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..."

[SnowViper]

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???

[JoySticksFTW]

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

[Idonthatejustcreate]

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.

[JoySticksFTW]

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

[slapsta72]

isnt he being sarcastic?

[InMyOpinion]

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.

[vadercares]

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!

[n4gzz]

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.

[vadercares]

Do they lie because there are too many games??

[Fishy Fingers]

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.

[vadercares]

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 Fingers]

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.

[SnowViper]

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.

[vadercares]

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!

[Laexerias]

No Way! That cant be true!

[vadercares]

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??

[FunkYellowMonkey]

I dont' know if i should believe him or not, but i will avoid reading any 'official' reviews from now on... thx u!

[vadercares]

I agree with you, why would you even joke like that? Was this like a Freudian slip on his part..does he feel guilty about it and joking about it is his way of letting those know he is lying?

[SnowViper]

Wow they changed the content quickly, I guess they didn't like me quoting where he said he was lying.

[timmyrulz]

The other day i was in the games shop and i kept on looking at Alone in the Dark, having read reviews i was totally put off but then a friend of mine said it was really good so i thought balls to it and purchased the game. I really though the game was really good, after getting used to the controls i really enjoyed the game, it had nice graphics, good atmosphere great gameplay and alot of innovative stuff, in my book an 80% game easy. Think of that as you will

[SnowViper]

The Official Xbox Magazine Editor said this on his blog at:
http://bunnyears.net/dan/?p...

"I’m basically a hack who hasn’t played the full game, doesn’t understand the genre, isn’t qualified to pass judgment on anything or anybody, and is certainly on someone’s payroll anyway.

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?"

Just posting that in case he deletes it or edits it once someone tells him what we found! If I were his boss I wouldn't be too happy with him posting such a thing, or maybe his boss is on the take too and it really is no big deal at all...who the heck knows. Just kind of shocked that someone in the industry admitted to this, they are always accusing others!

[kingme71]

I think you are totally missing the sarcasm in what he is saying.

He is saying he is basically painted into a corner because no matter what he says or does people are going to have their minds made up about him.

If they don't agree with his review, they will just call him unqualified. If he gives a good review, they will just say he is on the devs payroll. If they ask him directly and don't like his answer he must just be lying.

He is not stating he does all that, but is saying that is how he is perceived by both the developers and the readers, so he is in a lose lose situation.

[SL1M DADDY]

I have learned in my time playing games that there is only one opinion that counts. That opinion is the one I own and it is how I decide to buy games. Renting games is easy and it makes for some good choices. It's a much better way to go about gaming that to trust some review written by somebody with a differing opinion.

[witchking]

You nailed it. Reviews of anything (movies, games, TV shows, books, etc.) are OPINIONS. Someone has gotten the chance to play through the game you want to play a little earlier than you, and he has published his OPINION of his time with it.

The only opinion I trust is my own, and to this end developers and publishers ought to be making demos available.

I bought Too Human because I loved the demo, and I wound up loving the game. I think the reviewers who gave it anything under a 9 are high. I like Viking: Battle for Asgard despite reviews that put its meta-critic score down around 69.

On the flip side, I bought into the hype of games like Unreal Tournament 3, GTA IV, Metroid Prime, Perfect Dark Zero and came away thoroughly disappointed.

I feel as though reviewers see these games years in advance of their release and build up a hype machine and an expectation that drives review scores, despite the final product.

Developers: Stop talking to the media so early and give your customers demos. After all, it's the opinion of your customers that you need to satisfy.

[Guitarded]

Read post #17 by kingme71. Not one persons opinion will be the same as yours all the time.

[JEDI WOLVERINE]

I bet that most regular posters on N4G are more passionate,play more games and are more knowledgable about games than so called 'review experts'.......

Take the fanboyism away and cut out the BS and i bet that from a pool of the most intelligent,pasionate posters on N4G that reviews of games would be unbiased and more accurate.

Without the 'gaming mafia' breathing down our necks and worries of being made redundant we are free to give honest reviews.

Wonder what GTA4 would have really got from everyone here on an out of 5 scoring system..........

[SnowViper]

The person who wrote this is being located and asked to remove the post right away, and then of course OXM and the writer will deny it ever existed.
Oh well some got to read the truth.

[DanAmrich]

Nobody's asked me to take it down; it's my personal site, not OXM's, and I'm just speaking as an individual about one of the frustrations I've felt over the years. I have added a clarification to the original post so as to avoid further confusion -- your interpretation particularly is pretty far off from what I was trying to say -- but I did not change the body text when I updated.

[retro]

1. any review should give you a good idea whether the reviewed product is worth your time and money - basically it's enough to review with thumbs up or down.

2. any review should be entertaining (easy and fun to read).

Otherwise a review is pointless.

[kevnb]

only the media and internet addicts think otherwise.

[Jdoki]

Reviews are just one person's opinion. However that opinion can be influenced by money, various business pressures and all manner of other factors.

There is a complete lack of credible journalism in the industry at the moment.

I read reviews to get a rough flavour of a game, and look at scores mainly for comedy value (Halo 3 and GTAIV's 10/10's are my favourite punchlines).

What seems to be overlooked is that journalism is an important part of moving the industry forward, widening it's appeal, and ultimately getting more people (and by association, more money) in to games and the industry.

If you look at the widely different types of film and book reviews, they often critique the less tangible elements we would find in games. Emotion, narrative, story etc. These are the elements most people are interested in with movies, rather than than reviewers fwapping off to polygon counts and shaders. Who really cares how great the water effect is in BioShock; we're entering a time where hardware is powerful enough that people shouldn't need to get excited about water effects!!

It takes journalists celebrating the characters and stories in games, and providing proper analyse for video game journalism to be taken seriously. Obviously this isn't necessary in every case for every game. - But for those games that try and go beyond just being another popcorn summer blockbuster (Heavy Rain for instance) they need to be looked at from a different viewpoint and compared to literature and film.

[Tarasque]

I frankly will not go by reviews. I will read up on the game and if it seems interesting i will either check the demo out or gamefly, then i will pass my judgement.

[Lord_Ash]

In the ends we need reviews cause usually previews highlight everything good so the gamer doesn't get the whole picture, a seriuos gamer won't go for the score at the end of the article they will read the whole review and many other to get the full picture but also the whole Meta thing will hurt the games image and probably sales

Good read.

[Kholinar]

I agree, meta-gathering review scores tells very little.

What each person needs is to go out and find three or four reviewers that are compatible with your own taste in games. 500 reviews are not going to give you more info than 3 or 4 good ones. That, and sometimes 500 reviews will be mostly by people with very different taste than your own. Sometimes more is not better... it's just more.

[kingme71]

There are some games your mind is made up on. Either you will get it or you won't for whatever reason and reviews aren't going to matter. Sometimes it will convince me to rent before a buy if the reviews are tepid.

Then there are reviews of games that are off your radar or wind up being sleeper hits. This is where reviews are important. You can't possibly buy or even rent every game and you need some kind of filter. Reviews are great to steer you into or away from these types of games that you might not have the time to keep up with. I prefer metacritic in this case or a few trusted sources.

There's going to be hundreds of games coming out in the next 4 months. You might have a small percentage on your list that you plan to get, but the reviews will help you filter through the others that might be worthwhile or to avoid like the plague.

[DanAmrich]

The blog has been updated with a clarification, as it seems people misinterpreted my sarcasm. I'm really surprised to see where these reactions have gone, and how people felt my post was saying something completely different. I will be more explicit next time I write a personal blog.

[Guitarded]

You must be new to N4G. Many here read only what fits their agenda or knowingly twist what they read to fit their agenda. Many simply have reading comprehension difficulties. Are you new to the internet in general?(rhetorical question, just in case)

[cereal_killa]

I read reviews but don't care for many of them, now come to think of it i always wondered why 1 magazine is giving the game an average score and the other mag is calling the game a master piece. If I'm unsure of a game and hear bunch of bad things about it but I'm still interested in it to try ill rent it if it sucks I'm out $5 if i like ill buy it no big whip.