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106 Comments
- dsmx, on 09/05/2008, -5/+46Something really needs to be done about game reviewing it is broken and actual honest reviews are few and far between. Tens and nines should be rare scores that don't appear more than once or twice a year and it at the moment they are thrown to any big title. GTA4 and halo 3 did not deserve the scores they got, halo 3 single sucked and the multiplayer was essentially the same as halo 2 so at most it should get an 8 and that's if your generous. GTA4 while a good game was not as good as GTA:SA and how game reviewers can give it 10 and 9's is beyond me. While I'll probably get dugg down for saying that about both those titles it is the truth.
- ganymede2010, on 09/05/2008, -0/+30I remember the days when it was a milestone to attain perfect 10's across the board like the Ocarina of Time did. Now these magazine writers are trigger happy to give a forgettable game a 10.
- SemiSarcastic, on 09/05/2008, -1/+30Well if the readership can't wait an extra week after the game's released for the independent groups to review and grade it, then those same people who jump for it early deserve exactly what they get, whether it's a good game or not. If you want a 100% guarantee that the game you buy doesn't suck wait for the independent groups to get a hold of it or go rental. That's really all you can do.
- WhiskeyLemur, on 06/30/2009, -1/+27Anyone who has read game reviews in the past 5 years has already come to this conclusion. The bottom line with game reviews, as with everything in life, is "know your sources" and "don't believe everything you hear." That's a no-brainer.
- captainmo77, on 09/05/2008, -1/+23Case in point Gamespot's review of Mercenaries 2. The review comes several days after its release and its scores are much lower than the rest of the gaming community.
- rjc5056, on 09/05/2008, -3/+24I can't wait for the Zero Punctuation review of Too Human.
- benologist, on 09/05/2008, -0/+20The problem's on the reviewers' side too. They want to break the news or get exclusive content about because it gets them eyeballs on ads. Their motives are purely to line their pockets, the developers' motives are to get a return on their investment.
Download the demo if you want the only review that matters before you buy a game. - captainmo77, on 09/05/2008, -0/+18I couldn't agree with you more. GTA did not deserve a 10. A 10 is reserved for perfection- meaning not a single thing needs to be improved. Same thing with Halo. It should have been in the 8 range, along with GTA. 8 is still a good rating but now when I see games with 8's I assume that aren't "GREAT".
- BotaXero, on 09/05/2008, -2/+20The same politics hold true for other reviews, too. Such as Honda & Driver.... oops I meant Car & Driver.
- weaselfingers, on 09/05/2008, -3/+21Also, half the review staff was fired immediately afterwards.
- Jsmuli2, on 09/05/2008, -0/+16This article is very interesting, and a good point is being made, thus the reason for more public comment sections.
When I go to gamespot.com I read the website's review but then also look at what people who actually own the game say, like on amazon.com. I do the same with electronics, sure Consumer Report has some good break downs but I find myself trusting Newegg.com user reviews more than anywhere else.
Once money is involved with reviewing a product there is always room for corruption, but when the review is written by someone who doesn't get paid, you get a better feel for what is expected in the product, and you can make a better decision on if you should pirate (or break into a store/house and steal) it or not. - kaelyiesta, on 09/05/2008, -2/+17Good ammunition for the argument that one should not take any review seriously until the game has been released to the public. It isn't surprising that people like Yahtzee(who have little access to unreleased products) absolutely demolish crappy games while others(who do have such access) praise the very same games. That correlation makes me skeptical that there are any genuine reviews from the later crowd.
- nickert0n, on 09/05/2008, -2/+17This is why I love Zero Punctuation, the speed in which the review is pushed out has no comparison to the value of a little rare thing I get from watching Yahtzee's rants, an HONEST OPINION.
- ericrous, on 09/05/2008, -0/+14What is needed is a "Consumer Reports" for videogames. We need a site that refuses ads from game companies and their parent companies (perhaps even all ads, period), buys their games "off the shelf" instead of accepting pre-release copies, and doesn't do interviews or accept any other perks from developers. It's the only way to be sure that you're reading an actual review and not just a glorified advertisement (Gamespot, I'm looking in your direction).
- Jsmuli2, on 09/05/2008, -0/+12How to fix the broken system: Base your decisions on the people who don't get paid to write reviews. Websites need more user reviews, not paid reviewers.
- heartsblood, on 09/05/2008, -1/+13I have completely fallen out with traditional game review sites because I can't trust them. As soon as I see the "exclusive content mark" I run away because I know it's been bought and paid for. Damn I hate how fanboyish this is going to sound but Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation really makes this point clear. If you have nothing bad to say you're not trying hard enough, and if you, the critic, can't take what you're doing seriously how can I take you seriously? I really don't care how good you think a game is, if I'm reading about it I'm obviously interested in it, I want to know what the negative aspects are so I can decide whether or not it's worth my money. Yahtzee is the only one with the balls to do that so he's the only person I trust.
- boneit, on 09/05/2008, -1/+13It's not just the last 5 years, it's always been like it. Magazines reviewing cassette based games on the zx spectrum and C64 were equally dodgy. Your Spectrum in its early days was the only honest one, they used to disassemble the games and tell you how well it was written. When the mag got more advertising, the tech reviewing angle stopped, and drooling sycophant reviews came in.
- inactive, on 09/05/2008, -1/+11Whoosh.
- Jsmuli2, on 09/05/2008, -0/+9It's not about not "like reviewing" it's about how there is this constant battle between the developers of a game and the reviewers and how both sides are cornered. But I believe that just because a big gaming website gives a game a 100% doesn't mean everyone is going to take their word and only their word.
- Unknown038, on 09/05/2008, -1/+9demos are frequently even less accurate than reviews. its easy for the devs to simply choose a particularly exciting but small portion of the game and use it as a demo. in fact, i would argue that carefully chosen segments such as those used in demos are somewhat like a publisher writing its own review.
best way to get an opinion: ask a friend that has the game
second best way: look at as many reviews as possible - SemiSarcastic, on 09/05/2008, -1/+9It shouldn't be a surprise for most people; the more popular an entertainment medium is and the more money it starts to make it eventually leads to more score gouging and "blockbuster" releases in that same medium. It happened to the movie industry, it was eventually going to happen to the video game industry too.
- TRScheel, on 09/05/2008, -2/+8Much love for Yahtzee here
- LLamaStar, on 09/05/2008, -1/+7Are you serious? The game was awful. How do you put 4 years of effort into a ***** game without stepping back an realizing how ***** it is?
- artfiend77, on 09/05/2008, -0/+6That's a ***** crock of ***** and you know it....Shigeru Miyamoto would've thrown a Wii controller at your friends head.
- Kisama, on 09/05/2008, -0/+6War. War never changes.
- Nowheredan, on 09/05/2008, -0/+6That depends on a publication's scale. Some do reserve perfect scores for "perfect" games, but others just say that means it's a great game that everyone should play. Besides, it's all subjective - I'm sure if you listed three games you thought should have gotten 10's, there would be people on this thread disagreeing with you just as you disagree with the scores of Halo 3 and GTA IV.
- SemiSarcastic, on 09/05/2008, -1/+6You do realize that you're part of the problem right?
- sexybobo, on 09/05/2008, -1/+6Thats the reason the only game reviewer i have ever listened to is yahtzee he has gotten me to go out and buy Psychonauts and beyond good and evil both of which i was amazed by. (jeff from trs has influenced my decision but not like yahtzee)
- Mr_Lyle, on 09/05/2008, -0/+5If game developers released decent demos of their games before street date, we wouldn't need to look at reviews or bother with game journalism at all (other than get some new info here and there on titles that are months or years away). I'm not entirely sure why developers don't bother with demos anymore. They either don't release one or release one that's so crippled and limited that they might as well not have released it at all. When your game is about to come out, release a demo that covers all the main features of the game and let people play it and decide if it's good enough or not. It doesn't have to be 1 level, or a part of a level. It has to show the main features, the big things. Jump around from level to level, leave the stories out, make it a jumbled mess, I don't care. Just highlight the main aspects of the game and give me enough time to ***** with them so I can make a decision on whether or not I wanna buy it.
Most demos that come out are *****. They just give you 1 level, usually early on in the game where you don't have any weapons or powers or any cool stuff and it usually ends after 10 or 15 minutes without you having a chance to do much of anything. It's *****. I understand that sometimes games are gonna be ***** and developers know it so they don't wanna release a demo on purpose and they suck the media's dick as much as they can to try and fool people into purchasing the game anyway. But developers that feel their game is good should have no problem releasing a good demo that let's people try everything out. If this type of thing became the norm, then people would start to see after a while that when developers don't release demos prior to street date, it usually means the game is ***** and it would raise a red flag.
***** the gaming journalists, just bypass them and let us try the game directly. If any developer needs tips on how to make a good demo, download the Braid demo off Live. That's how it's done. And don't be shocked if that actually helps you with piracy a little bit. - dsmx, on 09/05/2008, -0/+5Enjoyment doth not make a 10 out of 10 game. You may of enjoyed GTA4 more than SA but a lot of the features from SA were cut out and as such you can't give GTA4 a 10 as you know they can do better.
- shipwreck58, on 09/05/2008, -1/+6I trust game reviewers like I trust movie reviewers . . . not at all! I buy it or watch it and if I like it, great, and if not, I move on. Their tastes and their play style are not oging to match mine, how can I depend on them aiding me.
- Diggnabbit, on 09/05/2008, -1/+6Penny Arcade, FTW!
- Frozo, on 09/05/2008, -0/+4Simple solution...
If a developer/publisher refuses to give a reputable reviewer an advance copy, the reviewers just have to start a system that exposes those companies who are afraid to hand out their games for review.
Go to GOW2 review page (just as an example) and post a "Sorry! The publisher refuses to release a copy to us: GAME QUALITY UNDER SUSPICION"
They want war, let the media start stating this and they will change their tune FAST. Hell, I'd think twice about buying a game that had that mark of death! Fact is, the reviewer wouldnt even be stating anything slanderous... they SUSPECT the quality is bad because they are holding back from being reviewed. - mikemil828, on 09/05/2008, -0/+4//You may of enjoyed GTA4 more than SA but a lot of the features from SA were cut out and as such you can't give GTA4 a 10 as you know they can do better.//
Plenty of features from MGS 3 have been cut from MGS 4, yet most people still consider MGS 4 the best of the series. It's not about how many features a game has compared to it's predecessors, its about how well those features mesh together to make a game, and generally GTA4 meshes it's features better than SA, especially when it comes to combat. - du4l1ty, on 09/06/2008, -0/+4I really wanted to like that game, but the camera and controls were just terrible. It doesn't matter how "unique" the game is if it's unplayable.
- rjc5056, on 09/06/2008, -0/+4It's definitely a failure of a game if 4-9 years of work = infinitely less fun than however long it took to make Castle Crashers. Damn, is that such a better game of essentially the same design goal.
- revjustin2, on 09/05/2008, -0/+4What would be the fun of working for this organization? No perks? No bragging rights?
I am kidding, of course, but have you ever been to a big trade show where people shower you with swag? Makes you feel like your part of something when at the end of the day, you're just a sucker. - heartsblood, on 09/05/2008, -1/+4Earth to Spankus, you missed the point completely.
- Mokole, on 09/05/2008, -0/+3This is kind of like the news and our politicians.
- captainmo77, on 09/05/2008, -0/+3Exactly. GTAIV may have been a 10 if I had never played any other GTA game. But coming from playing each one of them I expected more. Hense the irrelevancy. Again, Halo 3 was the same. Halo 3 = great game worthy of its rating. Halo 3 as the 3rd installment of the Halo series = I expected more.
- heartsblood, on 09/05/2008, -0/+3See this is exactly why a number system makes no sense to me, It's completely arbitrary. Personally I thoroughly enjoyed GTA IV even more so than GTA:SA so in that sense I can't make heads or tails of why numbers are important. Tell me exactly what you did or didn't like and we can talk, throw out some numbers that aren't relative to anything and I'll just walk away.
- benologist, on 09/05/2008, -0/+3A demo is a sales pitch just like a movie trailer or a free sample of anything else so of course it presents whatever parts make it look best. We know that going in, we don't expect it to be unbiased or impartial. You can still tell whether you like the game or not even if you're playing a hand picked selection of it.
- captainmo77, on 09/05/2008, -0/+3And how many "blockbuster" movies suck bigtime? Waterworld anyone?
- GamesAreEvil, on 09/05/2008, -0/+3I completely agree with your take on the Demo experience.
But ***** the gaming journalists? How about this solution: bypass the major players and stick to the indie sites who put their blood sweat and passion into their sites, and their coverage, and make about 50 cents per day.
They aren't being persuaded by ad dollars, and they're typically BUYING or renting the games, and putting in 10-40 hours to give YOU their honest undilluted opinion. - Gamoc, on 09/06/2008, -0/+3There is no such thing as a perfect game. Saving 10 ratings for a perfect game would be stupid because it would never, ever get used - you should think of ratings as how much the reviewer recommends the game, not how good the game is, they're two different things.
- rabidbob, on 09/06/2008, -0/+3Yeah, it's why I don't buy games based on reviews from professional reviewers. People who've bought a game and write a review are far more trustworthy (such as the buyer reviews on Amazon.com, Play.com, etc). In fact, I'm not even sure why anyone bothers with game review sites.
- aeoo, on 09/06/2008, -0/+3These guys are too retarded. They try way to hard to be liked. Game reviewers personality is not important. They should use good reason and arguments to review games they like to play. So for example, if the guy likes to play RPGs, use logic and reason to review RPGs, but not review FPS. There is no need to whack out on camera. It sucks donkey balls -- it's phony and you can feel the fakeness from a mile away.
And another thing I can feel is when someone reviews games from a genre they don't care about. These guys are the same kind of idiots that the guy who runs gametrailers.com is. That guy likes a certain type of a game and should stick to reviewing only that type. And then he goes on to review all these games from genres he has no ***** business of reviewing, and of course you can feel the coldness and disinterest in his reviews as he takes completely irrelevant craps on the games. - jedisushi, on 09/05/2008, -1/+4Agreed.
- inactive, on 09/05/2008, -1/+4I'll never buy another game or see another movie that doesn't allow reviews to be done before the release date. it's a sure sign that something is going to suck.
- Mr_Lyle, on 09/05/2008, -0/+3You're right. If you found a place you trust, one with which you agree on reviews more often than not, that's great and you should stick to it. I know I do.
But good review sites or bad ones, the point remains. None of them will be needed if good demo releases became the norm for all upcoming games. -
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