Gamespot: Brief 9.5 for GTA IV was a 'bug'
by Kyle Orland 
{ Apr 30th 2008 at 12:30PM }
Given the flood of perfect review scores for Grand Theft Auto IV, observant gamers were justifiably surprised when a score of 9.5/10 briefly appeared on Gamespot.com Monday. That surprise turned to confusion in some quarters when the score (which had no accompanying review) was quickly taken down and later replaced with the fifth 10/10 in Gamespot's history (complete with corresponding review text). Message boards and some blogs jumped at the change, throwing around charges of "review fixing" and alluding to Gamespot's recent Gerstmann-related credibility problems.
Don't go running for your pitchforks and torches just yet, though. According to a forum post by Gamespot's Aaron Thomas, the briefly displayed 9.5 was just a pre-production glitch and never an official review score. "We never posted a review with the score of 9.5," Thomas writes. "What you saw was a bug that sometimes causes scores to appear on the site before reviews go live. Sometimes that score is correct, sometimes it isn't. In this case, it wasn't." Nothing to see here, folks. Move it along. Save your indignation for the thugs trying to push Niko around.
(full disclosure: I write a weekly column on the game media for Gamespot)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
D_Average @ Apr 30th 2008 12:34PM
Yeah right....
Obie @ Apr 30th 2008 12:55PM
The "glich" was fixed when Rockstars check came in.
Lamespot= Epic fail
D_Average @ Apr 30th 2008 12:55PM
Speaking of Gamespot, has anyone tried watching "On The Spot" since Jeff and Ryan left? Its tuurrrrrrrible!
JakubK666 (Ninja Defence Force) @ Apr 30th 2008 1:16PM
Did they threaten to fire somebody because of that?
D_Average @ Apr 30th 2008 1:56PM
Anyone else find it funny that The Bombcast is already the 14th most popular video game podcast....far ahead of On The Spot.
DefDealer @ Apr 30th 2008 12:35PM
Hahaha...GameSpot already up to their old tricks again.
Einhanderkiller @ Apr 30th 2008 5:38PM
I actually see this bug a lot. Some games even get a score of 0.0 and are accompanied by the old five-point rubric review.
Mike @ Apr 30th 2008 12:38PM
See, this is the problem with getting caught practicing shady business / journalistic practices - it may have been a genuine mistake, but given gamespot's track record in recent history, it won't be perceived that way. Ever.
THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Apr 30th 2008 12:38PM
FUC*ING soul calibur? Tony Hawk 3 was my fav but a ten? Not exactly great company. S O U L C A L I B U R...hahahaha yoda..haa.
NATO_Duke @ Apr 30th 2008 1:29PM
Really? Seriously?
Soul Calibur got a 10 from GameSpot & IGN and praise from EGM and Famitsu who said it was perfect. So, why are you so shocked?
deadpool @ Apr 30th 2008 6:54PM
it's almost like they never played street fighter or tekken........................dot
Ninjakamster @ Apr 30th 2008 12:40PM
I still hate you Gamespot, I dunno what you can do to change that.
Ian Williams @ Apr 30th 2008 12:41PM
So where did the 9.5 come from, then? Some other game? Or is their system designed to hand out a 9.5 review if it doesn't know what it should be? They should consider changing that...
Monthenor @ Apr 30th 2008 12:53PM
Yeah, I do database work all day and "we set up the score column with a default of 9.5" is extremely suspect. Values of 0, 10, 11 or a total blank are all reasonable defaults; anything with a number after the decimal is not.
Ryan @ Apr 30th 2008 5:16PM
Exactly. If it was a "bug", I'd expect to see zero, or for that matter any number ... could be thousands, could be negative, coule even be a string of decimals like pi. Or Letters, or complete garbage ...
What I would not expect to see from a "bug" is a very plausible 9.5 and an editors choice award.
qbix @ Apr 30th 2008 12:41PM
I don't buy it. They better fix that "bug" or their credibility will go down the drain... oh wait, it already did. At least this time nobody will get fired (hopefully) :)
GamerChick @ Apr 30th 2008 12:48PM
I would actually agree more with the 9.5 score...
Jacksons @ Apr 30th 2008 1:57PM
Likewise.
nathos @ Apr 30th 2008 12:49PM
They were only 95% done cashing their check from R*
J.Goodwin @ Apr 30th 2008 12:52PM
Sometimes it's accurate, sometimes it's not, it depends on how much advertising the publisher elects to purchase after seeing the preliminary review score.
ThePremierAssassin @ Apr 30th 2008 12:53PM
Basically negotiations with Rockstar came thru in the final hour and instead of 4.5 million the company decided to fork over 9 million to the struggling website....
God is there any website that isn't compromised in this day and age by outside sources buying their good coverage?
please @ Apr 30th 2008 12:54PM
The game is as boring as ever
not ten worthy
baby sea tuna @ Apr 30th 2008 1:25PM
I'm a non-fan and I played it for about 5 or 6 hours last night and did not get bored once. There's so much to do that I barely did any of the missions in that time. Shit, I watched the TV shows in Roman's apartment for 45 minutes alone!
Raikage (LDF CRAB BATTLE!!!) @ Apr 30th 2008 1:50PM
The way I see it... is a 10 represents a game that is above and beyond any other game in it's genre... besides Oblivion, I'd say GTAIV has that title.
Am I rite?
joeyg @ Apr 30th 2008 2:23PM
i agree...the missions are the similar to past games. Running around and causing chaos is only fun for so long.
The multiplayer is pretty damn fun though.
The game has it's flaws, and is not worthy of 10...i'd go as far as a 9
Marty @ Apr 30th 2008 12:56PM
Unanimous 10/10 ratings seem suspect to me, especially since most of these sites have practically been funded by GTA advertisements over the course of the last week, and will be receiving lots and lots of traffic for it for months to come.
Where is the integrity?
Markez (MKWii 4339-2878-5120) @ Apr 30th 2008 1:15PM
Your mom's house.
*flees
killploki @ Apr 30th 2008 1:50PM
i dont see what the problem is anyways, oh no 9.5....what a horrible score.
LaughingTarget @ Apr 30th 2008 4:43PM
10 is a problem in and of itself, especially given the reasoning. Most of them say that it is the best of the series and pushes bounds for a GTA game, but doesn't that mean every sequel that happens to be better now deserves a 10?
I love this game, but it has the same, old, glaring flaws of the GTA3 trilogy. I'd give it a 9.2 unless something arrives that blows my shorts off and materializes a supermodel in my living room that wants nothing more than to jump my bone.
Eric @ Apr 30th 2008 1:00PM
I am definitely calling bullsh*t on their explanation. This is a site that was clearly bought off for the review score, and is clearly in the pocket of the publishers.
I haven't gone to Gamespot since the Kane&Lynch fiasco and won't ever look to them for credible game info.
Lonecow @ Apr 30th 2008 1:18PM
But I bet you love GameFAQs
baby sea tuna @ Apr 30th 2008 1:33PM
"But I bet you love GameFAQs
Considering his excellent grasp of grammar and punctuation, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he is *not* a frequenter of GameFAQs.
Zertoss @ Apr 30th 2008 1:42PM
At the very least, he doesn't frequent their forums.
Donald @ Apr 30th 2008 1:44PM
I resemble that remark.
GRANTED @ Apr 30th 2008 2:09PM
laughed out loud, +1 Donald
GRANTED @ Apr 30th 2008 12:59PM
Justin hit on it in the podcast --
This is a great game, but after the first few WOW hours, it's back to "oh, yeah, this is basically a lot like the other GTA," with a couple of nuances that remove it from perfection. It's still worthy of a 10, but a 9.5 is a worthy reception as well, depending on how you value things like camera, combat, driving, graphics, story, etc.
There's no shame in giving it a 9.5.
Should have stuck with the original score, avoided more backlash.
J @ Apr 30th 2008 1:05PM
and you fling poo like a monkey.
The True Gamer @ Apr 30th 2008 1:06PM
Hey Tranny, you can suck this Americans balls.
Jfk Aok @ Apr 30th 2008 1:14PM
"Hey Tranny, you can suck this american balls!?"
And there it is folks...proof of the existence of god. Randomness and science can not POSSIBLY be that ironic. It was a one in a zillion chance.
Jfk Aok @ Apr 30th 2008 1:14PM
"Hey Tranny, you can suck this american balls!?"
And there it is folks...proof of the existence of god. Randomness and science can not POSSIBLY be that ironic. It was a one in a zillion chance.
Lonecow @ Apr 30th 2008 1:14PM
I got GTA IV yesterday (as did everyone) and I love it. It's fun... but I don't really get how it is hardly any different from GTA III. I feel like I'm playing a better looking version better written game then GTA III. I don't understand how it got a 10 when every other game in the last two years that only updates slightly gets reamed by the gaming press.
Fatass of Kickassness @ Apr 30th 2008 1:25PM
What about this title is 'slightly upgraded'? On every front, be it the story, the visuals, the animation, the physics, the soundtrack... sure, they've stuck to their tried and true formula, but they've contributed enough to that formula for GTA4 to be considered more than groundbreaking. In my time with the game I've seen a level of polish I had never seen in any game outside of SMG, a cohesive story (something previous titles lacked), and a sprawling city that actually lives and breathes, with AI that does its own thing and gives a sense of a realistic environment. More realistic than any other game that I've played in my life. And if that's not an achievement, I don't know what is.
Lonecow @ Apr 30th 2008 1:34PM
I'm not saying it isn't good, but everything you mentioned is something I EXPECT with this generation of games. Maybe you haven't played many games for Xbox 360 or PS3 yet, so you haven't seen how a lot of those things you've mentioned have been done.
Have they been done in a GTA game? no. So it is great I get all that in a GTA game, but there isn't anything new here.
Awesome great game, one of the best in years. Not a 10.
tmacairjordan87 @ Apr 30th 2008 1:40PM
If it wasn't for the multiplayer I might be inclined to agree with you. I only did 1 two hour session of free mode with only 1 other person last night, but it was the most fun I've ever had in a game. I can't wait until I can get some more people in there.
Fatass of Kickassness @ Apr 30th 2008 2:26PM
"Maybe you haven't played many games for Xbox 360 or PS3 yet"
Not only do I own both of those (and a Wii at that) but I own 20-some games for my 360 and 7 PS3 games at this point. I understand that upgrades are expected, but you acted as though they were slight, and I was targeting that in my post. Sure, they aren't drastically game-changing, but they take an already-established game formula and nearly perfect it. I guess it's up to opinion on whether or not you think it's a 10. I don't, but that's because to me there's no such thing as a perfect game. A 9.8 or 9.9 though? Yeah. That's just me, though.
Lonecow @ Apr 30th 2008 2:35PM
Well I think a 10 games need to revolutionize the genre it is in. This games doesn't. But like all this that is just a matter of opinion.
But we both agree it isn't a 10 so I don't even know why we are arguing.
Also, I haven't played much of the multiplayer yet. Just deathmatch which sucked, but I expect the other modes to be awesome. I will try those out tonight.
GearsofWar @ Apr 30th 2008 1:23PM
Come on, Joystiq. At least have one of your non-Gamespot employees post a story like this. Just to keep things real. :p
Huey2k2 @ Apr 30th 2008 1:25PM
Who cares... Does anyone even go to GameSpot anymore?
Dr0ooo @ Apr 30th 2008 1:29PM
Definetly Not buying this lame story. Seriously does gamespot think we're all stupid. Considering the past year they've had I chalk this one up to being a "we didn't receive our check in the mail yet" situation. ALSO, what kind of freaking glitch causes scores to go up live on the site before the "official posting" What a Load of Crap!
Jfk Aok @ Apr 30th 2008 1:30PM
For what I've seen and played of the game...(which isn't a lot btw so there's a 1% chance the game "takes it up a notch" like people mention as you get further in)...but it's just GTA 3. It takes away stuff from san andreas...and i guess that means it's better even though that's pretty much what the original gta 3 was.
The whole sandbox thing is fun for a few hours...but to me sandbox games should be more than just "how many ways can I kill people."
Yeah, the games cinematic...but gta was ALWAYS cinematic..did you forget? They haven't touched the formula a bit. Same crappy animations and poor quality character models. The voice acting seems worse this time around...but it's still top notch AS IT ALWAYS WAS.
And the humor...man, i dunno. I LOVE the satires...and there's lots of it here in GTAIV...although again it's just more of the same. Satires don't get old though...unlike gameplay. But the lame stereotyping and cussing for the sake of cussing and blatant sexism is just the same Suburban-Junior-High Cafeteria jokes over and over again. People that like that poor excuse for writing and humor probably love Dane Cook and *!*@ too.
A GTA to me that deserves anything above a 9/10 is the one that grows up a little and at least TRIES to change the formula.
But how this games selling...I'm fairly certain 4 years from now, the process will repeat itself. And although it will be just like the others, the game will get 10.5's/10 because wow...it steps it up. What it steps up...well, the...ya know...uhh...hey look, i'm having sex in a video game!