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Driv3r Reviews. Were PSM2 & XBW honest? (Part II)
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OctogenarianPussy
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Honesty and trust.

What does nine mean? Nine means fabulous, wonderful, enjoyable, great fun, well worth your money. Nine does not mean, unplayable, boring, unimaginitive, painful, broken, unfinished.

Does it?

Let's not confuse the message here. After all we're consumers and we're stupid aren't we? I mean check out the all formats chart FFS! I know!! Let's keep getting bent over. I mean. We'll believe everything they say won't we? Why? Because it's so dissaffected man! It's just not worth the energy is it? Basically we're all pretty lazy aren't we?

When something is wrong it should be made known that it's wrong. People who are looking for excuses for this shoddy mess are partly to blame.
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Cal
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 2:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Miriam_NGC wrote:
Given that we don't HAVE a carp fishing magazine (or indeed any other osrt of fishing magazine), I'd say you're thinking of another company entirely.


I am. Emap. My mistake. Embarassed
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Eighthours
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 2:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pell wrote:
The whole MK:DD thing was illustrative purpose by me to show that it's not right to accuse some people of bribery when in other instances high scores are given without anyone complaining. There is a fundamental flaw in your arguements that mean you fail to see the bigger picture. You criticise PSM2 and XBW whilst never even thinking about other instances with different magazines. Why should this be any different?


With all due respect Pell, the 2 situations aren't even remotely comparable.

MK:DD was reviewed by all mags in the same month, there were no Nintendo PR bods telling websites to withdraw reviews, there was no question of pressure being put on publishers to give the game a certain score.

With Driv3r we've got only 2 mags on the shelves with reviews, we've got buggy unfinished code being passed off as final, and we've got all kinds of shenanigans going on with the PR people who were threatening websites with all sorts of nasty stuff if they posted reviews before a certain date.

So, in my view, it's you who is failing to see the bigger picture.

Pell wrote:
Whlie we're at it lets all post lists of glitches and faults with GTA and compare shall we? There are LOADS in the Rockstar games, yet they are hailed as some of the greatest games of all time. Maybe they don't interfere with the gameplay as much as Driv3r, but why is it reasonable to expect reviews not to mention this fact about GTA yet you want them to hammer Driv3r for the same thing? The inconsistencies aren't in the reviews, but in your expectations.


GTA3 came out in 2001. That's 3 years ago. The technical flaws that Driv3r demonstrates all over the shop are far far less acceptable now. Also, if we fast-forward to this October, and San Andreas comes out with a terrible targetting system and bad on-foot sections, it's going to get slated. The thing about GTA3 is that, despite its technical limitations, 3 years later it still plays superbly. I should know, I played it myself on Sunday for 4 hours straight (going through the double-pack, you see). What a contrast to Driv3r, which I had played the previous day on a demo pod. Driv3r's flaws ruin the game. There's the nucleus of a good game struggling to get out, but it never does. GTA3 basically invented the "sandbox" vehicle game structure. Driv3r is far more linear, and should therefore be more tightly focussed. In that case, why are its missions so unbalanced and so flawed?

You're entitled to like Driv3r and so is everyone else. If you think it's worth 90%, fine. If you think it's worth 10%, equally fine. However I think you're misunderstanding the point of this thread, which is that some of the more shady journalistic practises appear to have come out for the world to see in this instance.

Despite its flaws, GTA3 is a damn good game, lauded by critics and consumers the world over. Driv3r isn't, and never will be.
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 2:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Liste, I'm not defending Driv3r (though it seems it). I haven't played it and so cannot judge for myself. From what you've said it's because these are the only 2 mags so far with reviews. Okay fair 'nuff. In that case by using your arguement this would apply with any situation where magazines happen to have reviews before others. So when two magazines have drastic difference of opinions in the same month that's put down to reviewers prefernces, but if by chance one had a deadline a few days later, so any such conflicing review would be published a month early, then eyebrows should be raised? this is all hyperthetical!
Urgh hope that made sense? Confused
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

But Pell people are angry about the fact that they have been deliberately misled by the magazines in question over these games.Both published reviews of said game and already one of the magazines has admitted on here that said review was based on ubfinished code and so surely cannot be taken seriously as they have ignored many of the bugs that people have had problems with.
People are not arguing about the score itself per say more the reasons why it was awarded which by all accounts points to some sort of deal between Atari and the magazines.
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Look at my locked topic HERE and look at the smug way i revealed the score. Little did i know every single person on the forum already knew, so i just made myslef look like a right tw*t.
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Locked after 20 minutes aswell, is that a record?
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Eighthours
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pell wrote:
Liste, I'm not defending Driv3r (though it seems it). I haven't played it and so cannot judge for myself. From what you've said it's because these are the only 2 mags so far with reviews. Okay fair 'nuff. In that case by using your arguement this would apply with any situation where magazines happen to have reviews before others. So when two magazines have drastic difference of opinions in the same month that's put down to reviewers prefernces, but if by chance one had a deadline a few days later, so any such conflicing review would be published a month early, then eyebrows should be raised? this is all hyperthetical!
Urgh hope that made sense? Confused


Yeah this has happened before (see KKLEIN's post on the last page for examples) but I can't think of a more blatant example. I think it's simply the fact that now the Internet's become such a good source for news, we know when stuff's finished, we know when hype isn't becoming reality, and we know when people are trying to pull a fast one. In the MK:DD example, it was all about opinions. People cried havoc and let slip the dogs of war at the EDGE review, but nobody went so far as to call EDGE dishonest. They just thought the review was wrong.

With Driv3r it's not about opinions, because of the Atari PR element working its skullduggery (to greater or lesser extent depending on who you believe)behind the scenes. At the very least, the situation is incredibly unfortunate for the mags involved.

While we're on the subject of mags, does anyone have a copy of Xbox World near them? On the page before the reviews start, is there any mention of promising never to review unfinished code? There is in most mags these days, can someone have a look and quote it to us??
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Okay, I admit that it can certainly seem that way. Just don't get caught up thinking that this must be the explaination. It seems like far too many people are of the opinion that something dodgy has gone on, and that because not every question raised has been immediately and satisfactorily answered then this is some kind of confirmation. Speaking from experience it's all too easy to be highly opinionated of something to which all evidence points towards, only for it not to be the case.
I personally believed that most reviews are of slightly unfinished code, so for this fact to be attacked with such verocity strikes me as odd. However, I have no idea how magazines work so it may be that only finished code is usually reviewed?
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

With regards to mario kart DD.. I'll say it again.. and stick up for merian (soz, if i spelt that wrong).

A review is an opinion, and opinion can never be wrong as it's not factual.

.. In other words.. I hate metroid prime, although most people disagree with me.. I would give it 4 out of 10.. Im not wrong in saying this, this is my personal thoughts. To get the most out of a review, you read the words and dont just look at the score.. If you read my whole page review and felt you could live with the things i've slated then you could disagree with my final score and go out and buy it..

This DOESNT mean i was wrong.

Now I have less a problem with magazines giving low scores when they deserve more than vice versa.. as if it happens the other way around i end up buying a game i dont like.. But this ISNT the reviewers fault.

Just because one magazine gives a game 1/10 and another 9/10 doesnt mean one is wrong and the other is right.. its.. an.. op..in..i..on...




As for people saying "well these internet sites mentioned x y and z.. magazines should never review unfinished games"...

As I already said, magazines are written months before they hit the shelves.. if they waited for a finished copy of driv3r to review it, you wouldnt get a review until months after the game was released.

Its like movie reviewers seeing unfinished previews.. see?

Internet sites dont have these problems and can update immediately.


- Are these comments falling on deaf ears?

Im not saying it's right, wrong or whatever.. just highlighting the problems that some of you seem to have missed.
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Miriam_NGC wrote:

We played MK for months after the review, we enjoyed it so much. If giving a high score to a game everyone in the office had a brilliant time playing is fanboyism, so be it. But it's not lying to our readers.


Right, if that's the case then fine, but reading the NGC review and actually playing the game itself - thoroughly, including the multiplayer might I add - I got the distinct vibe that the review was more of a "This is Mario Kart, of course it's great" piece instead of reviewing the software actually being played. Obviously, I'm not making accusations, I bought NGC since issue 10 up until a couple of months ago when it stopped interesting me. It was my favourite magazine, I'll grant you that, but the
MK review didn't seem to be of the same game that I bought.

Also, before anyone gets their wires crossed: the Mario Kart business was just in reply to someone earlier in the topic, and has nothing to do with the main subject, before you start accusing NGC of accepting bribes in the vein of the rest of the topic.

Back on topic then.
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pell if you would care to remeber the fact psm2 claimed their review was based on finished code maybe you could understand why people are getting so worked up over this.
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

blah

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pell wrote:
I personally believed that most reviews are of slightly unfinished code, so for this fact to be attacked with such verocity strikes me as odd. However, I have no idea how magazines work so it may be that only finished code is usually reviewed?

Going back to something OPS2's Tim Clark said on the playstation.com forums a while ago, he said apart from the game missing the odd box, manual & difficulty menu the code is totally finished. If it's not it's either news or a preview article.

There are discrepancies in what people are saying everywhere. And if you so wish to asking him, or ‘them’ anything else they’re on, to my knowledge, the PS forums today from 5-6pm.
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mrclam wrote:
Its like movie reviewers seeing unfinished previews.. see?


You will NEVER see Empire or Total Film posting a review of an unfinished film. End of.

Such reviews are on Aintitcool all the time of course, but clearly marked, describing exactly what they're missing.
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think what Cal just said aptly shows the problem with all reviews of DRIV3R. This game is not being judged purely for what it is. This game is being reviewed and talked about with the added weight of all the hype, the build up, the 3 years in the making. All the previews saying how it looks unconvising, all the delayed release dates time and time again. We may like to think that this factors in no way to the final thoughts about the game but it does. In the same was Cal thinks that within the subtext MK:DD is Mario and therefore great anyway, Driv3r was all these promises to live up to whilst being constantly innundated with unflattering previews.
Strip all this away and you would be left with an honest review. I really do think I will get Driv3r, partly because of all this controvesy. I want to be able to judge for myself and not relt on others. Does it sound like a 9/10 game? No. Does it sound like it deserves 3/10? No. Whatever it 'deserves', that is up for each individual to judge.
Countless times I've heard you people saying that reviews don't matter it's what you think that counts. That is true. Now some people do just rely on reviews and so if mislead by any this is unfortunate. But it's not as if it's an isolated incident for reviews to be different from the general consensus, for any magazine, no matter what publisher it may be from.

I urge everybody with the game to in the same topic in reader reviews write your honest opinions.
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