Dave Halverson of Play Magazine calling game jounalists out

bloodyroarxx

I picked this up from NeoGAF:

twinturbo2 wrote:

Not only does he give Golden Axe: Beast Rider a 9/10, he has the balls to say this...

Regarding many of the “reviews” on Sega’s Golden Axe: Beast Rider: Be wary. The majority of these people (can’t call them critics) either didn’t complete a fraction of the game, don’t understand game design, or just plain suck at games.

But to score Beast Rider below a 7 is just irresponsible. These are not valid “opinions” of professional gamers. It’s painfully obvious these people have at best grazed the surface of the overall game which by action gaming standards is anything but short. Avoid critic sites like the plague.

Now normally I don't care about Play's reviews more specifically Dave Halverson because he pulls this shit all the time. For reference he's the one who gave Sonic the Hedgehog (next gen) a 9. Hes pretty notorious for overrating games especially ones from Sega it would seem.

Hell even PA did a comic involving the guy.



But this isn't about scores, this is about calling out the other games review sites and mag's review quality. Now granted many of people don't like most of the big sites for various reasons and that I can live with but comon look at the average http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/933095.asp

This guy is clearly delusional.

cj iwakura

I was under the impression Play didn't number their reviews anymore.

HyperAquaBlast

Halverson is basically the PA G&T artsy gamer retro dude poster on the boards here. I liked Play but after a few issues I knew what types of game would get good reviews fro Halverson just on how they looked and what they ment and not how they played or if they were fun.

darleysam

Just because the crazy man on the corner tells you that the world will end tomorrow, that doesn't mean it's actually going to happen.

bloodyroarxx

cj iwakura wrote: »

I was under the impression Play didn't number their reviews anymore.

That's what I thought but maybe that didn't work out for them and they come back with a bang here.

Also I would like to note these guys has the world exclusive unveiling of this game a while back so maybe that's a hint to the score. I really hate to say that because I do love everything else about their mag but really they pull shit like this and I don't want to support them.

HyperAquaBlast wrote: »

Halverson is basically the PA G&T artsy gamer retro dude poster on the boards here. I liked Play but after a few issues I knew what types of game would get good reviews fro Halverson just on how they looked and what they ment and not how they played or if they were fun.

Oh I know texactly what you mean I noticed the same thing especially when his bio mentioned him about reviewing games in the mind set of the demo they are targeted at. Which to me said "we let shitty games slide, who cares kids play them not us" and then use the goodwill for exclusives.

The_Scarab

darleysam wrote: »

Just because the crazy man on the corner tells you that the world will end tomorrow, that doesn't mean it's actually going to happen.

Westminster is on a corner.

And Alistair Darling has crazy eyebrows.

Sheep

If he were talking about Too Human, he would be correct.

Renzo

Sheep wrote: »

If he were talking about Too Human, he would be correct.

He's a monkey at a typewriter. Any sense he may make is no fault of his own.

El Guaco

From the IGN review:

October 16, 2008 - If had to sum up my feelings for Golden Axe: Beast Rider in five words or less, I'd actually do it in one: hatred. The game is so ridden with poor production values that there's absolutely nothing redeeming about the game, and its checklist of annoying issues will drive all but the already-insane crazy long before it ends.

That was all I read before I stopped. Any score beyond that is pointless except to somehow quantify "hatred".

Eurogamer:

Nothing here feels intuitive, inviting or even fun...Beast Rider is an execrable experience...SEGA might as well have released this as The Adventures of Fiery Boob Lady, and left their mothballed franchise with at least modicum of dignity.

This reviewer isn't exactly on the fence either about how he feels about the game.

Gamerankings:

Even writing about Golden Axe: Beast Rider is depressing me, the sooner I get this game out of my head the better...avoid this game at all costs.

Contrast this with Dave's "insightful" criticisms:

...anyone of the opinion that there’s nothing quite as intoxicating as a beautiful half-naked woman riding bareback on a snarling beast, and, of course, 13-year-old boys praying for a prehistoric wardrobe malfunction...Her boobs are motionless until you reach Fiends Path, too, after which they have subtle natural animation, but I’m guessing that’s due to the detail on her various tops. Some flies, eh? Damn limited boob animation!

Someone needs to take Dave out to a stripclub so he can get a face full of boobies. Maybe then he'll actually be able to concentrate on gameplay instead of pixelated lady lumps.

Rigor Mortis

I buy Play occasionally.

Their reviews are love-and-hate for me. I actually can't make up my mind whether they're awful or brilliant. I agree with the stated philosophy though, and 100% with his hate for game journalism seemingly becoming a job for journalists not gamers.

Not that I ever listen to reviews anymore. I buy games that interest ME, end of story.

LewieP

I thought print was dead?

Aren't we not supposed to care what some arsehole with a rag to sell has to say any more?

Also, review scores are broken.

Gyral

It's been a long while since I've read an issue of Play, but I seem to recall them over-inflating their scores of a number of games. I think a lotof it stemmed from how "artsy" a game was more than anything.

Halfmex

Play is a great magazine if you don't pay any attention whatsoever to the reviews. Their previews are great, the pages are well laid-out and the images are large and colorful. It's the next best then to being able to access the web while on the shittah.

That said, their reviews (and some interviews) take hyperbole to a "ho' nuvvah level", as it were. Read their article on MGS4. You'd think Kojima was actually stroking the writer off as he was writing it.

darleysam

From the trailer I saw which was entirely about showing off the 'sexy' lady's boobs and arse, it was immediately clear what was being aimed for here. Looks like they hit their mark too.

The_Scarab

Let it be known.

I would buy The Adventures of Fiery Boob Lady.

Slagmire

I love how he's giving so many smoochies to Secret Level.

I love how he forgot they worked to give us such monstrosities such as Final Fight: Streetwise (X-Box) and Iron Man (PS3). Iron Man, people.

Khavall

Don't let Dave see Bayonetta

Mr Bubbles

The_Scarab wrote: »

Let it be known.

I would buy The Adventures of Fiery Boob Lady.

Bayonetta?

EDIT: Beat'd like a bad stepchild

Khavall

h5 bubbles

Slagmire

My god... exactly how much of a review should you actually dedicate to the graphics? It's a short review, but it's like one paragraph describing gameplay while the rest of the review he spends orgasming over how pretty it looks.

Also...

Dave Halverson from Dave Talks Golden Axe wrote:

Mindlessly flailing in frustration because you can’t get the game's simple controls/timing down is no way to play the game.

...well maybe if you spent a little more time describing, critiquing and defending your criticisms of it, you might not have so many people calling you bat-shit crazy. And there's no need for anybody to become the Denis Dyack of game reviewers.

The_Scarab

Is this the same Dave who worked at CGW magazine at Ziff Davis a long time ago?

The same guy who The Brodeo called a cunt or something.

Either way, I've coughed up better game reviewers than Dave Halverson.

Keiron Gillen

hehe just kidding

Or am I?

Yes