On the subject of ReCore, Spencer went on to say that he wished the game had been received better; some reviews were a "little harsh," he said. He also suggested that some reviewers scored it lower than the average specifically to increase site traffic. But at the same time, he said the review scores are not necessarily a reflection of the game's importance to Microsoft. Also, the game is "selling well" and gamers are receiving it positively. "The gamers' response to the game has been positive, which is the most important thing," he said.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xboxs-jab-at-ps4-pro-is-not-part-of-a-console-war-/1100-6444220/?ftag=GSS-05-10aab8e&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=57f5cc4304d30133bc6e1394&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

Well.........duh?

And others do the oppersite.
And Xbox / playstation related review sites are more likely to give higher scores.
System isnt perfect, but it works the same way for both sides.

But wouldn't that affect all/most games and therefore the overall balance and equilibrium remain the same??

The point of it was probably to make less core gamers aware of the problem. We know it happens, but does the average person? Probably not.

And some (if not most?) are too forgiving and dish out high scores for garbage.

You could also add the whole interview from the other thread. He has a point, said some reviewer gave Forza Horizon 3 a score of 4 out of 10.

I already commented about this in the other thread, but this is a bad look for Phil. Frankly he sounds like a forum poster who pisses and moans when a publication or website gives his favorite game a less-than-perfect score. Yes, there are critics out there who take bribes and gifts to inflate scores. Yes there are unethical websites that lowball games to draw in more clicks.

If Phil really wanted to address and unpack this problem, he could. He has the resources and the industry pull to do it. But I imagine the current system, where reviewers are pressured by advertising departments and unreasonable fans to score exclusives highly, benefits Microsoft more than it hurts it. This is, after all, a company that paid YouTubers to say positive things about Xbox One without disclosing the financial relationship.

Microsoft is a part of the problem. It's not a victim.

Context is Everything.  The guy presented his viewpoint reasonably, don't cut him short. That's what the click bait gaming media is good for.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-head-phil-spencer-talks-scorpio-ps4-pro-4k-re/1100-6444198/

Gamespot:
After Sony announced PS4 Pro, the Xbox social media channels jabbed at the console's lack of a 4K Blu-ray player. Does this erase some of the goodwill you were trying to build up by being anti-console war?

Spencer:
I am of two minds on this one. We have a 4K UHD blu-ray drive in our Xbox One S. I think us stating a feature that we have in our box that we think is an important selling feature of our box is completely within fair game. It is a feature of our box and for somebody to look and say that talking about the features that you decide... I mean, we made a bet on a 4K blu-ray disc, and they didn't. And I'm not saying they made the wrong decision and we made the right decision, but if somebody wants a 4K UHD blu-ray drive we have a console that has one, then we're going to make sure that people know that. And if people say that that's console wars, I think they're wrong.

We should be able to talk about the features that are in our box, but I also want to be respectful of what other companies are doing. And I don't think we crossed the line there, but as it was going on I also made sure that we remain respectful. Confident, but respectful of what other people are doing. But I don't want anybody to ever try to put us in a box of, "Hey, you've got a feature but because somebody else doesn't have it you can't talk about it," and somehow that's unfair and console wars-like. Because I don't believe that. I will always be respectful of my friends at the other platform holders; Nintendo, Sony. I have a lot of friends at Sony and Nintendo and both those companies are doing their best to deliver products based on their vision and I respect that. We're doing the same. You won't see me bad-mouth what the other platforms are doing but I am proud of the product decisions that we make and I think that we should be able to talk about it.

Gamespot:
Social media is a funny thing. I think gamers like to see that sort of banter go down.

Spencer:
And I don't. I've been vocal about that as well. I'll turn it around now. Like, when ReCore came out and there were some of the lower scores that were given, I would have PlayStation fans tweet me, happy that ReCore wasn't getting great review scores from some outlets. I just thought it was such a negative thing for our industry for somebody to be gleeful that somebody gave a game a review that was lower than what the team expected. And I don't just think about that in terms of the games that we build. I can look at Hello Games and No Man's Sky. I've known Sean Murray for years, and I said I want them to be successful with the games that [the industry] builds. The games industry gets bigger and better as more people enjoy playing games. And I also think about the teams behind these games, and these are people who spend years of their lives, so committed to the artform of building games. And then when it comes out, for somebody to kind of fold that into a "My console is better than your console" in a very petty way, I find it completely distasteful.

I don't have more fun with my Xbox based on the review scores of games that are on PlayStation, or vice versa. If you have an Xbox, I want to ship great games for you and have you have a great time on that console. And that is our focus, right there. It's not about what somebody else is out there doing with their platform. I know there's pockets in every community, I'm not saying Xbox is completely clean here, but as much as I have any influence on it at all, that's not something I will support or entertain. Sorry, that's just something I needed to get out.


Gamespot:
How do you feel about the response to ReCore from critics, given it was highlighted as one of the major Xbox One exclusives?

Spencer:
I feel great about ReCore. About being able to work with with Inafune-san and Armature. And I'm very proud that it's in our portfolio. I wish it reviewed higher, but I don't necessarily look at the reviews as a reflection of the game's importance to us. The game is selling well, which I like. The gamers' response to the game has been positive, which is the most important thing.

And we priced ReCore lower than a full triple-A game because we knew the game that we were building and the size of the team, I wanted to make sure that people felt like it was fair value for what it was. I think in the end that was a good decision, because I think trying to get people to buy a $60 game when it's not a $60 game short-term might feel like a money-making thing but in the long run I don't think it helps the game or the IP.

On the reviews, honestly I thought some of the reviews were a little harsh in terms of their view on the game. But for us, inside, again I feel really proud to have the character, the story, the gameplay style, and the partnership with Armature and Inafune-san as part of our portfolio.

I didn't try to tell anybody that it was a ten. I think we knew, as with any games, that there are certain things... if we started from the beginning and we knew what we'd get, there's a couple of things we would've done slightly differently. But we're very proud of how the game ended up. And I think seven, eight, nine, like anywhere in there is fine. Three or four... I mean somebody gave Forza Horizon 3 a four. I think there's certain reviews that are written more to get clicked on than they are to actually accurately reflect the quality of the game, and that kind of bums me out.

I think it's mostly Nintendo sites that give higher scores. Just something I've observed.