I'll make this short and sweet (yeah right. I'm always too verbose):
We all have favorites. We're gamers, and we're passionate about our hobby. It's only natural to have a favorite.
And that's fine.
But when your favorite company does something shady, let's acknowledge it. Acknowledging the problem is what allowed the Xbox One to avoid being a completely melted carapace of failure. Acknowledging the problem is what transformed the PS3 from "lol Blu Ray trojan" to an exclusive-rich gaming machine. NOT acknowledging the problem is what led Nintendo to their missteps with the Wii-U (hopefully they can recover). The only way we can urge our favorite companies to improve is to let them know. Yes, yes, it can often get overblown. We're gamers! We're a passionate bunch, and sometimes we shout a bit louder than we should. But that does not mean we should sit down, shut up, and #dealwithit
It's bad enough not to acknowledge the problem, but to intentionally deflect accusations by saying "but but someone else did it too!" is pathetic. It's counterproductive in every way. It borders on shilling, honestly.
Back when Xbox One DRM was rumored, a lot of people sat on their hands and said "it's probably not true". When it became obvious that, indeed, the DRM scheme was true, these same people said "oh...well...I guess I'll live with it, since Sony will do it too."
Hence, Sony Too™.
But Sony didn't do it. Neither did Nintendo. The blame rested only on Microsoft's shoulders, and deflecting the blame did nothing to help the situation.
Whenever we see a negative news story (and I mean a real story, not an opinion piece like '5 reasons Wii-U is doomed') the excuses just come rolling out.
"If Sony had the chance, they'd do this too"
"Microsoft said something insulting? Well...back in 2006 Sony also said some really arrogant stuff"
"You think corporations are your friend? They're not."
"Everyone probably does this."
"No one will care. The internet's reaction doesn't matter" (lol that's why we still have Xbox One DRM amirite?)
"Steam does this anyway, so I don't see the problem."
OH! And there's always my very, very favorite. Someone always chimes in with a news story from years ago where such-and-such company did something bad, completely off-topic.
"Microsoft is a part of PRISM? Well, Sony put rootkits on people's computers a decade ago".
So? Are you trying to say that it's okay, or are you trying to show everyone that all companies do bad things? What is your motivation for bringing this up? It does nothing to help the situation, and it certainly doesn't send the message to the company in question that they should stop their shady practices.
It's as if you're so mad that your favorite company is being criticized that you really need to "balance the scales" and bring up a bad thing from a competitor to your favorite company, as if that will make it all okay. After all, we can't have people thinking YOUR favorite company is the only one doing bad things. No, no, no. You'd better bring up a bad thing the other guy did back in 2007. That'll show 'em.
On and on. What is the value of crying Sony Too™? What does it accomplish? Does it make any of the game companies (including Sony) any better? Isn't this the same mentality that refused to protest the Xbox One's DRM plans?
And this isn't meant to be a dogpile on Microsoft (although they are the main cuplits for "Them Too" excuses). I know Sony got away unscathed, but PS+ being required for PS4 online was swept away with "Them Too" excuses. Very few stopped to question it, and those that did were brushed away with the wave of a hand.
EDIT: And in case people are confused, there is a time and a place to say "Them Too". For instance, if a news story leaked that Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft were bribing IGN editors for better reviews but the news articles coming out only said "Microsoft bribes IGN!", then...well...duh! Obviously that's a case of "Sony Too" and "Nintendo Too" because they are a part of the story. What needs to stop is when a story comes out about a company and then someone chimes in with a completely unrelated event from a different company as if to say "but they're doing it as well". That doesn't aid discussion in the least.
The point is, let's stop with the Sony Too™ excuses (or "Nintendo Too" or "Microsoft Too" or "Steam Too"). This attitude is damaging to the gaming industry. It allows big companies (and big companies aren't your friends, remember? That's what people keep mentioning) to continue infesting our communities with astroturfers and shills.
Speak up and discuss the problem. Don't simply cry Sony Too™
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Get an early look at the Stellar Blade demo before it releases on March 29.
WTMG's Aaron Price: "If you like Super Mario World, or precision platformers such as Celeste, then boy, have I got an absolute treat for you. Pepper Grinder is the kind of game you’ll instantly start to scream about from the rooftops. It’s got fast-paced action, its worlds are vibrant and diverse, and it’s got a banging soundtrack to top it off. Not to mention the fact I’ll always have a soft spot for anything that includes narwhals. Pepper Grinder is already one of my top contenders for my favourite game of the year, especially being a replayable-as-hell Switch banger I can pick and play for ten to fifteen minutes at a time while I’m sat on a bus or train."
In before someone tries to say that Sony changed their mind at E3 and took out the DRM due to the backlash that Microsoft received.
I don't know why, but there seems to be this sickening attitude that negative feedback shouldn't be expressed. I suppose the phrase "if you've got nothing nice to say..." applies. But negative feedback is often more helpful than positive feedback and it's certainly viewed more, so it's our responsibility to be able to voice when he have a problem and not accept terrible practices.
"It's as if you're so mad that your favorite company is being criticized that you really need to "balance the scales" and bring up a bad thing from a competitor to your favorite company, as if that will make it all okay. After all, we can't have people thinking YOUR favorite company is the only one doing bad things. No, no, no. You'd better bring up a bad thing the other guy did back in 2007. That'll show 'em."
Check your own comment history for reference.
My take on the but Sony Too... other companies is didn't they face the consequences of their actions? Not too informed on this whole situation as I didn't follow gaming that much until mid 2013.
If they faced the consequences of their actions similarly MS should as well. This should not just be tucked away because *Everyone* does it.
Also I still laugh at people who still say Sony where going to do the same always online DRM with the same USED games policy when there is no real evidence that points toward that and the fact right after their conference in February like with MS when they confirmed all the DRM stuff Sony also confirmed no connection was needed to play games day one, no always online, Used games were fine but Shuhei Yoshida worded it a bit weird so it was kinda sketchy but that was more probably due to him not being a native english speaker.
The first step on the path to fixing the problem is acknowledging you have one. As long as Microsoft and those who worship them keep deflecting instead of admitting their faults, this trainwreck will continue--
Either that, or they're just being paid to say 'Sony Too'...now how much do you think each mention of Sony Too per post nets? 3$?
The problem is you and your types of fanboys who favor one system do your best to ONLY acknowledge the faults of other systems you don't like. You take that and perpetuate it so high you make it a bigger deal than it is. Consistently there are those who are first to comment to stir the pot and rally the troops, followed by blogs to keep the flames hot.
Lets not forget how you were outraged when you found out about Xbox One's RAM allocation for games as you accused Xbox One not being a true gaming machine...but quickly backtracked with a full blog defending the same allocation (or lack of explanation) when information surfaced PS4 was the same.
And just recently you and I had a discussion about why the Vita wasn't doing so well (in a Vita only article by the way)and instead of discussing the points you brought in Nintendo's WiiU. Why? You instigated the same "Nintendo Too" deflection that you are now calling to stop in this blog.
http://n4g.com/news/1440157...
How can anyone take what you and others say seriously? How can we follow you in this call to lower our arms when you and the many commenting on this article are the very first ones to fire the same shots you supposedly hate?
You guys go out of control with comments that have no real impact on a gamer. Now granted with the exception of the MS, DRM issue but the same can't be said with the FCC, hUMA and the likes where most of you were out there outraged and appalled for no good reason.
If you really want this Sony Too to stop then how about focus on what each console offers in terms of features and games. Stop feeding into this other ridiculousness that has no real impact on gaming.