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I now understand why some of you have become a bit cynical towards games media.

H

hwy_61

Banned
I've always been sort of an optimist when it comes to game previews compared to some of the negative Nancys out there. Not because I truly believe the games media, but more because I feel there needs to be a balance in any forum, whether it be GAF, or whatever. So, when I see what seems like mob mentality forming, I try to offer a different perspective on the matter.

This is becoming increasingly difficult.

Not because of GAF, but because what I'm reading/seeing/listening to previews from the games media is not coming into fruition. Sometimes the games media gets it right, and I appreciate that, but when you have quotes like this:


It was almost too much for my eyeballs to process
Click to expand...

(That was taken from an IGN preview of Titanfall from last August.)

I have to call bullshit, now that I've played it for some time.

Maybe its the games media's job to over exaggerate, to get readers excited for a product. Maybe I've fallen into that trap in the past. I'm finding myself siding with the negative Nancys. I look to actual gamers(I mean people who don't play games for a living) for opinions now.

Am I wrong for becoming a cynical bastard now?
 
M

Mesoian

Member
You just have to take it all with a grain of salt.

A lot of writers will use certain methods of flowery writing to give their articles a style which keeps people coming back. The unfortunate thing is that this style of writing often inflates or deflates the reality of a situation for the purpose of dramatic effect.
 
T

theytookourjobz

Junior Member
That out of context quote is how I first felt when I started playing Titanfall. I had no idea what was happening. Doubt they were saying it was the greatest looking game ever, which is what you're implying.
 
K

KingHippo1967

Member
No, but you're wrong for generalising.

Just like every job, there are some people who do it better than others. Just because one writer can't control his emotions doesn't mean people should be cynical of 'games media' as a whole. They should only be cynical of that specific writer.

I hate when people sarcastically sigh "games journalism" when a site writes something iffy, as if the actions of one writer sum up an entire group of thousands of others.
 
old

old

Member
Your whole point in based on disagreeing about what looks good and what looks bad to the eye of the beholder. That's a pretty weak basis to damn an entire industry.
 
M

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
Game previews are optimistic by nature, I read them as almost what the author hopes the game will be rather than what it is. I rarely pay attention to the author's impressions, I read previews for specific details on a game.
 
H

hwy_61

Banned
KingHippo1967 said:
No, but you're wrong for generalising.

Just like every job, there are some people who do it better than others. Just because one writer can't control his emotions doesn't mean people should be cynical of 'games media' as a whole. They should only be cynical of that specific writer.

I hate when people sarcastically say "sigh, games journalism" when a site writes something iffy, as if the actions of one writer sum up an entire industry of thousands of people.
Click to expand...

I feel like a few bad apples spoil the bunch for some people. If I made a generalisation, I'm clearly wrong. I mean to say some games media, in that case.
 
I

IAmRandom31

Banned
The current gaming media does seem to be pretty hyperbolic

I was glancing over a story about how gamers are " rioting " about The Order : 1886's 2.4:1 cinematic resolution instead of being full screen.

I dunno man ...
 
D

Dibbz

Member
The problem with the games media is a lot of them seem very ignorant of the technical aspect behind games. I'm sure fairly few of them understand things such as SSS, varying types of AA, Global Illumination, Ambient Occlusion etc etc. I mean fuck some of them don't even see the difference between 30 and 60 fps yet they expect us to hang onto their hollow words without really understanding what it is that they are seeing.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
This is just as common in gaming coverage as it is in movie and music coverage. It's all subjective. You're gonna have your jaded types, your fawning fanboy/girls, and your middle of the road types.
 
Grinchy

Grinchy

Banned
LuchaShaq said:
The media overhype of titanfall has been super gross.
Click to expand...

OqWdG1p.png


Hey Joel, I'm really looking forward to Titanfall. I can't wait to see more of Titanfall. If I had to pick one game I'm most excited about, it would be Titanfall. There will be new Titanfall footage later! Can you believe we get to see more Titanfall? I played some Titanfall last month and it was incredible. Titanfall. Titanfall.
 
F

FairXchange

Member
To be fair, there are moments in Titanfall where there is really too much going on too process for a split second. That's actually one of the game's strengths, having so many targets and combinations of action unfolding simultaneously.

Also, keep in mind these journalists aren't as good at the games as many of us are, a lot of the times they don't even play the same game as us in terms of strategy, utilizing the systems in depth, etc. So their analysis is sometimes surface level, and hyperbolic like you pointed out.
 
H

hwy_61

Banned
old said:
Your whole point in based on disagreeing about what looks good and what looks bad to the eye of the beholder. That's a pretty weak basis to damn an entire industry.
Click to expand...

I suppose. And I admit I don't build a strong basis. I should have created this thread on an actual computer and not a tablet haha
 
EL CUCO

EL CUCO

Member
Im on a similar boat of cynicism. I barely click on games media sights anymore. Pretty much just browse GAF for real impressions.
 
D

Doctor_Thomas

Member
KingHippo1967 said:
No, but you're wrong for generalising.

Just like every job, there are some people who do it better than others. Just because one writer can't control his emotions doesn't mean people should be cynical of 'games media' as a whole. They should only be cynical of that specific writer.

I hate when people sarcastically sigh "games journalism" when a site writes something iffy, as if the actions of one writer sum up an entire group of thousands of others.
Click to expand...

It's maybe quite cynical to lump them all in together, but they've also shown, collectively, they're quite cynical of their readers be it calling gamers entitled for asking for what was promised of the Mass Effect 3 ending, trying to convince us that DRM was a good thing on the XBone or never calling other journalists or sites on their nonsense.

Sadly, when they write for a site, they are representing that site. Same way their review will reflect the score that site gave the game.
 
C

Coffee Dog

Banned
It's because there's little/no professionalism in the game critic business. We haven't progressed to the point where legitimate discussion takes place, instead the "game journalists" are an extension of PR departments. It doesn't mean that there's nothing to be gleamed from them, just that they are most likely trying to avoid stepping on as many toes as possible at your expense.
 
Z

Zombie James

Banned
Dibbz said:
The problem with the games media is a lot of them seem very ignorant of the technical aspect behind games. I'm sure fairly few of them understand things such as SSS, varying types of AA, Global Illumination, Ambient Occlusion etc etc. I mean fuck some of them don't even see the difference between 30 and 60 fps yet they expect us to hang onto their hollow words without really understanding what it is that they are seeing.
Click to expand...

This is my biggest gripe. The lack of education in the gaming press is rediculous at times. These are people who get paid to talk about and play games every day and some have been doing it for many, many years, so when regular forum-goers know more than they do about some very basic things, the alarm bells go off.
 
M

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
Echoenigma said:
It's because there's little/no professionalism in the game critic business. We haven't progressed to the point where legitimate discussion takes place, instead the "game journalists" are an extension of PR departments. It doesn't mean that there's nothing to be gleamed from them, just that they are most likely trying to avoid stepping on as many toes as possible at your expense.
Click to expand...

Perfectly exemplified by all that Tomb Raider business last year.
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
This quote from IGN's Titanfall preview cracks me up every time:

IGN said:
This is Microsoft’s killer app. You will buy an Xbox One for Titanfall, and you should. Sure, you’d have a good time with it on PC if you’ve got a capable rig, but your couch and the Xbox Live community will be the ecosystem it’s best enjoyed in. It likely won’t decimate Call of Duty’s market share anytime soon – particularly since it’s a platform exclusive – but once Titanfall releases this spring, I guarantee you that word will spread amongst the hardcore CoD community. “Have you seen Titanfall?” they’ll say. And little by little – or maybe in droves, who knows? – they will flock to Titanfall, and they will never go back. Not after this. Titanfall is the next great evolution of the twitch-action first-person shooter. Believe the hype.
Click to expand...

You WILL buy an XBO for Titanfall, even if you have a PC capable rig for it, because REASONS! Xbox ecosystem! YOU CAN NEVER GO BACK!

Of course people will interpret calling out absurd self-perpetuating media driven overhype as a critique of Titanfall's quality, but it's not. I said this same shit over the ridiculous way IGN jerked off all over GTA5 during its Grand Theft Auto week.

There is no such thing as perspective apparently with these guys.
 
B

benny_a

extra source of jiggaflops
You want hyperbole?
Which game is Destructoid calling close to perfect?

1. The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom
2. Rock Band 3
3. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
4. Deadly Premonition
5. Limbo

A. "Judged as a piece of entertainment, as a game that consistently surprises and amazes and leaves jaws hanging... It's pretty close to perfect."

B. "About as close to perfect as you're going to get."

C. "It's warm and satisfying with a near-perfect consistency throughout."

D. "It delivers a near-perfect competitive experience, in a way that few games... can."

E. "...as close to perfect at what it does as a game can get."

1. C [...]
2. B [...]
3. D [...]
4. A [...]
5. E [...]
Click to expand...
 
W

Winterblink

Member
Haven't people learned their lesson yet about IGN? Over the years they've excelled at fluffing games up during previews with copious amounts of hyperbole and straight up bullshit.
 
Bobs Big Boy

Bobs Big Boy

Member
There are few good ways of doing a preview. The right way for a hands-on piece would probably be the least interesting to read.

Cannot defend them, they're just rarely worth the writing and reading and have a short lifespan where it makes sense for them to be written and read.
 
terrisus

terrisus

Member
When IGN criticized Shadowgate 64: Trials of the Four Towers for not being an FPS/not having "pigcops" or guns to "blow stuff away," I stopped paying any attention at all to games media.
 
Z

Zombie James

Banned
IAmRandom31 said:
And it has been non-stop since E3 2013.

Astounding the game has been talked about non-stop since then. Every single mention of the X1 had Titanfall with it.
Click to expand...

E3 was ridiculous. I remember a few members of the press talking about a demo they saw and at the end Respawn (or EA, whoever) pulled back a curtain to show people were playing the game. And this blew them all away somehow. Yes, a multiplayer game you were demoing was being played by people. Amazing.
 
O

Orayn

Member
I take a whitelist approach where I listen to a handful of people whom I consider reasonable and trustworthy (such as Sterling, Schreier) and assume that everyone else is in the pocket of some publisher or console manufacturer until they build up a track record that indicates otherwise.
 
D

Doctor_Thomas

Member
Winterblink said:
Haven't people learned their lesson yet about IGN? Over the years they've excelled at fluffing games up during previews with copious amounts of hyperbole and straight up bullshit.
Click to expand...

IGN are the biggest gaming site there is. The general public have no reason to doubt anything they say. They just take it as fact.
 
Haunted

Haunted

Member
hwy_61 said:
I've always been sort of an optimist when it comes to game previews compared to some of the negative Nancys out there. Not because I truly believe the games media, but more because I feel there needs to be a balance in any forum, whether it be GAF, or whatever. So, when I see what seems like mob mentality forming, I try to offer a different perspective on the matter.

This is becoming increasingly difficult.

Not because of GAF, but because what I'm reading/seeing/listening to previews from the games media is not coming into fruition. Sometimes the games media gets it right, and I appreciate that, but when you have quotes like this:




(That was taken from an IGN preview of Titanfall from last August.)

I have to call bullshit, now that I've played it for some time.

Maybe its the games media's job to over exaggerate, to get readers excited for a product. Maybe I've fallen into that trap in the past. I'm finding myself siding with the negative Nancys. I look to actual gamers(I mean people who don't play games for a living) for opinions now.

Am I wrong for becoming a cynical bastard now?
Click to expand...
You're not a cynical bastard, you seem to have opened your eyes for the first time.

Gaming enthusiast sites championing PR statements and doing marketing work for the companies are always super gross.
 
B

BlackBuzzard

Banned
You mean the gaming media that all of a sudden thinks resolution doesnt matter? While last gen they were whining about minimal differences.
 
C

Currygan

at last, for christ's sake
after 28 years of gaming I've seen it all and have come to a point that gaming journalism is almost entirely populated by comedians, and shitty ones to boot; you just cant take any of that drivel posted in the OP or by Amir0x seriously. It's just fucking hilarious. Maybe us thirty something aren't the target audience anymore
 
B

benny_a

extra source of jiggaflops
BlackBuzzard said:
You mean the gaming media that all of a sudden thinks resolution doesnt matter? While last gen they were whining about minimal differences.
Click to expand...
I love bashing them as much as the next guy, but that is describing them as a hivemind which is just not true.

I think it's more of a function that developers do not highlight these differences, and because they mostly parrot what they are being told the games are the same because they are coming to that platform.
 
M

mullet2000

Member
I've found the "big boy" reviewers to be quite, quite bad. IGN in particular, nearly every review that I read from them is just...poorly written? Positive, negative, whatever, a lot don't really even tell me anything about the game. This happens often, IGN's Bravely Default review for example was nearly worthless to me and barely told me anything about the game despite being a positive score.

Then there's other stuff like this Donkey Kong TP stream: http://www.twitch.tv/biggestinjapan/b/503438141
(Go to 04:46:00 and onward for where the magic starts.) Where some reviewers seem to not even want to play the games they're assigned to review. Seriously, this Kotaku guy basically says ""I don't have time for this anymore, I haven't played hard games for YEARS because of this (challenge), I just want to beat this dumb game and move on" and just fails at the game over and over, trying the same thing again and again and blaming the game for it.

I just feel so disconnected from the typical games media guy/girl at this point that their opinions hold almost no weight to me at this point.
 
I

inky

Member
Is this the first time you've read IGN? Like, have you read any of their (p)reviews before? GTA IV, Jade Empire, Halo 4?

They have always been like that.
 
T

Thorgi

Member
Eh, if they're super excited for a game and you aren't, that doesn't make them corrupt or disingenuous. Just means there's a difference of opinion. As always, don't take anyone's word for gospel (because art is VERY subjective), just listen to what they have to say and come to your own conclusions.
 
A

APeacefulPanda

Neo Member
Previews are always done with a certain level of optimism. You can't exactly shit on a game for little hiccups when, in some cases, the game won't be finished for a reeeally long time. It's up to the QA team to say something is shit. Any problem you notice has likely been fixed by the devs by the time you see it. Preview builds are weeks old sometimes. Unless it's clear there's no saving the game, previews are positive by standard.
 
N

Nvzman

Member
I can't stand it when critics are flat out hypocritical of their site (IGN posts an article about why slowing down Sonic for Sonic Lost World is a good thing, then proceeds to criticize the game because "it's too slow".
 
T

Thorgi

Member
APeacefulPanda said:
Previews are always done with a certain level of optimism. You can't exactly shit on a game for little hiccups when, in some cases, the game won't be finished for a reeeally long time. It's up to the QA team to say something is shit. Any problem you notice has likely been fixed by the devs by the time you see it. Preview builds are weeks old sometimes. Unless it's clear there's no saving the game, previews are positive by standard.
Click to expand...

That's one of the reasons why I tend to prefer Rock Paper Shotgun's previews (though I think John Walker's recent rant about copyright was pretty foolish). They aren't afraid to ask tough, potentially abrasive questions when previewing a game. Mass respect for them putting the coals to Elder Scrolls Online.
 
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