Video Game Podcast Spotlight - Gamespot vs. IGN - Which One Sucketh?

Although I don't purchase and play as many games regularly as I'd like to on my Xbox, I keep in touch with what's going on in the industry by visiting daily Gamespot.com and IGN.com, two of the most popular sites for video game news and info. For the longest time, I considered these two sites on equals footing, in terms of providing the most comprehensive coverage in games. They both provide essentially the same news, same videos clips, same screenshots. If I was looking for the scoop on the latest anticipated game, it would be rare that I would find different info that would not be other's site (mostly recent followings include Fight Night Round 3 (purchased), G.R. Advanced Warfighter, Black.)

Only recently have I begin subscribing to each of their weekly podcasts, and only now have I realize just how superior Gamespot is at covering video games over IGN. To put it bluntly, IGN's podcast licks the balls- it's as if you were listening to Ben Stein and Jim Lehrer do the play by play and color commentary for Monday Night Friggin' Football. Who could imagine video games could sound so insipid and stale? At one point I wondered if I accidentally was listening to an NPR podcast and the Story of the Day was how attendees at E3 this year would react to the recent crackdown of booth babes wearing scantily clad clothing.

Listening to the Gamespot's The HotSpot podcast, on the otherhand, is like overhearing a heated debate at a college bar among a table of guys over which movie sequel is the best of all time (in my book, Aliens wins by a tight margin over Empire.) These guys, and the occasional girl, have a blast, cracking satirical jokes, riffin' on each other, and making occaisional references to 80's glam-rock, the Simpsons, and D list actors, while still providing insightful and eclectic commentary about the latest video game news of the week. They add personality and a voice that this 31 year old can relate to and appreciate. Slightly silly and immature? Absolutely. But isn't that what video games are all about? It's friggin video games for cripes sake. If I wanted spend my commute to work listening to deep, stagnant dialogue about how to win the latest war game in modern combat, I'll listen to Tim Russert's Meet the Press podcast.