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TheMadGamer
High Emperor
Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 487
Location: Southern California |
| double-talking entitlement-attitude of online reviewers |
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Have you noticed how most game reviews on the net days contain the same level of negative double-talk on par with your average politician?
I, for one, am getting tired of this. So much so that I might just start ignoring online reviews altogether. It’s the Internet game sites that are the biggest offenders. Sure, they’re monetarily free, but there is still a price. Negativity & double-talk.
It’s almost as if it’s hip and posh to bash a game around at the beginning of a review, but then contradict those assertions time and time again throughout the rest of the review with praise. If I want double-talk, I’ll tune into MSNBC and watch the Bush/Kerry campaign talking points. I don’t want to experience this nonsense in a game review.
It’s a rare occasion when I can actually discern whether or not a reviewer liked a game – which is the main reason I’m reading their write-up of it.
Like a politician, these reviewers double-talk as if they’re trying not to offend people who like the game and those who do not. Who cares? I want reviewers to make it clear if they like the game or not. If they like the damn thing, then there’s no need to engage in this silly, ‘I must make a negative comment at the get-go so I don’t look like a fanboy’ comment.
This is twice as bad when the reviewer really hasn’t established themselves yet and comes off as if on a high-horse reviewing a game by people with talents and skills far superior to the reviewer’s ability to write a review.
/rant off
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The Poster Previously Known As NeptiOfPovar |
Fri Sep 17, 2004 6:27 pm |
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EverythingXen
Arch-villain
Joined: 01 Feb 2002
Posts: 4342
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That lack of a negative comment to start is a possibly a contributing factor to why my inbox occassionally gets a 'you're a fanboi' e-mail whenever I write a review.  Well, that and some people don't like my conversational-casual tone. If I have fun playing a game I have fun writing a review.
That and some people really hate the game before they play it, hate the thought of it, and therefore instantly hate whoever likes it.
I agree with the high-horse assessment. Reading online reviews I often get the feeling that this person feels they could have done a better job. That's a small part of why I keep my reviews casual in feel... trying to sound like a professional game developer reviewing another companies work when I most certainly am NOT would come across as nothing BUT arrogant.
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Estuans interius, Ira vehementi
"The old world dies and with it the old ways. We will rebuild it as it should be, MUST be... Immortal!"
=Member of the Nonflamers Guild=
=Worshipper of the Written Word= |
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Fri Sep 17, 2004 6:47 pm |
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TheMadGamer
High Emperor
Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 487
Location: Southern California |
quote:
Originally posted by EverythingXen
That lack of a negative comment to start is a possibly a contributing factor to why my inbox occassionally gets a 'you're a fanboi' e-mail whenever I write a review.
There is a real difference between a 'fanboi' and a legitimate analysis that forms a reviewers honest opinion. A discerning reader can tell the difference. Of course, hecklers are there to heckle, so they won't care how you write something if they're out to shake a fist.
quote:
Originally posted by EverythingXen
Reading online reviews I often get the feeling that this person feels they could have done a better job.
Yes, this says it exactly.
What set me off with this post is this http://gamesdomain.yahoo.com/xbox/fable/review/44775 review of Fable.
quote:
For all its pre-launch posturing, Fable has turned out to be pretty standard fare
I've been playing role playing and computer roleplaying games since the early 70s. If that doesn't make me qualified to have a meaningful opinion, then no one is qualified.
The above comment by the reviewer is idiotic. I would like to know, what exactly isn't 'standard fare' in his opinion?
quote:
Still, it's rare to find a game that drips with such attention to detail.
It 'drips' with 'attention to detail' huh? Is this the same guy who just a few paragraphs earlier wrote, 'standard fare?'
Online reviewers have for the most part become a bunch of cackling anti-fanbois - simply for the sake of BEING anti-fanbois.
As a reader, it comes of as rather snotty.
EverythingXen - BTW - do you have any links to some of your reviews?
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The Poster Previously Known As NeptiOfPovar |
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Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:51 pm |
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EverythingXen
Arch-villain
Joined: 01 Feb 2002
Posts: 4342
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They're all on RPGDot's Review Page
Specifically (oldest to newest)
Freedom Force
Neverwinter Nights
Icewind Dale 2
Shadows of Undrentide
The Temple of Elemental Evil
Hordes of the Underdark
I wince when I re-read them because invariably a wrong word or tense gets used that I miss when proofreading. The editors for RPGDot all have english as a second language and - while they speak and read it superbly - my (slang-ridden) conversational style must be nightmarish to edit.
As it is conversational it also tends to be loaded with sentence fragments. I never realized how many until I went back and re-read a few today. Even if I'm going to keep future reviews light in tone I think the format can still use some refinement. I normally write short stories that are conversation driven ... a review is much different.
_________________
Estuans interius, Ira vehementi
"The old world dies and with it the old ways. We will rebuild it as it should be, MUST be... Immortal!"
=Member of the Nonflamers Guild=
=Worshipper of the Written Word= |
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Fri Sep 17, 2004 9:28 pm |
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TheMadGamer
High Emperor
Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 487
Location: Southern California |
quote:
Originally posted by EverythingXen
They're all on RPGDot's Review Page
Specifically (oldest to newest)
Freedom Force
Neverwinter Nights
Icewind Dale 2
Shadows of Undrentide
The Temple of Elemental Evil
Hordes of the Underdark
I wince when I re-read them because invariably a wrong word or tense gets used that I miss when proofreading. The editors for RPGDot all have english as a second language and - while they speak and read it superbly - my (slang-ridden) conversational style must be nightmarish to edit.
As it is conversational it also tends to be loaded with sentence fragments. I never realized how many until I went back and re-read a few today. Even if I'm going to keep future reviews light in tone I think the format can still use some refinement. I normally write short stories that are conversation driven ... a review is much different.
LoL, oops, and duh - sorry my bad... I will have to check out some of your reviews and see what I can complain about... hehe kidding of course!
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The Poster Previously Known As NeptiOfPovar |
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Fri Sep 17, 2004 9:33 pm |
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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
To be honest, I thought that Games Domain review was reasonable. I certainly understood that although Fable has very nice graphics and detailed environments, it boils down to a fairly standard "action adventure" game with no initial character creation, stuff "straight from the Big Book of RPG cliches" and "Zelda-like melee combat". In other words, it really doesn't blow away most standard action-adventure conventions like it was hyped to but is fun and polished nevertheless.
I like to weigh the features of a game as objectively as possible so players of all types can see the pros and cons and then give my personal take. That might come off as double-talk. 
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Editor @ RPGDot |
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Sat Sep 18, 2004 12:15 am |
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corwin
On the Razorblade of Life
Joined: 10 Jun 2002
Posts: 8376
Location: Australia |
A key component too, is balance. NO game is perfect. Some things are done well, others not so well. In a fair review, both aspects need to be dealt with. In my reviews, I try to give my overall opinion early and then disect both the good and the bad. The other problem a reviewer faces, is personal tastes and expectations; both their own and those of the readers. Let me explain. I could care less about fantastic graphics and have very little interest in whether or not a game has multiplayer possibilities; they're just not important to me. However, I realise that for some people, they are the two most important considerations. How do I deal with that when writing a review and assigning it a score? What I suggest, is compare the reviews to your own internal 'review' and find those reviewers who in general agree with you as well as those whose views are totally different. Then you can use that as a good general guide. I do that with movies all the time.
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If God said it, then that settles it!
I don't use Smileys, I use Emoticons!!
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Sat Sep 18, 2004 12:47 am |
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Val
Risen From Ashes
Joined: 18 Feb 2002
Posts: 14724
Location: Utah, USA |
Hmm, in my reviews I just plainly state what I liked and what irritated me. End of story.
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Freeeeeeedom! Thank heavens it's summer!
What do I have to show for my hard work? A piece of paper! Wee!
=Guardian, Moderator, UltimaDot Newshound=  |
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Thu Sep 23, 2004 6:42 pm |
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