The new multiplayer game Bleeding Edge (PC, Xbox One) has released a new accolades trailer that differs from the usual trailers of its kind. It uses quotes from fans on Twitter and Discord instead of review reports. When it comes to reviews that appear on Metacritic, Bleeding Edge currently has a rather mediocre standing.
This is the situation: The multiplayer game Bleeding Edge by Ninja Theory was released on March 24 for Xbox One X and on Steam. In this colorful third-person brawler, you control a hero character with unique abilities. The heroes process each other into mush in an arena.
A accolades trailer for Bleeding Edge has now been released on YouTube, utilizing praise quotes gathered from fans on Twitter and Discord.
The approach of highlighting the opinions of fans from Twitter and Discord for Bleeding Edge led to a number of negative comments under the video across various channels.
According to the sarcastic comments on YouTube, Bleeding Edge received such poor reviews that no positive quotes from major publications could be found for the trailer. Thus, the accolades trailer used quotes from “fanboys” to present a more favorable image than it is.
Moreover, some quotes used in the trailer could not be traced back. For instance, the Twitter accounts of @JPSHRACERGAMING and @JordanJaner do not yield matching quotes in the feeds. However, the tweet from Euphie (via Twitter) is available.
It is noticeable that the three quoted are not “huge influencers,” but rather have 87 followers, 139 followers, and 496 followers on Twitter. In terms of reviews that land on Metacritic, Bleeding Edge indeed has a rather mediocre standing.
This practice of quoting enthusiastic fans is less common and recognized than ratings from major gaming magazines. However, it is also not a newly introduced method solely used for Bleeding Edge, as some have claimed.
“Fan Accolades Trailers” are less known
Where else has this been done? It is not the first time that Ninja Theory has used fan quotes in their accolades trailers. While the accolades videos for Devil May Cry 2010 still included ratings from gaming magazines, nothing of the sort is seen in the corresponding trailer for Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
Instead, we find in the accolades trailer for Hellblade quotes from enthusiastic fans recounting their experiences with the game and expressing their gratitude. The trailer has 3,300 upvotes and only 82 downvotes on Sony’s YouTube account (as of April 25, 2020, 16:16).
Which companies do this as well? Ninja Theory is not the only one utilizing the concept of fan quotes in their accolades trailers. Other major companies and publishers have also resorted to this method in the past. These include Square Enix and Sony.
In some of these trailers, the playtime of users from whom the quotes originate was also mentioned.
How the reviews for Bleeding Edge turned out
The reviews for Bleeding Edge were indeed rather mediocre. On Metacritic, the game received:
- a Metascore of 67 and a user score of 6.3 for Xbox One
- on PC, the reviews achieved a Metascore of 61 and a user score of 5.3
In the 33 mediocre reviews for Bleeding Edge, the lack of game mods, characters, and gameplay depth was criticized. It was noted that the game has a lot of potential and is fun in the initial hours.
In the first few hours, Bleeding Edge is a blast and is definitely worth it if you have the Xbox Game Pass. But it currently lacks enough depth to sustain itself over time.
Conclusion by Trusted Reviews
Our colleagues from GamePro gave the game a rating of 60%, of which 10% were deducted at the end due to regular stuttering and crashes. This resulted in a final score of 50%. In his conclusion, Sebastian Zeitz wrote:
Bleeding Edge has its moments where I really had fun, but it doesn’t motivate me for more than a short round. For that, the rewards in the game and the feeling of getting better are lacking.
On Steam, Bleeding Edge fares better. Of the 1137 reviews for the game (as of April 25, 2020, 16:16), 74% are positive.
If you want to try Bleeding Edge, you can do so relatively cheaply, as the game is available in the Xbox Game Pass. Otherwise, the MeinMMO community currently recommends these games in the Game Pass.
