Bethesda: No Early Copies Of Doom For Reviewers

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
Well, this is never a good sign. The excuse given below doesn't really make sense but, then again, this is Bethesda we are talking about. This isn't surprising, the company is big enough that they can pretty much do what they want to do, it's just odd because I can't remember the last time they held back review copies. I guess we'll all just have to wait until after the game launches to see if it is any good or not. :(

When declining our request for pre-release review copies, a Bethesda representative provided the following official statement: “DOOM is a robust game comprised of a single-player campaign, online multiplayer, and SnapMap. We believe all three elements are important parts of the complete DOOM experience, and are meant to be experienced as part of a complete package. As DOOM’s SnapMap and multiplayer modes both require access to a server that won’t be live prior to launch, review copies will arrive on launch day.”
 
Another good reason to wait until after the game is released and a few solid reviews come out... if the game is not good then it's in all of our (consumer's) interest that the company gets none of your money... don't be an enabler...

for those who've already pre-ordered, prepare for a possible shit storm coming your way
 
Quix said:
This is equivalent to every review being 0%.
Click to expand...

Yeah... There's probably a few exceptions that I'm missing but most of the time that I see sites reviewing games that weren't released early to the press they end up on the negative side of the scale. Also, they can't have an early access server? How did we play the betas?
 
Isn't this better that way? Lot of people pre-order based on kool-aid sipping, possibly biased, reviews, and then get burned when the game sucks. Better to wait until day one and see the user reviews.
 
Steve said:
Well, this is never a good sign. The excuse given below doesn't really make sense but, then again, this is Bethesda we are talking about. This isn't surprising, the company is big enough that they can pretty much do what they want to do, it's just odd because I can't remember the last time they held back review copies. I guess we'll all just have to wait until after the game launches to see if it is any good or not. :(

When declining our request for pre-release review copies, a Bethesda representative provided the following official statement: “DOOM is a robust game comprised of a single-player campaign, online multiplayer, and SnapMap. We believe all three elements are important parts of the complete DOOM experience, and are meant to be experienced as part of a complete package. As DOOM’s SnapMap and multiplayer modes both require access to a server that won’t be live prior to launch, review copies will arrive on launch day.”
Click to expand...
That is bullshit because plenty of games have had online servers available for the press to review in the past.
 
It could still be awesome. I'll just wait a few weeks for some reviews to come in and personal experiences from players.

It comes off as a lack of confidence that the game will be any good. If it's a great game, let reviews have it. If not, no early reviews and get that preorder and day 1 money before people figure out the game sucks.

If it's not the case, great. But, that's how I see it until it's proven otherwise.
 
I don't think the game is going to be that good because almost none of the videos seem to show much game play.
 
MrTryfe said:
Isn't this better that way? Lot of people pre-order based on kool-aid sipping, possibly biased, reviews, and then get burned when the game sucks. Better to wait until day one and see the user reviews.
Click to expand...
I think so. It cuts down on the favoritism so that certain media outlets don't have to give a game a minimum score, otherwise they miss their exclusive access in the future. There's enough I'll-scratch-your-back-you-scratch-mine in the industry as it is.
 
80$ CAD on Steam last i checked, ill but it regardless because its DOOM, but probably when its 20-40$
 
As much as I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeealy want to play Doom, I fear for the worst and didnt pre-order.
Here's to waiting for Doom to go on Steam sale.
 
This is a sign of another bomb.

Hell they have shown enough SP and MP footage that there is no reason not to give reviewers copies unless something is wrong. The servers not being live sounds like a cop out.
 
This game just went from must buy to wait until the review purchase.
 
MrTryfe said:
There are plenty of videos that show gameplay.
Click to expand...

Yeah, there was that hour long video posted here in the news that was interview style, they showed a lot of different locations. Honestly, it looks pretty cool, but I always have enough games in queue that it'll be a month or two before I get to it anyways, so I'll still be able to read the reviews (and catch up on the patches, sigh...)
 
They did the same thing for Wolfenstein: The New Order, and that turned out alright. I don't preorder anything...so, I'll be curious to see where this falls. Hopefully, it's like Wolfenstein and not like what we fear.
 
Waving the "Game Sux" flag? Bethesda just confirmed me waiting till many reviews are out, and possibly Vulkan support is released.
 
I kind of wish the whole reviewers getting it early would just go away anyway. Modern games have so much overhead that you really can't review it properly until the game comes out.
 
Youn said:
or just wait 6 months after the game is released, after some patches... which is basically when games SHOULD be released anyways :p
Click to expand...
That's my thinking most of the time and I normally regret not sticking to it. No review ahead of times, tells me the game probably stinks. I'll pick it up in the Steam Christmas sale.
 
My motto still applies

Review available for the game: 2 weeks till thinking of buying it

Review embargo till after game release: 2 months till thinking of buying it
 
This game could be amazing, but not having a multiplayer server live to test on is a copout.

With all the legal bullshit they pull with these NDA's already, they could have provided terms that said reviews can only be of single player only. Half-assed would be better than nothing at all.
 
I have a $45 preorder with GMG. Single player is a priority to me but this kind of news really makes me want to pull the plug.

The Wolfenstein games were awesome. If it's like that I'll be happy. I just wish I had more confidence.




^^ I liked what I saw here if I can get more than 3-5 hours out of it.
 
Last edited:
Yar, definitely a warning sign. Wasn't really planning on pre-ordering anyway, until I watched the recent singleplayer campaign videos and became interested. Now I'm back on the 'wait and see' bandwagon.
 
CaptNumbNutz said:
This game could be amazing, but not having a multiplayer server live to test on is a copout.

With all the legal bullshit they pull with these NDA's already, they could have provided terms that said reviews can only be of single player only. Half-assed would be better than nothing at all.
Click to expand...

Not sure what more needs to be tested in the MP that's not already known from the beta - it's basically Halo clone.

I'm still looking forward to playing the SP, but the MP is an obvious afterthought.
 
Last edited:
I guess some people need to be burned a few times before they learn not to pre-order.
 
No problem with this.
Reviewers should receive copies no sooner than launch day.
I want detailed, in-depth reviews, no ten-second BS from a blog that only cared about scoring an early copy and didn't do a thorough job!

Also, technical aspects make sense if you actually think about it.
 
If it plays like an all-action Fallout 4 in the Doom environment I'll be stoked.
 
Makes me think they are afraid it is going to be another Quake3. A lot of people found the game meh at release. It was the community mods that made the game for many. So they want to make sure the mod tool is in place and ready b4 they let reviewers have a crack.

Then again, I have never purchased a game due to a review, but I have held off due to them. Just saying.
 
Gorankar said:
Makes me think they are afraid it is going to be another Quake3. A lot of people found the game meh at release. It was the community mods that made the game for many. So they want to make sure the mod tool is in place and ready b4 they let reviewers have a crack.

Then again, I have never purchased a game due to a review, but I have held off due to them. Just saying.
Click to expand...

Do you mean, Doom 3?
 
Gorankar said:
Makes me think they are afraid it is going to be another Quake3. A lot of people found the game meh at release. It was the community mods that made the game for many. So they want to make sure the mod tool is in place and ready b4 they let reviewers have a crack.

Then again, I have never purchased a game due to a review, but I have held off due to them. Just saying.
Click to expand...
That would be a valid reason, but they haven't alluded to that at all. I can't think of one single game historically where review copies have been denied before release that turned out to be any good. The fact that Bethesda have put up a bullshit excuse about multiplayer servers just adds to the sense for foreboding Doom... (lol)
 
I am going to set a price of $25 at cheapshark.com, they email you when a sale price hits your price.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top