Actually yes, how they present themselves is important, at least to me.

Well it's not even a review really, if you actually read it. Even a review in the official mags might attempt to critique the title a little or discuss its flaws, even if the scores they dish out are weighted to keep their paymasters happy. Moreover, they aren't published by a PR company either. It's journalists are happy to write under the "Official" banner. Not journalists pretending they are "independent" bloggers.

I'm not making any bones about the content of the review, I just shelled out a ton on a PS3 for this game and having been fortunate enough to play it, I have no need let alone care for their opinion on the subject. I just have a problem in Threespeech in general, there is something quite off-putting to their approach on matters. I know a couple of the guys working on the UK versions of the Official Mags (through Future) and I think it's a little harsh on them to be framing them in the same bracket as PR/Viral marketers.

The Penny-Arcade guys put it a lot better than I'm doing.

I agree. There is a thing called journalistic ethics and this is over the line.

As you have said, Major Nelson is clearly a MS employee, MS sponsored, and MS PR. They are up front about his relationship with MS and his role.

Official magazines--again, official. As in sanctioned/sponsored. The twist is there is some creative control on the staff. e.g. A PS mag editor said she wasn't getting a PS3 in 2006 because it was too expensive. Official magazines contain negative reviews and even sometimes critical comments. BUT the orientation is clear: official magazine aimed at being written "from the platform fans perspective" to fans who are readers. They are not industry magazines, but platform exclusive magazines. Hence the big platform games get overhyped and the overall inflated review scores -- fans like their games! That is why they buy the consoles.

And yet while being up front and having a "fair" market orientation they are still dismissed as being biased (they are), too narrow, and under critical.

We can dismiss Nelson because he is a shill. Up front about his status, and it invalidates him.

We can dismiss official mags because they are too close to the company, not industry oriented, and take a platform fan orienation.

If we are going to dismiss each of these for being what they are -- and being honest about it -- surely any outlet that walks the tight rope of deception to gain a perceptual mindshare gain is outright deceptive and must be questioned ethically.

Which casts doubts on anything they say. If OXM, OPM, and Nelson are disregarded, and rightly so, because of their affiliations -- should not Three Speach be dismissed even more so for the same affiliations BUT also deceptively covering them?

This sort of viral mind game crap harms the industry and, imo, can actually give fodder against an amazing game like HS. HS doesn't need the extra push like this.Link?OPM and OXM don't try to hide behind their affiliation and are a known orienation and quality. A Nintendo fan isn't going to read OXM and expect an opinion that is represenitive of the general market or Nintendo fans. And even then OXM can be critical of games as well as MS at times.

I don't particulary disregard Nelson or the official mags, they are what they are. Though I don't listen to the former much these days, I always enjoyed his show and I think he's a good link to the community for MS. He has at least some humilty about him, takes all the flak when it comes without any complaints and whilst he's always "on message" of course, isn't so brazenly PR or Marketing to be that annoying.

I can only speak for the UK official mags but they are run by the biggest media publisher over here and at least employ proper journalists. I'm sure they've got their constraints, I'm not so nieve to think they haven't but they say their piece at times.

The original comments about Threespeech were in the Penny Arcade podcast so I don't have a link. I think Google may turn up a transcription but I didn't post it as I couldn't tell how much it was paraphrased. Gamesetwatch posted an interesting read at the time though;- http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/11/three_speech_b...

I think it'll die a death soon enough though. The Playstation.Blog is much better.

http://www.insidegamer.nl/playstation3/heavenlyswo...

Kai sniping video.

That guy sucked. He did a horrible job at protecting those dozens of armed soldiers from that feeble, dying old man :P.