Here's why you can be confident that there are no money hats or outside influence at Nintendo World Report.
We have used the same process for reviews since our very first reviews of import GBA games in early 2001. I oversaw the development of this process (although not the review format itself) and gained more and more influence as time went on, because my ideas seemed to work and make everyone happy. I know this is a good system, because I hear praise for it from our staff members who worked at other websites before coming to NWR, and I also hear praise from former staff members who have moved on to work at professional websites and magazines.
Here's why NWR reviews are tamper-proof:
- We are 100% independent – not owned by a corporation, not affiliated with a game retailer or publisher, not beholden to investors, and not even part of a network with other gaming sites. Our only responsibility is to you, the reader.
- Editors never change articles against the author's will. All changes and suggestions made during the editing process are tracked and explained to the author and are up for discussion. This goes for everything, from comma placement to final score.
- The author has final say over every single word in his or her review, and in fact the author directly posts his or her review to the website.
- Our reviews do not represent, nor claim to represent, the views of the entire staff. As editor, I am not concerned with whether I agree or disagree with the review. All I care about is the writing quality, thoroughness, fairness, and self-consistency. If another staff member vehemently disagrees with a review or just wants to give a different perspective with a similar conclusion, he or she is encouraged to write a second review.
- Publishers' public relations agents are not involved whatsoever in the editorial process. If someone at the publisher has a problem with the review after it is online, we may offer to write a second review (in addition to the first, not replacing it) with the disclaimer that it could be the same or more critical than the first.
- Our entire staff works for free, including editors and the Director. We have nothing to gain or lose by inciting controversy for its own sake. We have no job security to jeopardize or protect. No person has ever been removed from the staff over a review.
For all the reasons above, you can rest assured that NWR takes its integrity, particularly with reviews, more seriously than anything else we do. You may not always agree with our reviews, but at least you'll know that they are our honest opinions.
Jonathan Metts, Reviews Editor