Gamespot and ESRB.org

There's two sites on the docket for today's post, something fun and something related, but more sober:

Gamespot - www.gamespot.com - 3.5 Stars

Gamespot is my personal favorite site when it comes to gaming news. The site is a great source for information on games new and old for PC or any major (and most minor) console system in existence, past and present.

Actually, I'd more accurately describe Gamespot as an electronic magazine. It includes many of the same things like feature articles and game reviews, but is usually updated 5-6 days a week. The core of the content are the game reviews in my opinion. Their rating system is on a 10 point scale and is well described on the site. Few games get 10s and fewer get 0s, with most games seeming to fall in the 6-8 range. Gamespots editorial policy is availble though the "about us" page accessible by scrolling to the bottom.

In addition to this more "traditional" content, Gamespot has a lot of multimedia content including downloads, video, screenshots, and podcasts. It also includes many features like fourms and the ability to maintain a "wishlist" and "owned list" which really lend it a sense of community (for good or ill).

The layout of the site is busy, but consistent, so its easy to learn to navigate. The site is more conducive to browsing (read: the searching stinks). Be prepared to play and explore a little bit when you visit the first couple times.

Entertainment Software Rating Board - www.esrb.org - 4 Stars

This is a very well constructed site. For those not in the know, the Entertainment Software Rating Board is the group that decides what rating symbol ends up on the game boxes you buy. Their website is an excellent extension of their mission to help parents keep track of what games their kids are playing.

The site includes resources for parents and children that explain the rating system and define the "content" codes on the ESRB labels among other things. The site also includes a great "webliography"that lists other sites that will be of use to parents.

However, the center of attention is and should be the search interface. It allows the user to search by Publisher or Title keyword, by Rating, by Platform (PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox...), or by content (mild violence, etc.). This lets you print out great lists of titles to refer to while doing christmas shopping, for example. Overall, one of the best intersite search tools I've seen.