If that review site or developer truly had real scruples, it’s pretty simple to respond in an open unmasked fashion. If they did wrong, admit it, change it, not just retreat behind a wall of silence and let lies (if they are), rumors, and inuendo play themselves out as they are doing. Then all we have left is business as usual without the change at the top to prevent future “Gertsmanngates”!

For “Gertsmann”, he has the right and obligation at this point, to sue Gamespot (actually Cnet) for “Wrongful Firing”. If he doesn’t then we pretty much know that they had good cause to fire him and we can put this whole “Gertsmanngate” in the can. But one thing comes to mind to put a wrench in that!

Does “Gertsmann have the balls to open up a whole “David and Goliath” story and put his career on the line? ….or will he just sink into Oblivion? Where is he? Why don’t we hear any outcry of unfair treatment from him? I’m beginning to suspect that we’ll either hear something about him being hired by a Game Trailers or other site or we will hear about a lawsuit! He can’t simply disappear, cuz that looks bad for all parties involved!!!

As said that I am with the major chunk this time so I also agree with you for the most of it. The credibility of game reviews is severely important since those are the only motivations for me to get a game. :)

However, we are boycotting a website for a cause which may be incorrect. if there is a possibility that Gerstmann firing had nothing to do with Kane and Lynch reviews, then all we are doing is thrashing a poor website and some innocent game developers ruining their careers.

Can you imagine how stupid we will look if the case actually may be: Gerstmann vented his personal issues with Eidos in a game review. How credible would that review be? Gerstmann must be laughing at millions of us if this is the case.

Using a Gerstmanngate as an excuse to remind the corporates to indulge less in the review process may be effective but according to me its a improper way. I don’t know a solution and may be for now, this solution is good, but I cannot see other communities just making fun of us since all of us, just all of us gamers, got on the side where rumours directed us. :(

The truth does lay somewhere in between. But this really is a call to arms for us to support honest review sites and their reviewers against corporate no names in Publisher suits/execs. Who haven’t a clue as to how good or bad their games are. They’re simply using strong arm “Payola”, and pressure to push the suits in these review sites to “White Wash” poor quality games.

To deny underhanded boiler room deals aren’t moving in through the back door of the game industry is idiocy and ignorant! Where there’s this much money to be made criminals (or at least their ways) are bound to creep into it. To deny that some of these larger sites aren’t the first ones, where these Suits/execs are pressuring or forcing their reviewers to put up favorable reviews (whether the games are any good or not), is indeed very plausible, if not inevitable!

That’s what the Chad’s of this world are thriving to make us aware of. Keep it up front, play some humor into it, thrive to get all the facts, not accepting every word at face value. Eventually this brings out the truth.

Every once in awhile we need a “Gerstmann-gate” to keep this Game Business honest and prevent wholesale sellouts of our own Gaming Dollars (u know, us immature, boob-eyed, young, dumb gamers)! ;)

Too immature and ignorant? That’s what good editorials and reporting do. They keep everyone on their toes. So the potential “Gerstmann-gates” don’t get simply swept under the rug. They serve to balance this business instead of allowing it to just become another overly commercialized stench filled “Miss America Beauty Pageant”. Where the “Winners” are pre-picked for us all!

What is not correct here is that every1, just every1, considers Chad’s arguments as facts. Even if they know they are rumours, they are just so blinded, that they don’t even want to think of the other possibilities. It looks like the people are so immature in the gaming community that whatever every1 is doing, they will do as well… something like, thats what is cool these days in high school.

This all was a small news (less facts) mixed up with lot of spices by rival websites. Those websites would just love to see gamespot go down and I cannot believe that the major part of the community is not able 2 see it at all.

I bet if this was related to something else and not gaming industry, there would have been people on both sides almost equally. The community would be interested in rumours but very careful about their opinions.

I have some points of my own in your debate.

1. Chad agreed on this as well. Its not just Kane and Lynch review, but may b a result of a long time overheating nuclear reactor which just couldn’t take anymore and exploded. But who will explain this to the community?

2. Chad and Wade, I cannot believe people you are not discussing the credibility of the video review. It is so childish, please see it. It says, ‘its an ugly ugly game, its lazy, unlikable’ and it gets a 6.0 rating? how?

3. Also, please read the old unedited review. If I would have read the review first, I would say probably the rating is 4.0. But, its 6.0. I have never seen such negative review on gamespot with a fair rating of 6.0. Please read other reviews for games rated 5.5 or 5… even they are not that negative.

4. Point 2 and 3 can be an indication that Jeff did something impulsive from his side in some internal affairs. This can make Chads arguments strong that, yeah, the game’s review ‘alone’ fired him, but this takes the discussion to a new level. That let alone the community but are reviewers mature enuf?

5. The ads coming down might be just pure bad timing. You guys must very well know these things are perfectly planned since it deals with huge amount of money. The time the ad goes up and when it comes down is decided weeks ago. You should have discussed this in your arguments. Again, the community will never understand it.

My problems are solely to be a part of such a community. In this particular affair, the major chunk is probably on the right side (I am also with the major chunk). But what about the future? What guarantees that they will not get driven to the wrong side if they keep jumping to conclusions influenced just by rumours?

Games are no longer mom n pop, nickle n dime operations slaving to earn a profit. There is now much more money to be made on “Big Budget Games” than financing Blockbuster Movies. That now slave to even earn a profit. The reviewers and individual developers have become the Suit’s (Patriots) “Corporate Canon Fodder”, and the “Suits” are now gaining a firm grip (like a Snake Crotch Grab) on where and how some review sites are going to be making their money from our gaming dollars.

The thing is if reviewers like Chad (now nicknamed the Snake) and Patrick (Raiden) can keep “RIPTEN” from going the way of “Gamespot”? Can the “Resistance” movement inside THIS game review site, keep a “RIPTEN-GATE” from taking place here?

I don’t know….but even with this kind of bare breasted exposure of the truth (Maxim Cover) and the Ninja-like reviews, aided by the cyborg chip embedded Patrick (Raiden), we still have a long battle ahead to watch and be wary of, for sure!!! :D

Just remember that (from within our ranks) we buy the games that ultimately pay all of your salaries. So we are the “Resistance” that will over time, take the “Patriot Suits” to their knees (and you too if we have to)!!! ;)