Offline mode. Heard of it?
I used it today to play FTL. Can't use it to play either Diablo or SimCity, but keep trying.
Polygon gives high scores to games despite their anti-consumer aspects / DRM strategy
- Thread starter Vire
- Start date
Offline mode. Heard of it?
I used it today to play FTL. Can't use it to play either Diablo or SimCity, but keep trying.
He's being right. I like Phil a lot, but real outlets don't post purposefully inaccurate reviews in the name of money. They also don't come back from it by saying some people had problems connecting as if it was some unforseen problem. Arthur was saying the score may have changed today yesterday.
Why post the review to begin with if you were that unsure about it working properly?
Because ivory tower academics are so much more in touch with the average consumer than games journalists.
This post hits the nail on the head.
You also can't play FTL with other people. and FTL wasn't designed as an online game. Good point....
If this Bogost guy doesn't write an article or something about this I don't think anyone is going to understand exactly what he was saying.
Sure, but you can play SimCity without other people. Might suck like that, but it's possible, some people might even prefer that.
Javik was an integral part of the story and he was preorder dlc or something. He was clearly in the game at one point then cut to be sold separately.
So you printed consistent bollocks, and that is a good thing?
He was demolishing Phil Kollar at first, but then devolved into nasty shit flinging.
ebullientprism
Member
Woah this got interesting fast. 
Hey Polygon, here is an idea. Instead of whoring yourself out to get a review before anyone else why dont you guys try and see what us plebs have to suffer before putting the word out?
Hey Polygon, here is an idea. Instead of whoring yourself out to get a review before anyone else why dont you guys try and see what us plebs have to suffer before putting the word out?
He seems to be particularly sensitive to Polygon professionals oblivious to his arguments. That could be truly exasperating specially to a media academic.
They need someone on staff who can explain how the things they think are so great and clever will be perceived by people from outside the polygon.
MiniBossBattle
Member
Finally someone with authority said what was needed to be said.
Trying to deflect criticism by being self-aware and ironic. Sounds like new games journalism to me!
Permanently A
Junior Member
Game is unplayable?
8.5/10 its okay.
8.5/10 its okay.
ebullientprism
Member
I can play Dark Souls right now without an internet connection. The game is HEAVILY designed around playing with other people. You could even argue that its designed as an online game first and foremost.
That's called Paymium! The new trend in gaming!
Who? Why? This hasn't revealed anything new about anyone or, if you're cynical about Polygon, about anything either.
Vire
Member
Arthur said on Rebel FM that the reason he doesn't take his own gameplay screenshots is because it will never reflect how the game actually feels. Maybe this is the same for Video Reviews?
He seems to have purposefully chosen a medium that prevents him from clearly explaining himself. Let's face it, it's hard to write a thoughtful editorial in 140 characters or less.
Captain Bluey
Member
I dont think Polygon's product is shit. The have some good features. But I wont place any trust in their reviews after this. Whats the point of a review score if you are able to change it. Shows they didnt review it properly in the first place. So why should I trust them?
At least this story will raise the bigger issue of online games and early review scores.
Edit: Thinking about this more, to have given Diablo 3 a 10 is just crazy. I am a fan and have sunk about 300 hours into it. No way is that game perfect. So many flaws. Just shows a proper review would have taken many many hours, which I doubt most review sites would have time to give, even if they delayed their review after playing it online for a while. D3 is also an evolving product so maybe an updated review is appropriate at some stage. But to have given it a 10 is just wrong.
At least this story will raise the bigger issue of online games and early review scores.
Edit: Thinking about this more, to have given Diablo 3 a 10 is just crazy. I am a fan and have sunk about 300 hours into it. No way is that game perfect. So many flaws. Just shows a proper review would have taken many many hours, which I doubt most review sites would have time to give, even if they delayed their review after playing it online for a while. D3 is also an evolving product so maybe an updated review is appropriate at some stage. But to have given it a 10 is just wrong.
I think Ian Bogost is either jealous he can't blog about videogames for a living or is an entitled whiner. Oh wait, those responses don't work. Revert to attempts at self-satire in order to make myself seem like a victim of some sort of cruel injustice. Sterling examples of true integrity under pressure by the representatives of our great community.
BigTnaples
Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
Lol Mass Effect 3s model is anti consumer? Now I have heard everything.
He said Steam, as in the program is a practice equivalent to always online DRM in D3 and SC, and that implies for games that are single player only too, like FTL, or Valve's Portal. It has nothing to do with how the game was designed. Of course you can't play online multiplayer without an online connection. Don't be dense.
Thug Waffle
Member
Polygon gives shit reviews, but damn if the site isn't beautiful and the writers are generally talented.
Mass Effect 3 a 10? Must not have played 1 or 2... or any other video game for that matter.
OT: I'm curious why the change won't be reflected on Metacritic. Can someone explain that to me?
Mass Effect 3 a 10? Must not have played 1 or 2... or any other video game for that matter.
OT: I'm curious why the change won't be reflected on Metacritic. Can someone explain that to me?
Seriously.
All of the multiplayer content is free. OP is basically saying TF2 is anticonsumer because you can buy weapons or get them free anyways, which is exactly the same thing that ME3's MP does.
If I design my shoes to kick you in the nuts, are you going to be happy when they're used for what they're designed for? No, because it's a design decision almost completely irrelevant to what shoes are normally used for that makes my life a lot better and yours a lot worse.
Ditto the decision to make Diablo 3 ladder mode only, or to do... whatever they just did to Simcity that I don't even have words for.
Goldenroad
Member
Wouldn't it have been more "anti-consumer" (stupid term), to not offer a substantial character/story arch or something of value as an incentive for the deluxe edition?
They never really sold Mass Effect 3 beforehand as a game where you get to play with a Prothean squad-mate. So anyone going into it with that expectation would have to either be psychic or maybe part of the Bioware development team and I don't think that either way that should inform your opinion of a game.
The half-life of a review should be more than 2 days, though.
Good post.
I don't know if I would call it anti-consumer, but it certainly isn't pro-consumer either.
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
Yep to the 2nd point. Games are almost -never- static, there are things like DLC and patches and the like which change the complexion of the game (sometimes for better, sometimes for worse).
The 1st point is the flabbergasting part of this entire ordeal. Arthur specifically said they weren't going to review Simcity because of the server issues and then they went and reviewed it anyway. Thats total bullshit and they deserved to be called out on that.
Vire
Member
Have fun gobbling up your Day 1 DLC with content that should have been in the game. (Javik)
I agree with the gist of Bogost's point, but I feel like he's exploding at every single journalist who has ever said something fucking stupid, not Polygon specifically.
Not happy with the way Polygon handled the situation, really not happy with the way some of them were acting on Twitter yeterday, and definitely offended at the idea some of them are acting as if "well, games-as-services are the future, so we're not going to criticize the idea or point out why it might be a fucking horrible idea."
...but yeah, I think Bogost is going way, way too far here. What could possibly be wrong with altering scores if a game changes? Again, I point to STALKER, which was rightfully eviscerated upon release because it was buggy as hell. People should have altered their scores after the bugs were patched out and the game became significantly better.
Not happy with the way Polygon handled the situation, really not happy with the way some of them were acting on Twitter yeterday, and definitely offended at the idea some of them are acting as if "well, games-as-services are the future, so we're not going to criticize the idea or point out why it might be a fucking horrible idea."
...but yeah, I think Bogost is going way, way too far here. What could possibly be wrong with altering scores if a game changes? Again, I point to STALKER, which was rightfully eviscerated upon release because it was buggy as hell. People should have altered their scores after the bugs were patched out and the game became significantly better.
Miles Quaritch
Member
I have no opinion on this as I've never read the site in question, but I find it depressing that a Renowned games scholar and professor is acting the way that he is. debasing himself by reducing himself to the level of the person he's engaged in fruitless discourse with.
meanwhile, in videojourno land: "Just another entitled Internet troll, right? BTW what time is that open bar party that EA is hosting??? Will they have gift bags???"
Oh man, now Polygon thawed out Justin McElroy to be twitter wiseass at Bogost.
It definitely was hidden away in the game files just waiting to be activated. I remember that.
Probably. Some deluxe Editions only come with crap and that rarely is a topic for discussion or mentioned in reviews anyways. Maybe it needs to be?
No, they didn't, and that certainly is up to debate and opinions. I don't entirely agree with ME as an example of what the OP is trying to say, but I think the idea is that very few ask themselves these questions. Brad (from giantbomb) for example, even though he didn't do the review, still felt that Javik absolutely was required content and the idea that it was behind a paywall was upsetting, and probably shouldn't be due to lore importance. It's a judgement call to say these things, but that is a central part of criticism, which very rarely shows its face in common reviews for AAA games.