"Rich Stanton ‏@RichStanton
bmart_12: @RichStanton Any info to spill on Cod reviews/ad pressure?
Rich Stanton ‏: Actually, no. COD always earned the reviews, good series"
What? What has Edge given CoD in the past? Anything above an 8 is bullshit.
CoD4 9
CoD:WaW 6
CoD3 7
btw
This may surprise you, but reviewers generally like CoD.
They may think it is getting stale, but the series' recent (last four years) emphasis on speed and constant activity makes it ideal to play in a short burst.
If GTA V started scoring in the 8s, I somehow doubt it would significantly affect sales.Because a AAA game can't review as merely good, it has to review like the virgin Mary herself birthed it unto gaming to save us all from the sins of past, inferior games. It has to revolutionize gaming, redefine storytelling, and melt faces with eye-popping graphics. B-tier studios crap out good games all the time that land in the bomba bin; Rockstar delivers genre-defining Oscar-worthy tour de forces and goddammit press outlets better recognize.
(seriously I think score inflation is a big problem--having your game review as an 8 is bad, bad, bad, which means your game can't just be good, it has to be amazing, which leads to tons of pressure.)
I don't know that they outright paid for reviews, but I can easily see RS strong-arming publications that fail to be appropriately blown away by their latest.
That's pretty obvious looking at the huge difference between the quality of their games and the ridiculously high review scores their games get.Rockstar, without question. @LittleJuiceBox1: @RichStanton Who were the dodgiest PRs for doing deals (review scores etc)?
I am SHOCKED OMG
No surprises.
Give me attention plz
Edge 10s as meaningful as famitsu it seems
Nope, the rest are kosher. GTAIV was bent @DilutedDante: @RichStanton any other Edge [10]'s not earn it?
the reason blowups like this occur so infrequently in the games press is this shit right here:
the moment someone steps forward to lay out precisely whats wrong with the industry, a bunch of shitheads pop out of the woodwork to out-blase each other.
that's the trouble with blowing the whistle when the stakes are so low. the only person who gets punished is the guy you should be supporting, while the game publishers and magazine management continue on their merry way.
It was in a hotel environment if I remember correctly, never heard anything about the time limits.Weren't there stories of how Rockstar were so terrified GTA4 would leak, so most reviewer experience with the game had to be done supervised, and for 8 hours max?
This is sad to watch, I'm going to stop now.
The only thing this is going to achieve is hurting a lot of people, including himself when he realize the supreme stupidity of what he is doing.
another nail in "print journalism"'s coffin
Weren't there stories of how Rockstar were so terrified GTA4 would leak, so most reviewer experience with the game had to be done supervised, and for 8 hours max?
another nail in "gaming journalism"'s coffin
so the new XCom game wasn't really a 9?
the reason blowups like this occur so infrequently in the games press is this shit right here:
the moment someone steps forward to lay out precisely whats wrong with the industry, a bunch of shitheads pop out of the woodwork to out-blase each other.
that's the trouble with blowing the whistle when the stakes are so low. the only person who gets punished is the guy you should be supporting, while the game publishers and magazine management continue on their merry way.
Seems it was specifically GTA IV's [10] that was bought:
Don't be dumb.
But this dude is answering random questions and ranting about random topics. Also not questioning what he's saying is just as bad as taking his word for everything he's talking about.
so the new XCom game wasn't really a 9?
It was a bit strange how Gamespot gave GTA IV a 9.5, then changed it to 10 and said the 9.5 was a glitch.
the reason blowups like this occur so infrequently in the games press is this shit right here:
the moment someone steps forward to lay out precisely whats wrong with the industry, a bunch of shitheads pop out of the woodwork to out-blase each other.
that's the trouble with blowing the whistle when the stakes are so low. the only person who gets punished is the guy you should be supporting, while the game publishers and magazine management continue on their merry way.
who told you to take him at his word? i specifically called out the people who seemed to accept without evidence his every accusation while simultaneously blowing off their implications.
"i wonder if this is true" is a good attitude to have; "this is certainly true but i am king cynicism and had foreknowledge of this corruption so i actively don't give a fuck" isn't useful or interesting
The best RPG combat ever. Not gaming's best story, but maybe its best storytelling. Darker, sexier, better.
But why should we just blindly accept what he's saying?
This Stanton guy is an idiot for posting this stuff on Twitter. Doesn't matter if what he's saying is true or not. He may have a difficult time finding another job.
Yes I am drunk x
This Stanton guy is an idiot for posting this stuff on Twitter. Doesn't matter if what he's saying is true or not. He may have a difficult time finding another job.
I wouldn't put any of this past PC gamer. Remember them saying Dragon Age 2 was RPG of the generation or some crazy shit like that? They have 1 of the 2 most laughably obvious paid off reviews about Dragon Age 2 along with that place Yahtzee worked for.
Also GTA 4 reviews paid off? NO FUCKING WAY! You're telling me that PoS wasn't a 98/100 and god's gift to gaming like the press claimed it was?
I think it's at least that good after putting 8 hours in today.
This stuff should have been obvious to any with a lick of common sense, ESPECIALLY in this generation.
"The story is Oscar quality."
"I now know how film critics felt after seeing The Godfather."
The entire industry should be shamed into obsolescence.
Disgusting.
While that may be true, I've never seen someone feel so betrayed by that potential fact. I was burned harder by Gaf's reception of Sleeping Dogs than GTA IV reviews. The publicized reviews for Sleeping Dogs gave more accurate impressions compared to the OT for Sleeping Dogs, but most OT's are too positive.
That's not true at all. Rockstar had fairly common security measures in place for GTA4 reviews, nothing like what you are describing.
The reason for the withholding of review code was, according to Rockstar, a result to the games leaking onto the internet seven days before its release. Speaking to the company at the time it was claimed that this leak came from an unscrupulous journalist.
As a result, there was a lock down on all review code: everybody would get their copy just one day before the games release, and, despite the wonky logic (after all the game had already leaked to those with the capability to play it so why punish the many for the indiscretion of the few) there were to be no exceptions, no arguments.
At best then, by the time the game had been played, copy written and subbed ready for the Tuesday morning, most journalists (both in the UK and the US) had played for only a few hours, experiencing just a fraction of the games content, a situation testified to by various admissions in professional reviews.
The BBC noted the phenomenon saying: "Most reviewers were not sent advance copies of the game, and instead had to attend Rockstar offices or sit in booked hotel rooms to play the game, where Rockstar could keep an eye and some pressure on them.
GAF anonymous posters are just enthusiasts not paid to write an articulated/substantiated opinion. Some times enthusiasts get caught in the hype. Professionals shouldn't.
I tend to take people's impressions on Gaf more seriously than publicized reviewers, and that lead to my disappointment in that instance.
I tend to take people's impressions on Gaf more seriously than publicized reviewers, and that lead to my disappointment in that instance.
GAF anonymous posters are just enthusiasts not paid to write an articulated/substantiated opinion. Some times enthusiasts get caught in the hype. Professionals shouldn't.
You are also forgetting there is a surprisingly large % of gaffers that are viral marketers hired by companies. Cant source that though, but i do remember someone claiming people would be surprised if they heard numbers on that.
I tend to take people's impressions on Gaf more seriously than publicized reviewers, and that lead to my disappointment in that instance.
You are also forgetting there is a surprisingly large % of gaffers that are viral marketers hired by companies. Cant source that though, but i do remember someone claiming people would be surprised if they heard numbers on that.
Like with gaming outlets/journalists you will learn with time who to trust here on GAF. Also, different tastes and all that.
I tend to take people's impressions on Gaf more seriously than publicized reviewers, and that lead to my disappointment in that instance.