Rockstar bugged them until they "corrected" their score.

RawSteelUT

Answer: How much does 1/20th of a full-page ad on GameSpot cost?

PaulMorel

Not that it matters much anyway, GTA 3+ reviews have always been hyperbole and hype that overlook gameplay issues anyway. Like an MMO, I'd rather see their review a month or two from now.

fuchikoma

Does this make GTA IV a bad game? No. It just makes it a game that doesn't deserve a perfect score from every freaking review. These reviews have become a joke; a suspicious one.

L_K_M

@Smex: If you think Rockstar wouldn't complain about a 9.5, then you don't know Rockstar.

I will tell you from firstand knowledge that when I think it was Vice City got a 9.6, they went ballistic. It was either the same score or a lower score than GTA3. They went absolutely nuts. I would expect a 9.5 for GTAIV to cause steam to come billowing out of Dan Houser's ears.

Read the article I linked to earlier (from right here on Kotaku). They are absolutely batshit insane when it comes to review scores.

badasscat

Metropolis

I'm tired of stupid numbers flying around. Why can't more sites be like Kotaku, where they do a "Benjamin Franklin"-style pros and cons list? I like those better. Yahtzee sort of uses the same system. Point out the good things, if there are any, then wail on the flaws.

AlexDitto

MSUSteve

Not to mention the Hollywood review system seems to be the exact opposite of the gaming world (the more hype a movie has usually the worse the mainstream reviews will be)

TRT-X

StartRunning

vamponymouse

Snake726

Fireblast

this is full of cow bollocks.

the fact that it has come to this, just makes this game drop to less then 0.5 in my eyes.

but then again i don't own a Xbox or ps3 so it kinda makes my opinion pointless anyway.

Onizuka-GTO

kylo4

mexfreak86

Will a game EVERY be perfect? Maybe, but not yet.

Give it a 9.75 and call it a day.

sykodiesel

ohhello

HaydenTenno

BrokeN

I'm really sorry Gamespot, I love all the remaining editors but these days I just still have a tinge of doubt somewhere.

Daizzy

This is a game of astonishing scope, no doubt. But the controls are ridiculously poor. Controlling Niko feels like controlling a bus, or a character from Virtua Striker. The animation all resolves before new controller input is taken into consideration - when this side of 1999 has that been acceptable?

That no reviewer I've read has pointed this out is absurd, and it should *absolutely* keep GTAIV from a perfect score.

And Gamespot? Screw 'em. You can really only lose your integrity once.

helava

"too of us luk stoopid, one of us iz"

Pezdispenser

Captain Impulse

darktorns

I usually go by the score that IGN gives out along with peer reviews and word of mouth on how good a game is.

Phlycheez

Captain Impulse

arstal

Do they not realise that some people have real friends?

mrplow8

CaveHonkey

Americo

Dauragon C. Mikado

Moonshadow101

Cartman86

Arsenal

Moonshadow101

Honestly, I don't think this is a "scandal" of any sort. My "anti-Gamespot" sentiments were vented in my last post. They wouldn't risk a bachlash for the sake of .5 points, I think. Rockstar and Take-Two can't complain about a 9.5 score. That said, it was ironic that it happened, but I think conspiracy theories are a bit of an overreaction.

Smex

pine22

n2Depth

pico77

Scorpi

I mean, give it a 98%, but all the perfect scores result from imperfect scoring systems.

Brendar

Aethyr

It's like Assasin's Creed all over again...

Dir_en_grey

Funnier yet is that they call it a bug but go on to say it wasn't a bug at all. They claim it was what the critic gave the game but AFTER talking with the editors -- who thought it sounded more like he really gave the game a 10 -- he agreed to change the rating from a 9.5 to a 10. Go read the article if you haven't. It's hysterical. Only Gamespot could try and get away with calling changing your mind/rating while under pressure from editors a "bug."

@ShaggE:

Sorry about that. I was initially typing a two or three sentence comment that sort of ... grew.

Sloopydrew

dboy93

jambe

bluesquareapple

0.5 difference in a score is not a big deal in relative terms, but it is a big deal when it's the difference between a really good game (and .2 lower than the highest GTA has ever scored there, IIRC) and a "perfect" game. I know, they say 10 is not "perfect" - what the hell else is it supposed to mean? If you give a game a 10, you're saying "this game is as good as it could possibly be." You're saying it couldn't be any better. That sounds like "perfect" to me.

Anyone remember this? [kotaku.com]

If anybody thinks Rockstar doesn't pressure reviewers on scores, read that, and the article it links to.

Gamespot caved. IGN caved as soon as they got their "exclusive" interview, for which they no doubt guaranteed a top score. Gamespot obviously has some other weak point, but they caved nonetheless.

badasscat

Trowble (XBL/PSN)

and did you mean "due"?

Clarke

Exclusive episodes coming to Xbox Live starting Fall 2008.

reddevil3

ca$h

It was an oopsee. Someone hit the wrong fucking button, said "oh shit" and then hit the right button.

Nothing to see here, move along.

Dauragon C. Mikado

Aflack: Likes slushies

This isn't a 10 game. I'm loving the hell out of it so far, but it isn't perfect. I will say it's the best game I've played in years, definitely the best GTA yet, and easily the most technically impressive game this generation.

BUT... it's hard to turn a blind eye to some rather vicious pop-in at times, uneven difficulty (a staple of GTA), weird car suspension, and glitches a-plenty. Very small flies in the ointment, though. I think a 9.0-9.5 is what I'd give it.

ShaggE

Arsenal

klinsek

FP Shindokie

ubiquitous

Clarke

@Smex: So what if a game is advertised on a gaming site? Movies are advertised in review sections of newspapers all the time. This is nothing new. Don't try to make it seem like there's a conflict of interest here. It's simply the wide world of advertising.

peAr nectAr

It's like I've traveled back in time AND I'm the last man on earth.

Aflack: Likes slushies

odnet

TinyLightning

Sloopydrew

Back on topic....
This is an outrage, with the whole bouquet of 10s in my flower pot of GTA prowess. There's that one 9.5. It looks like this first dieing flower, the one that's going to rot at the stem and poison the water bringing the rest of the flowers closer to their demise. This fix changes nothing... nothing...

Schoolimangooli the doogie mag goosie!

PaulHunter

Bicro

The Outrage

And an even more important question: who the fuck cares about GameSpot anyway? They are hands down the worst review site. There could be a site called wehatenintendo.com (probably is) and I would trust their score to be more representative of a Nintendo game's quality than GameSpot's. I seriously hate that site. And the layout is shit (I think, I haven't been there for about a year). Honestly, who still goes to that site. I mean, I know that big review sites are probably not the best sources for reliable reviews, due to the huge amounts of advertising money being thrown around, but at least IGN and 1up try too seem like they have some integrity.

jambe

I don't visit GameSpot often, for obvious reasons, but wasn't there GTA IV ads? Ironic, the "bug" happened specifically to a game being advertised, eh?

Smex

Grimmjow Jeagerjaques

VakeroRokero

@Lixie: I'm with you. Gamespot should be ignored until it goes away, after the Gerstmann fiasco.

Captain Impulse

t0yrobo

ubiquitous

Salen

windsor b

AqueousBeef

okenny :)

ostartero

Nit-picking? Although Rockstar Games are big enough douchebags, and Gamespot are big enough sycophants that it's more likely than you think.

Redface, The Dark Messiah of Justice

Sandbox_Emperor

Lixie

QualityJeverage

DiscipleofJamzy

ShaggE

SmilingPolitely

Salen