by accepting them you play along, you are a huge part of their pre launch pr but since none of you have any balls everything goes by their rules
nothing but a bunch of enablers that always come up with excuses why nothing is their fault
at the end of the day people are possibly (probably) being sold yet another broken or faulty product and once again the gaming press is not telling the consumer about it until it is too late, while still being a part of the hype machine through the previews and interviews
I know you want to defend yourself and your colleagues but just... don't, it makes me cringe
I realize it's more fun to get angry at game journalists on the Internet than it is to try to have some empathy and see things from other people's perspectives, but let me break this down for you.
Here are the options:
A) Reviewer turns down early copy of game from publisher and is therefore unable to inform readers about a game either before or when it comes out.
B) Reviewer accepts early copy of game from publisher under embargo, and is able to inform readers about a game either on or before release date.
The only people who might actually suggest that option A is better for readers are the people who spend their spare time getting mad at the nebulous concept of "game journalism" because... I don't know. Do you get your thrills out of berating people on the Internet? Did a game journalist murder your parents? Do you think game journalists should pirate games or find some other way to magick up embargo-free review copies so they can report technical flaws without the restrictions attached when a publisher does the courtesy of sending out early copies of their game?
And, yes, it is a courtesy. We are not
entitled to early copies of any video game, just like you are not obligated to spend your money on them. If you're worried about technical issues, wait for games to come out. Don't pre-order blindly. Have some patience. Wait a few days before purchasing anything. You say "the gaming press is not telling the consumer about it until it is too late," as if you can't muster up the self-control to not buy a product until you know more about it. Sometimes you won't see reviews until release day. Deal with it. There are many things worth complaining about in the world of cold, corporate game publishers; review embargoes are not one of them.
If game journalists don't sufficiently cover a game's issues
after it comes out, then sure, by all means, bitch all you want. Except - wait - game websites have extensively reported every recent video game disaster I can remember, from Diablo 3 to SimCity to that ridiculous game War Z. Yet you're complaining that the press isn't telling you enough? Because you'll find out about South Park at 3am on Tuesday instead of the day before? Because you believe that the press are participating in "the hype machine" by agreeing to the conditions set by publishers who give us access to games that they certainly are under no obligation to give us access to?
I've seen you bitch about game journalism non-stop for a long time now on this website, SneakyStephan, and I think you're out of your mind. There are a whole lot of problems with this field - and the media world in general - but you just continue to miss the forest for the distracting little trees. Get a grip. Get some perspective. Find a better hobby than bitching about game journalism 24/7 on NeoGAF. And for god's sake, if you're going to complain, at least pick the right targets.
I guess what I'm trying to say is... kindly shut the fuck up.
There's two other sections where it's required as well, but it's not that much time. It does stretch a bit too much towards the end in consistent quality tho.