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[boutrosinit]

From Spong forums:

Latest UK magazine shame: Juiced reviews for cash, US Most wanted
Posted by Intello Jello
52 minutes ago

And so it continues. Shaun White at Acclaim has offered various amounts of cash to various publications (and/or their staff direct - £2,000 in some cases) for favourable reviews for Juiced.

I believe that two Magazines at Future, possibly (though I’m not able to confirm this right now) both Official Xbox and PlayStation 2, will award Juiced a nine score. As to whether the game deserves this score or not is up for debate, though the fix is in on Juiced, not just at Future but across the board.

I’m happy to go on record as saying that Mr White at Acclaim is one of the most regular (and successful) fixers of review scores. Although this is clearly a case of him being very good at his job – earning high reviews for mediocre games – his modus operandi endangers the public’s faith in the press, publishers and casts a shadow on all our lives.
<snipped - see link for rest>

http://spong.com/en/html/forum/viewThread.jsp?message=4517


This is going to cause some major shit. Let's hope MCV and the like has the balls this time around to stamp it.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Well I guess it time to start scratching Juiced off my list. Should've known Acclaim couldn't pull it off.

Was this guy with Acclaim last gen? I remember people joking around with Matt from IGN when he reviewed QBC64 about how he got paid off to give it a better score than it deserved.

 

[boutrosinit]

Yeah. Cross America's Most Wanted off there too. A friend played it and said in no uncertain terms, "it's shite".

 

[Deg]

For the record, the offer of £500 to pull the review came from PR firm Barrington Harvey.

Hehe.

 

[mrklaw]

Well I guess it time to start scratching Juiced off my list. Should've known Acclaim couldn't pull it off.

hey, doesn't mean its shit. Just wait and see for yourself, or wait for some peer reviews. The guys at Juice are good guys. Don't hang them just because of some idiot at Acclaim.

 

[boutrosinit]

hey, doesn't mean its shit. Just wait and see for yourself, or wait for some peer reviews. The guys at Juice are good guys. Don't hang them just because of some idiot at Acclaim.

Also a good point.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

Is Mr white a real name?

Or is it like reservoir dogs?

 

[Mr Mike]

This Mr knows that part of that spong rubbish is definitely nonsense. And the mags in question haven't even gone to press yet.

 

[boutrosinit]

This Mr knows that part of that spong rubbish is definitely nonsense. And the mags in question haven't even gone to press yet.

I do not understand your sentence. What od you mean exactly?

 

[Mr Mike]

I do not understand your sentence. What od you mean exactly?

That part of the accusation is bullshit.

 

[ManDudeChild]

The link doesn't work.

 

[Vennt]

I think the best article I've read so far on this whole "games journalist integrity" issue is Stuart Campbells "IT R3ALLY DO3SN'T MATT3R ANYMOR3" at his World of Stuart site.

Some choice extracts:

So in a sense it's a little surprising that everyone's kicking up such a big fuss about it this time. The UK videogames magazine business has been so debased and compromised for so long now that those of us who know anything about the way it operates find it hard to summon up the outrage that such blatant and craven corruption deserves. Editors are rarely told explicitly by their managers to do such things, but are placed in positions where there is often little realistic alternative. But the most depressing thing isn't that it happens. The most depressing thing is how little it matters.

To criticise games mags for doing that in the current climate is a bit like criticising a hungry tiger for killing antelopes. Driver 3 is going to sell in huge numbers regardless, because gamers are credulous and stupid and 97% of them don't read reviews in the first place, so why cut your own throat and piss off your advertisers by telling the few readers you have left something that most of them don't want to know anyway? Also, the harsh truth is that magazine readers deserve no better - if you're going to buy Official Playstation Magazine in hundreds of thousands and let the likes of Arcade die, then you're sending a pretty clear message out to the mag publishers, and that message is "We like being spoonfed bland corporate cheerleading tripe that says all games are great and worth buying, because that makes us feel good about buying them, so please give us more"

 

[Mr Mike]

The link doesn't work.

Maybe it's been deleted for being based on lies?

 

[DarienA]

Well I guess it time to start scratching Juiced off my list. Should've known Acclaim couldn't pull it off.

That's great... except it's not an Acclaim team that is making/made Juiced...

 

[SolidSnakex]

The games always looked a bit strange compared to the other racers similar. It just looks like a weak version of those games. I'll still keep an eye on it, but i've never really had high hopes for it being anything that great. So if it turns out great that'll just be that much more of a surprise.

 

[pilonv1]

Maybe it's been deleted for being based on lies?

Someone should delete Spong then.

 

[ManDudeChild]

Someone should delete Spong then.

No kidding. I mean everytime someone visits Spong ... well god kills a kitten.

 

[FortNinety]

I think the best article I've read so far on this whole "games journalist integrity" issue is Stuart Campbells "IT R3ALLY DO3SN'T MATT3R ANYMOR3" at his World of Stuart site.

Some choice extracts:

Interesting read. I love his whole "hey we need the money" and the "some readers deserve to be lied to" attitude. What an asshole.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

No kidding. I mean everytime someone visits Spong ... well god kills a kitten.

that's a lie. can I delete you? There is no god.

 

[Vennt]

Interesting read. I love his whole "hey we need the money" and the "some readers deserve to be lied to" attitude. What an asshole.

Well, to be honest, given Stuarts love/hate relationship with the UK games publication industry it was probably more a "hey, they need..." moreso than "hey, we need..."

As for the "some readers deserve it" attitude, I'm afraid I agree, if that makes me an asshole as well, then so be it, I'm not even sure I'd disagree with that conclusion

 

[boutrosinit]

That part of the accusation is bullshit.

Which part. Please specify.

 

[boutrosinit]

Interesting read. I love his whole "hey we need the money" and the "some readers deserve to be lied to" attitude. What an asshole.

That is an incredible read.

 

[ManDudeChild]

that's a lie. can I delete you? There is no god.

It's just an expression, like give peace a chance. I stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago

 

[Deg]

I'm not surprised if Spong did a little spin on their behalf but you know the mags and Future are fuming. I find it amusing people pick out companies like Atari and Acclaim however.

 

[FortNinety]

As for the "some readers deserve it" attitude, I'm afraid I agree, if that makes me an asshole as well, then so be it, I'm not even sure I'd disagree with that conclusion

Even if some readers are idiots, that's still not an excuse to act unethically. And not all readers are morons. If you’re a writer and the minute you start generalizing your audience like that, you better leave the game.

 

[ge-man]

Even if some readers are idiots, that's still not an excuse to act unethically. And not all readers are morons. If you’re a writer and the minute you start generalizing your audience like that, you better leave the game.

Welcome to the world of Stuart Campbell. The first thing you have to realize is that Stuart has very strong opinions and is absolutely unafraid to voice them in a confrontational manner. You should've seen the flames burning earlier in the year over the Simple Soccer debacle.

I find him to be an interesting read, but I don't expect to completely agree him or always like the way he delivers his views.

 

[Vennt]

Or even the PlayFair campaign, and the diplomatic nature he displayed whilst promoting it

I like his style personally, you're right though he is so opinionated that you're never going to agree with him on everything, or even in some cases anything, but it's that caustic, opinionated manner that I, and others like - so there is obviously a place for it

 

[Mr Mike]

I find Campbell just plain embarrassing. He was eaten up, chewed up, and spat out by the machines of both games magazines and games publishing, and thus has a massive chip on his shoulder. Nothing he writes is without severe bias or agenda.

 

[Vennt]

Let me guess, you work at Future right?

 

[boutrosinit]

Let me guess, you work at Future right?

I think he does

 

[Chopin Trusty Balls]

UPS,WRONG THREAD