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Professional video game journalists playing games

Read the thread. Lots of people calling for some level of professionalism requirements to be able to critique a game. And most of them are competent at playing games, they are just not doing it in a flattering way. They are able to move around the level and interact with the game systems that's simply what is needed. If you want out of the discussion it's better not to reply.

The Doom guy can't move and shoot at the same time. That person should not work in gaming.

Im not getting out of the discussion, but I can't converse with you because your comprehension skills are lacking, please stop replying to me.
 
The Doom guy can't move and shoot at the same time. That person should not work in gaming.

Im not getting out of the discussion, but I can't converse with you because your comprehension skills are lacking, please stop replying to me.
Fucking lmao. I understand you very well, you're just like a child you started with personal insults then when that didn't work out pivoted to I'm strawmanning which Im clearly not and now you're back to personal insults. Just like a child you want the last word that is why you keep coming back. This is how conversations work, if you want out, just stop replying.

Doom guy can't run and shoot. So what? That doesn't mean he can't write about games.
 
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I rewatched gamespot Crash Team Racing Nitro and I 100% sure he beat all those videos. Because:
- Its a old game
- The guy don't know to drift
- The guy don't know the item button
- The first place guy almost pass him, but the video editor cut this in the video
 
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it's not about getting better at video games. if they play on easy who the hell cares. all i want is an honest review with less BS and personal agendas

Thing is, those journalists methods are so outdated. They could establish private servers with speedrunners, pros and tournament players, helping them understand the games inner working and pros and cons. Some even help casual players so they would be more than willing also to guide journalists.

Yet they insist on single player mode without a clue. This is disrepectful to both the game and the readers.

Similar to a sportcaster not having a clue about offense and defense system, one reason they consult with coaches beforehand
 
I tend to think of most game reviews as message board threads with extra pictures and video.. and the replys are spammed at the bottom.
 
Doom is IMO the worst. Hey OP, can you add Crash Team Racing Nitro from gamespot?

I found the Cuphead video much more infuriating. Doom video was sad, but in Cuphead it literally spells out what you need to do on screen and they still couldn't get it.
 
I guess that Doom with Polygon is the worst of all. This person clearly never played any FPS, which is ok for a casual person, but if you gonna record and put public your work, you need to do a good job. This is an insult to gaming, journalism and work overral.
 
It is not their job to know how to make games or fix games, therefore your analogy does not fit. Their trade is to review not to be professional game players. Likewise movie critics do not have to know how to write a screenplay, direct nor act before they can critique a movie.

This thread seems more like lets shit on game journalists who don't know how to play games very well. Which I'm all for but let's not pretend their ability to play has any bearing on their ability to write a good critical analysis.

Lol wat? Don't be obtuse. The analogy is clear.

And obliviously they don't have to be pros, but the level on display here is beyond embarrassing. It clearly indicates that these people don't even play games outside of their job requirements.
 
I guess that Doom with Polygon is the worst of all. This person clearly never played any FPS, which is ok for a casual person, but if you gonna record and put public your work, you need to do a good job. This is an insult to gaming, journalism and work overral.

Again, don't you people think the cuphead is worse? I can understand maybe a guy not being able to get his head around FPS console controls, if he's never done that. Why do they have him manning the controls then? Yeah it's bad.

But the cuphead thing was a damn 2D game tutorial, with the game literally spelling out and walking you through the basic ass controls to complete the dash jump. That drove me nuts.
 
I found the Cuphead video much more infuriating. Doom video was sad, but in Cuphead it literally spells out what you need to do on screen and they still couldn't get it.
Yeah, but I played DOOM as is imo one the most easy shooters to aim and I played on ps4. I can't speak for Cuphead because I never played, and if my mother played Cuphead probably she won't even pass the tutorial too because she don't play games and don't speak english.
Just my take. I watch the cuphead too is really bad. I gonna post the Crash Team Racing remaster video from gamespot.
 
Since you all posted bad things I guess I have to counter with a good one. I know IGN gets a lot of flack, and rightfully so, but this guy is pretty skilled. Beating Genichiro this early on is fucking hard.

 
It is not their job to know how to make games or fix games, therefore your analogy does not fit. Their trade is to review not to be professional game players. Likewise movie critics do not have to know how to write a screenplay, direct nor act before they can critique a movie.

This thread seems more like lets shit on game journalists who don't know how to play games very well. Which I'm all for but let's not pretend their ability to play has any bearing on their ability to write a good critical analysis.

Question:

Did you even watch the Cuphead video?
 
It is not their job to know how to make games or fix games, therefore your analogy does not fit. Their trade is to review not to be professional game players. Likewise movie critics do not have to know how to write a screenplay, direct nor act before they can critique a movie.

This thread seems more like lets shit on game journalists who don't know how to play games very well. Which I'm all for but let's not pretend their ability to play has any bearing on their ability to write a good critical analysis.

If they cannot play the game competently, their opinion is worthless.

If the average ga:er understands the game better than the reviewer did, then the reveiwer is less qualified to critique the game than the average gamer.

Nobody's asking that they become god-tier at the games they play. Nobody's asking that they even beat the games on the hardest difficulty (although it would be better if they did). All peope are asking for is that they be competent.
 
I legit think Gerstmann hasn't played any game not called "Call of Duty" for a good 10 years at least.

Maybe dabbles in the hot take of the minute (i.e. Apex Legends) so he can have his "hello fellow kids" moment.

A sad and miserable dudebro that time forgot.

I stopped listening to gb this year but I've always really enjoyed Jeff. He seems to by far have the most knowledge and can actually think for himself. He also seems like he doesn't get into all of the sjw nonsense but just has to go along with it.

Also, this thread is awesome.
 
Since you all posted bad things I guess I have to counter with a good one. I know IGN gets a lot of flack, and rightfully so, but this guy is pretty skilled. Beating Genichiro this early on is fucking hard.


That's pretty sweet! I was just wondering if it was actually possible to beat him since that's such a thing in these Souls games. They love introducing an "impossible" early encounter that actually becomes possible when you're good.
 
Anyone who reviews games should be at least able to play the darn things. Simple yes?

I don't care if they know how to "write". I'd rather someone who is NOT a journalist but knows how to play games even on a basic level tell me about a game than someone who "writes" and sucks at games.

What? Just cause they can write an article I should listen to their opinion? I can write too! Maybe I should try it eh?

You have movie critics, but does it take talent to sit and watch a film? You just have to stay awake, remember bits and there you go.

The problem it seems to me, and I noticed this from someone posting in this thread is that "game journalists" now want to share their opinion about things that have NOTHING to do with gaming, but can't seem to do it in media outside of gaming.

I remember magazines like Gamepro and EGM, you could tell those guys/girls played games and knew what they were talking about(most of the time).
 
OP, I think you should state in your post this is not just about playing good or bad. It's about reading and think on their feet. And this is not exclusive to games, but life in general.

Because some people here clearly are not watching these videos.
 
It is not their job to know how to make games or fix games, therefore your analogy does not fit. Their trade is to review not to be professional game players. Likewise movie critics do not have to know how to write a screenplay, direct nor act before they can critique a movie.

This thread seems more like lets shit on game journalists who don't know how to play games very well. Which I'm all for but let's not pretend their ability to play has any bearing on their ability to write a good critical analysis.

If I don't know how to properly drive a car, should I be allowed to write a review on how any specific car drives? I may be able to review how the car looks and how it feels to ride in the car when I am not being the driver, etc. but definitely not how the car controls and other driving features etc. as a driver.

If someone doesn't even know how to use the most basic gameplay controls and then goes on to review a game saying the controls are bad, would you say it is a fair or valid point? If someone does not have the common sense or basic intelligence to put the controls and gameplay features together to solve a puzzle or overcome an obstacle but then goes on to review and say that the puzzles are too obscure or mechanics are not good, would you consider that correct?

Movies are meant to be watched, so movie critics just need to know how to watch and analyze properly, Food is meant to be eaten so food critics need to know how to eat and taste properly etc. A game however is meant to be played, so game reviewers need to know how to play them properly to do a good review. if they can't do that then they can't review fairly.
 
Since you all posted bad things I guess I have to counter with a good one. I know IGN gets a lot of flack, and rightfully so, but this guy is pretty skilled. Beating Genichiro this early on is fucking hard.


His name is Mitch, he was at a site called Gamefront, and he's always been a really good player. Generally though what he'd do were walkthroughs, not so much journalism. I'm happy to see him still doing his thing at IGN.
He's done a lot of really good fighting game tutorials.
 
I have pretty much given up on games "journalists" in favour of YouTubers. Someone passionate about games they review make better content. For example, Ircha's reviews of Atelier and Tales games are really lovely, she has played tons of both series to appreciate the latest installments, yet explains them in an understandable way.

This.
I always get games day one and sometimes watch the Angry Joe review after I have beaten the game. In most cases AJ or his crew point out the exact same good/bad shit I experienced in the game. You like stuff that can only be noticed if you put in the hours.

By contrast, when I read some Kotaku/Polygon review, 40% of the words are used on some vague metaphor bullshit and obvious information.
I would never, ever buy a game because it gets good reviews from journalists.
 
Stupid question here: is game journalism treated like a second-class job where where a lot of these said journalists wanted to do something else but instead this is what they got. Like most of them may even hate gaming or are not having that much of investiment to play it but they "play it" and "review it" anyways because this is what their were paid for?

If this question is not that stupid then maybe this is a problem about the game journalists.
 
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Stupid question here: is game journalism treated like a second-class job where where a lot of these said journalists wanted to do something else but instead this is what they got. Like most of them may even hate gaming or are not having that much of investiment to play it but they "play it" and "review it" anyways because this is what their were paid for?

If this question is not that stupid then maybe this is a problem about the game journalists.
I think a lot of them see it as a stepping stone to something that they actually are interested in. Like writing about their own politics.
 
Allow me to add:
I don't personally blame the VG journos. They are just making a living.
Probably started out in journalism school with big plans to write for NYT or WaPo.
Then they end up writing about Kirby 3DS games.

I blame the whole launch trailer-gameplay footage-preview-review system and the way it's set up.
For me to take a review seriously, there are some criteria:

- an actual retail copy needs to be reviewed, with the actual game servers up and running. Fuck that "I got to play XXXXX for 4 hours at the EA event in London" bullshit.

- the game needs to be played in a realistic fashion. Like in a week during a couple of 3-4 hour sessions. No cheats or buffs provided by the publisher.
I simply don't trust the opinion of some journo who finished a 40h game AND banged out his review in 2-3 games.

That said, a good thorough reviewer like Angry Joe (or his boys) has no chance to get his review out before launch and he doesn't pretend to.
 
I liken games journos to the Oscars. Just like the academy ignore films people actually watch and enjoy, kotaku and polygon write pretentious crap about stuff people arent playing, with clumsy agendas inserted.

I also enjoy how bitter we all are about them, it's like a collective suffering we've all experienced, having wasted money due to some shill reviewer, or witnessed our favourite games not getting a fair shake.

Older gamers have had enough of this shit, and almost all of us know more than the so called experts. When i read the bio and see some pink haired diversity appointed gamer grrl, or bum fluffed pre pubescent pipsqueak probably stealing his words from youtube, i know they can be promptly dismissed. Especially as most are writing to an expected score for advertisers.
 
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I remember an reviewer doing a very low score with Prey (2017) because he never bothered with the crafting mechanic. The reviewer complained that there was so little ammo that they couldn't do anything. It may not be a reviewer, but a previewer or something.

Oh, and anyone writing about how they "grew up" gaming, etc etc trying to prove their street cred, I don't really take them at all seriously.
 
LOL yeah
Polygon & co. love 8bit walking simulators about some LGBT teenage girl with depression.
What they love even more is writing some bullshit articles like:
"LGBT Depression Saga is the best game I played all year. Here's why you need to play it asap"

Meanwhile, the actual best selling games (it's always FIFA-CoD-Rockstar in some order) get little coverage.
 
Older gamers have had enough of this shit, and almost all of us know more than the so called experts. When i read the bio and see some pink haired diversity appointed gamer grrl, or bum fluffed pre pubescent pipsqueak probably stealing his words from youtube, i know they can be promptly dismissed. Especially as most are writing to an expected score for advertisers.
Yeah, it's hard not to feel this way at my age. I don't automatically dismiss younger opinions at all, but I find it hard to take them seriously when, for example, the vast majority of girl gamers hired at website's over the last few years seem to be experienced in nothing but Pokemon and Sims and all of them (male and female) across the board seem to have massive holes in their gaming history knowledge.

Another example is IGN's resident "retro expert". They refer to him as that themselves. He seems like a really nice guy, but he portrays himself as an encyclopedia of retro gaming and yet makes flat out incorrect statements and seems to be completely unaware of some of the most basic gaming history.

I don't pretend to be an expert, but I can't fathom how you can claim to be a retro guru and yet have no idea certain games existed. I know more about games than this guy and I've just naturally absorbed it by being an enthusiast over the years.
 
Dan Amrich's 2/10 review of Jeff Minter's Space Giraffe on X360 in OXM magazine.

For those unfamiliar, it's impossible to reach the third stage without unlocking a couple of achievements and having at least a minimum score. The game is set up to give you fixed waves of enemies that *must* be destroyed to complete the level, earning you a minimum score.

Partnernet, the UAT side of Xbox Live that cheevos and stuff can be tested out on, showed that these modest milestones hadn't been met by the reviewer - demonstrated that they hadn't reached the third stage of the game before publishing their review. Which, coincidentally, was the first review of the game to be published.

Space Giraffe, like most of Minter's portfolio, is psychedelic and frantic - living up to Llamasoft's company tag line: "Class-A digital narcotics". Minter has many followers - of which I am one - that know what to expect from his games. Which is usually some extremely well crafted, visually overwhelming, twitch shooting with layered mechanics in enemy and wave design and scoring. A sprinkling of British humour is quite common.

Space Giraffe is intentionally too visually noisy to play with your eyes alone. By the time the player reaches the levels where the eye-melt starts to take hold they are likely to have achieved two things:
1) The gratifying zen-like sensation of being in the groove of the game and playing it with your 6th sense
2) Approaching fluency in the games rich library of audio-cues. Your ears making out the critical moment-to-moment details that your eyes won't be able to.

All of this deliberate and skilful design was wasted on Dan Amrich. A professional video game reviewer.
 
Professional video game journalists playing games


i'm Sorry, all this words cannot be together in the sentence.

Lol... Journalist playing games... yeah right xD
 
Some of these are really amazing. I wonder how many journalists have actually beaten Sekiro before releasing their reviews.
 
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