The Crew MetaScore : 65 ( 9 Reviews ) User Score: 5.4 ( 274 Ratings ) PS4

[Jizz_Beard_thePirate]

BMaker11 said:

Jizz_Beard_thePirate said:

Cause they didn't send out any review copies until the game launched which is a pretty terrible practice...

I saw a video from TotalBiscuit that changed my perspective on not releasing review copies. Not releasing review copies isn't alway bad/anti-consumer, in premise. If you release an early copy, then every game journalist, blogger, YouTuber, etc. will rush through the game as quickly as possible to be "first" in giving a review. Because people tend to look at the first reviews, well....first. That gives you all the clicks, views, and ad money. Being first gives you the highest chance of getting money, at the cost of shady reviews that don't fully explain the game because they are rush jobs. And because review copies are only given to certain reviewers, it's not an even playing field. Some random YouTube game reviewer could have just as many followers as Jim Sterling, but because Sterling is partnered with a certain dev, he gets a review copy and the random YouTuber doesn't, so Sterling will get all the views for reviews and then no one will care about the YouTuber. 

At least when there's no review copies and reviewer have to get the game at launch, they all have an equal chance at getting their review out "on time".

Some companies practice this kind of review embargo, which is ok. But, like anything else, it can be abused. Which Ubisoft has done all year.

But, I'm just saying, it's not as simple as "not sending out review copies is bad"

You do realise that, thats why companies put a review embargo on their reviews right? If you watch TB or Jim Sterling, they talk about it all the time... Essentially, the good developers/publishers would give out the review copies 1 month - 2 weeks before the game launches and give all reviewers an embargo of 3 weeks - 1 week, that way, all reviewers have 1 week to play the game at minimum and review it and when the embargo lifts, all reviewers can publish their reviews at the sametime which effectively elimates that "first come first serve" factor. And if you break the embargo, all future review copies from various publishers will not be sent to you...