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It's just too bad that a game that looks like it will be pretty damn good is getting this treatment. Makes me feel bad for the people who actually put forth the hard work to make it.
Wow. And this game has been getting better buzz than almost any other licensed game that I can think of. Did they even need to do this? I don't know if it would be earning 90s, but it at least had promise. This makes me a bit worried (in more ways than one).
@wanderingpixel
I trust Games mag as well but not much else.
If Eidos want's to give me a few g's I'll write a blog with a big header picture and give it 100% - I have no morals when it come's to money :P
I trust Games mag as well but not much else.
If Eidos want's to give me a few g's I'll write a blog with a big header picture and give it 100% - I have no morals when it come's to money :P
@wanderingpixel
I trust Games mag as well but not much else.
If Eidos want's to give me a few g's I'll write a blog with a big header picture and give it 100% - I have no morals when it comes to money :P
I trust Games mag as well but not much else.
If Eidos want's to give me a few g's I'll write a blog with a big header picture and give it 100% - I have no morals when it comes to money :P
@gatorsax2010 I know it pretty much gave the game an opposite effect, everyone already thought this game was bad ass. Now it makes you wonder what is Eidos trying to protect? Is there some major glitches? Bugs? Uncomplete work?
You only need to do this when the game is about to suck big time, at least that how it was for those other two games: Kane & Lynch and Tomb Raider (they released it already?).
You only need to do this when the game is about to suck big time, at least that how it was for those other two games: Kane & Lynch and Tomb Raider (they released it already?).
Its like the developer is a makeup artist and stylist and really puts their soul into their work, but at the end of the day they have to hand over their beautiful model to a dirty pimp that sells it for the best price.
yah but isnt this technically the last time eidos is doding this from now on its gonna be square enix europe
Man, that's really got to be a kick in the dick to the developers who work on these games.
Quit being such a twat Eidos.
Quit being such a twat Eidos.
@gatorsax
Agreed. I thought this game was already supposed to be amazing, so it's very disconcerting that Eidos feels they have to do this.
If this game ends up sucking, I'm taking the first plane to London to burn down Rocksteady Studios.
Agreed. I thought this game was already supposed to be amazing, so it's very disconcerting that Eidos feels they have to do this.
If this game ends up sucking, I'm taking the first plane to London to burn down Rocksteady Studios.
If the Devs make a "Beautiful Model", there would be no reason to pimp her out. The distributor / publisher on the other hand may be incapable of telling the difference between a stone cold fox and a filthy skank so they just all get pushed into the "Pimp my Biotch Game" queue. Yes, some blame for this lies with the Gaming Journalism industry, but bribes and blackmail are always a 2 way street.
I've been made similar offers by other publishers in the past, none of which have particularly interested me.
If what you stated there is true, which it must surely is, then why haven't you wrote a piece on it? Why not expose these publishers who continue to do these acts?
Instead of waiting for others to write about their experience with these incentive based shenanigans and commenting on it, wouldn't it be awesome for you to also share and expose these publishers too?
Personally this practice I find vile and if I had a pulpit or soapbox that reached many, I would be pointing to the gaming congregation this whenever it personally happened to me. I'll say one thing...my prepay funds of this game will be moved to another.
If what you stated there is true, which it must surely is, then why haven't you wrote a piece on it? Why not expose these publishers who continue to do these acts?
Instead of waiting for others to write about their experience with these incentive based shenanigans and commenting on it, wouldn't it be awesome for you to also share and expose these publishers too?
Personally this practice I find vile and if I had a pulpit or soapbox that reached many, I would be pointing to the gaming congregation this whenever it personally happened to me. I'll say one thing...my prepay funds of this game will be moved to another.
the pimp in my analogy was the publisher, but yes i agree that both horny journalists and the publisher who gives bjs for 10s are to blame.
"Instead of waiting for others to write about their experience with these incentive based shenanigans and commenting on it, wouldn't it be awesome for you to also share and expose these publishers too? "
It's an old story, and one that was covered by Stephen Totilo on MTV Multiplayer once. We already covered that piece, so there wasn't really any need to bring it up again.
It really is a very common practice. As a blog, it's not something I've personally dealt with very much, but for magazines and bigger sites I imagine this is something that crops up frequently.
For me, it's not so much the fact that PR people are doing it, it's the fact that it obviously must be working in some cases.
It's an old story, and one that was covered by Stephen Totilo on MTV Multiplayer once. We already covered that piece, so there wasn't really any need to bring it up again.
It really is a very common practice. As a blog, it's not something I've personally dealt with very much, but for magazines and bigger sites I imagine this is something that crops up frequently.
For me, it's not so much the fact that PR people are doing it, it's the fact that it obviously must be working in some cases.
Thank goodness Jim hasn't conformed and put Batman on his magazine cover.
I can't wait for this game, or anything Batman really.
I can't wait for this game, or anything Batman really.
Now I'm eagerly awaiting Dtoid's review. I've had high hopes for this game, and this definitely casts a dark shadow over my expectations.
I hope some mags stick to their guns.
and I'll keep a lookout on magazine cover stories to see who's sold their integrity.
It'll certainly make me decide which subscriptions to renew.
and I'll keep a lookout on magazine cover stories to see who's sold their integrity.
It'll certainly make me decide which subscriptions to renew.
@Yojimbo
"Instead of waiting for others to write about their experience with these incentive based shenanigans and commenting on it, wouldn't it be awesome for you to also share and expose these publishers too?"
That worked out well for EGM.
It would be foolish for Dtoid to publicly burn bridges.
"Instead of waiting for others to write about their experience with these incentive based shenanigans and commenting on it, wouldn't it be awesome for you to also share and expose these publishers too?"
That worked out well for EGM.
It would be foolish for Dtoid to publicly burn bridges.
You know, that says alot about how potentially terrible the game might be if they have to bribe people with early hot scoops and embargo breaking.
I think it's disrespectful to the developers and all their hard work, unless they are in on it, which can also say something about the devs themselves.
I think it's disrespectful to the developers and all their hard work, unless they are in on it, which can also say something about the devs themselves.
To be fair, the shenanigans can only work if the media buckles. I'd like to turn your attention to the outlets that buy into this shit and compare against the scores after the embargo is up.
A fair amount of us are pretty pumped for this game. What a weird turn of events. I haven't played it enough yet to judge.
A fair amount of us are pretty pumped for this game. What a weird turn of events. I haven't played it enough yet to judge.
Not listening or reading Eidos reviews. Not really interested in Eidos games anyway, but I'll be more likely not to buy them now because I'll be worried about whether or not I'm getting a quality game. I'm probably not if they are embargoing reviews...
@ wanderingpixel
There are some internet blogs out there that give honest reviews ;D
@Yojimbo, adding to Jamn
Once you burn that bridge, you never get to come back to the other side. Nearly every PR agency has something that they've done wrong in the past, so if you exposed everything, you'd be on your own, scraping to survive. It would be a lot of fun for a short while, though!
There are some internet blogs out there that give honest reviews ;D
@Yojimbo, adding to Jamn
Once you burn that bridge, you never get to come back to the other side. Nearly every PR agency has something that they've done wrong in the past, so if you exposed everything, you'd be on your own, scraping to survive. It would be a lot of fun for a short while, though!
If this happened to me, I would be extra harsh on the game as a sort of "Fuck you" to the publisher.
Yeah, it's not worth my time or effort to burn a bridge with a publisher for the sake of looking rebellious and cool. You'd impress a small amount of people for an hour or two while talking about a business practice that is well-known by now. I'd rather focus my efforts on making sure our games are reviewed to the best of our ability, and save up my bridge-burning cards for a cause that's truly worth it.
It makes you think that something is wrong with the game to make Eidos do this. Maybe they don't think it'll live up to the hype. After all there are plenty of people who have been anxiously waiting for this title to release. I'm one of them but I've held of on pre-ordering for some reason, and after reading this it might have been the right decision.
I'd love to see a follow up to this article after the game launches to see how the reviews differ.
I'd love to see a follow up to this article after the game launches to see how the reviews differ.
This was just posted on Eurogamer's forums:
"Hello everyone, I'm a community manager at Eidos, I hope you can all hear me through the flame retardant suit I just put on.
I have Eidos' official statement on this for your info, it comes from Jon Brooke, the UK marketing manager:
“With regards an article posted on RamRaider alleging that Eidos has fixed review scores for Batman: Arkham Asylum, we want to state that no discussions have been held about review scores with any magazines. In short there is simply not one shred of truth in this article, except for the title of the game.”
"Hello everyone, I'm a community manager at Eidos, I hope you can all hear me through the flame retardant suit I just put on.
I have Eidos' official statement on this for your info, it comes from Jon Brooke, the UK marketing manager:
“With regards an article posted on RamRaider alleging that Eidos has fixed review scores for Batman: Arkham Asylum, we want to state that no discussions have been held about review scores with any magazines. In short there is simply not one shred of truth in this article, except for the title of the game.”
Things like this make me way less excited for the game just on the principle of it. Why the hell not let the game stand up on its own damned merits Eidos ;/
@ Zantetsuken
But then the reviewers themselves would be dishonest, and then no one wins in that scenario.
But then the reviewers themselves would be dishonest, and then no one wins in that scenario.
Review purchased retails copies. Stop making out with the publishers and their PR and marketing. It's that easy. It's called integrity.
Also, Jim wrote: "I'd rather focus my efforts on making sure our games are reviewed to the best of our ability, and save up my bridge-burning cards for a cause that's truly worth it."
As far as videogame blogging goes, I don't think there's a cause more worthy than this one. Do you really think that the "we get goodies, free trips, exclusives, we play by their rules but we're still honest" is the best possible approach?
Also, Jim wrote: "I'd rather focus my efforts on making sure our games are reviewed to the best of our ability, and save up my bridge-burning cards for a cause that's truly worth it."
As far as videogame blogging goes, I don't think there's a cause more worthy than this one. Do you really think that the "we get goodies, free trips, exclusives, we play by their rules but we're still honest" is the best possible approach?
why are they so worried unless the game is shit which it doesnt look it
but why cover stories to a dying industry? you would think they would run on something online rather then instores
dumbass
but why cover stories to a dying industry? you would think they would run on something online rather then instores
dumbass
"As far as videogame blogging goes, I don't think there's a cause more worthy than this one. Do you really think that the "we get goodies, free trips, exclusives, we play by their rules but we're still honest" is the best possible approach?"
That's for you to decide. We get review copies and the occasional bit of swag and we don't lie about it. If you think it colors our editorial, that's up to you. Personally, I think most "controversy" over blogger integrity is a whole lot of silly drama. That's why, like I say, I'd rather burn bridges when something of actual importance is at stake.
Also, you are absolutely, positively welcome to buy my review staff and I fully-purchased retail games. However, until someone can afford to personally shell out several hundreds of bucks to ensure that we continue to review as many games as possible, I'm afraid that it's not going to happen.
That's for you to decide. We get review copies and the occasional bit of swag and we don't lie about it. If you think it colors our editorial, that's up to you. Personally, I think most "controversy" over blogger integrity is a whole lot of silly drama. That's why, like I say, I'd rather burn bridges when something of actual importance is at stake.
Also, you are absolutely, positively welcome to buy my review staff and I fully-purchased retail games. However, until someone can afford to personally shell out several hundreds of bucks to ensure that we continue to review as many games as possible, I'm afraid that it's not going to happen.
Eidos goofs up yet again. Although, what Jim tells us makes me curious as to how prevalent this problem is. I expect a certain amount of "review padding" from certain mags like OPM and Nintendo Power, but when they start targeting the bloggers then it's getting to be a problem. It also makes me wonder which companies are guilty of this kind of bribery. Is it only the companies who've been lagging in sales and need a solid hit, or do all companies engage in it from time to time? Ultimately though, I believe their efforts are futile. First, there's the subjective nature of reviews. Any review is ultimately based on the viewpoint of the reviewer, and any numerical score is ultimately arbitrary. Even if they do succeed in bribing a few reviewers, if the game is unworthy of those scores its going to show. If you do your homework, you can tell which games seem to be dividing reviewers. That creates suspicion and doubt for the consumer, which would lead to decreased sales. If a game truly sucks, there's only so many ways a reviewer would be able to sugar-coat before the reader finally calls shenanigans.
It's a shitty pracice no doubt, but if you're going to base your decision to spend $60 based on one review in GamePro then maybe you deserve to have your money taken.
And what if the game is realy a 90% or plus score? That would be a Epic fail for Eidos PR.
Besides i don't think 4 reviews will change the world of videogame.
About covering that subject, i agree with you Jim, you already have enough haters by yourself.
Besides i don't think 4 reviews will change the world of videogame.
About covering that subject, i agree with you Jim, you already have enough haters by yourself.
Think about what a 90 means. On metacritic for 360, only 21 games have a 90 or higher. 21 games out of how many hundreds have been released for the system. I think this game could be good but there is no way in hell it is going to change the gaming landscape or anything.
Man, this makes me feel a little uneasy about the game now. I already reserved the special edition and put $40 on it, and now I got to hear about this. Meh, I hope it's still a good game.
Here's what sucks: the game actually looks decent enough to get 80s and 90s on its own. They don't need to do this.
Whats the deal when, A Dtoid reviewer loves a game- will give it over "90%" on pure merit alone - but is still offered incentives to increase the score? Lets say the game is 94% honestly good, but "Capdos" says "Increase our game "Grand Theft Kingdom" score over 98% for incentive "X" (X being a really appealing incentive). The difference being negligible to the public while you get the spoilz. Maybe truly good games need less incentives to get high ratings, but I've seen some critically good games get overrated beyond their true merits & left to wonder why.
I've played a little survival mode demo of this at my Best Buy and it was pretty fun. Some of the moves Batman pulls in the "free flow combat" are pretty cool. As long as the stealthy elements and the rest of the game hold up well, I would think that this should get a good score on its own.
Its sad when companies like this try to pull this crap. If they want good scores for their game, they should EARN IT by MAKING IT GOOD! I'm assuming that they already know by now that people are excited for this game. Why would they want to taint that excitement and make people wonder why they want to fix review scores?
Its sad when companies like this try to pull this crap. If they want good scores for their game, they should EARN IT by MAKING IT GOOD! I'm assuming that they already know by now that people are excited for this game. Why would they want to taint that excitement and make people wonder why they want to fix review scores?
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