Utterly Devoid of Value and Substance - Game Informer Magazine

[longboardfan]

Ra Ra Gamestop is EVIL! Die Burn crap ur pants and set it on fire. I get it, okay.

Still, I read the latest Game Informer magazine that showed up in my mailbox today, and my point is, that reading it not only caused physical pain and discomfort, but it was thoroughly without any redeeming value or content. I get why, I'm not stupid, its because it a corporate mag, not a gaming mag (not that those exist anymore).

But, I just can't get over how anyone could live with themselves having the job of writing and/or editing articles for what is essentially a giant steaming fetid pile of unwanted and valueless crap. I've worked shit jobs, you name it, I've worked it. I've worked for hostile and corrupt companies that even as they filed bankruptcy or were destroyed by lawsuits failed to pay me for even one day of work.

But these writers and editors. They have to know...right? They have to know that nothing they do is valued by anyone, that every story they write is completely pointless, and that they live every day walking the fine line between madness and despair. With one foot in the psych ward and the other toe on the shotgun, can you imagine a more pitiable person?

 

[longboardfan]

I'd like an example of the actual writing, thanks.

Darnit, I'd share, but I threw it out today and I'm not in the mood for apartment complex dumpster diving. Its okay if you don't believe me, though would you really want me to plagiarize this magazine just to prove my point? I'm not sure the tears of a thousand kittens could wash the sin away.

 

[Pink Gregory]

I'd like an example of the actual writing, thanks.

Darnit, I'd share, but I threw it out today and I'm not in the mood for apartment complex dumpster diving. Its okay if you don't believe me, though would you really want me to plagiarize this magazine just to prove my point? I'm not sure the tears of a thousand kittens could wash the sin away.

Quoting = / = Plagiarism.

 

[piinyouri]

I can answer this with a movie scene.
Just replace newspaper with Game Informer.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

That's pretty much what gaming journalism is reduced to. Everything is just sterile and pointless. Often times it's just plain wrong and they know it. They are either taking bribes from publishers or they're too afraid to voice their real opinion because they think they won't be able to review the next game early. And early reviews are what matters.

That's why people enjoy Yahtzee, Jim Sterling and Adam Sessler so much. They don't censor themselves.

 

[Myndnix]

>2013
>expecting printed game journalism to be relevent

In all seriousness, printed game journalism hasn't been good in about a decade. Every AAA game gets a high score, every other game gets ignored. If it's a game by a lesser known developer, expect it to get an average score no matter how good the game actually is.

 

[Smooth Operator]

That is what happens when you employ a bunch of bloggers who are mildly enthused about writing something, but without any standards, self respect, or accountability.

And they would be forced to make proper things if you stopped throwing money at their current shit.

 

[IBlackKiteI]

If it's a game by a lesser known developer, expect it to get an average score no matter how good the game actually is.

Then, weirdly, in the same big name magazines and sites that pull that kinda crap every now and then some really lame indie thing like Dear Esther gets the fuck publicized out of it because its brilliant and thought provoking and innovative...and something...apparently.

Game Informer is perhaps the worst example but this kinda crap is pretty much everywhere, to varying degrees. When it comes to games, so much bullshit just gets tossed around everywhere.
The guys who talk about this stuff and actually know their shit, guys like Jim Sterling, Total Biscuit, Yahtzee and the Rock Paper Shotgun guys, just get drowned out by those that really, really don't.

 

[Zhukov]

That's pretty much what gaming journalism is reduced to. Everything is just sterile and pointless. Often times it's just plain wrong and they know it. They are either taking bribes from publishers or they're too afraid to voice their real opinion because they think they won't be able to review the next game early. And early reviews are what matters.

Do you actually have any evidence for this? Y'know, other than that one Jeff Gurstman guy?

Because if you do, you could at the very least make a really successful Reddit article out of it.

Personally, I think you're forcing the cynicism. Rather hard.

 

[Savagezion]

I like reading Game Informer and agree with Denzel in the clip above, only you don't entertain me with your bullshit anymore than anyone else on an unsubstantiated soapbox. At least G.I. has the decency to substantiate their claims, whereas you don't. Game Informer is simply a source to pull from and your mileage may vary based on your perspective of the industry. G.I. tends to go with an optimistic vantage point that could be argued as being bribed, but could also be argued as not wanting to shit on a game and its fan base before it is even finished being developed. Their previews must be taken as "Here is what we saw that we liked, lets ignore the problems we saw, for now" and thus don't get sold that they are saying the game is flawless.

As for reviews, name me 1 source, ANY source, who's reviews are even 75% accurate and trustworthy. Reviews are merely opinions and as such are subjective to the source. Game Informer is interested in garnering your interest in games just as Yahtzee is interested in garnering interest in his show about opinions and this site just as the news is interested in garnering interest in the local bake sale if that is all they have. Even documentaries can get subjective depending on the controversy level of the subject. Games are controversial in the gaming community which happens to be who G.I. targets as its demographic. Halo is the best franchise ever, Halo is the worst franchise ever. It is the nature of our community. Planescape: Torment is epic, Planescape is shit. It's how we roll. God forbid anything huge like Mass Effect 3 or Sim City shows up.

Reviews are one opinion and if you are like me and have your own opinions, good luck finding 1 credible and trustworthy reviewer who has the same opinions as you consistently. You want the pros a game offers, check G.I. You want the negatives in an exaggerated worst way to perceive it, seek Yahtzee. Then for good measure go to metacritic and read all the yellow user reviews and look over the thought out and well explained greens and reds and I bet you'll get a better understanding than 1 reviewer could ever hope to show you single handedly.

 

[Zenn3k]

Ra Ra Gamestop is EVIL! Die Burn crap ur pants and set it on fire. I get it, okay.

Still, I read the latest Game Informer magazine that showed up in my mailbox today, and my point is, that reading it not only caused physical pain and discomfort, but it was thoroughly without any redeeming value or content. I get why, I'm not stupid, its because it a corporate mag, not a gaming mag (not that those exist anymore).

But, I just can't get over how anyone could live with themselves having the job of writing and/or editing articles for what is essentially a giant steaming fetid pile of unwanted and valueless crap. I've worked shit jobs, you name it, I've worked it. I've worked for hostile and corrupt companies that even as they filed bankruptcy or were destroyed by lawsuits failed to pay me for even one day of work.

But these writers and editors. They have to know...right? They have to know that nothing they do is valued by anyone, that every story they write is completely pointless, and that they live every day walking the fine line between madness and despair. With one foot in the psych ward and the other toe on the shotgun, can you imagine a more pitiable person?

Thats sad.

I remember when they were one of the best around, small info packed mag, without all those stupid ads EVERYWHERE.

Now its giant book of ads with a few pages about video games with reviews that basically said "This is a "AAA" game, its 10/10!", even if the game was garbage.

They haven't been the same since gamestop bought them.

 

[barbzilla]

Ra Ra Gamestop is EVIL! Die Burn crap ur pants and set it on fire. I get it, okay.

Still, I read the latest Game Informer magazine that showed up in my mailbox today, and my point is, that reading it not only caused physical pain and discomfort, but it was thoroughly without any redeeming value or content. I get why, I'm not stupid, its because it a corporate mag, not a gaming mag (not that those exist anymore).

But, I just can't get over how anyone could live with themselves having the job of writing and/or editing articles for what is essentially a giant steaming fetid pile of unwanted and valueless crap. I've worked shit jobs, you name it, I've worked it. I've worked for hostile and corrupt companies that even as they filed bankruptcy or were destroyed by lawsuits failed to pay me for even one day of work.

But these writers and editors. They have to know...right? They have to know that nothing they do is valued by anyone, that every story they write is completely pointless, and that they live every day walking the fine line between madness and despair. With one foot in the psych ward and the other toe on the shotgun, can you imagine a more pitiable person?

I don't entirely disagree with you, but I do have to wonder some things. One if it is such a soulless shell of a corporate news rag, why are you getting them delivered to your mailbox? If the writing is so slanted and one dimensional, why are you reading through it? If you pity the workers, why are you bashing them?

I'm really not trying to be insulting or rude, I am actually curious here. I am sure there is a point to your thread, I just can't discern it (possibly because I've not been to sleep in two days now). Was there some deeper meaning that I missed through your post?

 

[SonOfMethuselah]

I dunno, Game Informer strikes me as less of a magazine, and more of a giant PR book. The focus always seems to like more on what's coming up, rather than what's out now. And I don't have a problem with their reviews, per say, but I think, like with a lot of places, the score is oftentimes not representative of the text, which is a problem, because a lot of people will flip straight to the score and then get angry/happy/sad/whatever based solely on that.

Also, I have to laugh at anyone who honestly thinks that reviewers are taking bribes, or are afraid to give a game a bad score because it will anger the publisher.

a.) If that were the case, there would be irrefutable proof of it. People with access to the internet can't keep secrets, so something like that would have become painfully evident a long time ago.

b.) Even if that were the case, there are small, independently run blogs that can wrangle review copies, but who are too small to bother paying off/blacklisting, so if you're really that distrustful of the big outlets, look at the small ones.

Hell, if publishers were afraid of bad press, the Escapist wouldn't be able to touch a game, because Yahtzee.

 

[shrekfan246]

I wonder if anybody in this thread who's bashing GameInformer for "always" giving "every AAA game" high review scores knows that they gave Medal of Honor: Warfighter a 5 and Aliens: Colonial Marines a 4. Sure, not as low as they could've gone, but nowhere near even what the industry at large considers to be an "average" score.

 

[scorptatious]

I actually really liked reading Game Informer back before I started using the internet for my gaming news. I don't know what it was, but there was just something about the old font they used to use on the title of their magazine that attracted me to it. And I felt the reviews were pretty decent as well.

Of course, I don't read gaming magazines anymore, so I don't know how they are now.

 

[Blitsie]

Thinking about this now, our local gaming magazine is also a huge joke. Their latest issue had a six page review of Dead Space 3 where the writer downright worships the game (surprise, it gets a 90+ score) yet right after that you get this completely phoned in review of Ni No Kuni.

But then again, it was always a magazine for dudebros by dudebros, ugh.

 

[martyrdrebel27]

i like game informer personally. i havent read it about 6 months, but i can't imagine it devolved that noticably since then. i'm always suspicious of bias in review journalism, even on this site, i (regretably) accused Andy Chalk of being on EA's payroll because of his stubborn defense of ME3. that being said, i never really got the impression that GI's opinions were paid for. that coupled with their frequently awesome covers (no seriously, best magazine covers ever. very minimalist and powerful.) this sentence is here because i didnt want to end on a closed parenthesis. it just felt wrong.

 

[Lionsfan]

Ra Ra Gamestop is EVIL! Die Burn crap ur pants and set it on fire. I get it, okay.

Still, I read the latest Game Informer magazine that showed up in my mailbox today, and my point is, that reading it not only caused physical pain and discomfort, but it was thoroughly without any redeeming value or content. I get why, I'm not stupid, its because it a corporate mag, not a gaming mag (not that those exist anymore).

But, I just can't get over how anyone could live with themselves having the job of writing and/or editing articles for what is essentially a giant steaming fetid pile of unwanted and valueless crap. I've worked shit jobs, you name it, I've worked it. I've worked for hostile and corrupt companies that even as they filed bankruptcy or were destroyed by lawsuits failed to pay me for even one day of work.

But these writers and editors. They have to know...right? They have to know that nothing they do is valued by anyone, that every story they write is completely pointless, and that they live every day walking the fine line between madness and despair. With one foot in the psych ward and the other toe on the shotgun, can you imagine a more pitiable person?

Just to let you know, someone could write the same exact thing about your post.

Saying one thing, without any evidence to back you up, is just silly and doesn't make it true