Where are all the game reviews?

[donquixote]

I thought New Games journalism was built on the promise of more relevant game reviews for the reader. Why should I have to scan IGN and Gamespot every other week reading yet another of features masquerading as a guide to the the player's experience. The Game Chair has an innovative format for reviews but he is just one blogger and the updates are to few and far between. C'mon Escapist, I know you can do better than that.

I am a hardcore casual. So tell me about how you [the reviewer] waited until 3 weeks after the New Super Mario Bros. launch to grab a copy because you felt absolutely positively sure that Nintendo was going to offer a DS lite bundle; and how bittersweet it felt when you finally caved in. Tell me how, to your astonishment, you finished the game in 2 weeks - a 100% completion at that - the first time you had done that on your own with any mario game. Tell me how your mid-20s banker-in-training cousin spotted you playing and her yelp of delight when she got that first mega mushroom. Also mention that you didn't get back you DS for a while, and even then it was on a strict time limit agreement... Describe how hard it was for you to explain the controls to a 2D platform neophyte (raised on FF VII :roll eyes: ). Tell me if it went something like this:

He: So... how do you run and jump?
You: Duh! Move forward and err... press the button!
He: Well, which button?
You: Wait... what are you pressing right now?
He: Want me to get the manual?
You: Oh, please. Just pass it over and watch my fingers. Kids of nowadays. Can't grok anything.
He: Yeah, right. And I won't get it back till tomorrow...

Was that it? Tell me how you trade it in after a month. It's a modern classic but hey, you finished it 2 WEEKS and who the hell plays mario multiplayer? You'll have dear memories of it, especially as it funded the purchase of the last Trauma Center in the store. Tell me...

 

[Demiurge [deprecated]]

Reviews should not be included in New Games Journalism. Journalism and Critique are two completely different schools of thought.

 

[Joe]

Personally, I think New Games Journalism is a misnomer. We'd have to have Old Games Journalism for that to apply.

However, if you're looking for more stylized reviews/profiles, keep an eye out on the mag - Jim Rossignol's latest article, "Green-Eyed Grrl," is a great critique of Beyond Good and Evil. Also, check out The Lounge for more direct reviews that exist beyond the "I liked this game/GRAPHICS 9/10 OMG" paradigm.

For instance, scope out Russ' take on Dead Rising here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/lounge/view/64067].

A few months back, I talked about the AEon Flux movie here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/55671].

 

[Virgil]

On the subject of game reviews, having done a few myself, I can say one thing: Game reviews are hard. The real problem is that, to do good writing, you have to have some passion and knowledge about the subject, so works like Rossignol's "Green-Eyed Grrl" (which I, personally, really enjoyed) don't get inspired by games all that often. They're exponentially harder for 'newer' games too, simply because of the time requirements.

That said, I find my preferred place for game reviews (should I want to seek them) is by far Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/]. Hopefully they don't mind that I'm not a Euro I tend to look towards message boards for the relevant story on games though - seeing player reactions is usually the best indication of what's right and wrong with a game, more than any review ever could be.

 

[te2rx [deprecated]]

I, for one, would vote against having tons of game reviews in The Escapist. They exclude readers who don't care about the newest Supar Mario or whatever it is. The rest of the entire internet can tell you if it was leet haxors or not.

I like The Escapist because it talks about the game world in an overarching sense, even when it's talking about specific games (e.g. Eve Online... which I haven't even played). I wouldn't want to see an article on Super Mario #20 unless it had some fascinating significance to the gaming world.

 

[heavyfeul]

Why? Are there not enough game reviews out there already? Do we need another online mag full of game reviews, first looks, etc?

I for one come to the Escpapist, pardon my awful pun, to "escape" the average gaming mag format and fanboy ravings and to think about more interesting ideas besides, "How cool do think Prey is?" or, "Do you think we will see Master Cheifs face in Halo 3?" or "Black is a lot of visceral fun for a few hours," or "What hardware will I need to play DX10 games?" etc., etc., etc.

From what I can see, the Escapist is trying to elevate the discussion of video games, beyond the mundane and to view the medium as a pastime, a business, a cultural phenomenon, and as form of art.

I would NOT like to see the Escapist delve into the already oversaturated realm of game reviews.

P.S.

In an effort to be constructive, despite my condescending rant, if you want game reviews, try Metacritic. I valuable asset to any gamer looking to drop 50-60 bucks on a new game. It has helped me make several very wise choices.

 

[Shannon Drake]

The problem with doing reviews, as my associate hinted at, was it completely changes the way you look at a game. Now, for example, when we write about a game, it's not because a PR person is hovering over us or because we have to be first to "print" with a review, it's because we're actually interested in and playing that game. Russ wrote about the Left Behind demo because he, Joe, and I all actually said "Left Behind is out? We have to play that", downloaded it, and played it. I won't shut up about EVE because I'm two-boxing spaceships and bopping around in a Thorax running supplies to my corp.

I've been accused of being pretentious before, and I am, so I'll don my beret and say it changes the spirit of the way we'd write about games. It's the difference between something being an obligation ("oh god I have to continue slogging through that Left Behind game") and something being something we're interested in ("Hey dudes Left Behind is out wanna play?"). I think that's why we tend to resist the idea of reviewing games in a more formal way than we do now.

 

[msdfkm3]

right?

 

[Yassen]

The thing about review on the escapist is most of the time no one reads your reviews unless you're famous on the escapist.

Or a girl.... It's depressing really.

 

[SimuLord]

The thing about review on the escapist is most of the time no one reads your reviews unless you're famous on the escapist.

So how exactly are you supposed to become famous if nobody ever reads your reviews? It would seem to me to be a closed feedback loop there.

 

[Lukeje]

right?

Wow, you necro'd a thread from 2006... why?