Microsoft Buying Review Scores For Halo 3
Ever wonder why the most generic first person shooter ever made scores 9′s and 10′s at every gaming publication and website? Well a reviewer for The San Jose Mercury News is exposing what he calls Microsoft’s “propaganda campaign” showing the $800 bundle of free gifts he was sent by Microsoft to review the game positively.
On the newspapers video podcast he displays the payola for all of San Jose to see. They start off with the cutesy stuff like the duffel bag, dog tags, some fake MRE’s, and a medkit, but then it starts to get expensive with a Master Chief display helmet, Halo branded headset, two 360 controllers, and to top it all off the Halo 3 Edition Xbox 360! Yes, I guess Microsoft figured game reviewers wouldn’t have access to an Xbox 360, perhaps it’s just a spare for getting past the midgame red ring of death.
Calling the gifts “nothing less than a bribe” the reviewer from The San Jose Mercury News will be sending it all back to Microsoft, no word yet on what 1up, Gamespot, and IGN will be doing with their Halo 3 Edition Bags Of Money, I assume they’ll be keeping them in their Gears Of War Branded Two Story Houses.