Update 2: EA Dismisses Dungeon Keeper Mobile Criticism

[Hero in a half shell]

So what they're basically saying is "Our game isn't bad becuase look at all the downloads it has gotten and look at all the people discussing this game, that obviously means that our game is fantastic and does not need changing we have definitely decided."

Honestly it wouldn't be the first time...

(Yes that's an official EA advertisement created and released after the ME3 ending controversy went viral.)

Looks like the new boss is the same as the old boss, and to think all that "We want to be the best company" "We can change" crap EA came out with was only a few months ago.

Welcome to EA, where words are worth nothing, and Free to Play has a $100 payment option.

 

[Altorin]

Ah, I see EA is going all out for a hat-trick in the 'Worst Company in America' award.

Indeed, what the hell happened to this:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/130075-Electronic-Arts-Wants-To-Be-Voted-Best-Company-In-America

I mean really, this is an odd way of going about scraping back that goodwill, fellas.

when it comes time for the voting, the ballot will be like this

"Is EA the Best Company?

Yes
No"

and clicking No will lead you to a website apologizing for their faults and asking you to help them be better, without even casting your ballot.

Easy to be the best when you act like that.

So what they're basically saying is "Our game isn't bad becuase look at all the downloads it has gotten and look at all the people discussing this game, that obviously means that our game is fantastic and does not need changing we have definitely decided."

Honestly it wouldn't be the first time...

(Yes that's an official EA advertisement created and released after the ME3 ending controversy went viral.)

Looks like the new boss is the same as the old boss, and to think all that "We want to be the best company" "We can change" crap EA came out with was only a few months ago.

Welcome to EA, where words are worth nothing, and Free to Play has a $100 payment option.

wow, they actually used Mass Effect 3's ending controversy and a quote taken ENTIRELY out of context to sell the game? That's just golden.

 

[CorvusFerreum]

If I know anything about community-gathered ratings, it's that they can be manipulated. You can buy those 4.5 stars, just like you can buy those "downloads".

Nobody knows what "in-game engagement" means, because it probably doesn't mean anything.

This guy's career is probably over if he speaks out against it, especially so early on.

Maybe keep that in mind before anyone decides to talk shit about him.

Are you implying that one's career should be worth more than one's pride, character and honesty?

Ideally, one's integrity should be more important than the job, but that's not always an easy decision to make, especially with other mouths to feed.

That doesn't excuse him, of course, but that is something to consider.

Another point to consider is that such statements could render him 'toxic' and unhireable due to the stench of this fiasco following him long afterwards. I mean would want to hire someone that could potentially cause your game to be boycotted and reviewbombed?

EA?
Okay, joking aside.... Microsoft?



On a more serious note: Isn't it kinda sad that people consider it necessary to be a complete dick to survice in the modern buisness world? Not just taking a small hit on your personal ethics, not just maybe keeping quiet that one time even if you want to speak out. No I mean being a completely toxic plonker towards your consumerbase and grinning self satisfied while shitting in their faces. Honestly: Someone who choses a career path where this kind of behaviour is seen as necissary deserves no compassion if the shit gets flung back into his face.
Forgive me for being a bit rash, I've just seen this sort of thing to often and I'm really getting tired of it.

 

[Colt47]

So I think we can all conclude that EA is not only socially irresponsible, they are unethical to top it all off.

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

Proving once more EA is that Ex who always comes around once every couple of months, teary-eyed saying that they've changed or have changed and then BAM, kidneys on the black market AGAIN.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Fucking clown. If it's meant to be played with a few minutes here and there, why are the timers days long and not hours? Perhaps more importantly, why the fuck is Dungeon Keeper, the continuation of a proud legacy, a game meant to be played with a few minutes here and there?

After the whole 'Sim City is a game meant to be played online and in tiny building areas' trainwreck, I'm not fucking surprised that they'd think a strategy game was the sort of thing you want to play a couple of minutes at a time. And then of course they react to any criticism with 'you fanboys wouldn't be happy with anything but a re-skin of the original.'

Combine all this with their hilariously obvious system of rigging the votes, and you have to wonder where they keep finding new feet to shoot themselves in.

 

[truckspond]

Thank goodness for people making videos on the internet! They can articulate the frustrations with the game way better than I can! http://www.nerdcubed.co.uk/videos/nerdcubed-101-dungeon-keeper-mobile/

 

[neonsword13-ops]

Hey

Hey, EA


Seriously. Tampering with review scores, fucking with the gameplay, and just overall ruining a classic is just too much. This shit should not be acceptable. Like, at all.

I just hate that people will actually PAY to play more of this microtransaction-riddled mess.

More power to 'em I suppose.

 

[sageoftruth]

If I know anything about community-gathered ratings, it's that they can be manipulated. You can buy those 4.5 stars, just like you can buy those "downloads".

Nobody knows what "in-game engagement" means, because it probably doesn't mean anything.

This guy's career is probably over if he speaks out against it, especially so early on.

Maybe keep that in mind before anyone decides to talk shit about him.

Are you implying that one's career should be worth more than one's pride, character and honesty?

Depends on how much he can afford to lose his job. Most people aren't samurai and won't willing give their lives to die, or starve in the streets with honor.

 

[Leemaster777]

Thank goodness for people making videos on the internet! They can articulate the frustrations with the game way better than I can! http://www.nerdcubed.co.uk/videos/nerdcubed-101-dungeon-keeper-mobile/

I came here to comment on the update to this story, but THAT just added fuel to the fire for me.

I am a Dungeon Keeper fan. Played the first one, played the second, loved them. I was gonna let this game slip past my radar. I don't mobile game, and I thought that this game looked like shit, so I was just gonna dismiss it, move on, and not even comment on it.

But... this is too much. At this point, I've moved past the point where them making a mockery of a franchise I loved pissed me off. That's actually the LAST thing that's getting to me. This "game" is an absolute travesty, and everyone involved with this should be ashamed. The developers should be ashamed of themselves for creating such a shallow attempt at a cash-grab. EA should be ashamed of themselves for obviously pushing the developers to make the game that way (and for, you know, completely rigging the rating system). And we, as a gaming community, should be ashamed that something like THIS is circulating around, masquerading as legitimate entertainment.

I've never said "fuck EA" or anything to that effect before. I've just never really had a strong enough reaction to their antics before to muster that kind of bile. But THIS?! Seriously, fuck you EA. Fuck. You. If only for how fucking smugly you've been lording those 5 star ratings over our heads, after you VERY clearly have been doing everything in your power to both directly and indirectly sway them as far in your favor as far as they'll go.

Seriously, is there anything we, as a community, can do to make a stand against EA for this crap? I'm actually, legitimately furious over this bullshit.

 

[-Dragmire-]

Thank goodness for people making videos on the internet! They can articulate the frustrations with the game way better than I can! http://www.nerdcubed.co.uk/videos/nerdcubed-101-dungeon-keeper-mobile/

I came here to comment on the update to this story, but THAT just added fuel to the fire for me.

I am a Dungeon Keeper fan. Played the first one, played the second, loved them. I was gonna let this game slip past my radar. I don't mobile game, and I thought that this game looked like shit, so I was just gonna dismiss it, move on, and not even comment on it.

But... this is too much. At this point, I've moved past the point where them making a mockery of a franchise I loved pissed me off. That's actually the LAST thing that's getting to me. This "game" is an absolute travesty, and everyone involved with this should be ashamed. The developers should be ashamed of themselves for creating such a shallow attempt at a cash-grab. EA should be ashamed of themselves for obviously pushing the developers to make the game that way (and for, you know, completely rigging the rating system). And we, as a gaming community, should be ashamed that something like THIS is circulating around, masquerading as legitimate entertainment.

I've never said "fuck EA" or anything to that effect before. I've just never really had a strong enough reaction to their antics before to muster that kind of bile. But THIS?! Seriously, fuck you EA. Fuck. You. If only for how fucking smugly you've been lording those 5 star ratings over our heads, after you VERY clearly have been doing everything in your power to both directly and indirectly sway them as far in your favor as far as they'll go.

Seriously, is there anything we, as a community, can do to make a stand against EA for this crap? I'm actually, legitimately furious over this bullshit.

If you haven't heard of War for the Overworld, you may want to check it out.


It's not done yet but keep an eye on it if you're looking to scratch a Dungeon Keeper itch.

At least we can support a company that's not EA to get a spiritual sequel to Dungeon Keeper.

 

[Ympulse]

Are you implying that one's career should be worth more than one's pride, character and honesty?

You obviously are still in high school. Yes, one's career is infinitely more important than the "moral high ground" of speaking out against something a week into it's release. Not everyone has their lives paid for by others.

 

[CriticalMiss]

Seriously, is there anything we, as a community, can do to make a stand against EA for this crap? I'm actually, legitimately furious over this bullshit.

Yes, don't buy their products and support other publishers/developers who have similar products but don't do this kind of dishonest shit. Also vote for them when the next Golden Poo awards come around. EA are a shooin' for a hattrick and winning it twice in a row ruffled their feathers so getting it three years running might actually get them to change.

 

[SlightlyEvil]

Wow, this after they managed to ruin Plants vs Zombies 2. I was defending EA when I first tried PvZ 2, but then they revamped it into a more linear, less engaging experience with massively spiked difficulty so the only way to win was to spend in-game cash. This actually sounds far worse than a game that went from loads of fun to barely-playable-but-not-fun.

 

[Stavros Dimou]

why does EA have to ruin every franchises they get their hands on ?

 

[Mooboo Magoo]

So wait, let me just go over this again to make sure I've got the whole picture...

*reads article again*
*reads article a third time just to make sure*
*reads article a fourth time hoping he read it wrong, knowing that he didn't*

Yep. EA literally defended a game against criticism by saying "You're just playing it wrong" and "What, you expected a full game?".

 

[NuclearKangaroo]

hello everyone, i see you all are having a pretty good time, and i decided to show you this ingame screenshot my friend gave me

dont you see anything, peculiar about this picture?

Spoiler

hint: check the banners

they know, theres just no way they dont realize what they are doing, they are openly and gleefully insulting you



i made an account just to share this with you fellas, enjoy

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Is it possible to rate something without downloading it? I would very much like to give this piece of fetid horseshit a 1 star rating on the Play store but I'd rather not have to add to their download number to do it.

 

[Rangerboy87]

*folds hands in prayer* "Dear Lord, please let Jim take a whack at this. Please let Jim take a whack at this. Thank you, God, for Jim"

<link=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/10956-Dungeon-Keeper-Mobile-Review-Wallet-Reaper>

There's enough rage-smashing in there already, I don't think we need a full episode on it.

I know that, but I want him to take shots at this response. I have a feeling he'd have a lot to say about that. Not to mention, Jim bashing EA is the gift that keeps on giving.

 

[Therumancer]

Are you implying that one's career should be worth more than one's pride, character and honesty?

You obviously are still in high school. Yes, one's career is infinitely more important than the "moral high ground" of speaking out against something a week into it's release. Not everyone has their lives paid for by others.

I happen to disagree, and I am not in High School.

My basic attitude is that this is how institutionalized corruption happens, everyone does their part because they need to in order to survive, no matter how bad what they are supporting might be. Even if your just the guy sweeping the floors, if your helping prop up a corrupt company you share responsibility for what's going on.

Now, I understand the right thing is not always the easy thing, but the principle stands, he's absolutely correct.

This is also why society is such a wreck, after all for evil to win, all it needs is for good men to stand by and do nothing, which is pretty much modern society in a nutshell, except we don't just do nothing, we do evil's laundary, answer it's phones, fetch it's mail, sweep it's floors, cook it's meals, and everything else. "What other choice do I have! If I don't I'll starve! It's not like everyone else will walk away, and when I go they will just replace me..." It's actually not an uncommon situation and set of thoughts.

But then again in trying to do what I think are the right things I haven't exactly made a great life for myself or won many friends so (shrugs). I still stand by the principle though, and think that at the end of the day people simply taking the path of least resistance is why society is such a mess, and on a smaller scale, why companies like EA continue to operate with such imputiny. We're shocked that EA can be so blunt about what it's doing, but at the same time it's not like anyone is going to do anything to stop them, except maybe whine on the internet.