Games

[icycalm]

• GamePro: 9/10
• Play: 8.5/10
• GameZone: 8.5/10
• Hardcore Gamer Magazine: 8.5/10
• IGN: 8.3/10
• Gamespy: 8/10
• 1up: 8/10
• Game Informer: 7.5/10, 8/10
• EGM: 8, 7.5, 6
• Nintendo Power: 7.5/10
• Gaming Age: B

:(

[Dale]

• GamePro: 9/10
• Play: 8.5/10
• GameZone: 8.5/10
• Hardcore Gamer Magazine: 8.5/10
• IGN: 8.3/10
• Gamespy: 8/10
• 1up: 8/10
• Game Informer: 7.5/10, 8/10
• EGM: 8, 7.5, 6
• Nintendo Power: 7.5/10
• Gaming Age: B

Which one of these mainstream reviews do I care about the least hmm?

Worst part is that people will follow everything these mags say like the new testament.

[MAXCHAIN]

This game is good because somebody told me it was good.

[invisibleyogurt]

icy, after reading your rightfully scathing review of FFXII: RW, I think you should do a one-minute review of the upcoming international version, it supposedly fixes some major problems and makes the game MUCH harder.

[icycalm]

It's all bullcrap. I'll add a note to the end of the review later explaining. But localized versions of games do not deserve whole new reviews -- not even one-minute ones.

Worst part is that people will follow everything these mags say like the new testament.

Worst part is how similar the scores are. Not a single dissenting voice. You look at movie reviews and every single movie gets scores from 0 to 100% -- there will always be at least a few reviewers who will hate the latest "masterpiece" or who will "love" the latest piece of trash.

But game reviews? No sir. No such disgraceful disagreements in this medium. Everyone marches to the beat of the same drummer.

[invisibleyogurt]

It's all bullcrap. I'll add a note to the end of the review later explaining. But localized versions of games do not deserve whole new reviews -- not even one-minute ones.

I understand your view of this, but I was thinking about how you once said (IIRC) that you were going to do a one-minute review of the home version of KOFXI to make note of the added stuff. It's basically the same thing as that, right?

But game reviews? No sir. No such disgraceful disagreements in this medium. Everyone marches to the beat of the same drummer.

QFT. While you do get the occasional deviant on Gamefaqs' user reviews (those people are usually bashed into oblivion on the boards), one can be quite certain that a major blockbuster game given a 9.5 by one major site will be given at very least an 8 by all other such major sites, or people will get angry. Look at how insane the Metroid community got after MP3:C was given a freaking 8.5 by Gamespot while all other sites were giving it nines.

[MAXCHAIN]

Metroid Prime 3 is a really crappy game, too.

[JoshF]

or people will get angry

The publishers are the ones in control. Fanboys are more or less willing slaves of the publishers.

[icycalm]

I understand your view of this, but I was thinking about how you once said (IIRC) that you were going to do a one-minute review of the home version of KOFXI to make note of the added stuff. It's basically the same thing as that, right?

Okay, let me clear this up for you.

There are two versions of KOF XI: the original Atomiswave cart, and the PS2 port. Now the PS2 port comes in three flavors: Japanese, US and European.

See the difference? We review the different versions of games separately, but only the original versions get full reviews -- ports get short, one-paragraph writeups.

Regional flavors of one version however get nothing more than a one-line note, and that only if they earn it by having significant differences with the original flavor (which for Japanese games like FFXI: Revenant Wings and KOF XI happens to be the Japanese flavor).

;)

[CosMind]

well, could we actually expect differentiating scores from folks who've not actually even played the game (outside of maybe firing it up and dinking with it for 5 minutes)?

nah, much easier to lick a tiny taste, check the preceding opinion and vaguely mirror it, then co lect pay check.