If I wanted a site that gave better reviews based for sufficient compensation, I'd have gone to IGN.

I am wary, to say the least, of the overall rise in ratings on Gamespot since the departure of Jeff Gerstmann. I love gamespot and have been coming here for my gaming updates for 6 years, but I've noticed alot of 9.5's and 10.0's recently associated with big name titles. MGS4 and GTA IV both getting 10's, and a host of games getting 9.5's seems to me to indicate, not only less thought on the rating scales and more thought on final ratings, but also a disturbing rise in ratings. 10's and 9.5's? Good games get 9.0 and 8.5s. What happened to 9.6 or 9.3?

For example, great games used to get varied scores: God of War II -- 9.3, Half Life 2 -- 9.2, Halo 2 -- 9.4, MGS3 -- 9.6. No even scores, no 10.0's. There was always one factor that brought down the score of a game. I have a harder time trusting their reviews now.

It seems that the trend now is to cushion one's ratings in order to gain favor from game companies in ad placements and "exclusive reviews." At least Gamespot hasn't stooped to IGN's level in that regard. Whoever heard of an exclusive early review granted to a company? Exclusive previews, sure, but reviews?

Anyways to rap it up:

I was originally attracted to Gamespot because it had frank and honest ratings. I hope they prove me wrong in the future.

I like 2K games for the most part. Bioshock was pretty sweet in my opinion, along with 2K sports games.

If EA gets this deal, do you think that they are going to leave two different high quality products on the market competing against each other? I'm not thinking so. When there's no competition, there's no motivation. That's just how things work. In sports at least, 2K is EA's biggest competitor. This would mean EA would have no competition in sports games (minus soccer) like it is with Madden. Which is why Madden hasn't been making leaps and bounds in innovation--no motivation. They bought the exclusive license. I prefer 2K sport games because they actually try. When EA doesn't have competition, they just recycle the games and tweak the graphics and names.

Monopolies lower quality, that's just how it works. They're bad for the industry and art of video games. I'm not even a fan of GTA, I don't care about it. I care about gaming as a whole, and it will be a step in the wrong direction if this goes through.

EA is good at business, i'll give them that, but they suck at video games.

I think if Windows had something to compete with in the same market, Vista probably wouldn't suck.

EA can put out all the sucky games it wants, I just don't like it when they try to create an environment of stagnation by buying out developers so they can use the names and make sucky games out of them. They should stick to publishing if you ask me. I would be content with that.

Competition drives quality. Would athletes push themselves to the point of dehydration and bodily harm if there was no body else playing against them? No, you could walk to the goal line or tap the ball/puck into an empty net. True, you would have to make it entertaining enough to draw an audience long enough to make your money, but nothing more. Anything more would be a waste of funds in the minds of those who provide the funds.

While the industry would be able to adjust after a period of time, as is the way with things, the sports game genre would be set back significantly if this deal goes through. The more diversity and competition, the better.

Even if I did like EA, which I used to back in the good old days of Red Alert 2 and Emperor: Battle for Dune, this would be enough to make me dislike them strongly. Buying one's way out competition is good for business, but bad for the industry, bad for quality, bad for the art of games, and, if I may be so bold, cowardly. Now with these hostile takeover offers, a lack of respect for Take2 is apparent. I can't see them not having issues with the developers, who are probably content where they are at. I have a hard time believing the developers under Take2 would enjoy working for such a company.