TotalBiscuit responds to shady Shadow of Mordor early review deal

MWEB GameZone writes: Yesterday TotalBiscuit revealed a shady Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor "paid brand review deal." Not everyone approved of this, saying that they "don't know what he's complaining about, if he wants it early he has to give something in return".

The Cynical Brit's response highlights the pitfalls of being denied early review access and also that sometimes the biggest problem in the games industry is not the media or distributors, but gamers themselves."

[plut0nash]

TheRadBrad was also part of a marketing ploy like this I think. He lost a tonne of credibility doing that imo. Glad Bain said no though.

[FlameHawk]

Nope, TotalBiscuit said it was only for the PC version. TheRadBrad is playing the PS4 version. Also you act like you know for 100% that he took this deal just because he has an early copy? Smh, people get early copies all the time.

[plut0nash]

Look, not saying that early copies are wrong. It was the arrangement that he was offered that made me agree. Early copies are reserved for media / youtube / special people to the industry - and that's fine.

[Patrick_pk44]

@plut0nash Or people who can easily get the game from a friend who works at a video game store, or a store that sells copies early. It isn't hard.

[HanCilliers]

This has all happened before and it will all happen again

[Sillicur]

Yup, hopefully this will still make people think twice about doing so

[schmoe]

yeah, this has been an issue for a really long time, glad folks with integrity are prepared to say NO and even publish this contentious issue

[WilliamUsher]

I'd like to see this dragged out into the open more often. We'll be able to better determine who to support and who not to support based on deals we're made aware of regarding paid reviews.

[HanCilliers]

I agree, but where there's money involved I recon most will keep quiet about it

[Sillicur]

Definately agreed, situations like this should come to light so we can avoid reviewers who take these deals in the future.

[TheWackyMan]

Based Totalbiscuit. No wonder he's the number one curator on Steam.

[plut0nash]

Based or biased?

[CBaoth]

Totally sad too that 220k gamers need someone to tell them if a game is good.

[plut0nash]

Not everyone is rich enough to buy and then try :)

[CBaoth]

@ plut

Hmmn...guess I'm just old school then. If I can afford to spend a grand on a PC then I can afford to buy some games for it. That's like asking a Ferrari owner if he can afford the petrol to drive it. Besides Steam sales totally negate that point anyway. That is if ya have a little patience. *Cue Axel Rose's little whine

[NarooN]

Just because I have enough money to buy a game doesn't mean I'm gonna blindly buy it without knowing whether or not it's worth it. Don't see anything wrong with a guy giving an in-depth overview of how a game plays and what sort of features it has.

[CBaoth]

@ Naroon

But ya see that's the problem with TotalNitwit, he doesn't use different play mechanics to properly flesh out his overviews. He spams the same mechanic over and over with diasterous results then slags the game for its failings. With the exception of Activision and their COD library, every PC game eventually goes to $5-7 anyaway. So how much money are ya really wasting?

I've said this before, don't be a sheep, be a wolf. Don't let others make up your mind up for you. Poor reviews should never dictate whether you purchase a game, only WHEN you purchase it.

[NarooN]

I never said anything about letting people make up my mind for me. And I'm not the type of cheapskate hypocrite who complains about how devs should be supported more, but then waits 8 months after the goddamned game comes out to pick it up for three cents on some Steam Sale.

I haven't watched tons of TB's vids but the few I did watch, he pretty much hit the nail on the head anyway. His vids are lengthy enough for him to properly explain his viewpoints and he does so in a mostly objective fashion, always making it a point to note whenever something is simply his opinion.

Even so, I make up my mind by being logical and actually researching a game before even thinking about buying it. I'm not gonna be the beta tester for any of these companies. I'll see what my friends think, I'll see what trusted critics like TotalBiscuit and Angry Joe think, I'll read reader reviews, I'll watch gameplay on youtube, and then I'll decide for myself whether or not it's worth it. That's what any rational person would do. Only an idiot would jump the gamut and just blindly purchase something out of a false pretense of "not following the herd."

[CBaoth]

Ha you realize developers make the same revenue on a $15 game as they do on a $50-60 game? You're only giving more coin to these greedy publishers and encouraging these shady practices. At least buying physical means you're supporting other sectors of the market like drivers, pilots, warehouse/dock workers, and retailers to carry said product. Don't take my word for it, google Lorne Lanning and Eurogamer Expo. Very enlightening on digital distribution and the breakdown of percentages I must say.

And where did I tell ya you can't pay more than $5-7 for a game if you feel the value is there? I only suggested that they will be that cheap someday so it makes ZERO sense to not buy a game you're interested in because some idiot who already compromised their integrity by accepting a free copy told you so. It's ludicrous. So spare me the hypocrite "support the devs" speech because no where too did I even imply that. If anything I'm suggesting you should buy the game if the subject matter interests you, despite negative reviews. I can't count how many "bad" games I've greatly enjoyed despite all the negative scores from these so-called journalists and youtube uploaders.

[CongoKyle]

This is what I love about TotalBiscuit. He doesn't give a crap what other people think and speaks his mind!

[il-JumperMT]

QQ I was told to pay for early game not given free QQ

[tablecloth]

Yea, pay with your integrity for early access! Apparently it's cheap!

[Jdoki]

I remember, back in the old days, when I was a lad and the only way a publisher could get news of their games out there was to use magazines.

And as the magazines only launched monthly, it meant the publishers had to complete the game (or at least review code), and get it to the magazines with enough time that it could be reviewed and meet the print deadline.

It was awesome times. It generated hype for the good games and allowed me to avoid the bad - as more often than not I had between 2 and 8 weeks between review and release.

Reviews felt more honest, and Publishers had less control of the media. There were only so many pages a magazine could fill, so they had the choice of what adverts to run and games to review, they had the power. Sure there were still 'exclusives' - but that generally meant the magazine got the review earlier than others, but all reviews were out well before the game launched.

Now we see reviews appear a couple of days before release, or even after release! Media can no longer be trusted, so we turned to independent YouTubers for our reviews... And now the Publishers are trying to poison and control this source as well.

Limited Editions, and 'free' content are thrown in to ensure as many people as possible are enticed to pre-order. So their money is spent before they even know if the game sucks.

When Publishers can pay for positive previews, chuck out a pre-order bonus that adds almost no value, do they care if the game is good. They cross their fingers and hope they make their profit before people realise the game stinks, and the customers work out the Publisher spent more on marketing than development!

Sad times throughout the industry.

/rant over

[HanCilliers]

So well said! I also remember those time. Add to it that DLC's were non-existent, and devs had ONE chance to make a good game.

And this.
"Reviews felt more honest, and Publishers had less control of the media"

[PS3gamer4life]

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