Oh Steel, de Blob is SO last week.

World of Goo is the new "In" game.

AND I HAVE NO WIRELESS INTERNETS!!!111

Damn.

gamingeek said:

phantom_leo said:

_______________________________

THIS WAS FATHOMS_BASIC (v)

"...but to assume that Rockstar paid off a bunch of sources, and to assume that one source had a "cascading effect" on other sites (including ours over at PSX Extreme), kinda says that we journalists don't have a mind of our own.

I've never been paid off or coerced by another source to significantly change a score. There's no reason to do that. I have no motivation to do it. I get paid to do my job and I do it to the best of my ability. What you're implying is just a little insulting to the integrity of journalists and critics, that's all."

I've never heard of PSX Extreme, but it sounds something like Fathoms would be involved with. I don't think any PR company is going to put pressure or give incentives or exclusive reviews to smaller sites, so perhaps he can't apply his experience to the experience of larger media outlets?

They should probably just call it PSX Extremists as they are devoted solely to PlayStation games, hype and overly positive reviews. He was justifying his score of the game, but what I don't get was: If Rockstar was giving unfinished code versions of GTA IV to the big-boys to review, what the hell version did HE review? Either it was also an unfinished copy OR he was basing his score off of hype, PR press-releases or the other site's scores! There was NO WAY PSX Extreme got a final copy to review when sites like IGN or GameSpot didn't! There just wasn't enough time from the release of the finished version of the game to the posting of their review for it to be legitimate. So much for journalistic integrity...

gamingeek said:

Tell me about it. When me and Dvader did Elebits threads I think mine got 7 replies and Dvaders got 3 and one of those was mine!

I almost picked up Elebits a week ago, but had no cash with me at the time. By the time I got back to the store, the game had flown away.

Fuck.

Elebits is WAY overrated.

phantom_leo said:

MOTHER GODDAMN FUCKERS ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

"By withholding code until a late stage then (be it through design or ineptitude), a PR can force a journalist to rely on marketing hype and information to fill the gaps in their knowledge of the game when writing copy. In this way, control of the critical reaction is shifted back to the PR in a subtle and (arguably) legitimate way."

I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE ANGRY AT ANYTHING IN THE VIDEOGAME INDUSTRY AS I AM ABOUT THIS FINALLY BEING MADE PUBLIC.

I WAS RIDICULED AND BASICALLY TOLD I WAS NUTS BY SOME OF THE MOST ELITIST, OBNOXIOUS, POSER, GAMER-LOSERS ON GAMESPOT WHEN I SUGGESTED THIS EXACT STATEMENT ON THE RELEASE DAY OF GTA IV!

"AS A GAME REVIEWER I AM OFFENDED BY THE SUGGESTION WE ARE INFLUENCED BY MARKETING AND PR OF THE BIG GAME COMPANIES... BLAH, BLAH." --SOME IDIOT OF THE GGD.

WELCOME TO REALITY BOYS, SUCKS DON'T IT? WHO WERE THE LOSERS AGAIN THAT WERE ARGUING WITH ME IN RAGS TOPIC? I'D LOVE TO DIGITALLY SHOVE THIS ARTICLE UP THEIR PUCKERED LITTLE BUNG-HOLES!

THERE ARE THOSE OF US THAT LOVE GAMING FOR GAMING SAKE, AND OTHERS WHO ARE SO ROMANCED BY HYPE THEY LET IT BECOME THEIR PERSONAL PHILOSOPHIES. SUCKERED BY MEDIA, BLINDED BY HYPE, THEY WOULDN'T KNOW A GOOD GAME 'TIL THEY WERE TOLD IT WAS GOOD BY EGM.

I'VE PLAYED A LIFETIME OF GAMES. THEY WAIT TO SEE SALES NUMBERS AND PAID ADVERTISEMENTS TO SEE WHAT THEIR GOTY SHOULD BE. I HAVE NEVER FELT SO JUSTIFIED AND FURIOUS AT THE SAME TIME ! ! !

I hereby nominate this for post of the year.

gamingeek said:

I dunno, maybe you're being too harsh on some of these guys.

I'm aware most of the time that reviews are based on usually just a few hours playtime. It's a dead giveaway when they talk about the main campaign and ignore everything else. When I do a review I usually mention "from what I've seen so far". That's why I usually do a follow up as to how things are getting on if the experience changes. It's different for professionals, but at the same time games aren't films, they can't just sit through 2 hrs and have experienced everything. That said in GTA IVs case I saw nothing in the first few hours that would make me think it was a GOTY 10/10 title. But other people seem to love it to death. I get a general vibe that people find it more polished yet less fun than the older games.

You really had to be there, GG. Back in that topic, I was the guy in the prison shower who was repeatedly forced to "pick up the soap."

When I suggested it was PR influence or popular sites following each other's (and Rockstar's) lead, I was jumped on by almost everyone in there, save Vader and Rags, if I remember correctly.

If you don't have time to review a game correctly, don't review it. THAT'S integrity.

Playing an unfinished game (one that was riddled with bugs at the time and not reporting about it), not finishing the game OR going by what the press/PR just tells you to say are all example of issues I had with the game and it's review (and resulting GOTY and Best Game of All time claims) and that's what I was arguing back then. This article pretty much states everything I suspected back then was 100% correct.

People like Fathom MUST have known they weren't playing a full retail version of the game, yet they stood up and defended themselves and the game anyway. The extremes to which they went to back then are even more funny now as the hype train whipped through the forums so quickly their heads must have been left spinning. By the next month, Metal Gear Solid came out and GTA IV was all but forgotten. BOTH of those games will probably be replaced by something else by the end of this year, too.

I am all for passion about games, but the games themselves have to be the sole motivation. Anything else and people will doubt what you have to say forever...

Dunno. I don't want to dredge all of that stuff back up again. It was Steel's posting of that article that got me all revved up, and I just don't have the energy to fight THAT battle again!

phantom_leo said:

You really had to be there, GG. Back in that topic, I was the guy in the prison shower who was repeatedly forced to "pick up the soap."

When I suggested it was PR influence or popular sites following each other's (and Rockstar's) lead, I was jumped on by almost everyone in there, save Vader and Rags, if I remember correctly.

If you don't have time to review a game correctly, don't review it. THAT'S integrity.

Playing an unfinished game (one that was riddled with bugs at the time and not reporting about it), not finishing the game OR going by what the press/PR just tells you to say are all example of issues I had with the game and it's review (and resulting GOTY and Best Game of All time claims) and that's what I was arguing back then. This article pretty much states everything I suspected back then was 100% correct.

People like Fathom MUST have known they weren't playing a full retail version of the game, yet they stood up and defended themselves and the game anyway. The extremes to which they went to back then are even more funny now as the hype train whipped through the forums so quickly their heads must have been left spinning. By the next month, Metal Gear Solid came out and GTA IV was all but forgotten. BOTH of those games will probably be replaced by something else by the end of this year, too.

I am all for passion about games, but the games themselves have to be the sole motivation. Anything else and people will doubt what you have to say forever...

Dunno. I don't want to dredge all of that stuff back up again. It was Steel's posting of that article that got me all revved up, and I just don't have the energy to fight THAT battle again!

I posted that article.

Yeah I had to be there. I remember reading some sort of chit chat around that thread but I never actually delved into it. I was long gone by then and didn't really care about reading much on the site bar checking on my friends blogs. That reminds me, I haven't checked out the blogs in a long time now. I get hyped by games a lot, but I'm more cynical these days after all the years and some notable disappointments.

steelattack said:

gamingeek said:

I posted that article.

And thus, I walk away vindicated.

Like Antonio Banderas in Desperado, walking away from the fire. His hair blowing in the wind.

Salma used to be soooo hot.

Chocolate pudding? I thought it was supposed to be warm apple pie (not me).

Anyhoo, I'll definately be getting World of Goo soon. I have plenty of Wii Points now, but I'm just too busy playing Geometry Wars and Super Mario Galaxy right now. I also have to clean out the fridge.