There’s a great article up on GameDaily.biz at the moment outlining the issues that developers have with reviewers. The unnamed ex-game critic developer who sparked the issue started it all with a pretty blunt “I hate videogame reviewers”; basing his rage on “a couple 100 word reviews”. The, also anonymous, writer points out that this is hardly anything new - developers, publishers and PR reps are often unimpressed with games reviews. According to a quick ring around conducted, there are a few habits that annoy more than others: reviewers basing their view on only a few hours of play, reviewers not understanding the target audience, reviewers using a specific title as a scapegoat for an entire genre, and reviewers who don’t understand the work put into a game.
You know, I don’t blame them. There are so many reviewers out there who are barely literate, and fail to understand even basic rules of criticism - if I’d worked on a game that some kid from a fan-site trashed just because he thought it would be funny, I’d be pissed off too. Because really, the fact is, with the exception of a few publications and web sites, a lot of games reviews are pretty poor when it comes to writing ability. For example, the local paper I write for, DB Magazine, published a review of Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends in which the reviewer commented that “the camera still sucks”. Please - there’s a time and a place for writing like that (this site, for example, uses language that’s a lot more casual than I would use elsewhere) and it’s not in a printed review.
I’d like to take this chance to re-print the first paragraph of one of my absolute least favourite reviews ever. This is from a review of Lighthouse’s War World Tactical Combat Review from a website that I won’t name, simply because they should, and mostly do, know better:
Immediately after installing this monstrosity, I felt like I had betrayed my beautiful PC with utter garbage, and I still stand by that decision. As a matter of fact, I would like to meet the makers of this game and give them a Glaswegian Kiss, if you get my meaning, as this feels like a game made in a day or so, with no effort or love and care portrayed in the content at all. I will be surprised if I see a game store a) sell this trash, or b) get through their “initial” allocation.
That’s some of the very worst writing I’ve seen published. That’s a perfect example of what I was saying before about a reviewer trashing a game for the sake of “humour” - but it’s not even close to funny. It’s embarrassing. For everyone.
I know that the GameDaily article will probably attract a lot of negative responses, but the vast majority of them won’t be warranted. The fact is, games publications, especially the less visable ones like fan-sites, need to pick up their game. They need to start hiring writers who are more capable of mature constructive criticism, and, on the other side of the coin, won’t resort to unchecked hyperbole if they’re playing something they like. And if that means not hiring kids who are doing it simply for a free game, so be it. I’m sick of reading crap, and I expect better.
Shout out to the very capable Matt G at Press The Buttons for the linkage.
Gee… Do I detect a trace of bitterness in your prose there LM?
Honestly, no. I feel lucky to be involved with the videogame industry in any way, and I’m glad to be given the chances I have been. I just think the journalistic side of things needs to grow up. I’m not saying that there is nothing worth reading - there’s plenty, or, at least, enough - but there should be more. That’s all.
Mind you, that quoted part really gave me the shits, and what I hear, got them in big, and well justified, trouble with the PR people too.