Revenge of the Metacritics: Diablo III Getting Review-Bombed

[Smeggs]

I've never played any of the Diablo series, could someone shed some light on this pasionate hatred for D3? I've just been wondering, did they fuck with the gameplay a lot or something? Really bad story? ORIGIN?

 

[zombieshark6666]

I think it's sad that the zeroes will probably be deleted even though people have a right to be angry about not being able to play a single-player game offline. They warned about this before release! I don't care, people should be able to use whatever they purchased.

And if I buy a Halo title without owning an Xbox, I should give it a zero for not being able to play it on a PS3, because there's really no reason I shouldn't be able to play it on a PS3 except for the fact that they didn't make the game that way and I knew ahead of time?

Get real.

I think it's sad that the zeroes will probably be deleted even though people have a right to be angry about not being able to play a single-player game offline. They warned about this before release! I don't care, people should be able to use whatever they purchased.

This does not justify a zero score. Especially since it is NOT news. Especially since D3 is obviously NOT an offline game.

Game doesn't work = 0

I don't have a problem with the score, honestly. I do wonder if all the real issues about the actual game are real too. I've never been very clicky, so I don't know much about the legacy.

How much gaming culture has changed in just 8 years. You know the same thing happened when WoW went live? Exact same thing.

Except it didn't get review bombed, because gamers weren't so militarized that they were already waiting, pitchforks in hand, to pounce on the game for ANY inconvenience, however minor.

And it is minor. You're going to have this game forever. You can play it for years. One day's worth of server crashes is beyond miniscule in comparison.

I don't know anything about WoW, frankly, except that it's not a single-player game. I hope the Dark Souls PC guys will not have problems too. They're always smug, but they should be able to play single-player games when they actually bought them.

I think the hatred is this: "you force me to be online even though I don't need the online features to play, and now the game doesn't work at all unless the online is fine". It's probably not the last time the game is unaccessible. Things happen, then you're fucked. For no good reason either.

 

[Antari]

Blizzard saw success and decided to try and ride the wave. Its not the first or the last time it will happen. Reading through most of the reviews, people are legitimately pissed about specific aspects of the game. Its not just a bomb session. Blizzard has actually screwed up, BIGTIME. I figure the professional reviews haven't showed up yet, because they are still having trouble accessing the game to make the review.

Professional reviewers aren't playing the game now, they played it last week and before, when it was them and them alone using up all that server space. So, no, it's highly unlikely that they're "having trouble accessing the game."

Regardless of nerdragers' dreams and hopes and speculations.

Funny most of the reviews that I have seen were posted today. Alongside the users. You work for blizzard?

 

[Grape_Bullion]

Firstly, someone is not "entitled" for wanting a brand new product to work correctly right away.
Secondly, for some reason in the gaming industry, the customers have the smallest voice out of all concerned parties, in my opinion. Serious attempts to change what we see as wrong with gaming usually fall on deaf ears. The only real "voting" power we have in the industry are in public forums and review sites. It's childish and will most likely get nothing done to fix problems, but it's our only way to voice criticism in a way that gets attention.

 

[pure.Wasted]

I think the hatred is this: "you force me to be online even though I don't need the online features to play, and now the game doesn't work at all unless the online is fine". It's probably not the last time the game is unaccessible. Things happen, then you're fucked. For no good reason either.

But you do need the online features to play. Stop thinking that this is a single player game to any degree. It is not a single player game. There is a story, but this story takes place in a fully or at least quasi-multiplayer environment. There is no story in a single player environment, where you are completely segregated from other players. There is no way to play this game without being affected to some degree by others.

That's why I will agree that the server downtime is absolutely an inconvenience... albeit a tiny one compared to the whole experience you will have with Diablo 3. I'm not saying you're not ALLOWED to rate it a 0, just that unless you never pick it up again, that will be in no way an accurate representation of your actual experience with the game.

Blizzard saw success and decided to try and ride the wave. Its not the first or the last time it will happen. Reading through most of the reviews, people are legitimately pissed about specific aspects of the game. Its not just a bomb session. Blizzard has actually screwed up, BIGTIME. I figure the professional reviews haven't showed up yet, because they are still having trouble accessing the game to make the review.

Professional reviewers aren't playing the game now, they played it last week and before, when it was them and them alone using up all that server space. So, no, it's highly unlikely that they're "having trouble accessing the game."

Regardless of nerdragers' dreams and hopes and speculations.

Funny most of the reviews that I have seen were posted today. Alongside the users. You work for blizzard?

Yes, because reviewers post up their reviews the moment they finish playing a game. The words magically appear on the page.

Lol@ "anyone who disagrees with me must be a corporate stooge" logic. I'm not even buying Diablo 3. The game doesn't interest me.

I can still call idiocy and hypocrisy as I see it.

 

[Antari]

I think the hatred is this: "you force me to be online even though I don't need the online features to play, and now the game doesn't work at all unless the online is fine". It's probably not the last time the game is unaccessible. Things happen, then you're fucked. For no good reason either.

But you do need the online features to play. Stop thinking that this is a single player game to any degree. It is not a single player game. There is a story, but this story takes place in a fully or at least quasi-multiplayer environment. There is no story in a single player environment, where you are completely segregated from other players. There is no way to play this game without being affected to some degree by others.

That's why I will agree that the server downtime is absolutely an inconvenience... albeit a tiny one compared to the whole experience you will have with Diablo 3. I'm not saying you're not ALLOWED to rate it a 0, just that unless you never pick it up again, that will be in no way an accurate representation of your actual experience with the game.

Blizzard saw success and decided to try and ride the wave. Its not the first or the last time it will happen. Reading through most of the reviews, people are legitimately pissed about specific aspects of the game. Its not just a bomb session. Blizzard has actually screwed up, BIGTIME. I figure the professional reviews haven't showed up yet, because they are still having trouble accessing the game to make the review.

Professional reviewers aren't playing the game now, they played it last week and before, when it was them and them alone using up all that server space. So, no, it's highly unlikely that they're "having trouble accessing the game."

Regardless of nerdragers' dreams and hopes and speculations.

Funny most of the reviews that I have seen were posted today. Alongside the users. You work for blizzard?

Yes, because reviewers post up their reviews the moment they finish playing a game. The words magically appear on the page.

Lol@ "anyone who disagrees with me must be a corporate stooge" logic. I'm not even buying Diablo 3. The game doesn't interest me.

I can still call idiocy and hypocrisy as I see it.

Most of the reviewer's comment they've only got a few hours into the game, either due to release, or current problems. Keep your insults to yourself and read up on forum rules.

 

[pure.Wasted]

Most of the reviewer's comment they've only got a few hours into the game, either due to release, or current problems. Keep your insults to yourself and read up on forum rules.

Who have I insulted? I said I am allowed to call idiocy as I see it, not that you're an idiot. I also mentioned hypocrisy. Presumably in-between cases are fair game, too!

I don't yet see a single review of Diablo 3 up on metacritic, so I'm not sure where you're getting yours.

 

[Limecake]

I don't know why people are saying the game isn't working I've been playing since as soon as I got home with absolutely no issues so far.

The servers had issues an hour or two after release, it doesn't make the game unplayable.

the servers had a little downtime doesn't give people who hate the always online DRM every reason to blast the game. It's a good game! much better than Diablo 2 was and I loved Diablo 2.

If you refuse to play the game fine, it doesn't change my enjoyment of the game. But going online to rage about how you hate 'always online crap' doesn't make sense.

 

[zombieshark6666]

I think the hatred is this: "you force me to be online even though I don't need the online features to play, and now the game doesn't work at all unless the online is fine". It's probably not the last time the game is unaccessible. Things happen, then you're fucked. For no good reason either.

But you do need the online features to play. Stop thinking that this is a single player game to any degree. It is not a single player game. There is a story, but this story takes place in a fully or at least quasi-multiplayer environment. There is no story in a single player environment, where you are completely segregated from other players. There is no way to play this game without being affected to some degree by others.

That's why I will agree that the server downtime is absolutely an inconvenience... albeit a tiny one compared to the whole experience you will have with Diablo 3. I'm not saying you're not ALLOWED to rate it a 0, just that unless you never pick it up again, that will be in no way an accurate representation of your actual experience with the game.

Heh, from my limited understanding, clicky games were always single-player centric to some degree. Anyway, since we won't buy the game either way, I'll let more knowledgeable gamers voice their opinion. I take user reviews as "consumer satisfaction" and pro reviews as big name charlatans, so it's all mostly entertainment anyway.

 

[culpeo]

Perhaps they should consider implementing a delay before users can score the games to hedge against this sort of thing. It's not like players who already own the game are letting user reviews influence a purchasing decision they've already made.

 

[Antari]

Most of the reviewer's comment they've only got a few hours into the game, either due to release, or current problems. Keep your insults to yourself and read up on forum rules.

Who have I insulted? I said I am allowed to call idiocy as I see it, not that you're an idiot. I also mentioned hypocrisy. Presumably in-between cases are fair game, too!

I don't yet see a single review of Diablo 3 up on metacritic, so I'm not sure where you're getting yours.

If that was an open post I'd believe you. But as a directed quote, not so much. Read up on the forum rules, they will give you some insight.

And its called Google...

 

[pure.Wasted]

Most of the reviewer's comment they've only got a few hours into the game, either due to release, or current problems. Keep your insults to yourself and read up on forum rules.

Who have I insulted? I said I am allowed to call idiocy as I see it, not that you're an idiot. I also mentioned hypocrisy. Presumably in-between cases are fair game, too!

I don't yet see a single review of Diablo 3 up on metacritic, so I'm not sure where you're getting yours.

If that was an open post I'd believe you. But as a directed quote, not so much. Read up on the forum rules, they will give you some insight.

You're obviously having some trouble reading my posts (is that an insult as well?) so let me clarify once again: someone who scores this game "0" for their first 10 hours of exposure to it, and then goes on to play it for months and has fun with it is a hypocrite. If they do this because they are blinded by nerdrage, they are also an idiot. With me so far? Here's the important part:

I'm talking about Metacritic reviewers, not you. I quoted you because you, too, were talking about Metacritic reviewers.

And its called Google...

I take back what I said about them playing during the week prior. Obviously you were right. And obviously this is a silly move on Blizzard's part, considering they could have bumped up their own review scores by giving the reviewers access to how the game WILL eventually play, as opposed to how it actually plays during the first day+.

And obviously these reviews aren't complete. That's why they're not up on metacritic: so far they are meaningless. Corporate stooges that game journalists might be, they still seem to understand that you actually have to play a game (that you're going to be playing) before giving it a score.

So as for your early pronouncement that "Blizzard has actually screwed up, BIGTIME" which started this entire mess? Still as premature as before. You can certainly HOPE that this lands them a score of 7.5 and no one buys the expansion pack... but I wouldn't bet a nickel on it, let alone my online reputation in a single thread on a single forum.

 

[DustyDrB]

I'm against always online (though Diablo III and that kind of game in general don't interest me), but Metacritic bombing is just dumb. Review scores have always been pretty irrelevant to me, but now user reviews in general on sites like Metacritic and Amazon have lost all their credibility.

 

[Antari]

Most of the reviewer's comment they've only got a few hours into the game, either due to release, or current problems. Keep your insults to yourself and read up on forum rules.

Who have I insulted? I said I am allowed to call idiocy as I see it, not that you're an idiot. I also mentioned hypocrisy. Presumably in-between cases are fair game, too!

I don't yet see a single review of Diablo 3 up on metacritic, so I'm not sure where you're getting yours.

If that was an open post I'd believe you. But as a directed quote, not so much. Read up on the forum rules, they will give you some insight.

You're obviously having some trouble reading my posts (is that an insult as well?) so let me clarify once again: someone who scores this game "0" for their first 10 hours of exposure to it, and then goes on to play it for months and has fun with it is a hypocrite. If they do this because they are blinded by nerdrage, they are also an idiot. With me so far? Here's the important part:

I'm talking about Metacritic reviewers, not you. I quoted you because you, too, were talking about Metacritic reviewers.

And its called Google...

I take back what I said about them playing during the week prior. Obviously you were right. And obviously this is a silly move on Blizzard's part, considering they could have bumped up their own review scores by giving the reviewers access to how the game WILL eventually play, as opposed to how it actually plays during the first day+.

And obviously these reviews aren't complete. That's why they're not up on metacritic: so far they are meaningless. Corporate stooges that game journalists might be, they still seem to understand that you actually have to play a game (that you're going to be playing) before giving it a score.

So as for your early pronouncement that "Blizzard has actually screwed up, BIGTIME" which started this entire mess? Still as premature as before. You can certainly HOPE that this lands them a score of 7.5 and no one buys the expansion pack... but I wouldn't bet a nickel on it, let alone my online reputation in a single thread on a single forum.

Then direct it at who its refering to, quoting me with no reference directs it at me. We are not psychic out here.

Yes, Blizzard has screwed up, BIGTIME. Meaning worse than they ever have before. As for any of this affecting sales, I have to agree with you there. They will still make money on it, regardless of how badly they screw up.

 

[masticina]

They are userscores

It isn't as if those mean allot.

Still it is what it is I am sure it won't negatively effect Diablo III in the end.

 

[Limecake]

there are a couple 'first world problem' memes I could see coming out of this.

"I couldn't play diablo 3 the first hour it was released" "I have to be online to play Diablo by myself"

It's not really a surprise is it? it was announced ages ago that it would be always online. If you don't support that idea you don't have to buy it, just don't expect others who aren't bothered by 'always online' to be up in arms about it.

I really don't want this to turn into another ME3

 

[Vault101]

well I gues its a "protest" against the always online thing

can't say I entirly disagree

 

[pure.Wasted]

Yes, Blizzard has screwed up, BIGTIME. Meaning worse than they ever have before. As for any of this affecting sales, I have to agree with you there. They will still make money on it, regardless of how badly they screw up.

Well you're using a creative definition for "screw up," then, at the very least. If we agree that they'll make tons of money, and continue to make tons of money, in what way are they screwing up, really?

Every single launch of WoW and its expansions has been plagued by crashes, disconnects, and lag spikes. We're talking about a fairly routine event since 2004. Despite this, SC2 enjoyed tremendous critical success and sales, as did Diablo 3.

Clearly people don't perceive server instability at launch to be the precursor of a company's downfall. Or did you have something else in mind?