GameSpot Editor fired over a review score (Updated).

(Picture by 1up)

This article isn’t directly related to Nintendo, but I felt that it should be posted.

GameSpot reviewer Jeff Gerstmann might not be your favorite reviewer. He gave Twilight Princess an 8.8. (What!??!!?) Whatever your opinion on his reviews, it seems that he may have gotten fired for voicing his opinion.GameSpot has some a ton of Kane and Lynch promotions going on right now. Gerstmann was in charge of reviewing Kane and Lynch. So He reviewed the game, had some negative things to say, and gave it a 6.0 (Bad but Not horrible) Eidos was not happy with the review, and voiced their concerns to GameSpot. If the rumors are true, Mr. Gerstmann was fired for his review.

This will have a Big impact on video game journalism. We will see how this story develops.

Should reviewers be persuaded to give higher scores if there being sponsored by a company? I and most here believe NO even when we had the Advertisement for Namco we (floating world) didn’t give it a better score (That would hurt the integrity of our site). If this is true will it differ your opinion of Gamespot reviews?

2076639383 88843adfaf

1up shows their support by heading to the GameSpot building and holding up this sign. So I think WiiNintendo should do something if we can’t change a thing ,we can at least annoy the crap put of them with letters, e-mails etc.

- Gerstmann cannot comment on the incident due to legal reasons

- Eidos has “no comment”

- former GameSpot staffer Adam Buchen is calling for people to cancel their GameSpot accounts

More details here

Updates Found by Reader and Writer FlamingSquirrel

Gamespot removed the review, and video review

1up Update

Source



Around The Net:


  • Subrosian

    My oppinion is that they suck.

    All “hyped” games get a 9.0 and if a game that is awesome isn’t hyped up enough doesn’t get anything above 8.0. Also they have this grudge against PS3 game making ALL look bad, we all know that ratchet and clank deserved something like 8.5 or better like 9.0.

  • MinutesToMidnightLP

    TBH as much as I feel TP should get a 10/10, Jeff was awesome. I feel he was one of the best reviewers ever, this just shows how corrupt and untrustworthy video game review sites have become. Jeff was one of a kind, now they have to find a replacement.

  • xero

    I think there should be several people giving ratings and opinions rather than just one.

    I also think that they should take into account other versions of games.
    For example, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones got an average score of 8.5 on the PS2 and PC. The Wii game Prince of Persia: Rival Swords got a 7.1.
    Now, people who don’t read the review itself and simply look at the score and see its bad.
    PoP:RS is basically a port of Two Thrones. The review states its “No real improvement over Two Thrones”

    I just think the way they review ports or remakes is wrong. It is a game. Only one game. Ignore that its a port, a remake, or a sequel.

    Really, i just go by the “User score,” anyway.

  • Max

    Gosh I hate people who don’t read the review and just the score.

    xero@ I don’t read user score becouse they are fanboy for that game or fanboy for another system and want that game to do bad. There are maybe 30% of users that give it a fair shake no matter what system.

  • http://wiinintendo.net/index.php?s=hey_suburbia hey_suburbia

    I think it would be a really good idea to bring in a “Score Standards” of some time that all reviewers must adhere to, then by using such things as gamerankings or metacritic it would really give a true representation of the game

  • flamingsquirrel

    Darn. He was my favorite reviewer. I pretty much agreed with everything that came out of his mouth. Yes, that includes LoZ:Tp’s score of 8.8.

  • Max

    flamingsquirrel@

    I agree I really liked his reviews.
    (I think he’s main problems with Zelda: TP was it was made for GC it didn’t push the Wii Graphics and some of the controls felt tacked on. which was true ,but yeah I liked him.)

    hey_suburbia@

    I agree 100% great idea.

  • scullum2001

    that sucks if it’s true. bad games should be reviewed as such. reviewers shouldn’t have to worry about game publishers opinions of their reviews.

    secondly, i also like “hey_suburbia’s” idea. i’d like to couple that with this one: there should always be more than one (maybe 3 like NP usually has) reviewer on a project. that way we don’t just have one person’s opinion and that’s it.

  • Inferno Marvel

    I think that Gamespot sucks period.

  • goodgoober

    i almost never use Gamespot. i like IGN better.

  • JB

    Hah! I always suspected Gamespot had a bias toward games they promote(most on the 360). Now there’s proof. Suck it, Gamespot.

  • http://www.williamsonet.com Quartermeat

    This is ridiculous. A site like Gamespot and it’s reviewers are supposed to cater to the users, not the game companies. We go to these sites and read these views so we feel good about spending our money on something that we’ll actually play. I get enough hype about new games from commercials, when I go to read a review I don’t want hype. I want the nit and gritty on what a game is all about. This is pretty sad. You’d think the video gaming industry would be above these political shenanigans…

  • tommyyun

    I remember he gave bioshock a 9.0 and ppl got pissed over it… i respect his reviews but i cant get over the fact that Gamespot mightve actually FIRED him over the matter. if they really did, im NEVER gonna go ther ever again

  • schmete

    I may have an idea as to WHY Jeff got fired for his ‘low’ review score. As most video game producers do, Eidos may have given Gamespot an exclusive review. These exclusives are usually given to a website/magazine under the conditions that it will receive at least a certain score. GS may have promised a score of 8.0 minimum (I say 8.0 because the production company usually wants the score to be good, but it is just an example) and Gerstmann may have broken the contract by giving it a score that is painstakingly lower than an 8.0.

    I have not looked into whether Eidos and Gamespot made this agreement, but I do know that deals like that are commonly made.

  • Max

    schmete@

    Yes ,but they usually put it lower just for things like this but you could be correct.

  • Josh B.

    I’ve actually found Jeff’s reviews are, most of the time, in line with what I think.

    I’ve been a PC and old school Gameboy player for years with the Wii being the first console I’ve ever had.

    Jeff calls games as they are, Bioshock did NOT deserve 100% and LoZ:TP did NOT deserve the 95%+ scores it did (I haven’t even finished it I found it so boring, and I forced myself through most of it hoping it would get better). Just because you’re “loyal” (for the most part companies don’t give a stuff) to a piece of machinery and the company who makes it doesn’t mean that you can badmouth people over their thoughts on a game that lives inside your delusions.

    From the video footage I’ve seen of Kane and Lynch Jeff pretty much summed the game up pretty well.

  • RobK

    Back when the Spectrum & Commodore 64 ruled the day there was a magazine called Your Sinclair (UK) their reviews used to be by 3 or 4 people (I think it was their whole reviewing team) they used to all wright a short review and either give it a hit or miss. Its been ages since ive seen the mag but I thing there was a final score out of 10 also.

    TBH I never pay attention to online reviewers.

  • ivan raikov

    this is unforgiven