Which games journalists are still trustworthy apart from Yahtzee
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Yahtzee, as awesome and hilarious as he is, is too opinionated to give an unbiased review. But then again, aren't all reviews just a reflection of the reviewer's personal preference? For example, the Final Fantasy series is (generally) well regarded, but I wouldn't even consider playing them.
Why? Because I just can't stand that sort of game.
So I tend not to read reviews on games, and just go for what I know I like. My friends have similar tastes in games; I'd trust their reccommendations over a professional review any day.
Why? Because I just can't stand that sort of game.
So I tend not to read reviews on games, and just go for what I know I like. My friends have similar tastes in games; I'd trust their reccommendations over a professional review any day.
people I know have horrible taste in games, and basically go for what everyone else has. Really, all you're left with in some circumstances is your own brain. Being a lover of quality in sound, i'm not going to take someone's gushing reviews of their ipod earbuds over my portapro headphones, the ipod ones sound awful. Same thing for games.Jharry5 said:
I'd like to take a moment to point out that a large number of posts in this thread are essentially saying "Journalists I agree with = trustworthy journalists".
You can't trust anyone to be unbiased, up to and including yourself. What hope do you have of not wasting your money on a game you won't enjoy? Gather information from the largest spectrum of sources you can manage. Read people you love, read people you hate, read people you've never heard of before. Biases and outside influences will tend to cancel each other out, and what makes it through that gauntlet will be the closest you can hope for to being absolute truth.
But then again, that goes for a lot of things in the world today, I think.
You can't trust anyone to be unbiased, up to and including yourself. What hope do you have of not wasting your money on a game you won't enjoy? Gather information from the largest spectrum of sources you can manage. Read people you love, read people you hate, read people you've never heard of before. Biases and outside influences will tend to cancel each other out, and what makes it through that gauntlet will be the closest you can hope for to being absolute truth.
But then again, that goes for a lot of things in the world today, I think.
You probably shouldn't rely on Yahtzee for game reviews for the same reason that you shouldn't rely on The Daily Show to get news. Yahtzee's reviews are meant to be entertainment. They're intent is to be funny, by any means necessary. If you really think that Yahtzee's reviews are good, then consider the points that he makes; but if you blindly follow his every word, then you're being a sheep. Don't do something just because someone, who you've never meet, tells you to.
That being said, it's always a good idea to gather information from as large a number of sources as possible. The more opinions you have, the more accurate they will be overall. You should also try to find reviewers with opinions close to your own since they will probably recommend game that you'll like.
Remember that it's you're own opinion that matters, it's your game and your money.
Now, I'm going to get off my soap box so that other people can continue the bar room brawl. Oh, and I personally think that the reviews at GameFAQs generally get close to the mark on most games, except for the occasional fanboy or angry critic.
That being said, it's always a good idea to gather information from as large a number of sources as possible. The more opinions you have, the more accurate they will be overall. You should also try to find reviewers with opinions close to your own since they will probably recommend game that you'll like.
Remember that it's you're own opinion that matters, it's your game and your money.
Now, I'm going to get off my soap box so that other people can continue the bar room brawl. Oh, and I personally think that the reviews at GameFAQs generally get close to the mark on most games, except for the occasional fanboy or angry critic.
I trust Mr. Croshaw, particularly as I tend to get annoyed at a lot of the same things he does, though maybe not to the same degree.
Except when it comes to RPGs, actually. I tend to hate a lot of the western ones in favour of JRPGs. The main reason is that western ones all seem to have the same beastial occupants. Elves, trolls, orcs, it really gets too samey. With a JRPG, you tend to get a lot more variance in your creatures.
Heck, I hold the Suikoden series particularly to heart.
Except when it comes to RPGs, actually. I tend to hate a lot of the western ones in favour of JRPGs. The main reason is that western ones all seem to have the same beastial occupants. Elves, trolls, orcs, it really gets too samey. With a JRPG, you tend to get a lot more variance in your creatures.
Heck, I hold the Suikoden series particularly to heart.
Sweet Thor, right hand man of christ tell me you are joking...Sewblon said:
and painkiller, this is why he isn't reliable, but he is damned hilarious. If you are honestly telling me that you are only going to buy games he considers good, irregardless of the fact that they get a score above 8-9 from most reviewers, then you sir, are a sheep, and a very lonely one at that, who will only have 6 games in his library. The only game i could allow is GTAIV, that got FAR too many 10s for my liking, too much hype to want it to be what it wasn't, you didn't even get that from MGS4.SimuLord said:
If you are rich enough, go out and buy a game and tell the world whether you like it or not. if not, then check all the reviews available on the internet from more trusted sources. 'opinions are like assholes, everyone has one' remember that.
Yahtzee is the exception because he is paid to be. And the flaws he picks out are flaws that you could not possibly care about in the grand scheme of things.CmdrGoob said:
In all honesty I don't like most of journalists. Yahtzee I agree with 80% of the time but even then I disagree with him about somethings. For instance Painkiller, look if the game literally had more than 6 well made weapons I'd buy it but as it stands it looks pretty samey to me. Though I do agree with the Halo 3 review and I also agree with the COD4 review. Oh and I dont' hate Brawl but I don't think it's worth buying, and I only say that because it degrades the wii's controls... which should be better.
And if you believe 'I think yahtzee is trustworthy' is equivalent to 'I am a sheep who only likes what yahtzee likes', then you sir, are an idiot. Oh, and by way, yahtzee has also been positive about Fallout 3, and Crysis, and CoD4, and GTA4, and Saints Row 2, and Half-Life 2 and others. Six games?ChromeAlchemist said:
He's paid to be critical, well hurray for that then. I wish more games reviewers were being paid to actually do their fucking job and criticise the games they review, rather than slap a fawning 10 out of 10 on them because they're the latest release in a big name series. You couldn't possibly care about the flaws he points out? Going back to my GTA4 example, you couldn't possibly care that your friends constant interruptions are really annoying and tedious? Well, you would at least be in the company of many fawning games reviewers who plastered 10/10s on GTA4 and who somehow didn't notice or mention that, but personally I'd rather know that sort of thing before I buy a game.ChromeAlchemist said:
okay what in the f*ck are you talking about? i was talking to the person who posted this thread. stop being a jackarse and replying to things that don't concern you. Read his goddamned post then tell me what i said was wrong(besides the amount of games, p.s you missed a few)CmdrGoob said:
.I mean he is paid to be a narcissistic bastard who is humorous and critical on games as opposed to giving full bodied reviews. to be honest there is no way his reviews can hold up against any of the main reviewing bodies out there who write like 3 pages of content and a video review on every part of the game as opposed to some of the good and most of the bad points on games.
Look at his dead space review and then read a dead space review from a gaming site. where is the talk of multiple playthroughs to understand the full story? the talk of new game+? Backtracking? you may not agree with some reviewers scores, but at the end of it all you are enlightened with every aspect of the games mechanics and overall package of the game, along with having the reviewers opinions, surely there is more than Yahtzee is telling you that you need to know before you buy a game. I feel with Yahtzee you simply have most of his opinions with a vague idea of the overall package, it's almost a 'comic summary review' of games, the comedy appears to come first.
The 10 out of 10 reviews sicken me. When it comes to games like GTA i would rather either buy it based on curiosity or buy it based on a collection of reviews, or wait and see what my friends think of the game, there are a variety of options i could choose from. Also do you think that perhaps some reviewers did not talk about niko's cousin and friends calling him, because it added to the immersion factor and overall feel of the game?
Remember what i said about the 'opinions are like assholes' thing? well it definitely counts here, and i imagine when something a home console JRPG review comes along (like FF13) people who love those kind of games will realise that his opinion is just that. If you feel what he says about games are true after you have played them, then go ahead and use him as a trusted source.
Some games he says the story or script is bad, others say it is well written, what makes his opinion more credible? picking out flaws and summarising game points is one thing but he does not tell me more of what i want to hear about the rest of the game.
Anyhu lets stop the beef, you go ahead and post back, i wont retalliate *stands and waits for hail of venomous hate followed by possible pointing out of possible post holes*
EDIT: put one of my paragraphs in the wrong place because i'm a damned noob
You replied to my post, fool. And you replied to someone else, but claimed yahtzee only liked 6 games, which is something that was provably wrong.ChromeAlchemist said:CmdrGoob said:
okay what in the f*ck are you talking about? i was talking to the person who posted this thread. stop being a jackarse and replying to things that don't concern you. Read his goddamned post then tell me what i said was wrong(besides the amount of games, p.s you missed a few)
Firstly, Yahtzee writes reviews that use humour and hyperbole to convey his criticisms. These are not difficult techniques to understand. It isn't really very hard. I mean it's like complaining about a reviewer using sarcasm 'Oh no, he's always saying the opposite of what he means, how can I trust him?'. And yet somehow we can all spot sarcasm (or funny hyperbole) and understand what is actually being said. Being a funny bastard doesn't mean he isn't also telling you something true about the game.I mean he is paid to be a narcissistic bastard who is humorous and critical on games as opposed to giving full bodied reviews. to be honest there is no way his reviews can hold up against any of the main reviewing bodies out there who write like 3 pages of content and a video review on every part of the game as opposed to some of the good and most of the bad points on games.
Look at his dead space review and then read a dead space review from a gaming site. where is the talk of multiple playthroughs to understand the full story? the talk of new game+? Backtracking? you may not agree with some reviewers scores, but at the end of it all you are enlightened with every aspect of the games mechanics and overall package of the game, along with having the reviewers opinions, surely there is more than Yahtzee is telling you that you need to know before you buy a game. I feel with Yahtzee you simply have most of his opinions with a vague idea of the overall package, it's almost a 'comic summary review' of games, the comedy appears to come first.
The 10 out of 10 reviews sicken me. When it comes to games like GTA i would rather either buy it based on curiosity or buy it based on a collection of reviews, or wait and see what my friends think of the game, there are a variety of options i could choose from. Also do you think that perhaps some reviewers did not talk about niko's cousin and friends calling him, because it added to the immersion factor and overall feel of the game?
Remember what i said about the 'opinions are like assholes' thing? well it definitely counts here, and i imagine when something a home console JRPG review comes along (like FF13) people who love those kind of games will realise that his opinion is just that. If you feel what he says about games are true after you have played them, then go ahead and use him as a trusted source.
Some games he says the story or script is bad, others say it is well written, what makes his opinion more credible? picking out flaws and summarising game points is one thing but he does not tell me more of what i want to hear about the rest of the game.
Anyhu lets stop the beef, you go ahead and post back, i wont retalliate *stands and waits for hail of venomous hate followed by possible pointing out of possible post holes*
EDIT: put one of my paragraphs in the wrong place because i'm a damned noob
Next, I don't care about finding out about Dead Space's new game+ or whatever from Yahtzee.
Firstly, I doesn't really matter if there's a new game+ or if multiple playthroughs are required or whatever if the game is generic and bland, so if Yahtzee stresses the latter but doesn't mention either of the former then that's fine, and certainly much better than a review that tells me about new game+ or some shit but neglects to mention blandness.
Secondly, when I see a review by Yahtzee I want to find out what flaws the game has, because he is good at pointing those out and I trust him to do that well. Yahtzee concentrates on what he's good at; this does not make him an untrustworthy reviewer.
I don't care or need to find out about new game+ from Yahtzee because any idiot trustworthy or untrustworthy, with good taste or bad taste, can tell me that, because either it's there or it's not. A review that only worries about 'here's a list of all the features' without giving much attention to actually critiquing the damn game is the most obvious, shallow and ultimately useless review there is.
You're already retreating into 'Oh, well, everyone has their own opinion' territory. Funnily enough, despite this widespread cliche, the practice of reviewing things has not collapsed and disappeared.
He likes quite a few games he reviews. It's just no fun for him to talk about how a game is good. He liked Call Of Duty 4, Assassins Creed 2, I think Bioshock, the Guitar Heroes... mostly, Burnout, God Of War, Saints Row 2, Left 4 Dead, a lot of the Mario games (if they actually moved forward), Resident Evil 4, Half-Life, Condemned 1, Monkey Island, maybe even some of the Zelda games... At least that's the impression I got from reading between criticism in his reviews. If he ignores something, it's probably good, and he will frequently make some mention that the game is good before beating it to death with criticism. Hell, he didn't hate Halo, it just doesn't stand out. It's average in every way. (And yes I thought this before Yahtzee reviewed Halo 3.)Doug said:
I have to agree with the guys and girls questioning your logic of Yahtzee being a trustworthy game critic. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy but he seems more of a source of entertainment then actually being a fair critic. I disagree with him on alot of games, but then again I never listen to critics anyways because of my throbbing ego.