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  1. #1
    The Insane Acidbaron's Avatar
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    Reviews in the gaming industry.

    http://nohighscores.com/node/508

    A reviewer not being happy about current state of affairs in the game industry.
    A small snippet of the article

    You know what I don't like? The other stuff.

    Fighting with PR over review copies. Being told that we can't post a review of game X before the embargo "unless the grade is at least an 85 on Metacritic." The sites to DO score that high get all the pre-release traffic so we're forced to ether inflate a grade or lose the hits.

    Being told that sites which use letter grades do not get advanced copies. (Because of the way those scores are translated on Metacritic.) Knowing this is untrue because 1Up sure does. Then realizing we aren't 1Up.
    Not bashing any game here nor do intend for it, just makes you think twice about evaluating a game based on a review.
    “My philosophy is: It’s none of my business what people say of me and think of me. I am what I am and I do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. And it makes life so much easier.
    ― Anthony Hopkins

  2. #2
    I almost never rely on reviews UNLESS they are user generated reviews (e.g. www.gamefaqs.com)... Not because I don't trust them (although that article makes me wonder), but because I almost never agree with them.
    Last edited by noteworthynerd; 2011-04-21 at 05:36 PM.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by noteworthynerd View Post
    I also never rely on reviews UNLESS they are user generated reviews (e.g. www.gamefaqs.com)... Not because I don't trust them (although that article makes me wonder), but because I almost never agree with them.
    Ya i agree with this

  4. #4
    Deleted
    I never rely on a review from anyone to help me choose or to validate my purchase. I will play a demo, if I like it buy it, although some will get purchased on reputation/sequel status alone (Portal 2).

    Reviews in themselves are merely entertainment, I watch MikeB and TotalBiscuit not for their opinions but for their entertainment value, although i do look for many of the things they mention.

    Many reviewers are expert sycophants, and the same goes for many "podcasts" and "game tv" shows, they just don't know how to be truely critical for fear of losing their freebies.

    Games are like all forms of entertainment, a matter of taste, what I like you might not like, so a review tells me little other than someone elses opinion and taste.

  5. #5
    Scarab Lord Kickbuttmario's Avatar
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    I somewhat agree. When GTA 4 came out, my friend assured me that at the release, it was scored a 8/10 then was immediately jumped to 10 after a few hours. My friend even saw the score and immediately assumed that RockStars bribed the big gaming review companies to make the score of GTA 4 to a 10.

    However for me, I trust only a few resources out ther for information on the games. www.destructoid.com is probably one of the better ones out there since its main review editor (if memory serves me correctly), Jim Sterling, is probably one of the honest reviews and doesn't give in to other peoples biased. The show "Reviews on the Run" has a live show and on TV stating their own opinions and not letting other peoples biased influence their score on the game.

  6. #6
    i agree with the GTA 4 thing. i saw IGN give it a 10 but i bought it before i read the review simply going off of how much i loved san andreas, i played GTA 4 for 15 minutes and never played it since. to me it was utter shit, sure it looked nice but who the hell wants to be some russian mobster loser? the way the cars handled turned me off completely and i just flat out didnt like the game.

  7. #7
    The review i care most is my review. The rest is fabricated BS with some screenshots.

    And who the hell made the reviewer an authority anyway??? If you don't have the balls to say that Bioshock has the exact same plot of System Shock 2, same storytelling elements, same plot twists, I seriously doubt your knowledge on game history and swipe my ass with your review.
    Last edited by kharyll; 2011-04-22 at 10:10 AM.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by kharyll View Post
    If you don't have the balls to say that Bioshock has the exact same plot of System Shock 2, same storytelling elements, same plot twists, I seriously doubt your knowledge on game history and swipe my ass with your review.
    Does that make Bioshock a bad game? Absolutely not, Rapture alone was enough for me to give it an 8/10.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by kharyll View Post
    The review i care most is my review. The rest is fabricated BS with some screenshots.

    And who the hell made the reviewer an authority anyway??? If you don't have the balls to say that Bioshock has the exact same plot of System Shock 2, same storytelling elements, same plot twists, I seriously doubt your knowledge on game history and swipe my ass with your review.
    Bioshock wasn't even close to system shock 2.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Howdyho View Post
    Bioshock wasn't even close to system shock 2.
    in innovativeness, authenticity and overall quality, yes.

    ---------- Post added 2011-04-22 at 02:24 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by noteworthynerd View Post
    Does that make Bioshock a bad game? Absolutely not, Rapture alone was enough for me to give it an 8/10.
    what I try to say is, a reviewer who can't/doesn't point out what I just said and praise the game for its genuine storyline and innovativeness is less of an authority than I am. His review is misleading, advertorial, he lacks knowledge of computer games history, and it's impossible for me to take him seriously.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by kharyll View Post
    in innovativeness,
    And what was innovative about Bioshock?

    Or were you arguing the opposite...?
    Last edited by unholytestament; 2011-04-22 at 07:32 PM.

  12. #12
    After the gamespot fiasco with...Kane and Lynch? I put exactly 0 faith in any mainstream reviewing website.

  13. #13
    I like reading / watching reviews. That being said, whenever I see a game that looks promising I try to get several reviews before I try it. They are not perfect, but at least it helps me not waste my time on very poor games. I like when they provide videos with their analysis, and I tend to check Youtube to see some reviews from other players.

    Today's games are mostly garbage with great graphics, so I find reviews to be interesting enough that they are worth it.

  14. #14
    If I look through reviews its not for opinions but hopefully info on a game I am excited for. Does the game have Potions? Do you have new screen-shots? Etc...

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Senaelanna View Post
    After the gamespot fiasco with...Kane and Lynch? I put exactly 0 faith in any mainstream reviewing website.
    This pretty much sums up review reliability. The game was given a high score, but upon release gamers gave it a low one. Everything about K&L was crap, even the graphics. It doesn't help that they made a sequel that was almost equally as bad either.
    “Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.”

  16. #16
    The Insane Acidbaron's Avatar
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    DCUO was another one on another site filled with adds, gave the game a high 8.4 rating while as mmo it appears to be taking fairly fast and to not be even on anyones radar.
    “My philosophy is: It’s none of my business what people say of me and think of me. I am what I am and I do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. And it makes life so much easier.
    ― Anthony Hopkins

  17. #17
    I think mainstream sites are pointless now. Back in the day you needed magazine reviews to know about games but now, like others have said, you can just read user reviews - you probably know a bit about the game and what youre going to like/dislike about it anyway.

    When you see terrible games getting 8's and 9's, you know its BS

  18. #18
    Herald of the Titans Mechazod's Avatar
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    The only thing I use reviews for is for little bits of things that stand out. Like for example with Bayonetta I knew from reviews before buying it that the 360 version had less load times then the PS3 version(even though I still got the PS3 version). There have been plenty of games that have gotten good reviews that I didn't particularly enjoy like Secret of Mana and NiGHTS into Dreams, and have been plenty of games that got bad reviews that I actually enjoyed like Damnation and X-Blades.

  19. #19
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by kharyll View Post
    in innovativeness, authenticity and overall quality, yes.
    Agreed Bioshock was miles better

  20. #20
    Bloodsail Admiral Doirdyn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gavll View Post
    I think mainstream sites are pointless now. Back in the day you needed magazine reviews to know about games but now, like others have said, you can just read user reviews - you probably know a bit about the game and what youre going to like/dislike about it anyway.

    When you see terrible games getting 8's and 9's, you know its BS
    I miss the old magazine reviews and the demo discs from PSN =/

    Xbox kinda ruined how awesome Sony was

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