- Kevin-V
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What I Heard: Game Informer posted a note indicating that the review discs provided to editorial outlets by Microsoft performed differently than the boxed retail. As it turns out, the Internet is abuzz with anecdotal reports that the loading times reported by GameSpot and other press outlets are not indicative of the final product.
Where I Heard it From: Wise GameSpot aficionado XkilluaX and the kind C. Ciupka. Thanks for the heads up, gentlemen.
Why It Happened: As with many games, we received code from Microsoft indicated as final and reviewable. However, as is often the case, the discs were standard DVDs and not final pressed discs, so the media only plays in debug consoles, i.e., consoles developers use to test non-final code, and are designed to play code written to standard DVD.
This is industry standard, so the fact that we received debug-only code isn't unusual. As always, we only review the game if it is specifically stated that it is reviewable and final. As this was the case, we reviewed the game with the assumption that it was exactly the same game as what would be inside retail boxes. As noted in the text and video reviews, load times for Lost Odyssey using these discs were unacceptably long,often taking upwards of longer than a minute. And we weren't alone: Almost every online press outlet reported the same circumstance.
What Microsoft Told Us: According to Microsoft, last-minute tweaks improve the loading times in the retail discs anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds.
What Happens Next: We will be purchasing retail copies of Lost Odyssey this morning at our local EBGames. I plan on replaying a good portion of the game this weekend and into next week to determine how great the differences are. In the meanwhile, we will add an editor's note to the review indicating that we are investigating possible differences between the discs provided to us by Microsoft and the final retail version.
Could the Text or Review Score Change? Possibly. What happens now is based entirely on whether these improvements exist, and how drastic they are. If there are differences, the text of the review will likely be altered, and the editor's note will be adjusted to reflect that. The score is a different matter, simply due to the rigidness of our .5-based system. I do not know whether or not these differences can turn a "very good game" into a "great game" based on loading times. As soon as we have invetigated the issue and have made an office-wide decision, I'll let you know.
Who Does This Hurt? Everyone involved. The greatest injury is to our readers, who have every right to expect review text without errors. It hurts GameSpot, which is under great scrutiny from our audience based on events that many have interpreted as hurting our credibility; a circumstance like this, while out of our control, can further feed the speculative fires. It hurts Microsoft, because we and our readers trust that the game provided to us as final and reviewable, and major gaffes like these cause everyone involved to question the validity of that code in the future. It hurts Mistwalker, which trusts its publisher to provide a product to publications that represents their hard work and dedication.
- Posted Feb 14, 2008 10:20 am PT
- Category: Editorial
- 78 Comments
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