GameSpot regrets?

I wonder if GameSpot regrets letting Jeff Gerstmann go?

Today I was listening to the GiantBomb Cast, which is probably my favorite gaming podcast now that 1UP Yours/Listen Up is gone (BombCast used to be close second) and I was laughing my ass off at the antics of hosts Jeff Gerstmann, Ryan Davis, Brad ShoeMaker, and Vinny Caravella and it got me thinking: I wonder if GameSpot is kicking itself for losing such talent?

Okay it may be the case that the evil overlord CNET might not notice his absence. More than likely due to their lack of knowledge of what Gerstman brought to the table. But GameSpot itself has got to be still feeling Jeff's lack of contribution to that website/podcast. Afterall he was the Editorial Director.

Think about it. When GS let Gerstman go he went off and created not only a kickass podcast (originally named Arrow Pointing Down) but also a kick ass website in GiantBomb.com. And those two properties, IMO, outshine those offered by GameSpot.

But the loss of talent from GameSpot didn't stop with Jeff. No, no, no.

Shortly after leaving GS, Mr.Gerstman was joined by the very witty and knowledgeable Ryan Davis. Then after that the deep voiced Bradley ShoeMaker and My Cousin Vinny Caravella joined the Bombcast team. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Sure those are only four guys. Four guys that GameSpot and CNET probably thought that they could easily replace. But I personally don't think guys like this come around all the time. And I would imagine that finding replacements for them proved to be a tough, if not impossible proposition.

Not only are these four fellows entertaining and witty on their weekly podcast, they are arguably some of the most knowledgeable media/industry types around.

Like Man God Shane Bettenhausen,Dan Hsu, Jon Davison, Garnet Lee, Victor Lucas (I could go on with a few more from 1UP here but I won't...yes I know that Mr. Lucas isn't from 1UP) the cast at GiantBomb has a vast knowledge of not only current games and goings on, they also have a long history in the gaming industry. And with that history is something called experience and experience is something that cannot be found by looking from someone off the street. Which is probably where GS had to turn.

And call me crazy, but if I was running a website or if I was an evil overlord that owned a gaming site, I would want people who know the industry inside and out. And that's why I wonder if CNET/GameSpot are still kicking themselves about the whole "Gerstman Gate"?

Now that Listen Up is gone there are very little podcasts left out there (that I listen to anyway) that have the presence that the BombCast and it's hosts have.

When you listen to those guys you can hear how well they work together. How well they know each other, and how well they mesh together. Honestly, listening to the Bombcast each week is a complete joy, and Tuesdays can't come soon enough...and unfortunately I can't say that about the HotSpot.

Actually GameSpot's the HotSpot was one of the podcasts that I recently had to cut out of my weekly podcast rotation. And in all honesty it was due to the lack of personality that Jeff, Ryan, Brad and Vinnie brought.  

Sure I'm only one guy. But I can't be the only person that unsubsrcibed to the HotSpot ( I stopped listening this past May I believe it was) after Jeff and company left. Then after leaving that podcast I naturally started visiting GiantBomb more and more...and I'd be willing to bet there are more like me. Those who used to hang out in GameSpots backyard because some of the cool kids were there. And now that those kids have moved on...I did too.

So that brings me back around to my question that popped up today while listening to the Bombcast.

Do you think GameSpot regrets letting Jeff Gerstman go?     

I wonder if GameSpot regrets letting Jeff Gerstmann go?

Today I was listening to the GiantBomb Cast, which is probably my favorite gaming podcast now that 1UP Yours/Listen Up is gone (BombCast used to be close second) and I was laughing my ass off at the antics of hosts Jeff Gerstmann, Ryan Davis, Brad ShoeMaker, and Vinny Caravella and it got me thinking: I wonder if GameSpot is kicking itself for losing such talent?

Okay it may be the case that the evil overlord CNET might not notice his absence. More than likely due to their lack of knowledge of what Gerstman brought to the table. But GameSpot itself has got to be still feeling Jeff's lack of contribution to that website/podcast. Afterall he was the Editorial Director.

Think about it. When GS let Gerstman go he went off and created not only a kickass podcast (originally named Arrow Pointing Down) but also a kick ass website in GiantBomb.com. And those two properties, IMO, outshine those offered by GameSpot.

But the loss of talent from GameSpot didn't stop with Jeff. No, no, no.

Shortly after leaving GS, Mr.Gerstman was joined by the very witty and knowledgeable Ryan Davis. Then after that the deep voiced Bradley ShoeMaker and My Cousin Vinny Caravella joined the Bombcast team. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Sure those are only four guys. Four guys that GameSpot and CNET probably thought that they could easily replace. But I personally don't think guys like this come around all the time. And I would imagine that finding replacements for them proved to be a tough, if not impossible proposition.

Not only are these four fellows entertaining and witty on their weekly podcast, they are arguably some of the most knowledgeable media/industry types around.

Like Man God Shane Bettenhausen,Dan Hsu, Jon Davison, Garnet Lee, Victor Lucas (I could go on with a few more from 1UP here but I won't...yes I know that Mr. Lucas isn't from 1UP) the cast at GiantBomb has a vast knowledge of not only current games and goings on, they also have a long history in the gaming industry. And with that history is something called experience and experience is something that cannot be found by looking from someone off the street. Which is probably where GS had to turn.

And call me crazy, but if I was running a website or if I was an evil overlord that owned a gaming site, I would want people who know the industry inside and out. And that's why I wonder if CNET/GameSpot are still kicking themselves about the whole "Gerstman Gate"?

Now that Listen Up is gone there are very little podcasts left out there (that I listen to anyway) that have the presence that the BombCast and it's hosts have.

When you listen to those guys you can hear how well they work together. How well they know each other, and how well they mesh together. Honestly, listening to the Bombcast each week is a complete joy, and Tuesdays can't come soon enough...and unfortunately I can't say that about the HotSpot.

Actually GameSpot's the HotSpot was one of the podcasts that I recently had to cut out of my weekly podcast rotation. And in all honesty it was due to the lack of personality that Jeff, Ryan, Brad and Vinnie brought.  

Sure I'm only one guy. But I can't be the only person that unsubsrcibed to the HotSpot ( I stopped listening this past May I believe it was) after Jeff and company left. Then after leaving that podcast I naturally started visiting GiantBomb more and more...and I'd be willing to bet there are more like me. Those who used to hang out in GameSpots backyard because some of the cool kids were there. And now that those kids have moved on...I did too.

So that brings me back around to my question that popped up today while listening to the Bombcast.

Do you think GameSpot regrets letting Jeff Gerstman go?     

Since Jeff left and a ton of other shit went down, Gamespot will never be what it was, I used to love the place and trust every review until that went on and ever since it just doesn't feel the same, about 2 days ago they pulled down the Modern Warfare 2 review which was an 8.5 and was bumped up to 9.0, so I see there still a sketchy website and cannot stand there ground on what the reviewer believed, I wonder how much Activision paid them.
 
I'm 100% glad I switched to Giantbomb and still visit Gamespot and I'm almost sure they regret letting him go, look what happened to the place, it's a mess. 

this picture is photoshop gold. Fucking GOLD!!!

" @Bucketdeth: Wow they pulled down the MW2 review and then bumped it up?  How did they try to cover their asses? "

I doubt they regret firing him since there's still a ton of people that visit Gamespot regularly and might not even know who he is.  Sure, the website might have lost some respect among the gaming community, but for people that don't follow the industry as closely as we do, Gamespot might be one of the only gaming related sites they visit at all. What really matters to Gamespot and its parent company is page views and they haven't lost that so they're probably not crying over the few thousand people that made the jump to Giant Bomb.
 
PS: I really hope this doesn't turn into a Gamespot bashing thread.

" @Bucketdeth: Wow they pulled down the MW2 review and then bumped it up?  How did they try to cover their asses? "

I'm the same as you, I stopped listening to the HotSpot. Giantbomb Cast is easily my favourite podcast these days and as for trying to cover their asses about MW2. I don't think they tried to lol

GiantBomb... the website for gamers who know better.  :)

"GiantBomb... the website for gamers.  :) "

Wow, This is the first time I notice that the shirt Jeff is wearing in the picture with the staff is the same as the one in the comic.

" @Adamantium said:

"GiantBomb... the website for gamers.  :) "

Fixed. :) "

" Wow, This is the first time I notice that the shirt Jeff is wearing in the picture with the staff is the same as the one in the comic. "

Gamespot showed me the face of gaming journalism.  It was my favorite website back when I was in high school.
IMO, things started going downhill when Grag and GAMECOP (forgot his name >.>) left.  Things just seem more related to TV shows style afterward.
and ofcuz the biggest RED button was Jeff getting fired, I still visit the site maybe once a week to see what's going on.
and Alex leaving was the final nail to the Gamespot coffin in my heart.  Haven't gone there ever since... well maybe once or twice a year just to sigh at it

If you mean GS corporate, I think they only regret it a little bit. GS is a pretty established site, and  a lot of casual gamers still go there for VG news (the sad fact is they probably outnumber the hardcore gamers by an order of magnitude). GS's site rating on Alexa and Compete went down a bit after Jeff left, but at the moment it's still pretty much on par with IGN, with IGN slowly surpassing. The current trend could be due to many things though, including GS's current rather lame staff. 

CNET no longer owns Gamespot, CBS does.
 
But Gamespot has new people there now, but they are as generic as they come.

Since they all left, I stopped listening to The Hotspot. It's a crappy podcast now. There is no talent in it. As for the editors, a few aren't bad. But now I despise Aaron Thomas because his blog is just completely plagiarized, or so I've seen in my few visits to Gamespot. I frown upon Gamespot right now. They might not of wanted the Gerstmann Gate to happen, but they could of made a better attempt at finding new editors. And right now, I frown upon Gamespot and CNET for not realizing the mistake in all of this.
 
I've found refuge, you could say, in Giant Bomb. It's podcast is filled with talent. It's long, which is great. The editors actually know all of their games, not just the ones being discussed. And the site? Well, it's pretty damn good.
 
Gamespot certainly might regret letting Jeff go, even if it was CNET Networks that let him go. But they need to at least acknowledge that at some point.

" Since Jeff left and a ton of other shit went down, Gamespot will never be what it was, I used to love the place and trust every review until that went on and ever since it just doesn't feel the same, about 2 days ago they pulled down the Modern Warfare 2 review which was an 8.5 and was bumped up to 9.0, so I see there still a sketchy website and cannot stand there ground on what the reviewer believed, I wonder how much Activision paid them. I'm 100% glad I switched to Giantbomb and still visit Gamespot and I'm almost sure they regret letting him go, look what happened to the place, it's a mess.  "

They should, after Jeff was fired is went downhill... quickly.

I think you guys are being a little harsh, there are still some good personalities there in modern times. Brian Ekberg, Justin Calvert (maker of the worlds greatest Red Bull logo in Forza 3), Tom McShea, Brendan Sinclair's a decent host for the Hotspot (even though I personally prefer the Vinny / Rich Gallup days), Kevin Van Ord. All these people are interesting and pretty funny, some of the best podcasts i've listened to recently consisted of some combination of those people. 
 
I know it's all that Jazz to continue to hate Gamespot, but regardless of what you crazies are speculating in your tinfoil hat production facilities, their reviews are still excellent and well written. And their event coverage is second to none. The only thing I really miss is some of their crazier video features (You say Button... etc), but thats what Giant Bomb is for, right? Thats my thoughts on the matter.

This is just a superiorly designed, friendlier and more welcoming site.  As much as it sucks that Jeff got fired from his old job, I'm glad this site exists.  Gamespt, IGN: too big, too devoid of personality

In all honestly i had never really heard of jeff or ryan until i saw one of them on X-play talking about his recent "Job Loss".  
I heard him mention arrow pointing down so i went there listened to the first 3 podcasts within 2 days and have been hooked ever since.  
 
Even when it was just the 2 of them i could tell this would become my favorite gaming site.  
 
Once i heard the sexy sultry sounds of Bradly and vincent then the true beast was born...THE BOMBCAST.
 
 I respect thier opinions so much when it comes to games that i pretty much have to at least rent anything they give a favorable review to.  
 
Although in the beginning i hated the idea of them getting fired for giving a game a bad review in the end i love it because it brought on what is in my opinion the best gaming website there is. 

" This is just a superiorly designed, friendlier and more welcoming site.  As much as it sucks that Jeff got fired from his old job, I'm glad this site exists.  Gamespt, IGN: too big, too devoid of personality "

You can tell why Gamespot is not as good as GiantBomb just by watching the New Super Mario Bros. Wii Quick look that got posted a few days ago.
The GiantBomb crew , judging by that quick look , is having fun and making fun of each other, while playing the game :P  
you can't get that kind of comedy on gamespot :P
GB has a lot of personality , while GS does not X_X

" You can tell why Gamespot is not as good as GiantBomb just by watching the New Super Mario Bros. Wii Quick look that got posted a few days ago. The GiantBomb crew , judging by that quick look , is having fun and making fun of each other, while playing the game :P   you can't get that kind of comedy on gamespot :P GB has a lot of personality , while GS does not X_X "

It probably hasn't made a lot of difference to GameSpot/Cnet. Gamespot is still one of the biggest video game websites in the world. Losing the talent of Jeff & co really won't have made a huge difference to them. Most people who visit gamespot either didn't know who Jeff Gerstman was, or knew him as "That dude from On The Spot" or "That dude that wrote a review". The Hardcore following was only a very small percentage of visitors, and their revenue loss from lost hits will be extremely small.

i would say yes. i don't like gamespot anymore and the only game podcast i listen to is Bombcast and IGN UK. i think Bombcast is brilliant and Gamespot can never live down what they did.

Do you have any idea how much I would pay for proof that he got fired for the Kane and Lynch review??? As in to hear it coming from Jeff's mouth?

Are you really Vinny's cousin?