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Penalising Bad Games

Discussion in 'Playground' started by Splunge, May 27, 2004.

  1. Splunge

    Splunge Bhaal’s financial advisor Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Remove all ads!
    It seems that the Warner Bros. is considering charging higher royalties to game publishers who make games based on WB products where those games don’t get good reviews.

    http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/05/26/news_6099292.html

    I have mixed feelings about this. The theory, of course, is that it will encourage better quality games to be developed. However, my concern is that it will only serve to increase pressure on game reviewers to give good reviews to games which don’t deserve them. In my case, I rely on reviews before I buy because I don’t have time to waste on playing a game only to find out halfway through that it sucks. Now, I’m not so naïve to think that all reviews are totally unbiased, but I’d hate to see the situation get worse.

    What do you think? Is this a good move by WB or not?
     
    Splunge, May 27, 2004
    #1

  2. Dark Haired Beauty Gems: 13/31
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    Hmmmmmmm...interesting post.

    Maybe the WB should reimburse me for watching some of the most horrid TV shows on television!
     
    Dark Haired Beauty, May 27, 2004
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  3. Gehn Gems: 7/31
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    It seems to me to be a bit of a stale mate idea. I mean like you said Splunge, this 'could' encourage better quality games, but also could force reviewers to give undeserved good reviews. It will most likely do both. So at the end of the day, we're just back to square 1 ultimately. Even if it does improve game quality, bad games could still get away with it due to reviewer pressure. Anyway, i doubt WB are doing this for such a noble sentiment. They have obviously seen another way to make more money.
     
    Gehn, May 27, 2004
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  4. Rednik Gems: 21/31
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    Why is the WB doing this out of all companies?
     
    Rednik, Jun 3, 2004
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  5. Aikanaro Gems: 31/31
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    Because Atari screwed up with Enter the Matrix
     
    Aikanaro, Jun 3, 2004
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  6. Colthrun

    Colthrun Walk first in the forest and last in the bog Veteran

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    [​IMG] If we follow the same reasoning, the film industry should equally be penalised when they affect negatively the computer and PnP gaming industry with a crap film. I still feel unclean after having watched "Dungeons & Dragons" some years ago...
     
    Colthrun, Jun 3, 2004
    #6
  7. Splunge

    Splunge Bhaal’s financial advisor Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Splunge, Jun 3, 2004
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  8. teekc Gems: 23/31
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    There was this crappy game, called Conspiracy, made by a small company that was given bad review by PC Gamer. The company was, of course, furious. They wrote a letter to PC Gamer saying their review had destroyed a small company that spent 3 years to make the game. PC Gamer's reply "which is of greater evil, a crappy game or company that spent 3 years to make a crappy game?"

    Game reviewers and their company depends on good and honest analysis of the games. Would continue to support a particular magazine if it once gave you a false review and wasted your USD50? So you see, which is more important to a pc gaming magazine, to be honest to the customers or to protect small company?
     
    teekc, Jun 5, 2004
    #8
  9. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    [​IMG] The only problem is, PC Gamer is notorious for giving great reviews to a number of utterly crap games* like Force Commander. Which can only mean that a) their game reviewers are complete imbeciles (because even screenshots that looked like crap had rave comments next to them), or b) the review was bought, or PCG was too afraid to post a negative review for fear of losing their exclusives...

    The last place you'll see an honest review of any of the bad games* are the American gaming magazines or websites, since they all depend on exclusives, support and advertising from the game developers and publishers, who make it clear that if they publish an overly negative review of a horrible game into which a lot of money was invested, the company will take their exclusives, support and advertising elsewhere.

    * - bad games published by powerful companies like Lucas Arts, that is. They don't really have any qualms about killing small/foreign companies, because they're not getting anything in return from them anyway. But companies like Lucas Arts, who keep churning out one Star Wars title after another, and own dozens of other popular licences, are another issue entirely.
     
    Taluntain, Jun 9, 2004
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  10. Gehn Gems: 7/31
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    I couldn't agree more with that. There's always going to be the problem with payoffs, (whatever shape they might take).
    But you left out "Edge" in magazines you can trust. They review games as harshly and honestly as i could hope for!
     
    Gehn, Jun 9, 2004
    #10
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