Even going back to the 90s video game magazines and their reviews were ragged on as marketing material for publishers but there was still some semblance of reverence over the years for the big magazines and websites (IGN and Gamespot. Maybe 1Up). After the Kane and Lynch Gamespot review fiasco, that to me was when gamer internet discourse over game journalism tanked to ever worsening hostility towards games reporters/journalist.

That Kane and Lynch review scandal tanked Gamespots reputation. That was probably also the era of making fun of the game awards guy as the Dorito/Mountain Dew Pope with that Spike TV video game award show