When I think of a game review I think of articles on paper written by great authors we enjoy reading. Now in side the reviews lately there has a turn on what I think should go there and what is actually there. So if you still are curious to what I am saying please don't let the read more button scare you.
Popular reviewers lately have been being shotty with reviews on games that are out or coming out. Really unless the review is for a well known sequal or has a big triple a title name everything else is short and mis leading. This is how I feel as they really don't talk about the game and worried about a word count mainly.
Then again some magazines and other outlets delay reviews for games that get low scores for big time publishers. With this method those people who do not have the internet or at least dial-up wont really know a game sucks and will just buy it. Now maybe it is not the writers fault, but then again reviews should not be delayed either for any reason.
I can complain till I am blue in the face, but I wont as these practices will continue. So if you review a game please don't skirt around the issues. Take pride in your work and be honest to your readers. One reason I only follow select writers and wish some of them would come back to writing in stead of other jobs.
Comments (7)
I only follow select writers
Me too. I think the trick is finding a review or two who you agree with, then go by what they say. But sometimes it's hard to find that reviewer.
I don't think the other magazines are purposefully trying to pull the wool over our eyes, but I think that publishers have finally figured out that it is better for them to not let reviews get out early so that they can mine the wallets of the all important early adopter.
I am starting to worry that the bigger game sites and mags are simply unable to provide the information gamers need to be able to thoughtfully buy their games now. Between way too positive reviews to way too late and un-descriptive reviews, the paths we can take to decide whether to buy a game are not are narrowing greatly.
That is why I think a site like this is so important. I really feel like most of the sites and mags I care about are a shell of their former selves, and the best mags are ones like Games and Edge, which are prohibitively expensive for the average gamer to subscribe to.
Still, it's inexcusable that sites like Gamespot won't cover a title like Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, yet they'll review Kingdom Hearts for DS early, probably because it was their exclusive. I guess they just choose to review what's popular. It sucks, but it kind of makes sense from a financial perspective.
If we never have people pointing out the faults in good titles games won't get better as a whole in my opinion.
I hated how Mass Effects number of problems got totally glossed over by most reviewers when the game came out. Thankfully Bioware seems to be aware of their kid glove handling by the press because they seem to be fixing all of these problems for the second game.
I hate how much a review hinges on scores and not on informing the public of a games benefits and failings.