First off, I will miss Jeff incredibly. He was sometimes a little too wacky and he had trained a generation of gamers too yell when they talk on the phone (see hotspot callers for more proof of that), but he was a great host and excellent journalist (he did call it like it was). Good luck Gerstmann.

I know that this crap that has gone on for the last couple of weeks has been excruciating. I've been monitoring the blogs and have seen the articles bashing your credibility. It has to be painful. We all should realize that Alex, Ryan, and the rest of the crew had NOTHING to do with the firing of Jeff. Unless, Jeff was doing something outright wrong, like stealing pens or something. But come on, he wouldn't have comprimised his long standing job here at Gamespot.

So yeah it does suck what happened. But I think that if anything gaming journalism learned some valuable lessons. One, everyone on the internet (there are some exceptions), will turn on you in a split second. Two, any change is always going to be difficult (for those directly involved, and for the viewers). I know for a fact, that Greg quitting was tough, and so was Colayco, Carrie, and Gallup's departures also (there were others too, its been so long). Hell, all I am is a user and visitor to this site!

So Gamespot, I'm still with you. You guys have brought me all my gaming needs, influenced my purchases, and taken me into a community of fellow gamers. Lets fight the man together!

I dont know what it is, i mean it beat out my other favorite games (burnout 3, halo 2, kotor 2, etc) and I think that it may have to do with the price (20 bucks), the depth (300+ skills to earn/sort/use/kickpeoplesasswith), and the multiplayer (online battles are adrenaline filled, tactical and action packed).

Sure the game's visual style is kinda goofy, but after you find out the monster plot twist it becomes a little more tolerable. I can only hope that PD2 will have customizable characters. hopefully MS sees that this game is selling pretty well and that it is pretty popular. Hell they need more niche products and they have something that works, why not stick with it and make it more awesomer (not a word).

Customizing aresenals is great, and if you make some friends online they will usually help you create strategies and techniques. They dont give their stuff away, but they will share secrets. Some of my best online experiences has been matches where i get a real team player of a teammate and we work together to dish out some tactical damage.

oh yeah, so if you're still on the fence about this game. GET THE HELL OFF IT. it has been a gaming experience unlike anything else I have ever played. It has the depth, the fun, and the multiplayer (and a great campaign too) to make it worth the measly twenty bucks you'd spend.

In fact here is a picture of a twenty dollar bill, something that you can part with for this awesome game that most likely be hard to find very soon.

Just got my money from my side job, as a video engineer for a local company. Soon "Professional Window Cleaning Tips for Residential Window Cleaners Volume 1" will hit the catalogs and internet like wildfire and my good name will be populating the homes of hundreds. While I wasn't the host, I did EVERYTHING else, audio work, music mixing, video editing, maintinence, camera techniques and overall spit and polish. While its not gorgeous, its great for something that a couple of guys out of podunk Mount Vernon Washington (thats where he lives, I work) could do.

Nonetheless, its going towards my next computer. I'm going to get one from work, either a compaq with an athlon 64 chip or a P4 gateway. really i havent decided, i just would like to join my friends in WoW.

I am currently in love with the Halo 2 game mode editor. While it is not as robust and diverse as a true level editor, it is simple enough for my simple simian mind to grasp. Because of its ease of use, I have been churning out gametypes for the GS-forumites wednesday night halo 2 XBL parties.
Its so odd how making people not have radar will change a game, or giving everyone access to super weapons, or giving them only one live will change the entire psychology of a game. Instead of becoming a run-n-gun affair, players are tasked to think about what the hell they are doing, and to make sure they dont get creamed.
While Halostrike is pretty popular (*cough* i created it), I'm looking to find another gametype that will compel the community to play more. Its tough though, as many of the people on my friends list have not been on live since Nov 10th. Or at least I havent seen them since launch and the day after.
The GGD group is great online. We dont take things too seriously, and we still encourage fun over anything else. I have friends come over and play, and while they get discouraged and do stupid stuff, the GGD players dont get too mad at them. From what my guests have told me they are not trying to do anything intentional, they just suck and get confused during some of the gametypes (Rocketball, and Minda's Extreme Banshee).
Oh and Halo 2 NEEEEEEEEEEEEEDs more maps, theres really no excuse for this. 125 million bucks and they cant hire a guy to churn out maps everyday? Seriously this is LAME. MS is not only leaving us gamers out in the dust, but they are missing out on possible $$$$$s from the million or so people playing that could be buying 5 dollar map packs (I dont like having to pay for them, but you know that MS will do it). I mean, seriously.

Beat them, mercilessly in a matchmaking game. Most players will be wow'd by your abilities and want to be your buddy. I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Lol.