Sea of Griefs: Why Early Reviews of Sea of Thieves Aren’t Accurate

Andrew from Xbox Enthusiast takes a look at early reviews of Sea of Thieves (both good and bad) and why reviewing a game of this nature too early is a disservice to not only the game but the developers and consumers as well.

[LaWiiG]

Reviewers can’t make up their mind if it’s good or bad. I am amused.

[affrogamer]

the site is called xboxenthusiast lol what did u expect?

[Xb1ps4]

So..... what should we expect from reviewers that we have never heard of until this game came out?

[nix]

also... maybe every reviewer wanted to review the game after spending ample time but then after few hours they realised things won't get better beyond this or maybe they got bored... ever thought that way xboxenthusiast?

[Eonjay]

@Xb1ps4

At what point do you reach end game and does that change the other part of the game that people hate? Why does it matter if you have to play through countless fetch quests to get to legendary fetch quests. How much leeway do we need to give Microsoft?

[jent]

This site is called n4g. If you read the comments and the votes, it may as well be called playstationenthusiast (too bad its already taken). I agree that reviews by obviously partisan sites should be viewed with suspicion, but the ones people should be more concerned about are ones that hide their partisanship. N4G is no exception.

[Xb1ps4]

@eonjay

I can’t answere your first question I haven’t played the game, however I do have it through game pass and will give it a shot but admittedly this isn’t my kind of game.

I’m not asking to give ms leeway.... all I’m pointing out is that a lot of these reviews are from places I have never heard of until this game came out so they might be a bit unfair and biased.. personally I like ign and gameinformer reviews they seem to be on the same track with me on what I would like..

[Chevalier]

@Krib

They can rate it the same way that GT Sport, NMS and Drive Club were. As you suggest it the game is incomplete. The 'end game' is BS and you know and everyone here know its just an excuse to give it a pass. If those games listed got a bad grade for being short on content even though they all got free content that far expanded each then same for SoT. So yeah its ironic how you always give MS a pass on any garbage they try to pull. $60 for an incomplete game is unforgivable according to your own words so yeah being a hypocrite as usual. If this were a Playstation or Nintendo game you'd be here crying about how the low grades deserved for 4 years of work and repetitive garbage. Shoes on the other foot and you prop it up instead? Uh... Okay there bud that's some good 'objectivity'.

[Christopher]

***This site is called n4g.***

And it's also not a site selling you 'their' opinion. Any opinion here is from the community, not from writers or people aimed to sell you something.

You can't say "most people on N4G are sony fanboys, therefore we can't take any site credibly." That's not how journalism works. They're journalists, we're not. And you're comparing community focus with journalist opinion/bias.

[TheRealHeisenberg]

I can say with the utmost certainty that N4G is mostly Sony Fanboys. That does not change the fact that this game has come up short.

[Rachel_Alucard]

@RealHeisenberg

Well that's not hard when the other side fails to draw in fans in the first place.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

For everyone calling n4g's community too playstation biased, remember when the 360 was doing well? Some of you people are either too young or just have to ridiculously short memories. As for Sea of Thieves, it was obvious it would turn out like this, after all the demos/videos we saw. I think some people are just desperate to have a good exclusive on the Xone.

[TheRealHeisenberg]

I agree, failure to draw in more fans is definitely on MS. Maybe they can turn it around, maybe not. I'm set either way.

As for when 360 was doing well, what was that 2006 and 2007, this site was still full of Sony fanboys. I witnessed it. The difference now is that there are significantly less MS fanboys which is likely due more to what Sony has done right compared to what MS done.

[Slurms]

Reviewers seem pretty set on the negative. It's interesting that reviews are hating on the depth content even before a single player in the world has access to the legend voyages though.

[Kribwalker]

exactly. Not a single person has reached the end game yet. I’ve been having fun playing it, and been playing it with random people too. Most reviewers are saying it’s a lot of fun but not enough variety in the things you do. I could see that becoming an issue, and will have to see what they’ve got coming up to add to it

[LaWiiG]

Wait, so you should finish a game before reviewing? 🧐

[letsa_go]

So I guess by your logic, there shouldn't be any reviews of any games until they release all the patches and dlc required to make the game feel complete. Right? Maybe we should just wait a year before games get reviewed and tell everyone "buyer beware, you are on your own!"

[Belinker300]

Destiny 2 debuted with better reviews and we all know how that turned out in due course

[The_Jackel]

@lawiig
yes and no
story - yes
gameplay - no
graphics and preformance - no
main missions - yes
side quests - no
online only games mp/pvp - no
online only with sp/coop - yes
and in saying that if reviewers got early copies which they held back which we know the reason why now some of them might have done enough in a week and on release day wouldnt have to rush to try and do reviews for peope that go by reviews to spend the money they may not have much of to spend on a game but saved up to get it.

[Slurms]

@letsago no not at all, but the pirate legend stuff is in the game now.

If it takes too much grind to get there then score it down, but it's weird the reviews are out before anyone in the world has done what Rare say are the best voyages, and none of them even make honest note of the fact they haven't seen that stuff

[81BX]

@law
I don't think he's saying finish but play it more in depth. Honestly though even with that consideration $30 should've been the price point. Maybe after a couple of updates $60, just not now

[trooper_]

Krib, this game has been in development for a while. Come up with things for it?! NMS was trashed left and right for a lack of content. How is this game different?

[DaDrunkenJester]

Alright guys... well, MakoD has determined this isn't really a game, not really. So let's all just roll up the sails, cancel our game night with our friends and cancel GamePass or return your physical copy.

Apparently everything I'm doing, the fun time with friends and PvP, the cosmetics that I'm unlocking and customizing my character and boat with just means absolutely nothing... Because apparently it's not a game, not really.

/s

[Chevalier]

@Krib

Whoa so the guy who always suggest GT Sport was incomplete is going to give SoT a pass after 4 years of development? For so called 'end game' content?! Lol. What a total hypocrite. SoT is just a badly designed and implemented game. You guys should expect way more than you're getting. Pretty sure you suggested paying for an incomplete game was not cool. Yet here you are propping SoT up? Lol.

[Kribwalker]

@chevalier

If no one has gotten to the end game content how can they rate it?
@letsgo
they haven’t finished the content in the game. I’m not asking they wait for all the DLC, but you don’t even know what the endgame content is. it could be different but you never know

@trooper
NMS was trashed because they lied to everyone about what it was. If they hadn’t lied, it wouldn’t have been hated on like it was. Rare hasn’t lied about a thing with this. It’s a online co-op pirate adventure.

@Mako
go read through that guys further reddit post. People are asking him to prove he is who he says he is and he’s making up excuses the entire time. It’s still not confirmed it’s him and not some fanboy (if you look at his other comments from before it definitely looks like that could be the case) So quit acting like his words are the gospel and repeating them every time you comment..

[Perjoss]

ok, so I guess we wait until the first players/reviewers unlock and finish these 'legend voyages' you're talking about. I was super interested in this title but reviews, videos and streams are really not winning me over right now.

[darthv72]

@letsa_go... there have been several sites that have gone back to re-review a game after some time has passed. Especially if there has been significant content that changes the overall aspect of the game. It's nothing new anymore since most games are released in an incomplete state.

Post release content is usually viewed and reviewed either by itself or as a whole to the game in a re-review.

[ocelot07]

No one may of got to legend voyages but that could because people get bored after a while. I have put about 6 hours or so into this game so far. About 2 of those 6 hours I have had some fun taking on other ships ect. The rest of those hours have been spent just sailing around doing fetch quests being very bored. Am at the point now where I can't even force my self to play it by my self and am simply waiting for 1 or 2 friends to come online and hopefully the game will become fun again.

[UnHoly_One]

Hate on this game all you want but you can't say "it's not a game".

People could argue that something like a Telltale game or a Heavy Rain is "not a game", but they'd be wrong too.

You not liking it doesn't just make it "not a game".

All of these arguments about lack of content and whatever else, it just sounds to me like 1 of 2 things.

1) The haters that were never going to play this because it's Microsoft

2) People that wanted the game to be something different than what it was obviously always going to be.

There has been a decent amount of info about the game out there, nobody should be surprised.

It's exactly what I expected it to be, and I love it.

I know some people won't, but I knew that a long time ago as well.

[One-Shot]

This is dumb. If I have to play hours and hours of repetitive gameplay to get to one more new thing then what is the point?

[rainslacker]

End game content is usually just expanded and more difficult early game content. It may be more fun, but I can't imagine they have a hugely different set of quests and things to do at the end.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Doesn’t matter the grind to legend is uninspired and lacking content.

[cooperdnizzle]

How dumb are people. “You haven’t seen the best part of the game”. Well if the game sucks what’s the point of going to the end? Talk about a carrot on a stick! You guys are being so tricked it’s not even funny. Multiple things with this game is a trick. Wake up

[Slurms]

Legendary voyages aren't necessarily "end game" or "a grind to get to". The idea is that anyone can go on legendary voyages with a player that has got there, so you could potentially do them the first time you ever play the game. That's not an horrific grind.

I dare say in 3-4 weeks these will be quite common. I get the haste in releasing reviews, and I get the criticisms. I am not pinning much hope on pirate legends being the saviour of the game, but it just seems nuts to completely fail to mention them in these early reviews.

[Christopher]

***Not a single person has reached the end game yet.***

Well, that's not true. Plenty of people have unlocked the special end quests and have told us they are the same. All you're doing from there is just more quests for more cosmetics/faction gain that goes nowhere for now. Remember also that the Kraken, which tons of gamers have encountered, was considered an 'end game' event as well.

---

If you want only people who have 'done everything' to review games, more often than not you're going to exclude 90% of the gamers of this sort of game because most people are going to get bored and stop playing because it's boring before they even get to what could be more fun or could just be more boring.

The argument here is whether or not you can properly review a game for what it is in a few days. Every other MMO has been reviewed like this, but suddenly this one game with lots of criticism shouldn't be? Yeah, sorry, but I get not listening to 'I played all day yesterday so I know' reviews, but this late after release, people understand how the game is played and they know what the end game content is.

[Slurms]

@Christopher Rare anticipated it would take the community 2-3 weeks to get the first pirate legend, and they expected that player to become something of a celebrity. I expected a bit of a song and dance when it happened and if there has been then it passed me by, but that's certainly possible.

If there are already loads of legends I guess that is a further indication that Rare over-estimated the content they had included.

[Christopher]

***If there are already loads of legends I guess that is a further indication that Rare over-estimated the content they had included.***

I don't agree with this as it's a common issue with people working way harder than planned to achieve goals in MMOs. The average gamer isn't unlocking that content, they're still weeks away from it. But, those people who spend their lives in games, streaming, putting up gaming videos on how to do everything in a game? They have this stuff down because it's what they do and they make money off of it in this day and age.

I don't think it's fair to assume that their ability to know how to and work towards end game content means they don't design well for the average gamer, they're just an exception that they can't limit without further limiting everyone else in a much larger way.

I think Rare is happy with the content. I think there was also a ton of miscommunication on the expectation of content in the game as it obviously didn't meet expectations. I think this game turned out how whomever decided what it was wanted it to turn out. I just don't think that it's a far-reaching style of content like most sandbox type of games.

I think like some other games, we need to realize that this is a niche game. It's not intended to be for the masses. Minecraft was a fluke, not the norm. We need to realize that and hold our expectations back a little.

Having said that, reviews of the game can be legitimate in representing an opinion as well as a general expectation of the game based on what they've been told. A lower scored game doesn't always mean a bad game so much as a game that isn't for everyone. One of my favorite games from last generation, Alpha Protocol, was poorly scored but hit all the marks for me (other than boss fights early on).

[DarXyde]

Didn't the armchair critics criticize Gran Turismo Sport for launching before enough content was available for them to make it a "full experience"? I actually thought Sport deserved its criticisms for launching before the wealth of content was available and I would argue that Sea of Thieves should not be held to a different standard.

[letsa_go]

Every other game ever released was reviewed on (or before) release. Why should we give this one a special pass for being unfinished? The whole point of reviews is so we can make an informed decision before we buy it. This is so ridiculous!!!!

[porkChop]

I don't care if this type of game gets reviewed at release. That's fine, and that's fair. However, not a single reviewer has actually gotten through to the end game content.

I *do* think you should play through a game til the "end" before you review it. How can reviewers comment on lack of content when none of them have actually gone through all the content? That doesn't make sense to me.

[trooper_]

Exactly.

[notachance]

because before getting to the end the content is already lacking?

if you have to lock the "end game" behind hundreds of hugely repetitive fetch quest, you can't whine if the reviewer, hell, any sane person that doesn't give a crap about console war get bored before said "end game"

[letsa_go]

How can there be endgame content if there is no leveling up system? And is a game really good if you have to play until the end to see if there is any enjoyment to be had? I can usually tell if I will enjoy a game or not within the first hour or two of playing.

[Realms]

@ porkChop

You don't need to play an entire game to understand the game mechanics or what the game developers intention was in order to review a game. The game is tedious you can have fun with games like these but it really shows the lack of depth in the developers part if you are forcing the player to have to make his own fun. The bottom line is that when you critique anything you are critiquing what you like and what you don't like many people do not like how tedious SOT plays it is what it is.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Pork- it is an extremely poor excuse it would be like trying to say if inside of a game that had over 8,000 let's just say "Demi seeds" that in order to give a proper review somebody needs to collect all 8000 of them so if I'm playing this game and the story doesn't exist ,the game mechanics are non-existent, the game was filled with bugs , the enemies are not even properly modeled and completely unfinished I mean do you really believe I need to collect all 8,000 demi seeds to give an opinion on this game? So what you're saying is after the 7999 seeds I can't tell you if it's bad or not? Only after I get every last one? Come on pork I read lots of your post I know you're not a dumb person but this just doesn't make any sense whatsoever you're literally trying to say and opinion cannot be rendered unless the game is completed but I believe if the game is of poor quality you don't need to do 100% of it to realize that

no one is really that stupid.

How can I give a crap about a games endgame content if the quality of the entire game is garbage? Do you seriously believe after 1000 hours it's suddenly going to turn into Assassin's Creed 4 type of gameplay story quality?

So you have to understand that if they've already played enough to realize that the elements of this game are garbage I don't think they need to go through all the content to come through this consensus. I remember having a similar debates regarding Battlefront 2015 and one of the things I remember reading was an individual saying that the game is not bad but it lacks content so they weren't going to purchase it and I have to question if the game is fun what does it matter how much content the game actually has if you enjoy it?

It's why I firmly believe that the strongest issues with Battlefront 2015 was not the amount of content I would argue it was simply the Bland gameplay itself only because in order for somebody to want more content the game was actually be fun in the first place.

So are you going to tell me you're going to have no problem playing a thousand hours of this game filled with content and it's one of the worst games ever created? You're basically asking for a lot of something bad.

It would almost be like trying to say someone needs to play a thousand hours of Bubsy 3D to know if it's actually bad 😂😂😂
28514;

So I want you in all seriousness the think of the worst game you've ever played in your life... if the game was 5000 hours long and it was just terrible every single hour are you telling me you're dumb enough to keep playing the game just to give an opinion? Are you literally telling me you're unable to understand the game as bad regardless of how long you decide to play?

Like I said to someone on here before if you don't like Battlefront with 10 Maps you're not going to like Battlefront with a thousand Maps the volume of content is not going to change your damn mind if you're not having fun.

[zerocarnage]

How can someone review something when only played the game for 5 minutes, or in sea of thieves case not even half a day which isn't enough to warrent a review. This is why devs need to stop handing Copys of games out because there's a very biased approach out there and a trend that reviewers are now setting, review a game quickly and destroy it fast and they have done this with good games all to often and often they are wrong..

[rainslacker]

I wonder what people expect to be so amazingly awesome with the end game content. Is it going to be different from early game content? Is there more variety to the quests? Are there multiple bosses, and if so, enough so you aren't just grinding the same one over and over?

Even games that do end game content don't vary things up so much from the rest of the game that is say it'll suddenly be fun. It's usually more challenging, and sometimes adds in a unique aspect, but it doesn't become a whole new game all of a sudden. Anyone that has played an mmo knows this.

[Goldby]

@porkchop

Then I guess unless every reviewer has every single car in GT sport or Forza before they can say they finished the game.

As for lack of content and "endgame" content and reviews.

If all there are is fetch quests for chickens and pigs and bananas a d chests before the "end game content" that is fun begins, than it is completely fair to say there is a lack of content to keep people occupied and immersed before hitting end game.

Games aren't supposed to be about just end game content but the journey there as well. And if the journey consists of dangling a carrot in front you with promises but all you see is bananas around you, it's safe to say some people won't be bothered to make it to end game.

[cooperdnizzle]

Porkchop you are not very bright if it doesn’t make sense to you. Sorry man. If the whole game is repetitive and horrible and bland, what makes you think the very last part will be any different. The core of most games present themselves pretty quick, I mean this just seems like an excuses to prop the game up. You could do this with any game. Yeah mass effect sucks but that end part was amazing! 10 out of 10

[IamTylerDurden1]

Reviewers have made up their mind, it's 62 on Open Critic and rated worse than No Man's Sky on Metacritic and Open Critic.

[Dragonscale]

The majority have and it doesn't look good.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

It’s mostly mediocre

[ILostMyMind]

It is bad.

[AspiringProGenji]

Lol this is just SAD! Don’t launch incomplete games and devoid of content end of story! Instead of blaming it on reviewers for doing their job, how about you ask what was Rare doing all this time? Even F2P games get reviewed day one despite their post launch growth, and certainly they don’t get Re-reviewed. Why should SoT be any diferent?

[LaWiiG]

How many hours did you lose to it so far?

[AspiringProGenji]

0 hours!!

Why bother when all the warning signs are obvious?

Also the article is about reviewing games “of this nature” and that is what I responded

[LaWiiG]

I’ve never played it other than the beta 😂😂😂

[moegooner88]

A piece of turd after 10 hours is still a piece of turd after 20.

[LaWiiG]

😶

[kayoss]

Just a lot dryer...

[Germaximus]

I agree with most of that but plenty of games do get re-reviewed especially after drastic updates. =)

[coolbeans]

"Even F2P games get reviewed day one despite their post launch growth, and certainly they don’t get Re-reviewed."

Well...maybe semantically that may be correct, but to disregard re-assessments of certain F2P games from big sites isn't true. Warframe is one popular example especially with the Planes of Eidolon update.

And while this skirts away from main thrust of the argument: I'm just SUPER curious to see just how many cheering on your sentiments have been apologetic to Driveclub and/or GT Sport in the past (and I extend that curiosity to you as well).

[neolego]

I have played every night since launch and I absolutely love the game. More and more reviews are becoming a hindrance more than a help. They are subjective based on the person reviewing it and their circumstances. I haven't had any issues and would recommend this game to anyone. Great article Andrew.

[Kokyu]

You sound like some one who just wants his purchased justified instead of actually believing your own statements. If you like the game great but dont bag on people whose job it is to play a game for a set amount of time and give a fair account and impression of that game, its been tought this gen to be an Xbone fan and I feel for them. The truth is most people are going to stay away from SoT because of the repeative nature of the game and what reviewers are saying, which brings me to another point when did a game become all about what comes after you beat it or the end game? No one buys a game thinking "oh man I cant wait for that sweet end game, only 15 more hours or grind." Thats nonsense. People have bailed on Destiny, Destiny 2, No Man's Sky and other games because of the same thing. Just because this is one of the only high profile games coming for Xbone in a good while doesnt mean it should get a free pass.

[doos_vd_kak]

There's ZERO honesty and people are making excuses, moving goalposts. Why can't people let it go?

[DaDrunkenJester]

I am also having a ton of fun, but I don't blame the reviewers. However, I do think some are a little sensitive when it comes to PvP stuff. They got their loot stolen once and they decide the game is filled with griefers... well there are other outposts to go to if you aren't comfortable confronting that person.

Just yesterday I had a sloop follow me into port (I was by myself btw), I sailed around the island a couple times, did the 90 degree turn anchor trick, blasted him out of his boat with my cannon and the proceeded to dock and cash in my loot...

That's why i cant relate to all these people who are screaming the PvP is ruining the game... when this is what being a pirate is. If you don't like it because it's not your style then that is fine, but don't blame the game or design because you got your treasure stolen by a better pirate...

[zerocarnage]

Every game has a repetative nature, its always there.

A game that is played mostly at sea and people are expecting miracles.

Games are now unfinished upon release yet I find it hilarious people are gathering over sea of thieves, far more money was dumped into other games and not this much stink was kicked up on when they found those games were released unfinished.

Well I played it with my son and his friend and honestly it was fun and that is what counts to the people playing it, which doesn't and shouldn't evven concern anyone not playing it.

[rainslacker]

Here's the train of thoughthought for this.

That last jrpg I played wasn't very good. It had a shallow story, repetitive uninspired game play, and wasn't much to look at. I found it passable, and fun at times when playing with my friends around because when groups of people get together it's easier to.have fun despite us still not really enjoying the game, and that one guy who gets excited rubs off on the rest of us and in our drunken stupor, we can say we are having fun. Despite all that, that last boss battle in the game was actually pretty good, so look forward to doing that over and over again until the dev graces us with some dlc

[kayoss]

They are only "subjective" when it suits you right, especially when it deals with anything Xbox??

[neolego]

No, reviews are opinions and opinions have been and always will be subjective.

[Christopher]

***They are subjective based on the person reviewing it and their circumstances. I haven't had any issues and would recommend this game to anyone.***

Those sentences back-to-back are interesting to read.

[cooperdnizzle]

Just like your opinion is subjective... Duh

[manabyte77]

How shocking... An Xbox news site decrying all the poor SoT reviews 😂😂😂.

[TheGuitarist]

If you actually read the article you’d see he isn’t “decrying” reviews that give it a negative score, he’s complaining about people who review the game after only playing a few hours (irrespective of if they give a good or a bad score).
You could argue that it’s akin to some idiot making a snap judgement of an article from just reading the headline and the source. 😂😂😂

[UCForce]

The game doesn’t have a story and doesn’t have a tutorial. Rare is just shadow of former self.

[aconnellan]

@UCForce

I get the complaints about the lack of story, but really no tutorial? So because it doesn’t hold your hand, that’s a bad thing?

[Kokyu]

@aconnellan

When did explaining a control scheme and how the game functions become hand holding? And to answer your question yeah its a problem for a large segment of the gaming population makes it a bad game.

[Strange_Evil]

Why should games that charge 60 bucks off the gate not get a day 1 review? All games went through the same ring including service based games so why should SOT be given special previlage?

You are expecting people to dish out 60 bucks and 'try' the game on their own expense to which I say no thank you! Reviewers can take a second look after a few months and change the review jf they want which happens for many a games. But judging a game that costs 60 bucks on day 1 is totally valid.

[thejigisup]

I went to a restaurant. It looked great. Had the appetizer, kinda small portion, kinda bland but it was cheap. Ordered salad, didn't come with dressing, it was just wet lettuce onions and tomato. The soup came, I wasn't feeling great about it. Asked the waiter what it was, this cloudy bowl... he said try it..i did literally tasted like chicken top ramen. Not bad but not impressive, after all I am at a restaurant right? Main course, steak and potatoes, can't mess it up. Out comes this beautifully plated steak a handful of those nice little red potatoes. I cut into the steak, at least I try to, it's rubber. Literal rubber. I don't even bother with the potatoes. I complain to the waiter and ask if it's a joke. I get up to leave and everyone is saying stay for dessert.... f outta here. Stay for the full meal, review the full game, wahh you gotta play more, no, no we don't if tghe game is that bad, that early then there's something foundationally wrong with the game and it deserves the score it got.

[UCForce]

A lot of new players don’t know how to play this. So they can easily get confused. So yes, the game should have tutorials in first place.

[OffRoadKing]

That's really odd cause I didn't see any complaints when that 9.3 score came out less then 24 hours after the game released.

[Servbot41]

There is nothing new to do after a handful of hours. Why wouldn't it be fair to review it at that point. With the knowledge the game is adding the requirement to spend gold upon death and that they are adding microtransactions after release, I'd give them an even lower score than the current average myself.

[Achamian]

And can you beat down the tribalism that resides within you? Imagine this is a cross platform game, PC PS4 and Xbox. It becomes just another game.

[OffRoadKing]

No it becomes an empty boring repetitive cross platform game. If NMS was cross platform it wouldn't have suddenly made it a better game.

[rainslacker]

I have a feeling if it didn't get that exclusive bump....that extra hype that exclusives seem to get, no one a round here would have bothered with the game. It seems like a f2p game, and those don't typically get much attention around here.

[FallenAngel1984]

Doesn’t mean this game isn’t lacking in so many areas

[butchertroll]

If reviewers are charging 60$ for the game in its current state, it should be reviewed in its current state.

[LaWiiG]

Can't review promises.

[Thatguy-310]

this game was in development for 4 years. They knew the type of game they were making. Why on earth would they release it so barebones? They have themselves to blame not the media for reviewing it the way they've been reviewing it.

[LaWiiG]

For years under Microsoft...

[roboteye]

PUBG didn't get reviewed from big sites until it officially came out. Sea of Thieves should have done the same and charge less and call it a early access game.

[Kokyu]

if this released as a F2P they probably would of made more money and been getting much better reviews.

[MorpheusX]

@roboteye

smh.

Sea of Thieves is officially out, & it cost $60.

your trying too hard.

It appears the Microsoft Brass purposefully released Sea of Thieves "as is" to test the market(Xbox faithful) to see if it's going to be a viable option financially to continue to release bare bones Live Service tech demos & call it a game sold @ $60 or $10 Game Pass.

&

How many Game Pass subscribers can we get if they realize there isn't much content & want to try it but wisely don't wanna pay $60 to try it, despite the backlash.

Microsoft Brass: "Hmm let's see how many Xbox Live /Xbox 1 owners will actually purchase this tech demo?"

[PCgamer98]

Can you really blame the people for trashing Sot? This game was like four freaking years in development so people have the right to expect more, instead they offer us an early access game to play.

[Belinker300]

Would you like your turd in 4k or 900p?

[Gunstar75]

It's funny because it's one of those games that most people seem to really enjoy for what it is but feel they have to review it in a certain way.
I'm really enjoying it.
Sorry not sorry ☠️

[Kokyu]

Yeah its "fake news" right? Christ

[nowitzki2004]

I like the game. I would give it like a 7 or 7.5. Its too repetitive and theres really not too much there.

[OffRoadKing]

"feel they have to review it in a certain way."

So if it gets a bad review its because the person was forced to review it a certain way and not because they're forming their own opinion of the game? What utter nonsense. I'll have to remember that though for the next Playstation game that gets a bad review.

[Gunstar75]

My point was that this game will evolve but has to be reviewed as it was released. It may be a different beast in 6-12 months time.

Tradinal reviews don't suit these types of games

That was all.

[OffRoadKing]

That's fair but I would submit that if it takes six to twelve months for the game to get better maybe they shouldn't have released it for another six to twelve months. Unfortunately first impressions are big in the gaming industry and it seems it hasn't made a good one. In six to twelve months the game may indeed be better, but how many people will have long since moved on by then.

[SethBrundlefly]

Ffs take the L and move on.

[Gunstar75]

If I hear one more person complain about a lack of story I will possibly explode. Watch a f++king movie if you're desperate for a story.
Why do games have to have stories?????

[WickedLester]

Spoken like a true apologist. Bottom line is like most Xbox games not named Halo and Forza, Snooze of Thieves is a horseshit game on a horseshit console.

[Shakengandulf]

yoda; story it lacks hmm hmm hm..

[SethBrundlefly]

It lacks story.

[Darkwatchman]

I get more engaged by a good story in a video game than a movie because it’s interactive. Sorry to break it to you

[Gunstar75]

That's fine. I don't feel it necessary. I like racers and fighters. No story required

[Trez1234]

wow. sorry but stories in games have been a thing since i can remember. Gaas, MMo or whatever you wanna call those games without stories are not the reason most of us got into gaming. From simple stories like mario ( save the princess) to half life, metal gear etc...good story and gameplay go hand to hand and pushed gaming to what it is now like it or not. games without stories have a place but trying to downplay story telling in gaming is like the dumbest thing when you consider that it was only last gen that multiplayer games went mainstream.

[Gunstar75]

I'm not saying games with stories are unimportant, I am saying that not ALL games need to have a story to be fun.

Why can't we have both?

[Kokyu]

When people grow up it takes actually effort to maintain their attention, bang bang pow pow usually doesnt hold it for long.

[OffRoadKing]

So they entertain as apposed to being lifeless and dull.

[MorpheusX]

@Gunstar

wt?!

Then explode, throw a temper tantrum, Cry yourself to sleep or whatever.

Having a story is basic & fundamental. Having a story is part of making a game.

Maybe you have the wrong hobby if your struggling to comprehend this basic principle, smh.

[Gunstar75]

It's not fundamental you meff. Plenty of amazing games over the last 35 years (imo) didn't have stories. They relied on their machanics and they were fun

[cooperdnizzle]

I also like games with a story. Some games don’t need them, but then that game has got to be super super fun, with some type of lore. Right now I think games are telling better stories than movies are. I love a good story. Who doesn’t right.

@ Gunstar. And all rotary phones made phone calls. Why did we ever evolve from those things? Movies used to have no sound, why don’t we go back to that? Heck why don’t we go back to eight pixel art and be done with this game thing. M$ is trying to give us shovlewaer and sell it to us. Or people like you.

[lellkay]

F2P content-less barebones game masquerading as a AAA £50 experiance. Garbage.

[Gunstar75]

I disagree. The best part of the game is being tactical and taking gown an enemy ship or plundering their loot. I don't dash about trying to get to the end game.

I enjoy the tranquility of sailing also.

That's just my opinion and I own the game. I suspect that wayore than half of the criticism on this site is coming from people who have never even played it.

[Kokyu]

I dont have to be punched in the head to I know I dont want it to happen and you dont have to own a game to know its bad.
pirate stuff is niche market I have no idea why the industry seem to be trying to produce more and more of it.

[lellkay]

I actually played all the betas and i bought gamepass for a month to play the full release. Nothing people criticized about the betas have been addressed or fixed. lets see;

3 bland types of radiant quests, 2 enemy types and 1 boss, no npc's, no real progression, wonky combat, broken and unbalanced spawning mechanics, incoming Micro-transactions, wakey wakey... this ain't a full price AAA title.. face the music one of microsoft only exclusives of the year.. is essentially a glorified F2P game. Dire.

It doesn't matter if you enjoy "sailing" ... you should demand and expect more real content from a game that has taken 4 years to develop from one of the mediums most decorated developers... especially a game that is a top exclusive for the Xbox One's 2018 line up.

[talocaca]

If you have to convince everyone that your game is not mediocre and incomplete, you have a flop.

I'm yet to see a single glowing review.

This is coming from Rare, took forever and Microsoft really hyped it. No excuses.

[Silkside]

4 years and all they have to show for it is amazing water and the same fetch quest over and over again.

[corroios]

of course the review arent. In a couple of weeks the game will be even more empty... of players.

[nowitzki2004]

Please no. Servers already feel empty as it is. See like 1 ship every 2 hours

[DarkVoyager]

“Sea of Griefs: Why Early Reviews of Sea of Thieves Aren’t Accurate”

“xboxenthusiast.com”

An Xbox site calling out reviews for a mediocre game. Imagine that.

It’s not just reviewers saying the game isn’t that great it’s plenty of gamers themselves. The game was in development 4 years and it’s still basically a tech demo.

[Hedstrom]

Or! Maybee its just not that good ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Alot can happen down the line, but for now it is what it is.

[Nightmar3Demom]

.....Huh?????????

[chris235]

it‘s a multiplayer based pvp game that has only got 10 or 20% real content. i think the low scores were too high. if you don‘t implement a system that filters out punks-just-because please don‘t bother releasing it.

[BenRC01]

Not true. After a couple of hours you realise you've seen it all and there's not much else to do.
You WANT reviewers doing early reviews before they become bored out of their skulls and give it the 5 it deserves.

[Razmiran]

Is this another case of "If you play 70 hours it gets fun"?

[Xenophon_York]

I laughed. Thought about how it's possible to go loony from repetition. Like going snow blind or drops of water on the forehead for hours upon end. So, yeah, probably fun—but only because you start to hallucinate from being bored blind.

[Artemidorus]

"Andrew from Xbox Enthusiast..."
Is that the formal way of saying fanboy?

The game looks fun but it's empty and requires more support and definitely not worth full retail. It's almost an early access indie game.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

At its core is a pretty good game from wlhat I have played BUT it does need some fixes and most certainly more NPC type content. I get they want the core to be focused on the players interaction but at some point you need content to help spur that. I would love to see the simple addition of NPC trading ships that are heavily armed that players could engage to try and loot them for plunder. You could have more simple ships leading up to heavy 16 gun ships to try and attack in the open sea. Also adding in more mythical creatures.... give me a moby dick to try and take down beyond the Kraken. Seems things like this would go a long way in helping on the content side.

[SirBillyBones]

It doesn't take long to see everything that there is to do in the game. A few hours and boredom starts to set in very quickly.

[the worst]

Sea of trash

[bluefox755]

Damage control. I guess it's to be expected from "XboxEnthusiast" though.

[The_Sage]

You really only have to spend a few hours with any game to get a handle on it. Once you finish the main story, you know all you need to know to right a full review. Most of the reviewers have played the game prelaunch any, so they have spent more than a day with it. Either way... This game feels free to play, and is $60.

[Elda]

Smh. Hopefully State of Decay 2 does better.

[OffRoadKing]

If it doesn't be ready for a review of why the reviews aren't correct.

[Lokii]

Damage control much?

[doos_vd_kak]

"and why reviewing a game of this nature too early is a disservice to not only the game but the developers and consumers as well"

O PLEASE, it's just spin, spin, spin, spin. Right mate, keep telling yourself that. It just doesnt work like that. Driveclub, The order 1886, Quantum break, No mans sky, etc. didn't get a free pass and this game is not an exception. The devs released a game, it has a gross lack of content, they need to take responsibility of that and people shouldn't be defending it and moving goalposts. This is what it is. Moving goalposts. In all my life i have never seen such a concerted effort to defend a game this much, it's pathetic. Sea of Thieves, isnt good, get over it and move on.

Early reviews ARE accurate, whether you like it or not.

[MatriXcian]

If a game isn't good after the first 10 hours its not going to suddenly get good the next 10 hours. To say that reviewers should subject themselves to hours upon hours of the same fetch quests with the hopes that something will change after several hours of gameplay is ludicrous.

[TechnoGoat]

Damaaaaage Controoooool lol.

[frostypants]

Pretty common and cliche excuse used for games like this, yet I don't think I've ever seen one where after a rash of bad reviews, the magical true nature of the game suddenly dawned on everyone and they all changed their minds. It doesn't happen. But hey, if he's right, the Metacritic score will start going up. I'm not holding my breath.

[sin7279]

Xboxenthusiast.com lol!

[blacktiger]

Am i the only one seeing this ads

[steven83r]

The game is fun. But they messed up not making it PVE with a PVP area like Division. It's annoying hanging with friends looking for treasure and just a bunch of GTA jackasses talking crap and attacking all day. I get it it's a pirate game but if they wanted it to be like that they should of made it naval battles only.

[drunkenspy007]

xbox enthusiast, I'm sure whatever you say isn't biased crap

[sampsonon]

damage control

[aConIsDemocracy]

I swear i read somewhere wait for the full game to release for more content. What happened? Did they deceive us?

[ShadowWolf712]

Stuff like this is why Xbox fans get so much grief these days. Y'all trip over yourselves to defend literally everything they do to you, then scratch your heads in confusion about why things aren't getting better.

[snkiworld]

DOA

[kayoss]

So there are such things as someone doing a Review of game reviews???

So you're telling me that 10 sites that gave SOT low scores is doing developers and consumers a disservice??

[Cussing]

True, no one has made it to end game, but if the journey to end game isn't an enjoyable one why would you want to get to it? I understand the deep seeded want for a high scoring Xbox exclusive at this point. But to harp on reviewers because they didn't wade though hours of tedious repetitive fetch quests and uninspired multi colored skeletons to get to the end game content is a bit of a stretch. That would be like railing on reviewers because they reviewed the Green lantern Movie (2011) poorly without taking into account the after credits scene.

[CaptainCamper]

If they want reviewers to review games as a service, maybe it should be more in-line with other media in the service sector. I'll pay RARE $5 a month and then review it in 10 months. If they are willing to take full price for a half finished game, they suffer the consequences.

You cannot defend Sea of Thieves with any integrity. It's a great idea with a lot of potential that has been ruined with a rushed release. Players, fans, reviewers, the blame does not lie with them.

[BeOpenMinded]

I've spent about 20 hours in game and have had some fun. I could see jumping on and off a few more times and getting my levels a little higher but the albatross is obviously what do they do with it in future. I paid full price and don't feel scammed as I correlate my fun and time spent into my purchase especially if a few updates come out and give me some enjoyment.

All that aside I do agree with the negatives. It is shallow and repetitive and will be an embarrassment if they do not update hard and fast. This game needs something significant to make it successful long term and may have to change their tune as to what the game actually is. This should have been an early access game and definetely should not have been full price to justify the lack of content and give an understanding to community that it will grow. It is not a bad game but will die and be a laughing stock if the game remains hollow. A full price game with only 3 repetive fetch quest, these reviews are fair unfortunately

[OffRoadKing]

The same can be said for almost any game though, this just comes off as damage control. Oh xboxenthusiast, defenitly damage control.

[Mista2018]

Dude, Polygon is a company that microsoft pays and even they gave it a 6.5

[frostlatch]

But these early reviews that disapprove of the game cant ALL be wrong, can they? They cant ALL have stopped before getting to end game? This is entirely the same situation as No Man's Sky. Maybe not so much lying on Rare's part but still a lack of content. lol. Chicken quests that only increase in how many chickens you get, skeleton warriors being the only enemy...I mean...what the hell is there to debate? rofl.

[zerocarnage]

Reviewers and critics I always said are idiots, I never listen to them especially when they are so judgemental and do not even play through a game completely and decide to destroy it big time.

Any body that listen and pays attention to reviewers may as well be apart of a flock of sheep being led by the dog.

I think more than anything, the majority on this site are jumping on a hate train and alot have only at most read what others have said or seen footage, they havnt actually played it or played it to the point a decent review is deserved, how could they have it's only been out a few days.

Reviews came in pretty damn quick on this site almost as if the haters were trying to develop the hate towards Microsoft/rare/sea of thieves, it's what they are like, lame and pretty darn pathetic.

[Sgt_Slaughter]

Boy do I wish comment limits were back.

This is absolutely hilarious in a bad way. If you have to change the way you review games to make it so your game would somehow get better scores, (which won't happen), then it's a sad excuse for a game.

Cannot believe they spent FIVE YEARS on this.

[Xenophon_York]

Plea of Reprieves : Why Sites Named XBOX Enthusiast Shouldn't Write Articles Titled "Why Early Reviews of Sea of Thieves Aren’t Accurate"

[AizenSosuke]

Oh apparently they can't accept their issues right now.

[kangolkyle]

I feel like this would've been a completely different story had the game launched at $30.

[Wallstreet37]

Bottom line is (and i don't care what goal posts fans want to move for the sake of their fav companies honor) that the game shipped with little content and is a repetitive loop of unsubstantial gameplay, that isnt subjective. Games dont get rated by what they will have in the future but what thy offer now.

Four years of development for this? Smh I mean if you like it thts cool. I liked SFV but agreed with the criticism at launch. Stop defending content light games and publishers trying to get over and just make a fast buck with no value.

(Looks around, same defense team and hypocrits who bashed games like SFV and NMS just bcus it wasnt on their preferred console smh)

[Deeeeznuuuts]

It's funny... when no mans sky, driveclub and gt sport came out, they were hugely criticised by a certain group of people on this website for the lack of content and saying that regular updates aren't enough.... now it's happening to them, they want a pass? Incompletely game, end of

[its_JEFF]

This game reminds of Destiny. I don't know if it'll end up like Destiny, in the sense that it was much better than what reviewers scored it. I understand why Reviewers gave Destiny that score, they're working with a deadline and need something to post. They crunched and poured dozens of hours in a few days. I think we can only properly judge this game 6 months to a year from now, and by the people who've stuck around and played it the whole time.

I know, its popular to crap on exclusives right now but it really is unfair.

[meka2611]

Ok so granted I see why a lot of people don't like the game, I'm personally having a blast with it, but again I see their. What I don't understand is all the people that just come in to say it's a piece of shit, mostly sony fans too. If you don't like the game that's fine, but every article for this game has like 50 comments, and it's mostly bashing people that enjoy the game. How about let them enjoy it and you do you. And again to sony fans I understand why you bash the xbox fans that blindly defend the game, but what about the opposite effect? Still remember when uncharted got one bad review and sony fans flipped the hell out about it. Same thing just opposite sides.

[cooperdnizzle]

Because if we didn’t voice are concerns gaming would suck. If people like you had their way we would all be playing subpar games with no content and a “you pay me now” and I promise in the future I’ll give you a good game, “if you fork over more cash”

[Kyizen]

If it goes on store shelves its ready for review. I think a year from now it would be nice to have a revisit and a new review but saying the game is 5/10 now and 8/10 a year from now if they add features and content is totally fair of they are taking money from consumers.

[Tzuno]

This game looks mediocre, well they canceled Scalebound that was looking amazing, karma is at work :)

[Sevir]

Lol, didn't we say the same thing about Destiny and the Division...? If these early reviews were fair for both those games, then it's fair for Sea of Theives, Division 2 and Anthem all future games that follow this model. The game is simply disappointing and will suffer the same growing pains as Both Destiny and Division suffered upon release... This simply has a harder time because it really doesn't have the mass appeal and player base as DESTINY or Division to keep it alive.

Good luck to Rare and MS with their entry into "GAS"

[Christopher]

No. You're rating the game based on the content it has at release. If you want to re-review it a year from now, you can. But, at release, with what it has, it's being reviewed.

I get not accepting reviews within a rushed period, but after a few days of playing it full time, you are definitely allowed to review the game for what it is.

And, let me point out, that any argument here about poor scores for reviewing it early only shine a light on how problematic the good scores are when the argument is that the type of game needs more time to truly be reviewed.

But, if you're game takes 3 months to review properly, then you need to put it out for what it is, an Early Access game. Otherwise every MMO review is wrong. But that's not how it is.

[Tazzy]

They clearly are accurate a bunch of websites have given the game pretty much the same reviews another Xbox game that didn't get reviewed good new year same Microsoft.

[theflamey]

Been playing tonight, this is a great game

[darkmoondruid]

Whether someone likes or dislikes SoT is totally subjective. Some incomplete games are still good, in others, you can feel the emptiness and boredom. Console loyalty might be blinding people to some degree, but if they genuinely enjoy it good for them. I think it's ok. It's an ambitious idea that's not perfect but kudos to Rare for taking this step

[trouble_bubble]

Early reviews aren’t accurate but a site called Xbox Enthusiast knows what’s up? Yeah that doesn’t sound corporate stoogey at all LMAo!

Review sites with the brand in their name, that’s a paddlin.

[2ndhandcorn]

Well i have been having fun it is refreshing to not have to keep track of story and weapon wheels not to mention crafting crap bravo i say .

[Hakoom]

they are 1000% accurate

[Xenophon_York]

"They" who?

[addictedtochaos]

No, the reviews are accurate. They are based on the game in its current state, not what the game may or may not become in the future.

[Kostche]

the game should be called Sea of Dogs, because the whole game is fetch quests, with some PvP sprinkled on the side, you grind for over priced cosmetic items that are designed that way to stretch out the all ready barebone gameplay, i remember when games used be good from start till finish, none of this rubbish wait till end game that is where it picks up

[2pacalypsenow]

Lol so they should wait months to review a game because it wasn’t ready at launch?

Yeah no.

[PUBG]

"Why Early Reviews of Sea of Thieves Aren’t Accurate"

The game is what it is, and the reviews have been consistent. Basically the game isn't that good. I was kind of skeptical about this game since I wasn't a fan of the character models, and the fact that the gameplay looked pretty shallow, and now the reviews are in.

I'm hoping that State of Decay 2 turns out to be a good one, since I love zombie co-op gameplay, but I'll be waiting for the reviews on that one also.

[Tross]

That's kind of an issue with games in general though, especially games that depend heavily on patches and DLC to shape the experience going forward. Of course reviewers can only work with what they have to provide reviews for early adopters. I think in some instances there are grounds to do a review of the game down the road to examine the completed product, but I don't know if that would be profitable for review sites. I think those "I played two hours of an 80+ hour RPG" reviews are just lazy, but you can't fault reviewers for lacking time travel, which is what would be needed to examine titles post-patch/DLC. Maybe the way games are reviewed doesn't quite fit with the way games have evolved, where the launch version isn't the final product, but don't hate on those doing their job to the best of their ability.

[Exvalos]

Can't review a game on what it can be can only review it for what it already is

[Exvalos]

No progression no story and your enjoyment is based on how many friends you have, yup 10/10 right there

[DOOMZ]

Having a blast with it! These reviews are bogus...

[morventhus]

Look as a huge rareware fan. Even I can say sea of thieves is not a 8/10. Don't get me wrong the Base of the game is a 10/10 but there isn't enough to do .... yet. If rare keeps their promises the game could one day be the game we hope it to be. But... that's the issue were buying a game on hope. ITs an early access game that couldn't be marketed as a early access game due to the fact a major studio is working on it and no one would be ok with a AAA game being early access.

[KillBill]

I have read so many reviews that say they have put in 2, 3, or 4 hors into the game and said they have seen everything already.

I played last night and put in 8 hours and still saw things I had never seen before from the Alpha and Beta. People are seriously making up stories about the game when they post ridiculous stuff like that.

I bet a large tangent of players didn't know there were Cobras in the game too. So many hidden things I keep running across on each island and with each battle.