As someone who took up journalism and works in the games industry as well, I think I'd be offended by that too.

:(

On the bright side, I definitely think you're the better man by not calling for an all out ban on the blog that was asking for your glowing opinion. :)
 

It's not obvious to me they were looking for a fake review. I didn't see anything that said what you wrote had to be favorable. :-) I mean, do you consider a hardware reviewer to lack integrity because a manufacturer sends them a product they can keep after the review? I'm not saying it wasn't shady as presented, but as long as you go the route of full disclosure I don't see the ethical dilemma.
 

What sometimes irritates me more are the glowing reviews that aren't paid for. Where you know the writer's just a fanboy who doesn't even consider the possibility that there could be even one thing wrong with said game.
 

I take it then Tobold that there is no truth in the rumour that you are getting a hefty pay off from Turbine for ditching WOW in favour of Lotro :D
 

I've always wondered if Penny Arcade plugs games for cash.

I'm talking about the really obscure titles, like Puzzle Quest, or the ocassional online store they mention.
 

I don't know about Penny Arcade, but I have to say that I found the PC demo version of Puzzle Quest incredibly addicting. And the DS version was seriously back-ordered, and apparently being stolen to boot, which suggests it is just one of those games that is thriving on word of mouth for good reason.
 

Its like getting a script for a movie that you dont want to be in. No big deal if its not what you want to get paid for.

As for taking sides in the RMT struggle it might not be bad if you have an opinion for or against it. Lately in WoW the "gold spam" has increased 10x, and that doesnt happen unless it is actually effective in some way or another. There are people who are out there that pay them, and pay to get their time/value advantage from it.
 

As for taking sides in the RMT struggle it might not be bad if you have an opinion for or against it.

I do have an opinion, but it's not a simple black/white one like many people have. I totally agree that botting, gold spam, and people getting hacked to sell their virtual goods is a bad thing. I just don't think that RMT itself is a bad thing. If RMT wasn't forbidden by the game companies, it would be operated by legit companies, and not by the scum that is doing it now. Some kid selling EQ2 gold legally on the Station Exchange I don't mind at all. Not everybody connected to RMT is evil.

Just like I don't hold Pfizer responsible for the scum filling my mail-box with Viagra spam, it is just the restricted availability of that pill that pushes it and scam versions of it into the black market. Many people just see some of the negative consequences and don't realize that they aren't inherently part of the thing, they only appear through other circumstances.

But nuanced distinctions don't sell well on the internet. And so I prefer not to take sides. And in many cases I'm simply unable to tell whether a gold seller is a legit business, just trying to make a buck out of giving people what they want, or whether it is a shady company getting their gold via keyloggers and ripping other people off. I'm sure both versions exist, but I can't tell them apart. So no advertising for any of them from me.
 

The scamming and ripping each other off was one of the major personality traits of Diablo 2 for a long time. Perhaps still is...

Helping gold-farmers advertise would be awkward for a blog site tho imo...? not sure why they would even ask. Maybe when they type in WoW fansite tobold's blog appears...
 

Companys wouldnt pay out to the media just for good reviews..that would be too obvious..businesses are smarter than that..what happens is that websites like this one are created by fans of the game and whomever produces the most interest is offered a job or special attention...becasue lets face it..bandwith isnt cheap and gamers with capable rigs to play mmrpgs arnt poor..Tobold isnt in bed with turbine over money...he wants to be hired for a PR role so he be part of a company that makes online games..honestly inst that any gamers dream job ?
 

Lol. funny comment mbp :P i think Tobold just had enough of Blizzards lack of attention to its RPers and customers in general

Tobold is right as usual. There are some forms of selling cyber cash that are fair and should be legit. When i give up WOW and move to AoC i hope to sell my account to pass it on to some1 else. Would be a waste to erase countless hours of "work" when i could earn a few bob for it. I feel that Blizz owe me after the poor customer service they have given me all these years.

But personally i disprove of ALL websites selling Gold or Power lvl runs. They damage economy and stability within a realm and once farmers target a realm there can be serious inflation. Causing investments to lose value.

Account selling should be made a legit transaction by Blizzard itself. It would allow them to monitor account closures without losing their income. This ability to keep track of accounts will aid them, while also allowing people to purchase what they want rather than work for it through playing the game.

OFC Blizzard are too high and mighty to think that they should worry about account sales as they have what.... 8 billion accounts? Im looking 4ward to see Blizzard continue to make a IBM mistake, coz if wow falls its gonna have a major affect on all of us MMO players and will be an exciting time indeed.
 

Now I am the biggest skeptic out there, and I apologise if it was all above board, but I always got the feeling that the hype about Puzzle Quest was a little too thick on it.

I played that game and personally I thought it was mud. The actual puzzle gameplay was too slow.

Tobold, would love to know if you are still playing this one as rigerously as you stated before...
 

I think puzzle games just aren't for everybody. I still like Puzzle Quest a lot, and it's still the game I play whenever I play on my PSP. But then I only play on my PSP when I can't play a MMORPG on my PC, for example on a train. I seriously doubt that Puzzle Quest was pushed by any sort of payment to Penny Arcade or anyone else. It is just one of these games that are instantly addictive, and are good in spite of coming from a small game company.

I'm certainly not getting any payment from Turbine or anyone else. I don't know why people even have to comment any more when players leave one game for another. That is just the normal burnout, and doesn't really tell you much about the quality of one game or the other. I bet there aren't so many games in your life that you played for over 2 years.
 

Oh dear- before you or Turbine decide to sue me for libel can I clarify that my comment was an (obviously poor) attempt at humour. I know full well you are playing lotro for the fun of it pure and simple.

I am a lotro player myself for heaven's sake and I am delighted that you discuss more than one game in you rblog Tobold.
 

Ever gone on Amazon and seen reviews giving a product 5 stars before it's even been released?
I wonder how many of those reviews are genuine.
 

You could have asked them to pay you NOT to link them to this blog entry...
 

This is extremely common. Just read many auto reviews that appear in non-car magazines, such as a "lifestyle" magazine. Sure they don't actually pay the writer, but they fly him out to a resort location, put him in a nice hotel, pay for fancy dinners, and let him drive the new car around for the weekend. Then he writes a glowing review.

It is certainly not journalism, but then, I am pretty down on most news media anyway.
 

A little known secret about computer software companies is when they send out free software to various review sites they sometimes include a “self review”. If the product is from a small publisher the review site does not spend a lot of time doing a complete review and saves time in write up by barrowing from this self review. A careful observer of a lesser known software could find reviews very similar in style and wording.
 

That's pretty amusing. As a new webpage owner person I have only recently started seeing how many crazies come out of the woodwork once they think they can make a buck off you.

Asking us for paid ads like this is a new one though. I suppose it is better than them trying to hint at it. At least they are honest in their sleaze, heh.

I definately understand wanting to stay out of the goldselling issue. I find those involved in that 'business' pretty sleazy and their marketing tactics vulgar. The whole process is even questionable in its legality. It really comes down to who 'owns' that gold. Is is the company that pays the servers or the person who plays the characters. If you don't own it, then selling it is illegal.

Oh, did you get the paypal advance for your fine words about our maps?

JUST KIDDING folks, he found us actually, not the other way around. Pushing myself on others has met with absolutely NO success, so I am going to just wait till people find us and THEN talk to them if they like us.