rick -- i was referring to the days WHEN billy was still managing the site. popups simply were not an issue... on top of that we got unique content like the tour through nintendo HQ and adventures in japan and louie the cat rumor mills etc, etc... i think it's fair to say that the site hasn't been nearly as great as it used to be, and the increase in advertisement only pounds that truth home even more. i'm not complaining about this stuff just to be an dick... i feel these are genuine complaints.
i think it's unfair to have this "install software on your computer or suffer the consequences" philosophy of site management. i shouldn't have to install a popup blocker just for this one site. especially not when, like i said, there are several other similar sites that can deliver me the exact same content without the large number of ads. besides, if you're encouraging your readers to install popup blockers, you're not going to be getting revenue from them anyway, so why don't you just get rid of them?
popup blockers aren't perfect, they often require configuring and turning off and on as they sometimes block legitimate content. pain in the ass.
gamespot and ign offer rich media content. video reviews, video caputres, screen shots, and not to mention regular editorial content and articles, along with timely reviews. how can you even begin to compare what pgc offers to that of those 2 big sites? when pgc starts delivering content like those sites, i would gladly sit through the ads, or hell even pay for it.
basically what i'm getting at is that the content for this site isn't worth all the ads i get slammed in my face. i can deal with popups if the content is compelling enough for me to suffer through it... but come on, interstitial ads, 2 - 3 popups per page, 4 - 6 inline ads per page... it's all a little much... and taking a look at the string of updates for the past month, there's little to nothing that makes me want to go and install an additional piece of software for my computer.