Did Associated Content Even Play Halo ODST When Reviewing?

Nike writes: "Cleverness comes with an added asset – if you're big enough, and have the man fruit, you can outright lie about something and people will believe you in a jiffy. Case-in-point, Associated Content's half-arsed review of Halo ODST for the XBox 360. They've got enough bias going for them too."

[DelbertGrady]

Yes, I'm pretty sure Saaking played it before he wrote the review.

[Nike]

Annnndddd...I have no idea who he is. :)

But i know he loves HHGS. And approving HHGS garbage even more.

[DelbertGrady]

Ownage.

[kapedkrusader]

...but if this is a bias reviewer, my bet is that it's a Wii fanboy for once. It just doesn't come across as a PS3 fanboy with all the talk of the Wiimote and no mention of Uncharted 2.

[Nike]

Very good point. I didn't think of that. He seems so enamoured with the Wiimote you'd think he'd have sex with it (and then make a game using the motions).

@IcyJoker187: "Killzone 2 sucks because it doesn't have multi-player."

If any reviewer outright lied like that, you'd be all over it, wouldn't you? But no, them lying about other games is just fine with you, it seems.

[StanLee]

You know on every site I see gamers fussing about reviews and sales. Just play the games. From the access to media of most games during development you can get a sense for yourself whether a game interests you or deserves your time. If you pay attention to reviews you may miss gems you may enjoy. I enjoyed Turok, Dark Sector and Army of Two, 3 games with mediocre reviews but very enjoyable experiences and there have been many games like that that I've enjoyed over the vaunted Halo 3's and Killzone 2's.

[Syronicus]

"Get over it, it's just somebody's opinion."

See, it works both ways.

[Darkeyes]

Darn who cares.... People are still going to buy it cause it's Halo... Besides when people give PS3 games reviews before time (like that Infamous review which came before time), even 360 fanboys jumped to criticize it.... Even that review had false details...

Tit for tat....

Besides, I will be really 'SHOCKED' if this game got perfect scores cause frankly, people MUST deduct points for the graphics and small campaign... But knowing few sites cough Edge cough Eurogamer.... You guys will have something to brag about... There is absolutely nothing 'MIND BLOWING' looking at the videos... Same old graphics, same old gameplay, same old maps (barring 3), A small campaign and a firefight mode... Nothing to warrant 60$, but what do I have to say, it's you money spend it as you like.

[Zack Sawyer]

You say the "same old graphics" but Half Life 2's graphics are looking very old now yet it doesn't stop the game from being anything but great! I didn't realize that 2007 was so long ago.

You say it has "same old gameplay" failing to understand that it is both a sequel and a FPS. How much different do you want it to be? Jumping high enough to hit blocks and obtain coins? Have the numerous Unreal Tournaments changed that much from each new addition to the series?

I'm sure if MS or Bungie felt that the way the game worked was getting stale then they would act but I cant ever see that happening because there are a lot of FPS fans out there who think what it has is great!

But yeah I too would be shocked if from what I have seen, it gets perfect scores. But if I was to just buy "MIND BLOWING GAMES" then I would still be on my PC and nothing else.

[Christopher]

But, seriously, do we need an article about someone's opinion? Just leave a freaking comment on the guy's review or something.

We really need a new category here at N4G called 'opinion piece' or something. I like to see news, not someone's opinion on news from a third-party Web site. I get enough opinions on the news from the comments to articles here.

[DuneBuggy]

Oh the guys a Nintendo freak for sure. Honestly 360 and PS3 fans should band together rather than fight over this clown.

360 fans for this shoddy "review" that didnt pass some basic fact checking requirements, raising doubts anything was actually reviewed.
And PS3 fans? Last week his piece was about the failure that is PS3....And in not kidding about that.

To cgoodno above...
Leaving a comment wont do any good.He was taking them down as fast as people could put them up.Unless they were 100% positive towards HIS article.

[N4G king]

"Did Associated Content Even Play Halo ODST When Reviewing?"

yes he did

[JokesOnYou]

We all know there's a big difference between being critical of a game and downright hating hating to the point where you get critical facts wrong about the game. Look at a few of the old low score Halo reviews posted, there are very few 360 fans calling it out strictly as bias, most just disagree and roll on, while every slight knock on the ps3 draws a fanatic media hate tirade..it started waaay back with Lair and only later folks generally agree with the flaws found in the game. Lol, try harder.

JOY

[Darkeyes]

Sorry Zack, your argument fails... This isn't 2007. Trust me, if this was a case with a PS3 game (the graphics thing), then it would have been criticized to death. The graphics are crap even by 2007 standard (Bioshock and Gears blow this out of the water). I know people will jump upon me and say Gameplay>Graphics (which I agree by the way), but this real thing is that Bungie earned an @ss load of money with Halo 3 and still they don't update the engine which leaves me thinking that it's a rip off. Both Halo ODST and Uncharted 2 have the same development time and the difference between both is remarkable..

That gameplay part was for the 60$ price tag... It's an awesome price for a new comer to the Halo series (you get all maps+campaign), but if you own a 360 and the Halo (the odds are really high that you own a Halo), then it's kind off a rip off to pay full price for a small 5-6 hour campaign and 3 new maps....

I read that ODST review and must say that YES, it's biased and a little too harsh, but one thing I agree from the review is the fact that why can't M$ sell the 2nd disc (which has multi-payer) separately with fire fight mode for 30$??? I bet 2/3rd of the ODST buyer will flock to buy this.... So why isn't M$ doing it??? Hint Hint... M$ loves money... As I said, it's your money, so spend it like you wish.... Hope you njoy the game.... But for me, 60$ is a little to steep... I would gladly spend 40$ on the GOW collection (1 & 2) over this cause at least it's running at 720P with AA...

[nightfallfilms]

@kapedkrusader you are right look at all of his other reviews. They are all Nintendo and this guy calls him self a gamer.

[v1c1ous]

i have to report it.

writing reaction articles about fud articles is not going to fix the problem about N4G's apparent weakness of letting any troll or moron with a mouthpiece do some damage and the mods be ho-hum about it.

[Zack Sawyer]

Fair enough, if thats how you feel. I'm not going to argue on price because as you said thats up to the individual if they want to spend their money on this or not, they have to decide whether its worth the money.

But you seem to be a bit graphic obsessed, Bungie have been working on a new engine for Reach since Halo 3 and this has been done as a side project hence why it was originally touted as an expansion pack. Why would they make a new engine just for that? Have you played many PC games as I can tell you that graphical leaps on expansion packs are almost non-existent. So your development time argument seems pointless when Uncharted2 has a whole team focusing on it.

And yes even in 2007 the Halo 3 engine was a bit weak, I think I heard they started the engine on the original xbox although I may be mistaken. But why should that matter, again I point to how old Half Life 2 looked when they released the Orange Box. And how outdated the Source engine looks for Left 4 Dead 1 & 2.

You say you think gameplay>graphics but it doesn't seem so. The reason people perhaps think PS3 games SHOULD look better and complain if they're not is because its more powerful and has a better technology like the blu-ray, so people ask why developers aren't using this to make the ultimate experience.

[Greywulf]

All i have to say is..

"TOO MUCH VARIETY!"

[Major_Tom]

It's funny that Xbox 360 fanboys can become obvious hypocrites so shamelessly.

[Greywulf]

Eurogamer
Edge
Teletext

Read those reviews if you want to see someone not care about the game but just plain bash _____.

This is nothing.

[pixelsword]

...play it on the hardest level you can; that will stretch it out and give you better skills in the end to boot.

As far as the reviews, I'll say the same thing I've said about other reviews:

They're just opinions; so unless their temperament matches yours 100%, it's not a big deal.

[Tachyon_Nova]

I admitedly haven't read the review in question, and will make no value judgement on its quality, or for that matter, the quality of the game. But the writer of this article is without doubt himself either a Halo fanboy, or gets paid for each hit, as he suggests the reviewer does.

Why do I say that? The title of his article is "Did Associated Content Even Play Halo ODST When Reviewing?", yet none of the points he makes to try and back up his assertion are actually relevant. while it is ridicuolous that the author complains that the controls aren't from the Wii, every single other point of complaint from the review made by the split-screen author is either down right irrelevant, or a matter of opinion.

[Syronicus]

Then you would have called out half the false reviews of PS3 games over the past 2 years but something tells me you wouldn't...

[Ravage27]

i can still remember them parading around those retarded 6/10 KZ2 reviews 7 months ago.

Review scores are pretty pointless imho, especially at this time and age where marketing is the dominant sales factor.

Small sites have their console alignment and big sites are too commercially involved to put down games that are too 'HUGE' to fail. Even if MW2 deserves a 7.5/10, do you really think IGN will give it anything less than a 'safe' 9/10? The resulting backlash from the rabid cod4 fanboys might boost their traffic for a short while, but the eventual fallout will cost the site major money.

[Pennywise]

Did the guy who couldnt climb trees in InFamous even play it? But... that was okay.

EDIT: I am not saying it is RIGHT... but people just brushed that off with no problem and no one had to write a whiny article about it.

[SpoonyRedMage]

Probably not but then again we know anyone who gives a Sony game a bad review is terribly biased and should be castrated even when the majority are saying the same thing because that just means they're all biased.

[Nike]

I get the whole "fans whining about small discrepancies some reviewers make" issue.

But this guy nags about disc switching for single- and multi-player modes.

DISC SWITCHING, for crying out loud. Tell me that is not stupid.

[jmare]

I get your point about complaining about it, but why is it stupid to want a game to be on one disc?

[Nike]

Having a game on one disc isn't stupid at all. I was just referring to how he's bringing a game down simply because he has to change discs for accessing the different modes. He obviously hasn't seen the sad, sad days when we had to change a dozen floppies to just install a game. Lord help you if one of them had corrupted (and it WAS a floppy).

This kind of thing boils down to taste, or subjective opinion. If he's reviewing the game, he should focus on the game unless the disc switching directly impacts the gameplay. An example would be Killzone 2 not having an install feature, and this was a snag because it slowed down the game at specific points. But keep in mind, even that didn't affect people's opinions of the game, unlike this joker who's mortified beyond sanity. I wonder how Blue Dragon's 3 disc switching would make him feel. :P

[WMW]

switching disc for game modes is dumb thats all there is to it why would anyone want to have to keep going back an fourth when it could of been like every other game and have them on one disc. you can say what you want on his review but switching disc for game modes is probably one of most annoying things a dev can do. also yes in the PAST switching disc was more acceptable but its 2009 and comparing this game to an rpg makes no sense you don't have to constantly change disc with an rpg in odst you will change disc more often then you want to unless you playthrough the single player find everything then switch to multiplayer and since its open world it could take awhile.

[Obama]

Just the ending alone I would give it a 3/10. What are they thinking, putting a giant purple testicle there?

[v1c1ous]

they get paid for hits. enjoy a nice uncharted 2/gt5 bashing for lulz.

[iceman06]

I'm SURE it will come....and I'm SURE that there will be the usual PS3 FANATICS (or as some call them SDF) out in droves to bash this guy...AGAIN! Personally, I take it as one man's misguided opinion and HIS personal indictment of the HALO franchise. Put simply...he seems to prefer the Wii over 360 and PS3...and he is MORE THAN WILLING to whore himself out to get hits for his site.
I can make one thing clear...IF he bashes the PS3...you will NOT see me coming in with the SDF to claim SUPERIORITY over teh WORLD!!!*LOL* I am a FAN...not a FANATIC or FANBOY...Thus, I can SEE faults in my system or a game...acknowledge them...and make a RATIONAL decision based on MY own feelings, thoughts, and even RESEARCH.

[Xi]

the reviewer clearly didn't play the game, because everyone knows that you can't dual wield, and that there are 2 new weapons. And that the health is arguably different, and the that the formula while similar isn't the same, open world, no equipment, new enemy, etc.

Also, how was he able to get out a review before the NDA was up?

glad that someone has put in some effort to point out the conspicuous review.

[Nike]

Thanks Xi. Your appreciation is...well, appreciated. :)

[caladbolg777]

Agreed. The AP reviewer is an idiot. Not only that, he's a liar.

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

That "AC: First Review of Halo 3 ODST" has disappeared from the Top Hot 8 stories on this???
(It is at '700' Degrees so far)
I just looked at it and the story didn't fail to??? + They took the score off to??? -

http://www.n4g.com/NewsCom-...

Hmm...Makes you wonder who runs this site!!! ;-D

[topdawg122]

Yeah i was wondering that too, it was like 800 degrees, a lot of butthurt bots out there

[TROLL EATER]

sad trolls

[Zack Sawyer]

I'm gonna go and say no they haven't played it, I wouldn't be at all surprised if there is a "review" for Duke Nukem Forever posted on that site.

[STICKzophrenic]

Don't forget that he claimed Halo: CE was originally going to be multi-platform on Xbox and PS2 before MS decided to buy Bungie.

Nice article...agree fully.

[tgh machines]

Halo CE was going to be a MAC game before MS purchased Bungie...

[darkequitus]

Wrong, If you listen to Bungie Q&A at PAX, it was always coming to PC and MAC, but the they announced it at MAcworld, Just like Carmack did with Rage.

[STICKzophrenic]

I'm saying he's wrong in making that claim that it was going to be for Xbox and PS2. The article was pointing out why this guy is a fraud, so I was just adding to the list saying he made that claim.

I guess I should have said the correct platforms.

[harrisk954]

It is interesting that we now have other websites writing articles about it. If the review was bogus, articles like this will only drive traffic to Associated Content and give credibility to the site. Personally, I became skeptical of the "review" once the author actually talked about the Wii being the definitive console for FPS games!

[2FootYard]

Got a keep trash like that off N4G. I reported the review and I would do the same if a PS3 game were reviewed in such an unprofessional manner.

[Kleptic]

yeah it was obviously slanted...was a funny read though...

either way, it was filled with incorrect information...which made completely unacceptable...i.e. dual wielding is gone for ODST right?...and jumping is completely nerfed...yet that review states its 'almost the same' in those regards, and that dual wielding is still a mechanic for your nathan fillion dude...

whatever...I don't care for halo for a lot of reasons put into that article...I do think its overrated...I do dislike overly purple everything...and agree with Obama that the thing at the end looks like a left one that was at the business end of a kickball at recess...but i fully understand my opinion is biased...not because I only own a PS3...only because i have been playing first person shooters since the beginning of the genre...Halo did do some things perfectly, for that I appreciate that...but its definitely not some untouchable franchise of shooter goodness that nothing can be compared to...despite that MS pumps 10s of millions into it to attempt to convince me otherwise...

if I wrote a review of Halo ODST...I would first at least play it...the end result may end up the same, being that I didn't care for the other titles...

[NegativeCreep427]

Well there may have been such articles written, but this is N4G; Xbot fanboys rally stronger than any other fanboy group here to approve articles discrediting the PS3 and disapprove articles that are even half-way optimistic about the PS3.

[Nike]

Every one has an opinion of something or the other. We may not always agree with it, but yes, we try our best to give equal coverage to both triumphs and injustices happening to all platforms. Especially when some one outright LIES like this AC reviewer has done.

This article is neither critical of the PS3 nor disapproving of it. And I sincerely hope it didn't come across as such. Just the way some people review video games these days, as if reading up on "sources" of info at the last minute tells them all they need to know or something, pisses me off. Be it for any game.

[XXXCouture]

you dont have to play it, to know it sucks.. i mean it IS halo after wall ;)

[jmare]

Wow. People make up bullshit and put it on the internets even though it's not accurate or factual? BREAKING NEWS! Captain Obvious strikes again!

[scott182]

It's kinda funny to hear xbox fans when they get a taste of some bias. What would you do if most the media hated your console?

[Unicron]

People care about reviews too much, even the "legit" ones. It's sad.

[MetalGearRising]

It doesn't matter what ever the review it gets it will still sell more than any ps3 game coming out this year and thats the sad thing.

[jmare]

No, the sad thing is when lemmings make their mad dash to the sea.

[giovonni]

This is not a review, but more of an opinion of Halo as a whole. It's clear that the guy doesn't like the franchise, and his bias takes the attention off the main subject, the review of Halo ODST. Readers are now going to judge the writer for his clear bias for the game. Ultimately distroyed the writers credibility, and now the reader has no clue what to think about the game because they are now passing judgment on the writer.
If reviewers just eliminate their personal feelings from their reviews or shifted their views toward the reader it would be much better.

[Elven6]

This is a article he wrote on the 11th,

http://www.associatedconten...

[DuneBuggy]

Heres the fun part of that article where he informs you where all three consoles stand currently.

"Fast-forward to present times and you'll see that there's a new sheriff in town. Nintendo is packing a six-shooter with Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Sports, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Mario Kart Wii, and Metroid Prime Trilogy as its bullets. A second gun was at Nintendo's hip with Super Paper Mario, Wii Play, Wii Fit, Punch-Out Wii, New Super Mario Bros, and Metroid: Other M all waiting- just in case. The tables had turned and suddenly Sony and Microsoft were two out-of-luck outlaws.

Microsoft started out great- it came into the saloon early with two shotguns raised. Many gamers joined up with MS, only to discover that the Xbox 360 had forgotten to put pants on. Or, more accurately, to go to the doctor. In their haste to enter the market before Sony and Nintendo, Microsoft had rushed an unreliable console with a failure rate as high as 40%. Not even the combined efforts of Halo 3, Fable 2, and Viva Pinata could salvage their position.

Sony, a penniless homeless person at this point- its latest endeavors were all largely failures. The PS3 and PSP were and still are openly mocked on the internet, in Gamestop, on the news, and pretty much everywhere else. In short, Sony's throne had crumbled with the economy. We have to ask ourselves- with Sony's investors losing so many millions, what's next for them? Will the Playstation brand eventually be sold off the highest bidder?"

And if you are any kind of self respecting Sony fan, you wouldnt quote a score or comment this guy gave to a Halo game or anything else IMO.

[ipe]

is that game uses 4 years old engine,little tweked.3,4 hours story long(10 missions per 20,30 min).Same gameplay from previous game.
Same mp maps.

I m not saying anything about reviews but thats not worth 60bux if u ask me.No matter if game is for 360 or ps3.

[Evoluti0n]

Not 3-4 hours...seriously you just cut it in half.

2 year old engine, not 4...when will your exaggerating end?

[typikal82]

I'll agree that it's not worth $60

[Evoluti0n]

I seemed to have lost my copy of Halo 3, for quite some time now.

So all of the maps, along with the new campaign, 'firefight,' and the fact that it's a new take on Halo itself...I'm in.

I honestly hate repeating myself.

[GHOSTR3V0LV3R]

Multiply the campaign length by 2 and you have the REAL length of Halo ODST.

[Tachyon_Nova]

By your logic, Crysis runs on a 5 year old engine (started building it in 2004)

[N4G king]

lol
the bots are trying to spin it

[GHOST R3V0LV3R]

...except we're really overlooking the fact that this is a GAME. Play the damn thing and stop reviewing the hell out of it. It's only an opinion. And really people, who cares? We all know Halo ODST is going to be great and it's going to sell plenty! :) Call me a fanboy, but you all know it's going to happen. And no. AC didn't even bother to touch the game. He said, and I quote, "...dual wielding is there..." No good sir, it is not, which has made it painfully obvious you have yet to play it.

[MrChow666]

clearly not

[Thoreau]

associated content was full of nonsense when they brought up the "wii" controls.

[GHOSTR3V0LV3R]

Apparently, this douche bag purposefully made a dumb ass review to get page views. Hint hint, wink wink. The dumb ass gets PAID for page reviews. Don't click the link, read it somewhere else.

[misterssippi]

Firstly, there is an embargo on the reviews until the 19th. Even to get a copy they would have had to agree to the embargo and sign the contract. Secondly, notice that the reviewer is vague and purposely non-specific on details of the game. The guy has obviously never played the game. He is uninformed about the new features of the game, and on top of that doesn't even know that the 'second disc' is the Halo 3 multiplayer maps----ALL OF THEM placed on the disc as a seperate experience. He's full of crap.

[kwyjibo]

Same with Examiner.com, yet N4G continue to publish their stories because they present themselves as legitimate. Whereas something from blogspot or wordpress would get insta-reported.

Apparently contributors here don't realise that they're the same useless amateur no ones on a soapbox.

[IQUITN4G]

Can't wait for this

[TROLL EATER]

droids are so obsesesd wiv halo. they kno odst will own this holiday i mean 1.2 mill preorders. dey pay to get bad reviews how sad. shudnt they be busy wiv the TRIPLE B shooting games which come out every month. sony are
milking shooting games on the ps3.

[Obama]

You eat yourself? How is that possbile?

[TROLL EATER]

Dey get paid by trolls for hits. how sad so much jealousy over HALO ODST

[bunfighterii]

i bet the guy who wrote this article is that kid on youtube who made the masterchief costume and weapons.

this is the most impassioned defence of a videogame i've ever seen.

[divideby0]

review sounded stiff....game, only by what I have seen will get low 8s
I really think the Halo name and sales and advertising are gonna inflate the score...

[The Iron Sheik]

But I thought there was no such thing as bias in the gaming media huh bots? Every time a PS3 owner criticizes Edge Eurogamer or any other 360 biased site you laugh and say we're making it up. It happens to you and your precious overpriced DLC it's a different story. Bots are the biggest hypocrites.

[devilhunterx]

one bias blogger complaining about other bias blogger.

[Lex Luthor]

I always wondered how AC managed to review the game before the major companies, now i know why.

Seems as if the sony fanboys got excited over nothing.