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I’m glad that this gate keeping is vanishing and there exist, better, alternatives to inform yourself.
I’m glad that this gate keeping is vanishing and there exist, better, alternatives to inform yourself.
It has its up- and downsides. And every identity model has it’s limitations and inherent contradictions.
To name one: shifting the role of judging away from people who tend to do so professionally to the audience/consumers means judging becomes a more central part of the audience member/consumer experience. You can compare it to live performances being recorded by fans, rather than journalists. It fundamentally alters something in the experience.
Hmm. Let’s say musicians and producers instead of journalists.
Regarding video games I do get better results because only a minority of the reviewers are really good and get to the point whilst the swarm wins most of the time. In the beginning I found reviews interesting but it seems that I’ve evolved a lot faster and into a different direction. Nowadays most of them don’t seem to understand what’s relevant (anymore).
I mentioned in a previous post the subject of comparing the game being reviewed to earlier games. I commented that it didn’t usually take more than two or three paragraphs to accomplish this task. I think we have a record! A new review, that I first saw this morning, for Last Labyrinth made the comparison in the review’s first sentence. Granted this is a review for a VR game, and I don’t see many VR games reviewed. So maybe the comparison should be allowed???
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Ha!
Now I feel guilty, perhaps rejecting comparisons altogether is a little harsh.
Poets do it all the time.
Adventure, thy beauty is to me
Like those Nicéan barks of yore,
That gently, o’er a perfumed sea,
The weary, way-worn wanderer bore
To his own native shore.
PC means personal computer
I think there is a distinct difference “comparisons” and “similes/metaphors”. So I think I’ll stick with comparisons are not particularly useful in AG reviews. It hurts like a sharp stick in the eye for me to say that.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Comparisons are the framework that give substance to a numerical score. Maybe you’d prefer to not hear it, but the reviewer still goes through it in their head even if the review wasnt telling you about it. If youve never played an adventure, you compare it to the experience of other videogames, if youve never played a videogame you compare it to something else.. reading a book? Playing marbles? Otherwise theres no real basis to say “this is a 7” vs any other number.
Adventure, thy beauty is to me
Like those Nicéan barks of yore,
That gently, o’er a perfumed sea,
The weary, way-worn wanderer bore
To his own native shore.
that is soo good, that I hardly understand, cant you rewrite it in Eng-lish?
Adventure, thy beauty is to me
Like those Nicéan barks of yore,
That gently, o’er a perfumed sea,
The weary, way-worn wanderer bore
To his own native shore.that is soo good, that I hardly understand, cant you rewrite it in Eng-lish?
It is, poems used to be complex, just like the reviews did, to reference the discussion 
It’s actually Edgar Allan Poe who compares his feelings for the woman he loves to what a long-time adventurer feels when approaching the shores of his homeland on a small ship. Real poetry.
PC means personal computer
i am miles away from understanding Allen Poe, maybe one day… but thanks!
That’s true, that too many reviews these days include too much information, whether that means too much information about the game itself or too much real world context or too much of the reviewer’s opinion on their interpretation of the game’s philosophy and characters. The latter can sometimes be very entertaining, and sometimes very laborious to read.
Very true. It’s quite rare than you can escape past the third paragraph before the reviewer makes a comparison to another game. The comparison can cover the main characteristics, i.e., graphics, music, story continuity, voice acting, etc.. Or it may limit the comparison to one or two facets of the game.
Regardless, the comparison is often gratuitous. It really doesn’t matter if game X compares favorably, or unfavorably to game Y. Each must stand on their own merits. Case in point might be that game X doesn’t compare favorably to Game Y. What if I didn’t like game Y? How is that comparison useful? It isn’t!
Another problem: it assumes the reader knows the game on the other side of the comparison.
Of course a reviewer does mental comparisons to other games when he/she is writing a review. Is this game’s retro graphics better or worse than the retro graphics in every other game I’ve played that used that style. If a game uses a synthesized sound track, should I even try to compare it favorably or unfavorably to a game that had the money to spring for full orchestration? If the game is a prequel/sequel is the voice acting consistent with games I’ve played in the past? If the game’s style is unique, feel free to go the simile/metaphor route rather than attempt a comparison when one doesn’t exist. (In my own experience the Nelley Cootalot graphic style is like the best Chuck Jones cartoon style during his best years at Warner Bros.) The point is made without forcing a direct comparison to another game.
Perhaps my thoughts on review comparisons are different from others. I don’t think game-to-game comparisons belong in a review .... unless .... the game being reviewed is directly related to another game in the series. I think it’s fair to compare GK1 remaster with the original. I think it’s fair to compare a FMV GK2 with a less than stellar 3D GK3. And it’s certainly fair to compare the GK version of Tim Curry’s VA to any other over-the-top instance of a game starring Tim Curry? Think Dracula Resurrection.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
The quality of the last batch of reviews is a significant step down from where it was as recently as two months ago (and maybe less). It might be the editing as much as the reviewing, but man, AG used to have some of the most professional videogame review writing in the biz, but now it’s dropped to decidedly amateur. Jack’s absence as an editor is surely being felt.
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Catching up on this thread. I understand a lot of the sentiment here. The main reason I’ve been reading AG for 20 years is that the reviews were professional and the critique generally matched the star rating. Other than The Underdogs (which I believe was one reviewer, unbelievably), I used AG to make my purchases (and still do!).
Been playing adventure games since 1985 and started writing for AG this year. If it makes people feel better, in my four reviews so far I haven’t given higher than 3.5 stars.
And I don’t mind new players who don’t have historical context who enthusiastically give something a high rating. I buy games considering the review itself, not the score. And sometimes I just love to see some young enthusiasm.
The quality of the last batch of reviews is a significant step down from where it was as recently as two months ago (and maybe less). It might be the editing as much as the reviewing, but man, AG used to have some of the most professional videogame review writing in the biz, but now it’s dropped to decidedly amateur. Jack’s absence as an editor is surely being felt.
Couldn’t get through the review of “Born Punk” without flinching. Not because of the reviewer’s opinion or thoughts but because of almost palpable lack of editing. Even the best of the best need editing - that’s just the fact of life.
By the way, congrats to VP on popping an “AG reviewer” cherry. I think you’ve done a wonderful job. Although,
The Good:
- attention to detail
The Bad:
- Character animation is a bit stiff and lacks attention to detail
mad me LOL.
I hope I get to read more from you, and maybe you can tell us if you had editing present at all (or how different was it) as well. Great job!
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