The time around E3 2006

I was reading other blog posts and I came across this guy (who I've learned, of all people, is Wil Savage):

"What hurts me most about everything that's happening now is the thought of whom it's happening to. The GameSpot editors, Jeff and everyone else, are the last ones to deserve this. While it's very painful to see the GameSpot name sullied across the gaming community, it's far more heart-wrenching to think of the people whom I respect so greatly being caught in the middle for the very same reasons that I have such respect for them. No matter what they choose to do next with themselves and their careers, I will always hold them in the highest regard for their years of honest work and their dedication to all of us who like to play video games."

-Tiberius

I'm glad I could finally find sufficient words to express things going through mine and probably many others

I was thinking for some time to post a blog about a retrospective on the game ratings change. I was thinking about writing about how the entire site is Jeff Gerstmann, since he does so many things. I can't say now. All my minor quibbles are irrelevant at this point. Jeff was fired... I don't know what to say. It's so shocking. Especially over one negative game review. From rich executives. This is a brand new and just sincerely frightening precedent for the industry. That's the word I was looking for. Scared. Scared for my favorite editor. Scared for my favorite website. Scared for Gaming Journalism and videogames in general.

Gamespot was an outstanding and wonderful website. I was very very sad when Carrie, Bob, Kasavin, and Rich left. But I continued reading, though not as passionately, and I put up dissaprovingly with the rating changes. But now after this... I just don't know. What is the site now? What does it represent? Who will run it now? He was theeditor in chief for god's sake!and they just fired him? What the hell is going on? I am deeply ashamed of what Gamespot has become, and am saddened to remember what they were. I loved you Gamespot. I really did. But Unless some drastic turnaround or reconciliation happens quickly, I will no longer experience the site the same way ever again. And that gives me the greatest sadness of all. I might stay, I might not. Best wishes to Gamespot staff, and for everyone's sake, hang in there Jeff. Man, I did a pretty poor job of putting this into words but my god... what can you say...

I've been exited for this gamefor a while, but that's exitement has beenapprehensive over the coming months, with peopel sciting various issues that could prove detrimental. Then I look at the reviews, and it might be the most splitly opiniated game I've ever seen. Critics either love it or think it's completely just average. Gam Informer gives it a 9.5 but wait, there's 1up giving it a 7?! An 8.7 here, a 6.7, there (Planet Xbox 360). Gamespot gave it a 9, which is great, but I feel if a different GS editor reviewed it, it could get a completely different score. I'm just having a really hard time deciding whether this game is worth my $60.

It's my 16th birthday! Woohoo! I don't know. Today isn't feeling as grand as maybe a 16th birthday should be. Or maybe it is. It seems for sweet sixteen you either have to go big or small. People either have big parties or they hardly do anything at all. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground. I'm in the latter category if you haven't guessed.

I'm not having a party, and I'm not getting a car yet, so there's no big deal here, which just feels kind of awkward in a totally comfortable way. So far I've had a lot of pizza for lunch, got the "planet earth" dvd box set I asked for, which is great, and I'll probably be spending my birthday money on some games pretty soon. So there's my exuberant/melancholy/still pretty happy but kind of wierd feeling post. But I guess what best describes this, is that though its not the most exiting day, my first day being 16 is still feeling pretty nice.

1. Super Mario Galaxy- This game makes me jump inside with glee

2. LittleBigPlanet- I don't have a PS3 and my level of not wanting one is about 90%. But my desire of LBP is about 150%. So we'll see if I get a PS3 just for this game. Only time will tell...

3. Half Life 2: THe Orange Box- I've always wanted to play HL2 but my PC has always been crappy. So the amount ofsubstance in this package for only $60 is like a godsend for me

4. Rock Band- If you need an explanation go look at any news announcement about this game

5. Assassin's Creed- From the developers of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, which is probably my favorite game ever. That automatically puts it on this list. Plus it looks pretty sweet.

6. Halo 3- Obviously

7. GTA 4- just as obvious

8. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destuction- The only other reason I want a PS3

9. Bioshock- You had me at "Now he's going to telekinetically take of the ememy's hat, dip it in fire, and shoot at back at him for extra damage."

10. Starcraft 2

Also, in no particular order: UT3, Mass Effect, CoD 4, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, Crysis (if I can afford a graphics card to run that), Mario Kart Wii (I guess), RE 5, and Burnout Paradise

Yeah, I love Ninja Warrior. Partly because how awesome and badass it is, but also because of how more awesome and badass this guy is.

I was reading the VGL article, and I'm glad that people still remember Tommy and Vic and Judgement Day. Man, what a great show. The best show G4 ever put out. The channel used to be so good. They used to have GAMES. Then X-play came, which was pretty good at the beginning. Then their announcer left and Sarah left AOTS and it went way down really really really fast. I can hardly watch anything on there anymore. But 'The Block' is so edgy cool and hip! Oh and Fastlane! Oh and Cops!?? And Kristen Holt! =P. Man, where did that channel go wrong. Probably the 2nd G-Phoria. Lets all make JD come back. Rally!

EDIT: I don't know what this says about me, but I'm starting to really dig Ninja Warrior

{Sigh...}My first blog post. I guess this isn't the best way to start things off, and the other times I was thinking of weren't either. (They were basically rants about Zelda and Guitar Hero 2 reviews.)

Anyway, is it just me, or was 2006 and now 2007 (sorry, 200SAVAGE!) a kind of a trend of people moving on, both in and out of the game industry. It seems like a snowball building up with people getting scooped up. Maybe a better analogy would be Katamari Damacy. First Bob. Then Carrie. Then Don Rumsfeld =). Then James Kim =(.

That was over a period of seven or eight months. Now just recently in only the past 2 months: James Brown, Gerald Ford, Doug Lowenstein, the man himself Greg, and finally I just read the people at Massive and the head of Rockstar are moving on. There are probably I ton of names I don't know. Just kind of a somber weird observation. Maybe this added to how I felt how much 2006 sucked. Well, at least we're in the future now.