If you're looking for somewhere to post where everyone will agree with you and talk all day about how awesome Nintendo is, this is not that place. It never has been. Our old banner for the forums said "...where Nintendo fans go to bitch about everything." That was over five years ago! This concept of PGC/NWR forums' bygone glory as a magical commune for Nintendo zealots is completely bogus. Some people made it up, then went on a witch-hunt to prove that it had been stolen away by "the others", then got pissy because the people in charge wouldn't do anything about it, then left because they had worked themselves up into such a rabid fit of imaginary anger.
Yes, things have changed. They always change. This is a community, not a family home video you can watch everytime you need to feel good about yourself. People come, people go, people's opinions change. The world is complex and transient.
There have been periods where we did not moderate the forums properly and/or adequately. However, I feel strongly that in recent months, we have made a very conscious effort to monitor the forums more closely. We have banned people who broke the rules. WE HAVE BANNED PEOPLE WHO BROKE THE RULES. Just because you disagree with another user does not give you the right to break the rules. Just because you have 10,000 post count and love Nintendo does not mean you can break the rules. There is no personal bias in the actions we have taken against anyone. In the case of Mario, he was issuing personal attacks on a nearly daily basis, had been warned numerous times, and showed no sign of remorse nor trend towards improving his behavior. I don't care whether anyone thinks he was provoked. He broke the rules, over and over, egregiously, and we gave him every opportunity to stop. As much as some of you despise IanSane, HE DOES NOT BREAK THE RULES. And that is the only qualification for posting privileges here. You can say whatever you want, however wrong, unpopular, repetitive, etc. as long as you follow the rules.