Respawn Denies Paying Bribes For Positive Titanfall Coverage

[Yopaz]

God forbid the people saying nice things, you know, just like it. That'd be crazy!

You don't understand. We have to hate everything now.

No.

Everything.

Hate.

Have to.

Now.

Your comment in combination with your avatar... so hypnotic. I now hate... EVERYTHING!

OT: I really wish I could have made the beta, I would have tried harder to get in on it if I had known there would be bribed involved.

Nah, they didn't pay me and I was in the Beta for 4 days. Fuckers owe me big time for saying that Titanfall is one of the most enjoyable and fun games I've played recently.

What a rip-off! You should call them and demand money before you start telling the truth.

 

[GeneralBigG]

I played the beta, after 2 hour's I stopped because I found it more boring than regular CoD as it was nothing but 'use cloak, camp at corner, kill with smart pistol' over and over again the only people who actually summoned Titans in the matches I played were at level 1 - 4.

You must have been playing on a different server to me then. On North Europe, EVERYBODY was in a titan at some point, and a few of the games had nothing BUT titans (and AI) on them.


OT (Actual Post): I think we've reached the point where the few confirmed shady/shitty incidences (MountainDew/Doritos-Gate, Gamespot-Gate, MS/Machinama-Gate, Aliens: Colonial Marines-Gate, etc.) have pretty much ruined 99% of all attempts at "Games Journalism" and it will take years before any game that gets good press isn't immediately met with cynicism and cries of "PAID OFF!!!!1!1!"


OT (Sarcasm): WRWRWRAAGGHGHAGHGAGHAGR!!!!!!!11!!!! Those CORRUPT BASTARDS!!!!

 

[Sanunes]

From what I've seen (the Achievement Hunter Let's Play) it's a game that's good enough to sell consoles. It's completely unnecessary to bribe anyone for positive coverage on this game. The only thing that surprises me is that it's not Xbox One exclusive, because if it was I'd seriously consider buying a One for it myself, and I suspect I wouldn't be alone.

I would think the PC and XB1 FPS markets wouldn't have that much of an overlap because with a FPS it seems a lot of people prefer one control method over the other, even Halo 1 and Gears of War 1 ports were available for the PC. What surprises me more is another game that is being released this fall isn't going to have a PC launch, but will be launched on the four console platforms.

OT: Like others have said its NeoGaf, I rather ask my neighbor's German Shepard their opinion then really pay attention to what they say.

 

[Sanunes]

I've seen both good and bad reviews of the Titanfall beta. But almost all unanimously agreed that the bot AI was terrible.

It's the reviewers that didn't point this out that should get a good, hard dicking looking-at.

I think it would only be an issue if they say the AI was good, for I only played a couple of matches when I had the time and never had an AI opponent so I can't judge it myself.

 

[Combustion Kevin]

I didn't think they needed to bribe anyone for good press.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

No, Respawn, we don't think YOU did. We think EA did. They've done this before.

It might not be a straight up bribe. But some way to squeeze out illegitimate positive press for Titanfall. Like denying ad revenue or something.

Even to suggest that is nothing short of outright insanity, though, when you consider most of the good word of mouth is coming from the public that has played the beta. I would be included in that group... the game has tremendous potential, and the beta was awesome. Once the public gets their hands on the beta, I would think it eliminates any reason where gamesites would be getting a paycheck, because believe it or not the public has enough sense to judge for themselves.

 

[lacktheknack]

Of course they're denying it, because it's true. What the fuck else can it mean?

There's so much bribing and perjury going on that you can't trust critics anymore. That's why we got Let's Players on video outlets to debunk the rampant astroturf.

And the LPers love the game. Now what?

In this day and age, if they were bribing critics, critics would run to the roofs and start howling how someone tried to pay them. That would make them heroes in gamers' eyes. No, rampant bribery is not actually a thing, or we'd have heard a lot more about it by now.

I know being cynical is fun, but please, be sane about it.

 

[Kyogissun]

So as a uncultured swine that I'm sure the haters of this title would call me (Or you know, whatever insult is popular to the 12 year old gamer community is right now) and as someone who absolutely could not stand Call of Duty, I absolutely loved my time with Titanfall.

Matches felt a bit 'same-y' but I'd contribute that to a hard level cap and the fact that there were only two maps. Without access to all weapons, titans and their various features, I think it's extremely unfair to imply that the game will always feel this way. Even applying the 'don't buy it on faith alone' idea, you have to be realistic about this.

I can't stand CoD but something about this just clicked. Maybe it's the more small scale 6v6 combat, maybe it's the Mec- OOPS, I mean TITANS, maybe it's the gunplay, maybe it's the addition of bots, I dunno...

Some people are saying that Respawn has leveled the playing field by not having quickscoping or adding grunts/spectres and a bunch of other stuff. You know what I say? Good call. A level playing field is a balanced one and more accessibility leads to better sales. More importantly, more accessibility does not mean an easier game. Look at Battlefield and how a diverse the playstyles in that can be from kit to kit. Titanfall is a step in the right direction of adding BF quality diversity in playstyle for the CoD styled gameplay and I welcome it with open arms. I'm an okay Pilot on foot but I'm a damn good Titan user. I may not do well in close range combat, but god help you if I Rodeo your Titan because 9 times out of 10, I'm binging that fucker down even if you try and take me off it. I may not be much of a Team Deathmatch/Attrition player, but I can clear out a hardpoint and coordinate attacks with my friends in a clean and efficient fashion.

Titanfall looks to be living up to the hype. It's not an overhaul or even a dramatic evolution of the FPS genre, but damn it does it do a lot to properly reinvigorate it.

Oh and I completely forgot one other little caveat...

I'm so glad someone finally got the maneuverability in FPS's down this well. Wall running and jetpack jumping works really well and if you use the system right, it feels 'so' good.

 

[gamegod25]

While there is no denying that bribes and other such dishonest deals take place in the industry, and after the Machinima/Xbox One scandal it's hard not to be skeptical of the mainstream media. That being said it's tin-foil hat insane to decry bribery just because a lot of people like something. There is a difference between quietly telling critics to say only nice things for money and using copyright claims to silence criticism, compared to putting your game out there through normal means and letting the good word come out on its own.

Be vigilant, be informed, and don't be afraid to like something.

 

[thewatergamer]

Heaven forbid a triple A game that some people actually like?

What is this world coming to?

Seriously though I am sick of people hating on titanfall and trying to make respawn look bad, I mean yeah it is EA but I have played the open beta IT'S AWESOME, most of the hate I see comes from Sony fanboys who are obviously hating on titanfall just because its not on the PS4, anyone else that hates it either swallowed the BS that is the rumor of "its Cod with mechs" (because that's insanely far from the truth play it) or they just hate EA, which I can totally 100% understand, but TitanFall's gameplay is actually amazing, I can tell you right now that people weren't "bribed" by respawn to like the game, they just made a good game.

The question for gamers shouldn't be "is the game good?" because let me tell you ITS AMAZING

whether or not EA fucks it up with microtransactions and DLC BS is another matter altogether though...

 

[PCPLX]

While there is no denying that bribes and other such dishonest deals take place in the industry, and after the Machinima/Xbox One scandal it's hard not to be skeptical of the mainstream media. That being said it's tin-foil hat insane to decry bribery just because a lot of people like something. There is a difference between quietly telling critics to say only nice things for money and using copyright claims to silence criticism, compared to putting your game out there through normal means and letting the good word come out on its own.

Be vigilant, be informed, and don't be afraid to like something.

Well said! I was deeply pleased by this level-headed, common sense response. Particularly the cautious optimism of your coda at the end there.

There is definitely an issue with integrity out there in the wide world of the internet, especially with games journalism (as there always is in such a new, constantly expanding industry... it was exactly the same issue in the early days of film, for example). On the other hand, Titanfall is a silly and paranoid case, because while EA is an issue, Respawn has been admirably transparent. The fact that after a long run of disappointments even the most jaded gamers have this thing to get genuinely excited about is kind of a big deal. I'll even go as far as to say that it gives me warm fuzzies inside!

Still, it's a dangerous precedent for gamers to jump on the bandwagon with the champions of apathy and start heaping snarky derision on those who would play watchdog against bad information (even if they are conspicuously wearing tin-foil hats! ). We've all been there, getting burned by frustrating games, and it's hard for some people to let go. So take what they have to say with a grain of salt and just don't engage with the crazies.

So I'm sorry to self promote on the Escapist, but in the interest of furthering the discourse, I wrote my own review of the Titanfall beta that touches on some of these issues:
http://www.protagonistcomplex.com/titanfall-beta-kind-big-deal/
Please check it out, if you'd like.

 

[smithy_2045]

From what I've seen (the Achievement Hunter Let's Play) it's a game that's good enough to sell consoles. It's completely unnecessary to bribe anyone for positive coverage on this game. The only thing that surprises me is that it's not Xbox One exclusive, because if it was I'd seriously consider buying a One for it myself, and I suspect I wouldn't be alone.

I would think the PC and XB1 FPS markets wouldn't have that much of an overlap because with a FPS it seems a lot of people prefer one control method over the other, even Halo 1 and Gears of War 1 ports were available for the PC. What surprises me more is another game that is being released this fall isn't going to have a PC launch, but will be launched on the four console platforms.

OT: Like others have said its NeoGaf, I rather ask my neighbor's German Shepard their opinion then really pay attention to what they say.

Perhaps, but even if you consider the PC and console players to be 2 fairly distinct markets, it's still on the 360.

 

[Sanunes]

From what I've seen (the Achievement Hunter Let's Play) it's a game that's good enough to sell consoles. It's completely unnecessary to bribe anyone for positive coverage on this game. The only thing that surprises me is that it's not Xbox One exclusive, because if it was I'd seriously consider buying a One for it myself, and I suspect I wouldn't be alone.

I would think the PC and XB1 FPS markets wouldn't have that much of an overlap because with a FPS it seems a lot of people prefer one control method over the other, even Halo 1 and Gears of War 1 ports were available for the PC. What surprises me more is another game that is being released this fall isn't going to have a PC launch, but will be launched on the four console platforms.

OT: Like others have said its NeoGaf, I rather ask my neighbor's German Shepard their opinion then really pay attention to what they say.

Perhaps, but even if you consider the PC and console players to be 2 fairly distinct markets, it's still on the 360.

True enough, I keep forgetting about the 360 version because its being developed by another team and its rarely talked about.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

... the game has tremendous potential, ...

The same thing was said about Spore. A game with "potential" implies that it's not finished.

It's like this: I have a spare tire sitting in my garage right now. I rolled it around the driveway a bit and I can tell you that it has the potential to be an awesome car.

whether or not EA fucks it up with microtransactions and DLC BS is another matter altogether though...

I believe you've hit upon the crux of the issue. Sure, I'd like to give Titanfall a go. But I remember how EA said that all new games will be filled with microtransactions. Why? Because "that's what gamer's want." And charging $20+ for minor DLC has become common practice for most AAA publishers.

Titanfall could be the Game of the Decade and I still won't buy it or play it. Because I have enough self-control to not support their business model. No matter what the temptation.

But hey, maybe all the cynics in this thread are wrong. Maybe EA will go back on everything they've done and said in the past decade and will release an incredible game that won't nickel-and-dime the players nor infringe upon their consumer rights with invasive DRM.

My saying the game has potential would be a correct statement, because I have only played a small portion of the game, and havent seen the full product yet. Ergo, I really like what I see, but I havent seen the whole thing yet so I can only give a partial assessment until I have been exposed to the full product. Thus, it has potential to be something really good.

 

[Atmos Duality]

I have no love for Titanfall, and even I consider the notion ridiculous.
User feedback I've seen has been overwhelmingly positive.

Why pay money for what your users are willing to do for free?

 

[Evonisia]

The beta people would have called them out on their bullshit, but thankfully it's not a crap game. Well at least not yet anyway, EA could pull something post launch.

I'm still waiting for my money, though.

 

[Ryan Minns]

A friend of mine who really liked it did say he thinks he might suffer from "Beta eyes" but it allows you to jump into a giant Mech and it's bloody hard to not make that good.

I personally didn't care for it much at all but console shooters aren't really my thing (Or shooters in general)