If I were one of the big names of Bioware. I will send a memo calling everyone in the company to write a superlative review of the game. Just to, like the say in my country, playing the chaos.
BioWare Employee Busted in Dragon Age 2 Review Scandal - UPDATED
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
ITT: People that are shocked this shit goes on. Are you all really that naive?
How is it not okay that a developer can up rate his game, but when 4chan's /v/ organizes a huge raid of negative reviews nobody seems to care. (That comment is aimed more at the LBP2 raid, I have no evidence this happened with dA2)
How is it not okay that a developer can up rate his game, but when 4chan's /v/ organizes a huge raid of negative reviews nobody seems to care. (That comment is aimed more at the LBP2 raid, I have no evidence this happened with dA2)
Omitting his job does not change his opinion on the game. One person's opinion is just as valid as another's.danpascooch said:
Longtime lurker ever since ZP started his column here, this thread finally made me register.
To address a few general points I've seen floating around.
1. It's only a single review, it's not that big a deal.
Well, in the same way that stealing a 99 cent pack of batteries isn't a big deal, sure. That said, the cop who catches you sneaking it out the door isn't going to be too impressed by that excuse, and neither will the gaming community here.
2. He has the right to post his opinions!
He does, but as I said earlier, he doesn't have the right to mislead people into thinking he has no financial stake in the game. Whether or not he personally worked on it, money from sales of the game help to pay his paycheck. People have a right to know that tidbit when they read his review about a "flawless game."
3. Trolls bombed the game with low reviews, it's only fair to balance it out!
Two wrongs don't make a right. Moreover, games developers are professionals, they're held to a higher standard than Joe Shlup who has an axe to grind.
4. So, it's totally fine for trolls to bomb with bad reviews?!
It's irresponsible, sure. Much more unethical would be if a Blizzard developer or two got in on the action, posing as Joe Shlups themselves, hoping to destabilize Bioware and hamper production of The Old Republic or something.
5. Oh come on, like this never happens.
Oh sure, it happens all the time. To be caught in the act so blatantly, though? And on an already controversial title? Of course it was going to be a shitstorm. And EA's reaction isn't helping. Comparing it to voting for yourself in an election is just...yeah. (And who evokes images of politicians when it comes to looking ethical anyways?)
Only if the author did not identify himself as the author. He has the right to an opinion, and the right to express it. he does not have the right to deceive people into thinking that is the opinion of an actual, uninvested consumer.Shycte said:
There's a difference between a chef saying "My restaurant is the greatest!" and putting on a wig and fake mustache and going "This guy's restaurant is the greatest!" One is self-promotion. The other is astroturfing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AstroturfingShycte said:
To address a few general points I've seen floating around.
1. It's only a single review, it's not that big a deal.
Well, in the same way that stealing a 99 cent pack of batteries isn't a big deal, sure. That said, the cop who catches you sneaking it out the door isn't going to be too impressed by that excuse, and neither will the gaming community here.
2. He has the right to post his opinions!
He does, but as I said earlier, he doesn't have the right to mislead people into thinking he has no financial stake in the game. Whether or not he personally worked on it, money from sales of the game help to pay his paycheck. People have a right to know that tidbit when they read his review about a "flawless game."
3. Trolls bombed the game with low reviews, it's only fair to balance it out!
Two wrongs don't make a right. Moreover, games developers are professionals, they're held to a higher standard than Joe Shlup who has an axe to grind.
4. So, it's totally fine for trolls to bomb with bad reviews?!
It's irresponsible, sure. Much more unethical would be if a Blizzard developer or two got in on the action, posing as Joe Shlups themselves, hoping to destabilize Bioware and hamper production of The Old Republic or something.
5. Oh come on, like this never happens.
Oh sure, it happens all the time. To be caught in the act so blatantly, though? And on an already controversial title? Of course it was going to be a shitstorm. And EA's reaction isn't helping. Comparing it to voting for yourself in an election is just...yeah. (And who evokes images of politicians when it comes to looking ethical anyways?)
*sigh* I am on my second playthrough and still enjoying the game. Blah, blah, metacritic, blah, blah, fanboys hate it, blah, blah, my friend and I love the hell out of it, blah, blah, anything we haven't liked has been minor and not raising hell over, blah, blah.
Oh, and I almost forgot, blah, blah, cue people accusing me of either fanboyism or employment.
Oh, and I almost forgot, blah, blah, cue people accusing me of either fanboyism or employment.
Even if he didn't identify himeself, does it matter. His review didn't have anymore credibility than the others. If anything it has less due the 10/10 amirite?keve said:
You claim that "he does not have the right to deceive people into thinking that is the opinion of an actual, uninvested consumer.", and while that might sound pretty, it falls flat when put into real context. Marketing is full of ugly things, this is nothing compared to all the fake demostrations EA did for Dante's Inferno.
Besides, he still has the right to defend his game. Anonymous of not, it doesn't matter. That is because of two reasons.
1) He is still a consumer.
2) He will always have to right to express himself, about any subject he want to. No one have to rights to say he can't say that it is an awesome game.
But honestly, I think that people should play the game before complaining this much. This shitstorm contains more stupid than the usual "X-game suck balls". I mean like Jesus, it's game, get over it people.
Bioware originally stated that Dragon Age will be their attempt at a Spiritual Successor to the Baldur's Gate Series.
Origins was an alright attempt, I liked it.
Now we have DA2....
So much for an attempted to recapture something great and re-establish their name as RPG masters through story, art, visual styles, atmosphere, the battles between good and evil in oneself and others, and love and hate.
I am very dissapointed, I'm glad I decided to play the game at a friends before choosing to buy it.
Now I won't.
Origins was an alright attempt, I liked it.
Now we have DA2....
So much for an attempted to recapture something great and re-establish their name as RPG masters through story, art, visual styles, atmosphere, the battles between good and evil in oneself and others, and love and hate.
I am very dissapointed, I'm glad I decided to play the game at a friends before choosing to buy it.
Now I won't.
I couldn't care less. If it was a marketing ploy then, yea, it was d*ck move - one of many from Bioware. That siad an employee has the right to review his/her company's games as long as they're not doing it multiple times under different guises.
Regardless I haven't played a party based RPG I've enjoyed as much as DA2 since Baldur's Gate 2. Which I imagine some of you haven't even heard of. I wasn't a particular fan of Origins but the second game is just fun and I encourage any western RPG fan to put the nerd rage aside and give it a go.
I'm not a Bioware employee.
Regardless I haven't played a party based RPG I've enjoyed as much as DA2 since Baldur's Gate 2. Which I imagine some of you haven't even heard of. I wasn't a particular fan of Origins but the second game is just fun and I encourage any western RPG fan to put the nerd rage aside and give it a go.
I'm not a Bioware employee.
Oh, and what this guy said.domicius said:
what some people seem to forget here is that anyone can review a game at anytime it shouldn't matter who reviews a game or not when it comes down to it its just one person opinion of the game even when a review comes from x-box mag,game informer, game spot,ign or even the escapist no matter what there review is still tainted by there own opinion of the game
This is some pretty serious shit for them.
Also lol at EA's defense, it's how the Oscars work? Why on earth would you want to lower yourself to those levels then? Be the company to not care about such matters and having to resort to such stupid tactics, especially when it's so easily discovered.
Also lol at EA's defense, it's how the Oscars work? Why on earth would you want to lower yourself to those levels then? Be the company to not care about such matters and having to resort to such stupid tactics, especially when it's so easily discovered.
I'm not even talking about how The Escapist has been spinning. Somebody posted a video on YouTube that showed people trying to argue maturely that Dragon Age 2 wasn't that good of a game and BioWare basically snubbed them, said they were wrong, and ended with "end of line", as I posted on another story about this on.rsvp42 said:
That's what I mean by the controversy surrounding them: it's not just how The Escapist has been spinning it.