Hey retardo... why don't you come to your senses?

[digitalpress]

Can I say that I'm just a little bitter that a brain donor like Tommy Tallarico can get a job as a game reviewer on a national television network, while I'm treated like a pariah by every professional gaming magazine and web site in the entire universe?

Why are you surprised, when you do things like introduce someone as "a brain donor" and make other insulting observations such as:

He's a musician. In other words, he's responsible for the least important part of any video game.

For someone who knows videogaming as much as you should, I can hardly believe you'd make a statement like that. I'm sure the people who study the arts and learn how to develop sound in our favorite medum - and who are not brain donors - would really take that little stab pretty hard.

It may further disappoint you to know that I enjoy Tallarico's music and I even enjoy his TV work on Judgement Day. You know, at first, I thought "this guy totally doesn't fit the mold of 'game reviewer'". It was after watching a few episodes that I came to the conclusion that this is a GOOD thing. I don't always agree with his take on a game, but at least I BELIEVE him. He doesn't mince words ands is very clear about what he thinks is good and bad about the games. I'd give the same credit to Victor Lucas. They make a pretty good team as they're often "good cop/bad cop" with games.

[larsoncc]

This is a long, relatively stupid post. However, if you know me, you know I'm prone to do such things.

Point One: I think there is a "video game press on TV thing". When I was at E3, I was bumped aside by TV crews, a MINIMUM of 5 times, with no apology or excuse. Regardless of the crowds, nearly everyone else was accomodating, and at very LEAST had an "excuse me" or a "pardon me" before making their way through. Gamer prima donnas. Emphasis on the Donna.

Sorry, a little bile came up there.

Point Two: Music is a significant contribution to games. However, when the F*CK did the gaming press turn into ESPN? Why do former game industry people automatically get work as a TV anchor or reviewer or whatever else? He didn't prove himself as a writer. He proved himself as a musician. IMHO, that's "invalid selection criteria". The game review sub-industry needs to, oh, I don't know... hire journalists?!? Maybe a writer?

I'm not knocking this guy specifically, but it's another thing that just makes me hang my head.

Point Three: Point Three is Point Three. See also Point Three.

If you've managed to break out of the recursion of point three, I would like to preach the following:

1. You're only "locked out of writing" if you tell yourself you are. Noone can take your freedom of speech, only your audience. However, if you have something significant to say, your audience will find you. If you're an also-ran, your audience may also find you. You must keep writing, which I'm glad that you do. Don't lament ANYTHING, so long as what you are doing NOW is morally good and rooted in truth.

2. You must use the power of your eyes - Ignore inbred sources for gaming news/reviews. If you don't like the fact that you're not able to make inroads within a specific outlet you must do something. Say you don't like their method of market targeting, or you don't like their policies of "exclusives" and exclusion, OR you don't like their hiring practices, then you must stop reading that outlet.

BEAR IN MIND - that some of this material is a PLANT. It is there to generate controversy (not this article specifically, but in general). In order to gain viewership, which they need to drive ad sales, some publications will do or say nearly anything within the bounds of the law. They MUST - it is their responsibility to stay afloat. Granted, this is not true in all cases, but you need to look for the signs. You must force yourself to walk away, and not come back. In these cases, letters of complaint usually feed the process - they'll publish your letter to continue the meta-story. ARTIFICIAL CONTROVERSY and ARTIFICIAL SCARCITY drive these publications / TV shows. Just remember that.

JR, you have probably sent hundreds of people to this outlet (or will have sent) - You've given them money. Money is directly equal to encouragement. I didn't click the link. I wouldn't click on a G4 link, either - I disapprove of how their staff treated other attendees at E3, I expressed as much to those that would listen, and I'll keep saying it tilll I see something vaguely worthwhile from that organization. Nothing I've seen from G4 indicates to me that they're on the right path. Continuing in that vein, I'll add that I don't think that their treatment of the Tech TV staff was/is ethical, according to the information that I have, and the person that I spoke with.

3. If people are still angry about your past writing, welll - fu*k em. It's not right for you or them to keep complaining...

ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU WERE 15.

Dude, you were 15. I was fairly reprehensible through much of my early years, up to... oh, 5 years ago. Not only are people on the recieving end of this criticism and "bashing" short sighted and lame, YOU are too. If you're not doing right, right now... well, time to correct that.

/soapbox.

[larsoncc]

Two more quickies:

1. don't be surprised if, when you insult someone, they find out about it and frown.

2. I didn't read the guy's article - none of my post was meant to bash that guy specifically. Like I said, making general stupid statements.

[punkoffgirl]

Hmm.. Clicked on the link to the thread.. Is it a big fanboy fight or something? Someone got mad because he gave better reviews to one system than they thought that system deserved to get for its games? I swear, that's what it reads like to me. This reviewer gave better scores to GC games, a viewer/reader thought the reviewer should have given better scores to the PS2 games instead, and now they're having a pissing match of sorts?

[nintendo_man]

i cant stand tommy tallarico and i never could an just reading that mkes me despise of him even more

[Push Upstairs]

I didn't click the link. I wouldn't click on a G4 link, either - I disapprove of how their staff treated other attendees at E3

What did they do at E3?

[Aswald]

Wow. Godwin's Law in just one post.

Jorpho, for the last time, Godwin is an idiot, and his so-called "law" does not really exist. It's as valid as "Rushscaifes's Law," that says if you criticize the current Administration, you must be in favor of terrorism.*


* Of course, this law does not really exist- like Godwin's law.

[larsoncc]

I didn't click the link. I wouldn't click on a G4 link, either - I disapprove of how their staff treated other attendees at E3

What did they do at E3?

This is my perception - and hey, maybe I took more note of the G4 people because they wore bright orange, and they bowled me over a few times.

But I did notice, right or wrong, and this is what I saw/percieved...

What I saw of their interactions with people around them was far more "people herding" than cooperation. Granted, everyone there was hustling for a story. That much is true. But how organizations went about getting their stories said a lot. Compared to other TV / film crews, they stood out.

For instance, when they wanted to play a game (not filming) or legitimately film a game, they'd come up to some sap that was already playing, and say "We're trying to film here. Move.", or "I need 4 feet of space, get out of the way." And take over the game spot. Like I already said, they didn't really walk around, they bulldozed. I almost kissed the Ratchet and Clank demo screens cause they walked THROUGH me on their way to whatever the hell was on fire (which was not my last encounter with them).

Contrast this with the staff of Game Informer magazine. They were exceedingly polite. They commented on the games. They had time to chat, despite being very busy (a working chat, but a chat nonetheless).

This can also be contrasted with LA's local media, and Telemondo (mun 2, actually). Very, VERY cool people in those groups. And had enough sense to have a guy walking behind (no camera) and a guy walking in front (crowd control), rather than side-by-side.

As for my comments about how G4 treated the Tech TV folks...

I talked with a member of Tech TV before the Nintendo Press Conference, who basically said that everything went down right before E3 (the takeover / merger thing), and they were instructed to go cover the show - and they'd find out if they had a job when they got back. He was fairly upset about the lack of communication, and he felt (probably rightly) that he wouldn't have the opportunity to "compete" against his now redundant position in the new company.

Add to that a little hearsay, which is what I overheard - the G4 people talking amongst themselves. "Why the hell would we keep anybody from Tech TV" and "Well, this is their last show, so let the Tech TV guys enjoy it."

So, people in G4 know what's going to happen, and they are talking about it in a public forum where the Tech TV guys are wandering around...

Hey - that can be interpreted as corporate politics, and yes, it happens in many corporate environments. There's nothing about my impression of G4 that couldn't be turned on its ear and explained away. Still, based on that, and now I see that their writers / anchors are ranting....

It tells me something about the organization. And that something isn't positive.

I'd like to say something along the lines of "unprofessional." But that's not THEM, that's ME, for obvious reasons. I have the luxury of NOT competing in that arena, so I don't know what it does to a person. Still, there's a word for what I see here - like a tarnish... Like abrasiveness, brashness for no reason... Something like that. It rubs me the wrong way.

[ManekiNeko]

Can I say that I'm just a little bitter that a brain donor like Tommy Tallarico can get a job as a game reviewer on a national television network, while I'm treated like a pariah by every professional gaming magazine and web site in the entire universe?

Why are you surprised, when you do things like introduce someone as "a brain donor" and make other insulting observations such as:

He's a musician. In other words, he's responsible for the least important part of any video game.

Hey, I'm outspoken, but I'm not half the obnoxious ass that Tallarico is. He's making big money on G4 and I'm stuck out here in the boonies repairing computers for a small fraction of what I SHOULD be making an hour. That's justice for you.

For someone who knows videogaming as much as you should...

If you're questioning my knowledge of video games, Santulli, I'd be more than happy to prove myself... and prove you wrong.

I can hardly believe you'd make a statement like that.

That comment may have been extreme... it was intended as an insult to Tallarico and not video game musicians in general. However, I honestly do feel that the music and sound effects in a video game both take a back seat to more important elements such as graphics and gameplay.

It may further disappoint you to know that I enjoy Tallarico's music and I even enjoy his TV work on Judgement Day.

I find it odd that someone who went out of his way to discredit me as a writer would enjoy the rantings and ravings of a man who routinely praises video games for their T&A (even if everything else in those games is lackluster at best).

You know, at first, I thought "this guy totally doesn't fit the mold of 'game reviewer'". It was after watching a few episodes that I came to the conclusion that this is a GOOD thing.

It's never a good thing when a reviewer's rating of a video game is directly related to the bra size of its main character. If this industry is ever to be taken seriously, we'll need a lot fewer Tommy Tallaricos and a lot more responsible game reviewers like Victor Lucas.

JR

[ubersaurus]

I can't stand it when he's blatantly wrong on something. One episode he claimed that there were no vg soundtracks because no one would buy them...when I brought this up to him, he claimed he never said that, despite the fact that if I felt like digging through all the eps of J-day, I could find the one where he mentioned that. His fanboy love of Soul Calibur 2 and ripping on anything 2d is insulting to anyone who knows anything about games. He's a game reviewer who shouldn't be a game reviewer. It's like taking advice from the 16 year old fanboy working at Gamestop down the street. I don't have any problems with the other guy...but Tallarico is a whiner who should get back to composing and stay off the tv.

[slownerveaction]

Hey, I'm outspoken, but I'm not half the obnoxious ass that Tallarico is. He's making big money on G4 and I'm stuck out here in the boonies repairing computers for a small fraction of what I SHOULD be making an hour. That's justice for you.

I'm no big fan of Tallarico's review style (or his music for that matter), but I really doubt he's making TEH BIG BUX at G4. I believe I saw him say something about how he does the shows just for fun, and he makes his real money off music. I mean... take a look at the production values of Judgment Day... the show is only a few notches above local cable production quality.

Besides, there will ALWAYS be these sorts of low-brow reviewers in gaming and pretty much every other facet of criticism. Have you seen half the guys who do movie reviews on TV? Some local new reporter reviewing movies on the 10 o'clock news isn't going to discredit the cinematic artform, and Tallarico yelling "THESE GRAPHICS SUCK!" isn't going to set back gaming's respect (or lack thereof) in the mainstream media. Some people will enjoy that sort of "voice of the common man" approach to criticism, and others will ignore it.

[Allanon]

What's really disgusting is that he has a fan base. People actually agree with his reviews. You can hardly call those people gamers, though.

[Half Japanese]

What's really disgusting is that he has a fan base. People actually agree with his reviews. You can hardly call those people gamers, though.

Yes, because we all know that anyone who doesn't agree with our opinions isn't a true gamer. I don't care for the man all that much myself but who cares? His show is still a hell of a lot better than X-Play has ever been. He might be an egotistical prick, but (and I don't mean to be rude here, just honest and observational) Jess' comments come across the same way sometimes. Those are my two (unintentionally) flame-attracting cents.

[Allanon]

What's really disgusting is that he has a fan base. People actually agree with his reviews. You can hardly call those people gamers, though.

Yes, because we all know that anyone who doesn't agree with our opinions isn't a true gamer. I don't care for the man all that much myself but who cares? His show is still a hell of a lot better than X-Play has ever been. He might be an egotistical prick, but (and I don't mean to be rude here, just honest and observational) Jess' comments come across the same way sometimes. Those are my two (unintentionally) flame-attracting cents.

This has nothing to do with objective game reviewers at gamespot or other places. If they dislike a game they almost always have good reasons for disliking it. TT's reasons for disliking a game are always shallow and pathetic. A game doesn't need boobs or realistic graphics in order to be good. That's why I said people who agree with him aren't real gamers.

[ManekiNeko]

He might be an egotistical prick, but (and I don't mean to be rude here, just honest and observational) Jess' comments come across the same way sometimes.

Fair enough. It wouldn't be the first time I've heard such complaints. Nevertheless, I still feel that the gaming community deserves better than Tommy Tallarico.

JR

P.S. Yikes. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that G4 would treat people like this, since they are a division of Comcast, the cable company so enormous that it nearly swallowed Disney whole. Someone at the channel should realize that they're getting a free ride and if it weren't for the deep pockets of their parent company, nobody would pay any attention to them at all. As it is, many people who actually PLAY video games want nothing to do with G4... and it's easy to see why when they hire schmucks like Tommy Tallarico.

[Richter Belmount]

the passion of Tommy Tallarico

[Kepone]

http://forums.g4tv.com/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=2928

Can I say that I'm just a little bitter that a brain donor like Tommy Tallarico can get a job as a game reviewer on a national television network, while I'm treated like a pariah by every professional gaming magazine and web site in the entire universe?

JR

Why can't he just ignore the opinion of a few assholes? If he was truly above everyone as he likes to think, he would ignore the comments and move on like a rational human being.

"Few of us can stand prosperity. Another man's I mean." -Mark Twain

And having watched G4TTV, I think Judgement Day is rubbish myself.

[Jibbajaba]

Maybe I'm dumb, but is the title to this thread supposed to be sung to the tune of "Desperado" by The Eagles?

[Kid Ice]

Maybe I'm dumb, but is the title to this thread supposed to be sung to the tune of "Desperado" by The Eagles?

Yeah, it does have a sort of musical quality, doesn't it? I was thinking "Hey Jude" by the Beatles, actually.

I don't have anything against Tallarico, but best thread title ever.

[ManekiNeko]

Maybe I'm dumb, but is the title to this thread supposed to be sung to the tune of "Desperado" by The Eagles?

Yeah, that's true. Actually, I nicked the forum topic from a late episode of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. In it, Space Ghost interviews Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and proceeds to serenade him with a song about using urine to cure the mentally handicapped. It was a strange, strange episode.

JR

P.S. Kepone, when did I ever say that I was "above" everyone else? Oh yeah, that's right... I DIDN'T.