340°

Are game reviews pointless?

OXM Editor states:

"I think I have dedicated my life to writing things that nobody wants to read.

When I started reviewing games, it was for a love of games and a love of writing. I still have both. Then I started to take great pride in offering advice - both to consumers who wanted to spend their money wisely, and to developers/publishers who didn't have an objective perspective on their own work. As long as my criticism can be constructive, I feel I'm doing the right thing. But increasingly, the developers don't want to read reviews that aren't positive..."

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bunnyears.net
SnowViper5921d ago

Then what are we to do if Editors are lying about game reviews. He admits to not playing the whole game, dosen't understand the genre...and he is On peoples payroll...What does that mean? Then he says if they try to prove it he would only lie??
Why would an OXM Editor admit this on his personal blog???

JoySticksFTW5921d ago (Edited 5921d ago )

I believe that this guy is just being sarcastic

But to his woes, I would only advise that when he gives a score that he truly believes in then he should clearly back them up with well written reasons to why the score was given.

The B$ will always reveal itself... As will the good, unbiased reviewers such as Game Informer.

There is something valid about a particular reviewer not understanding the genre or game though

Remember when Rachet ToFD got a 7.5 for too much variety from a reviewer that specializes in sports games?

Also remember some of those busted MGS4 scores that complained about Rambo-ing through the game when everyone knows that the nature of MGS is to sneak about unnoticed while stealthily dispatching foes if need be. Not to mention the whole "too many overly long cutscenes" fiasco that MGS is also known for and its fans welcome.

But mostly I think everyone should take the time to find a reviewer that shares their opinions and thoughts and stick with them.

As for developers complaining about reviews, just make the best darn game that you can make, listen to the criticism & suggestions(particularly from the fans), and make an even better game next time. Looking at you LAIR... if there is a next time for you.

EDIT

and Too Human

Idonthatejustcreate5921d ago (Edited 5921d ago )

Have dosen reviewers and review a game in it's early beta stages. If the reviews are good you keep on developing it like you should but if the reviews are bad then you figure out how to make the game appealing to those that think it's lackluster.

If you can't stop and view your creation from another perspective then use the help of others. Open and Closed betas are exactly what im talking about but it should be easier just to establish some highly skilled reviewers and let them take a look at what you've done and then they either give you a green light or a red light to further development. (But also it's important that the reviewers has to have the balls to say what sucks about the game like Simond Cowell does in Britains got talent)

Of course this would cost some money but honestly im sick of patches coming out post releases of games to fix the crap that a simple reviewer could tell whats wrong with it.

JoySticksFTW5921d ago

I like the idea about reviewing the game while still in development, early enough to make changes for the better. I think some game developers already do this.

And I totally agree that releasing patches to fix the game should not be the norm. I realize that PC gamers are used to this, but with a game like LAIR when the devs were warned about solely using motion control,and not including the option for analog control (which was actually used during development)to preserve their vision of the game - only to release a patch for analog controls later after poor review scores and complaints from fans.

Factor 5 even went as far as to send reviewers instructions on how to properly use the motion controls (as if they were confused) before they just gave the people what they really wanted... the OPTION of analog control

I admit that I became pretty good at using the motion controls for LAIR, but to not include the option of analog seemed stubborn

InMyOpinion5921d ago

Of course he is, but most people probably won't notice that.

"They can't prove it, but nobody has to. And they won't ask me directly, because I'd only lie. Isn't that convenient?"

He's implying that most reviewers are paid off and that it's more or less impossible to prove it.

vadercares5921d ago

So are game reviewers really paid under the table to give good reviews? Why would you even joke like that? Its like working at a bank and joking on your blog that everyone who works at the bank steals...That joke is not to funny!

n4gzz5921d ago (Edited 5921d ago )

Not only this editor but most of the editor (say about 80%) lie about game reviews. They may not lie 100% about game but hey boost some or downplay some games.

Who is surprised ?
After all they gotta keep their job.

vadercares5921d ago

Do they lie because there are too many games??

Fishy Fingers5921d ago (Edited 5921d ago )

Exactly, we're talking about these peoples livings here. I'm sure high rated site/mags such as OXM wouldnt outright lie about a game but they may "embellish the truth" somewhat, maybe downplay the negatives or bump that 8 up to a 9.

But like the editor says, it's almost impossible to prove, as much as people claim bias or paid off or whatever, we don't know what happened behind closed doors, what it really his opinion or was he "influenced"? We don't know.

Anyway, reviews are only there to give you an impression, you should always get as much of a mixer as possible, or even better, try the game yourself and apply your opinion of it regardless of what others maybe think.

Either way, there is a shed load of sarcasm in the editors comments, I wouldnt take it 100% seriously.

vadercares5921d ago

I agree he has a tone of sarcasm in it, but why even joke that he would personally lie. Just because he is being sarcastic doesn't mean he isn't telling the truth! Oh well I am just shocked that the Editor of OXM would even say that stuff out loud!

Fishy Fingers5921d ago

I'm not sure, and frankly that's only something he can answer. Perhaps after all the recent internet trend of claim this site is biased or that site was paid off purely because they didnt give it the score you thought accurate (even though most of the time the people claim this havent even played that game) has got to him somewhat.

Either way, it's not the best move on his part, either he is fanning the flames or it's his way of admitting that they embellish the truth.

Who knows, but when you read reviews from official sources (OXM, OPM etc) you have to expect them to slightly lean towards there platform. I'm sure there has been times at school or work or whatever where you have downplayed negatives or focussed primarily on the positives, or dare I say even lied to make your life a little easier?

I've always taken reviews as just an opinion and would always take them with a grain of salt as we all have different opinions and tastes.

SnowViper5921d ago

Fishy Fingers Said:
"Either way, it's not the best move on his part, either he is fanning the flames or it's his way of admitting that they embellish the truth."

I agree with you 100% that was not smart on his part.

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vadercares5921d ago

I always thought they had a person for each genre. And why would you even Joke about lying about a game review, or be sarcastic. He calls himself a martyr. I guess I missed the joke of his blog. Why joke and say you lie about your game reviews at all...that just dosen't make since at all!

vadercares5921d ago

Laex why would he post that on his public blog? Would you ever joke about something like this if you had his job? At the very least would you post it on your public blog??

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50°

"I’m Pretty Gutted It Never Got Finished" - The Untold Story Of WipEout Zero

The WipEout series was, at one point, considered to be a dazzling showcase for new Sony hardware. The original game accompanied the PS1's release in the West and arguably did a lot of sell the console to sceptical punters, while WipEout Pure and WipEout 2048 were jaw-dropping launch titles for the PSP and PS Vita, respectively.

PS4 sadly didn't get a WipEout at launch, although it did get the excellent Omega Collection in 2017, a pack which pulled together content from WipEout HD and the aforementioned PS Vita entry and holds the distinction of being the only instalment to top the UK sales charts. Had things turned out a little differently, we could have been playing one of the most dramatic reimaginings of the series yet seen on PS4; an entry which would have retained the anti-gravity mechanics but evolved the on-track action into something closer to a traditional racing game.

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timeextension.com
30°

The Game Deflators E313 | Palworld Lawsuit and Premium Edition Games Updates + God of War PS2

On this week’s episode of the Game Deflators, John and Ryan are joined by Barry from the Premium Edition Games team to dive into the latest news and controversies in the gaming world!

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thegamedeflators.com
500°

Kadokawa Confirms Interest From Sony in Official Statement

Kadokawa has confirmed interest from Sony in an official statement, clarifying that nothing has been decided yet.

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animecorner.me
potatoseal5d ago

Lock it down Sony and lets get Bloodborne 2 and Demon's Souls 2 cooking.

5d ago Replies(3)
Miraak82 5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

I'd rather FS work on ER2 or new Ips that they can actually own just incase they ever break away from Sony if this happens, wouldn't want them to become just Sony ponies for their neglected IPs . On the upside of this though I wouldn't mind having an actually Sony 1st party rpg developer which I feel they're lacking . My feeling are mixed on this without even considering the monopoly they would have on the anime/manga side of things

oldenjon4d ago

Seeing as ER is essentially open world dark souls, do we really need ER2 / ds5 so soon?

DarXyde5d ago

Can't they just be contracted by Sony?

Without the acquisition?

goken5d ago

They can be contracted but… it’s like you can call up a girl/guy/others and hook up now and then, then one day you think to yourself “maybe we should go steady” 😛

GamingSinceForever5d ago

You’re focused on a small portion of the deal. Kadokawa is a large media company which is who Sony is after. FromSoftware is only a portion of the deal.

Asterphoenix4d ago

Well the bigger picture is the novel/manga part of the industry of Kadokawa and Sony owning a good portion of the anime companies in the US . Well Sony would contract them again if they could but From Software is too busy doing its own thing.

CrimsonWing694d ago

Yea ever since Tango Gameworks got dissolved, I’m not exactly gung-ho on acquisitions.

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neutralgamer19925d ago

These things never used to leak. Now so much stuff leaks ahead of time

Lionsguard4d ago

Leak? It has to be public information, they're both public companies.

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gold_drake5d ago

currently, the kodakawa enterprise is worth a wooping 4 billion dollars. according to google. might be wrong

5d ago
jznrpg5d ago

If/when Sony acquires Kadokawa I hope it means that anime games can start to be a lot more than they are now. The stories are fleshed out they just need to add quality gameplay/environments. It makes financial sense to me since you have anime fans and gamers who would buy these games if they are high quality.

maniacmayhem5d ago

Is Sony trying to be a monopoly and keep games out of the hands of gamers? Or is this different?

jznrpg5d ago

So MS should only be allowed to acquire publishers and Sony should sit there? This is a consequence of MS’s actions. This is why we didn’t want ABK to go through. It’s too late to complain now

maniacmayhem5d ago

Are we going to accuse Sony of the same actions then?

You really believe if ABK didn't go through Sony wouldn't be interested in this company now?

Bless your tender heart

thesoftware7305d ago

That is besides the point, there is stance you took against this type of acquisition/monopoly type situations.

It's about you word and your stance..with the it's ok posture you are taking now shows you only find outrage when it fits your nonsensical fanboy, console warrior BS lol

Your word and "Stances" means very lit

glennhkboy4d ago

The nature is different. Kadokawa is more renounce for their extensive rights in Japanese literature, films & amine. Gaming is actually their least known business. If Sony can take over Kadokawa, Sony will become a major media player in Japan (currently Sony Japan has only a small footprint in Japanese media outside of gaming & amine).

Drakul4d ago

You can play MS games on your PS or PC. But Sony has monopoly mind set; release Sony games only on PS or very rarely on PC.

Lexreborn24d ago

Anyone who is trying to make someone look like a hypocrite after THEY set the standard is a turd. If you want to try and make it seem like you convinced people into agreeing with your view. You didn’t, the people that were against it STATED they were against it. Then when we were told shut up doesn’t matter what you think NOW you want us to continue to fight when it goes against YOUR interest someone you don’t like is playing by YOUR rules?

Naw, we good… enjoy the game you playing and don’t get mad when the company/entity you hate does it better.

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FFLISH5d ago

Are you gonna cheer for Sony monopoly like you did for MS when they gobbled up AB and Bethesda? You wanna call out double standards call it both ways.

5d ago
maniacmayhem5d ago

That's not how this works. I've stated I had zero problems with acquisitions and called out the wrong use of the word "monopoly"

You need to be asking others from this site that question who actually indulge in double standards.

FinalFantasyFanatic4d ago

I actually don't want Sony owning Kadokawa, they already have a monopoly on Anime, and I believe they own some of Kadokawa already. I don't want them forcing what direction their games should go in, especially with the way Sony is these days.

-Foxtrot5d ago

I thought it was more “you guys allowed MS to buy Zenimax and Activision, two massive publishers so it’s fair game now, why should we be left out”

I hate it but you can’t allow one to do it then make out it’s the end of the world when others do it. It’s shitty but MS opened that avenue so all bets are off now.

maniacmayhem5d ago

So basically it's okay to do it because MS did it, right? I think this is what is known as hypocrisy.

Here's the thing, MS is basically putting all their games on everything and the kitchen sink when you and others claimed they wouldn't.

You actually believe Sony will do the same if they acquire this studio?

You all love to shit on MS when these deals go down but then make up excuses and rights of passage when Sony does it, and this is proof.

goken5d ago

@maniacmayhem

Believe me MS is putting it everywhere not because they want to, but because it doesn’t sell (well) on their own platform (xbox). If they did that, they would lose money, nevermind recuperate their the money they spent buying studios.
Sony on the other hand may or may not have the same problem (probably not).
Hey sony and fans weren’t the ones going “exclusive bad” , they just disagreed MS buying these massive publishers. And since MS did it, let’s just say “to not reciprocate is impolite “

LikAChicken4d ago

@goken @foxtrot

Sooooo...hypocrites...

"hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's behavior does not conform; pretense."

There's no way you guys believe that Sony wouldn't do this deal before Microsoft bought ActiBlizz. That's not how capitalistic/business industries think.

Vits5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

No, Sony is trying to establish a monopoly on anime streaming, manga, and light novel publication in the Western market while also becoming the largest company in this segment in Japan, replacing Kadokawa in the current triopoly (Kodansha, Hitotsubashi, and Kadokawa).

It’s a completely different ballpark from what Microsoft did. To put it into perspective, even if Microsoft had acquired Zenimax, ABK, EA, Tencent, Take-Two, and Embracer, it still wouldn’t come close to the level of control Sony would achieve in both the Western and Eastern anime/manga markets if they successfully make this purchase.

The closest comparison would be if Disney managed to swallow up both Comcast and Viacom, or if Microsoft had acquired both Sony PlayStation and Nintendo, establishing a monopoly in the console market. That is the level of control we are talking here.

Extermin8or3_4d ago

Except the FTC etc already ruled that anime isn't an industry in its own right. It's a sub genre of a much larger entertainment industry.

Vits4d ago

@Extermin8or3_

Exactly! That’s why this is such a massive problem. The only obstacle between Sony and a full-blown monopoly is how much cash they’re willing to throw around. They’re on track to dominate every anime streaming platform, corner the Western manga market, and seize control of light novel publications. On top of that, they’d cement their place in the tripoly that dictates the flow of source material.

And let’s not pretend Sony’s track record in this “non-industry” inspires confidence. They’ve gutted streaming catalogs, enforced censorship at every turn, and, naturally, hiked up prices for good measure. A monopoly like this is a recipe for disaster even more when a bunch of old-stupid americans don't even get that it is a industry, 3 industries at that.

mkis0075d ago

This is for anime...they have 1 developer people like. Sony for sure has a borderline anime monopoly if this goes through.

VersusDMC5d ago

And the dbz sparking zero developer to be fair.

glennhkboy4d ago

Not exactly.... In terms of Japanese anime, Kadokawa isn't the largest one. Others like Bandi Namco & Sunrise are bigger than Kadokawa. On the other hand, Kadokawa has a very big catalog of Japanese films, like Haven & Earth. Combine this with Sony Film from Hollywood, Sony may have enough films & TV shows (US & Japanese) to start its own steaming service.

Outside_ofthe_Box5d ago

Monopoly, no, as this is nowhere near the size of Bethesda + Activision, but games out of gamers hands, yes. They will mostly likely make their games exclusive when acquired. MS going multiplat ain't out of the kindness of their hearts, but of a necessity from a business perspective.

Also it's not that this is okay because MS did it. This is more of a consequence of allowing MS deal to go through. Should this deal go through? No it shouldn't, but MS literally just bought two publishers. It would be like complaining about Nintendo charging for online when MS and Sony have already been doing it already.

5d ago
CrashMania5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

'Or is this different?'

MS spending a whopping 75 billion to acquire dozens of studios and IPs compared to Sony potentially grabbing a handful for a fraction of that price, I'd say so yeah.

We all know what Phil wanted to do with those IPs, but it turns out spending that much money along with plummeting console sales, stagnant gamepass numbers didn't bode well for making everything in exclusive, so it's going the opposite way almost completely now.

porkChop5d ago

I'm not worried about the gaming side of things. But in terms of anime this isn't good. Sony bought out and merged Crunchyroll and Funimation, and they own a bunch of other anime studios. They already own so much of that industry it doesn't make any sense to allow them to swallow up even more.

mkis0075d ago

With how ms was able to purchase acti and bethesda, there is no prayer for this to be blocked. The precedent has been set. Also incoming Republican govt means even MS may be able to do more.

Extermin8or3_4d ago

Anime isn't considered it's own industry. Regulators already ruled awhile ago now that anime was merely a genre within the wider movie/TV series industry.

porkChop4d ago

@mkis

Even with ABK and Bethesda, MS is still a small fraction of the industry. The game industry is massive, no one is remotely close to having a monopoly. This is different. Sony literally bought both of the largest anime platforms and merged them together, on top of buying a bunch of separate anime studios. They'd have a very clear monopoly if they add Kadokawa on top of that. I'm not sure Kadokawa has any reason to sell, and I don't think it would get blocked if they did buy them out. I just don't think it's good for anime.

SoloZelot905d ago

I think they're interested in kadokawa and are also interested in continuing the partnership that started with demons souls...that game that brought from software to fame.

anast5d ago

It's different. Hypocrisy is not a sin.

goken4d ago

To be a hypocrite is to give others the impression that we are holier than we actually are. It is the same as being false, or telling a lie. Jesus pronounced a curse on hypocrites seven times in Mt. 23:13-29.

gold_drake5d ago

i think the big difference, imo, is that Activision was just soo massive of a publisher/dev team. they had alot of really good, really big franchises that would have absolutely changed the gaming space if they would have stayed exclusive to MS.

i looked into Kadokawas franchises, and while they have good stuff, its not comparable to actlivision in the slightest.

aquistions only suck if people are being layed off in the masses. and thats what happened with Activision unfortunatly. well see what happens with this one.

Lionsguard4d ago

This is why we the MS acquisitions were frowned upon on the first place because it just starts this tit for tat buying war that benefits no one.

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