Support NeoGAF

[GetemMa]

What?

The gaming press have played the beta. They're excited. They're presenting their opinion on what they've seen so far, and that opinion is "it's great".

I'm not saying they're great journalist, I'm just finding it a little ridiculous you guys are getting so worked up about them being hyped for a game the majority of people are hyped for too.

You've missed the point. I haven't disputed their experience playing the game and it's entirely irrelevant to my point which is that they sure seem to think it is vital that we know how great it is before the game is released and more importantly, before anyone reviews it.

Why bother with reviews if they have no duty as games journalists to remain objective before a review? They're already telling us, emphatically, do what you have to do to play this game. That's a review under the guise of a "preview." I can't wait until they start adding scores in previews (not really). In the case of TItanfall they should just add a score of 10 and get it over with because "my hands were shaking!."

 

[Zakalwe]

People can be positive and they can be hyped, but come review time we can predict the scores based on these previews and impressions, which is wrong there's been absolutely no holding back through closed demos to alpha to beta. Reviewers had already decided the game was good based on their initial impressions and it's continued, unrelenting, since the thing was revealed. I take issue with that. How can you objectively review something when you're praising it like an giddy fanboy months before release?

Again... what?

Game is revealed - people decide if it interests them.
As more information is drip feed interest either grows or wanes.
Every now and then a game is released that generates a tremendous amount of share excitement, and that shared excitement causes buzz, which in turn generates more excitement.

That's all that's happened here. Yes we can probably predict the review scores because the game is being very well received by many of the people who play it.

Unless the final product is greatly lacking in content, or Respawn throw curveballs that no-one saw coming, it's a safe bet this game is going to score well. And that has nothing to do with anything but the fact they've probably made a good game.

You've missed the point. I haven't disputed their experience playing the game and it's entirely irrelevant to my point which is that they sure seem to think it is vital that we know how great it is before the game is released and more importantly, before anyone reviews it.

Why bother with reviews if they have no duty as games journalists to remain objective before a review? They're already telling us, emphatically, do what you have to do to play this game. That's a review under the guise of a "preview." I can't wait until they start adding scores in previews (not really). In the case of TItanfall they should just add a score of 10 and get it over with because "my hands were shaking!."

I didn't miss the point.

The point is you're saying that people being excited and praising what they've seen so far means they're not being objective.

Which is ridiculous.

 

[OldAsUrSock]

You've missed the point. I haven't disputed their experience playing the game and it's entirely irrelevant to my point which is that they sure seem to think it is vital that we know how great it is before the game is released and more importantly, before anyone reviews it.

Why bother with reviews if they have no duty as games journalists to remain objective before a review? They're already telling us, emphatically, do what you have to do to play this game. That's a review under the guise of a "preview." I can't wait until they start adding scores in previews (not really). In the case of TItanfall they should just add a score of 10 and get it over with because "my hands were shaking!."

Spot on.

Strange examples, considering GAF's praise for them aligns up perfectly with the amount of praise those games received just about everywhere. In fact, HL2 didn't even win the GOTY 2004 vote here. A better example would be people hyping up or defending buggy, broken messes. Neither of those games fit that description.

It'll be interesting to see how the media approaches things if there isn't a big momentum shift at some point this year. So far, they are on the other side of the fence from the general public.

I should have been more specific.
PCGAF praises Half Life 2 while ConsoleGAF praises The Last of Us.

 

[Drainer]

"too much for my eyeballs to process" in a game where there is a craptonne going on was the point you decided to be cynical?

amazed it took you so long.

The IGN Review of Uncharted 3 was it for me.

 

[BoboBrazil]

In all honesty if something huge hit GAF first you can bet it would be on those gaming sites very quickly.

Remember

GAF - Internet - GAF

We're talking about exclusives, it will spread. The only difference is that the source would be GAF.

It seems like it would make those sites angry with Sony, since they aren't getting their exclusives any more to generate clicks and then it would trickle down into worse reviews for games and less time being spent on previews of games by those sites, while MS continues to do what they are doing and getting more coverage on those sites. I just don't see how it could be a good thing for Sony.

 

[dcelone53]

the problem isnt the media its society of a whole. Self-affirmation is a problem and it starts at a very young age. We are taught since birth that being wrong is deviant our friends and people we related to all have similar beliefs and ideas. We fast forward to when we are adults and consume media. 80 percent of people gravitate to the news sources that pander to those beliefs. Media stations gear their material towards the audience they want. Same for game media. The problem isnt necessarily the media its that people now adays cant handle it when someone goes against what they believe. people cant accept being wrong so when people who are hell bent on the xbox one being better see articles how thier first big game will be the best game ever, they gravitate to it and hold it up to God, those who dont believe in the same things will "damn that article" and take to the comment boards to tell everyone how they are right. In the end of the day. it doesnt matter. WHen you need others people opinions to make judgement about a game, or anything. you are an idiot. I always get a kick out of reviews, let some other person why I would like this game when he or she has no clue who i am. People need to play, see, things for themselves to make judgement but so many would rather listen to those who make them feel comfortable, on the yes or no side. If you ... I did a term paper on all this stuff it was very enlightening

 

[King_Richard]

Kind of related: What kind of journalist would pose with Mountain Dews and Doritos? Really, ask yourself, what sort of serious journalist would willingly pose with food products in a marketing photo? Oh, that's right, a games journalist.

 

[Amir0x]

That whole ecosystem argument I find to be bullshit personally. I had a 360 and got a PS4 this gen. No worries about the ecosystem, in fact I edited my Xbox 360 profile to let people know my PSN ID.

Most people find it bullshit now. There is no longer any dramatic advantage in the ecosystem, and I say that as someone who was a huge 360 fan last gen and spent 95% of my online time on that platform. And frankly until Microsoft fixes their party chat on XBO for Titanfall, there's actually a legit reason to avoid it right now

:lol If you want to get called all kinds of racial epithets the wonderful Xbox Live community is for sure the best one out there. That paragraph is just flat out embarrassing, do these people not care to appear like gigantic fucking shills? At least attempt to keep your bullshit subtle, goddamn.

Every time I read the couch line I can't stop laughing. That's the type of shit bandied about by straight Xbox fanboys and people who have profound misunderstanding of what PC is capable of. So on top of being wild-eyed nuts, it's inaccurate. You can play PC games perfectly fine on a couch! I just finished Gone Home on my PC from a couch

My opinion is that many of those sites have exclusives. Therefore people still have to go to those sites to see <latest trailer>, <newest screenshot> etc ...

GAF is still the only opinion that counts (for me at least and I gather many of you) though when discussing that content. Which is why I raised the question above ... how would GAF feel if exclusive content was dumped "direct" to GAF bypassing traditional channels.

Publicity is great for this site, and it'd only help the community grow further. And it'd further incentivize people joining.

Without being able to speak for Evilore and the crew, the only problem I can think they might think of would be the perception that we really were "SonyGAF" if we started getting exclusives from Sony versus the other two major competitors. Of course, it'd just be a perception problem and not really true (since Microsoft and Nintendo would obviously be free to do the same), but that might be what they would want to avoid.

I'd be fascinated to see the answer. That'd be so rad to see happen.

 

[Zakalwe]

Spot on.

It's not spot on at all.

There are two points that are spot on here:

1. Unless the game is severely lacking in content, or throws curveballs we didn't see coming, the final build is going to be just more of the same we've seen during the content we've played so far.

Which means, if you love the beta, you will almost certainly adore the final game.

So there's that...

2. Being excited about a pre-release has nothing to do with lost objectivity, even if that excitement is barely contained.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

Again... what?

Game is revealed - people decide if it interests them.
As more information is drip feed interest either grows or wanes.
Every now and then a game is released that generates a tremendous amount of share excitement, and that shared excitement causes buzz, which in turn generates more excitement.

That's all that's happened here. Yes we can probably predict the review scores because the game is being very well received by many of the people who play it.

Unless the final product is greatly lacking in content, or Respawn throw curveballs that no-one saw coming, it's a safe bet this game is going to score well. And that has nothing to do with anything but the fact they've probably made a good game.

This isn't what happened though. This game was revealed and, straight off, within days, was the biggest game of the year, system seller and was amazing. The game being good is absolutely irrelevent to the situation and not what anyone is talking about, the issue is that the same people who are supposed to be able to review a game and give an unbiased critique are caught up in the same hype train. How am I supposed to take the review or opinion of someone who is hyped seriously be they professional reviewer or raging fanboy? If the game is good, it will be good regardless but I think reviewers need to distance themselves.

 

[terrisus]

Community question -- this thread is being tagged back to SCEA management, specifically looking at the answer to this.

How would you all feel about SCEA dropping exclusive trailers, exclusive screenshot(s), etc on GAF first in the appropriate thread instead of the usual gaming journalistic sites? Assuming the moderators said that was ok. (would it be ok mods?) I know SCEA really don't want to look like marketing hacks ... but I've been pushing them to at least try passing on exclusives here directly rather than going the circular route through gaming sites.

You know the saying GAF - Internet - GAF. With that said, it's a fine line. So if we dropped something, no PR release no "OMG THIS IS AMAZING BLAHBLAH" .... maybe just "here GAF, new Trailer for Infamous <link>".

As long as they're videos and screenshots of the actual gameplay, not this cinematic cutscene junk that seems to fill up 80% of pre-release game videos. Otherwise the video itself is basically nothing more than PR.

 

[Zakalwe]

This isn't what happened though. This game was revealed and, straight off, within days, was the biggest game of the year, system seller and was amazing. The game being good is absolutely irrelevent to the situation and not what anyone is talking about, the issue is that the same people who are supposed to be able to review a game and give an unbiased critique are caught up in the same hype train. How am I supposed to take the review or opinion of someone who is hyped seriously be they professional reviewer or raging fanboy? If the game is good, it will be good regardless but I think reviewers need to distance themselves.

Reviewers do not need to distance themselves in that way at all, their enthusiasm is a massive part of why they have a job in the first place.

As long as the actual reviews are objective, and well thought out and presented, then all the excitement before-hand is perfectly fine.

 

[Rell]

Video game journalism is weak because the people who write it are weak. There's barely any demand, expectation, discussion, or honest criticism in game reviews.

Granted, a lot of film, book, and music criticism is shit also.

Too often reviews become descriptions and summaries of the product, rather than any real criticism.

Also something painfully evident: the writers are video game fans, but not video game buffs. We don't get reviews from a weary "been there done that" kind of perspective that provides the most insight. It's like the entire field is full of "Homer Simpson becomes a restaurant critic" type antics.

It sucks when Tim Rogers is the best example of what game criticism should be, because it's obviously something he barely takes seriously.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

Community question -- this thread is being tagged back to SCEA management, specifically looking at the answer to this.

How would you all feel about SCEA dropping exclusive trailers, exclusive screenshot(s), etc on GAF first in the appropriate thread instead of the usual gaming journalistic sites? Assuming the moderators said that was ok. (would it be ok mods?) I know SCEA really don't want to look like marketing hacks ... but I've been pushing them to at least try passing on exclusives here directly rather than going the circular route through gaming sites.

You know the saying GAF - Internet - GAF. With that said, it's a fine line. So if we dropped something, no PR release no "OMG THIS IS AMAZING BLAHBLAH" .... maybe just "here GAF, new Trailer for Infamous <link>".

Honestly, if SCE were able to get developers playing the game, no bullshit and get it on here and bypass the IGNs and the Polygons entirely, I would have absolutely no issue and, in fact, it would mean I could entirely avoid those sites and their own spin on things.

Trailers would be no good on their own though, I'd still like to see gameplay.

 

[polyh3dron]

You can't "outdo yourself" if you've never done anything. That doesn't make sense. This is their first game. What have they outdone?

Lol, it's just like throw a bunch of crazy adjectives at the wall and hope it makes sense.

Vince Zampella, Jason West and many of the major players in Respawn basically make up what Infinity Ward used to be before the lawsuit. I know you know this. Respawn is more Infinity Ward than the current Infinity Ward.

(Yes, I know West left but he was there for most of Titanfall's development).

I don't understand why a certain subsection of the video game enthusiast community seems to know this and at the same time doesn't understand why this game has been so heavily hyped.

Titanfall is the spiritual successor to one of the most successful multiplayer games of last gen, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. COD4 managed to make people stop playing Halo 3 when it came out. It was a huge game changer in multiplayer games, nothing played like it before it came out.

 

[inm8num2]

I propose replacing the term 'games journalist' with 'AAA PR freelancer' where applicable.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

Reviewers do not need to distance themselves in that way at all, their enthusiasm is a massive part of why they have a job in the first place.

As long as the actual reviews are objective, and well thought out and presented, then all the excitement before-hand is perfectly fine.

From the hype? They absolutely do because that's why we're at the stage we are now where game journalists for big sites are about on par with anyone with a blog. If they were half as enthusiastic about writing good material as they are about PR, then game journalism would be in a much better place.

How can a review be objective if the reviewer has allowed their opinions to be moulded by publisher and viral hype? They're only human, I'm not expecting them to be cut off entirely but they have access to information most people won't and that's why it's important that they make sure they are not fueling hype with buzzwords but being objective from reveal to review so, come review time, it's based entirely on fact and not written up like a press release.

A preview should be a preview, a review should be a review. They're not supposed to be the same thing with a review score strapped to one.

 

[Drainer]

You can't "outdo yourself" if you've never done anything. That doesn't make sense. This is their first game. What have they outdone?

Lol, it's just like throw a bunch of crazy adjectives at the wall and hope it makes sense.

So you're essentially being purposefully obtuse here?

Anyone on GAF is into gaming enough to know that Respawn is, for all intents and pusposes Infinity Ward. So to say they've outdone themselves is to basically say they've improved on what they did with the Call of Duty series before being given the ass.

Yeahm, they've brought in new talent like ANY studio does, even established ones. But it's hard to argue that Respawn isn't more Infinity Ward than Infinity Ward is right now.

 

[Liberty4all]

Honestly, if SCE were able to get developers playing the game, no bullshit and get it on here and bypass the IGNs and the Polygons entirely, I would have absolutely no issue and, in fact, it would mean I could entirely avoid those sites and their own spin on things.

Trailers would be no good on their own though, I'd still like to see gameplay.

It would be experimental to say the least. I don't think anyone has ever gone the direct to discussion board route. I'm trying to build a case as to why they should consider at least trying it and threads like this one make a big argument for the "why" part.

I think the big issue for publishers/corporations has been the disconnect between approaching a community authentically versus sounding like a marketing robot. So they have always gone with what they know --- corporate gaming journalism sites where they can release their OUR GAME IS REVOLUTIONARYYYY press releases along with screenshots and let the gaming sites figure out how to translate that.

Stuff like that won't work on GAF -- GAF has little tolerance for corporate speak. Also GAF isn't small anymore. Look at the #NODRM campaign. That originated from GAF and had a huge impact on the whole course the industry ended up going.

I said it in an earlier thread ... GAF matters which is why I raised the question. I don't want to derail the thread though (sorry), the topic just hit home to something I'd been thinking about for awhile.

 

[Zakalwe]

From the hype? They absolutely do because that's why we're at the stage we are now where game journalists for big sites are about on par with anyone with a blog. If they were half as enthusiastic about writing good material as they are about PR, then game journalism would be in a much better place.

How can a review be objective if the reviewer has allowed their opinions to be moulded by publisher and viral hype? They're only human, I'm not expecting them to be cut off entirely but they have access to information most people won't and that's why it's important that they make sure they are not fueling hype with buzzwords but being objective from reveal to review so, come review time, it's based entirely on fact and not written up like a press release.

A preview should be a preview, a review should be a review. They're not supposed to be the same thing with a review score strapped to one.

Allowing yourself to be excited by what you've seen/know/experienced does not equate to "moulded by publisher and viral hype" as an absolute.

And previews can give excited impression without devaluing them.

 

[Amir0x]

So you're essentially being purposefully obtuse here?

Anyone on GAF is into gaming enough to know that Respawn is, for all intents and pusposes Infinity Ward. So to say they've outdone themselves is to basically say they've improved on what they did with the Call of Duty series before being given the ass.

Yeahm, they've brought in new talent like ANY studio does, even established ones. But it's hard to argue that Respawn isn't more Infinity Ward than Infinity Ward is right now.

I don't think that's accurate either. It's 70-80 ish employees, founded by former Infinity Ward president and co-founder of Infinity Ward, with many employees that have worked all over the industry, some at Infinity Ward, some elsewhere.

It's not really true to just say "they're effectively Infinity Ward." They're a team with a lot of talent that came from there (as well as elsewhere), but they are a new entity now. One cannot have clear expectations of how their new products will turn out based purely on the people who came from Infinity Ward on the team.

 

[Drainer]

I don't think that's accurate either. It's 70-80 ish employees, founded by former Infinity Ward president and co-founder of Infinity Ward, with many employees that have worked all over the industry, some at Infinity Ward, some elsewhere.

It's not really true to just say "they're effectively Infinity Ward." They're a team with a lot of talent that came from there (as well as elsewhere), but they are a new entity now. One cannot have clear expectations of how their new products will turn out based purely on the people who came from Infinity Ward on the team.

But given West and Zampella founded the studio, surely the "outdo" themselves cliche applies to their work at Infinity Ward.

Yeah we can talk semantics and get into technicalities here, but honeslty, we're all mature enough and knowledgeable enough here to know what they're referring to when they say "they've outdone themselves".

 

[polyh3dron]

I don't think that's accurate either. It's 70-80 ish employees, founded by former Infinity Ward president and co-founder of Infinity Ward, with many employees that have worked all over the industry, some at Infinity Ward, some elsewhere.

It's not really true to just say "they're effectively Infinity Ward." They're a team with a lot of talent that came from there (as well as elsewhere), but they are a new entity now. One cannot have clear expectations of how their new products will turn out based purely on the people who came from Infinity Ward on the team.

They bear much more of a resemblance to the creators of Modern Warfare than the studio that actually calls itself Infinity Ward.

 

[Ricky_R]

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



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.

Hold on!! Is that where the "Have you seen Titanfall?" originated?

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

It would be experimental to say the least. I don't think anyone has ever gone the direct to discussion board route. I'm trying to build a case as to why they should consider at least trying it and threads like this one make a big argument for the "why" part.

I think the big issue for publishers/corporations has been the disconnect between approaching a community authentically verses sounding like a marketing robot. So they have always gone with what they know --- corporate gaming journalism sites where they can release their OUR GAME IS REVOLUTIONARYYYY press releases along with screenshots and let the gaming sites figure out how to translate that.

Stuff like that won't work on GAF -- GAF has little tolerance for corporate speak. Also GAF isn't small anymore. Look at the #NODRM campaign. That originated from GAF and had a huge impact on the whole course the industry ended up going.

I said it in an earlier thread ... GAF matters which is why I raised the question. I don't want to derail the thread though (sorry), the topic just hit home to something I'd been thinking about for awhile.

Honestly, for me, I'm very disillusioned with gaming journalism in general and if I could get the same material direct from source, I would absolutely be open to that especially if it did extend to more previews and gameplay demos. I understand that for various reasons that couldn't always be the case, but I think a lot of people would appreciate seeing something on here even before journalists go to it. I'm absolutely a big fan of being able to see something rather than having it reported back to me.

 

[RoboPlato]

Titanfall previews are a perfect example of how the games' media fails to support their arguments with actual information. All the previews from the press, even recently, have just been saying the game is awesome without telling us why or what makes it unique. Now that players have gotten their hands on it and can in detail describe how shooting feels, how movement feels, and how it's balanced I'm a lot more interested in the title. It sounds like something I could really dig. No press preview has done that. They just reword a PR pitch of the game then just say it's awesome over and over and that once you play it you'll get it. They do nothing to sell the game to people who aren't going to have the chance to play it before release. They seem almost incapable of describing how gameplay feels and just say "we played it and you didn't so you can't argue with us."

 

[thelastword]

I don't even read reviews anymore, and yes, I used to read reviews, IGN, gamespot, 1up etc..I used to watch gametrailers reviews, haven't done so in years, I just stick to Gaf's OT's about the games I'm interested in.

So much has gone on in recent times to question the credibility of games media outlets, I feel at this point there should be a governing body to shut down questionable games media/review outlets.

 

[terrisus]

Anyone on GAF is into gaming enough to know that Respawn is, for all intents and pusposes Infinity Ward.

I couldn't tell you who either of those companies are, or anything that they've done.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

It would be experimental to say the least. I don't think anyone has ever gone the direct to discussion board route. I'm trying to build a case as to why they should consider at least trying it and threads like this one make a big argument for the "why" part.

I think the big issue for publishers/corporations has been the disconnect between approaching a community authentically versus sounding like a marketing robot. So they have always gone with what they know --- corporate gaming journalism sites where they can release their OUR GAME IS REVOLUTIONARYYYY press releases along with screenshots and let the gaming sites figure out how to translate that.

Stuff like that won't work on GAF -- GAF has little tolerance for corporate speak. Also GAF isn't small anymore. Look at the #NODRM campaign. That originated from GAF and had a huge impact on the whole course the industry ended up going.

I said it in an earlier thread ... GAF matters which is why I raised the question. I don't want to derail the thread though (sorry), the topic just hit home to something I'd been thinking about for awhile.

Just post gameplay videos, trailers are completely worthless to me.

 

[Mooreberg]

I couldn't tell you who either of those companies are, or anything that they've done.

They are to Call of Duty what Bungie is to Halo. Neither will be working on those respective franchises going forward, but they are the reason for their success (or more accurately, their existence).

 

[Amir0x]

Hold on!! Is that where the "Have you seen Titanfall?" originated?

Nah, this is: Link

They bear much more of a resemblance to the creators of Modern Warfare than the studio that actually calls itself Infinity Ward.

I wouldn't disagree with that, but I'm just saying it's also not true to say they're effectively Infinity Ward as they were. It's a new group now, and it's perfectly logical to have new expectations. It does not mean they won't be as good or be able to create very similar experiences as IW, I'm just being precise here.

But given West and Zampella founded the studio, surely the "outdo" themselves cliche applies to their work at Infinity Ward.

Yeah we can talk semantics and get into technicalities here, but honeslty, we're all mature enough and knowledgeable enough here to know what they're referring to when they say "they've outdone themselves".

I mean I'm not arguing that point, that's a separate point. I'm just trying to move away from the considering an entire company "something" based off a handful of its employees. No company works off the talent of just a few souls, it's a collective effort, and Respawn Entertainment has talent from all over the industry now and is a new collective

 

[akachan ningen]

Kind of related: What kind of journalist would pose with Mountain Dews and Doritos? Really, ask yourself, what sort of serious journalist would willingly pose with food products in a marketing photo? Oh, that's right, a games journalist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW4kaQk50Vo

 

[The_Endgamer]

I propose replacing the term 'games journalist' with 'AAA PR freelancer' where applicable.

This guy's onto something. |

Movie reviewers in news papers don't go under the name of journalist, so why should videogames people. They're either 'videogame critics' or a type of tabloid-esque writer for cheap clickbait articles. The few decent articles they do are just really good PR 'see inside/behind the scenes' pieces. Even less are those with journalism attached to them, ie. investigations into Retro Studios founding and development, investigation of the Rare buyout... I mean seriously, how many of those type of articles are there out there. not many, and that's precisely what journalism is supposed to be. Tacking on the word 'video game journalist' isn't accurate but they like it, so people call them that.

Of course this crosses over with the current state of journalism as a whole but you could just watch Anchorman 2 to see it in a much better format

 

[Dizzy]

I haven't read full reviws or previews in many years, though it was always funny to check gamespot or wherever for a preview and see them say "its not a bad game, pretty good minus one or two small issues" and then a few weeks later they give the game a 5/10 or something and say its crap.

 

[Drainer]

Nah, this is: Link



I wouldn't disagree with that, but I'm just saying it's also not true to say they're effectively Infinity Ward as they were. It's a new group now, and it's perfectly logical to have new expectations. It does not mean they won't be as good or be able to create very similar experiences as IW, I'm just being precise here.



I mean I'm not arguing that point, that's a separate point. I'm just trying to move away from the considering an entire company "something" based off a handful of its employees. No company works off the talent of just a few souls, it's a collective effort, and Respawn Entertainment has talent from all over the industry now and is a new collective

I agree with you. This came from Y2Kevs "lol how can they outdo themselves" post.

Yes, this is TECHNICALLY Respawns first game, but to feign ignorance to the point of pointing out the flaws of an ancient cliche over a technicality just seems so.....ew.

 

[Doctoglethorpe]

I've come to view most coverage, especially by the "big" sites like IGN, as essentially just advertisements. Those sites are good only as mouth pieces for the developers/publishers. Good for making me aware of a games existence and tell me what its basic goal is, but not enough to make me decide if I actually want to play it. If I wan't real, critical coverage of a game to make that decision I go to a few key youtubers I follow and skim neogaf threads for hidden gems.

 

[Jabba]

Don't do this. Being contrarian for its own sake is far more destructive in a discussion than "mob mentality". Forums don't need balance, they need honest opinions. If you honestly disagree with a consensus opinion, then by all means argue against it. But if you're arguing for a perspective that you don't fully agree with or understand, then you are almost guaranteed to say something contradictory, illogical and/or stupid, and then no one knows whether you're trolling or being an idiot or what.

Just say what you really believe, whether it's part of the "mob" or not.

I was going to post this very idea. Well said here.

To anyone who thinks, gifts/allowances/access can't/don't/won't distort candid opinions. Your being naive. Is everyone affected? Not everyone. As consumers of game media you have to be careful/vigilant about what opinions you value these days.

I worked an industry where gifts and invites certainly could influence your actions or opinions while doing the job. So, while I don't believe there are suitcases of money changing hands with some journalists, influence through other means can/will happen.

I usually get my news from GAF. A few friends can't believe the things I tell them because of GAF. Mainly the news GAF has....like, Release dates, the huge eve battles GAF follows, NPD sales, the huge buy a PC and PC screenshot threads...etc...

OP you should always go with your own opinion unless someone sways that opinion with actual, solid arguments that deconstruct or bolster your opinion and allow you to think about something different. Even so, your opinion should reflect your thoughts on a particular subject at the given time.

As someone already mentioned, why did resolution and framerates matter to many journalists last gen. Now, it doesn't/shouldn't matter at all this gen. Look at some of the cretinous quotes from the media in this thread. The one about buying Titan Fall even if having a capable PC with no mention of a 360 version even though there's 80 million, give or take, out there. Shouldn't they all be mentioned? They are all MS ecosystems. So some, go as far as completely writing off two platforms which imo in the real world, could help kill over all sales of Titan Fall. They're saying, the only place to play this, is on XB1. How is Titan Fall going to sell the most copies, ignoring two of the biggest installed bases?

Yet, a higher recommendation/score for a PS4 multiplat is maybe politically incorrect. By saying the shit that particular quote does about the XB1version of Titan Fall is a simliar thing they won't do for a multiplat game going to both co

 

[Drainer]

I've come to view most coverage, especially by the "big" sites like IGN, as essentially just advertisements. Those sites are good only as mouth pieces for the developers/publishers. Good for making me aware of a games existence and tell me what its basic goal is, but not enough to make me decide if I actually want to play it. If I wan't real, critical coverage of a game to make that decision I go to a few key youtubers I follow and skim neogaf threads for hidden gems.

This is a good summary.

I'm not sure if I've ever used the bigger sites as a genuine point of accurate judgement. In the end, you can generally garner a fair amount from preview videos, demos and such these days.

Depending on how long you've been playing games, it's generally fariyl easy to get a handle on the general quality of a game if actualy gameplay is being shown to the public in one form or another. If hundreds of people are getting their hands on a game and almost all unanimously are saying "it's fantastic", it's hard to think it's not going to be at least a decent fun game.

 

[hockeypuck]

You should be cynical toward any media.

Agreed 100%. Part of my job involves reading peer-reviewed, randomized controlled trials of medical treatments written and overseen by a group of professionals with a bunch of graduate degrees attached to their last names. And I'm very cynical of those "reviews," despite being the very best evidence available in a field that involves whether a patient will die sooner or later.

In comparison to that, every single game review publication is a joke

Spoiler

lol

. I'll never visit those sites again. It's no coincidence that aggregate sites that are more dependent on the consumers' opinions are more valuable, like this forum. The challenge is rooting out the astroturfers, but I find that also gets easier to do over time. Thank goodness for posting histories.

 

[LittleJohnny]

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.

Bee Eye en gee oh

 

[Lime]

I agree about this medium's lack of academia being a huge problem.

This is factually incorrect and it's incredibly damaging that this unfounded idea is being perpetuated.

 

[Bloodworth]

Tacking on the word 'video game journalist' isn't accurate but they like it, so people call them that.

Heh, people throw around the term journalist the instant someone steps in front of a camera. It doesn't matter whether that person likes it, considers themselves a journalist or has ever written anything about games before. Even if someone just makes dumb jokes about games, people suddenly refer to them as a games journalist. That's what people will call you because that's the shorthand way of explaining what you do, despite any lofty ideals of what journalist should mean.

 

[Alienous]

The majority of the games media are far too close to the developers, or at least want to be, to be of any use.

They want too badly to be part of the 'Games Industry' to be objective. They shirk their responsibility to be unbiased.

The worthwhile voices are there but not common.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

Never been a big fan of the gaming media.

Part of that comes from the first showing of Star Fox Adventures. I posited a question to GameSpot around 2001 that barring some extreme bandwidth issues that the fur shading technique used by SFA could be applied to the ground to create the appearance of grass.

The response I got was "Why? Do you want to play a lawn mowing simulation?" with an lol before they moved to the next question. At least the young N-Sider tried to figure it out when I asked them.

 

[Shaanyboi]

The weird cheerleading that goes on in games press is ridiculous at times. As mentioned before, look at Greg Miller's Uncharted 3 review. Just... christ...

You can be a big fan of a game without coming off like a fanboy. You can dislike a game while acknowledging it was never for you in the first place.

When most games media tends to act like mercenary PR reps, it just gets gross. Ignoring glaring issues in certain publishers' policies all to maintain a false relationship does a disservice to the end consumer that these sites were established to inform. Not asking hard questions, not pressing certain issues, not acknowledging or criticizing how damaging certain practices can be all just comes off as disappointing.

 

[tensuke]

Can't wait for the Titanfall reviews. They will be glorious. "Citizen Kane of twitch shooters" "

 

[ValeYard]

Games press is in a tough spot right now. They've become way too dependent on the industry they report on - often indicated by, e.g., IGNers saying things like "in this industry", when not talking about journalism or writing, but about making and selling video games. Rather than reporting on interesting behind the scenes stuff like in Dean Takahashi's books on OG Xbox and 360 - I mean why isn't someone out there figuring out what went down around the MS 180? - due to there dependence on the games industry they have in many cases become an extension of PR departments.

Moreover, youtubers and sites like GAF are better at a) showing what a game's about and b) allowing us to form an opinion. I really think Jeff Gerstmann is very astute and saw this coming years ago, thus, Giantbomb is a very different site whose style IGN has tried to copy along with Polygon's web design.

On top of all this, games journalists really don't get payed much and are on average quite young. So it's tough all over.

I just get a little irate when I know more about a topic than someone getting payed to talk or write about it as is unfortunately often the case with IGN. I imagine many here feel that way also.

If change should happen, I (as a sociologist IRL, if you can say that at all) I think it should be at a structural level, e.g., the mimetic structure of, again as an over-used example, IGN with the industry having specialized playstation and xbox reporters is a terrible idea. Maybe through competition with youtubers a better quality of reporting will prevail. There still are some people following up those leads and breaking stories, Alexander Sliwinski at Joystiq and Patrick Klepek at GB to just name two. Sorry for the length of this post, the thread topic has weighed on my mind often.

 

[Y2Kev]

So you're essentially being purposefully obtuse here?

Anyone on GAF is into gaming enough to know that Respawn is, for all intents and pusposes Infinity Ward. So to say they've outdone themselves is to basically say they've improved on what they did with the Call of Duty series before being given the ass.

Yeahm, they've brought in new talent like ANY studio does, even established ones. But it's hard to argue that Respawn isn't more Infinity Ward than Infinity Ward is right now.

Words have meaning. You can't just use any words to describe whatever intense feelings in your brain. I'm not being intentionally anything other than intentionally asking that the hypeman do a better job of actually saying meaningful things.

I feel pretty strongly that people looking to find some common lineage are the most "ew." It's silly to me. And I'm not talking in technicalities-- you are. It's "technically" their first game? It's exactly their first game! This is so ew to me!

 

[DoktorEvil]

So how do you become a paid shill... I mean game journalist?

Do they look for things like a journalism degree, or a writing portfolio. Is it like a random test of your geek knowledge?

I seriously want to know, should the feeling arise that I want to do better than, say Adam Sessler.

 

[RadioactiveLobster]

...when you have quotes like this:

It was almost too much for my eyeballs to process

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

In that person's defense they probably saw the game demoed at 60 FPS and since the human eye can't see over 30 FPS (This is irrefutable peasant logic) it was literally too much for his eyeballs to process.