Shout out to the only honest critic review on Metacritic!

It's not that games journalism is flawless (lmao obviously not) but the average user on this Reddit clearly has no clue about it (you seem far better informed for what it's worth). Some people seem to genuinely think that EA slips $200 into everyone's accounts and say: "We better see a good review tomorrow. *hint hint*"

Like wtf lmao, like they even care enough to risk something like that. Many of these reviews aren't great (and no, not just because they scored the game well) but that isn't because EA is pushing them to be positive. Many games journalists just aren't overly critical or analytical for that matter. I guarantee most of these guys just played the game casually for 10-20 hours, had a fun time, and moved on with their lives. Some editors may pressure writers to be more positive (for the reasons you stated) but I've found that most I've worked for aren't overly bothered.

/r/battlefield2042 Thread Parent Link - i.redd.it