Operation Sports' Logo Will Be in Madden NFL 12

[sjj2xs]

i think this is awesome..........way to go operation sports! and thank you EA

[EgoSphere]

Quote: Originally Posted by ajaxab

I'm afraid to ask this question because I don't want to get banned, but how does this not move OS into a position of compromise with respect to reviews of EA's games? It would seem difficult to give a poor(er) score to a company's game when it has invited in a community of people from that review's site and given them a dedicated space to play one another.

I'm commenting on your post because it's the only interesting one in this thread. Sorry if it veers off topic for a second, I just need to get this off my chest.

You're absolutely correct ajaxab, if a bit naive.

Your mistake is thinking OS is unbiased to begin with. That's incorrect. They're as pro-studio here as any other paid site. But it's not their fault. It's simply the modus operandi in the gaming industry. Critiquing EA would ensure OS gets fewer exclusive interviews and updates, and the OS staff wouldn't get their game copies a week earlier than you.

Game review sites' bread & butter isn't game reviews. It's the constant traffic of people looking for exclusive previews, updates, videos and articles. The more content, the better.

If a review site doesn't give certain big-name studios or developers a soft review (overly-positive), that site runs the risk of losing any exclusive interviews, articles, updates, videos, etc. That site may not even receive the game early to review it. Gamers expect review sites to publish reviews on the day of release, not a week afterward. The only way for a site to accomplish this is to receive the game early. The only legitimate way to receive the game early is to appease the studio suits by promising a soft review.

The bigger the game/studio/developer is, the softer the review must be. No one cares about smaller studios/devs since they wield far less influence (doesn't matter if they shun your review site since no one cares about their games anyway).

The only review sites you can trust are the ones that have no exclusive interviews and whose reviews come out 1-2 weeks after release. But that hypothetical website would be worthless without having any exclusive anything, and could never compete with the larger sites.

From reading past OS game reviews, they aren't any better than other paid review sites at analyzing the gameplay. They talk up the same hype points that other paid critics have, and ignore the real gameplay issues that have been plaguing the franchise. Or, if they acknowledge the faults, they concede that they're not a big deal. That's known as "spin," and you see it a lot in paid reviews.

Then when next year's version hits store shelves, the same reviewers will condemn last year's version for being so bad, neglecting to mention they gave last year's game a great score. They'll explain how this year's version improved greatly on last year's installment, making sure to once again touch on all of this year's hype points.



All of that being said, I feel it's somewhat unfair to comment definitively about OS' review policy, as I have never worked for OS, but most video-game review sites operate exactly the same way. My assertions about OS are merely speculative, but based on years of experience in this industry working with and for sites similar to this. I used to be a freelance video-game reviewer and industry writer before working for a top gaming website (not IGN, thank you). I've since moved on to legitimate news journalism. I'm so thankful to have gotten out of the field of video-game writing, since it's a mockery more akin to advertisement and marketing than honest, analytical and creative journalism.

I'm not saying OS or other sites are evil. Not at all. It's just the way of the world. People should just be aware of the fact that most reviews are bought and paid for (usually with web exclusives, not $$$, unless that exchange was over my head), and ignore them or take them with as many grains of salt as needed.

Thanks for your time.

Abridged ADHD version: Video game reviews are usually a paid endorsements that studios purchase by giving review sites exclusive interviews, updates, and early title releases. OS is no different, and cross-marketing the OS logo in Madden won't have much effect on OS journalistic integrity, or lack thereof.

[jhogan3132]

Quote: Originally Posted by DirtyJerz32

Should be interesting. I guess we'll see how sim some of these guys claim to be. I think they missed a great chance to bring back "fair play rules" with the addition to these online communities.

agreed 100%

[wrigleyville33]

Wait so will this os community use a roster and slider set made from here as well? That would be tight.

[angrysquirrel]

Where do we sign up for Online Communities on this forum?

• Preferred League Settings:
• All-Madden
• 7 Minutes
• Fair Play = On
• Penalties = Off [They don't work anyways ]
• 50 Hu/50 CPU Sliders

[briax87]

This will be awesome, can't wait to play some of the guys here!!

[wishcoats]

Perhaps I will venture online this year with this awesome addition

[CWood2]

Way cool! This site has grown so much since I joined back in '04, and why not ... hands down the best website of its kind.