Something fishy about Bastion

@Buzzkill said:

@Dany said:

@Buzzkill said:

You guys realize they couldn't review it due to legal reasons as journalists not moral ones correct? There's Whiskey dollars invested in Bastion, so while they think it's a great game (which it's pretty decent I admit), they can't technically give it an official review or there would be a major conflict of interest. I think the Giantbomb staff handled this situation just fine and the thread should be moot.

No, that is not the case at all.

Believe what you want man. Just trying to defuse this thread with some facts. If by some sliver of a margin I'm incorrect I apologize but it's a rare thing indeed, which is why I can be such a buzzkill. Just be lucky this time I'm on Giantbomb's side instead of naked santa's. hehe

D you have a source on these fact? They just gave them a camera so they can document making the game. Also Kessler as your avatar does make you a buzzkill :P

:O Are we talking about the portal easter egg? No? Oh well, but it is pretty awesome

Bastion is an awesome game. It's my number two game of the year. They refrained from reviewing the game entirely when they could have given it five stars if they wanted to help their friend Greg. I think its just you, because everyone else seems to love Bastion.

Doesnt really seem fishy, there is alot of people that have held Bastion in a high regard just listen to any podcast out there it did get spoken about alot with praise, and theres plenty of people in this thread that enjoyed the game, cant really be bogus.

bastion is absolutely one of the five best games out this year and GB's praise is much deserved.

Jesus Christ, some people just can't be happy about anything. I really hate these forums sometimes.

@Dany said:

@Buzzkill said:

You guys realize they couldn't review it due to legal reasons as journalists not moral ones correct? There's Whiskey dollars invested in Bastion, so while they think it's a great game (which it's pretty decent I admit), they can't technically give it an official review or there would be a major conflict of interest. I think the Giantbomb staff handled this situation just fine and the thread should be moot.

No, that is not the case at all.

Believe what you want man. Just trying to defuse this thread with some facts. If by some sliver of a margin I'm incorrect I apologize but it's a rare thing indeed, which is why I can be such a buzzkill. Just be lucky this time I'm on Giantbomb's side instead of naked santa's. hehe

@AlisterCat said:

@NarficAcid: Everything is legit about naked santa.

Good God man! You are onto something magnificent there.

It's a troll! Quick, cast fire on it before it can regenerate!

I suspect the original poster has never had this much attention in his life. What's the bet he is pleasuring himself furiously at the moment?

@Dany said:

@Buzzkill said:

@Dany said:

@Buzzkill said:

You guys realize they couldn't review it due to legal reasons as journalists not moral ones correct? There's Whiskey dollars invested in Bastion, so while they think it's a great game (which it's pretty decent I admit), they can't technically give it an official review or there would be a major conflict of interest. I think the Giantbomb staff handled this situation just fine and the thread should be moot.

No, that is not the case at all.

Believe what you want man. Just trying to defuse this thread with some facts. If by some sliver of a margin I'm incorrect I apologize but it's a rare thing indeed, which is why I can be such a buzzkill. Just be lucky this time I'm on Giantbomb's side instead of naked santa's. hehe

D you have a source on these fact? They just gave them a camera so they can document making the game. Also Kessler as your avatar does make you a buzzkill :P

It's totally why I picked the Kessler, (besides he's awesome and one of my favorite underrated GB crew). The proof is trapped inside my photographic memory atm but I distinctly remember Ryan saying on a happy hour or one of those shows that they did have a financial investment in supergiant games but this crappy thread by a trolling naked santa is not worth the effort of digging it up. Just roll with me on this one because I genuinely think bastion is a goty contender, but there's a legal reason why they couldn't review it.

I wouldn't stick my neck out in this volatile community if I didn't have my shit together.

@Buzzkill: You are so full of shit.

At first I was a little skeptical, then I bought and played it. That game blew me away. Everything's already been said about the amazing story, visuals, audio, and tight gameplay that all comes together in a pitch perfect package.

In a way it's a very personal game, if the tone of it really resonates with you, it's probably going to be one of the best experiences you've had in gaming. If it doesn't, you'll probably recognize it as a good game, but nothing extraordinary. Coming from someone in the former group, Bastion absolutely deserves all the love that it's getting.

@Buzzkill said:

@Dany said:

@Buzzkill said:

@Dany said:

@Buzzkill said:

You guys realize they couldn't review it due to legal reasons as journalists not moral ones correct? There's Whiskey dollars invested in Bastion, so while they think it's a great game (which it's pretty decent I admit), they can't technically give it an official review or there would be a major conflict of interest. I think the Giantbomb staff handled this situation just fine and the thread should be moot.

No, that is not the case at all.

Believe what you want man. Just trying to defuse this thread with some facts. If by some sliver of a margin I'm incorrect I apologize but it's a rare thing indeed, which is why I can be such a buzzkill. Just be lucky this time I'm on Giantbomb's side instead of naked santa's. hehe

D you have a source on these fact? They just gave them a camera so they can document making the game. Also Kessler as your avatar does make you a buzzkill :P

It's totally why I picked the Kessler, (besides he's awesome and one of my favorite underrated GB crew). The proof is trapped inside my photographic memory atm but I distinctly remember Ryan saying on a happy hour or one of those shows that they did have a financial investment in supergiant games but this crappy thread by a trolling naked santa is not worth the effort of digging it up. Just roll with me on this one because I genuinely think bastion is a goty contender, but there's a legal reason why they couldn't review it.

I wouldn't stick my neck out in this volatile community if I didn't have my shit together.

You don't have your shit together, Mr Kessler Cum Face. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Provide the proof or quit spreading bullshit.

@Buzzkill: lol at unsubstantiaed blatantly false claims...

I don't know what's worse, the people who seem to think that it's impossible that the Crew's involvement with the developers and development of Bastion colored their opinions of the game, or the people who think that their involvement is the only thing that's informed their opinion.

They may be slathering on the praise a bit because they're so happy for SGG and proud of the great game they made, but I think the collective love for the game from the dudes is because they sincerely really enjoyed the game. I doubt it's any more complicated than that.

Brad had said something that I took issue with during the deliberations. He said something akin to "I can't think of a single thing that could have been improved in Bastion." Seriously? No game is perfect and I take issue with someone who's supposed to be a credible reviewer stating something like that.

@FluxWaveZ said:

Brad had said something that I took issue with during the deliberations. He said something akin to "I can't think of a single thing that could have been improved in Bastion." Seriously? No game is perfect and I take issue with someone who's supposed to be a credible reviewer stating something like that.

I think it could have used better Boss fights.

Brad had said something that I took issue with during the deliberations. He said something akin to "I can't think of a single thing that could have been improved in Bastion." Seriously? No game is perfect and I take issue with someone who's supposed to be a credible reviewer stating something like that.

They openly insult games with the games' developers on their podcast/website. So no.

Plus, the game is just fucking rad. easily my GOTY.

I hate how no one thinks of me. I have a GREAT list that you guys should check out. I should have made the list, but im so unknown here that people don't ever bother. *gently sings foot*

@FluxWaveZ said:

Brad had said something that I took issue with during the deliberations. He said something akin to "I can't think of a single thing that could have been improved in Bastion." Seriously? No game is perfect and I take issue with someone who's supposed to be a credible reviewer stating something like that.

my thoughts exactly. I do agree that bastion deserves a lot of praise for what it is, and it does a ton of things very, very well. The Crew are totally right when they are saying its a great game and mentioning it in their deliberations, and its very high on my list as well.

With that being said, i think they are giving waaaay more praise than bastion actually deserves in my oppinion, and they are talking waaay too much about bastion in the deliberations. That isnt really a bad thing, but i really feel like they are giving it too much praise beyond its merits and in my oppinion it ends up hurting the other games in the nominations or that have come out this year, and i feel like they are going waaay too fast over other games, but talk at length about bastion all the time. I feel like they are overlooking a lot of great games that have come out this year are giving bastion a little too much credit beyond its merits. There are a lot of areas that game could be improved in. To me, thats the definition of overrated(Combat too basic/get boring, too many similar weapons, bossfights werent very good. etc).

Or just fuck it, it was a great game.

People who like a game say it's good. People who don't like a game say the latter are incorrect, when in fact no one is "correct".

Welcome to the internet. Why is this thread still going?

@rebgav said:

GOTY awards have no meaning or value beyond putting forward the editorial personality of the site.

I don't think saying that repeatedly makes it true. They obviously mean something to somebody, or the industry wouldn't keep plastering GOTY Edition / Winner of x GOTY Awards!!1 all over their packaging and marketing - consumers think these things have weight, so they have weight. Ok so we aren't talking about a site with the influence of GameSpot or IGN or whatever, but that hardly seems the point when you're basing a decision on principle. They got it right the first time they made this decision and wrong the second time they made it.

I didn't really like Bastion, but it's their own opinions. I love Resident Evil but Jeff hates it. Doesn't mean I'm going to get all worked up about it.

ballblaster strikes again.

This thread has been left open because even though it's fucking dumb it's also a topic that will undoubtedly be repeated. The ties between Bastion and the Giant Bomb staff are fairly obvious and some cynicism is understandable when they ultimately lavish the game with praise. The best way of disproving this conspiracy, however, is to point out that Bastion has been widely recognised as a great game, even scooping up several awards. Metacritic, filthy whore that it is, has Bastion at 86. I think, therefore, that to assume this is some sort of collaborative effort to sell more copies of their friends game is a little far-fetched.

You're right man. Greg Kasavin and his evil henchmen even bought Naughty Dog's Cowboy, Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon, and Vavle writer Erik Wolpaw. Look at how those industry giants mention Bastion in their top 10 lists--and that's not even mentioning the high metacritic score Bastion holds. IT MUST SURELY MEAN THAT SOMETHING FISHY IS GOING ON WITH BASTION!

@SoldierG654342 said:

I don't know what's worse, the people who seem to think that it's impossible that the Crew's involvement with the developers and development of Bastion colored their opinions of the game, or the people who think that their involvement is the only thing that's informed their opinion.

A perfect summary and I agree 100%

@ShaggE said:

"especially in light of the issues surrounding Gerstmann-gate."

While I'm not saying "JEFF IS ALWAYS RIGHT" or some obsessive BS like that, shouldn't you be more inclined to NOT jump the credibility gun in light of Gerstmann-gate? Giant Bomb exists because of his and the others' ethics.

I was referring to the irony of Gerstmann-gate if he was biased.

Holy fuckin' shit. That's all.

Sorry I stirred up such a hornet's nest. All I was asking for was your opinion as to whether you thought sticking bastion at near the top of all their personal top 10's was to give more exposure to a game their friend help create, or not. Instead there are jerkoffs calling me names, accusing me of not letting game reviewers have their own opinion, etc. Can't people read the damn thread without making knee-jerk comments that show that they, if anyone, are the jerkoff here? And for those of you telling me how dumb the thread is, what does it say about you, who took time to give us your worthless opinion? I don't legitimize "dumb" threads by posting in them about how dumb they are, but maybe I have a higher understanding of logic.

Can't tell if really bored, or just can't accept that people can like things.

Shut up. Everyone, please. Just shut. The fuck. UP.

So Bastion is better than Gears of War 3? Uncharted 3? Rayman? Dead Space 2? Well, to make it short, there was an actual consensus among GB that Bastion is better than every game that came out in 2011 except for Skyrim and Saints Row 3? Seriously?

AND I'M OK WITH THAT.

What I'm not necessarily OK about is the fact that there are forumers here who would disparage me for even CONSIDERING there might be a little bias coming from the GB crew. As if these guys are infallable gods, and I should be hung for the mere suggestion that the possibility exists that in a completely objective vacuum of a world, that Bastion realistically should fall further down on the list.

God forbid someone talks about something that's in any way contra to your superhero game bloggers. WTF.

Greg Kasavin isn't the only friend they have who develops games, and I have never seen them shy away from criticizing games their friends have worked on.

Hell, Matt Rorie worked on Neverwinter Nights 2 and expansions, and the GB guys didn't pull any punches there.

So no, their friendship with Greg has not affected their judgment.

I would've called bullshit on this topic until I listened to the final goty podcast. Seriously? Ranking Bastion higher than all these great AAA games without even discussing it? They fought tooth and nail about every other game in the top10 but no one ever really discussed Bastion and how it compares to other games, why it is better than game x etc.

They should've excluded Bastion from the deliberations and just gave it a mention.

I guess they shouldn't be able to talk about how they like Rock Band more than Guitar Hero, because they have a relationship with Drake and Pope, and Alex used to work there.
 
Can't talk about anything Adam Boyes is connected to.
 
Johnny V is Director of Development at Disney.  Can't have an opinion on Disney games.
 
Carrie Gouskos and Paul Barnett are at BioWare Mythic, crew can't talk about Wrath of Heroes even if it's great.
 
Jeff has a longstanding relationship with Ed Boon.  Good thing Mortal Kombat didn't make this list. 
 
Cowboy was invited to some podcasts this year, good thing Uncharted 3 didn't make the list.  Last of Us can't be included in Game of the Year next year.   Same with Jaffe and Twisted Metal.
 
Wait a minute... Brad likes Starcraft.  But Bob Colayco works for Blizzard.  BIASED!!!

Yeah the Bastion moneyhats are really starting to show... mm-hmm... yeah

It would be weird if literally every other publication didn't also mention Bastion in Game of the Year discussions.

@Brodehouse said:

I guess they shouldn't be able to talk about how they like Rock Band more than Guitar Hero, because they have a relationship with Drake and Pope, and Alex used to work there. Can't talk about anything Adam Boyes is connected to. Johnny V is Director of Development at Disney. Can't have an opinion on Disney games. Carrie Gouskos and Paul Barnett are at BioWare Mythic, crew can't talk about Wrath of Heroes even if it's great. Jeff has a longstanding relationship with Ed Boon. Good thing Mortal Kombat didn't make this list. Cowboy was invited to some podcasts this year, good thing Uncharted 3 didn't make the list. Last of Us can't be included in Game of the Year next year. Same with Jaffe and Twisted Metal. Wait a minute... Brad likes Starcraft. But Bob Colayco works for Blizzard. BIASED!!!

Correct me if I am wrong but I am pretty sure they didn't have entire video features around those other games. Eh, I don't think the games bad anyway nor that they are necessarily too biased.

I do think however that outright denying the possibility of a little bias is a bit silly.

They've become/were close to the game and the people that make it, makes some sense for some bias to exist(if it does).

@Lunar_Aura said:

Yeah the Bastion moneyhats are really starting to show... mm-hmm... yeah

I wasn't aware that OP accused GB of taking money?

I fucking hate the word biased so much.

Maybe they like it on the same level a bunch of in jokes within a group of friends don't play the same outside of that group. You still can't tell them they aren't wildly entertained by it. Forgetting what anyone else said on other websites, their friend made a great game, and they want to praise him, there's no fault in that.

@ballblaster said:

@MattyFTM: So you are suggesting that there isn't the slightest bias whatsoever? I don't care that they like Greg and want him to succeed, and I don't think there is any need for them to disclose this fact. I'm just more interested in hearing from the community whether they believe GB is being 100% objective, and if not, whether its something they are willing to overlook or will that slightly affect their review credibility, especially in light of the issues surrounding Gerstmann-gate.

Yes, they do have a bias - so does everyone else. The word 'bias' doesn't mean 'corrupt motherfuckers' - it means 'perspective'. Their 'perspective' might have been weird if Bastion was a Worst Game of the Year contender. As it stands, it was an amazing game and is recognized as such on myriad gaming sites. Now quit spreading malicious seeds of doubt.

Fuck the word 'credibility'. Too many internet assholes toss it about as it were that easy to simply call out someone for being prejudiced - get some evidence first, then proceed to school us in 'credibility'.

@Prodstep said:

I fucking hate the word biased so much.

Me too. And this thread!

@CptBedlam said:

They should've excluded Bastion from the deliberations and just gave it a mention.

why? they didn't review it because of their relationship with the supergiant guys, that's enough. they did that because they consider reviews purchasing advice and that didn't feel right for them. the GOTY stuff is a list of games they collectively consider the best/their favorites of the year - excluding a game because you're friends with the people who made it and help them build awareness would be unfair to the game and worse than giving it its due praise. bastion is something awesome and is widely regarded as such by critics and us regular gamer folk. it deserves its place.

also: stop paying attention to all this numbering madness. all these games on the list are basically interchangeable anyway.

Giantbomb review crew has OPINIONS?

OH NOES