Eurogamer finally posts Darkfall re-review, game now 4/10

Hands up who remembers the Darkfall/Eurogamer scuffle about a certain low score? If you didn't and just to recap: reviewer Ed Zitron gave the game 2/10 and dev Tasos let forth his unhappiness with a vengeance. He accused Zitron of only having played the game for a few hours, most of which were spent designing characters or screenshotting. Eurogamer's editor-in-chief, Tom Bramwell, then promised to re-review the game, this time entrusting journalist Kieron Gillen with what had to be a very unenviable task.

I admit to taking a personal interest in this since the story broke; like many other British games journalists I've done a stint writing reviews for Eurogamer and I know both Ed and Kieron both professionally and personally. Indeed within the British games industry, Kieron Gillen is something of a minor celebrity whose opinion is trusted and respected.

So fast forward, Darkfall is out officially and everyone had just about forgotten the whole kerfuffle. Earlier today, they finally posted an epic (and very entertaining) four page review which has to rank as one of the longest the site has ever run.

It's not just a review, but a glimpse into the process and the scandal surrounding the last review (in the form of witty interludes). It's also the time when Gillen explains why editors should back up their journalists which is quite revealing for those of you who do not work as professional games reviewers.

At the end of the day though, not much has changed. The game is awarded 4/10, which is probably not the marked improvement Aventurine were expecting, but I'm quite curious to find out what the company will make of it.