Has Jeff/Giant Bomb fallen out with EA?

UPDATE 2 : I would like to personally apologise for the accusations I made last week on this post. As a community member I was concerned about the review but did not appreciate the scale of what I was accusing Jeff of. Suffice it to say, I now retract this post 100%. I couldn't not have been more wrong when questioning the integrity of the Jeff and the rest of the crew.

UPDATE : @dandead has pointed me towards Syndicate which silences my curiosity

I am just curious?

During the TOR quick look Jeff was luke warm at best and with Kingdoms of Amalur there was also this slant that the game is boring even though Jeff put a crazy amount of hours into it. Now with ME3 there was a 4 Star review (which is fair enough) but also this lacklustre, disinterested quick look.

I don't mind if these are genuine opinions but for games like ME3 these should still be considered gaming "events", you know, when certain games from big franchises come along there should still be a sense of occasion. I don't see how it does gaming any favours when being this disinterested about a key franchise from any publisher. As someone who likes this site and community I feel it's fair that I ask this question. I don't mind being told that I'm reading too much into it but would be reassured that this site is still aiming for an unbiased look at any games be it positive or negative.

To quote what I just posted on the ME3 QL:

This whole thing is starting to remind me of of when X-Play gave Killzone 2 a perfect 5 out of 5, and people wouldn't stop complaining*. Some people want this game to be so good, that anything less than perfection and absolute praise feels like a disservice to them. And maybe they'll even find the game to be that good, to them, but can't accept anyone else not feeling the same way.

*If you don't remember that, people were upset that Adam didn't *seem* excited enough to give Killzone 2 a 5/5, and raged for days that he needed to be more excited. It's also where that famous "Do you fuck your mother?" quote comes from.

I have to imagine that most video game journalists are used to this reaction when games come out that people want to "win."

Also, Kingdoms of Amalur was published by EA, but not developed by them. Kind of like how Team Fortress 2 was published by EA for the PS3, but developed by Valve. So I don't really see how that has to do with anything here. TOR has also faced a luke warm reception from almost everyone except the hardcore fans. Jeff put that much time into the game, because as a gaming journalist, he wanted an informed opinion on the game.

I'm sure you're reading to much into it. These people play video games and review them. Simple really, when you think about it.

Well, my post comes off the back of multiple game reviews and quick looks not just ME3. Although I am looking forward to playing ME3, I am not really a devotee to any thing gaming these days. But I do visit the sight often (It is my fav gaming site ) and a number of games I had on my radar are invariably influenced by the content here.

I just had a genuine interest if something has occurred behind the scenes, that's all.

He really, REALLY dug Syndicate, which came out between Amular and Mass Effect 3.

Then again maybe he really loves Starbreeze

@dandead said:

@Mattyboysmith or you know, he might just not be to those games as much as you. Also he gave syndicate 5 stars so your point is kind of moot.

Ahh your right. It is moot, please accept my apologies!

This is probably the one thing I've been admiring the GB staff for (being cold towards EA's aggressive and disgusting money-grabbing titles 2011 onwards) since lately I've been growing to really dislike the Giant Bomb content, sadly, especially the mentally challenged quick looks that provide high quality cringing.

I wouldn't say that they've had a falling out at all but maybe their treatment by EA isn't what it used to be? This is going a while back but remember the Dragon Age 2 stuff where GB featured it heavily and then didn't get a review copy? Maybe it's playing into that a bit?

EA has been churning out a whole heap of shit recently. Namely ME3 and Amalur.

Honestly I feel they are being too lenient with some of EA's stuff, since a lot of it is outright garbage.

If there's a sense of occasion surrounding the release of a game it should come from fans. It shouldn't be the role of the media to champion specific games (in an editorial capacity) just because the publisher considers it a flagship title. If they think the quality is there to warrant championing it, or if they think something isn't getting the attention it deserves then sure, but not just because the industry considers a certain game to be a big deal.
 
I don't think review sites need to worry about whether they're 'doing gaming any favours' or not either. They're not a trade association; their role is to impartially inform consumers about games.

This is probably the one thing I've been admiring the GB staff for (being cold towards EA's aggressive and disgusting money-grabbing titles 2011 onwards) since lately I've been growing to really dislike the Giant Bomb content, sadly, especially the mentally challenged quick looks that provide high quality cringing.

I remember the launch and reviewing process of Battlefield 3 being unpleasant. But, I don't think that would change their way to do things. Sure, they may not agree with the EA's policies and/or decisions (same thing with Activision), but they wouldn't treat the games differently because of that. Dudes are professional.

You're certainly reading too much into it. Jeff and the Giant Bomb crew are professionals. They wouldn't let anything unrelated from the games themselves effect their reviews. 4 stars is a good score. Jeff clearly likes those games a lot.

Jeff in general is laidback and sardonic. Try not to confuse his 80s-90s Californian sensibilities with hostility. And he's also quite forthright with things he doesn't like about games no matter the publisher. It also doesn't help that Jeff isn't into MMOs of the singleplayer or multiplayer variety.

No that's just Jeff in general, he hadn't used to be like that if you go back and listen to the ER and early quick looks when the site launched, but he's become much more cynical and lackadaisical of late.

@owl_of_minerva said:

It also doesn't help that Jeff isn't into MMOs of the singleplayer or multiplayer variety.

Singleplayer Massively Multiplayer games?

Ryan just got engaged and Jeff said his dad was in the hospital, not to mention GDC is going on right now. ALL the boys are super busy. With such a small team at Giantbomb I'm sure it's a super overwhelming time. The reviews seem to be spot on and I'm sure all the aforementioned factors are somewhat affecting the quick looks. Personally I haven't found any problem with the quick looks as of late but I have heard some people complaining, what we ALL have to remember is, we are part of a community that was created by people who want to put a personal spin on all the content created, most of us stay here because of that personal spin, we as a supportive community need to realize the stress these guys might be under (personal and professional) and not start jumping to conclusions about their professional integrity. BTW I'm not calling anybody out here, just wanted to make my opinion known. Also Vinny, Dave, and Drew, thanks a ton for all the content over the last week.....priceless

@James_Giant_Peach: MMOs have developed distinctive mechanics and design that singleplayer action RPGs have started to copy, such as Kingdoms of Amalur.

4 Star scores are killing the gaming industry.

@James_Giant_Peach said:

@owl_of_minerva said:

It also doesn't help that Jeff isn't into MMOs of the singleplayer or multiplayer variety.

Singleplayer Massively Multiplayer games?

A nice little stinger against Amalur, I think. ;)

@Paul_Is_Drunk said:

To quote what I just posted on the ME3 QL:

This whole thing is starting to remind me of of when X-Play gave Killzone 2 a perfect 5 out of 5, and people wouldn't stop complaining*. Some people want this game to be so good, that anything less than perfection and absolute praise feels like a disservice to them. And maybe they'll even find the game to be that good, to them, but can't accept anyone else not feeling the same way.

*If you don't remember that, people were upset that Adam didn't *seem* excited enough to give Killzone 2 a 5/5, and raged for days that he needed to be more excited. It's also where that famous "Do you fuck your mother?" quote comes from.

I have to imagine that most video game journalists are used to this reaction when games come out that people want to "win."

Also, Kingdoms of Amalur was published by EA, but not developed by them. Kind of like how Team Fortress 2 was published by EA for the PS3, but developed by Valve. So I don't really see how that has to do with anything here. TOR has also faced a luke warm reception from almost everyone except the hardcore fans. Jeff put that much time into the game, because as a gaming journalist, he wanted an informed opinion on the game.

The PS3 version of TF2 was developed by EA as well as published because at the time Valve wouldn't touch PS3 development.

@James_Giant_Peach: I was showing the PC version of Amalur to my friend who, like me, plays World of Warcraft. He asked if the quests were provided to you dynamically like in Skyrim (another game we are both playing through) or some other method. I walked over to a quest giver, with a giant floating exclamation mark over her head. He looked at the screen and said "...oh."

Hmmm, just because a game has a large fan base or had prior success doesn't mean it should examined any differently than normal games. Making a spectacle or event out of big releases introduces hype which can taint a review or opinion. I liked the matter-of-fact quicklook without having to hear about how fantastic the entire series is numerous times like other site's coverage. From what I played of the demo, I'm feeling lukewarm to the game as well.