Author Topic: Video game reviews are just pathetic  (Read 12783 times)

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Offline Unknown Target

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
Quote
When I pirate a game, if it's good enough, then I'll buy it. It helps these days that if you pirate a game, multiplayer's generally limited, so it's like an advanced demo.  Call of Duty 4 is an example of a game I would buy if I had the cash, but I spent my spare change on UT3.

So not really then. You just pirated it.


I preordered UT3, and when I get the cash I'll buy CoD4, but I don't have the cash right now.

 

Offline Inquisitor

Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
Ah, so there's at least one more caveat then. If its good, and you haven't spent the money on another game.

Kinda sounds like having your cake and eating it too.

You may disagree with its label as illegal, but the justifications and excuses are a little much to swallow. People pirate because they want something they can't afford or refuse to spend the money on and make excuses like "Screw EA they have enough money" or "They should have released a demo" or "I only use it as an advanced demo, really,  I promise I'll buy the game."

Nudge, nudge, wink, wink and all that.

Just admit you do it, and leave it there. Justifying it is insulting our collective intelligence.

To the origial post: Maybe reviews are pathetic, but there are some damn good shooters out there right now, and I am beginning to agree with CoD being lauded as either of of, or perhaps the best of 2007. So far. Bioshock did indeed have that title in my mind prior to playing this. Its a bit of a toss up, they are both excellent. Both are better in most wasys than say, Halo, which in and of itself was alot of fun for me.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2007, 01:27:12 pm by Inquisitor »
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Offline CP5670

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
Well, "best of 2007" is not a very strong endorsement, but many of the major review sites are going several steps further and saying that each of these big titles is the "best game of all time" or something to that effect. Now these are quite good games, but this exaggeration is absurd. It's like the reviewers have no memory of anything that came out more than a year ago. The Crysis reviews are just starting to come out and we're predictably seeing uniform 10/10s and another "best game of all time," the third or fourth one this year. :rolleyes: I guess whichever one is released last becomes the true best game of all time. :D

 

Offline Shade

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
Too true, that. In my opinion, most games that come out today, for all their admittedly kick-ass graphics, tend to fall at least somewhat short of the best games in the same genre of 5-10 years ago in terms of actual gameplay. And I'll take gameplay over great graphics every time. Unfortunately, most reviewers seem to view it the other way round.
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Offline Inquisitor

Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
I have some 10 year old magazines that say the same things, they were saying this about games in 1997 as well. After 10+ years of following game "journalism" I edit out the exaggeration mentally. Of course everything then was a "Quake killer" etc. I should dig those out if wife hasn't tossed them and scan some. It really hasn't gotten any worse, its just gone online. You used to have to pay 5 bucks to be told how great the next thing was ;)

It is what it is, reviewers hype to sell magaziness, now they just do it to drive traffic for ad revenue :)
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Offline CP5670

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
I don't recall seeing such things nearly as often 10 years ago (I used to read a bunch of stuff back then, mostly CGW, PC Gamer, Gamespot and AVault). If anything, I remember thinking that many good games were underrated back then, especially by Gamespot who used to be very tough at one point. Even when you did see a 10/10, it was frequently justified because I still see people talking about many of those games today and how good they were, at least on the forums I frequent. I doubt that there will be quite so many people thinking of Bioshock, for example, the same way 10 years from now. Crysis will probably be remembered, but for its graphics and the technological advancements of the engine than anything about the game itself, which from what I'm hearing is quite short.

I think the first time I really started to see this overrating as a widespread phenomenon was in late 2004, with Doom 3 and HL2, and it's pretty much stayed that way ever since then.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2007, 02:44:44 pm by CP5670 »

 

Offline Shade

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
Oh, definitely, they've always been guilty of overhyping, though perhaps not to quite the same degree as now. Difference is, back when they claimed Civ 2 was the best game of all time, it actually was ;) Nowadays, any new games aspiring to that honor will have to trump the greatest from the past before they deserve that title, and in my opinion, they are falling short. Sometimes not by much, but they are.

No turn-based strategy game of recent times has beaten Civ 2, Alpha Centauri or the first X-Com, no RTS has quite managed to best TA or Starcraft, System Shock 2 is still both the best and the scariest FPS ever made, and the Infinity engine-based RPGs remain on top of their class. Not to mention the more or less discontinued adventure and spacesim genres where nothing has gotten anywhere near Grim Fandango or FS2.

Can't really blame them though. After all, they need to make money, and graphics are a much surer selling point - for reviewers and publishers alike - than something as esoteric and subjective like "gameplay".

[Edit] And no Pinball simulation has ever beaten Pinball Dreams either, and that was way back on the Amiga :p
« Last Edit: November 13, 2007, 02:52:15 pm by Shade »
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Offline Unknown Target

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
Inquisitor, PM sent so the topic doesn't get more off track again.

 

Offline Mefustae

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
Well, Assassin's Creed is certainly interesting:

Eurogamer               7/10
Famitsu                37/40
GamePro                5/5
Game Informer          9.5/10
GameSpot            9.0/10
GameTrailers           9 .1/10
IGN                          7.7/10   
GamesRadar            10/10
TeamXbox             7.9/10

Intriguing. Considering how widely the game was touted, the disparity in scores between such large sites - that's a good 1.3 between Gamespot and IGN - really stands out. Honestly, I don't quite know what to make of it!

Here's a hint, boys and girls: Ignore the big name review sites. Just ****ing ignore them and go straight to people who play the games to have fun rather than play them for a paycheck. Why accept slanted reviews surrounded by massive ads when places like Penny Arcade offer fair opinions without the bull****!
« Last Edit: November 15, 2007, 02:25:47 am by Mefustae »

 
Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
I peruse www.game-revolution.com myself, unlike almost all the other review sites they have no numerical grading system; they use a scholastic letter grade +/- system instead.  As for the accuracy of the reviews, look up a few titles you own and see if their viewpoint doesn't match yours after playing it.  Most good games end up with some variation of a B, ones with promise that have major detractions end up with a C, painfully bad games usually end up with a D.

F, now that's a category reserved for crimes against humanity for the most part, and if they give that to a game it means there's no redeeming aspect to it whatsoever.  Technically there isn't a real F- grade, but one game was so horrible it got one.  The review for the game is way more fun then playing it could ever be (and it's interactive!  Choose your insults!).

Really good games get the A-, with the truly exceptional/revolutionary titles awarded an A.  A grades are relatively rare, unlike 10/10 scores on other gaming sites.

They don't have anything like the pull the other game review sites wield, so they don't get sent copies of every title under the sun.  If it's a major release they'll probably cover it though.

For an example of the rarity of the A grade, here's how many PC games got one:
    Titles starting with A: 0
    Titles starting with B: 3 (Baldur's Gate, Bioshock, Black & White)
    Titles starting with C: 1 (Counterstrike)
    Titles starting with D: 2 (Diable, Dungeon Keeper)
    Titles starting with E: 1 (The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall)
    Titles starting with F: 1 (FIFA '99)
    Titles starting with G: 2 (Grand Prix Legends, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas)
    Titles starting with H: 1 (Half-Life)
    Titles starting with I: 0
    Titles starting with J: 0
    Titles starting with K: 0
    Titles starting with L: 0
    Titles starting with M: 1 (Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries)
    Titles starting with N: 1 (Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit)
    Titles starting with O: 1 (Omikron: The Nomad Soul)
    Titles starting with P: 0
    Titles starting with Q: 0
    Titles starting with R: 1 (Roller Coaster Tychoon)
    Titles starting with S: 1 (System Shock 2)
    Titles starting with T: 2 (Thief: The Dark Project, Tomb Raider)
    Titles starting with U: 0
    Titles starting with V: 0
    Titles starting with W: 0
    Titles starting with X: 0
    Titles starting with Y: There aren't any reviews for PC games starting with Y.
    Titles starting with Z: 0
    Titles starting with some other character: 0

18 in total, which goes to show they don't give that out at the drop of a hat.  For those wondering: Freespace 2 got an A-.
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Offline colecampbell666

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
What? Not FS?
Gettin' back to dodgin' lasers.

 

Offline BloodEagle

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
I peruse www.game-revolution.com myself, unlike almost all the other review sites they have no numerical grading system; they use a scholastic letter grade +/- system instead.  As for the accuracy of the reviews, look up a few titles you own and see if their viewpoint doesn't match yours after playing it.  Most good games end up with some variation of a B, ones with promise that have major detractions end up with a C, painfully bad games usually end up with a D.

*snipped*

http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/pc/elder_scrolls_4_

It deserves a C!  :doubt:

 
Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
I see somebody is cranky.  I didn't like every change they made to the gameplay model in Oblivion, but I absolutely loved the quests andd having all dialogue voiced.  Plus the game is gorgeous and huge.  If the enemy autoleveling wasn't an official part of the game, it would be almost perfect.
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Offline TrashMan

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
For an example of the rarity of the A grade, here's how many PC games got one:
    Titles starting with A: 0
    Titles starting with B: 3 (Baldur's Gate, Bioshock, Black & White)
    Titles starting with C: 1 (Counterstrike)
    Titles starting with D: 2 (Diable, Dungeon Keeper)
    Titles starting with E: 1 (The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall)
    Titles starting with F: 1 (FIFA '99)
    Titles starting with G: 2 (Grand Prix Legends, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas)
    Titles starting with H: 1 (Half-Life)
    Titles starting with I: 0
    Titles starting with J: 0
    Titles starting with K: 0
    Titles starting with L: 0
    Titles starting with M: 1 (Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries)
    Titles starting with N: 1 (Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit)
    Titles starting with O: 1 (Omikron: The Nomad Soul)
    Titles starting with P: 0
    Titles starting with Q: 0
    Titles starting with R: 1 (Roller Coaster Tychoon)
    Titles starting with S: 1 (System Shock 2)
    Titles starting with T: 2 (Thief: The Dark Project, Tomb Raider)
    Titles starting with U: 0
    Titles starting with V: 0
    Titles starting with W: 0
    Titles starting with X: 0
    Titles starting with Y: There aren't any reviews for PC games starting with Y.
    Titles starting with Z: 0
    Titles starting with some other character: 0

18 in total, which goes to show they don't give that out at the drop of a hat.  For those wondering: Freespace 2 got an A-.

Fs should have gotten an A...what, no Outcast? Bioshock a pure A??? Tis good, but no that good, not by a longshot!
Diablo? Dungeon Keeper??
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Offline Unknown Target

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
Freespace got an A-, although it definately should've beaten Bioshock.

 
Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
Freespace 2 is the best space shooter of all time, bar none, this much is in agreement.  But while it did more to distinguish itself then Descent Freespace: The Great War did, both games borrow heavily from the best aspects of prior Space shooter games, which at the time of the review were fairly contemporary.  So I can agree with them that FS2 was exceptional but not "revolutionary".  Of course, in hindsight it's the best example of the genre ever produced to this day, but you can't know when you're reviewing something that it marks the spiritual death of the genre.

Diablo spawned a legion of copycats, and they're still making titles in it's mold (Hellgate: London anyone?), Dungeon Keeper WAS revolutionary: nothing has come along since that's really lived up to it's mold, other then it's own sequel, though titles like Evil Genius have tried. 

Hindsight is important: It's easy to second guess historical (Bioshock is the only title on that list that's not at least several years old) reviews when you've seen things that came out AFTER the review was penned.
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Offline TrashMan

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
Dungeon Keepr might have been revolutionary but that IMHO irrelevant when rating game. Who cares if you're revolutional as hell if the game is boring as hell.

Granted, Dungeon Keeper wasn't bad, but I really didn't see why it got all the praises....just like Diablo...just like WOW...just like Bioshock...
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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
WoW got a B+ from GR.  Just saying.
Everything is better with monkeys.  Even pie.

That is the best first post I have ever seen.

 

Offline Mr. Vega

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
They gave Daggerfall, the buggiest game ever (this side of Battlecruiser 3000AD anyway), an A but not Morrowind?
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Offline CP5670

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Re: Video game reviews are just pathetic
That site seems to be somewhat better than most of the others, if only because the top rating is so rare. I've read some of their reviews in the past. The Bioshock rating is completely hype driven, but it seems to be the only one among the games I know from that list.

Still, I wouldn't base any purchasing decisions on that (or any other) site alone. As I said on the first page, averages along with an appropriate sample of user opinions are the way to go.