The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
Game press work for the consumers, not as an extension of the PR dept. of the Game Developer. I won't argue that their content can be lacking, but refusing to do an early review due to restrictions placed on you by a developer trying to shape the message, that's a GOOD thing.
It's a good thing only if it leads to a better review. Otherwise, it's just the magazine taking their ball and going home.
If they wait a month (and the game's been out for 3 weeks), most people will simply buy the game rather than wait for EGM's "honest" review. And if the review is bullshit, those people who waited will ignore it, because by the time EGM's review comes out they'll have plenty of regular consumer reviews, so any "big reveals" that EGM is trying to spoil will already be out in the open.
If they work for the consumers, they should strive to inform consumers prior to the game being for sale. If the list of restrictions offends them so much, then they should publish the list. That's journalism. Otherwise, they're just whining about not wanting to submit their work to an editor.
I have never seen a gaming magazine give a game higher praise than it deserved. Even official console magazines don't hold any punches when they review their system's games, including exclusives. I usually only read Xbox, GFW, EGM, and Game Informer, so there might be magazines that do do this, I just don't encounter them.
I had a free subscription for a year, and let it run out without even looking for a new one because there was, at least once an issue, a review for a game that boiled down to "I don't like these kind of games and this game isn't something I like. Because of this, I think it sucks and get no enjoyment out of playing it. Whine whine, score: 4.0" while the other people give a more thoughtful review and a score that seems to match.
I had a free subscription for a year, and let it run out without even looking for a new one because there was, at least once an issue, a review for a game that boiled down to "I don't like these kind of games and this game isn't something I like. Because of this, I think it sucks and get no enjoyment out of playing it. Whine whine, score: 4.0" while the other people give a more thoughtful review and a score that seems to match.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.
Baroque had the same issue everywhere. I feel your pain.
I had a free subscription for a year, and let it run out without even looking for a new one because there was, at least once an issue, a review for a game that boiled down to "I don't like these kind of games and this game isn't something I like. Because of this, I think it sucks and get no enjoyment out of playing it. Whine whine, score: 4.0" while the other people give a more thoughtful review and a score that seems to match.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.
Baroque had the same issue everywhere. I feel your pain.
Seriously not only was the printed review a unprofessional piece of shit (they don't have it online, go figure) but every month that Pokemon Mystery Dungeon was on the best-seller list they had to make some snarky comment about how terrible a game it was and how everyone who bought it must feel bad about wasting their money.
I had a free subscription for a year, and let it run out without even looking for a new one because there was, at least once an issue, a review for a game that boiled down to "I don't like these kind of games and this game isn't something I like. Because of this, I think it sucks and get no enjoyment out of playing it. Whine whine, score: 4.0" while the other people give a more thoughtful review and a score that seems to match.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.
Baroque had the same issue everywhere. I feel your pain.
Seriously not only was the printed review a unprofessional piece of shit (they don't have it online, go figure) but every month that Pokemon Mystery Dungeon was on the best-seller list they had to make some snarky comment about how terrible a game it was and how everyone who bought it must feel bad about wasting their money.
o_O Just like the "second opinion" on God Hand that popped up on IGN, huh. Fuck, I hate "professional" game reviewers. I just hang out here and see what's getting discussion time.
EDGE is the only gaming magazine I read and respect.
(I don't count my subscription to Game Developer since it's an industry mag)
So is Edge. Ish.
And my respect for Edge wavers all the time. I'll decide fuck it, I'm gonna cancel, and then they have an awesome article and I don't want to.
I disagree with them often, but that's the point, they have an opinion. I can't get aboard their halo infatuation but at least they make some good arguments for it.
EDGE is the only gaming magazine I read and respect.
(I don't count my subscription to Game Developer since it's an industry mag)
So is Edge. Ish.
And my respect for Edge wavers all the time. I'll decide fuck it, I'm gonna cancel, and then they have an awesome article and I don't want to.
I disagree with them often, but that's the point, they have an opinion. I can't get aboard their halo infatuation but at least they make some good arguments for it.
Precisely. At least they are consistent. You know where you stand with them really. For the longest time I have always looked to their reviews as a quick guide. A rock, if you will, upon all other reviews can be judged.
Not to say it's gospel, like any review I read the text first - but it is usually in line with my own thoughts to be honest.
I don't read the reviews; I read the articles. And in those, I find them very inconsistent. For three months they'll run stuff that I don't find interesting, and then one in which they do, which makes me not cancel as soon as I think I should. But that's not really worth a subscription. I should cancel.
Willeth on
@vgreminders - Don't miss out on timed events in gaming! @gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Who really gives a fuck about reviews for a MGS game anyway? You're all gonna buy it no matter what score IGN/EGM/Gamespot/Megareviewsite#10 give it. It's a foregone conclusion.
In my never-ending quest to do the exact opposite people expect me to do I now refuse to ever buy MGS4 ever.
EDGE is the only gaming magazine I read and respect.
(I don't count my subscription to Game Developer since it's an industry mag)
I sometimes pick up EDGE if I want something to read over lunch and there's an article that I like. Other than that the only magazine that I subscribe to is PC Gamer UK. A good read, I'd say. Plenty of good articles, e.g. this month there's a 4-page article on romance in online games, last month they had one on the effects of gaming for long periods without sleep (in which they got one of the writers to game non-stop for 72 hours - he didn't quite make it) and a while back there was a good article about PCs and the environment, and how to make your PC more eco-friendly. That sort of thing. And their reviews of bad games are funny too.
On the other hand, I would consider 1up.com so closely related to EGM as to consider them the same entity.
1up.com is like the magazine EGM should be.
EGM itself (which is sold in print in the UK) is thin, ad filled and vapid. The site obviously has different organisation but is quality writing, especially the GFW section.
I kinda with GFW and its progenitor CGW was still around in print. It was decent reading.
The_Scarab on
0
admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
I sometimes pick up EDGE if I want something to read over lunch and there's an article that I like. Other than that the only magazine that I subscribe to is PC Gamer UK. A good read, I'd say. Plenty of good articles, e.g. this month there's a 4-page article on romance in online games, last month they had one on the effects of gaming for long periods without sleep (in which they got one of the writers to game non-stop for 72 hours - he didn't quite make it) and a while back there was a good article about PCs and the environment, and how to make your PC more eco-friendly. That sort of thing. And their reviews of bad games are funny too.
That... isn't journalism. That's basically the gaming equivalent of Vogue.
The 1 Up podcast is gooood listening.
I dunno why, it's probably because I don't have friends who play games like I do, and want to have the conversations they are having.
Also, I hate that Crispin guy in EGM. And Shoe, to a lesser extent.
I sometimes pick up EDGE if I want something to read over lunch and there's an article that I like. Other than that the only magazine that I subscribe to is PC Gamer UK. A good read, I'd say. Plenty of good articles, e.g. this month there's a 4-page article on romance in online games, last month they had one on the effects of gaming for long periods without sleep (in which they got one of the writers to game non-stop for 72 hours - he didn't quite make it) and a while back there was a good article about PCs and the environment, and how to make your PC more eco-friendly. That sort of thing. And their reviews of bad games are funny too.
That... isn't journalism. That's basically the gaming equivalent of Vogue.
Niche games will never get a fair shake in general by game reviewers.
Katamari Damaci?
Beyond Good And Evil?
Would you really call BG&E niche? It was basically a zelda clone, only it didn't sell well.
It's entire fucking point was the story you douchebag, and it had a good story, a damn good story.
Oh, turn-based strategies always get the fucker from sports, the hardcore Itagaki fanboy who has played through that one game without firing a single shot(he gives it the highest score, of course) , and the "female" "gamer"(I needed to separate those and give them their own quotations, it describes the phenomenon best)
It's entire fucking point was the story you douchebag, and it had a good story, a damn good story.
Oh, turn-based strategies always get the fucker from sports, the hardcore Itagaki fanboy who has played through that one game without firing a single shot(he gives it the highest score, of course) , and the "female" "gamer"(I needed to separate those and give them their own quotations, it describes the phenomenon best)
I don't even think I understand this post. Is it in the wrong thread or something?
The 1 Up podcast is gooood listening.
I dunno why, it's probably because I don't have friends who play games like I do, and want to have the conversations they are having.
Also, I hate that Crispin guy in EGM. And Shoe, to a lesser extent.
I think Jeremy Parish personifies everything I find wrong with gaming journalism. He has a very strict sense of what he does and does not like and makes sure to inject it into every review or preview he writes. Once you read enough of his stuff, each article from him is the same as the last. He also has a stable of tired jokes that he's held onto for at least 10 years.
Tim Rogers' style is...I don't know what it is, but at least it's entertaining. I rarely agree with him, and he comes off as arrogant, but damn if the reads aren't interesting.
Also: The story in BG&E was predictable trash that was easily summed up in the first 5 minutes. Every thing else about it was at least good, though.
Their letters section is even worse. It's like the swill from Gamefaqs with a spell checker. This latest issue had some moron arguing that because he was a "mature adult", he expected his games to be mature as well; they should make him question his existence and the war in Iraq, no more cartoony yadda yadda blah blah blah.
He was 22.
Speaking of shitty letter sections, in a british xbox magazine a reader wrote a letter that went something like this. "Why don't more games emulate the bravery of the english and how we crushed the french and the scottish?". The worst part was the editors reply. "Food for thought for our gaelic freinds". I was on the the toilet at the time and I think I literaly shat a brick at how retarded it was.
Mandolore on
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"Enough expository banter. It's time we fight like men. And ladies. And ladies who dress like men. For Gilgamesh...IT'S MORPHING TIME!"
—Gilgamesh, Final Fantasy V
I think Jeremy Parish personifies everything I find wrong with gaming journalism. He has a very strict sense of what he does and does not like and makes sure to inject it into every review or preview he writes. Once you read enough of his stuff, each article from him is the same as the last. He also has a stable of tired jokes that he's held onto for at least 10 years.
Wow. I'm pretty much the opposite. I actually like it when writers have a strict sense of what they like or don't like, as long as I'm able to grasp exactly what it is. It's akin to learning the personalities of various movie or TV critics. If so-and-so happens to have the same tastes that I do, then I'm interested in what they have to say to see if I'll like it as well. If they don't have the same tastes, then I may still be interested in reading his/her comments to see what they think about it and how we may or may not differ.
I abhor writers that have no personality, that try to like or dislike everything for no apparent reason. That's why I actually enjoy listening to folks like Jeremy Parish, or Shawn Elliott, or Yahtzee, or heck, even Shane Bettenhausen. I have a good idea of their tastes. Are there times where I'll disagree with them? Sure! Yahtzee abhors JRPGs, but I can't fault him for it. That's just his tastes. So even though he wasn't a fan of my current fave game, The World Ends With You, I still enjoyed his review.
That said, I don't read EGM so I've never read Parish's work. He is on the various 1UP podcasts from time to time though, and I've enjoyed his presence there. I can't say the same for some other podcasters though ...
I think Jeremy Parish personifies everything I find wrong with gaming journalism. He has a very strict sense of what he does and does not like and makes sure to inject it into every review or preview he writes. Once you read enough of his stuff, each article from him is the same as the last. He also has a stable of tired jokes that he's held onto for at least 10 years.
Wow. I'm pretty much the opposite. I actually like it when writers have a strict sense of what they like or don't like, as long as I'm able to grasp exactly what it is. It's akin to learning the personalities of various movie or TV critics. If so-and-so happens to have the same tastes that I do, then I'm interested in what they have to say to see if I'll like it as well. If they don't have the same tastes, then I may still be interested in reading his/her comments to see what they think about it and how we may or may not differ.
I abhor writers that have no personality, that try to like or dislike everything for no apparent reason. That's why I actually enjoy listening to folks like Jeremy Parish, or Shawn Elliott, or Yahtzee, or heck, even Shane Bettenhausen. I have a good idea of their tastes. Are there times where I'll disagree with them? Sure! Yahtzee abhors JRPGs, but I can't fault him for it. That's just his tastes. So even though he wasn't a fan of my current fave game, The World Ends With You, I still enjoyed his review.
That said, I don't read EGM so I've never read Parish's work. He is on the various 1UP podcasts from time to time though, and I've enjoyed his presence there. I can't say the same for some other podcasters though ...
I'm all for consistently-opinionated reviewers for the same reasons you mentioned. I just wasn't specific enough, I guess. Parish talks about the same games, directors, composers, etc ALL THE TIME. Any time he can bring up Vagrant Story, FFXII, Hitoshi Sakimoto, etc, he does so.
It's not that he's opinionated, it's that it gets boring hearing or reading what are essentially the same articles over and over again. Vagrant Story is one of my favorite games, but I can only hear Parish drone on about it so much.
He's like that kid whose parents only bought him two Lego sets, so he keeps trying to make new stuff out of the same pieces, but they all end up looking the same.
I think Jeremy Parish personifies everything I find wrong with gaming journalism. He has a very strict sense of what he does and does not like and makes sure to inject it into every review or preview he writes. Once you read enough of his stuff, each article from him is the same as the last. He also has a stable of tired jokes that he's held onto for at least 10 years.
Wow. I'm pretty much the opposite. I actually like it when writers have a strict sense of what they like or don't like, as long as I'm able to grasp exactly what it is. It's akin to learning the personalities of various movie or TV critics. If so-and-so happens to have the same tastes that I do, then I'm interested in what they have to say to see if I'll like it as well. If they don't have the same tastes, then I may still be interested in reading his/her comments to see what they think about it and how we may or may not differ.
I abhor writers that have no personality, that try to like or dislike everything for no apparent reason. That's why I actually enjoy listening to folks like Jeremy Parish, or Shawn Elliott, or Yahtzee, or heck, even Shane Bettenhausen. I have a good idea of their tastes. Are there times where I'll disagree with them? Sure! Yahtzee abhors JRPGs, but I can't fault him for it. That's just his tastes. So even though he wasn't a fan of my current fave game, The World Ends With You, I still enjoyed his review.
That said, I don't read EGM so I've never read Parish's work. He is on the various 1UP podcasts from time to time though, and I've enjoyed his presence there. I can't say the same for some other podcasters though ...
I'm all for consistently-opinionated reviewers for the same reasons you mentioned. I just wasn't specific enough, I guess. Parish talks about the same games, directors, composers, etc ALL THE TIME. Any time he can bring up Vagrant Story, FFXII, Hitoshi Sakimoto, etc, he does so.
It's not that he's opinionated, it's that it gets boring hearing or reading what are essentially the same articles over and over again. Vagrant Story is one of my favorite games, but I can only hear Parish drone on about it so much.
He's like that kid whose parents only bought him two Lego sets, so he keeps trying to make new stuff out of the same pieces, but they all end up looking the same.
Okay, that I can agree with. It's like the same annoying friend who always has to mention how much he loves Tarantino movies or thinks Kevin Smith is awesome or insert-any-other-well-known-creator. YES. WE KNOW ALREADY. THEY ARE AWESOME. THUS YOU ARE AWESOME. etc.
Posts
It's a good thing only if it leads to a better review. Otherwise, it's just the magazine taking their ball and going home.
If they wait a month (and the game's been out for 3 weeks), most people will simply buy the game rather than wait for EGM's "honest" review. And if the review is bullshit, those people who waited will ignore it, because by the time EGM's review comes out they'll have plenty of regular consumer reviews, so any "big reveals" that EGM is trying to spoil will already be out in the open.
If they work for the consumers, they should strive to inform consumers prior to the game being for sale. If the list of restrictions offends them so much, then they should publish the list. That's journalism. Otherwise, they're just whining about not wanting to submit their work to an editor.
Play Magazine.
Lair.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Baroque had the same issue everywhere. I feel your pain.
Seriously not only was the printed review a unprofessional piece of shit (they don't have it online, go figure) but every month that Pokemon Mystery Dungeon was on the best-seller list they had to make some snarky comment about how terrible a game it was and how everyone who bought it must feel bad about wasting their money.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
o_O Just like the "second opinion" on God Hand that popped up on IGN, huh. Fuck, I hate "professional" game reviewers. I just hang out here and see what's getting discussion time.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
Katamari Damaci?
Beyond Good And Evil?
Would you really call BG&E niche? It was basically a zelda clone, only it didn't sell well.
(I don't count my subscription to Game Developer since it's an industry mag)
So is Edge. Ish.
And my respect for Edge wavers all the time. I'll decide fuck it, I'm gonna cancel, and then they have an awesome article and I don't want to.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
I disagree with them often, but that's the point, they have an opinion. I can't get aboard their halo infatuation but at least they make some good arguments for it.
I'm just saying in general. A lot of stuff like 2D fighters, shmups, roguelikes, that kind of stuff rarely gets a fair shake in reviews.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
Precisely. At least they are consistent. You know where you stand with them really. For the longest time I have always looked to their reviews as a quick guide. A rock, if you will, upon all other reviews can be judged.
Not to say it's gospel, like any review I read the text first - but it is usually in line with my own thoughts to be honest.
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
Edit: In terms of production values.
In my never-ending quest to do the exact opposite people expect me to do I now refuse to ever buy MGS4 ever.
I sometimes pick up EDGE if I want something to read over lunch and there's an article that I like. Other than that the only magazine that I subscribe to is PC Gamer UK. A good read, I'd say. Plenty of good articles, e.g. this month there's a 4-page article on romance in online games, last month they had one on the effects of gaming for long periods without sleep (in which they got one of the writers to game non-stop for 72 hours - he didn't quite make it) and a while back there was a good article about PCs and the environment, and how to make your PC more eco-friendly. That sort of thing. And their reviews of bad games are funny too.
1up.com is like the magazine EGM should be.
EGM itself (which is sold in print in the UK) is thin, ad filled and vapid. The site obviously has different organisation but is quality writing, especially the GFW section.
I kinda with GFW and its progenitor CGW was still around in print. It was decent reading.
That... isn't journalism. That's basically the gaming equivalent of Vogue.
I dunno why, it's probably because I don't have friends who play games like I do, and want to have the conversations they are having.
Also, I hate that Crispin guy in EGM. And Shoe, to a lesser extent.
I fail at explaining things.
It's entire fucking point was the story you douchebag, and it had a good story, a damn good story.
Oh, turn-based strategies always get the fucker from sports, the hardcore Itagaki fanboy who has played through that one game without firing a single shot(he gives it the highest score, of course) , and the "female" "gamer"(I needed to separate those and give them their own quotations, it describes the phenomenon best)
Then they should have probably made it into a movie.
Geez, what's with the hostility, man?
I don't even think I understand this post. Is it in the wrong thread or something?
like, i know people who call okami a zelda clone
but okami is much better
It's not an insult.
good news! they both quit!
I pissed in his cheerios, apparently.
EDIT: And it gave him brain damage, it seems.
Tim Rogers' style is...I don't know what it is, but at least it's entertaining. I rarely agree with him, and he comes off as arrogant, but damn if the reads aren't interesting.
Also: The story in BG&E was predictable trash that was easily summed up in the first 5 minutes. Every thing else about it was at least good, though.
Speaking of shitty letter sections, in a british xbox magazine a reader wrote a letter that went something like this. "Why don't more games emulate the bravery of the english and how we crushed the french and the scottish?". The worst part was the editors reply. "Food for thought for our gaelic freinds". I was on the the toilet at the time and I think I literaly shat a brick at how retarded it was.
"Enough expository banter. It's time we fight like men. And ladies. And ladies who dress like men. For Gilgamesh...IT'S MORPHING TIME!"
—Gilgamesh, Final Fantasy V
Wow. I'm pretty much the opposite. I actually like it when writers have a strict sense of what they like or don't like, as long as I'm able to grasp exactly what it is. It's akin to learning the personalities of various movie or TV critics. If so-and-so happens to have the same tastes that I do, then I'm interested in what they have to say to see if I'll like it as well. If they don't have the same tastes, then I may still be interested in reading his/her comments to see what they think about it and how we may or may not differ.
I abhor writers that have no personality, that try to like or dislike everything for no apparent reason. That's why I actually enjoy listening to folks like Jeremy Parish, or Shawn Elliott, or Yahtzee, or heck, even Shane Bettenhausen. I have a good idea of their tastes. Are there times where I'll disagree with them? Sure! Yahtzee abhors JRPGs, but I can't fault him for it. That's just his tastes. So even though he wasn't a fan of my current fave game, The World Ends With You, I still enjoyed his review.
That said, I don't read EGM so I've never read Parish's work. He is on the various 1UP podcasts from time to time though, and I've enjoyed his presence there. I can't say the same for some other podcasters though ...
- Don't add me, I'm at/near the friend limit
Steam: JC_Rooks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JiunweiC
I work on this: http://www.xbox.com
I'm all for consistently-opinionated reviewers for the same reasons you mentioned. I just wasn't specific enough, I guess. Parish talks about the same games, directors, composers, etc ALL THE TIME. Any time he can bring up Vagrant Story, FFXII, Hitoshi Sakimoto, etc, he does so.
It's not that he's opinionated, it's that it gets boring hearing or reading what are essentially the same articles over and over again. Vagrant Story is one of my favorite games, but I can only hear Parish drone on about it so much.
He's like that kid whose parents only bought him two Lego sets, so he keeps trying to make new stuff out of the same pieces, but they all end up looking the same.
Okay, that I can agree with. It's like the same annoying friend who always has to mention how much he loves Tarantino movies or thinks Kevin Smith is awesome or insert-any-other-well-known-creator. YES. WE KNOW ALREADY. THEY ARE AWESOME. THUS YOU ARE AWESOME. etc.
- Don't add me, I'm at/near the friend limit
Steam: JC_Rooks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JiunweiC
I work on this: http://www.xbox.com