Current Events > Why does GameSpot give games lower reviews?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I know nothing about Cyberpunk but I've noticed this with every game. Like since the DMC3 days.

And you know what? I'd respect if they gave games a lower score in general. The problem isn't that they give games a 7 out of 10 which is not a bad score (if every triple A gets rated a 9 then ratings will be meaningless) its the fact that they give shitty games a 9. It's inconsistent.

I don't understand :p

If they gave triple A games a lower rating than the rest of the competition, and gave those shitty games an even lower rating, I'd respect what they do. But since they don't it comes off as random and inconsistent.

---

Is it possible that their reviewers have different opinions?
---

Attention

We've known since Kane & Lynch that gamespot elevates the scores of games that pay for advertising. pretty much the only way to get an honest review from that site is to be a game that doesn't give them a penny. that's why you see the discrepancy.

---

Antifar posted...

Is it possible that their reviewers have different opinions?

---

s0nicfan posted...

We've known since Kane & Lynch that gamespot elevates the scores of games that pay for advertising. pretty much the only way to get an honest review from that site is to be a game that doesn't give them a penny. that's why you see the discrepancy.

So which ones are honest and which ones are dishonest then?

---

Darmik posted...

So which ones are honest and which ones are dishonest then?

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you've had a pretty busy day and didn't actually read my post, because I explicitly address that in the post itself.

---

s0nicfan posted...

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you've had a pretty busy day and didn't actually read my post, because I explicitly address that in the post itself.

You said one game from over a decade ago where the reviewer got fired (or quit? I don't remember) over it after Square-Enix threw a tantrum.

Surely you have some more examples than that? Like are you claiming that their review for a game like Bayonetta 2 is dishonest? What else is there?

---

Darmik posted...

You said one game from over a decade ago the reviewer got fired over it after Square-Enix threw a tantrum.

Surely you have some more examples than that?

Are you actually making the case that Gamespot doesn't elevate the reviews of paid advertisers? Like, before I do any leg work, do you even disagree with my premise or do you just want to argue?

---

s0nicfan posted...

Are you actually making the case that Gamespot doesn't elevate the reviews of paid advertisers? Like, before I do any leg work, do you even disagree with my premise or do you just want to argue?

Yes I disagree with that premise.

Publishers have found way more crafty ways to influence reviewers than something as obvious as that. If you were correct they would have given Cyberpunk 2077 a higher score.


---

I think a #/10 rating scale is just a bad way to rate things in general.
---

Darmik posted...

Yes I disagree with that premise.

Publishers have found way more crafty ways to influence reviewers than something as obvious as that. If you were correct they would have given Cyberpunk 2077 a higher score.

To be completely honest, I'm having trouble finding a list of games that have been advertised on gamespot so it'll be difficult to actually prove that ad revenue influences score outside of the K&L example that had editors threatening to quit in disgust. So it's possible I may be wrong, but you yourself openly admit that publishers work to influence review scores so I'd say that the idea that gamespot as a major company inflates scores from major titles isn't unreasonable. I have no new evidence of the behavior. Only old evidence and recognition from you that the desired outcome is something still pursued.


---

s0nicfan posted...

To be completely honest, I'm having trouble finding a list of games that have been advertised on gamespot so it'll be difficult to actually prove that ad revenue influences score outside of the K&L example that had editors threatening to quit in disgust. So it's possible I may be wrong, but you yourself openly admit that publishers work to influence review scores so I'd say that the idea that gamespot as a major company inflates scores from major titles isn't unreasonable. I have no new evidence of the behavior. Only old evidence and recognition from you that the desired outcome is something still pursued.

I guess but even then GameSpot is generally more harsh towards AAA games so seems like a weird criticism to throw at them specifically outside of the Kane & Lynch fiasco.

---