[ Company -> Update ] - More info on Company: Bethesda Softworks | More info on Game: Fallout: New Vegas

We reported earlier that Bethesda was apparently engaging in some unethical marketing practices with regards to review quotes in a Fallout: New Vegas ad. Now, it looks like things have gone to the next level. Dan Hsu, former Editorial Director at 1up and now of Bitmob, has uncovered what he claims is direct review intervention by Bethesda. Here are his tweets on the matter:

One site was forced to pull its Fallout Vegas review because advertiser Bethesda was unhappy w/ score. Sad this crap still goes on.

Heard (but haven't confirmed) two more sites delaying publishing poor review scores for Fallout Vegas until Fallout ad campaign is done.

To clarify, the site's boss pulled that review because advertiser wasn't happy, against writer's wishes.

Sorry, I know how this sounds, but I can't say which site cause this guy would be fired for telling me (they'd know).

RT: JustinHaywald @bitmobshoe To be clear, 1UP has not published a review because both the reviewer and I felt he needed more time with the game.

@BenKuchera I did get a 2nd, independent confirmation on this, tho. The review was pulled by CEO, then put back up when ad campaign was over

If you work for a site and this has happened to you, let us know! If true, this is outrageous and totally reprehensible...yet not unexpected.

Thanks Willooi.

http://www.duckandcover.cx/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24716

What do you guys think? Me personally, I wonder how a game that causes saved game corruptions, crashes that require hard resets, slow down, etc... can score mid-high 80s or in some cases in the 90's and even (1) case, a perfect 100.

You let me know how this happens.

Kinda side with Bethesda on this, it's annoying when SOME publications/sites review a game when they havn't played it enough, like that guy from destructoid playing the Halo Wars DEMO and then doing a review ...

Yeah, that is really fucked up. Whoever gives New Vegas a bad review should be quietly... "disappeared". Not censored.

I second what Seece said. 

Not suprising considering review scores for Fallout 3 and Oblivion.

these sorts of games will always have some problems.  easier to make everything work when are just programming an empty corrider.  and from what ive seen from actual people, the problems arent as extreme as has been suggested.

I don't know... It sounds a bit like:

Multiple stunning reviews by trusted review sites = LIES

Random blogger who can't name site and has hearsay of two other unnamed sites = REVELATION of TRUTH

(blogger seems like a nice guy though)

My favourite magazine said it was great though so that's good enough for me =P

i side with the reviewers. instead of making us a new elsdescrolls they do this. bad move by bethasda.

Except that isn't even remotely what is going on. The reviewers aren't going back to spend more time with it. Their reviews are simply getting shelved until Bethesda says they are ready for bad press. Utter and indefensible bullshit.

Even if it was a matter of time spent there would be no call for Bethesda to even become remotely involved in this. They would have no concept of how long, or thoroughly the game had been played. The company has no business making anything resembling these kinds of decisions. It is simply a system of a broken review system.

Well all the big sites have given it good reviews and on Metacritic it has (32 positive) (4 mixed) and (0 bad) scores, so it will be interesting to find out what sites (other than 1up) are holding the reviews back.