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Driv3r Reviews. Were PSM2 & XBW honest? (Part II)
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Egregious Willy
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

phAnt0m buRn wrote:
Egregious Willy wrote:
What Egregious Willy said


I bought the game after I saw it in Gamestation, having not read the review. Therefore I had less to expect of the game but I still thought it was crap.

The point is though, as has been expressed umpteen times already, that XBW and PSM2 wrote clearly dishonest reviews. People do not want to go and buy a magazine to be spoon fed bullshit, which is what XBW and PSM2 have done. Take XBW's review for example. It was basically 4 pages of arse kissing.


Yes, but my point is, who are all these poor saps who've wasted their hard-earned cash because of these "bullshit" reviews? Hands up anyone, please, who bought the game based on one of these reviews (i.e. anyone who wouldn't have otherwise bought it) and was then thoroughly pissed off.

This is like the pro-censorship argument ("Well I don't need films to be censored, but there are other poor fools out there who do"). Simply, where are all the victims here? Where are all of your poor fools? Whisper it, but no one's been ripped off; no one cares. More to the point, I like the damn game!
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SillySprout
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the thing to be learnt from this episode is that whilst most of us here admit to suspecting boosted scores for early reviews in the past, when it's as obvious as it is in this case, the respect for the magazines will be damaged, and sales will be damaged likewise. Tarting a review up to keep in a publishers good books (as wrong as that is), will get past the majority un-noticed, but outright lying, or pleading ignorance regarding issues that at least 75% of gamers are crying out about simply isn't on, and will backfire.

I imagine that the next time I walk into a newsagent and see the words "worlds first review" splashed on the cover of a magazine, it will actually have an adverse effect on me. As it is, the only magazine I buy is PS2 Official Magazine UK on subscription (& occasionally NGC Mag if there are games coming out for Cube), but I tell you what, if PS2OM comes through my door in a few weeks with another 9/10 Driv3r review, I definately wont be renewing my soon-to-expire subscription. But how can they possibly slate it without drawing more attention to PSM2 & XBW? If the writers of Official PS2 Magazine want to score the game 5/10, as seems to be the average score of the game on gaming websites, will they dare to do so knowing that it will draw attention to their sister magazine's dubvious review, and cause further damage to Futures image?


Quote:
There's no denying that, at present, the game is very glitchy and you do feel like it's fighting against you at times. And while Reflections admit that the game's out-of-car aspects aren't properly tweaked yet, there's still clearly lots more left to do than just that. But there is scope for this to be a cracking chase-based speed-fest, replete with realistic locations, a huge array of vehicles and - fingers crossed - some finely crafted missions. Let's just hope that, come Driv3r's summer release, it'll be a case of realised potential as opposed to what-could-have-been.


That comes from an article on this very site, fetchingly titled "Driv3r: Vice City-beater or bug-ridden glitch-fest?" (>link<). Yup, that's right, "bug-ridden glitch-fest"! You can't publish an article like that in February, and expect readers to understand that the very same problems are overlooked come June, without losing trust.
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Eighthours
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DIN0 wrote:
all sorted eighthours, why's there only half?


You get the other half once my novel starts getting serialised on Gamufi, and you run a review of it which starts with the words, "10 thrill-drenched pages on the book of the year" and which gives it at least 90%.... Wink
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Jonny_Darko
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't think tarting up will ever go away, but this isn't a tart up. I don't think anyone would mind if Driv3r was a 7 and got boosted to an 8. Or an 8 to a 9. It's still a good game in that case. The problem here is that it's a game clearly in the 5 range.
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Cal
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SillySprout wrote:
I imagine that the next time I walk into a newsagent and see the words "worlds first review" splashed on the cover of a magazine, it will actually have an adverse effect on me.


Well, since just about every games rag (except the venerable Edge) seems to have that 'exclusive first review!' banner on the cover (sometimes even for the same game as the magazine next to it making the same boast - duh) I guess you won't be getting any new mags for a while. It's all brought about, ultimately, by the internicine war of the magazine stands. It's a brutal marketplace for magazines and shelf-space is highly-contested and hard won.

Get Edge, Games TM and PC Gamer and never believe what you read in any of them, although these magazines make some attempt to retain some integrity in their reportagé. The rest you can safely ignore. Sh*te, the lot of 'em.
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pieman
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great topic, one of the best I have read on a gaming forum and amazingly it's kept ontopic for most of it. (that might be down to some good admin skills as I have only just read the topic, at one point I was worried I wouldn't finish it all as it was growing faster than I could read it)

As to the acusations of bribary and corruption. I don't think enough distinction has been made between the various levels in a magazine, there is a difference between the reviewer recieving a brown envelope full of cash (which I don't think has happened) to the magazine at a very high level being promised some of a major advertising budget. Perhaps a count up of the number of adds for atari titles both magazines with good and bad reviews could shed some more light on that....

anyway keep up the intesting posts
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Eighthours
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SillySprout wrote:
I tell you what, if PS2OM comes through my door in a few weeks with another 9/10 Driv3r review, I definately wont be renewing my soon-to-expire subscription. But how can they possibly slate it without drawing more attention to PSM2 & XBW? If the writers of Official PS2 Magazine want to score the game 5/10, as seems to be the average score of the game on gaming websites, will they dare to do so knowing that it will draw attention to their sister magazine's dubvious review, and cause further damage to Futures image?


Read my mind, Sprouty. I am incredibly interested to see what OPS2M give the game. There must be some pressure being exerted here: 1. To give a balanced review, particularly as they seemed so pissed off in the present ish that they weren't "allowed" to review the game, and 2. Pressure from upstairs to give the game an inflated review, so their sister mag doesn't look so stupid.

'Twill be a very very interesting read next month!! Watch for whether the text and the score both indicate the same thing!!

pieman wrote:
Great topic, one of the best I have read on a gaming forum and amazingly it's kept ontopic for most of it. (that might be down to some good admin skills as I have only just read the topic, at one point I was worried I wouldn't finish it all as it was growing faster than I could read it)


Hi there pieman, hope you stick around. This topic hasn't required any editing at all. Everyone's kept on-topic incredibly well, and nearly all forumites have made superb contributions to the thread. I think it just proves that, when you come up with an interesting and thought-provoking topic to do with a subject that's very close to the forum's "heart", you're going to get a very lively and informative debate.
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KKLEIN
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've just been out & picked up Xbox World (£4.99! They're taking the piss...) & just now read the 'review'. The main review itself wasn't actually written by Nellis, it was by Pete Webber (staff writer). Through all of the 6 pages not once was the bad AI mentioned. Not once was any sort of pop-up mentioned & not once was anything bad said about the game. The worst they could come up with? Just read this:

Quote:
Of course there are a few gripes. For one, shouldn't there be more traffic? Considering how incredibly hard you are, the police could also benefit for a little extra beef? Where's the helicopter support? Where's the blood? What about the filthy language, for f*ck sake (not censored in review - quite frankly that's out of order imo)?

This review is so full of sh*t the guy who wrote it deserves the sack. This isn't opinion; this is just plain ignoring the facts. I've never read such a warped review in all my life - and that's no overstatement either.

And guess what? There's a £5 voucher for the game inside the mag too. Tossers.
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Eighthours
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 3:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

KKLEIN wrote:
And guess what? There's a £5 voucher for the game inside the mag too. Tossers.


Ha ha!! Very Happy

This gets better and better!! No mention of the AI either??!! I'm sorry to say this, but this is sounding more and more like a total joke. I fully believe that Future didn't take any money for the review or anything, but it looks more and more dodgy the more that we hear.

There is another "explain it all away" possibility that I've just thought of - "Nellis" mentioned that the writer of the review had only worked on the mag for a couple of months. Maybe because it was his first big review, he got all over-enthusiastic!! (then again, that's what editors are there to prevent, surely.....)
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 3:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SillySprout wrote:
but I tell you what, if PS2OM comes through my door in a few weeks with another 9/10 Driv3r review, I definately wont be renewing my soon-to-expire subscription. But how can they possibly slate it without drawing more attention to PSM2 & XBW? If the writers of Official PS2 Magazine want to score the game 5/10, as seems to be the average score of the game on gaming websites, will they dare to do so knowing that it will draw attention to their sister magazine's dubvious review, and cause further damage to Futures image?

I'm almost certain OPS2 are going to be totally honest with this review. I was reading what Tim Clark had to say on the PS board yesterday in their 'forum chat' & he said something along the lines of 'I suggest you read our review before judging us" & "All I can say is read the review". This, whether it does or not, will be a very good time for OPS2 to prove themselves to their readers - & I bet they're just going to jump at the chance to give this a right good bashing. PSM2 didn't quaver in putting the boot in to OPS2's review of Tomb Raider last year so I doubt OPS2 will either.

At the very most expect a 7.
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 3:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Can't we all just go back to drinking bear and eating pizza?

Cool
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Pell
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 3:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Now this is intriguing. I just looked at http://www.gameplay.co.uk/ and there's an interview with one of the makers who had this to say:


Gameplay wrote:
2 - How long has Driver 3 been in development for and, what stage is it at?

It really depends when you count the start of development. The physics engine which forms the basis for the dynamics side of the game started over 4 years ago but that was originally used in Stuntman. Around 3 years ago work started on Driver 3 in earnest. Right now we are just scripting the missions, optimising bits of the code and working on the out of car sections. The physics and dynamics side of the cars has been pretty much finished for a while now.


So this suggests that whilst on-foot sections were in production, they had completed the driving part of the game. This interview couldn't have been that recent if the missions were still being scripted, so the unfinished code would, it seems, have a completed driving section. Unless 'optimising bits of code' refers to ironing out a few driving bugs?
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 3:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pell wrote:
so the unfinished code would, it seems, have a completed driving section. Unless 'optimising bits of code' refers to ironing out a few driving bugs?


Such as flying cars, being able to drive through the walls of certain buildings, appalling enemy car AI.......etc etc etc.

While the handling and physics were basically lifted from their Stuntman game and tweaked, and were therefore finished ultra-early, the mission structure and basic building blocks of the actual game are where it all seems to have gone wrong.
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got a reply from Mia Roberts, Publishing Director of the Future Games division a while ago - it's plenty to be disappointed about. Simply, it's all corporate rubbish; as Eighthours eloquently put, "a cut and paste job". According to Miss Roberts, Future staff would never bow to any kind of pressure when it comes to reviewing, opinions are the writers' own and not influenced by outside or commercial pressures. Future never has or will tamper with review scores.

That's extremely difficult to believe.
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 4:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In this case Gwi, it's utter tosh.
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