While I personally find this annoying its to be expected from fans. I joined the internet back during the N64 days and the same amount of hatred existed, except then the problem was that Nintendo was too stubborn to let any third parties in and they relied too much on their first party games. Fans, even your must loyal ones, will always have something to bitch about.
It REALLY annoys me when websites and magazines do it. Like I mentioned in the 1up thread it makes the site look very childish and immature, making it hard to take their word seriously.
Maybe its just me but when you are in journalism people see you as having a higher opinion than the common masses. You are supposed to inform them in a calm and professional manner about something. Hasn't anyone noticed that the most respected journalists are those that offer a news story in a professional way while those that try to ram an opinion down our throats get mocked and ridiculed, no matte what he or she is trying to say? I think the same can happen with game journalism.
For example, we all know that Matt simply doesn't like Nintendo's decision. That's fine. However, he is using his position as a gaming journalist to try and vent what is really personal frustration in hopes of convincing others and even Nintendo to accept his views. He's been doing this since the N64 days and it makes him the biggest fair weathered friend in existence.
As much as I enjoyed Wii Music I'll be the first to say that its a niche concept that needs to be tried once, but make sure to rent first, because this is a game where the experience is defined by the player. IE, if you get it its great, if not it sucks. Its hard to call the game something when this is one of those titles that NEED to be experienced first hand in order to get it.
So clearly Matt didn't get it and didn't like Wii Music. That's fine. The problem, however, is that he was childish about it, confessing in the E3 podcast that he couldn't wait to get the game and bash it to hell and back, tossing any credibility he had as a game journalist.
It bugs me because this sort of stuff is expected from a fanboy. I just ignore it. But when I go to a website to get info on a game I don't care if the journalist is so depressed over Wii Fit that he drinks Zanax milkshakes every morning to cope with the game. I just want my info free of any personal judgment because that's something I get from the COMMUNITY.
This happens with 1up, Game Daily and Games Radar as well. They focus so much on venting that they forget that they are there to provide information and content to the masses. And this happens WAY too often.
And like you said, Zucas, it isn't really about forming an opinion in hopes of Nintendo noticing, its about insulting the game so they get what THEY want. They may mention gamers but what they really want is for their needs to be met.
