I have been using Gamespot for years; my profile is a testament to that, I think. I have been a paid subscriber since they first offered the option. I just read the Penny Arcade piece which brought the whole Gerstmann thing to my attention.
I don't like Jeff Gerstmann's style. I think he tries too hard to make his pieces too colloquial. As a reader, I am usually annoyed with the "tone" and "style" of his reviews, but not enough to prevent me from subscribing to Gamespot Total Access. His reviews were honest and fair, even if the man himself is annoying and seems like someone I would avoid in person.
This is far from some superlative "worst act of journalism imaginable", but it's pretty much the definition of selling out your audience in the name of corporate greed. Gamespot has for years been the most even-handed reviewer, a quality I appreciated SO MUCH I was willing to pay for it. This reputation is based SOLELY on reviews by Gerstmann, Kasavin, and Navarro. I am an irritated gamer who makes enough money to own all three next-gen systems and buy any game I feel like, and I do so. I am, in other words, your target demographic.
I want to tell you to f* yourself. I want to call you ugly names. But I know that words and their meaning are lost on you. So I am speaking the only language you seem to understand: I have cancelled my subscription to Gamespot Total Access.
Good luck, Jeff.
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