Play Magazine (US) April Issue reviews etc
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Urban Scholar
Member
Onix said:
Pfft...if those random bum fights are any indication I have to say a hearty no. :lol
Seriously its worth the price and very entertaining
I AM JOHN!
Banned
Oh I don't doubt it; I just feel bad that he's basically fending the uncaring angry masses of Gaf by himself.MC Safety said:
Mutagenic said:
As I said, I haven't played Lair, so I don't have a clue what a fair score for the game would be. I know Casey, however - and have since we met 10+ years ago during the GameFan days - and absolutely believe that unless the man has gotten to him and corrupted him, he wouldn't have given the game that score unless that was how his experience with the game turned out.
Anyhow, see that long post I wrote up there? Up above these posts? Go read that, response to that, and then we'll talk. Because in those cases of grossly different scores, I actually CAN respond to them, seeing as how they were mine.
Edit: Post #133, since comically we broke to a new page and I look like a moron now.
HamPster PamPster
Member
To quote Shane... or (ugh) "mangod" as gaf likes to call him: I don't care about numbers, I'm all about the art!
Play is pretty and well written which is more then I can say about a majority of gamers, gaming journalist, and gaming enthusiasts.
Here you go Play, you're the best... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fWvub_WBho
Play is pretty and well written which is more then I can say about a majority of gamers, gaming journalist, and gaming enthusiasts.
Here you go Play, you're the best... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fWvub_WBho
Byakuya769
Member
Mutagenic said:
We don't need any game to get any fucking score... cause the way reviews are done they are simply the opinions of the writer. If you don't agree with plays review, then don't "trust them" to help you make purchases... but quit wasting your time trying call them shit because they happen to like games and give them high reviews.
Especially, every fucking month ad nauseam. Every month "new Play reviews are in" and then 3 pages of fucking "meh", "what!?!", "Ur?", "shit", "LAIR lol", "play sucks", "sonic sonic sonic"... the dude just explained his review and how he reviews. Are you waiting for a fucking apology for their reviews?
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
Personally I find it rather insulting that all games have to receive certain scores or else the reviews are considered worthless.
As long as the score can be justified in the author's eyes I see no reason to disrespect because hey after all it's their opinion. Who am I to say otherwise?
As long as the score can be justified in the author's eyes I see no reason to disrespect because hey after all it's their opinion. Who am I to say otherwise?
I don't think it's a matter of the reviewers lying about their opinions, or giving higher scores because they're getting paid to do so... I just don't think any of them are qualified to be reviewers. Clearly, they have no way of discerning quality from crap. They just enjoy what they're doing, and probably get excited at the prospect of playing games before they land at retail... There's nothing wrong with enthusiasm, but when it's so bad that you're encouraging people to buy garbage, to spend their hard earned cash on stuff that isn't worth it, you're doing more harm than good.
PepsimanVsJoe said:
Yeah. People take reviews entirely too seriously.
I look at them as snapshots. Each person will interpret a different scene in a different way. Hell, the same person will interpret the same scene at a different time in a different way.
People also look to reviews to confirm their opinions. If you're that insecure, well, a game review is the least of your concerns.
Seriously. The best reviews are inisghtful, critical, and well-written. Make me laugh or make me think, and you're a grade-A reviewer in my book.
That is to say you get a 12 out of 10 on the Play scale.
Some people must be happy in the office. 
Well, good for them. I hate it when other contributors like to pigeonhole their opinion into a consensus. Play has a habit of never doing that. Love 'ya. *Kisses* But with that said, I probably won't agree with some of those scores. I never got around to playing the first Condemned, but always wanted to. The atmosphere it presented was just so alluring. I'll probably get my hands on it eventually. Happy Crisis Core is getting the love it deserves. Same for God of War. Unlike movies this year, I think games have come into a nice stride for 2008. For starters.
Well, good for them. I hate it when other contributors like to pigeonhole their opinion into a consensus. Play has a habit of never doing that. Love 'ya. *Kisses* But with that said, I probably won't agree with some of those scores. I never got around to playing the first Condemned, but always wanted to. The atmosphere it presented was just so alluring. I'll probably get my hands on it eventually. Happy Crisis Core is getting the love it deserves. Same for God of War. Unlike movies this year, I think games have come into a nice stride for 2008. For starters.
This is more in line with what I was trying to say. You've got to know when a game is good or not, or you shouldn't be reviewing games. And don't give me that "just cuz you think it's shit doesn't mean it isn't a good game" speech. Sonic was an abomination, period.Soul4ger said:
Soul4ger said:
Honest question - what qualifies somebody to be a game reviewer? How do we make up a list of criteria?
For example, I've been playing games since I was playing Bezerk and Defender in the arcade, and then owned the same games on the original woodgrain Atari 2600. Since then, I've owned every major system (except 3DO and Jaguar), and have written reviews for four different magazines plus the fanzines that I created before getting jobs with the "pros."
On the other hand, I hated Mario 64, and interested in but not dying to play Metal Gear Solid 4, own more downloadable games for my PS3 than I do retail games, and was happy when Sega dumped the single-player Phantasy Star games for Phantasy Star Online.
Some might say that even just one of those things totally invalidates me to be a qualified game reviewer. *heh*
Urban Scholar
Member
MC Safety said:
I pains me when I see people follow them as mindless sheep. In all honesty I just take into account what I know I will like and go with it. Reviews are a consumer guide and shouldn't be placed on the pedestals. At the end of the day I know I can go into a store and buy something without any kind of prior knowledge and make a decision in 5-6 minutes and stand by it. That's what it comes down to if you ask me.
Mr_Furious
Member
Congrats on the promotion MC Safety (That is you, Brady, right?)
edit: and good posts shidoshi. Keep up the good fight. People take reviews way too damn seriously. I say let the sheep flock to the other mags they invest more weight in their review scores. Although I don't subscribe to the liberal scores of some games in the mag, Play never fails to offer me a more enthusiast perspective to video games and that I do genuinely appreciate.
edit: and good posts shidoshi. Keep up the good fight. People take reviews way too damn seriously. I say let the sheep flock to the other mags they invest more weight in their review scores. Although I don't subscribe to the liberal scores of some games in the mag, Play never fails to offer me a more enthusiast perspective to video games and that I do genuinely appreciate.
Mr_Furious
Member
That'll work although it may be a bit weird considering I'm a total stranger to both you and moreso Brady :lolMC Safety said:
I <3 Play. I love their artwork, style and layouts. Their reviews are liberal and that's fine. I know they are, they know they are. What's the problem? Play isn't setting out to be hyper critical of games like EGM, etc. It's the way they approach it and there's nothing wrong with that. They have NEVER admitted otherwise.
Of course, all of this flies over the forum's heads so...yeah. =x
Of course, all of this flies over the forum's heads so...yeah. =x
Witchfinder General
punched Wheelchair Mike
I heartily await the day that review score are done away with. I'm not a huge fan of Play (although I loved Gamer's Republic back in the day) but when I do occasionally buy it I do so knowing full well that it's primarily staffed with fan-boys who are extremely protective of video-games and are as such very forgiving. omitting review scores and allowing the text of the review to stand for itself would do the magazine a great deal of good.
P.S.
Just because an anime features nubile girls with massive tits doesn't mean you should score it on a scale of 9-10. It bugged in Gamer's Republic and it bugs me now.
P.S.
Just because an anime features nubile girls with massive tits doesn't mean you should score it on a scale of 9-10. It bugged in Gamer's Republic and it bugs me now.
biggkidd32
Member
Kintaro said:
This.
No one is forcing anyone to read the magazine.
Ryu Hayabusa
Member
Greg had a bad day :lol
Play's scores may not be a good barometer but what site/mag really is? I mean do you people just look at a score or do you read the reviews? At least Play's generally written in an entertaining style, takes gaming and games seriously, features content unrelated to games but that gamers tend to gravitate towards (anime, movies) and is printed on quality paper to show off all the purdy screenshots and artwork.
And they're not owned by Ziff Davis so I mean right there they pretty much win.
And they're not owned by Ziff Davis so I mean right there they pretty much win.
AltogetherAndrews
Banned
PolyGone said:
Writing an entertaining article, while in itself admirable, should in writing a review come secondary to providing an honest buyer's guide. And a requirement for doing so is for the writer to write accurate information, and not wave whatever boner the writer has around to the point where it's blinding said writer to the flaws of the game.
AltogetherAndrews
Banned
PolyGone said:
The game media industry being a royal clown industry shouldn't work as an excuse for individual offenders. And as far as reviews go, Play is a bigger clown than most.
There's no consistent impartial source for reviews. It just doesn't exist. Most rate too high overall, and might pick on a lesser title giving it a lower score that it doesn't deserve because it's not part of an established series. Even the much touted Edge often bends over backward for British-made titles. The best you can hope for is a well written review that explains the game in a way that conveys the sort of experience it offers, then the reader can judge if that's a compelling experience for them.
PS - Mods please ban the Play score debate. It's beaten and back from the undead.
PS - Mods please ban the Play score debate. It's beaten and back from the undead.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
I like the fervor that this debate is having, as if it's a brand new idea being fought over.
21 days to go.it's a way of expressing their disdain for whatever they've quoted where the reasons are clearly self-evident (if you're too intellectually lazy to work out why people are laughing at the review quotes ask a grown-up to help you). you're just getting prickly and finding inane points to gripe on because everyone's laughing at you. and you pretty much insulted half of GAF by saying they should be ignored.
except Play are clearly at an extreme end of the spectrum. you can bleat on about how "it's their opinion" but when they're handing out 10s left, right and centre and to unfinished games it's obvious their judgement is worse than most. I mean, fuckin' Sonic people!
Anasui Kishibe
Banned
Urban Scholar said:
perhaps you should consider the fact that you aren't writing a review for yourself and your happy roomates, you're writing a magazine. A reviewer should have a little bit of subjectivity, of course, but the most important part should be trying to be OBjective, expecially with some games
It's not the first time Play become notorious for absurdly high scores; I could understand if a reviewer likes a game or not, thus showing that attitude in their reviews, but when idiotic scores are backed up with some of the most absurd explanations then there's really not much to justify at this point
Zenith said:
No, it's just being lazy. Worse, it's being lazy and unoriginal, the gaming age equivalent of the bleating of sheep.
Anyway, I honestly and truly don't care if anyone, as you suggest, is "laughing at me." It's not true, by the way, and the assertion comes from a boorish troll who takes every opportunity to lash out at game magazines and the people who write them. You're a bitter and angry child who's what? had his heart broken? had his game negatively reviewed by EGM or whatever?
I have an idea, chump. Why don't we swap résumés? That way you'll be able to critically evaluate my work, and I can understand why you're so all the time angry.
You don't know who I am, and you've certainly never read one of my reviews.
Segata Sanshiro
Member
For how far their scores sometimes vary from the average, I still firmly believe that the reviewers at Play, and Gamers Republic, and yeah, even Gamefan before it believe in every score they give.
Their tastes may not always align with mine (god damn does Dave Halverson enjoy his platformers), but I at least believe they're honest expressions of the reviewers' feelings about the game. Unfortunately, since the tastes don't always align with mine, I don't find the reviews useful on their own, but I do take them as one slice of opinion to be collected with others.
Play has a lot of other good reasons to buy it, though, and I generally did until I left the continent.
Their tastes may not always align with mine (god damn does Dave Halverson enjoy his platformers), but I at least believe they're honest expressions of the reviewers' feelings about the game. Unfortunately, since the tastes don't always align with mine, I don't find the reviews useful on their own, but I do take them as one slice of opinion to be collected with others.
Play has a lot of other good reasons to buy it, though, and I generally did until I left the continent.
mysticstylez
Banned
Byakuya769 said:
I'm sorry dude but any person who says this...
....whether it's an editor of a magazine or my best friend, or anyone in this world, they should stop playing games. Anyone who actually believes that Sonic was "born anew" in that game just needs to find something better to do. Said person has zero credibility.
:lol
Wow, contradicting yourself in the very next sentence. Yeah, you're so indifferent to it you had post how in denial you are and resort to name-calling. btw:
le.phat said:
Onix said:
Stumpokapow said:
Roxas said:
Mega Man's Electric Sheep said:
Pedobear said:
Danielsan said:
JDSN said:
sonicspear64 said:
Dave1998 said:
Snaku said:
DoubleDex said:
"No one's laughing at me! It's not true!"
Zenith said:
It's not contradictory. It's two separate and distinct statements. No one has cited any of my reviews as laughable and, if they did, I would not care about it.
You've done a good job of dodging the issue. Now, please make with the résumé. I want to see if you're a disgruntled game developer, a wannabe game journalist, or just some dude who's genuinely angry at game magazines for no particular reason.
Play is still the last gaming mag I actually pay for. I think their scores are on average higher then others and do seemingly take a "theres not a game I don't like" approach. On the flipside though you cannot judge the magazine on scores alone and the majority of people that bitch about the magazine never read every issue and just look at the scores posted on GAF. They actually have some of the better reviews out there and I can pick up alot from them ignoring the score.
Plus, like the old Gamefan they are just a bunch of people who really enjoy games and thats pretty refreshing in this age of jaded gamers. I read it as an entertainment magazine with alot of articles I enjoy on subjects i'm interested in (hardware, anime, movies and games) and not like a bible of just numbers.
Plus, like the old Gamefan they are just a bunch of people who really enjoy games and thats pretty refreshing in this age of jaded gamers. I read it as an entertainment magazine with alot of articles I enjoy on subjects i'm interested in (hardware, anime, movies and games) and not like a bible of just numbers.
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