In another move toward limiting the freedom of the games press to convey facts to readers, Stephen Totilo over at MTV Multiplayer has posted reports that Konami is requesting that reviewers not mention certain technical details about Metal Gear Solid 4 in reviews. Those details, however, have already been leaked. Specifically, Konami is rumored to have asked reviewers not to mention the length of the game’s cut-scenes or the size of the ever-controversial installation on the PlayStation 3.
As Totilo points out, Kotaku already covered these supposedly verboten topics a few weeks ago:
A couple of weeks ago, gaming blog Kotaku posted back-to-back links about the two supposedly off-limits topics. The size of the game’s installation was spotted on the “MGS4″ box. The other was a disputed report about the length of the cut-scenes.
So that technical information — accurate or not, I don’t know — is getting out there. And that information about the game has been acknowledged by Eurogamer, which ran an “MGS4″ review that mentions both things.
It is common for companies to specify specific plot elements that it would prefer reviewers not divulge in their reviews. It is, after all, considered in bad form to post spoilers for movies or video games, so this doesn’t seem inappropriate to me. But if this report is true, Konami is stepping over a line in trying to dictate what reviewers can and can’t say about the game. If I were to receive a request like that, I would have to respectfully decline such a caveat for an early review copy, and I’d just post the review a bit later. I understand that it may seem like minor details, but the game company shouldn’t be controlling reviews in any form. Or is my naivety showing?
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