Fandom turned this thing into a pure marketing gimmick. I've disabled all e-mail and site notifications. Find me on Twitter under my real name, if you like.

Apart from that, I wish anyone that sees this all of the blessings the universe has to offer.

I did a search for my old GameSpot profile and noticed that all of my images and backgrounds had disappeared, and that all of my reviews now point to GSxxfrank-provoxxGS. Who the F is that guy? I guess I need to talk to someone about that. Anyway, I'm still alive. I still work in accounting and am slowly studying my way to an associate's degree that will enable me to take the CPA exam (I already have a bachelor's degree; just need the accounting credits).

And yes, I still play video games, mostly of the "retro" variety. I won't bother to list what I'm playing, since I seem to update this page about once every few years, but it's safe to say that at any given moment there's a good chance I'm playing something with Castlevania or Street Fighter in the title.

My orange cat is named "Tang." He is awesome.

Oh, hi there. It's been, what, almost six years? Yeah, hi... I work in the accounting field now, and while it's not the most thrilling type of work, I do appreciate the security it affords. Anyway, I brought myself out of isolation to comment on something I've read on various forums. Long story short: I reviewed Super Metroid for the Wii Virtual Console some years ago and supposedly gave it a score of 8.5, and people think I'm a raging boner for doing so. Well, guess what haters -- I didn't. For kicks, I checked the original Word document I submitted. The review I submitted for copy editing had a score of 9.0 in the "suggested overall score" box. Make of it what you will. I can say that, while not explicitly stated, GameSpot's editors at the time supported an informal policy that WiiVC releases had to be judged not for their significance, but for their overall place within the ENTIRE gestalt of the Virtual Console library. Or, to put it another way: we were supposed to ding them a little for being $5 to $10 money-grabs. Honestly, I think Super Metroid is a great game, and I think the review gets the point across. Moreover, this further points to why I say readers need to READ or LISTEN to the content of reviews and just ignore the score entirely. What does an 8.5 or a 9.0 mean anyway? Other than being better than a 5.0, a number doesn't tell you whether or not the game will be right for you. Good tidings, y'all.

It's true, I'm no longer contributing to GameSpot. I believe CNet management let Jeff go for all the wrong reasons. I believe CNet intends to soften the site's tone and push for higher scores to make advertisers happy. I won't lie to people and tell them a game is good when it isn't. I won't downplay negatives that readers have a right to know about. And so, Frank Provo's contributions to GameSpot end after nearly 8 years. March 2000 through December 2007. It was a nice run. I feel sorry for the GameSpot staff that have to continue to work there, because they have no choice if they want to be able to pay bills and feed their families. For such upstanding people, the CNet overlords have created the ultimate soul-crushing work environment.

Feel free to check out my LiveJournal: http://frankprovo.livejournal.com Parting advice: "I never drive faster than I can see and besides that it's all in the reflexes."