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[Mega Man's Electric Sheep]

"I think GMR does things differently though. To them, 5 is an average game. 6 is above average, 7 is good. 8 is great. 9 is excellent, 10 being perfect, or damn close."




Not in my eyes. When I see almost every game getting higher than 5 out of 10, and in fact the majority getting 7 or above, this tells me that the real average score for reviewers is 7. The failure by any reviewers to fully utilize the entire spectrum of review scores results in disappointment when a game gets 8/10, since that is not the exceptional score it should be.

Every magazine CLAIMS that 5 means average, so I hardly see GMR as unique there.

 

[Dracos]

"Or maybe I just think too clearly. Don't patronize people, asshole."


Uh, that wasn't very nice now was it?

 

[IJoel]

Is the review somewhere online? Or can anyone type it up?

I'd like to read the actual review before making any comments on it.

 

[SyNapSe]

Is the review somewhere online? Or can anyone type it up?

I'd like to read the actual review before making any comments on it.

I'm thinking they are going to want you to purchase their magazine..

 

[DSN2K]

8/10.....

*cancels preorder*

 

[open_mouth_]

*wait for the only remaining reliable source in Xbox gaming reviews, Gaming-Age, to publish its review*

 

[Psymon]

http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=287864

As Reviews Editor of GMR, I can confirm right away that this is the real thing. As to whether or not you think the review is "pathetic" or not, I ask you to read the review for yourself, then play the game yourself, and THEN make up your mind. The issue should be appearing at EB stores very shortly, if it's not there already.

Peace.

-Andrew

(And please keep in mind that an 8/10 in GMR is a very good score, and a recommended "buy.")

 

[Grizzlyjin]

8/10.....

*cancels preorder*

Lol, thats funny as hell. Serious or not, that made me laugh.

 

[IJoel]

I'm thinking they are going to want you to purchase their magazine..

but... but it's GMR!



I kid. I've agreed with many GMR reviews in the past, I just wish I knew why it didn't score higher. From the initial comments, it seems like they are penalizing it for control mechanics, and from what I've read in the previews, that was never raised as an issue.

I mean, I guess they could've done the combat in a turn based fashion and deal with menus, instead of mapping abilities/spells to buttons.

 

[Korranator]

"I'm curious about what the reaction to Christian's Fable review is going to be like, especially from the throngs of message board fanboys who have been stirred ever-so-violently by IGN's ridiculous glowing 12-page preview, which was admittedly based on two hours of gameplay. I expect the typical ad homenim-based "discussion" that fuels such boards, even though we ended up giving it a very good score. It's a shame that this industry, or at least that aspect of it, will never truly mature."

Nothing like double standards....

 

[8bit]

Populous 3 sucked. Or did he not head that up?

Populous 3 was post Molyneux, IIRC.

 

[Ghost]

Blame ol' Petey for the hype.

"The greatest RPG ever made"

If this really turns out to be another Black and White then I hope no one ever believes a word he says ever again (regarding the quality of his games, anyway).

Go buy some Bullfrog games (actually buy them all) then come back and apologise for not having a clue what you're talking about.

 

[sonycowboy]

Lol, thats funny as hell. Serious or not, that made me laugh.

I've been dying to post it too, but people like Phatsaqs apparently have no sense of humor regarding such a thing.

It's a great score. What's funny are the people jumping off buildings, claiming GMR is the worst magazine ever, saying "well the game just went gold, they reviewed a beta build", it's fake, fake fake, etc.

 

[Soul4ger]

Populous 3 was post Molyneux, IIRC.

He didn't have anything to do with it, though he IS credited as working with Elixir on Republic: The Revolution, a game which I believe did quite poorly, critically and commercially. People see what they want to see, though, I suppose.

 

[DSN2K]

dont worry, my preorder still stands but im interested in what they had a problem with ???

maybe the game is just too complicated for its own good, I can see that happening.

 

[chespace]

i played the holy hell out of populous 1 and 2, syndicate, high octane, magic carpet, and dungeon keeper I and II. AFAIC, black & white is the only molyneux game that's let me down.

----

http://chespace.1up.com

 

[open_mouth_]

I've been dying to post it too, but people like Phatsaqs apparently have no sense of humor regarding such a thing.

It's a great score. What's funny are the people jumping off buildings, claiming GMR is the worst magazine ever, saying "well the game just went gold, they reviewed a beta build", it's fake, fake fake, etc.

Then you've got the people on the otherside of the spectrum who are so glad that, according to one publication at least, Fable may not be the AAA system seller that it has been hyped up to be. I don't want to name names, but it's usually the type of people who religiously follow monthly console sales or who have the names of certain console companies within their own screennames...

 

[u_neek]

8/10.....

*cancels preorder*

Oooh, such a badass...

 

[Milkman]

Simply put: An 8 out of 10 means that we consider Fable to be a VERY good game that is not without flaws. Perhaps once you read the review you'll have a better understanding of how Christian arrived at this score, but until you do, it's fairly pointless to criticize GMR's official opinion against your own built-up expectations. Christian scored the game very well, but had some reservations with various elements in the game.

Given what Big Blue Box has achieved, however, it's reasonable to think that a sequel, which irons out some of the first game's issues, could be truly phenomenal.

Regarding our cover, sure we could have just printed Team Ninja's render, and used the art Big Blue Box did for us as is. But we had to unify them somehow. And with two exclusive Xbox reviews, Caroline and I tapped into my youth as a Generation X'er to channel a New Wave energy along the lines of a Sex Pistols/God Save the Queen East Village punk-rock band poster vibe. The jpegs don't do them justice, imo. You have to see it in your hands to appreciate them. Love it, hate it. *Shrug* I'm hanging this one up on my wall.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

i played the holy hell out of populous 1 and 2, syndicate, high octane, magic carpet, and dungeon keeper I and II. AFAIC, black & white is the only molyneux game that's let me down.

----

http://chespace.1up.com

That's what I'm saying. All these people are freaking out about these "infamous" Molyneux "flops", but what they're talking about is anyone's guess.

 

[open_mouth_]

black & white is the only molyneux game that's let me know.

----

http://chespace.1up.com

Know what??? oh, so that's how you know people...

 

[king zell]

I was considering buying an Xbox..

 

[Docpan]

Seriously, I'm cancelling my pre-order. 8/10 = no go
Letdown'd/10

 

[Zachack]

i played the holy hell out of populous 1 and 2, syndicate, high octane, magic carpet, and dungeon keeper I and II. AFAIC, black & white is the only molyneux game that's let me down.

----

http://chespace.1up.com

Theme Park wasn't that good (although Hospital more than made up for it) and he wasn't involved with DK2. I'm unsure if he was involved with Gene Wars (quite poor), although he was around when it was made.

You also forgot Syndicate Wars and Powermonger, which were excellent.

 

[Zachack]

Also, GMR gave ToS an 8, so I guess it must have sucked, too.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

I've been dying to post it too, but people like Phatsaqs apparently have no sense of humor regarding such a thing.

It's a great score. What's funny are the people jumping off buildings, claiming GMR is the worst magazine ever, saying "well the game just went gold, they reviewed a beta build", it's fake, fake fake, etc.

Don't worry, you'll get your chance when Killzone comes out. Another game I think will get raped in the reviews because of hype. Damage control for that is already in the works.

I think Molyneuz backed off on that "great rpg ever" comment. I believe it was in the Kikizo feature recently, but he basically just said it was the best rpg he could make.

Maybe its too early for Fable, maybe it just isn't a game that could be done fully this generation. Sometimes I wonder if some games are just way ahead of their time, Fable seems like it. It couldn't have been everything they planned, it would have never been released. It sounds like they did a great job for such a huge project. I can't wait to see what some other critics think.

 

[Celicar]

I thought it got a 10/10.

Hmmm...this is a letdown (the score, not the game).

 

[AniHawk]

Also, GMR gave ToS an 8, so I guess it must have sucked, too.

IT BEGINS

Heh.

 

[MetatronM]

Regarding our cover, sure we could have just printed Team Ninja's render, and used the art Big Blue Box did for us as is. But we had to unify them somehow. And with two exclusive Xbox reviews, Caroline and I tapped into my youth as a Generation X'er to channel a New Wave energy along the lines of a Sex Pistols/God Save the Queen East Village punk-rock band poster vibe. The jpegs don't do them justice, imo. You have to see it in your hands to appreciate them. Love it, hate it. *Shrug* I'm hanging this one up on my wall.

I'm sorry to say that the end result is pretty much pure shit. It's like a high school senior whipped up something "retro" for his art class to show much more cooler he is than the other students. At least that's how it looks to me. No personal offense intended.

Regardless, 8/10 is pretty good, and GMR isn't really a place I look to normally for reviews anyway.

So chalk me up in the "I don't really care" column. Though I would be interested in seeing what the review actually has to say. I never made hearing new or different info on a game than I've heard elsewhere.

 

[sonycowboy]

Don't worry, you'll get your chance when Killzone comes out. Another game I think will get raped in the reviews because of hype. Damage control for that is already in the works.

I agree. Based on what we've heard from the beta, what I've played of the beta, and the fact that some retard somewhere called it a "Halo Killer", Killzone is going to get absolutely reamed by quite a few folks. Part deservedly so, part payback for daring to compare.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

Theme Park wasn't that good (although Hospital more than made up for it) and he wasn't involved with DK2. I'm unsure if he was involved with Gene Wars (quite poor), although he was around when it was made.

You also forgot Syndicate Wars and Powermonger, which were excellent.

DK 2 wasn't very good anyway.

 

[Chittagong]

Since when has GMR tried pathetically imitate the looks of FACE magazine?

 

[Zachack]

Heh.

I give this Heh a C-.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

Since when has GMR tried pathetically imitate the looks of FACE magazine?

I usually think GMR has the best covers out there. Thats actually what attracted to me to them at first. Their covers have a very fresh and clean look to them that I just don't see wth EGM or Gamepro (especially Gamepro). That being said, I don't like this cover at all. I'm not fond of the color pink, and I don't like Dead or Alive. So I don't think there is any layout that could have made me like this one.

 

[sc0la]

I like the cover. At least it is trying something besides the "ridiculous render + text + one mini-screen with hyperbolic caption" formula of game magazines.

 

[SantaC]

xbox ign will give fable 9.9 in revenge

 

[DSN2K]

 

[IJoel]

The person that did these covers must've worked at some teeny boppy magazine. They're horrendous.

I still want to read the review. If I receive the magazine, I'll post an in-depth summary of it.

 

[TekunoRobby]

Well not like I let any reviews alter my opinions about this game but 8/10 IS GOOD! I'm still excited, it's going to be atleast a fun game if a bit flawed.

 

[JJConrad]

The DOA cover isn't bad. A girl in a bikini and lot's of pink. They work together.

The Fable cover is nasty. A boy(?) and lot's of pink. They don't work together. Worse, the boy(?) looks like he(?) either just saw the Fable score or is also starring in Virtua Quest. OMG!!!WTF!!!

Enough about GMR, let's get back to calling Fable "TEH XBOMB!!!"

 

[MetatronM]

I like the cover. At least it is trying something besides the "ridiculous render + text + one mini-screen with hyperbolic caption" formula of game magazines.

Well, yeah, it is different. But it's still terrible.

 

[MetatronM]

The DOA cover isn't bad. A girl in a bikini and lot's of pink. They work together.

The Fable cover is nasty. A boy(?) and lot's of pink. They don't work together. Worse, the boy(?) looks like he(?) either just saw the Fable score or is also starring in Virtua Quest. OMG!!!WTF!!!

Enough about GMR, let's get back to calling Fable "TEH XBOMB!!!"

What's wrong with pink? Pink is an awesome color, especially for design. Did you have a problem with Vice City being decked out in pink? GTA is definitely a "masculine" kind of game.

And that "boy(?)" is the main character in Fable. That's official art from the game.

 

[jooey]

to the cover bashers: is the theme of a streetlamp flier too esoteric a concept for you to grasp?

 

[PhatSaqs]

I've been dying to post it too, but people like Phatsaqs apparently have no sense of humor regarding such a thing.

It's a great score. What's funny are the people jumping off buildings, claiming GMR is the worst magazine ever, saying "well the game just went gold, they reviewed a beta build", it's fake, fake fake, etc.

I agree. And please. I've been laughing my ass the whole time at both of these threads. Look in the IGN thread and this one. I just like to have fun with your one sidedness that's all. I wonder why you werent dying to post a thread up here about all of the negative impressions of Killzone on the IGNPS2 boards.....

 

[ferricide]

http://ferricide.1up.com

that is all.

 

[sprsk]

http://ferricide.1up.com

that is all.

if its not 11/10 then the reviewer will be BURNT at the stake.

 

[IJoel]

Well, now that you have shown up, I have a question.

How does it compare to KotOR and Morrowind? I mean, in terms of the whole package. They are obviously different games, but same genre.

 

[Blazing Sword]

What I want to know is, how the hell can GMR review FABLE when it JUST WENT GOLD TODAY?

Does'nt that mean that they had to have the game at the very least a least a month ago, probably longer? Which means they are reviewing a BEAT build, and withj not alot of play time. For a massive game like FABLE with all their is to do, they probably missed alot. They just wanted to get the review before anyone else to sell mags, regardless of whether the game was thoroughly played or finished.

its not like they have'nt done it before.

 

[CrimsonSkies]

Holy cow that cover sucks.

 

[IJoel]

What I want to know is, how the hell can GMR review FABLE when it JUST WENT GOLD TODAY?

Does'nt that mean that they had to have the game at the very least a least a month ago, probably longer? Which means they are reviewing a BEAT build, and withj not alot of play time. For a massive game like FABLE with all their is to do, they probably missed alot. They just wanted to get the review before anyone else to sell mags, regardless of whether the game was thoroughly played or finished.

its not like they have'nt done it before.

I don't see what the problem is. You have to understand that the last month or so in software development is usually spent doing quality assurance, wrapping up testing, squashing bugs and doing some very minor tweaks. It's highly unlikely the game changed at all during that time, other than some bugs being taken care of. Since MS/BBB was aware of this, I imagine there was some sort of agreement that if they encountered any bugs it wouldn't affect the review of the game.