Comments on: When Game Review Criteria Hits the Floor Hard

By: DP’s Gamer Blog:: The Enthusiast’s Blog » New Poll – Where Should I be Getting my News and Reviews From?

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:02:49 +0000

[...] I’d mentioned previously in this post, I am unhappy with what I am getting from IGN in terms of both news and reviews. Too often I spot [...]

By: Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:47:35 +0000

I definetly agree that their reviewers seem water weak. Its all very mechanical and of a checklist structure. I might check out the 1UP Network as judging from their podcasts they seem like a hardcore bunch of forward thinkers.

I think that IGN’s review of Boom Blox is similiar to the Wii Fit review; a total disconnect. On the flipside, I saw a review round up video from 1UP just before and they seem to perfectly understand how this game should be critiqued.

http://au.wii.ign.com/articles/872/872031p1.html

BTW ‘grizzled’ was a great word selection.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:03:17 +0000

I’m not a big fan of IGN. Why? Because IGN can be bought (see those Today on IGN displays? They’re paid for!). Because IGN gives “exclusive” reviews on a game’s launch day, which can only be done when said game was played under optimum conditions in the developer or publisher’s offices. Because IGN’s reviews aren’t as hard-hitting as I want it to be.

This latest example adds fuel to my IGN vitriol.

“You really have to review a game for what it is and not jam it through a bunch of preconcieved ideas and variables.”

Very well said, Daniel! Many reviews have taken this “I’m-a-grizzled-veteran-with-high-standards” approach lately, so a fresh perspective is definitely welcome.

I also agree with Supa that open-mindedness could really help when reviewing a game. Target market is another definite factor to consider when mulling over a game’s ability to entertain.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:26:02 +0000

Hey Supa, yeah I totally agree. Being open minded with anything really (I have found this to be a similiar case with music) can be of great self benefit.

You really have to review a game for what it is and not jam it through a bunch of preconcieved ideas and variables. I hope to share my own ideas on how to properly review a game at a later date. I’ll take your review and what you have said into my thoughts on this.

By: Supa

Supa — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 15:01:26 +0000

The best way I’ve found to describe this ignorant gaming press phenomena is “completely missing the point” of certain casual games. Like you mention Daniel, it’s not even always that the scores are bad, but the scoring system itself is flawed.

It’s quite flattering to hear our VGB news is considered down to earth to you, because we aim for neutrality and such. Point and case is my Endless Ocean review.
http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2007/12/16/endless-ocean-wii-review-takes-you-on-a-relaxing-dive-in-the-sea.htm

The game is clearly aimed at both casual gamers and people who just like to relax and swim around a beautiful underwater world. We take the target market into consideration for the fun factor, which is our total score for each game and not a decimal summation of the parts games are judged on. A quick look at Gamerankings.com shows the average rating puts it at a 74% and the reviews I read in newspapers and magazines all said it was a crap game, not a game, that they deducted a point from the score because the graphics weren’t as nice as the latest Xbox 360 game, etc. Whereas I rated it 85% because it put a big smile on my face and I lost track of time when swimming around in the game. That’s not to say I consider my review the end-all option, but it shows perfectly what a bit of open-mindedness can do… it can make you enjoy more gaming experiences.