Well it's definitely the hot topic this week. CNET's decision to terminate Jeff Gertsmann is probably the biggest gaming story of the year. This would be an understatement of epic proportions. It's a sad time when someone can't express an opinion because of the sensitive nature of the party receiving the attention. I was quite surprised myself to see Kane & Lynch only receive the 6.0 rating but then again I was even more surprised that Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess only received an 8.8 rating.

The one thing I liked about Jeff is that he's truthful about the product he is reviewing. I read the the amended review that Gamespot posted the other day and it still doesn't flatter Kane & Lynch in the slightest. What I did take from the review, was that Jeff was either tired & couldn't be arsed giving the review the full treatment it deserved or it was as many people are reporting that the game is just plain awful. If you look at the comparison scores that are posted alongside Gamespots score, any half decent review site didn't give the game anymore than a 7.0 rating. So in my opinion, where does CNET get off firing Jeff Gerstmann because a publisher has invested advertising dollars? I know it's business, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

I had read somewhere that Jeff's dismissal was due to a culmination of bad reviews. I looked at Jeff's reviews and all of the decent games got 9.0 ratings or better. I think the exception was Guitar Hero 3 which rated 8.0. Hardly a game killer. Crap games got crap ratings, no problem here. If CNET thought it was over the top and Jeff didn't want to budge on his position, it was hardly grounds to get canned. Jeff should have got a written warning & CNET refunded Eidos' money. Eidos got free publicity, it's a win win situation. Good & bad publicity is OK, contrary to some opinions. Gamers would have made up their own minds whether Kane & Lynch was good or bad. Most people that have played it say bad. All Eidos & CNET have done is make the game look worse than it is because of the situation at hand. Now, most gamers won't even look at the game out of respect for Jeff. A martyr is born.

If Jeff was sloppy in his presentation then he deserved to get the boot. I don't think this is the case. It's another sad reflection of what this industry and the world in general has come to symbolise, corporate greed. The official news release I have read on Jeff's departure is nothing more than pre-fabricated spin to cover CNET's arse. No one believes them. CNET & unfortunately Gamespot have lost all credibility. Ryan MacDonald's comments sound nothing more than an employee with a gun to his head.

With the loss of Greg Kasavan, Rich Gallup and now Jeff Gerstmann in a year, I can't really see how Gamespot will recover from this. These were the three guys that made me want to join Gamespot in the first place. They made it fun & interesting which this place is now sadly lacking. The other crew are good at what they do but they all seem to be doing the wrong jobs just to get things done. Only time will tell if the ship can right it's self. Gamespot is currently leaking like the Titanic and may find itself on the ocean floor alongside Bioshock's 'Rapture'...