Sent this note to Gamespot, after becoming thoroughly disgusted with their premium offering "Gamespot Complete"...
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You know, I realize that internet ventures have to remain profitable or die. I myself am part of an internet service (Yahoo! Personals) which recently started charging for previously free features.
At least we tried to add some value for our subscribers.
Why would I pay to read the same barely literate un-copy-edited reviews I've always seen on Gamespot? Strike one against Gamespot was the CNET merger -- at least the CNET game site appeared to do SOME editorial and fact checking on their articles. The merger seemed to do nothing except bury the excellent CNET editorial in the mire of Gamespot mediocrity.
Gamespot is an appropriate name for a service where the reporting is so spotty. Some of the time, your writers produce great stuff. Sometimes, it's so dull or illiterate I wonder if it's uncompensated high school students doing some of your reviews.
There's no way I'd pay for your service, as it is presently offered.
If you can improve your editorial standards, and offer some real value for your subscribers, I'd be happy to join and spread the word. Until then, I probably won't be back. I'll be warning off all my friends, too. There are so many gaming sites with superior writing, editorial, and community features.
If you do get around to hiring some editors, let me know, I'd be glad to come back. Here's a tip though: your visitors won't know whether your reviews are worth the electrons they're printed with unless at least a few full reviews are available.
Since I didn't really say anything about downloads (I couldn't care less about downloads, I can get 'em anywhere), and the reply really doesn't say anything about editorial.
I wonder if my message was really forwarded to any editorial folks ...
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Hello Carcharadon,
Thanks for your e-mail.
We are sorry that you were not satisfied with your recent experience at
GameSpot. We appreciate your feedback and have forwarded your message
to
the appropriate department.
The real reason that we stopped offering free downloads is because of
the immediate costs associated with the bandwidth demands. With the
millions of unique individuals coming to our site each month, our costs
began to rise exponentially, and at a certain point it became a
necessity to pull the plug so to speak.
Compared to other sites CNET and ZDNet are probably the largest sites
that offer downloads. Others may not offer the downloads for free.
Rather, they point out to different places where the downloads are
available for free. This way they can control their costs, as they are
not actually hosting any files. Moreover, CNET owns both ZDNet and
GameSpot, so you can see why we also had to go the non-free route. We
have discontinued our Download Express and just launched a service
called GameSpot Complete that will feature downloads. It is priced much
lower than Download Express. We hope you will evaluate GameSpot
Complete
before you head elsewhere.
We feel that it's compelling, and has much more to offer our readers
than a download service by itself does.
Since I didn't really say anything about downloads (I couldn't
care less about downloads, I can get 'em anywhere), and the
reply really doesn't say anything about editorial.
I wonder if my message was really forwarded to any editorial
folks ...
---
Hello Carcharadon,
Thanks for your e-mail.
(Piss off)
We are sorry that you were not satisfied with your recent
experience at
GameSpot.
(We do not care that you were not satisfied with your recent experience at Gamespot. Please die.)
We appreciate your feedback and have forwarded your
message
to
the appropriate department.
(The "appropriate department" being the department of sanitation, as we didn't read past the first sentence of your message)
The real reason that we stopped offering free downloads is
because of... [snip]
(We finally realized what all this stuff costs...)
Sincerely,
(Incinscerely)
---
blah blah blah
:
Gamespot got deleted from my favorites tab right after they went to a paid service. I still follow links to certain stories there that I find at other (free) gaming sites. I'm interested in your assessment of their writing though, I found it pretty good compared to other gaming websites. Of course, I think I generally only read the CRPG section... What's "good" out there that I'm missing?
I'm interested in your
assessment of their writing though, I found it pretty good
compared to other gaming websites. Of course, I think I
generally only read the CRPG section... What's "good"
out there that I'm missing?
Perhaps it's the section -- RPG'ers tend to be self-selecting in the "more literate" departemnt.
Most of the action, RTS & Sim reviews I've read on Gamspeot are either completely off the mark due to obsessing over one tiny detail of the game, or they weigh in-game music more heavily than any other factor, or they spend 3/4 of the review plagiarizing the game's "story" from a press release or web site. Also, nearly every Gamespot review I read (I'm reluctant to say *every* review, but it sure seemed that way) had at LEAST three grammatical errors and a misspelling or four. Reviews are rarely updated to reflect game updates (something very few web sites do, but my favorite gaming rag, CGW, does).
Sadly, since the demise of Gamecenter, I've not found any sites with consistently good writing, though a few standouts pop to mind:
I like to go to the Adrenaline Vault (avault.com) for usually good (though often VERY opinionated) reviews, and excellent editorials.
The IGN family of sites does a fairly good job. Most of their stuff is adolescent--but that's how they play it. They make no apoligies for being the way they are. (Though "IGN for Men" is a bad joke gone horribly wrong...:-) IGN's PC (pc.ign.com) and Xbox (xbox.ign.com) reporting is great, and has a refreshingly positive-with-a-tinge-of-smarmy attitude. IGN also offers a subscription service, but they have enough free stuff to make the subscrpition a nice extra. I haven't subscribed yet, but I may ...
My absolute favorite gaming site, Blue's News (bluesnews.com)--pretty much the jumping off point for my daily gaming surf--has introduced me to several ... interesting ... game review sites. One that sticks in my head is "Four Fat Chicks" (fourfatchicks.com). The reviews I've read there have been quite well written, and not your standard review format, either.
Even Gamespy has the occasional cool bit. I hope they can remain subsidized by their hookup service.
The people I trust most for reviews, though, apart from Plaid & friends, are the guys at Computer Gaming World. They may get it wrong now and then, but they publish corrections, and they rarely pull punches. Nothing like an honest-to-god editor to keep things on the level.
The people I trust most for reviews, though, apart from Plaid
& friends, are the guys at Computer Gaming World. They may
get it wrong now and then, but they publish corrections, and
they rarely pull punches. Nothing like an honest-to-god editor
to keep things on the level.
_/ C
I'll second that opinion. I've subscribed to the print version, and despite the childish letters and replies to such, the reviews are usually well written and are pretty much "on" in my experience. The latest issue was interesting, in that the editor wrote a *scathing* condemnation of 3DO's neglect and abuse of the Heros of Might & Magic franchise, despite the issue also carrying a section of Prima's HoMM4 guide book.
Forgot to mention that *every* issue contains at least one "History Revision", updating reviews after patches, etc. This issue was WWII Online, where they admit that patches and updates have made the game much better. Not great, but not the suck-fest they originally reviewed, and now completely playable and better balanced.
It's just an amalgum of review links, i find it useful when there's a game I want to read up on. Kind of like a review index...oh well.
yeah and when I first saw that gamespot was charging to read the full review I was like WTF?! you SUX, bozos see if *I* subscribe for your crappy crap. Just like regular crap...but crappier.
Comments
---
You know, I realize that internet ventures have to remain profitable or die. I myself am part of an internet service (Yahoo! Personals) which recently started charging for previously free features.
At least we tried to add some value for our subscribers.
Why would I pay to read the same barely literate un-copy-edited reviews I've always seen on Gamespot? Strike one against Gamespot was the CNET merger -- at least the CNET game site appeared to do SOME editorial and fact checking on their articles. The merger seemed to do nothing except bury the excellent CNET editorial in the mire of Gamespot mediocrity.
Gamespot is an appropriate name for a service where the reporting is so spotty. Some of the time, your writers produce great stuff. Sometimes, it's so dull or illiterate I wonder if it's uncompensated high school students doing some of your reviews.
There's no way I'd pay for your service, as it is presently offered.
If you can improve your editorial standards, and offer some real value for your subscribers, I'd be happy to join and spread the word. Until then, I probably won't be back. I'll be warning off all my friends, too. There are so many gaming sites with superior writing, editorial, and community features.
If you do get around to hiring some editors, let me know, I'd be glad to come back. Here's a tip though: your visitors won't know whether your reviews are worth the electrons they're printed with unless at least a few full reviews are available.
_/ C
You so live up to your name, Carchmudgeon...
Let us know if you get any response.
Since I didn't really say anything about downloads (I couldn't care less about downloads, I can get 'em anywhere), and the reply really doesn't say anything about editorial.
I wonder if my message was really forwarded to any editorial folks ...
---
Hello Carcharadon,
Thanks for your e-mail.
We are sorry that you were not satisfied with your recent experience at
GameSpot. We appreciate your feedback and have forwarded your message
to
the appropriate department.
The real reason that we stopped offering free downloads is because of
the immediate costs associated with the bandwidth demands. With the
millions of unique individuals coming to our site each month, our costs
began to rise exponentially, and at a certain point it became a
necessity to pull the plug so to speak.
Compared to other sites CNET and ZDNet are probably the largest sites
that offer downloads. Others may not offer the downloads for free.
Rather, they point out to different places where the downloads are
available for free. This way they can control their costs, as they are
not actually hosting any files. Moreover, CNET owns both ZDNet and
GameSpot, so you can see why we also had to go the non-free route. We
have discontinued our Download Express and just launched a service
called GameSpot Complete that will feature downloads. It is priced much
lower than Download Express. We hope you will evaluate GameSpot
Complete
before you head elsewhere.
We feel that it's compelling, and has much more to offer our readers
than a download service by itself does.
Sincerely,
---
blah blah blah
_/ C
(Piss off)
(We do not care that you were not satisfied with your recent experience at Gamespot. Please die.)
We appreciate your feedback and have forwarded your (The "appropriate department" being the department of sanitation, as we didn't read past the first sentence of your message)
(We finally realized what all this stuff costs...)
(Incinscerely)
:
Gamespot got deleted from my favorites tab right after they went to a paid service. I still follow links to certain stories there that I find at other (free) gaming sites. I'm interested in your assessment of their writing though, I found it pretty good compared to other gaming websites. Of course, I think I generally only read the CRPG section... What's "good" out there that I'm missing?
Appetites
Perhaps it's the section -- RPG'ers tend to be self-selecting in the "more literate" departemnt.
Most of the action, RTS & Sim reviews I've read on Gamspeot are either completely off the mark due to obsessing over one tiny detail of the game, or they weigh in-game music more heavily than any other factor, or they spend 3/4 of the review plagiarizing the game's "story" from a press release or web site. Also, nearly every Gamespot review I read (I'm reluctant to say *every* review, but it sure seemed that way) had at LEAST three grammatical errors and a misspelling or four. Reviews are rarely updated to reflect game updates (something very few web sites do, but my favorite gaming rag, CGW, does).
Sadly, since the demise of Gamecenter, I've not found any sites with consistently good writing, though a few standouts pop to mind:
I like to go to the Adrenaline Vault (avault.com) for usually good (though often VERY opinionated) reviews, and excellent editorials.
The IGN family of sites does a fairly good job. Most of their stuff is adolescent--but that's how they play it. They make no apoligies for being the way they are. (Though "IGN for Men" is a bad joke gone horribly wrong...:-) IGN's PC (pc.ign.com) and Xbox (xbox.ign.com) reporting is great, and has a refreshingly positive-with-a-tinge-of-smarmy attitude. IGN also offers a subscription service, but they have enough free stuff to make the subscrpition a nice extra. I haven't subscribed yet, but I may ...
My absolute favorite gaming site, Blue's News (bluesnews.com)--pretty much the jumping off point for my daily gaming surf--has introduced me to several ... interesting ... game review sites. One that sticks in my head is "Four Fat Chicks" (fourfatchicks.com). The reviews I've read there have been quite well written, and not your standard review format, either.
Even Gamespy has the occasional cool bit. I hope they can remain subsidized by their hookup service.
The people I trust most for reviews, though, apart from Plaid & friends, are the guys at Computer Gaming World. They may get it wrong now and then, but they publish corrections, and they rarely pull punches. Nothing like an honest-to-god editor to keep things on the level.
_/ C
I'll second that opinion. I've subscribed to the print version, and despite the childish letters and replies to such, the reviews are usually well written and are pretty much "on" in my experience. The latest issue was interesting, in that the editor wrote a *scathing* condemnation of 3DO's neglect and abuse of the Heros of Might & Magic franchise, despite the issue also carrying a section of Prima's HoMM4 guide book.
Ratbert #CP#Z
Forgot to mention that *every* issue contains at least one "History Revision", updating reviews after patches, etc. This issue was WWII Online, where they admit that patches and updates have made the game much better. Not great, but not the suck-fest they originally reviewed, and now completely playable and better balanced.
www.gamerankings.com
It's just an amalgum of review links, i find it useful when there's a game I want to read up on. Kind of like a review index...oh well.
yeah and when I first saw that gamespot was charging to read the full review I was like WTF?! you SUX, bozos see if *I* subscribe for your crappy crap.
Just like regular crap...but crappier.