OXM

Microsoft is looking into the possibility of rating system abuse on Xbox Live's Indie Games Section, following complaints last week by Zeboyd Games boss Robert Boyd.

"We are investigating a possible misuse of ratings on #XBLIG titles," the XNA Creators Club tweeted last night. "We'll announce more information here as it develops."

Boyd alleges that fans of College Lacrosse 2011 have been handing out one-star ratings to rival titles in order to boost their game's rank.

Developer Crosse Studio invited its Facebook fansto sign up for an Xbox.com account and review College Lacrosse on 18th March. At around the same time, Zeboyd's Cthulhu Saves The World experienced a sudden influx of negative scores, dropping from sixth to eleventh by the end of the week.

The Facebook post now includes a bracketed aside, "please remember to not rate other games low to help CL11".

Xbox.com accounts are free, and you don't need to own an Xbox 360 to rate XBLIG releases.

Boyd notes "that ranking isn't just a matter of prestige, it's also a matter of money. The higher rated your game is, the more likely it is that you'll continue to get long-term sales."

http://www.oxm.co.uk/26930/xbox-live-indie-games-review-corruption-claims/

If this is true, I think MS should take a page from Sony's book and not allow anyone to rate a game unless they have purchased it, at least then you might get some kind of honest reaction

Or atleast own a 360. I mean if anybody can just rate games whats the point. But having to own or download the demo of a game before rating it would probably help