Gaming coverage in newspapers is starting to find its footing alongside other, more established entertainment features, though its a far cry from the quality of content or dedication exhausted by specialist publications and a number of online outlets (some of which are actually associated the daily rags.) Though The Sun may not appear on our front page as often as the Star, it has still adopted an anti-gaming stance from time to time, despite propping up a frequent video game column.

Helmed by editor Lee Price, today’s gaming coverage saw what would appear to be one of the world’s first reviews for upcoming Rockstar title, Max Payne 3, The Sun awarding it a suspicious 3.5 out of 5. The section which writer Jean-Claude Suttun had played however was just a single player demonstration and obviously not representative of the full game, prompting industry-savvy readers to respond. The Sun later amended its web version of the story with the following statement:

– ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW –

Clarification: In the paper this morning, you will’ve noticed that we gave Max Payne a score of ‘3.5’ – or 70% as it’d be online. We’d like to clarify that this was a mistake, and that we have NOT reviewed nor marked the game yet, and won’t do so until May 18th, its release.

70% is by no means a bad score, though for a majority of casual gamers it will have connotations of “probably not as good as CoD or FIFA,” which many who have seen the game will know is probably an unfair observation. Though the “review” won’t have a major impact on public perception, it could still sway a number of would-be buyers and highlights The Sun’s care-free approach to video game coverage. We probably wouldn’t see the same mistake happy when reviewing a blockbuster such The Avengers or the next Adele album, eh?