PC Gamer(UK) 96% Bought?

[[]D | |V| []D]

I'm wondering how many of you think the 96% score in the exclusive first review of HL2 in PC Gamer(UK) was bought?

Word hasi it game producers and publishers often give magazines in the game in advance so that they can write the first exclusive review, in exchange the magazine overrates the game. So the magazine sells better because it has an exclusive review and the game sells better because of the higher score of the game. Everybody is happy except the consumer that doesnt have an objective review of the game.

So what do you think, was the PC Gamer(UK) review bought, doesnt matter if only for one % of two, but do you think it was bought?

 

[[sl@yer]]

Don't be so cynical! From everything we've seen of the game, I doubt it would have needed to be bought!!

 

[brink's]

Well it also got very good scores from 2 other respected mags( 96%, 90%) and the one that gave it 90 said it was one of the best SP experiences ever.

 

[switch]

Are you saying bought by PC Gamer as an exclusive?
Or VU/Valve bought off PC Gamer???

If the second one then I think you should think more about it. Any magazine is itching for an exclusive and many reviews will come out before the release of HL2.

 

[KagePrototype]

The worst score the game has got so far is 90, and it's already been said that it wouyld have gotten a better makr if it had hl2dm. So I doubt it was bought, I don't Valve as the sort of company to do that.

 

[perrkele]

Probably the only thing Valve "bought" was the length of the article. Every single review has been 8 pages, right?

 

[Asuka]

No.

Only gamepro does that. I know for sure Pc Gamer US or UK dont do it.

 

[[]D | |V| []D]

Don't be so cynical! From everything we've seen of the game, I doubt it would have needed to be bought!!

i didn't say it was bought, i was just wondering how manj people think it was ...

If by the other 96% score you mean the PC Format (Slovenia) 96% score, i must tell you that PC Format (Slovenia) is the Slovenian version of PC Gamer, it contains the translated and shortened review from the PC Gamer(UK) edition and hence can't be compared. Believe me, i'm from Slovenia and i read both articles.

I've seen a lot of this game so far too (including checking every inch of the leaked "beta"), i believe the game deserver 96% but until we play the whole game trough none of us can say for certain.

 

[badenglishihave]

Woah watch it buddy, leaked beta stuff isn't kosher...

 

[[sl@yer]]

i didn't say it was bought, i was just wondering how manj people think it was ...

If by the other 96% score you mean the PC Format (Slovenia) 96% score, i must tell you that PC Format (Slovenia) is the Slovenian version of PC Gamer, it contains the translated and shortened review from the PC Gamer(UK) edition and hence can't be compared. Believe me, i'm from Slovenia and i read both articles.

I've seen a lot of this game so far too (including checking every inch of the leaked "beta"), i believe the game deserver 96% but until we play the whole game trough none of us can say for certain.

True, but I have been a reader of PC Gamer for years and I seriously doubt they would do that! I'm positive 96% was an honest reflection of the quality of HL2.

 

[Wolf]

It's not devs who channel dollars in to press coverage it is the publishers.

 

[Wolf]

True, but I have been a reader of PC Gamer for years and I seriously doubt they would do that! I'm positive 96% was an honest reflection of the quality of HL2.

While they're probably better than most because they actually have half decent writers and a big circulation I doubt they are immune to advertising revenue and carrots like 'exclusives'.

 

[KagePrototype]

I wonder if people said this when HL was reveiwed.

We won't know until we see either some more reviews, or get to the play the game ourselves. I was fully convinced Unreal 2 was a great game after PC Zone gave it 94%, but after playing the game and seeing the more lukewarm reviews it received after it's release (as well as remembering the PC Zone score was up on the Unreal 2 website a few weeks before the magazine came out), I thought something fishy was going on.

 

[Ecthe|ioN]

Bought? No way..

 

[Hyperion2010]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahhhahahahahahhahahhhahahaahahha


carful man, you nearly killed me with that one!

 

[navyseal2004]

If I were the reviewer I would have given it 100%, stopping short of 110% because of the missing multiplayer mode.

 

[[]D | |V| []D]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahhhahahahahahhahahhhahahaahahha


carful man, you nearly killed me with that one!

thats a great argument, you should candidate for the president of the united states of america

 

[Harryz]

PC Format gave it 96% aswell. I really doubt it would be bought.

 

[Incitatus]

man you guys are so naive

It might not be very explicit but why would a mag give a game a low score? they would just loose the favour of the game producers, it's a loose loose situation for the mags. You will never see a big budget game get a low score, only semi important games that are truly bad.
Of course there's a limit to this the mag doesn't want to loose 'all' credibility, e.g. daykatana (or however you spell it)

'A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist.'

 

[[]D | |V| []D]

I wonder if people said this when HL was reveiwed.

it kinda doesnt matter what score the original HL got ...

If I were the reviewer I would have given it 100%, stopping short of 110% because of the missing multiplayer mode.

u havent played the game yet so there is no way u can know the game is that good ... thats just silly

 

[partyboy]

it doesn't need to have been literally bought, but it's not totally unreasonable to think that the reviewer would be biased based on their position.

 

[Feath]

Unless you have any sort of proof, this called is slander. You can say that we don't have proof that it's this good, but we don't need proof. We're not the ones calling journalists liars.

But anyway, I seem to remember a story that PC Gamer UK missed out on an Exclusive GTA 3 review because they didn't put it on thier front cover, so no. I don't think PC Gamer UK was bought, I think Half-Life 2 is a very good game.

 

[[]D | |V| []D]

PC Format gave it 96% aswell. I really doubt it would be bought.

PC Format is a slovenian magazine and it has a shortened translated review from the PC GAMER(UK). No Slovene reviewer ever played HL2 ...

 

[Incitatus]

Unless you have any sort of proof, this called is slander. You can say that we don't have proof that it's this good, but we don't need proof. We're not the ones calling journalists liars.

But anyway, I seem to remember a story that PC Gamer UK missed out on an Exclusive GTA 3 review because they didn't put it on thier front cover, so no. I don't think PC Gamer UK was bought, I think Half-Life 2 is a very good game.

that's contradictory

 

[Feath]

that's contradictory

In what way?

 

[subtlesnake]

PC Format is a slovenian magazine and it has a shortened translated review from the PC GAMER(UK). No Slovene reviewer ever played HL2 ...

Well, the two reviews seem to be written and structured very differently.

 

[Feath]

Wouldn't it be more likely that its a translated version of PC Format?

 

[Incitatus]

Because pc gamer lost out on an exclusive GTA3 review by not placing it on their cover, therefore game studios do pressure
mags. Therefore it becomes more likely there were certain conditions to pc gamer getting the hl2 exclusive, not less likely.
quod erat demonstrandum

You have to imagine the rabid frenzy of mags to get the exclusive of hl2

 

[PvtRyan]

The mag I trust the most myself is PC Gameplay, they never promote with 'world exclusive OMGWTF!~!!!1' are not afraid of giving genuine criticism (HL2DM thingy, debatable, but criticism nontheless) and never seem overly hyped about something (unlike some mags who seem to have a 'best game ever' in every new issue).

What Valve does do, is demanding an x amount of pages and a cover story otherwise you can't go on the trip. But that isn't buying anyone and doesn't affect the credibility of the (p)review.

 

[Gunner]

You have to imagine the rabid frenzy of mags to get the exclusive of hl2

So in that case, shouldn't it be the magazines who pay the developers to get exclusive reviews?

This whole conspiracy theory is bollocks anyway, and the poll confirms it. There are just six paranoid basket cases who think otherwise.

 

[Feath]

Because pc gamer lost out on an exclusive GTA3 review by not placing it on their cover, therefore game studios do pressure mags. Therefore it becomes more likely there were certain conditions to pc gamer getting the hl2 exclusive, not less likely.

You have to imagine the rabid frenzy of mags to get the exclusive of hl2

What I'm saying is that if PC Gamer UK don't think a game deserves something, they won't do this. This is evidence the PC Gamer doesn't bow to any pressure, not evidence that the pressure isn't there. Valve actually only gave magazines a preview before on the condition that it was on the front cover. In fact, PC Gamer had to run a two part thing to avoid this because the issue that the preview would've been in was already set to have a KOTOR 2 cover.

There's no evidence that they had to give the game a good score, even if they did they certainly wouldn't have given the game 96%. They could have written a more negative review and gave it 90% or something. That would've certainly satisfied the criteria for a "good score".

 

[Incitatus]

I agree, PC Gameplay is a quality mag. I read it for years, then I picked up a pc gamer for the first time I thought it was crap.

 

[killahsin-[CE]]

I'm wondering how many of you think the 96% score in the exclusive first review of HL2 in PC Gamer(UK) was bought?

Word hasi it game producers and publishers often give magazines in the game in advance so that they can write the first exclusive review, in exchange the magazine overrates the game. So the magazine sells better because it has an exclusive review and the game sells better because of the higher score of the game. Everybody is happy except the consumer that doesnt have an objective review of the game.

So what do you think, was the PC Gamer(UK) review bought, doesnt matter if only for one % of two, but do you think it was bought?

As much as i would love to say this is true based on some scores iove seen in the past. In certain cases i just don't believe it. Given the fact that very few games have surpassed or even scored the same as half life 1 and now it seems 2, on magazines that have been out since than, speaks for itself.

 

[Incitatus]

What I'm saying is that if PC Gamer UK don't think a game deserves something, they won't do this. This is evidence the PC Gamer doesn't bow to any pressure, not evidence that the pressure isn't there. Valve actually only gave magazines a preview before on the condition that it was on the front cover. In fact, PC Gamer had to run a two part thing to avoid this because the issue that the preview would've been in was already set to have a KOTOR 2 cover.

There's no evidence that they had to give the game a good score, even if they did they certainly wouldn't have given the game 96%. They could have written a more negative review and gave it 90% or something. That would've certainly satisfied the criteria for a "good score".

Yes that's another way of interpreting it.

But, if Valve could choose between 2 mags let's say of approximately the same circulation, and they new the other one would give it a super high score. Why in the world would it give the exclusive to the other mag (e.g. pc gamer, following your reasoning). You see it only takes one mag to bring the entire system down, these are businesses not impartial and independent judges.

Of course if PC Gamer has a virtual monopoly on English speaking pc mags, that changes.

anyway.. comes down to ones interpretation

 

[[]D | |V| []D]

So in that case, shouldn't it be the magazines who pay the developers to get exclusive reviews?

This whole conspiracy theory is bollocks anyway, and the poll confirms it. There are just six paranoid basket cases who think otherwise.

both have benefits, an exclusive story sells more magazines and a good review sells more games

your bollocks theory is bollocks too ... in democracy the mayority wins but that under no circumstance surely means that the mayority is right, as for the paranoid bascet cases one could say the others are blind braiwashed zombies who believe everything they are told to believe

anyway, i dont think the review was bought i woten NO myself, but that doesnt mean it wasnt really bought and i wont go insulting ppl who think otherwise

 

[skumbuzzul]

July: if a miracle occurs || August: likely the soonest possible || September: much safer bet
October: conservative safe bet || November: if it ain't out this month, we start killing the hostages.

HAHA.

 

[koopa]

It's incredibly over the top for a non-bought review, so it feels to me like $$$ was involved somewhere. Tell-tale sign is that for the most part it's not so much a game review as a breathless string of superlatives. It could have been written just by looking at the screenshots - I'm not even convinced they've played it.

When the *real* reviews start coming out we'll see a more objective picture. I'm hoping it's going to be a great game, but considering how linear it is I'm expected a little backlash somewhere.

 

[MiccyNarc]

Bought? Hah!
They'd have to pay them to make a bad review

 

[subtlesnake]

Yes but it's written like that because they don't want to spoil things. If they had said "this was a really interesting scene" and had gone on to describe it, the review would instantly appear more credible. And in all 3 reviews there are basically 2 really minor negative points - the NPCs getting in the way and the flashlight energy reserve.

The 90% PC Gameplay review is absolutely full of praise - it's just because the score is so low that it seems more believable.

 

[Dsty2001]

The fact that the person who reviewed it gave dozens of reasons to why he thought it was great, and the fact the article has so much enthusiasm in it, I seriously doubt it was bought.