Ryse embargo raises many red flags

Ryse looks like a beautiful game, but then why is Microsoft hiding it? Are we having the wool pulled over our eyes?

[TheLyonKing]

Aren't Embargo's usually for hype?

I am not sure on that but I feel it builds tension just waiting to hear something about it.

[Gazondaily]

A lot of heavy hitters had quite late embargoes like GTA 5 for example. It doesn't necessarily mean there is something to hide but my first reaction when I heard that Forza and Ryse have late review embargoes was that of skepticism.

Time will tell.

[OrangePowerz]

Depends on the game I think. For like GTA5 I think they didn't want to have too much of the game spoiled early and had the late embargo.

Ibviously it can help with creating more hype.

Not sure what the plan for Ryse is. Given it's Crytek I doubt there is much to spoil judging by their last 2 games.

[Volkama]

If it was just Ryse I'd be concerned. It is Ryse and Forza though, and Forza is a pretty safe bet so I suspect these are the 2 games MS is really getting behind and the embargo is just part of the plan to maximise commercial impact.

[tigertom53]

am sure they want to spread out the release info to keep the hype going up until lunch am sure it will be 7 or higher scores on average..

[JokesOnYou]

Ryse isn't the first game to have late reviews, actually it happens with lots of games these days. It's how they build hype through PR, still doesn't mean you have to buy anything. I mean those who want Ryse and preordered given all the heat/scrutiny on this game just don't care and are intent to try the game for themselves, those waiting for reviews will have them before launch and can wait to buy the game depending on what the reviews say....so really this is fabricating a problem when there is none.

[sigfredod]

buy it first complain later philoshopy

[Eonjay]

I'm not to worried about Ryese... sure the story will suck and the gameplay will be dry, but that is a Hallmark of Crytek's visually stunning work. If people are expecting a captivating story and nail biting gameplay.... well nobody is expecting that so take it for what it is. There is nothing to be "worried" about.

[theshonen8899]

Normally the only reason an embargo is placed is to delay reviews from hurting pre-orders and day 1 sales. If a game is good the publisher will want reviews early so that they can market it as much as possible in their trailers and ads with scores and box quotes. Hence why The Last of Us's had reviews weeks before it shipped and Killzone/Knack had reviews only a few days before launch.

[x5exotic]

Well GTA 5 was promised to be a much detailed version of Los Santos as a "fair trade" to taking away two major cities, and what did we get?
No Jetpacks, no flame throwers, half-assed cheats, half-assed car modifications that only make the cars look uglier, such variety of cars that you find a whole block full of the SAME car, no body modifications (gym, food, good haircuts), and all the other fun stats, in a so-called 'superficial city, and end-game missions on a scale of that used in early-game (assassinate 5 dudes to beat game lol)

OH AND A DOGE! much hype. such detail. wow.

[dedicatedtogamers]

Let's give the game a chance to prove itself. Are the "haters" (I put that in quotes because this game isn't going to appeal to everyone) going to change their mind if it gets great scores?

Are the "fanboys" (again, in quotes because some people are genuinely interested in Ryse and that's ok) going to change their mind and not get the game or get an XBox One if the reviews are bad?

Of course not. The people who want to get it will get it, the people who aren't interested in Ryse will dismiss it. Let's start off this generation on a good note. Let's not become obsessed with review scores all over again.

[MyNameIsNotRick]

I agree. Also, there are a lot of guys like me who are waiting for reviews. I think a lot of us want it because it looks good (I also love stuff about Rome) but don't want to pay 60 bucks crap gameplay. I hope its good...

[tagan8tr]

The only reviews that should matter are those from reviewers that consistantly rate games the way you do kotaku could slam a game if giantbomb says that same game is good I'll buy it.

[Bigpappy]

Why would they be hiding the most scrutinized game of the launch. The pre-orders aren't even leading the pack. The demo's have shown up at every event.
My only guess for the embargo is to have an element of surprise in the single player. Something to get people to run out to the stores maybe.

Why is RYse getting all of this attention anyway? Isn't Foza also part of that embargo? Ryse is a new IP and completely different from any other launch title. They could have easily put an embargo on DR3, as that also is a key title.

The answer is that M$ is aware of the interest and wants to keep the speculation and interest going as long as they can

[xHeavYx]

I'm pretty sure it works the opposite way, with companies showing early why you should run to the store to buy the game.
In my opinion, this game is just pretty characters, nothing more. The combat is repetitive, you win even if you miss the right button combination, enemy AI is dumb. This game will be a 6

[osprey19]

I think its not number 1 in pre-orders because its a new IP and people had a rather mixed first impressions with it.

[slate91]

@Heavy

Seriously how you have all of those bubbles boggles my mind. I see your blind biased comments in every article on here and it is quite frustrating. You haven't touched the game. You ignore the all positive reviews the game has received and thrive on the few negatives it has received.

OT:
I agree pappy. If they were hiding it we would barely have gameplay to see, and it wouldnt be playable at all the events. Forza 5, I believe, is in no danger at all for negative reviews as the past titles have reviewed well. So the whole "hiding it from negative press" theory goes down the drain imo. Im predicting ryse to be 7-8.5 range, unless critics are blown away by its story telling and gameplay. Or of course, the gameplay is terrible followed up with a generic story line.

[Bathyj]

All the attention is because Xbox fans having been touting it as a flagship graphics title. If it turns out graphics is all it is, a lot of people are going to eat a bit of crow.

Personally I think it looks pretty good. We know it's pretty, but I like the setting, I love the series Rome, and I actually think the combat looks more fun than the latest Batman game, that's for sure. If it's smooth and intuitive I can see this being a good game.

I do think it's a bit of a worry, no reviews. MS aren't normally ones to stay quiet when they have anything positive to say. I think they are concerned the damage bad reviews could do right before launch. I guess we'll see soon.

[christocolus]

Im definitly getting ryse ... i just hope the reviews are good though.

[tagan8tr]

@slate91 and your tantrum doesn't indicate your allegiance you invalidate your own statement.

[JokesOnYou]

Bathyj it works both ways because a lot of xbox fans know Ryse "looks" better than any ps4 game at launch, so when sonyfanboys spew BS saying there's going to be some huge gap in graphics then of course Ryse is an easy example of why people like myself say "yeah whatever". Sure ps4 will have some beautiful games but until there is something that makes Ryse look considerably behind in graphics nobody besides sony loyal fans is going to drink the koolaid.

Talk is talk, what we see with our eyes is worth a million words. It baffles me why that shocks ps fans just like the whole 1080p stuff, its natural to counter with Forza5 etc when we know there are 1080p games on the box from devs who put in the work vs rushed games...now we can debate all the politics and reasons for the pros and cons but it is what it is and if ps fans throw mud it's only natural to counter with legitimate examples of why we see it as more BS talk vs reality of what's on store shelves.

[speedforce131]

Reviews can affect sales so if the game is known beforehand it'll review low, then they will hold it back as far as they can, that way, people will buy the game just based off of what they have seen and they end up making more money that way.

It's similar to the movie industry where studios will not give advance screenings to critics. They want people to watch the movie on impulse so that they can make some quick money that way.

There are other reasons as well, such as not wanting the game to be spoiled (like GTAV). It really depends though, it's up to the publisher what they want to do.

[Bigpappy]

Frist off, we would have to assume M$ knows the review score from all of these web sites. We would also have to assume that Forza is also getting very bad reviews.

Forza has never gotten bad reviews. I see no reason why it would start now. Again why all the focus on Ryse?

[tagan8tr]

@Bigpappy now that is well said bubble up

[Wh15ky]

@bigpappy

The focus is on ryse because it's a new ip.

Surely thats obvious, is'nt it?

Whereas, people know what to expect from the fifth installment of a racing game.

"Frist off, we would have to assume M$ knows the review score from all of these web sites."

Do you honestly not think they have had any feedback to give them an idea of how the game will go down with reviewers?

Whats your theory as to reasons of the embargo?

[DiRtY]

GTA V, Last of Us, Beyond, Forza and Ryse ---> all have embargos.

[Blaze929]

it's normal for embargoes not to release until the day the game releases now. Why are people digging into this too deep?

[Drekken]

Feel the hype by not being allowed to talk about our game!! Yeah... that makes sense.

Hype is glowing previews and great reviews. So far the previews have not been too good.

[2cents]

Probably because this is THE flagship action game for the Xbox One and we all know how people cant be happy for others. So Im 100% sure that there are many bias reviewers from lame gaming site just waiting to shred Ryse and Vise Versa.

It does make me wonder a little though as we have seen this in the past with god-awful games being shipped before people have even had a chance to review them.

Personally, Ryse is a day one for me. I really enjoyed the methodic approach to fighting, the visuals are stunning and the source material is compelling. Although I only got to play one round of the multiplayer (for over an hour) I was completley sucked in to the atmosphere, I have the benefit of having a very active imagination, so I was that gladiator in that areana and I want more!

Review scores be damned for this one.

[Anon1974]

I wouldn't think anything of this if it wasn't for the negative things we've been hearing prior to the launch. Didn't one site comment on the Ryse demo that combat was bout as much fun as dialing phone numbers? I mean, how can that type of thing not make you feel a little apprehensive for this game. There have been other rumors floating around Twitter that the Ryse campaign can be finished in and hour and a half. And knowing that this started as a 360 Kinect game, and then dropped Kinect doesn't really instill a lot of confidence either. Crytek isn't exactly known for their fantastic gameplay.

[Phils_Libra]

Yep, was GameInformer whom related the gameplay to dialing phone numbers in their preview. Google "ryse son of rome gameinformer" and see/read. Will be very interesting to see the final reviews later this week.

[Godmars290]

Then again, what else haven't they shown? How often have they shown off the game yet now are holding off on actual reviews?

[ElementX]

MS is staggering the embargoes and I actually prefer it. Who wants to go online and see 100s of reviews all in one day? I'd rather have something to look forward to every few days than get all of the reviews at once.

[aviator189]

I can see that.
Honestly, when I see a bunch of reviews for different games in one day, I normally just read one and tend to skim over the other ones because of work and school.
I dig how they're staggered out like this, definitely gives me solid time to go over each.

[AnthonyJrWTF]

This is the reason. It's a steady pace of reviews and news that keeps them in the highlights every day up until launch. They saved the two graphical workhorses for last.

[cyguration]

What about for people who don't care about ALL of the Xbox One's launch games?

What about people who were only eying Ryse but wanted to wait for the reviews before making the plunge? Now, for day-one, they may have to go with something else to buy with their Xbox One.

Early reviews helps people make better decisions.

[Neonridr]

If Aliens: Colonial Marines is anything to go by in recent memory...

But just because we haven't heard anything yet doesn't automatically make it a bad thing. We will find out soon enough I guess.

[Zack_attack]

I heard they planned on staggering their reviews over the few days before release, rather than all in one day. Another review will be out today.

[jackanderson1985]

according to IGN the embargo for the hardware itself is lifted today at 9pm ET (could be PT, irish myself so i'm on GMT and won't see either till tomorrow morning) and an editor at eurogamer mentioned in the comments the reason for the delay on Ryse and Forza was down to the copies being delivered later than the rest and as such embargos got extended

[Zack_attack]

I'm assuming they delivered them a few days later to stagger the reviews like I said. If you gave people every game at once, I have a feel it would be prematurely reviewed after only an hour of gameplay on each title.

[Ashby_JC]

Timing is everything.

Staggering information makes sense. This past few days there has been fresh info regarding games etc about the XBOX ONE.

Build up until launch.

ITS WORKING!! (for me at least...first launch console!!)

[Convas]

You could also look at this as MS giving reviewers to actually playthrough the game at a comfortable pace.

Just spitballin'.

[speedforce131]

no, they've already played through the game, they're just waiting to publish the review.

[TomahawkX]

I saw the gamespot 30 minute stream of the first 2 levels and the game looks decent, It should get 7.5 average.

[SpiralTear]

I dunno, that seems pretty generous.

Previews of a near-completed version of Ryse have been critical of the gameplay and technical fidelity alike. I'm sure there will be some folks who love the hell out of it, but I don't expect that high of an average rating for it. Maybe a 6.0, give or take.

[etownone]

Could go either way,

But me personally, this is the next gen game that will show the graphical power of the Xbox One at launch ... And, I always wanted a good God of War type game for Xbox.

So ... Still a day one buy for me

[corroios]

But Ryse is not a God of War type of game. There arent any Gods or Beasts to Kill. No epic final Titan to kill with your hands, lol.

Hack and Slash, yes. God of War type, No.

[etownone]

Umm,,, hack and slash.

Same as God of War.
Of course the story won't be the same....
But theres definitely brutality and it's based during the Spartans/Romans type era.

I'd say its a great Xbox exclusive hat fills the spot to counter God of War. Now, it just has to prove itself.

[OrangePowerz]

They are both hack and slashs, but from what we have seen from Ryse it's a lot slower type of game that tries to be somewhat realistic.

It's like comparing CoD with Arma. Both are FPS, but Arma isn't a CoD type of game and CoD isn't an Arma type of game.

[BOLO]

You're right...Ryse will never be in God of War's league.

[gamertk421]

I enjoyed Dante's Inferno more than I expected.

[Gr1mmyshadows]

I would love a 2nd Dante's Inferno. Better story telling than GoW IMO and was more fun to play

[OrangePowerz]

It's not really a god of war type game.

[jackanderson1985]

the eurogamer editor explained it... Ryse and Forza got delivered later than the rest to the reviewers and that's why MS extended the embargo on those two... probably done to keep Xbox in the news till friday but doubt it was cuz it is a shocking game (then again it's all opinion so one might think it is indeed shocking while others think it's great)

[idontcare]

just go to reddit/r/xboxone

there are already some people playing Ryse and they really like it.

it will be a love or hate game

[Bigpappy]

Loved by X1 owners who are playing it of course. Hated by the usual suspects who are there, apparently, only for that purpose.

[from the beach]

If that's how some people want to interpret the embargo that's fine.

[BLAKHOODe]

Gotta love all the "doom & gloom" articles here on N4G. They've been at an all-time high since the announcement of next-gen consoles. Journalism (if you want to call it that) must be the most depressing job ever.

[bmx_bandit]

no, I wouldn't call it even journalism.

there are so many pro/con-xbox/ps4-"article s" it hurts. im so happy when everything is over. seriously.

[cyguration]

lol, but it'll never be over.

[gamer7804]

There could be lots of reasons, maybe a patch will be releases Thursday, perhaps waiting for another advertisement to run its course, media relations reasons, maybe they wanted to have their review last in order to get the spotlight that day and not overshadow other smaller titles. Let's try not to read too much into it.

[Jazz4108]

Who ever wrote this article raises red flags about there site.

[Blachek]

Am I the only person that looks at Ryse as Microsoft's knock off of God of War?

[Volkama]

You are not the only one, but that doesn't make you any more right.

Besides some vague aesthetic similarities they are not much alike...

I've seen quite a few people make the comparison though. They're both gory hack 'n' slashers I suppose.

[from the beach]

'Knock off of God of War' doesn't even make sense, that game is one of many 3D brawlers. Maybe you meant as a flagship exclusive in that genre?

[SpiralTear]

Nah, I don't see that. It doesn't seem rooted in mythology like God of War is (more a historical lens) and the gameplay doesn't look as free-flowing as in God of War either.

[Blachek]

I should probably qualify myself a bit here. I have never played God of War, only seen clips here and there. I prefer Microsoft to Sony as well, so it's not me knocking the company either.

But MS doesn't really have a high profile representation in the hack n' slash genre. Story aside, the game play looks to be similar as do many of the theme elements although it makes sense to lend themselves as much as possible to a successful IP like God of War.

But I would rather Microsoft have taken us to a new place, one I don't feel like I have seen recently & often.

[Bigpappy]

If might be there to compete, but not a GOW clone. It does share that violent and brutal approach to fighting though. Even though the variety of slow motion finishes in just about every encounter does make ryse look more visceral, and brutal to me.

[Volkama]

You don't need to qualify what you said, apologies if my response came across abrasive. The 2 games just don't have that much in common beyond some surface level aesthetics (swords and blood).

It may compete with GOW in terms of the target audience though.

[InTheLab]

It's a knock off only in that it feels a need. MS is starving for more games like this. I don't think this will be their GoW but at least they acknowledge the gaps in their lineups.

[Jdoki]

If this is part of MS' marketing, then it's fair enough to have an embargo.

If I'm being charitable I would say it's to allow sets of launch games to get their moments in the spotlight. Which is a kinda cool way of doing it.

If I was being less charitable I would say that having an embargo end the same time the console launches could be a sign that MS hope people have bought the game on faith, and it'll be too late to cancel if the scores are bad.

On a related note... If MS have put in place the embargo because they know Ryse is mediocre, then it's a sad state for games journalism that big sites have not used their collective power to ignore the embargo. There's no way MS would sanction IGN or any of the the bigger sites if the broke embargo, and taking away the advertising dollars would also be self defeating.

[Naughty__Boy]

Ryse: Son Of Rome Is As Fun As Dialing Phone Numbers.

[Blachek]

Don't go makin' phony calls, stick to the 7-digit numbers you used to dial.

[bmx_bandit]

Hopefully u have explained the 911 operator your problems.

[cyguration]

What if you're dialing Gamestop to pick up your PS4 pre-order?

[Games_R_Us]

I'm hoping Ryse is a decent title. I do think having a new ip is a great move forward for ME and who knows what the sequel will be like in the future.

[STK026]

Considering Forza is also under a similar embargo, I don't think it means much. I'm not a big Forza fan, but from what we've seen from the game so far, it's safe to presume it will score in the 9s, like previous Forza games. As for Ryse itself, I think reviewers will be divided, from the previews, it seems some love the game and will give it 8+, while some still had issues with it and didn't seem to enjoy it, and those will probably give it around 5 or 6.

[shammgod]

Let me save you guys some time, this game is not going to be that good.

[esemce]

I can imagine that Ryse will be be very short 4-6 hours, be full of QTE's and have no real replay value.

[CC-Tron]

FUD!

[Orbilator]

you know that sort of language is totally unacceptable

Moderator that word means something very rude please deal with it.

[TearsOfARapper]

An Embargo is mostly in place for hype, sometimes in place to save preorders (like Aliens Colonial Marines). However, look at all these articles talking about red flags from the embargo, etc. You're just doing exactly what Microsoft wants, creating a mass amount of publicity and hype. Do you know how many people are going to flock to the Ryse review when it does get released now? Far more than would have flocked to it before all these articles came out.

[Grave]

X Rebirth had an embargo and that game might be the biggest lemon yet.

[Grown Folks Talk]

It's not like you still can't cancel a pre-order the day before or of. Those who REALLY want it will get it regardless of reviews. Those on the fence may be swayed, or will rent it 1st, or watch some youtube/twitch.

[ricochetmg]

This game will get 7's at best should be 5's,

[Gore-Content]

Uh oh, they have something to hide. But honestly though, I don't think this game will get bad reviews. Not from the media I know.

[Harmonizer]

A lot of previews butchered the game, so im afraid this is in fact a really bad sign.

[strigoi814]

this is not a good strategy MS..people will be either expecting more or less from this game, hiding it will result to double jeopardy

[quaneylfc]

why are people relying on reviews. its only up to one person and one person only if A game is good or not. for me its me because im buying it, for you its you. we take risks in buying these things anyway.

[assdan]

Yeah. Its definitelt scary that they are hiding their biggest game. Something is definitely up. Especially after hearing a site say it's as fun as dialing phone numbers.

[Gamer666]

Forza is also held back until Wednesday so does that raise red flags too?

I guess it is going to be crap... Lazygamer knows everything obviously.

[Orbilator]

Forza has always just been forza, its in a league of its own, its never gonna be a GT killer untill they stop putting rewind features in it ffs.
Plays to much like an arcade racer, although it does it well, but I dont know why they always try to market it as a driving simulator when it clearly is not

[Gamer666]

I have played GT and Forza and have driven a few of the real (mid to not quite high level) cars in real life...

I have found Forza to be more realistic then GT. If you search around many others feel the same way. And if you search around many people will tell you GT is better.

My point... Both are really good and both are simulator's not arcade racers. Forza Horizon was an arcade racer, but the main Forza games are just as much a simulator as GT is. Rewind doesn't make it any less a simulator.

[GraveLord]

The game sucks. We've known this for months and with the preview editorials.

[Blac585]

This game started off for the Kinect so its going to suck

[Kidmyst]

Most of the time when a games review scores don't come out until on or after release, it's not a good thing. There was a reason. The game looks great but when I read that you can basically play it with one hand, I get Final Fantasy 12 flashbacks hitting a button for 20 Hours before the game really opens up.

[AgitatedOcelot]

The reason for the embargo is simple. Prevent cancellation of pre-orders. People get excited at a console launch and order things they shouldn't. I almost got Killzone even though I don't like military shooters just because of falling victim to hype.

Neither Forza or Ryse are going to be 10 out of 10 GTA V level games. And even an "8" review is going to take the wind out of pre-order launch madness enough to make some people come back down to reality.

I guarantee there will be mixed reviews as well. Dead Rising 3 has some stinker reviews, and so will Forza and Ryse.

[Grimhammer00]

I'm not sure it's a good idea to embargo a new ip...a new exclusive ip.

Forza I get. It's got half the tracks & cars of forza 4.....MS knows reviews will hammer this point and most uniformed forza fans are exactly who MS want kept in the dark. MS aren't the first to do this though.

As for Ryse - you'd want hype in the form of massive adverts and reviews early. Unless it sucks. Lol