Is EA Handpicking Battlefield 3 Reviewers to Obtain Favourable Scores?

[a3gis]

i think it was a genuine mistake - a real document like that from EA would've had the question:

*How does the reviewer feel about flashlights?

[extremedavo]

*How does the reviewer feel about fleshlight?

Sorry just had to.

[PURITy Kin]

I think this says more about the state of the "reviews" industry than it does about EA or Battlefield.

[Jez]

Oh and this doesn't surprise me. It's a standard marketing technique.

Marketing or not, unless the reviewer is accepting payments from Activision under the table, you'd expect Battlefield 3 to obtain positive reviews on its merits alone.

A lot of the time there's a huge **** around what is exactly a 'positive' review, note fanboys and even game devs/publishers acting like anything short of a 9 is an abomination. Or Cliffy B stating that he "knows" Gears of War 3 is better than Gears of War 2 in response to some who rated the second game higher.

[Glass]

It was probably an internal document whereby they rated the reviewer they were sending it too, rather than having the reviewer rate themselves.

It ain't any secret that review copies arrive later to those that won't rate it so favourably so the meta score is as high as possible at launch.

[Sathias]

I can see how this looks bad, but equally I can see why they would be wary of a committed MW fan reviewing the game. If these forums are any indication the BF/MW battle lines are already pretty firmly defined.

[PalZer0]

IMO pre-release reviews should be banned altogether so this sort of thing doesn't happen.

[Cas Bitton]

Or Cliffy B stating that he "knows" Gears of War 3 is better than Gears of War 2 in response to some who rated the second game higher.

Ok, I'll bite. Gears of War 3 is a better game then Gears of War 2.

23 lizards out of 10.

Cliffy B is in a position to comment on how and why a number of improvements make Gears 3 superior or better delivers the vision he and the team at Epic had. It's not an opinion, it's the fact that things have changed and they believe it's for the better when making a comparison to Gears of War 2.

Why would he talk his own game down?

[Disco LT]

I don't need reviews, I played the Beta and made my own decisions based off that and the information I've read so far.

Regardless as others have said, this is not surprising.

[extremedavo]

Review scores are meaningless and pointless.

[Jez]

Or Cliffy B stating that he "knows" Gears of War 3 is better than Gears of War 2 in response to some who rated the second game higher.

Ok, I'll bite. Gears of War 3 is a better game then Gears of War 2.

23 lizards out of 10.

Cliffy B is in a position to comment on how and why a number of improvements make Gears 3 superior or better delivers the vision he and the team at Epic had. It's not an opinion, it's the fact that things have changed and they believe it's for the better when making a comparison to Gears of War 2.

Why would he talk his own game down?

Because you can't have a monopoly on a playing experience. You can't abrogate somebody else's opinion and experience because you've got a laundry list of things you think you've improved.

Even if 99% of players think that gears of war 3 is a better game, that doesn't mean that it's objectively true and that he should be trying to 'correct' a review. The entire process has an inherent subjectivity.

[Cas Bitton]

you can't abrogate somebody else's opinion and experience because you've got a laundry list of things you've improved

If you have something else to add to the party or you want to chime in to get a point across, sure you can! . Why is feedback and criticism unable to go both ways?

I'd like to think what I read online, or even on this forum I can take as gospel. But the truth is, bugger all people actually know what they are talking about or are in a position to comment.

That's why you might entrust someone writing a review to give you an accurate representation or overview of the product, service or activity without incorrectly using opinion to mislead the reader. I believe it's irresponsible.

, that doesn't mean that it's objectively true and that he should be trying to 'correct' a review. The entire process has an inherent subjectivity.

How is stating your own opinion or thoughts towards "insert item", even as the creator invalidate it?

In the same way the review might be an opinion of the subject matter, it's his own personal belief that what they have created is better then their previous title.

Even now I'm happy to hear people out or express their views. I'm content to even "not post again" and thus lose an epic battle on the internet.

[InAUGral]

Oh and this doesn't surprise me. It's a standard marketing technique.

Marketing or not, unless the reviewer is accepting payments from Activision under the table, you'd expect Battlefield 3 to obtain positive reviews on its merits alone.

A lot of the time there's a huge **** around what is exactly a 'positive' review, note fanboys and even game devs/publishers acting like anything short of a 9 is an abomination. Or Cliffy B stating that he "knows" Gears of War 3 is better than Gears of War 2 in response to some who rated the second game higher.

One thing that has to be taken into consideration for comparing the next game in the franchise to the previous one is that they review the game based on what they have at the time. Like if I say loved Gears of wars 2 but the 3rd was more of the same it wont feel as much of a step as the 2nd did.

Metacritic scores arent a great way to show whether a game is good or not because companies have been focusing on getting it as high as possible even if the game isnt as good as it is beleived.

[Jez]

How is stating your own opinion or thoughts towards "insert item", even as the creator invalidate it?

In the same way the review might be an opinion of the subject matter, it's his own personal belief that what they have created is better then their previous title.

He didn't just state his own opinion or thoughts though, he said : ""When people rated Gears 2 higher than Gears 3, it kind of upset me because I know Gears 3 is a better game on every level"

Now I can tell you that at sea level water will freeze at 0 degrees Celsius and boil at 100, but I can't tell you whether your bathwater is too hot or too cold, that depends on your own tastes.

You're setting up a strawman here leca, he wasn't stating an opinion, he was trying to become a monopoly on truth and game quality.

[Cas Bitton]

He didn't just state his own opinion or thoughts though

, he said : ""When people rated Gears 2 higher than Gears 3, it kind of upset me because I know Gears 3 is a better game on every level"

me, I.

The way I read that is just Cliffy B telling the world how he sees it after the world reflected on his own personal efforts. If Epic had wrote that quote, totally different story.

Now I can tell you that at sea level water will freeze at 0 degrees Celsius and boil at 100, but I can't tell you whether your bathwater is too hot or too cold, that depends on your own tastes.

Is nice to add a bit of lavender to the bath, helps a lot

You're setting up a strawman here leca, he wasn't stating an opinion, he was trying to become a monopoly on truth and game quality.

Sorry about that, I've selected the entire reply to ensure nothing is misquoted.