Tue, May 13, 2008 | 07:23 BST

Gametrailers: GRID video blunder was a “mistake”

Speaking to Joystiq, GameTrailers’ EIC, Shane Satterfield, has gone on the record to say that the borked comparison video that compared PS3 footage to PS3 footage – while claiming one was the 360 game – was a simple error.

“It was a mistake in our post-production process,” he said. “After we captured the footage from both versions, some of the footage of the PlayStation 3 version of the game was incorrectly placed in the bin for the Xbox 360 footage. Our video editor on this particular project is not a games person and completely overlooked the fact that he had the wrong footage in the wrong place.”

As we said at the time, shit happens. More through the link.

20 comments

#1

DrDamn
13/05/08, 9:19 am

Still doesn’t do it for me. Seems they set out to prove a point by comparing good crashes to shit crashes. Also very poor is that they then handed over the footage to an editor who “isn’t a games person” to effectively put the “article” together.

Bottom line is that there was never an intention to compare like with like.

#2

patlike
13/05/08, 9:21 am

I’ve got to be honest, I’d be flat-out amazed if this was intentional.

#3

DrDamn
13/05/08, 10:24 am

There is some deception in there – there can’t not be. The vids they ended up including show the PS3 has just as big crashes as the 360 version – so what was the point in creating the vid/comparison in the first place if not to stir up interest and get hits? At the very least a staff member thought there was a difference and then set about “proving” his theory by whatever means necessary.

#4

patlike
13/05/08, 10:29 am

It’s pretty much standard to compare version now though, isn’t it? You can’t blame them for trying to generate traffic, I don’t reckon. But yeah, the crashes were hardly the same. It wasn’t the best thought out thing in the world, really :)

#5

DrDamn
13/05/08, 12:21 pm

I can blame them for trying to generate traffic through deception or even just stupidity. :) . Yes it generates traffic but comparison pieces and constant non-stories designed to fan flames have been detrimental to EuroGamer IMO.

#6

patlike
13/05/08, 12:32 pm

Do you really think the comparison stuff’s a problem on EG? Can just skip over it if you don’t like it, surely?

#7

DrDamn
13/05/08, 12:41 pm

It’s not the content itself but the people it attracts to the comments threads. They then spill over into other threads and very few are not filled with pointless trolling and flamefests.

Providing comparison is a useful service, but what would actually be useful is if EG just updated existing reviews with a short comparison piece at the end and let people know they’d been updated.

#8

patlike
13/05/08, 12:48 pm

Interesting…

#9

morriss
13/05/08, 12:50 pm

But then the comments for that small news section saying “review-x” has been updated will just be filled with the same types of comments. I reckon it’s better to keep the idiots all in one place myself.

#10

DrDamn
13/05/08, 1:31 pm

They don’t stay in one place though. Once rivalries have been established people will follow others around the other comments threads – clicking on user and then recent comments helps this “flame-stalking”.

#11

Blerk
13/05/08, 1:37 pm

Yeah, the EG comments section is basically dead to me now. Nobody comes to discuss, everybody just comes to shout louder than everyone else. Those comparison articles absolutely do not help, indeed the positively encourage it.

#12

morriss
13/05/08, 1:39 pm

They wouldn’t be so bad if the PS3 actually won a few every now and then. Blame Sony. :)

#13

Psychotext
13/05/08, 1:42 pm

Blerk: They fantastic for seeing the trolls in their true environment though. You can lose about a third of the comments through ignores. =)

#14

patlike
13/05/08, 1:44 pm

Blerk: You still use the forum a lot though, right?

#15

Blerk
13/05/08, 1:47 pm

Not half as much as I used to since this site opened. :-D

#16

patlike
13/05/08, 1:48 pm

“My work here is done.”

;)

#17

DrDamn
13/05/08, 2:01 pm

Same here as Blerk. Used to use EG forum/comments a lot more but have been driven to find more pleasant places to get my gaming info. Like here for example :-)

#18

patlike
13/05/08, 2:03 pm

That’s very good to know. I just hope it doesn’t get “corrupted” as it gets bigger.

#19

morriss
13/05/08, 2:06 pm

It’s what comes with success and is largely unavoidable. for any site to be successful you need thousand of people visiting each day. You unfortunately can’t pick and choose who these people are.

if you start banning the kids, they’ll simply move on and go somewhere else which is bad for business.

#20

patlike
13/05/08, 2:15 pm

I’m anti-ban. I don’t like it. The only reason anyone would get banned is if they were making the site literally unusable.

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