Originally posted by maji

Sorry, but some parts of this ad, whoops... "article" of course, make no sense to me.

 

Oh my, you're so clever... Yup, it's an ad all right. Anything positive simply MUST have been paid for. Seriously, find a new hobby.

I'm just going to jump in here. I'm not going to launch into my standard defense of this site and the way thatw e do our jobs. I'm sure you can read it when we're attacked with the same lame accusations after the release of every single game ever.

What I AM going to say is that the time I spent in DCUO was a blast. I really enjoyed the game. At no point did I, or any of the other folks writing for this site lie to you, or mislead you in any way. What you read was our OPINION. Reviews, I'm sorry to say, are opinion. We also can't look into the future. All we can do is review the game we ahve in front of us, and tell you how we feel about them then.

I'm going to share a little secret with you: We do this job because we love games, we're predisposed to like the games that are coming out. Some of you may have soured on games, gaming, or MMOs in general. I can't speak for you. Neither can Bill. That's your issue and not ours. I honestly feel sorry for people who go out of their way to find the worst parts of everything, it's gotta be a rough way to live your life.

Likewise, by the way, we slam games when we don't like them cause even to people who genuinely loves games and the genre, sometimes, they just suck.

We're professionals guys. I'm sorry if you don't like that, and you can call us bloggers, or hacks, or whatever it is that you want, but the bottom line is that we're in these jobs for a reason, and that's to provide our insights and the insights thata re given to us by attending gaming events all over the world and speaking with developers not just about their games, but about the industry as a whole, and through reading not only this site, but many others to gain that perspective as well. There's more to it than that, but that's the bare bones of it all. So, in the end, enjoy our opinions, or don't. hell, i don't care if your entire reason for reading the site is to say: I disagree with everything that Jon Wood guys says about games, so I'm going to do the opposite fo everything he says. That's fine and it's just as valuable as someone who likes what I have to say.

It's up to you when you read reviews or previews or any other form of opinion article and decide for yourselves if the person in question is someone you agree with or you don't. I'm sorry, but that's just a fact. It's how reviewing of entertainment media has been done since it started, and if your English teachers didn't take the time to teach you that in school, then maybe you'll want to write a letter to your congressman or something, but that doesn't change it.

Come on folks, we can only offer you our own opinions and the information that is presented to us. Make up your own minds and think for yourself.

Check out our official review over at RTSGuru: http://www.rtsguru.com/game/200/features/47/Total-War-Shogun-2-Review.html

Originally posted by Moirae

I think someone doesn't know how to do math. Its 2011, not 2012. LOTRO is five years old (and not quite that, its only March), and DDO is 4 years old.

 

Yup, had my moron hat on when I wrote this. There's really no excuse. i'll have myself flogged promptly :)

Originally posted by Hashbrick

I'm not a fan with the design at all, it looks like an ad site the way it laid out and the basic elements of it. I see more ads then content... I was expecting videos, tons of reviews, there's nothing in there to even look at. I can get an RTS gamelist with google that's really all I see there. I would have worked on the content before opening the doors with nothing, people will come and see there is nothing there and then leave. That's my 2cents anyway, just seems lacking in every way.

Ok guys,

I'm going to step in here.

First, Suzie (Sbford) was speaking for herself and not for the overall policies of the site regarding first impressions. The editorial staff (me) doesn't give writers any kind of mandate to be "nice" in their reviews / previews / first impressions.

Second, this wasn't a review. this was a general first impressions article detailing the writer's early experiences with the game. I will say it again: This is not a review and should not be read or referred to as such.

Agree with it or disagree with it, these are the bare bones of the author's early experiences with the game.

Originally posted by Eyrothath

THE LIST:

 

Archeage Online

Dawntide

Link Realms

Royal Quest

100 Year's War

7 Million

Core Blaze

Argo Online

Continent of the 9th

Counter Strike Online

Legends of Qin

Elements of War

Spiral Knights

Stellar Dawn

Lucent Heart

Battery Online

Karma: Operation Barbarossa

MKZ Online

R2 Online

Microvolts

Metal Rage

Maestia

Tactical Intervention

Lime Odyssey

Taikodom

RaiderZ

Age of Wulin

Tales Weaver

Pets vs Monsters

War of Dragons

Steel Dog

EV6

Wings of the Sky

Alliance of Valiant Arms

APEX

Arcadia Saga

ASTA

Atulos Online

Avalon Heroes

Battle Knight

Black Moon Chronicles

Berkanix

Black Shot

Blade Chronicles: Samurai Online

Blade Wars

Blue Mars

Brink

Call of Chaos

Clockwork Symphony

Combat Arms

Cross Fire

 

I didn't even make the full list cause I got sick of typing, we're only just a LITTLE BIT out of date on this website, but that's ok, I will forgive them..

Looking into this. thanks.

Originally posted by Den1s

Gods and heroes are in beta and anounced to be released in 2011.

Yup, hence the line at the top of the article talking about how things had changed since the original article went up... Please read the article, not just the headlines, before commenting.

Originally posted by pmaura

the problem is you should let every negative reivew in there. If your saying your only allowed one negative veiew but then a slew up positive ones it gives an unfair view.

Why dont they erase the obvious potive troll threads?

While I don't know what the issue is, we do not delete posts based on their pro or con content. I will be informing our Community Manager of this issue and he will investigate. In the meantime, I suggest complaints about moderation be sent directly to him community@mmorpg.com, rather than discussed in threads which is a violation of our RoC.

Originally posted by cvgordy

I don't feel LOTRO should be allowed to win this "award" considering it was NOT a FTP game for years and years.  It only recently became FTP. 

This list and this award should have gone to a game DEVELOPED and RELEASED as a FTP title from the very beginning... Not some Failed Sub based game that had to convert to FTP.

 

I don't understand why some people feel this way. The reality is that LotRO is now a F2P game and those other titles have to compete with it. Life's not fair guys, but int he real world these games compete in teh F2P space, why wouldn't they in our awards?

Howdy all,

We screwed up on the NDA Drop date and will re-post this article tomorrow morning. We've taken it down for now. Sorry about that!

Originally posted by Airwren

When I want real MMO news I head over to Massively, when I want articles like this that have nothing to do with MMORPG's I come here.  Seriously, you can at least be honest with your reader base and start the article off with "Hey, this has nothing to do with MMO's but we want to nut hug Bioware a little with their upcoming game."  To try and convince your reader base that this article has anything to do with mmo's is a farce, mostly because you yourselves know it doesn't belong here.  LOL  Bravo Jon, Bravo.

 

Yup, ya got me. Obviously this is some kind of huge consipracy. I actually live to be dishonest. it's how I like to make my living.

OR, maybe, just MAYBE there actually IS something to be gleaned from looking at previous games from the same company. Maybe, given that The Old Repulic has been touted over and over again as a story-based "Bioware" style game, it's a good idea to actually take a look at the other game that the company is developing simultaneously with TOR. Just because they're not the same game, doesn't mean that tehre's isn't something to look at there and that it isn't worth having at least a terciary knowledge of DAII.

Yiou don't have to agree with me. It's your right not to, but don't pretend that you know me, and don't pretend that you know my motives. You don't. It's that simple.

Sony Online Entertainment and Warner Bros. have partnered with MMORPG.com to bring our readers the opportunity to score a closed beta key for the upcoming superhero MMO, DC Universe Online. As many of you surmised through watching our "Game's Afoot" features, this is what we've been hinting at for the past few days. It is with great pleasure and a lot of pride that we bring this opportunity to you! Mystery solved, Watson! Well done!

Head here to see the puzzle fully completed and new exclusive screens from DC Universe Online.

Originally posted by Yuui

Well according to mmorpg.com the internet information is  "free for all"~, "public" and there's no need to link back to the source of information even if you copy-pasta it.

Bassically the author of this article said a big "Gtfo" to the original author of this...article at mmoculture ;)

apparantly mmorpg.com does not believe in creative copyright.

 

Actually, we do, and we take it very seriously. That being said, the claims that are being made here are simply false.

While I will admit that the information in both places is similar, ie: the same info about betas and classes, etc. I don't think that amounts to plaigairism so much as simple reporting. That's the information that is public knowledge and that both he and we are reporting upon.

As long time readers will undoubtedly know, we very often source material when it is warranted, everyone from individual users to major gaming websites. I humbly suggest that before reaching conclusions that we take the time to compare the pieces side by side.

Anyway, just wanted to offer our perspective on this. Do with it what you will.

Originally posted by theplatypus

This article seems like a pale and fluffy imitation of Massively's choose-your-own-adventure Darkfall series that's been going for weeks now (and offers much deeper analysis as well as original screens and video).

Nice plug for Massively.

Survivor Guy has been going for quite some time here at MMORPG.com. We only recently sent him into Darkfall. The style and presentation are completely consistent with previous articles. So, yeah, not an imitation. Nice troll and promo though.

Originally posted by theartist

Originally posted by alanthecelt

i think mmorpg are giving some maturation time, which is highly valid. As somone who has played this a lot i can see  the potential, but its not there yet

BUT THEY HAVEN'T FOR MANY OTHER GAMES.

 

So it looks ridiculous.

Ok, here's the deal:

The game is simply not ready for review. The state of the game has been well documented here and at other websites.

We have a reviewer in game. We intend to do a review. There is, however, no point in stating exactly what other sources have already stated when that information will be outdated shortly anyway. Are the developers even collecting subscription fees yet?

Originally posted by Destructhor

Personally I am not a fan of the game, that being said...

I think an unbiased review is good for any game.  Make it simply this and that, what the game has and what it does not to help educate those who are interested in the game on what they will be getting into if they purchase the game.

That's not a review. That's an overview of the game's features. Reviews are pinion pieces. Also, to set the record straight, having an opinion one way or another does not make a review biased. It makes it a review. Bias implies having some kind of "other" reason to reviewing a gamea  certain way.

Originally posted by Tyrrhon

Then write a "first impression" instead. We are getting news on F2P browser crap or features about long dead failures but little on major MMO.

... you mean like this one? http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/446/feature/4614

Originally posted by ambushbug

Another propaganda story on DCUiverse. What, are they paying MMORPG or something for these slanted reviews? Better question, why is MMORPG even covering this game when it's not an MMORPG  by any standard? Don't believe me, ask the developers, they are quick to tell you it's not one, that it's an action game.

I've played it. it's an MMO. I can't see a single thing about it that makes it NOT an MMO. So I'm actually interested in your point of view. Why exactly is it not an MMO?

Originally posted by Airspell

  I have to agree a bit with the nay-seyers in this thread, big surprise.  What people forget is that acess is everything to sites like mmorpg.com.  They make money on ads, and get people to come to their site with content and sweepstakes from game publishers. You know what happens when you make too many negative reviews , especially toward big publishers ? Zero acess, no sweepstakes, no beta handouts, no ads.  Publishers have plenty of other sites to go to who play ball. If you think these are conspiracy theories then you know nothing about the game business.

   This preview is suspect not because it is so positive. It is because there is almost nothing negative the player has to say. Now either this game is the end all of gaming, the WoW killer and the second coming of Jesus, ORRRR the guy is just another fluff boy who writes previews for this site.

 

OR, it's a level 1-9 preview of a beta test, and the wuthor is unwilling to point out flaws in the game until a) he's played more through the game and b) the game is in a more complete state.
It's called being level headed and responsible.

AND you've got it backwards in terms of how this site works. The reason that we get the things that we get (giveaways, ads, etc.) isn't because of positive content, it's because of the number of eyes that we have on our site and on our articles. If we didn't have readers, we wouldn't have advertisers. Thus, even from the most cynical business standpoint, your argument is incorrect and shows an honest and very basic misconception about how the business of this website works.

It gains us nothing to artificially inflate any content on this site. Now, that being said, our staff is primarily made up on players who genuinely enjoy the genre and are open minded in terms of how it can, will and continues to grow.

Having played DCUO myself, I can honestly say that I agree with the OP on most points. I'm completely addicted to the game. I also realize it's not for everyone and there are some issues that are completely fixable before OB and launch.

Anyway, accusations and stating unfounded opinion as fact is great and all, but please, for my sake, don't comment on procedures and structure that you just don't know about.