You can't compare a review of Gone Home with GTA V. If you've read any guide on how Gamespot scores it's games, they clearly state that whilst the score doesn't replace the written/video review, it is decided upon by comparing the traits of the game in question against other games in that genre and technical aspects such as graphics, voice acting etc. against games as a whole at that current time.

Gone Home and GTA V are completely different games, from different genre's and thus score cannot be compared. 1st and 3rd person shooters dominate the market, thus there is going to be a higher standard expected simply because there is more high quality material that has paved the way in this genre, in comparison to an explorative boarderline interactive movie.

Plus, anyone who's played GTA V know that it isn't perfect. The map angle in the HUD can make it difficult to read when exactly to turn, the physics engine isn't perfect, often the cutscences don't accurately illustrate what is required to be done during a mission, some missions can be monotonous, I could go on. This doesn't mean I don't love it. It is human to love or forgive something for not being perfect, but that doesn't mean by that it is. If gamespot was to give 10/10 to this game, I think that would be bias and following the hype.

Amazing! but at the same time a little unguided. Whilst it shows off his technical brilliance, if Bethesda hires him immediately, it can open the flood gate and have people spending 10-20k hours cumulatively creating mod content to try and do the same thing, when Bethesda doesn't even have any job opening.

Wish the best too him, but business wise, I don't think he'll get the response the internet hopes he does and if so, as quickly as everyone expects.

@Dudeinator Don't even speak about something you have no idea about. People don't go into the military, subject themselves to that kind of environment because they believe in the political agenda.

The military is an environment like no other. It's a place where everyday you can push your limits and know, when the shit gets tough you know that the guy next to you, no matter whether they are black, white, hates your guts or is your best mate, will dive in with you and risk their lives to save yours. That comradeship, mateship in Australian terms is what drives these people.

Being bipartisan is an important part of a deployed force. Nothing is ever black and white and when you are on the ground, you cannot question your orders as to whether they are right or wrong. They just follow the order. The moment you start to think or question, is the moment you loose yourself. If not physically, through a bullet, mortar or shell, you'll definitely to start to loose your mind.

Don't shit on these people's blood, sweat and tears.

A lot of respect for Valve. The way they are able to achieve a high level of entertainment with such simplicity, is astounding. If only more of the larger developers followed their example!

There's a lot of considerations to take into account as they all brought up if Bethesda was to bring Elder Scrolls to an MMO. I think, if Bethesda goes into it WITH these considerations and more in mind, then I reckon it could work. What I'm worried about is them not being able to achieve this, so instead they go off and put the Elder Scrolls name to something that when played, feels so foreign they could've called it something else.

Nailed it! Lets just hope developers realize that AAA title sales will drop dramatically when people can't trade some of their previously purchased games toward them, before its too late. The flip side I don't think any of them take into account is that whilst their games are becoming more expensive and making it more difficult for the consumer, products like iOS and Android are making it cheaper and easier for people to play games. Whilst it might not replace a full console experience, many casual gamers or those tight on time and or budget, may end up switching to these types of mobile games and seek an alternative entertainment or replace their consoles entirely with mobile platform games.

I think that a major problem for a lot of Indie developers is society isn't open enough to open itself up to new experiences and foreign concepts that a lot of Indie developers bring to the table. The world is stuck on its definition of what "gaming" is and the mainstream audience/non-gamers get that idea stuck in their mind because we aren't taught as a society naturally to accept, embrace and epitomize the unknown. An experience that has no set answer, its up to you. We are taught, grow up, go to school. This is the right answer, this is the wrong answer. This is how the world works, go to uni or get a trade and go to work if you want to be succesful etc. We are breaking out of that cycle a lot more, but as society as a whole, not just gamers, we have a way to go before Indie developers like those of journey and many other fantastic games, get the widespread attention and praise they deserve and AAA titles start to make positive changes for the better.

@tommcshea What I like about Gamespot and many other sites is that the reviews are also backed by appearances on podcasts to explain their review and thoughts. This is often contrasted by a number of other people who've also played the game and lively discussion ensue's. I find after a while of using the same websites and listening to features of each, you start to get to know the reviewers and not only their writing and reporting style, but also their taste's and thoughts on games. This builds into a greater understanding, so now whenever I read a review, I also look at the reviewer and compare them to myself in terms of gaming taste etc. With soaring game prices and in more recent times, lower disposable income, people aren't looking for reviews in the truest sense of the word. They wan't objective evaluations of whether they should buy one game over the other and objective scores make that a lot easier to do in people's minds. This causes serious backlash though, when people find after playing such a game that they don't agree with the review or find the reviewer's comments don't ring true with them as much as they thought. Often I look at comments and they are more so, anger fueled responses written straight playing the game in question and often retaliatory in nature, rather than posing thoughtful and alternative viewpoints into the discussion. You and your fellow reviewers Tom, have got a tough job when it comes to public opinion.

@tommcshea I completely agree with you on pretty much all your points. I think the problem your facing is more related too people's views on games journalism more than individual review scores. There seems to be this facade about games journalism that everything is objective, that review scores are a perfect and balanced system. The fact that a human is involved in the review process makes this almost impossible to achieve. When I come to look at a review, I'm not looking for a completely objective viewpoint of a game. I'm there to hear someone who's spent much more time than me playing, analyzing and reporting upon their experiences with a game. I'm looking for their insight, rather than just relying upon box art and video trailers released by the game's publisher. That is what I believe game's journalism is more about and ultimately, when reviewing and reporting upon what is essentially an art form, you can't expect a lot more than that. I don't think this opinion has radiated out into the community as much as in other industry's.

Whilst i do like the new design, it does feel a little bit too close to IGN because of the switch from darker tones to all of this white! Whilst it does achieve its aim of making everything less cluttered and easier to access everything (or learn slowly over time), still can't shake that feeling of IGN website and sometimes now get confused when i swap between news stories on each website.