So, end of November 2009, Kane & Lynch 2 review controversy?

GS PUTS OUT REVIEW EARLY AND IT'S A 7.0

GS CREDIBILITY BACK ON. FORGET GERSTMANN HE'S JUST HOLDING A GRUDGE, HE'S VOWED TO DESTROY GS forever.

Hmm flashbacks of Kane and Lynch anyone...........?

I would effing give that 1.0 just for the whole "We want people to buy it" thing.  People buy games because they think it will be good, not because reviewers are brainwashing them.  Reviews HELP but are not the only reason for buying a game. >_>

LOL

L-o to the L

this all makes me think this Tomb Raider ain't that good 

shame eidos.

Haha. For a moment I thought it said "Twizzler update".

So playing devils advocate here ...... but if game reviewers sign a NDA, then they need to respect it. If they want to make a stand, then they need to stop going to these review events, and/or stop signing these NDAa. buy their own retail copy when the game comes out, and then review it. If you sign something, then you abide by it, and if you refuse, then you have the right to say what you want.

wait a minute , Gamespot gave Tomb Raider Underworld a 7.0 !!!!

Fucking eidos

There's at least one good thing that has come out of shady advertising and review score deals: Giant Bomb.

And it's funny when websites are willing to sell out for money, because when they're eventually caught, it usually means a decline in viewership. Sure, the decline should probably be a lot more than it invariably ends up being, but I think word of mouth will eventually catch up with you. Writing reviews is all about credibility, in an industry where trust is the only thing keeping you on top.

On that note, there is still just one issue I have with Giant Bomb. One little nagging bit in the back of my mind that makes me question particular reviews where the staff clearly has bias towards a game, because they have a long-standing relationship with one of the people working on said game. But I think Giant Bomb does a good job of using the "full disclosure" clause to explain the situation to people, which is why I am able to look past that in the long run, and why I trust the Giant Bomb staff more than any other site out there.

Also, they rock.

Ah the memories. 

really edios??? again???? U SUCK

A BAN ON EIDOS! A BAN ON EIDOS AND ALL THEIR GAMES!!

WE DIDN'T LAND ON GAMES, GAMES LANDED ON US!!!

"really edios??? again???? U SUCK"

This is sad because Tomb Raider Underworld looks like a pretty fun game, I'm thinking 7ish range just like the Metacritic average. This will probably destroy most peoples ideas of picking it up even close to release day though.

I'm glad there is no Eidos advertising on the site.  Jeff might have had to fire himself from his own site!

Fuck Eidos!!!

Just for good measure, Fuck CNET!

Enjoy your weekend Jeff!

@FalcomAdol
You reminded me that I have to comment "fuck you eidos" every time I see its name

Fuck you Eidos!

I don't know who else caught it, but great reference to Spike Lee's 'Do the Right Thing' lol. Great movie btw.

Not gonna lie Jeff, it's weird to hear you mention the site which we do not speak of.

What great timing , here we go again....

I've got an idea Eidos...quit making shitty games!!!

Anyone who doesn't take information at face value, who actually does a bit of researched, or is simply cautious about what they drop $60 on won't get caught by these tactics. Sadly the majority (the casual gamer) will and might feel cheated. Do this kind of thing enough and a large segment of people (again, the casual player) may lose interest in gaming. It happened in the early 80's when too many products of mediocre, or just plain poor, quality hit the market and the industry fell apart. There is nothing stopping that from happening again and duping the general consumer into believing a game is better quality than it actually is by helping boost review scores could seriously hurt the industry if employed en mass.

The reason I joined this site is because of what happened at Gamespot.

Once the trust is lost on reviews it really can't be gained back.

But I suppose Eidos aren't telling anybody to give higher reviews, just hold off releasing their bad ones heh

Still a bit gay. Just make a good game you wallys.

I've never fully trusted a GamesRadar review, for some games they seem to run weeks of hype, and it all seems a tad artificial for my liking.  But they do great feature stuff, which is why I visit the site.

Oh man...videogame mafia at its worst.

Talk about a backfire. I would be pissed if I was the team that made Tomb Raider: Underworld. Now the game may not get the sales it might have. I think the gaming public are smart enough to look at reviews as a guide but judge the game for them selves, on it's own merits. I still intend to buy it, but that's just because I tend to buy almost everything these days.

That's just pathetic.

Guy Cocker went up in my consideration.

This is why Giantbomb.com is my homepage.
Giantbomb is my homepage because, unlike some gaming websites *Cough* gamespot *cough* they dont change their review scores because the publisher/developer tells them to.
Stay honest Giantbomb :]

GameSpot didn't change their score because a developer or publisher told them to either. Check it out for yourself. Guy Cocker. GameSpot UK. 7.0. Not Monday.

There are several possibiltiies here:

• Harrington is a liar who's trying to destroy Eidos from the inside
• Eidos had a change of heart in an attempt to avoid the controversy
• Guy Cocker said "fuck that" and chose to run the review early

"This is why Giantbomb.com is my homepage.
Giantbomb is my homepage because, unlike some gaming websites *Cough* gamespot *cough* they dont change their review scores because the publisher/developer tells them to.
Stay honest Giantbomb :]"

In the end this only hurts the game, and it's sad because Underworld looks like a solid action adventure title.

I think the best part of this story is that Jeff posted it.

I'm never going to buy a game with the eidos brand, ever. First Kane & lynch, now this. If they make crap games, they take the blow.

This reminds me of the writeup Dan Hsu did not so long ago. It really is sucky.

MAn Eidos really need to be putting more effort into supporting the Dev team than trying to put pressure on the press to say they like something.

i officially hate Eidos.
and Guy Cocker is one of the best names ever.

That's the UK Gamesradar. By the way, how's that MK vs DC score stacking up against the others?

Do The Right Thing reference?  In my games news blog?  It's more likely than you'd think.

Guy Cocker's legend.
Edios is bish.

Eidos is having a hard time avoiding controversy it seems.

"Eidos is having a hard time not being douche bags and creating controversy it seems."

Oh Eidos, you just don't quit.

Really too bad.  I enjoyed the demo a great deal, and this kind of coverage does the developers a disservice.  This makes me less likely to buy it.