By withholding code until a late stage then (be it through design or ineptitude), a PR can force a journalist to rely on marketing hype and information to fill the gaps in their knowledge of the game when writing copy. In this way, control of the critical reaction is shifted back to the PR in a subtle and (arguably) legitimate way.
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GameSetWatch’s “Chewing Pixels” columnist Simon Parkin on how the impact of limited access to AAA games before they ship can lead to unwarranted hype.
How different is this from TV critics raving about Season One of “Lost” based on a pilot and a few subsequent episodes, only to have the seeds of its unravelling planted later in that same season? To counter this, reviewers and critics need to push for earlier access; be transparent about the circumstances under which they played the game; and be unafraid to reconsider initial reactions after further reflection.
