I used to visit IGN quite frequently a year or so ago for most of my gaming info. But, then I started seeing things I didn't like. Their journalistic integrity basically went to Hell. And here is yet another example of why I left.
"If you haven't heard by now, an IGN review of PixelJunk SideScroller has caused quite the stir in the gaming community. In short, IGN reviewer Daemon Hatfield posted his review of PixelJunk SideScroller, a game which he scored a 6.5 (a mediocre score, but relatively low compared to the inflated scores of today's blockbuster titles). Sorry Cuthbert & Cliffy B, but not every game is a 10, stop whining to reviewers. But the score isn't what caused the controversy. The problem started when PJSideScroller developer Dylan Cuthbert called out Hatfield for not playing the game on normal, and as a result, not unlocking the last epic stage. The reason this is important is because Daemon complained that after beating the final boss he was kicked back to the title screen instead of getting a fulfilling ending.
Here's where the problem starts. Rather than admit that he played the game on casual, he lied about it. He assured Cuthbert that he beat it on normal, at which point Cuthbert called him out and said had he beat it on normal he would have seen the entire ending sequence.
This was Hatfield's first mistake. He lied to the developer and to the fans. Rather than try to cover up the fact that he sucks at platformers and had to play on casual, he should have admitted to it. Rather than try to hide it, he should have retaliated something along the lines of, “That's right, I played on casual, and the ending was unfulfilling because you chose to not include the final boss in the casual version.” As a professional reviewer, you should never lie. You work your entire career to earn respect from your readers, and a lie made public – thanks to today's Twitter world – could shatter your reputation forever."
- Source
Personally, I don't care about the review score. I'll probably get the game regardless, as PixelJunk has never let me down. Still, for Hatfield to criticize the game for it not having an ending, when the "real" ending only comes from playing the game on normal, is ridiculous. Of course, the real offense comes from the fact that he LIED about playing it on normal, and then when called out, edited his review. What should have happened is Hatfield post a footnote/update on his review describing his mistake and altering the review accordingly after playing on normal.
This reminds me of one of the reasons I left that site, the review of The Fight: Lights Out. This one was WAY worse than just missing an ending. The original version of the review mentioned that it was ridiculous to have to press the O button on the Move controller to block, instead of doing the natural thing, throwing up your arms. The catch, to block you are supposed to throw your arms. In fact, the O button is used to recalibrate the controls. In other words, the whole time the person was playing the game he was constantly recalibrating the controls. This would be like playing the Wii Sports while mostly covering up the IR sensor with tape or playing Kinect Adventures while covering up the Kinect.
Sounds like a silly mistake, but hey, no one is perfect. So, did the reviewer put a note on his review? Or perhaps replayed the game while not incorrectly calibrating his controls, and then rewriting the review? Nope. He did the same thing Hatfield did, simply omit that part in his review and acted like his review was still a credible representation of the game. IGN really isn't giving me much incentive to go back to their site.
So, have any of you quit IGN? If so, what were the reasons?
