Unsympathetic and Scathing Reviews

Unsympathetic and Scathing Reviews!

This is not necessarily about GTA or GTH, but any type of game!

Did you ever not buy a game because it had had bad vibes written about it in a mag or bad comments on a mag CD or website review?  I'm guilty of that, or should I say, have fallen victim to this propaganda.  The guilty parties are the ones making the comments, when they have no-clue what they are talking about!



I've got a few people in mind, writers who call themselves gamers, or knowledgeable critics, when they are obviously not really. I suppose they only real way to judge a game is to try it for yourself.

I am also a big fan of COD.  'Call or Duty' for the few who don't know! I do play, both single player and online multi-player.  I'm not very good by most standards, only getting an average about half the kills of the other co-op players online.

My point is, that some of the critics of certain types of games, do openly say in their comments, that they are not really a fan of these style or genre of games.  And this is what you have got to listen out for, because as soon as they say that, all their comments should be disregarded.  This is of course, if the critics main area of interest or expertise is not too dissimilar in genre.

If I give a few examples, The New - 'Rage' game (mid 2011) is a 1/3PS (1st person / 3rd person shooter game). I cannot say for sure, because I've not played it and its not released yet at the time of writing this.  I can already say with knowledge and experience of COD that; - you cannot compare it with COD.  COD is based in the realistic real world environment and Rage is a total fantasy world.  That alone ends the comparison for me!

Sure there are certain areas that you can compare, like graphics, attention to detail, movement of characters, and story-line. I could go on and on. But I would like to hear more comments from people who actually live, dream and play in those various genre game worlds talk about the games they know about.

I'd like a kind of CV from the critic who is probably totally destroying a games launch and spoiling peoples potential enjoyment of a great game.  I have nothing against football and sports games, where you have to run, jump, punch, kick a ball, play tennis etc.  I find them dead boring myself, but that's just me.

I would never comment on any particular game, mentioning a title or developer, when I don't know what I'm talking about.  I don't like these types of games, they hold no-interest for me, I cannot get into them.  I have tried a few that my kids play, but I cannot understand the attraction and get totally bored with the game.

I cannot play them, I don't have the skill required and have no desire to learn them. But, I do appreciate that many thousands of people love football type games and are as addicted to them as I am to COD and GTA!

This is a bit of a rant, because I have just spent £5 on a magazine to 'get news' on new games, and all I got was, scathing review after scathing review of just about every game in the mag.  Anyone reading their garbage for the first time, might be thinking, 'I don't think I'll bother with any of these games'.

Surely, if you work in the industry and make your money reviewing games and giving news and advice, it would be better to be positive and try to promote games and the industry as a whole.  Thus the industry expands and you and your company earns more money!  They should select reviewers who have extensive knowledge and experience in the genre to give the review.

I'm not saying I only want to hear good reviews, but I am amazed that the two main and only reviewers in my mag on CD, have just slagged-off-every-game apart from two; and have only said about half-a-dozen good comments about the one game which is a similar game to that of their interest.

Incidentally they also mentioned that this genre is where their interest lies, and they obviously know a lot about the history of the series, the developer; the game; and its genre as a whole!   So this was the only worthwhile review in my opinion!  With all respect to them for that review, their other reviews were worthless diatribe!

I think critics should be more honest with explaining their gaming history, area of interest and enjoyment and give a kind of CV. as to their knowledge of the game they are reviewing.  You cannot compare Call of Juarez with Red Dead Redemption.  You cannot compare F1 2010 with GTA4.

I've even read a review comparing RDR to GTA4 - I was truly amazed!

Cars - v - Horses (WTF?) Yes, you can compare graphics, but the scenery issues are totally different. You don't need to admire, (nor would you even notice), swaying grass or fields of wheat in GTA4.

If you were talking technical issues, which most players don't even know exist, (because they just enjoy the game more, but don't really know why and don't care either)! Like rendered graphics or light and shade effects that are not fixed in the image, but change constantly and are the result of a separate indicated light source like the sun!  (Doh - did anyone know that? (more radically); Do you care? I don't when I'm playing)!

Even back in the original Driver game, we, (who were interested), were amazed at the shade and reflections passing over the car body-work). This is something we almost should take for granted in this day and age, but still, many games don't to this!   Like you cannot compare Saints Row (1 or 2), to any GTA game.  Namely, people used to quote GTA - San Andreas.

I totally will not accept this, like anyone who has really played San Andreas, will know that the two games are different, with perhaps game-play similarities of being set in a city environment, driving cars, doing gang warfare type of stuff, gun-fights etc and a whole host of other similarities like changing appearance via clothing and body sculpture etc.

You could almost say that the two games are the same, (if you didn't know what you were talking about). But, if you are 'into' the genre and play these games, (and enjoy playing them), you will no-doubt arrive at the same conclusion that although the game-play has similarities, there are two separate qualities to these games that make them as different as chalk and cheese. GTA SA is definitely on top, there is more of everything in it, both from a technical approach through to playability.

   So, the answer to weather or not you should buy a game, really is, YES, buy it and make up your own mind!

If you don't enjoy it, trade it in for something else. If cost is your problem, just think how much you would spend on any other entertainment activity, like going to the movies or going out for a drink or a meal.  Or even visiting a lady of the night, (one of doubtful character; as my local priest would say! (He should know))!

You can easily blow your wad, certainly more than the cost of a new console game, just for a few hours of fun. With a game, you can play it over and over, if it is one like GTA or COD!  Alternately, seek out a reviewers name or two in mags, where their review held up to your expectations and follow their recommendations if you must.  Be brave, be a man, (or a woman), go with your own ideas, choices and decisions, just buy the damn game and play it for yourself! Make up your own mind!


Have a great day! Niko.

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TAGS: Unsympathetic and Scathing Reviews, GTA, GTH, RDR,