GameSpot gave Marathon a 9 while the URL still said review-in-progress.

The first evidence bag is the URL itself: 'marathon-review-in-progress-incredible-highs-painful-lows.' Then GameSpot walks into court, straightens its tie, and hands the judge a 9/10 like a toddler submitting a tax return in crayon. A review-in-progress with a near-masterpiece score is not criticism; it is a calculator falling down the stairs and somehow landing on 'Superb.' The math aint mathing.