch movie. :*(