GTAIV revealed the flaws of the gaming "media," who are an extension of each company's PR department 90% of the time, and actually reporting, providing decent criticism, and analyzing issues surrounding the industry with the leftover 10%. maybe it's more like 95% to 5%...or less. Sure, some easy targets get shitty reviews, some not-so-easy targets will get 7s, 8s, but could GTAIV get a 7 or 8 from any of the big sites? I doubt it. it would probably end up in another Gerstmann gate.
Other outlets who aren't fueled by publisher dollars should take up reviews. It's the whole problem, lets face it. The writers for the big gaming sites and mags are gamers at heart and are trying to make a living, so they have to play by the publisher's rules to continue getting access to these companies and their games. The A/V Club, local newspapers, Wired, and other sources should hire the better writers from these gaming sites and provide a viable alternative to the current set up.
At the end of the day though, nobody really takes gaming seriously enough to care.
