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Bioshock "Exclusive Review" IGN edition - A lot of annoyed journos (Ironcreed wow).
- Thread starter unbias
- Start date
TheBrain76
Member
What was that about? I don't remember reading anything.
Unbeatable. Masterful. 10/10Especially when combined.
I'm assuming the sim city daily changing review score.
D
Deleted member 80556
Unconfirmed Member
Sim City first scored 9.5 in Polygon, then an 8, and then a 4. Now we're waiting what will happen after all of this.
there's a reason I exempted Jeff Green from my initial post here, and it's because you guys were always open about your concerns with this stuff
Of course, I'm not sure whether it says more about me or about the state of the games press that a couple ex-writers who now actually work at game publishers have more credibility than the guys who are still supposedly just press.
Ninja Scooter
Member
Asking to not pile on with dumb hive mind bullshit = it's Geoff bow down!
He's a member of this forum too, and asking to be civil and fairly respectful to him isn't a lot to ask for. Instead people want to get insular and run everyone out of town.
I look forward to your angry tirade against Billy Bush for Access Hollywood's exclusive Catching Fire trailer.
EL OH EL right back
No one's washing the man's balls. I guess they're just excited that he actually sees value in responding to some of these threads even when they're poking fun at him.
DragonSworne
Banned
Seems like they are more worried about lost traffic to their websites
Or you could try not being an asshat. Making shops, joking around is one thing. Being a total dick is another. I think most of GAF like the fact people like Geoff take the time to interact with fans and gamers on our little corner of the Internet.
WrenchNinja
Member
I didnt see his post. I just dont think the Deus Ex thing was funny.
Maybe if it was about Tomb Raider or MGS.
Perfect :lol
D
Deleted member 80556
Unconfirmed Member
But we can still see that they have it under the table. Which is kinda why journalists are calling them out!
TheGreatMightyPoo
Banned
Keighley didn't have to post at all, him laying his chips on the table shows he has gut.
Good post. The talk about ethics is still relevant. That entire situation in shady. I think those same pressures and influences are felt in areas other than just review coverage. Based on the journalism thread, a lot of reviewers still feel they are immune or aren't bothered by being influenced as long as it can be easily rationalized.
KingItachi
Member
I would not say he has guts, I do not like him. So he chose to comment on this and not the Doritos Pope thing.
But hasn't "exclusive" reviews been a thing since the dawn of video gaming? Why is it suddenly a problem for these other reviewers? I mean, I could take a guess - the timing of their comments about a website getting an exclusive on a huge game makes it seem very blatant. Do they not realise how this makes them sound? They might even (Hopefully.) ruin the exclusivity system for reviewers.
So, is this more or less an admission that their past exclusives have been fixed? Have they done any exclusives?
So, is this more or less an admission that their past exclusives have been fixed? Have they done any exclusives?
hey_it's_that_dog
benevolent sexism
You're losing the thread here. Exclusive reviews are directly related to shady score manipulation, and scores are what theoretically guide consumers.
Exclusive coverage, in contrast, is just interviews and previews, which would have been uniformly positive anyway, because they are generally worthless (i.e., uncritical) regurgitations of PR-filtered presentations and messages.
Nothing is compromised by exclusive non-review coverage, unless you want to make the case that outlets who receive exclusive coverage make implicit or explicit promises to review the game more favorably when the time comes. Is there evidence for that?
Lysander91
Banned
Am I the only one that doesn't care? Car magazines get exclusives all the time. I only care when it effects integrity.
Exaggerated scores from both sides incoming? Not that it actually matters.
Not when you are reviewing or covering their product.
You don't see sports writers taking pictures posing with players or coaches that they are covering. Yo shouldn't really be getting buddy-buddy with the people who's product you are supposed to be criticizing. It may be difficult, but it's part of the job.
If you give a damn about journalistic ethics you don't take pictures with the actors, if you cover films, athletes, if you cover sports, or game creators and developers, if you cover games. I think a lot of the writers criticizing IGN should also take a look in the mirror at how their exclusive or advanced coverage is any different.
Shawn said "it's a lucrative strategy to get early reviews." Arthur Gies did it as Senior Reviews Editor for Polygon and IGN is doing it right now. The only difference is Gies and the others are better at rationalizing their own decisions. Things that happen outside of the realm of their own world are muddled in mystery. That is how I and a lot of others look at the reviews that come out from the sites that are criticizing IGN.
It's downright refreshing is what it is. Lord knows us gamers are only pouring fuel on the flames, though. It's almost like a code red situation. And the jokes have only been getting cheesier, so I'm glad cooler heads have finally prevailed.
Probably because he has nothing to add at the time. He is a smart guy, he knows when it is best to lay low and not go on twitter wars(Arthur), and when it is a good idea to say something(like now). Liking that side of the industry or not(The way VGA's are run now is embarrassing, imo) nothing wrong with him having issues with this, even if a lot of the time it is hard to see objectivity around all their PR stuff.
Way to get as many clicks as possible for a piece of content.
Free marketing? Journalists serving as outside PR?
I understand exclusive reviews seem to have more of a direct correlation to "shady behavior".
papersleeves
Member
Man that Dews Ex image...
Dat Arthur Gies irony...
This thread delivers so much.
Dat Arthur Gies irony...
This thread delivers so much.
This is something that I think people are often missing when they say the content of a review is what matters. Not when people base their purchasing decision on a scoring aggregator like Metacritic. Not when PR people get bonuses based on how high they can get that MetaScore. These are all a part of a transaction. PR people are just good at making writers feel like they aren't part of a business transaction.
His own friends and colleagues bring that up.
I was very impressed with how he managed to completely ignore the dorito's thing, and refrain from commenting or defending himself. That probably required a lot of effort. I think anything he could have said would simply have amplified the situation.
.........
MikeE21286
Member
I'm literally surprised he showed up at all.
I'm sure though when he posted on twitter about this he knew what he was getting into potentially.
You really do not understand what anyone is talking about if you can not tell the difference between what an "exclusive review" creates and exclusive previews.
I think most of the outcry o about that is contained to this forum; while this forum is vocal and obviously influential at least to the overall tempo of the internet gaming community, it is probably really easy for him not have to address it. People will continue to watch his show and pay attention to him because he has such broad connections within the industry.
Yup, when you realize you are in a situation that is near impossible to explain, you have 2 choices, apologize for doing the job you do or lay low and let it blow over. He probably realized he was getting a lot of hate because of reviewers who continually sound and act like his site(PR and enthusiast press for the most part).
There was no winning in that situation. While I think the VGA's are a bad thing, I think the rest of the stuff he does is fine, so long as the site doesnt try to cross into the world of informative press, consumer awareness, or trying to claim an objective crown in the world of gaming. A lot of the sites, a lot of the time, sound like his VGA shows, while at the same time trying to claim journalist integrity and ethics. Gets annoying.
At least Geoff gets exactly what he and his brand is about and sticks with it. Moving targets are much more annoying, as a reader.
TheNatural
My Member!
Review are so worthless for major game releases. Once in a blue moon you'll get a trend that a game is a genre defining blockbuster (Super Mario Galaxy 2 for example) and the scores correlate. Or you'll get a Michael Bay esque bomb review from a franchise that needs a reboot (Resident Evil 6.)
The rest? All games get giant clusters of 8 to 9 review scores, that basically all sum up the same thing in EVERY review:
"If you're a fan of this series, then this iteration adds tweaks X, Y, and Z; but keeps what made the series great in the first place and is worth your money."
That sums up the whole fucking generation. Reviews aren't needed.
The rest? All games get giant clusters of 8 to 9 review scores, that basically all sum up the same thing in EVERY review:
"If you're a fan of this series, then this iteration adds tweaks X, Y, and Z; but keeps what made the series great in the first place and is worth your money."
That sums up the whole fucking generation. Reviews aren't needed.
MikeE21286
Member
Yeah, the main thing I would have been worried about would have been other gaming outlets picking up the news.
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