http://arstechnica.com/journals/thum...vertised-title
http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/11/...ot-inside.html
Haven't posted in a while, and thought I would start some discussion on this in the FIRST community, even though it is gaming.
Thoughts: though yes, one of the sponsors of the site made the game he reviewed, I think it is incredibly important that #1. Sponsors sponsor for name recognition/advertising space and #2. should never interfere with the primary function of what they are sponsoring.
In short, as a former gamer and former (a couple years ago) subscriber of Game Informer magazine, I was pretty shocked that this sort of thing happened even if #1. the reasons are still rumor, and #2. I never go to GameSpot on a regular basis, but if I were to for a review, could I trust that it was done without any mudding up of the examination???
-Joe