The code monkeys of GameSpot will be performing tomorrow (Thursday) March 7th at 5:00am PST in a scheduled maintenance performance. This performance will cause a short outage which is expected to last approximately two hours. While you should still be able to browse much of the site as per usual, there are a few features will be unavailable.

Important things to know about the down time:
- Forums will be down for maintenance, so you will not be able to access them during the 2 hour window.
- User Blogs will be down for the duration; however user reviews will still be available.
- Users will stay logged in, as this maintenance only affects forum related activity

If you find yourself with an urge to participate on the site during this time the comments section will still be available on news articles, videos, and features. We have a reboot video blog contest, as well as a new Chalk Talk assignment. You can also keep in touch with us via Twitter, Facebook, or if you're in San Francisco there's always smoke signals.

To-Do List

- WATCH the BAFTA Games Awards livestream starting at 12:30 PT
- RESPOND to Mrs Violence playing Gears of War: Judgement
- GRAB a Blacklight: Retribution AK470 bundle

Tip: User Reviews Recognition Changes

We have announced some changes involving the way we recognize users who write reviews. What you should know in a nutshell:

- Top 100/500 emblems will retire on March 31.
- You can request to receive one before they expire.
- Reviewers of the Month emblem coming soon.
- The video review emblem is still available!

UPDATE at 4pm PT: Forums maintenance planned at 5pm PT but it should only take 10-15 minutes.

To-Do List

- WATCH Episode 2 of GameCribs
- ENTER Reboot Review Contest
- Discuss What makes a good horror game.
- COMMENT on the emotional price of making games

Tip: Who has the most likes?

Did you know that now you can sort comments in news, reviews and feature stories by "most liked"? Well you can! Simply click the "Most Likes" section located under the comments module and TA-DA, like magic you can filter the insightful from the cellar dwellers.

To-Do List

- PLAY In this weeks Firefall beta
- WATCH GameCribs - Episode 1: Welcome Home
- PARTICIPATE In the Chalk Talk season 2 writing assignment
- DISCUSS Why Aliens Games Never Live Up to Expectations

Tip: Assassins Creed III Creative Writing Contest

To celebrate the release of the new AC3 DLC we're having a creative writing contest. All you have to do to participate is create a blog entry that matches the guidelines and submit no later than March 1st. For more information see the official contest page.

To-Do List

- WATCH Everything you need to know about the PlayStation 4
- CHECK OUT The new Playstation 4 controller
- DISCUSS Larry Hryb’s snark in regards to PS4 unveiling.

Tip: TOPIC

Which of the games announced during yesterdays PlayStation press conference peeked your interest and why? Share in the comments below which game you think is the one to watch; inFamous Second Son, Destiny, Watch Dogs, Killzone, The Witness, Deep Down, Drive Club, or Knack

Welcome Justicars

You might be asking yourself what exactly is a Justicar? First and foremost they are the authority of the GameSpot Writers Round Table, a union dedicated to written contributions by the GameSpot Community. A GameSpot Justicar is also a trusted member of the site, as well as a user who has also proven their writing skills to the GameSpot community. They have a solid grounding on advanced writing skills and are in regular practice. Some of you may already know the following to be amazing writers, but we thought we should take some time to get to know them a little more.

Justicar benleslie5

About me: I've been a member of Gamespot for the last 6 years now and slowly making towards my 7th year on Gamespot. Over the years I've learned a lot from writing reviews and blogs on Gamespot and it is nice to hear feedback from everyone. I do try and make my blogs and reviews good for anyone to read and view online. I do try and keep myself busy outside of Gamespot by taking on voluntary work, doing course work and finding a paid job on office/admin.

How long have you been gaming?: I've been gaming for the last 13 years now from the Sega MegaDrive to the PS3 and 3DS.

What is your favorite subject to write about?: I always liked to talk about what games I've been playing and what have been my favourite games over the year. And of course I do special blogs on various Anime Conventions I've been to like SUNNYCON and Nemacon.

Share your favorite editorial piece that you've written? I've got at least 2 favourite pieces- this one and this one

Can I follow you on Twitter, Tumbler, or Deviantart? Of course Twitter- LegendHeroBen and, Deviantart- www.benleslie5.deviantart.com

What is your "Golden Rule" for aspiring writers? Be as creative as you can, try and surprise your friends and fans on Gamespot when it comes to making blogs.

Justicar c_rake

About me: Name's Callum Rakestraw. I started writing back in 2007 because it seemed easy (man, was I wrong). Always wanted to work in the games business, and writing about them seemed like the best option. Since then, I've begun writing for a couple of small sites you've never heard of while also perfecting my craft here at GameSpot. Currently unemployed, keeping myself afloat however I can while I try making something out of this writing thing.

Share some of your writing strong points: Descriptive, succint, critical.

How long have you been gaming? For 17 years.

What's your favorite subject to write about? Music is a subject that fascinates me, mostly because it's such a difficult subject to talk about. Love me a challenge.

Share your favorite editorial piece you've written? Haven't written too many here, actually. Though this piece on Demon's Souls and its music is one of my favorite works.

Can I follow you on Twitter, Tumblr, or DeviantArt? I'm on Twitter (@c_rakestraw). Don't use it as much as I ought to, though.

What is your "golden rule" for aspiring writers? Don't be afraid to use I in your work -- or just seem human, for that matter. Too often I see reviews or articles that sound like they were made by robots or printed off a production line. All because people are too often afraid to mention themselves in their work. Don't let that happen to you. Oh, and clutter -- root it out. Don't use fancy words because you can; use them because they have meaning.

Justicar pokecharm

About me: Born in New York, moved to Virginia, where I now live and work. Currently claiming to be an IT professional, I also enjoy the occasional movie, book or game to eat the time away. I am aspiring to succeed, in something.

Share some of your writing strong points: I read a lot, so my vocab is pretty impressive most of the time. The more you read, the more you learn and understand how certain words work better than others.

How long have you been gaming? Since the mid-1990s…fifteen years or so What is your favorite subject to write about? I love writing fiction, making up people, places, things that happen, and inspiration for that is truly everywhere. Here on Gamespot, I like to post topics that are polarising to get a good range of feedback

Share your favorite editorial piece that you've written? This one was funny and flippant, and about Cool Whip!

Can I follow you on Twitter, Tumbler, or Deviantart? orangeyHina on twitter, I’m not on the other two.

What is your "Golden Rule" for aspiring writers? Proofread! The easiest errors to find are those you read after writing!

Justicar SuperMassive20

About me: Budding games journalist from the UK, PC enthusiast and all round creatively minded. Has a strong passion for the written word and respects the English language. Has been known on occasion to appear outside. Could be Batman (so clichéd but I love it)

Share some of your writing strong points: Great with sentence structure and descriptive language. Alliteration aficionado. Have plenty of experience with creating engaging opinion pieces as well as more investigative articles.

How long have you been gaming? 17 years

What is your favorite subject to write about?: anything that requires heavy research, journalistic approaches or in depth looks into 'hidden' themes and sub plots. Current events are a close second.

Share your favorite editorial piece that you've written?: This one

Can I follow you on Twitter, Tumbler, or Deviantart?: @SuperMassive20 on twitter, supermassive20.tumblr.com, search SuperMassive20 into just about anything and it should be me.

What is your "Golden Rule" for aspiring writers?: Don't stress, write in peace, concentrate on putting one word in front of another and keep going. Always have a general message and make sure you stick to it.

Justicar Asagea_888

About Me: I'm a thirty-four year old CSULB alumni with a Studio Art Bachelor's Degree. My main goal is to one day find a career in character design for video games and other media. I also have a deep love for writing, drawing, art and art history. And I have a profound love for video games, a hobby I've enjoyed since I was about five years old. I wouldn't call myself a hardcore gamer, but I enjoy gaming to have fun, indulge in escapism every once in a while and find inspiration.

Share Some of your Strong Writing Points: My strongest writing points involve thinking objectively, and using as much of the English vocabulary as possible without complicating my message. I also refer to the Rogerian argument style because I typically try to avoid bias, as I want to convey my opinions and acknowledge the points of the other side as well. The goal of my writing is to invite both sides to the table for a legitimate, healthy debate.

How Long Have You Been Gaming? I've been gaming for thirty years, from the time of the Atari 2600 my older brother owned.

What is Your Favorite Subject to Write About? The Golden Age of 16-bit gaming is something I love discussing, as I've lived through it and had the most fun during that time. Outside of gaming, I like writing about Art History and often delve into creative storytelling.

My Favorite Editorial Piece? "The art of Stealth in Gaming". One of my first Soapbox entries. I'm very proud of that.

Can I Follow You on Twitter, Tumbler or DeviantArt? I currently do not yet have either of those accounts, but I do have Coroflot and Facebook. Yes, you can follow me once I start said accounts, however.

What is your Golden Rule for Aspiring Writers? Always write from your heart. Don't worry about being perfect -- nobody is. The important thing is to convey your message loud and clear, be objective and avoid bias so as not to arouse hostility--regardless of how strongly you feel on an issue. Work hard to hone your craft, and never give up--even when it gets hard or if you suffer writer's block every now and then.

Justicar michaelP4

About Me: Whenever I get away from my busy lifestyle, I like to spend my time on GS and games. I've been a Ranger since 2007 and still have a strong interest in games, despite my time for them being squeezed. This is why I find reviews, not just from the professionals, but probably even more importantly from all gamers, whoever they may be, to serve a common interest we all have: to find out which games are good and which games are bad. We don't have an infinite amount of time and money, so this is why we need to spend it wisely on games we perceive to be worthy of it.

Strong Writing Points: Always critical and skeptical, even of my favorite games - I detest fanboyism. Never take anything for granted and appreciate a well made game for what it is, even if I don't like it.

Favourite Subject to Write About: Underrated Games

Share your favorite editorial piece that you've written?Could it be the end of Koei's Warriors series?

Can I follow you on Twitter, Tumbler, or Deviantart? You can follow me on GameSpot - I write blogs and use Fuse to disseminate useful GS information.

What is your "Golden Rule" for aspiring writers? Think outside of the box - don't parrot what's already out there.

Justicar Elk

About me: I was born in the UK and now I'm living in the Kansas with plans to move to San Francisco by the end of 2013. For my full time job I am a lead developer for a major group of websites but the gaming industry is where my heart lies. I love all types of games, writing reviews and creating videos. For a while I was even making video reviews for the popular Android website AndroidSPIN.com

Share some of your writing strong points: Because I have such a vast experience with gaming I can talk about just about any game or genre with experience.

How long have you been gaming? My parents bought me a ZX Spectrum +3 when it came out, but before that I was derping around on the Commodore 64, so I'd say at least 28 years.

What is your favorite subject to write about? I love to review games, any game, good or bad.

Share your favorite editorial piece that you've written? Most of the things I'm the most proud of are videos, although in their own way they were written. I was humbled by the popularity of my Grow review, even though I believe I have written better: You can see it here

Can I follow you on Twitter, Tumbler, or Deviantart? I'm madelk on Twitter, but you'll find me on GameSpot's Fuse site just as often.

What is your "Golden Rule" for aspiring writers? Enjoy writing for the enjoyment of writing, not the popularity.

Justicar zyxe

-Share some of your writing strong points: I have a decent grasp of grammar, even though I'm an engineer! I had a solid technical writing background and appreciate critical thinking beyond the nuts and bolts of most standard essays or editorials.

-How long have you been gaming? I have been gaming for over 26 years now, since I was 7 years old.

-What is your favorite subject to write about?: I enjoy writing emotive vignettes that are more about describing a state of mind or stream of consciousness than an essay or editorial.

-Share your favorite editorial piece that you've written? This one here (I tend to write emotive pieces more informally with no capitalization.)

-Can I follow you on Twitter, Tumbler, or Deviantart? I'm not an active member of any social networking, pictorial or artsy sites, sorry!

-What is your "Golden Rule" for aspiring writers? Write what YOU would like to read and stay true to your style without letting your writing get bogged down by grammatical errors. Using big words simply because you think it makes you look smart is rarely successful; if you can explain your message well to an 8-year-old I'd say you have an excellent grasp of your message and are quite effective in its delivery!

Interested in the Writers Round Table?

All are welcome at the writers round table simply stop by and create a topic including the phrase "evaluation" that lets the Justicars know that you are looking to have your work critiqued. If you are interested in becoming a Justicar you can send an email to community@gamespot.com with the subject "Justicar Application" for your chance to join the ranks.