The Buzz: A Solid Snake in Grass

Last week in my column a mysterious Devil Advocate insisted game journalists to be paid £562,300 every year. The Bee thinks he is right. What is the reason? It is because game publishers are as wolves, you are consumer sheep, and a game critic is brave hero to protect you from wolves. They are hungry for your delicious money – yum! A game journalist terminates them with the powerful weapon: facts.

"You must buy this game, it is 10 out of 10 platinum masterpiece!" the cunning marketing wolf says.

"I like masterpieces. I will buy it. Here is my credit card–"

"Wait!" game journalist interrupts. "Let me have a look at this game."

[Time is passing]

"Yes, it is as I thought. This game is not platinum masterpiece. It is 7/10. This is the fact."

"Damn you honest journalist!" the wolf snarls back to the forest to eat the developers.

"Thank you journalist. You have saved my money!"

At the end of last week, a story erupted in the blog o' sphere on Hideo Kojima's huge anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4, although controversy has began much earlier. In March, Konami paid for many honourable journalists to fly to 'boot camp' in Japan to play the game several days for preview, which makes two problems.

1. A journalist cannot do his job with the wolf adjacent.

2. A journalist should not accept free pleasure holiday from a wolf, so when he sees the sheep in danger he thinks, "But I love the wolf so much!"

Anyway, it is not too much a big deal. But last Friday it was a big deal when MTV Multiplayer Stephen Totillo wrote to say…

"Konami representatives had been asking print reviewers to keep some technical details out of their reviews, namely the length of the game's cut-scenes [rumoured 90 minutes – The Bee] and the size of the game's installation on the PlayStation 3."

Say whaaaaa? This is like a wolf to say, "Journalists, friends, Japan holiday and profitable scoop recipients, of course you can protect the sheep, but I insist you will stay away from this part of the field and this one as well."

For shame, some journalists have listened to this crazy rule. IGN has played by the rules, and also rewarded Metal Gear Solid 4 with 9.9 out of 10. IGN also was controversial to have exclusive GTA IV review and gave to it 10 out of 10.

IGN loves games!

The policy of Konami is big trouble, and many honourable journalists will not play with the ball. Gamespot has made a passionate complaint, to say,

"Publishers create this environment – but many press outlets enable it, without questioning it, because it brings them all-important traffic. I, for one, am more interested in a review that isn't haunted by these specters, and I think you would want the same…

"It's unfortunate that publisher politics have reached this point, where refusing to meet these unreasonable demands means that we and our readers are effectively punished…

"We will bring you a review of Metal Gear Solid 4 when we've played the same code on the discs you buy, and played it in an appropriate, unbiased environment. We think you'll agree that this is the only real choice."

Of course, this is new direction for Gamespot. Last year they unemployed ace journalist Jeff Gerstmann for not liking Eidos Kane & Lynch, which there was an advert on the site.

The Bee wishes Gamespot best luck with its new policy!

EGM also refused to play with the ball, making roundtable discussion and not the review. Applause EGM. Eurogamer and industry bible Edge simply ignored the rules to talk about everything. Applause them too!

Since the controversial boom! Kojima Productions has made one rejoinder. "There are no 90 minute cut-scenes in MGS4. The ending is long, but 90 minutes is a gross exaggeration."

But video game industry bible Edge has said "the cut-scenes here are sure to invoke that thousand-yard stare, two in particular coming perilously close to the 90-minute mark." It is argument that cannot be resolved.

Except easy with a watch! The Bee will wait and see.

Most recent, Konami has written to excellent Kotaku editor Brian Ashcraft.

"Believe it or not, I've been so busy working on a special surprise for MGS4 buyers (that not even those who have leaked copies of the game can spoil! Haha!), that I haven't had time to catch up on most of the pre-launch excitement."

This sounds like the oily dissembling of a cheat who is banged up to rights. "Hello Kotaku good friend, how about those game pirates? I love those crazy kids! Anyway good buddy, I hear there is arguing in the blog o' sphere. Can you believe it, I am too busy making a 'surprise' for the lovely sheep to pay any attention. Peace out amigo!"

You can read all the rest here.

Last but least, this week is sad for our friend Mr Jack Thompson. After being called for disciplinary hearing and storming from his court appearance and accusing his judge of incompetence, he is recommended to be disbarred.

Goodbye Mr Thompson, and thank you for all the laughing!

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The Bee is an industry insider who has fed on the nectar of over three decades' worth of gaming. All opinions expressed are the author's own.