Chuf and I occasionally discuss the sites that we trust in regards to game coverage and reviews: as mentioned previously, I have a fondness for 1UP for reviews and editorial content, and occasionally look at Gamespot as well. Chuf on the other hand likes him some Gamespot and IGN. On the latter, we have more or less agreed to disagree.

I have a rather pronounced… distaste for IGN for a myriad of reasons: the childish and fanboy baiting organization of their Editorial content and coverage into platform specific channels, which I feel leads to the inflation of review scores and disingenuous positions on gaming situations. Not only that, but there seems to be an exceedingly enthusiastic sense of obligation to tell their community what it wants to hear, for fear of the rabid uprisings that arise when they do the opposite. If I wanted to have my opinions of a game read back to me, however, I would chant them in front of a mirror as though a part of some dark ritual. Put more simply, I don’t feel like I can trust them, and frequently, their community as a whole disgusts me. Strong words huh? Well, keep reading.
IGN has also established a tendency in the last year or two to buck commonly held editorial stances among the gaming news world. This isn’t in and of itself a bad thing. A few days ago, IGN selected Okami as their Game of the Year, as opposed to, say Gears of War, which seems to be the most common selection, or Twilight Princess, with its ravenous and unflinchingly devoted fan community. I’m ok with this choice, though I don’t agree with it, and it’s good to see a game that was so artistically risky get that kind of recognition, and hopefully the exposure will help it sell more copies. But there are corners of the web that would have IGN’s editorial staff castrated for that decision, whether by chainsaw or Master Sword, and I don’t think that’s fair. Picking on IGN is now something for the elite few, the I’m-Cooler-Than-Thou’s, the indie rock originalists of the gaming community, and in this case, it’s crap.

Today, Joystiq posted this article separate from the context of its original appearance. Taken in this way, it seems pretty ridiculous, especially the quoted section:

Gasp! Someone claiming the PS3 is better than the Wii!? Officially?! Take a deep breath. The aforementioned quote is actually from IGN Gear’s Best Of list, and from their position, I’m inclined to agree. Technologically speaking, and from a hardware standpoint, the PS3 is a more compelling product based solely on its potential than the Wii, which is, let’s be honest here you and I, repackaged tech from the previous console generation sold at outrageous mark-up. Do you see what you’ve done Joystiq? You’ve made me side with IGN on something. And while I certainly have issues with some of the crap that spawns from IGN, I find misleading and sensationalistic crap from you just as annoying, if not more so. So shame on you Joystiq.