I haven’t mentioned much about the whole Kane & Lynch/Gamspot/Jeff Gerstmann thing, as there are better sources for that sort of information from people with more time than me to cover it.
Nevertheless, I’ve been thinking a lot about it, especially from the perspective of blogs. The idea (whether it’s true or not) that video game publishers can strong-arm “enthusiast” publications into providing favorable coverage (previews, media, reviews) has been around for a long time and has always been troubling. Something can and should be done. I have been mulling around with some ideas for buttonmashing.com that may or may not come to fruition, but it’s still something I feel strongly about. Maybe something we can remedy collectively.
However you feel about the whole situation should not stop you from reading N’Gai Croals piece today at his Level Up blog. It’s a must-read.