Xbox and Bethesda being really stingy about Starfield review codes, gave one to Digital Foundry

I mean, the same Digital Foundry that studies tech aspects of games? Something Bethesda has historically struggled with?

And side note: The same Digital Foundry that the internet likes to take out of context whenever a game (especially if a multiplat) has a slight framerate issue or other tech issues that aren't even horrible and "BOO! Zero out of ten?"

Got to admit, this is kind of funny.

Honestly, they get more out of DF using the code than Eurogamer for the review. If I was Bethesda, I’d only get codes out to Twitch/YouTube streamers and the Xbox goofballs on Twitter. Journos can go buy their own copies of the game…

I'm assuming Eurogamer did something to annoy someone at Bethesda.

Reviews just don't do it for me anymore. The internet has become a place of extremes.

Either something is the best thing ever, or it's the worst thing ever. In fact a game can be both at the same time.

Gamespot could give my favourite game 5 for all I care, metacritic can give 10s around the board for a game I don't like, I no longer care.

Give me a good tech review, show me how the game will run on consoles and PC and I will make an informed decision on wether to buy something or not. Aveum looked fun to me, but since I can't run the game I no longer care.

Starfield might be the same, or Bethesda might have bothered optimizing it. Show me how it runs and what kind of graphics and performance I can expect. I'll judge the gameplay for myself.

There's not a chance in hell starfield is a bad game, there's no way MS would let that happen at this point.

However, it can be a good game but if it has stupid microtransactions, or is buggy then yeah that's not really acceptable to me

Looking at you Fallout 76!

And im not saying Starfield is anything like 76, but Bethesda has lost my trust and They have to EARN it back.

Yeeesh. Not a good look. The good people at Bethesda are not feeling the most confident in their product, it seems.

What are you talking about? They gave out hundreds of review codes for ample review time before the early access release date.

No one is currently talking why Eurogamer is specifically targeted.

@R4gn4r0k:

Do you really feel that is the case?

Look at Armoured Core VI, Final Fantasy 16 for instance.

Not every game is a BG3 / Elden Ring / Zelda TOTK game

nor is every game a Cyberpunk / Redfall / Forspoken

Meh,every youtuber got a review code,even Americans reacting to British comedy and eating uk sweets for the first time.

Yeah I used to put faith in Steam reviews. But steam reviews have become a joke. People no longer put out steam reviews for altruistic purposes. Instead they do it to farm awards now.

Even if it's a made up type of currency people can still get "rich" from writing a popular steam review, so it's all memes now.

If Starfield scores a 2 or a 10, it really makes no difference to me. I'll play it anyway.

Now if review embargo lifts and it's telling me that only your 4090 can run this game, well then that's an easy pass.

Isn't every publisher selective about who gets review codes?

Why is this an issue now?

Because it's a hyped game? Because it's MS?

Issue is, Bethesda sent review copies to VERY selective outlets or Xbox Ambassadors :

• KidSmoove
• Nick Spheshal ( Xbox Era )
• Stevivor
• Rand Al Thor
• Jez Corden ( Windows Central which is based in UK :D )
• Colt Eastwood
• IGN

Those who didn't get a code to name a few

• Metro
• The Guardian
• Skill Up
• Eurogamer (got an hour after the news blew up)
• Rock Paper Shotgun
• Edge
• Bloomberg
• Axios

Wil get Xbox for this game!

Again, how is that any different than what publishers typically do? Remember the TLOU2 review code debacle? Blacklisting sites over GT7

All of the EA and Ubisoft review code and embargo shenanigans? And we all know Nintendo will send out their ninjas if they dont like something you said.

My point wasn't to defend MS or Bethesda, but to ask why it's an issue now when publishers have been doing this for at least 10yrs now.

Skill Up, I definitely don't understand why he didn't get one as he does great reviews. The other sites don't matter as much as the other larger sites that DID get codes that you didn't mention.

The bold is truth.

If they are restricting review copies that is a red flag that the game is not very good.

If it was good they would want people to shout this from the rafters.

I wonder if people who did not give Redfall a good review were not given a copy.

Cough, conspiracy, cough.

And this is why I don't bother with GS reviews anymore. IGN reviews are still good to go by, and I do prefer independent reviewers for the most part. Steam reviews, you gotta find the actual good reviewer in order to get an idea of what you need to know, and boy, I expect that reviewer to discuss if the PC version is running fine.

All in all, the bold is the truth indeed.

TLOU 2 and GT7 review codes received bunch of sites. I think for GT7 Stevivor was blacklisted IIRC

Plus, the discussion seems louder ever since Kotaku complained that Nintendo blacklisted them for early TotK coverage, to the point where Luke Plunkett and Sisi Jiang made racist posts in regards to it.

You're making my point for me. Sony was selective with who got codes for those games. Just because "a bunch of sites" got review codes doesn't negate the fact that not everyone got codes..........which is the point you are holding over Bethesda/MS

Its their game, they can give codes to whatever site they want. Are you arguing that EVERY site should get codes?

Or is this standard only for MS? Should MS give codes to the exact same sites as Sony/Nintendo?

Im not sure im following your argument.

Youre attempting to argue that MS should either give codes to everyone, or the same sites that Sony gives codes to...........which ignores the fact that every publisher is selective about who receives codes.

The problem here is that EVERYONE wants a code for Starfield...........because its Starfield.........so they are getting upset when they dont get one. Should DreamcastGuy get codes? Sony sends him codes so I guess MS should.........even though he craps on them constantly?

@navyguy21: The people who should get codes are respected professional reviewers. The people at Eurogamer or the Edge would give the game a fair review - maybe that is what MS doesn't want, eh?

You Tube streamers should always be behind those two but we know the reason why.

I know I said I was cool with what Xbox was doing with these codes, but I don’t agree with them sending Colt Eastwood a review code… That’s like PlayStation sending Tormentos a review code. What are they really accomplishing with that?

Eurogamer and Metro reviewers have had links to past Kokatu (sp?) who did what Bethesda considered a hit job from them. I THINK that may be why they didn't send it out to them.

As for Xbox centric channels getting early access, that is not new for any game... Sony centric channels will get some early access to stuff, 3rd party sends stuff out to the "fan channels" as well

I dont disagree with you entirely, but I think that publishers are recognizing that gaming media has FAR less influence that Youtube content creators.

Eurogamer I definitely agree should get one, but I cant remember the last time I went to Edge for a review of ANYTHING.

All of the major gaming sites got a code........for a game.

Are we arguing that major sites wont give a fair review?

I defintely agree that Xbox-friendly content creators got codes, but Sony does the same with PS content creators.

Dreamcastguy was upset for not getting an Xbox code (he usually gets PS codes) when he craps on Xbox regularly.

I just dont see this is as being out of the ordinary as some people are saying.............which is because it is a MS first party title.

Is it not a problem that Sony doent give certain sites or content creators codes? Nintendo? Who decides who is professional?

Bad look

it doesn't matter even if the game does flop. The scope of the game is on a level we haven't seen before, its massive and only going to get better.

I do not naking your point. For TLOU2 and GT7 every single MAIN and BIG outlets received a review copy. Proof of that is number of review copies added to Opencritic/Metacritic in first three days.

Bethesda didn’t do that. Check the list above again who received review copies.

EDGE is one of the heaviest reviewer on Opencritic/Metacritic. Their score worth a lot. We are not arguing that major sites won't give a fair review. It is about score manipulation and MS did that with Starfield.

Refore Gaming and others had today a discussion about that which was streamed today.

@blaznwiipspman1: I'd argue Star Citizen, No Man's Sky, and a few others have similar scope

You are making my point, especially by saying Reforge gaming and others had a discussion about it.

That is my point. Reforge Gaming is an admitted Sony fanboy (nothing wrong with that as I still watch him occasionally), and it is Sony fans that are complaining about this,

This makes sense given the online faction-based world that we live in, but it doesn't change what I said.

MS gave codes to every large gaming site out there, with few exceptions. IF they were trying to manipulate Open/MetaCritic, then the major sites would've also been left out since they carry the most weight.

What you are saying is they should've have given codes to everyone that YOU deem big or important.

Very rarely do publishers give early review codes to EVERY site out there.

At the end of the day, its irrelevant because those sites will review the game at some point anyway, which will even out the scores.

This is why aggregate scores rise or fall over time, some outlets get codes and some don't and have to buy the games.

You guys have a different standard for MS and other publishers than you do with Sony, which is the bias im pointing out.

You proved that by referencing Regorge Gaming, who has been on a tear about the game ever since the purchase of Bethesda

@R4gn4r0k: I never listen to user reviews for anything. I am a man of authority, not a man of the people. The average person is extremely dumb. Half of people are dumber than that.

I care not what others vote or rate well. Just look at the top 10 most popular games... Fortnite, League of Legends, Roblox, Among Us, Farmville, COD mobile, Angry Birds, WoW etc, etc. all rubbish games.

Now reviews from credible sources when look at an average with high n = trustworthy.

Look at metacritic. Metacritic scores are almost always on point IMO, so much so that users of this sub forum think I only base my opinion off of scores xD

There are a few outliers (games like Far Cry, Assassin's Creed, every single MMO, racing games etc) should all be rated much lower and games like Days Gone, Death Stranding and a few FromSoft titles are underrated.

But in general MC is a great source.

Just remember the MC scale goes like this:

95+: GOTD candidate, GOTY winning genre-defining masterpiece

90-94: GOTY candidates, excellent/superb games

85-89: GOTY nominees, great games (won't win anything or be regarded as classics)

80-84: good games (but nothing special)

70-79: okay/average games

60-69: bad games, but if its your favourite genre/franchise it is still playable i.e. DMC2.

0-59: garbage that should never be touched.

Again there are a few anomalies... Like Monster Hunter World has 89 when it should be 49 or less.

Tomorrow is going to be real interesting either way 🍿🍿🍿😎! This seems a bit ”cheap” for such a major developer under the wings of MS.

@Mozelleple112: i agree with all of what you said. The most popular games are trash:

COD, Fortnite, Raid Shadow legends... Trash.

And if you spend your life buying microtransactions in these trash games well then you're going to hell. I'm not making this up.

But see what do we do with a game like Diablo IV:

It's rated favourably by critics. Let's say high eighties.

But it's rated very low by people actually playing the game. Let's say 1s and 2s out of ten.

Which side should I put my trust in and which side should I ignore?

@R4gn4r0k: Hahha damn it, you got me there.

If Blizzard had listened to us hardcore old school fans then the critic score would have been true.

But Blizzard being Blizzard fucked up so bad that I agree with the user score LOL

I thoroughly enjoyed Diablo IV. 🤷🏽‍♂️

@Pedro: I was gonna pick it up on its first sale, which is now.

But in the mean time its seasons have hit and I dunno, people really started hating on the game after the second to last patch.

The one that increased grinding and decreased fun. Activision really has a knack for increasing grinding and taking away fun after reviews hit.

100% all of this. A developer knows what he is talking about. LOL

@loudheadphones: That's the same guy who thinks overworking is good and grifted off the fact that he was a Blizzard employee during so many controversies, and political BS as he stans "anti-woke" movements.

Everyone has some dark secret. MS sent a Starfield review copy to Kidsmoove who is a racist, but whatever.

Amyway, surprise. Leaked review. 8.5.

Fallout 4 in space. Nothing more or less

https://old.reddit.com/r/GamingLeaksAndRumours/comments/165smoo/leaked_portuguese_starfield_review/

The saddest part is people still take reviews of any game seriously 🤦‍♂️

I didn't read a single review of my current GOTY in Remnamt 2. I know what I like, and can decide if I'm going to buy a game from a few gameplay videos.

I mean it's a Bethesda game, I'd say everyone on here knows what type of game it is and have already made up their mind if they're going to buy it or not. A review won't change much about that.

Unless you're Fallout 76. Or ESO.

@nintendoboy16: Is Starfield closer to regular Fallout or 76? Or haven't you fihgured it out yet, even with a 45min deep dive?

This is why reviews shouldn't be scored and people should be forced to read it.

But then I guess metacritic wouldn't get any more ad revenue oh noooo much concern :P

This is no mans sky with a few extras. I'd temper expectations if I were you guys.

@loudheadphones said:

100% all of this. A developer knows what he is talking about. LOL

Reviews aren't even out and you are damage controlling.😂 It is so funny to see reviews are suddenly corrupt now for Sony fannies all because of the possibility of a game not coming to PS5 getting positively reviewed. Just the possibility.🤭

@Pedro: Just because Sony does it does not excuse Microsoft for doing it now. It is a shady practice and is ethically bankrupt.

The reason why these companies get away with this vile behaviour is that people like you use what-aboutery so you do not have to criticise your chosen company of choice.

We are talking about Microsoft withholding review copies from reviewers that they cannot be sure of giving the game the review they want and that is wrong. Criticise Microsoft for the wrong-doing they have done.

I may have a PS5 but if you start a thread about Sony doing the same thing with the evidence that has been presented in this one then I will condemn them.

if review codes were only sent to places that are pro xbox then they must have sent around 4 codes out 😂

Starfield has 🐄 💩 themselves and it's glorious to watch 😂

Just saw a "review" on Steam that was supposed to be funny, looked copy pasted, got like a million rewards. Then I visited the guys Steam page, and he had just copy pasted the same "review" on hundreds of games and got rewards on all of them.

Cool review system, Steam.

@Litchie: It really went to shit after people could award steam awards.

Before it was a cool system I would put faith in. Now a game launches (lets say Starfield) and immediately the store page will become flooded by people desperately trying to get that top review that will earn them the most clown/poetry award or most helpful or whatever.

It doesn't matter what kind of monetary value we make up, people will flock to it like there's no tomorrow.

I GOTTA HAVE IT

-mate, it's worth nothing

I GOTTA HAVE MOAAAAR

@saint-george: Starfield is not for me. It is not my type of game.

However, I want it to be good to ensure that Sony has relevant competition to force it keep its standards up. If this flops then Bethesda, after Fallout 76 and Redfall are done as a top-tier video game company.

I would rather it be a 9 or 10 out of 10 game as it is good for the industry.

Of course the review copy tactics does smack of rewarding bad behaviour.

I would be interested to see if the boundary reached thing is a real thing.