Gamespot: "Holes can indeed be dug right through to China."

So GameSpot's still the badguy, right?

*ahem*

Eidos's

Anyone else get the feeling of pure desperation from this?

This further demonstrates how little credibility CNet/GameSpot has. Please help to boycott these guys, Kotaku, please don't link to them.

"Also, GameSpot will be hosting a tribute to Gerstmann tomorrow,"

If true, that is too weird.

Don't they realize that the review text is more important than the number? I read for impressions and descriptions to help me decide whether or not I want to give the game a shot, not the number at the end.

I remember thinking that the production values on that video seemed pretty rough. So I could see that as the reason it was pulled. Doubt we'll ever really know definitively what went down though.

I hope when I get fired, I get a tribute too.

this is just freakin' ridiculous. now I can't even trust metacritic...

@Evdor: Definitely.

Q: Will this cause disenchanted readers to come flocking back to your website with a renewed sense of credible journalistic integrity?

A: Absolutely Not.

@DigitalHero:
It will be the 'On The Spot' show that Jeff hosted (and I think produced).

EIDOS better gets Gerstman back on Gamespot or the boycott against their products will continue. No Tomb Raider for me this x-mas.

I think everyone over-reacted about this.
Everyone blew a fuse because there were RUMOURS that Jeff was fired due to pressure from Eidos.

Now we have half the Internet crying for a guy they were slagging off over the Bioshock review, and the other half boycotting Kane and Lynch for 'reasons they aren't really sure about, but some guy said it was the right thing to do.'

Then you have Eidos in the middle of it, getting slander left, right and center, only to find out they did NOTHING wrong.

Only on the Internet, people >_>

If they want some credibility back, first they'll have to remove the Sales suit (Josh Larson) from the chain of command in the editorial department.

"However, it is strict GameSpot policy never to let any such feelings result in a review score to be altered or a video review to be pulled."

The representative went on to say, "Firing employees and/or changing the text of the review based on complaints received by GameSpot, on the other hand, is completely fair game."

/sarcasm

*clears throat*
"They also clarify that all Kane & Lynch written review alterations were made to better the 6.0 score."

BULLSHIT!!!

I would assume the tribute would be run by his friends at the office, not management.

Why won't they tell us the reasons for him being let go then?

Seriously. Someone gets fired and basically locked out in a sudden manner. Yet the employer will hold a tribute for him.

Did some suit in a boardroom decide that this prevent the fallout from this situation.

"Also, GameSpot will be hosting a tribute to Gerstmann tomorrow, which...speaking objectively...would seem a disingenuous for someone just fired."

Wow they really just seem to be digging themselves deeper. Mark, you hit the nail on the head, that is completely disingenuous given the situation.

If they cared that much about him, and people wanted to hear his 'radical' reviews, why not give him his own section to the site instead of letting it go? Turn him into some sort of e-celebrity the good way. It'd be experimental, but worth a shot, and then Gamespot could get it's other reviewers to give the good reviews to good sponsors.

The fact is, and it's been said elsewhere, that when you go to a gaming site like that, nobody cares WHO it is that is writing the review. It's not like there is an Ebert in the gaming world. So when you let go of the one person that people somewhat payed attention too, it's going to be a big deal.

And if Eidos and him being fired is simply coincidental, then they have very, very bad timing. His video review did bash the game, and it did have a negative tone, but he backed it all up, and it certainly wasn't 'poorly produced'.

"For years, GameSpot has been known for maintaining the highest ethical standards and having the most reliable and informative game reviews, previews, and news on the Web."

...AHAHAHAHAHA!

so on top of it all they're also lying to us

GameSpot, go to hell

Welcome to corporate America...and behold the future...sucks right?

@Lant: i think they don't want to look worse than they do now. But i think they're about 2 mm from the very bottom of the hole.

Hmm... This circus is just stupid.

Puppies are adorable.

A lesson is learned, but the damage is irreversible.

@Perdew: I have since revised this statement. According to trusted sources, I was wrong about the intent.

@Evdor:

It think it is beyond desperation at this point. This is just sad....very sad. I think the only positive that comes from this is companies are learning not to take gamers for granted. They act as if we are just a bunch of nerdy jerks and are very disorganized. I am sure this company thought the reaction would be big but our attention span would be so short we would move on.

I am glad to see this happening. If anything it needs to be ramped up even more. Gamers need to come together hard against this sort of thing. We all know what happened and we are not the ignorant little kids they assume we are. They were trying to take us for granted and underestimated the power we have. Companies need a awaking once in a while. I hope this puts a shock wave into the industry as a whole. Things like this will always go on, but if our voices are heard loud in this instance companies will be very careful on how they handle their business.

I hope Jeff gets a job soon. I was never a fan of his review style but he was honest and to the point in them. Lets not let Eidos, C-Net and Gamespot forget that this angry isn't just for the man who got fired but what this firing represented. Then let it be notice to all who underestimate the ones who have the true power in the game industry....the consumer.

@swirldude: LOL, i was laughing at that one too.

Kotakus most viewed, commented today. This.

Everyone loves a scandal. How else would the Sun sell?

I for one am tempted to go look at Gamespot to see the hullabaloosa first hand. Maybe Kane & Lynch will sell a few more copies, maybe everyone will forget about this, and calm down after a while. But I don't see a mass exodus of Gamespot readers anytime soon. And their credibilty isn't in shatters.

This is going to send a shockwave of fear through to other reviews unless we have a strong showing of solidarity... I guarantee that every reviewer from IGN through 1up and beyond are going to tread a bit lighter on their next review unless we all make a lot of noise about this and show them that we as a community have their back.

@Mark Wilson: that makes more sense

That's one sad little beagle puppy. Poor little guy couldn't hold his bladder and now you're yelling at him. You big meanie.

I can see his h...

Oh wait. No I won't.

Gamespot/CNET can say what they want, everybody has made up their mind.

@PsychoDantis: Good call man, lets just blindly trust the corporate PR speak over common sense. Because Gamespot and Eidos would definitely fess up if they were wrong. Right? Right?

@Tonx: agreed

A tribute to "make a mends" or "to shake hands and say alls forgiven for screwing you over", pshhh. When the wall is red, how dare gamespot say its Black?"

Off topic... I love that puppy picture! Soo cute... you just want to tell it, "I d0n't bLAMe yoU!"

I can imagine the tribute being something along the lines of Ladder to Heaven:

Where were you, when they fired Jeff Gersertman?
Did it make you feel like crying?
Or did you think it was kinda gay?
Well I for one believe in the Jeff Gerstman.
Ooh yeah yeah yeah, Kane & Lynch
I said Kane & Lynch, Kane & Lynch, Kane & Lynch, Kane & Lynch

The shameful puppy again? I love that pic. Is the shame puppy going to become a staple of Kotaku like the pointing/NSFW fish? Because it should be.

Oh and Gamespot basically says nothing important. Big surprise.

@PsychoDantis:

Nothing wrong....other than the "5 star reviews" from GameSpy and Game Informer. Then there is also the blurbs under those "now not 5 star reviews, just there for decoration" which were from an E3 preview of K&L.

I can't see why Eidos is getting all of this negative feedback either. You are so right....

@PsychoDantis: Eidos bitched about the review then posted several fake 5/5 star reviews on the K & L site. Then can go **** themselves for all I care.

Also word on the street is... THE GAME SUCKS BALLS. So there are really multiple reasons not to buy it.

"Absolutely not... (but combined with the numerous other complaints from advertisers and our displeasure of dealing with them, we fired Jeff.)"

fix'd.

I would have rather had this 'tribute' hosted externally by the editors. The editors want to do it because they miss Jeff, the rest of the higher-ups want to do it to try and recover their reputation.

Two opposite intentions. One genuine, the other not.

@PsychoDantis:
Did you happen to see the false 5/5 star ratings that Eidos put up on the Kane and Lynch website? If they that doesn't equal "doing anything wrong" then things are worse than I thought.

I think we are forgetting one thing here; that is a pretty cute puppy.

Why don't they just say, "I Don't Recall". Same BS, different crowd.

Hmm! its dissapointing that Publishers have so much control over the reviews of games. Unfortunately, these websites generate substantial revenue from those very same publishers. How then are you supposed to bite the hand that feeds you? You can't. And this Gamespot fiasco is a a prime example of that.

You may need to rewrite these in your head a little bit to understand the spin they're putting on it.

Q: Did Eidos' disappointment cause Jeff to be terminated?
A: Cause, no. But it may have influenced the decision.

Q: Did Eidos' disappointment cause the alteration of the review text?
A: Cause, no. But it may have influenced the decision.

Q: Did Eidos' disappointment lead to the video review being pulled down?
A: Cause, no. But it may have influenced the decision.

@Mark Wilson:

Ah, that's much better then. I still think that the larger issue of people going to see an 'IGN' or 'Gamespot' review instead of an actual person's review is just that; an issue.

Whether Jeff ever meant to be completely objective or just controversial is debatable in my mind, but I think that his being hosted by a larger game site like Gamespot was a good start to mix things up a little.

Who knows, maybe some other site will pick him up and gain some popularity from this.

BS.

Can someone say SHOPPED!

I think it's very clear that GS is full of it.

The game Kane & Lynch is bad. Go play it, I rented it, couldn't stand the game mechanics. The game has a half way decent story, better than some games out there today, but that doesn't excuse the game for having such a horrible play value.

Seriously, go out and rent the game and you'll see the Jeff is right, even if writing this review did not get him fired, EIDOS should be ashamed for pushing this game so much and making such a big deal over a score it deserves.

That being said, I can't take Gamespot seriously anymore for firing someone who wrote the truth on game reviews, instead of praising it because it looks good/got hyped/got paid off/etc.

@Lulzer: Exactly.

@Evdor:

Yes. Yes I am.

"PLEASE LOVE US AGAIN! Our OTHER advertisers are started to get nervous that we're loosing readers!"

Firing someone after a review... suspicious

Putting up fake 5 star reviews... gotta call bullshit

@Axel: You are my hero and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. Well said.