Topware stands accused by various anonymous sources of blacklisting UK outlets for giving Two Worlds II middling or low review scores. According to one source, Topware demanded that a review score be bumped up to 7/10, or the publisher would cease to deal with them.
A second source claims that Topware has engaged in this kind of behavior before. The company has been accused of claiming that reviews below a seven are "insulting" and that it is "disappointed" with any reviewer who dares use such scores.
What lends credence to this story (for me) is the advice I have personally been giving to one reviewer who was threatened with legal action by Topware over the content of his review. Hearing that Topware is blacklisting other outlets does not surprise me in the least. It only helps to corroborate what I've already heard about the publisher.
Topware is denying the allegations, but Beefjack has two emails from the representative making the denials -- one of which has him actually admitting to it!
I thought Two Worlds II was a great game, but I respect the right of any reviewer to give it the score they feel it deserves. Fortunately, this kind of infantile behavior isn't common in the industry, but it does happen now and then. Topware is the last company that should be expressing disappointment.
Publications blacklisted for low-scoring Two Worlds II reviews [Beefjack]
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
Likes
PS2, iPod Touch, Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Solid, Dynasty Warriors 3
Meet the rest of the team
| BBcode help |
| [b]Bold text[/b] |
Bold text |
| [i]Italic text[/i] |
Italic text |
| [url]http://www.dtoid.com/[/url] |
http://www.dtoid.com |
| [url=http://www.dtoid.com/]Web link[/url] |
Web link |
|
| [img]http://www.example.com/robot.jpg[/img] |
 |
Post a comment! You can also post a photo below:
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
84 comments | showing # 1 to 50
|
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
Comments policy
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
Contest:
5:40 PM on 02.18.2011 | 
Question: What kind of legal action can you take against somebody for not liking your game? Seriously, please tell me.
Maybe they should fire their fanboy employees...lol
Legal action? I don't know but it sounds like TopWare might kick sand in their face, pull their hair and RUN!
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU COMPLAINING ABOUT? SHUT UP!
As much as we may complain about it, people do put a LOT of faith in review scores without really doing much research on what that score means or often without even reading the associated review. Hell, I'm guilty of it myself from time to time.
I certainly understand the mentality behind a 5 being average. Roughly as many games that are better as games that are worse is, by definition, average. But again, perception = reality, and a 5 very well could be perceived as well below average.
I shall waste my money on another WRPG.
Wonder if Gamestop has Diablo in?
Good points, but a review is a review and the devs can't (or at least shouldn't) be able to change it, regardless of whether the score was fair or not. If was truly a game that deserved a good score, then it will get that score.
Topware, if your game is bad, please don't waste energy on trying to change reviews. All it does is generate a lot of attention, the bad kind. Instead, try to change the quality of your game. That said, I liked Two Worlds II.
"2011 - Two Worlds 2, PC, 360, PS3
2007 - UFO Afterlight, PC
2007 - Two Worlds, PC, 360
2005 - Chrome SpecForce, PC
2005 - Earth 2160, PC
1998 - Emergency 1
1997 - Earth 2140, PC
1996 - Das Schwarze Auge: Schatten über Riva, MS-DOS"
Honestly, you guys should just go ahead and blacklist them now just because. I promise, no one will even notice.
This situation was handled very poorly, and very unprofessionally. Companies that give out review codes of games to be reviewed, take the chance of an unfavorable score. Or really just games in general, you put a game out, someone playing it that's on a gaming site will probably post things that they don't like. That's part of the business. There are no guarantees of what will be posted for a review, but a company should not in any way make threats and basically black mail for better scores. Reviews are opinion pieces, everyone is entitled to post what they feel about a game, regardless if the company happened to give them a review code. It also doesn't mean a company needs to use that site again for any reason, but you don't go around questioning things and doing things like this in order to prove a point that only serves to make the company look even worse. Companies do not get to buy their review scores, or tell a reviewer what the standard is.
TopWare PR has a lot to learn about how to handle these types of things. Hopefully they can learn from the fiasco and do better in the future.
I can tell you right now that this is simply not true. This had everything with our PR team and a site having a discussion/arguement about their scoring system and not a score change. They feel that an average score for a game is a 5 and that seemed off base to our team since most real world average grades from 1-10 is a 7. There was never a time where they asked the score be bumped up! There was an apology issued by me for our team questioning their scoring system and not a scoring change.
We have accepted the good and the bad scores for our game and never engaged in trying to manufacture scores in any way shape or form. Your opinion is your opinion
The legal action thing was about we thought was a pirate Xbox copy of our game reviewed in the UK before the game had even come out for the US or UK and not the review. It was about piracy - the site told us that they received it from a Microsoft UK program and our Microsoft rep denied this at first and then realized a week later that the German version of the game was mistakenly given out to them. So they reviewed the wrong game but they were not reviewing a pirate copy so this was their opinion and we went our way. The problem was that Topware had given exclusives to other UK sites and that copy being out 2 months early was a shock to us.
I think, for us, the passion, has to be turned down a notch, but Topware respects the critics and this story is being blown out of proportion.
just look at Seamen above, damage control out already. not that it matters.
They can be completely different and our PR person was not trying to change a score but trying to convey this very point. The words blacklisted, if they were said, at all, would not happen in any way shape or form.
We gave the game out to everyone and it was well receieved - well except for the UK were we average around 60 when everywhere else we average around 78, but such is life.
I have made games for a long time and our new team is really working hard to make the Two Worlds franchise something special. We do not have the budgets some studios have but we are and will continue to make great games from here on out.
By the way here is the URL with the story rebuttal but it is a mute point as this is all a caught up in the moment situation between two people and not a Topware conspiracy!
http://beefjack.com/news/topware-denies-blacklisting-allegations-more-info-leaks-in/
Hello, this is TSAVO from Destructoid.
I can tell you right now that this is simply not true. This had everything to do with your shit-bum development team. They feel that a quality game deserves a 7 or above and that seemed off base to me since most mediocre games, like Two Worlds 2 deserves a 5. There was never a time where they spent time playing the game!
I have accepted the good, and the mostly bad, components for your game and never was engaged in enjoying your game in any way shape or form. Your opinion is your opinion
I think, for me, the talent, has to be turned up a notch, but Topware disrespects the critics and didn't learn from their first failure.
Love,
TSAVO
I would say so. Oh well, you make mistakes, apologize and you learn.
"this story is being blown out of proportion."
That, I can believe.
I appreciate your opinion and feel to message me off line as to what you think we need to improve on for our next game. Opinions from the actual players mean a lot to me.
We are trying to do a better job every time and have brought in a brand new 3D modeling, animation and CG team for the next Two Worlds game coming out in 2012.
But you see your NA publisher has lost any respect among pcgamers for there delays and canceling the boxed pc release. Maybe in the future southpeak wont be your publisher but I doubt it.
We also have the collectors edition on PC on Amazon
I appreciate the feedback, but there will be a special PC edition for the United States soon at retail
How much should the actions of an idiotic PR team that have most likely been seriously pulled into line, reflect on an entire developer? A developer is a lot more than their PR team and managers who often have nothing to do with making games..
That said, they need the heat to learn and change but it would be sad to see a permanent tarnishing of their rep unless 100% justified..
@Jim, they've made plenty of statements in response clarifying their position.. As a respected journalist the least you could is to edit their response into the article. Whether there is truth to it is beside the point.
To posters bashing topware's devs themselves and saying they'll avoid the game now (because after this mess up they instantly hate all of topware):
Do you think the developers themselves who put their time and effort into making the damn game share PR's views? blame management, blame ownership, blame PR, don't just bleat like sheep.
Most people replying here already know what's up, they should be worrying about the quality of the game more than dealing with the people who shat on it.
"As a respected journalist the least you could is to edit their response into the article. Whether there is truth to it is beside the point."
A respected journalist would post the statements after looking into whether they are true or not.
And anyway, why not post some of these statements yourself?
Hearing some pretty interesting things.
I'll be back with more later. <3
The actual person from the site in question has actually written me in an email that this is over and that we will all move in a positive direction
Since multiplayer was not covered in their initial review - we will be showing them the co-op mode with our team as it can be hit and miss with player quality.
They are also going to be and were going to be on our next press tour of the UK.
My team needs to take a step back as the UK has been pretty harsh on our game, but such is life.
I will make sure that nothing like this ever happens again, but some of my guys have put their heart and soul into this game and just need to take a step back.
For a smaller company it can be tough, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.