Bethesda, I'm extremely dissappointed with you. : Fallout: New Vegas

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:43 am

http://www.duckandcover.cx/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24716

I can't believe you guys would seriously stoop so low as to buy your review scores. NV obviously has its share of problems, its a great game but the bugs and the engine obviously keep this game back from receiving those Oblivion/FO3 scores. You guys don't need to cry about it just because you wasted money on a marketing campaign.

Review scores aren't everything and if anything you're just alienating more people by sinking so damn low.

We reported earlier that Bethesda was apparently engaging in some unethical marketing practices with regards to review quotes in a Fallout: New Vegas ad. Now, it looks like things have gone to the next level. Dan Hsu, former Editorial Director at 1up and now of Bitmob, has uncovered what he claims is direct review intervention by Bethesda. Here are his tweets on the matter:

One site was forced to pull its Fallout Vegas review because advertiser Bethesda was unhappy w/ score. Sad this crap still goes on.

Heard (but haven't confirmed) two more sites delaying publishing poor review scores for Fallout Vegas until Fallout ad campaign is done.

To clarify, the site's boss pulled that review because advertiser wasn't happy, against writer's wishes.

Sorry, I know how this sounds, but I can't say which site cause this guy would be fired for telling me (they'd know).

RT: JustinHaywald @bitmobshoe To be clear, 1UP has not published a review because both the reviewer and I felt he needed more time with the game.

@BenKuchera I did get a 2nd, independent confirmation on this, tho. The review was pulled by CEO, then put back up when ad campaign was over

If you work for a site and this has happened to you, let us know! If true, this is outrageous and totally reprehensible...yet not unexpected.

Thanks Willooi.

this'll probably get locked or deleted because Bethesda doesn't want people to know the truth. Don't taint your reputation even further! The gaming community never forgets!

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:39 am

Welcome to capitalism.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:53 am

All rumors are true and never even slightly misconstrued.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:49 am

http://www.duckandcover.cx/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24716

I can't believe you guys would seriously stoop so low as to buy your review scores. NV obviously has its share of problems, its a great game but the bugs and the engine obviously keep this game back from receiving those Oblivion/FO3 scores. You guys don't need to cry about it just because you wasted money on a marketing campaign.

Review scores aren't everything and if anything you're just alienating more people by sinking so damn low.

this'll probably get locked or deleted because Bethesda doesn't want people to know the truth. Don't taint your reputation even further! The gaming community never forgets!

Wow....that is just sad. I'm even more happy to have returned New Vegas to Gamestop. They were gracious enough to give me a full store credit. Got 2 other titles pre-ordered for this tuesday anyway

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:10 pm

So...?

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:19 am

And this is news how? :shrug:

All big companies do this. It's only fitting that Bethesda jumped on the bandwagon at some point.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:22 am

So...?

I for one dont appreciate buying a product that is buggy and unfinished but yet recieves a 95% rating.

Think of it this way, if I wanted a safe car and toyota told Consumer Reports to give them a 5 rating when in reality its the most unsafe car in the world and breaks down after a week.. you get the point

quit being a fan *8oy and defending Bethesda on this. It's unethical and awful and if you can't recognize this then you obviously need not post in this thread.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:01 am

There's constant examples of this occurring, but the other thing you have to consider is that by tweeting this stuff he is driving traffic to (a) his Twitter and (B) his site. More coverage for him = more pay for him for getting traffic.

You can sit there and point the finger at Bethesda all you want. Sure they may be participating in some unethical behaviour BUT that doesn't mean that what this guy is saying is true on any level. He could be talking out of his [censored]. His friends review may have been pulled for a totally different reason. I happen to work in the industry and know of a couple of prominent critics that have had their reviews pulled, gone to tell people its because X publisher wasn't happy with the review etc, and then found out from multiple sources that the reviews were pulled because they weren't properly scrutinised before hand and that it had nothing to do with anything else. The opposite is true of course, so I'm not saying that it doesn't happen.

Best thing to do: take it with a pinch of salt. He's an [censored] for tweeting this in the first place. It's merely six of one, half-a-dozen of the other. It all comes down to belief and there's nothing empirical in that sort of measurement.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:40 am

Sadly, this is nothing new in the game industry. They simply invest too much money and they don't want to risk it.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:23 am

There's constant examples of this occurring, but the other thing you have to consider is that by tweeting this stuff he is driving traffic to (a) his Twitter and (B) his site. More coverage for him = more pay for him for getting traffic.

You can sit there and point the finger at Bethesda all you want. Sure they may be participating in some unethical behaviour BUT that doesn't mean that what this guy is saying is true on any level. He could be talking out of his [censored].

You obviously don't know who Dan Hsu is. (AKA Shoe)

He was editor in chief of EGM for years and he's probably one of the most respected gaming journalists out there. He's more then trustworthy and if anything he's trying to save his industry (Gaming journalism) from corruption.

Use your brain people.

» Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:34 pm

There is already discussion of that over http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1124773-gamespot-pulls-negative-review/page__st__20One thread about conspiracy theories is enough.