Archive for Review
Halo 3 Review
Review + Xbox 360 Fanboy + Halo 3
09.23.2007 at 5:59 pm
Check out the review from Xbox 360 Fanboy
“It’s not often that we here at X3F get a chance to review a high profile title like Halo 3 before it hits store shelves, and it’s an opportunity I’m not taking lightly. I’ve spent the last 48 hours (give or take a few hours for the requisite food and sleep) embedded deep within Halo 3, doing my best to categorize the experience as I went along. In this endeavor I have more or less failed. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy what I played, because I absolutely did. It’s just that with as many features as there are in Halo 3, there’s so much stuff to test that 48 hours really isn’t enough time to glean enough information and condense it into a review. Still, review it we must. Read on for a (hopefully) defining glimpse into Microsoft’s great green hope.”
Comments
“Well written review Richard. I can’t wait to pick up my Cat Helmet edition (will modify to fit my dog) monday at midnight.”
“I love that you didn’t spoil anything in this review. Thank you.”
“Thanks for the great review. Did MS send you the big swag bag they sent to reviewers on other sites???”
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GameSpot / PS3 Bias - Calling All Cars Edition
PS3 + Review + GameSpot + Fanboys + Comments
04.29.2007 at 8:31 am
GameSpot’s most recent PS3 atrocity concerns the review for David Jaffe’s Calling All Cars which at 6.7 clocked in a number of ‘review points’ below IGN’s 8.5 and 1up’s 8.0. The disparity in score was so eye opening that it even prompted a rebuttal from David Jaffe himself.
“The first two I can live with, they feel fair and make sense. I am very, very proud of those reviews. Although, I have to say, when I hear the 1up guys on the podcast saying the game is the best on PSN AND saying that it’s closing in on being one of the top 3 download games out there, it does seem 8 is a bit low…but what the hell…8 is good in my book, so thank you guys!
I’m not so keen on the GAMESPOT review, and who would be? It simply feels unfair and simply wrong. Granted, why would I not say that? I am the director of the game they are saying is simply ‘fair’. So take my opinion with a grain of salt.”
Here are some comments taken from his blog.
“does anyone even take that site serious? but im still gettin CAC. and the 1up yours guys fuckin loved your game. they made me wana play it even more. and i usually dont even like them.”
“I agree, Gamespot’s score is really unfair in almost every aspect. It seems as if they reviewed it like a full blown $60 retail game. When compared to other downloadable games, CAC should not(IMO) be lower than an 8. The game is a lot of fun(from what I have seen/read), and that is what’s important.”
“If nothing else, this review controversey will help to get more people interested in your game :) But I do agree that Gamespot’s review is a joke, look at a game like Counter-strike, everyone only plays on 3-4 maps anyways!”
“That’s some poor journalism. I mean really, you can’t just apply the same standard to every game up for review and have it be a good (or fair) indicator of quality. You wouldn’t judge a kid’s game the same way you would judge GOW, they’ve got completely different aims. So it is with CaC. You’ve said a gazillion times that you’re not out to make another GOW, that you intended CaC to be a fun pick-up game you can play with friends. It seems Gamespot completely ignored that, and that’s a shame. For being who they are, as a prominent gaming website, they should have done a lot more digging on the history and intent of CaC, but they didn’t. It is unfortunate that your game had to come under fire from that type of rigid mentality, but I don’t think that one clearly uninformed and apathetic opinion is going to bring you down.”
This isn’t the first time GameSpot has low balled a PS3 game. Matter of fact it’s been an ongoing trend since the PS3 launched. So much so that they now ban their own readers from even mentioning a “bias” on their forums.
“Complain about “teh bias!”. You’re entitled to disagree with a review on Gamespot or any other site. You can even post your own score and/or review on Gamespot. What has gotten out of hand are the fits being thrown about some sort of anti Sony bias, or even more ridiculous the fits / conspiracy theories about Microsoft owning Gamespot. They don’t, it’s a fact. Hard to imagine folks believe this stuff with no proof.
Anyway the screaming and whaling has at times gotten out of hand to the point that the PlayStation 3 forum sometimes is more of a pout fest rather than a forum to discuss the PlayStation 3 and related games. The Playstation 3 forum is here for folks to talk about the Playstation 3, and related games, not a fanboy support group. As such threads about “OMG the bias!” and such are not allowed. ”
Nice to know that instead of backing up their reviews they simply ban the topic.
Anyway, here are comments from a post on GameSpot entitled “Ouch! Calling All Cars.” which I assume will lead to the banning of many users and the closing of the thread.
“They said the game is short on content but they seem to ignore the fact that this is a $10 (or less?) arcade title. They gave a game like Geometry Wars for the 360 an 8.2 and it is actually an even shorter game than Calling All Cars. I don’t understand there scoring on this title at all.”
“Why does GS’ review not surpriise me? Jaffe mentioned just this sort of attitude in a recent interview. Today’s gamers are too concerned about having more of everything: more weapons, more maps, more cars, more everything. No one focuses on the quality of what’s there anymore. Moreover, GS seems to have blatantly ignored the fact that this is a $10 downloadable multiplayer game. If you end up playing the same 4 maps 1000s of times online and end up having a blast, why would you need more? At least IGN and 1UP got it right.”
“You know Im starting to believe that had this game been released on the 360 the reviewers would have been drueling all over it. Sorry to say but I actally believe there is some bias reflected in this review. I normally dont by into the whole bias thing but with all the things that the other reviews say as opposed to what GS says, Im gonna say GS is wrong about this one, and yes Im gonna play the bias card, and the mods can shove off if they dont like it.”
“No one who comes here regularly is surprised of course. I value GS’s reviews for exclusive PS3 games as much as I value used toilet paper.”
“If everyone else says its good and one idiot (Im looking at you GS) says its bad should we believe the one voice thats different? NO. I think this will be a lot of fun and cant wait to play it. And the reviewer clearly missed the mark here, but I wont let that stop me from playing it.”
“Becuase GS isnt staffed by Journalists. They’re just jerks with an agenda.”
So what’s up with GameSpot? Are they bias? Are they trying to be hard hitting? Are they trying to drum up controversy in order to gain hits? Why the large disparity in scores?
Special Note: GameSpot, if your trying to bring in hits through controversy you should really check these guys out. They’re the masters at having horrible reviews to start controversy.
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Pokemon Review Wrapup
Review + IGN + 1up + GameSpot
04.28.2007 at 3:30 pm
The phenomenon that is Pokemon hit this week. Let’s start the Poke-coverage with a quick review wrap up.
“Yes, the series’ fourth generation is largely the same as the past three — but it’s also, without question, the best to date.”
“In short, the creators have gone out of their way to preserve the aesthetics of the series while quietly, subtly improving on them. The same also holds true for the underpinnings as well — for the gameplay. On the surface, Diamond & Pearl could be any other Pokémon: Players control an ambitious young monster trainer on an RPG-style quest through a small island infested with pugnacious creatures, collecting new critters as part of a mission to catch (or at least spot) them all.”
“Hardcore gamers tend to turn their nose up to the Pokémon series, but the secret of its success is that it isn’t designed for the hardcore. It’s for everyone else, and let’s face it: There’s more of them there are of us. But why does it matter? Sure, it’s easy to forget that the games themselves aren’t the same thing as the world-consuming, soul-destroying marketing juggernaut spawned by an unassuming pair of Game Boy cartridges so long ago. Look beyond the cheaply-made anime and the overblown collectible tie-ins, though, and you’ll find that the foundation upon which the whole endeavor has been constructed is an enjoyable and often addictive RPG with a fantastic social element.”
Score – 8.5
“Much to the delight of Pokémaniacs the world over, Nintendo and Game Freak have finally brought a proper Pokémon game to the Nintendo DS with Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, and it delivers much of what a fan would desire—a richer, more detailed presentation, the ability to battle and trade Pokémon over the Internet, and of course, more than 100 brand-new Pokémon to collect.”
“What’s probably the most significant new feature in Diamond and Pearl is online play, which lets you battle, trade, and chat with other players over the Internet.”
“Between the 100-plus new Pokémon, the improved presentation, and the online play, this is a must-have game for established fans. The new features also make this the most well-rounded Pokémon game to date, and if you’ve never dabbled in the world of Pokémon before, there’s no better game to start with.”
Score – 8.5
“For a game that’s literally sold countless millions of copies over the past ten years, it’s pretty amazing to discover gamers who have yet to experience what Pokemon is all about. Under its kid-friendly, thick sugary coating lies a deceptively deep and addictive design that encourages players to create collections of highly marketable creatures of various species. The core mechanic is an adventure with role-playing game battle mechanics — these creatures will fight for their owner using their abilities in a turn-based interface, where players choose the best mode of attack or defense that’ll get them through the brawl. Winning battles will earn these creatures experience which will, in turn, advance their levels and increase their capabilities…as well as earn their owners some coin for purchases at the shops.”
“The biggest issue is its hard-to-shake feeling of deja vu — most of what players do in the single player experience is identical to the adventuring laid out for the gamers in previous versions. That “explore the world, fight gym leaders, stop the evil Team” storyline progression hasn’t changed at all in Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl.”
“After ten years of Game Boy Pokemon catching and battling, the core game mechanic still holds up as an addictive game design — tons of strategic depth and gameplay that’s incredibly rewarding; it’s one of those games that offers an enormous sense of accomplishment for even the littlest things performed.”
Score – 8.5
Average score of the three – 8.5
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Video Game Reviews Suck (part two)
Review + Fanboys + Destructoid
03.15.2007 at 4:21 am
“There’s obviously no way to know for sure — if there was, we would have figured it out by now and the ratings thing would no longer be a problem. But we can hypothesize, can’t we? We can hypothesize until our fingers fall off.”
Which is what Destructoid is doing in their part two of “Why video game reviews suck”. So bounce over and read part one, if you already haven’t, and then check out part two.
Some items we find close to our hearts are:
Sean Fischer quote concerning journalistic integrity:
“There have been times where a game has been reviewed on websites in which I contribute that recieved a low score, and we were subsequently contacted by publisher with a statement of their surprise. The conflict here comes from the fact that no one wants to alienate their contacts. By currying favor with PR outlets you’re let in on more exclusive stories, more swag, plugs, and a plethora of perks. Maintaining journalistic integrity in such situations is difficult, especially when your community is small or when you personally rely on those contacts for a majority of your journalistic work. It’s a careful balancing act that journalists have always had to deal with.”
Destructoid’s thought that “Reviewers are pussies”:
“But suffice it to say that many reviewers — and this also ties into the whole “hype” thing — are terrified at the prospect of negatively reviewing a game in a popular franchise. Even if it’s flawed to the point of mediocrity (a la MGS2, which I enjoyed but would not rate higher than a 6), reviewers will still heap praise on a game (A) to avoid community backlash or (B) out of fear that their opinion is in the vast minority, which will make them appear to either have awful taste or a lack of video game knowledge. A video game journalist’s reputation is on the line with every review he or she writes. It isn’t shocking that sometimes the reviewer will hold back on his or her opinions for fear of tarnishing that reputation.”
And finally:
“But better yet, just get rid of scores altogether. Hundreds of gamers have suggested it. It’d cut down on fanboy BS (several people who sent me hate mail for my Zelda review only looked at the score, not the actual review), it would put a greater pressure on the reviewer to actually describe what the game feels like instead of just falling back on a randomly assigned numerical value, and it would get rid of the conundrum of measuring “fun”.”
It’s a great article so we suggest you defiantly go check it out.
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John Dvorak Loves the Wii
Review + Wii
03.02.2007 at 6:01 am
PC columnist and non console gamer John Dvorak has gotten his hands on the Nintendo Wii and loves it.
“So my experience with this toy tells me that a fundamental change has taken place in game play—and it’s all down to the controller. People were all pumped up about it before it came out, and now I can see why. It changes all the rules and will dominate the future of gaming. You watch.”
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Kick to the Balls
Review + IGN
02.26.2007 at 2:32 pm
If you like head to head gaming reviews check out the ‘FIFA vs. Winning Eleven 2007 Grudge Match‘ over at IGN. (subscription required)
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