Hey Ubisoft I don't have a ticket for italy

http://worthplaying.com/article/2009/10/9/news/69230/

"Whether it's sending a $200 check, firing people for bad review scores, giving exclusives in return for a good score, or offering swanky "goodies," all sorts of questionable tactics are being used to sway writers into giving favorable reviews, so is sending people on a 10-day overseas trip to Italy going too far?

How long does it take to review a game? That is a question that plenty of reviewers have to deal with on a daily basis. It is also something that PR teams have to calculate when dealing with high-profile titles, as security concerns sometimes prevent them from sending out review code in advance. In these cases, "review events" are common.

Most review events are 2-3 days long and located in San Francisco or New York, where the majority of gaming press is located. Developers will set up at a local hotel, and press will show up and play through all hours of the night until the game is completed. These sorts of events also provide a convenient way to experience multiplayer modes.

For Assassin's Creed II, Ubisoft is redefining the review event. The San Francisco-based company is flying a select number of journalists to Italy for a full 10 days to play the game. It makes us wonder if Assassin's Creed II is simply areallylong game or if 10 days in Italy is a bit excessive."

Now that is actually the most luxurious review pack I've ever seen. Probably costs 5000 $ per reviewer.

...Wow. That's pretty blatant, though probably smart. After AC and R6V2, I'm hesitant to buy from Ubisoft, and never again day one. Perhaps they decided that it would be cheaper to bribe the "gaming press" than to honor their promises to fix buggy games out, or release quality work on day 1.

Eh. It's easy to be all hyper-cynical and say it's a bribe, but companies do this sort of thing all the time. Any serious site/publication won't let this affect their coverage of the game, and I doubt Ubisoft is under any illusion that they're "buying" good scores or coverage by flying people to Italy.Cherokee_Jack

And this matters why? Its up to the consumer to take the reviews seriously or not seriously. If people want to buy reviewers off, let them. Its all opinions anyways... I already know I'm buying ACII first day. I've already seen how the game has changed from the first (at E3), heard about how intimately the team is working with the criticisms of the first, and loved the first; so having anything that is equal to the first or better is going to be fantastic.

[QUOTE="Cherokee_Jack"]Eh. It's easy to be all hyper-cynical and say it's a bribe, but companies do this sort of thing all the time. Any serious site/publication won't let this affect their coverage of the game, and I doubt Ubisoft is under any illusion that they're "buying" good scores or coverage by flying people to Italy.nhh18

And this matters why? Its up to the consumer to take the reviews seriously or not seriously. If people want to buy reviewers off, let them. Its all opinions anyways... I already know I'm buying ACII first day. I've already seen how the game has changed from the first (at E3), heard about how intimately the team is working with the criticisms of the first, and loved the first; so having anything that is equal to the first or better is going to be fantastic.

foxhound_fox