*How* big? (gamespy.com)

Member Name: Stalin

Product:	gamespy.com
Date:	10/07/01 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Big, Loads of content and features, Well managed

Disadvantages: Bloated, FilePlanet in a poor state at the moment

GameSpy describe themselves as "Gaming's Homepage", and that it most certainly is! GameSpy have been around for a long time, and are most famous for their GameSpy 3D software (also excellent). With the success that this brought them, they constructed an ever-expanding network of gaming sites, the hub of which is www.gamespy.com.

The network covers simply everything. There are dedicated sites for all popular games (and some less popular) each with plenty of news, guides and other features. FilePlanet is the biggest resource for gaming files in existence. Sites exist for all major consoles, and there is a news service that frankly is so up to date that it's scary.

Of course, it was software that got them started, and they continue in that tradition. Sitting along side GS3D is GS Arcade, a server browser for the less hard-core. They also have RadioSpy, an mp3 streaming app that is unfortunately not currently operating due to the recent Napster happenings.

The content is all on the hard-core gaming side of things, although they have become more mainstream since they started. A regular group of staff are always their giving their humorous comments and editorials to keep you entertained, and there are even daily comics! They also host masses of sites, all of which give you additional resources.

The one big criticism that I have to make is that there is a certain bloatedness about all of their operations. Their site is slow due to flash animated menus (which, I admit, are handy) and GS Arcade is practically unusable on a modem, since it almost entirely web based. FilePlanet is also unable to handle the traffic, with most mirrors busy 24/7.

If I had to sum up GameSpy in one sentence, it would be "The Microsoft of gaming". They are huge, and wield huge power in the gaming community. I just hope they don't abuse it.

Summary: