whoooops, i meant gamespot. basically, the editor was fired due to a bad review (6.0) for Kane and Lynch that angered the publisher (Eidos, I believe) who was a big advertiser on the site. Sounds like they then went on to threaten to pull their ads which would result in a big money loss for gamespot. so in order to please eidos, gamespot fired their editor. good journalism ethics.

sup game nigga u 2 good 4 the rest of the board now?

Still a rumor at this point, btw. One that most believe, but yeah... just sayin'.

If true, it's completely frightening.

Here's why you can be confident that there are no money hats or outside influence at Nintendo World Report.
We have used the same process for reviews since our very first reviews of import GBA games in early 2001. I oversaw the development of this process (although not the review format itself) and gained more and more influence as time went on, because my ideas seemed to work and make everyone happy. I know this is a good system, because I hear praise for it from our staff members who worked at other websites before coming to NWR, and I also hear praise from former staff members who have moved on to work at professional websites and magazines. Here's why NWR reviews are tamper-proof:

We are 100% independent – not owned by a corporation, not affiliated with a game retailer or publisher, not beholden to investors, and not even part of a network with other gaming sites. Our only responsibility is to you, the reader.

Editors never change articles against the author's will. All changes and suggestions made during the editing process are tracked and explained to the author and are up for discussion. This goes for everything, from comma placement to final score.

The author has final say over every single word in his or her review, and in fact the author directly posts his or her review to the website.

Our reviews do not represent, nor claim to represent, the views of the entire staff. As editor, I am not concerned with whether I agree or disagree with the review. All I care about is the writing quality, thoroughness, fairness, and self-consistency. If another staff member vehemently disagrees with a review or just wants to give a different perspective with a similar conclusion, he or she is encouraged to write a second review.

Publishers' public relations agents are not involved whatsoever in the editorial process. If someone at the publisher has a problem with the review after it is online, we may offer to write a second review (in addition to the first, not replacing it) with the disclaimer that it could be the same or more critical than the first.

Our entire staff works for free, including editors and the Director. We have nothing to gain or lose by inciting controversy for its own sake. We have no job security to jeopardize or protect. No person has ever been removed from the staff over a review.

For all the reasons above, you can rest assured that NWR takes its integrity, particularly with reviews, more seriously than anything else we do. You may not always agree with our reviews, but at least you'll know that they are our honest opinions.

Jonathan Metts, Reviews Editor

So, a friend just gave me his modded xbox (not 360) with hard drive and ethernet cable and everything.

We played for a little while, and it froze up.

Turned it off for a while, picked it up, and it froze right away.

Now it says I've got a problem and have to talk to customer service.

Anyone with any experience with this sort of thing that can offer come advice?

The companies behind Call of Duty and World of Warcraft are merging in a deal which could shake up the global video games industry.

Activision and Blizzard have said they will form "the world's most profitable games business" in a deal worth $18.8bn (£9.15bn).

US-based Activision also makes hit console games such as the Tony Hawk series and Guitar Hero.

Nine million people pay a monthly subscription to play World of Warcraft.

'High-growth industry'

Blizzard is the biggest player in online gaming and Warcraft is the global market leader of what are known as massively multi-player online role-playing games, or MMORPGs.

It is currently owned by the French media group Vivendi.

As part of the merger plan, Blizzard will invest $2bn in the new company, while Activision is putting up $1bn.

The merged business will be called Activision Blizzard and its chief executive will be Activision's current CEO Bobby Kotick. Vivendi will be the biggest shareholder in the group.

Jean-Bernard Levy, Vivendi chief executive, said: "This alliance is a major strategic step for Vivendi and is another illustration of our drive to extend our presence in the entertainment sector.

"By combining Vivendi's games business with Activision, we are creating a worldwide leader in a high-growth industry."

Different strengths

The two firms are hoping that their different strengths will combine to form a business which is powerful on every gaming platform and in every territory.

Blizzard is strong in Asia, where its Starcraft series has proved hugely popular.

Starcraft, a strategy game first released in 1998, is played by millions of South Koreans in gaming cyber-cafes, and by professional gamers on television.

Activision has developed a presence on all three new generation game consoles - Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii - with franchises such as Spider-Man and X-Men.

The games software industry has been through turbulent years, with companies changing ownership and going in and out of business in rapid succession.

Activision was formed in 1979 and went through bankruptcy and a series of alliances and mergers before becoming successful.

Blizzard had been through a number of owners before ending up in the hands of Vivendi in 1998.

Yes. I owned an 360 for less than a year. It's been broken for roughly 4 months of that time. It's currently holed up in a repair centre for the 2nd time.

I like Microsft, their customer support is top notch. I was refunded for the first time, and I'm under warranty for the 2nd time. It's just such a shame that their machine is so unreliable because the games beat the shit out of PS3.

Xbox broke about a month ago so I still have to play PES7, Assasins Creed, Mass Effect, Halo 3 etc. It's due back roughly around Christmas time, so hopefully I'll be getting some playing time in then.


Have you got the red lights?

IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time

I haven't even heard of half the games on there, so I guess my only complaint is Goldeneye at #75, should be higher.

IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time

I haven't even heard of half the games on there, so I guess my only complaint is Goldeneye at #75, should be higher.

It's filled with RPGs. ugh, those games are so boring.

I dunno if that's a far criticism. The list is somewhat wonky. No doubting that. Any list that dose not have Planescape:Torment and Ico in the very top tier is suspect.

But Rampage shouldn't be on the list out of nostalgia. That game doesn't hold up at all and wasn't as influential on game design as your Street Fighter or Space invaders were/are.

Well, It just may be that the editors do prefer console and PC games more than arcade games. Different generations, times and such.

There's all sorts of retarded about this list, most notably the exclusion of Earthbound and the unfathomably high placing of the original Dragon Warrior, or the fact that Resident Evil 1 is on it when it's a popular opinion that it's sequel was much better(and was received better at the time of it's release).

This shit. For real.

When I saw Silent Hill 2's high placing alongside Sons Of Liberty, I cried.

can't we just play a videogame, knowing that it's a great game. is that not enough?

NO.

I dream of the day I can contribute to such a highly controversial piece of miscellany and be compensated for it.

Haha. As a fellow freelancer, I know exactly what you mean. Lists are where the internet traffic is nowadays.

I'm not even sure I knew you were a writer -- what do you cover/who do you write for?

Andryoo....any word of if they will make a SKATE 2? i know it's still fairly new but just thought i'd ask.

Almost guaranteed, I'd put 95% on it coming next fall. It's already been rumored, but more than that -- it's EA.

And I'm all about it. Skate is in the running for my top three this year.

Haha, awesome. I played through once and have fucked around for several hours more. I could see myself going through again in the spring. It's such an excellent experience. It's like playing the original Tony Hawk and knowing you'll have eight years of sequels to look forward to/dread.

Also, my new review assignments:



Awesome/LOL.

Awesome/LOL.

i can't stop playing seiken densetsu 3(secret of mana 2)