>>720719190
The Mass Effect 3 ending fiasco was the first big red flag that all game journalists were in a clique together, establishing narratives on how to present and bolster/kill games they liked or hated before they even released. This is unironically the moment where game news sites like Kotaku, IGN, etc. truly began to die and be replaced by individual content creators like Youtubers and streamers.
It was a damning incident that basically undercut the very nature of their credibility - nothing they said was about helping you determine if you'll enjoy a game, it was all just networking and greased palms dictating who got what scores.