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[Mistle]

Look at EatChildren over there, hugging his ban hammer, just itching to use it, but he can't.

Technically he could swing at Big One for declining to post proof of purchase and then avoiding further requests. Unless he did post proof and I just missed it?

 

[butter_stick]

i'm shocked that there really wasn't a meltdown over this score tho. my eyes almost popped out of my head seeing that 7.5, but this thread's behavior has been almost civilized, not counting the dogpiling of feep. i think the uncharted 3 debacle opened some eyes.

People just want to pretend they're mature and not fanboys. If there wasn't the impending threat of being mocked by GAF people would be screaming.

 

[CoffeeJanitor]

People just want to pretend they're mature and not fanboys. If there wasn't the impending threat of being mocked by GAF people would be screaming.

There are still a ton of people acting stupid about this. Just look at this page alone

 

[Feep]

People just want to pretend they're mature and not fanboys. If there wasn't the impending threat of being mocked by GAF people would be screaming.

I think you have the funniest tag on NeoGAF, by the way.

 

[Jarmel]

People just want to pretend they're mature and not fanboys. If there wasn't the impending threat of being mocked by GAF people would be screaming.

This is nothing. The best thread of all time will be the ME3 review thread. It doesn't matter what scores the game gets, either high or low, people will be losing their minds.

 

[Jeff-DSA]

People just want to pretend they're mature and not fanboys. If there wasn't the impending threat of being mocked by GAF people would be screaming.

No, I think it's acceptance of the trend that Gamespot is trying to act like they're the "tough" score site now. Look at their recent scores, it's obvious they're trying to shift gears.

 

[BY2K]

Technically he could swing at Big One for declining to post proof of purchase and then avoiding further requests. Unless he did post proof and I just missed it?

Not that I'm aware of, but EatChildren didn't bring it up after that, IIRC.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

People just want to pretend they're mature and not fanboys. If there wasn't the impending threat of being mocked by GAF people would be screaming.

How cynical.

 

[Jarmel]

No, I think it's acceptance of the trend that Gamespot is trying to act like they're the "tough" score site now. Look at their recent scores, it's obvious they're trying to shift gears.

Gamespot used to be considered the tough review site compared to IGN. They used to be noted for docking .5 from IGN's review scores.

 

[Regulus Tera]

There are still a ton of people acting stupid about this. Just look at this page alone

Are you saying Famitsu is an honest and respectable outlet?

 

[Mistle]

Not that I'm aware of, but EatChildren didn't bring it up after that, IIRC.

I guess it doesn't matter then, I'm probably just more envious than anything lol. I'm not set out to get anybody banned, I just thought those were the rules that were set.

 

[scitek]

A 7.5 is definitely just looking to grab some attention. I mean, I haven't even played the game yet, but I can honestly say going by what I've seen in videos and whatnot, that the production quality of this game alone warrants nothing less than an 8.

 

[Jeff-DSA]

Gamespot used to be considered the tough review site compared to IGN. They used to be noted for docking .5 from IGN's review scores.

Yeah, but look at their recent reviews. They're even going beyond that now. Often a full 10 points behind the metacritic curve.

I personally don't care. If that's the reputation they want, that's fine. My site gave Uncharted 3 a 4/5 and I got some noise back my way for it. People get a little too hung up on things.

 

[Jinfash]

Holy crap at the meltdowns! Guys, it's just a video game!! HOLD IT TOGETHER!

 

[butter_stick]

There are still a ton of people acting stupid about this. Just look at this page alone

It's not the same.

8.8 was magical, this is too self aware.

Reading the review now, the score is at least justified. Sounds like the controls are very hit or miss.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

hell naw I just woke up to this..and to tell the truth Im not surprised.

 

[BocoDragon]

8.8 was magical, this is too self aware.

8.8 was just a funny-ass number.... perfect for a scandal.

 

[Jarmel]

Yeah, but look at their recent reviews. They're even going beyond that now. Often a full 10 points behind the metacritic curve.

I personally don't care. If that's the reputation they want, that's fine. My site gave Uncharted 3 a 4/5 and I got some noise back my way for it. People get a little too hung up on things.

Honestly I think that's fine. Alot of the Metacritic scores are inflated IMO. I'm more concerned with the criticisms and whether they're valid. Reasons trump a number every single time and the reasons in the GS review seem valid.

 

[Cartman86]

A 7.5 is definitely just looking to grab some attention. I mean, I haven't even played the game yet, but I can honestly say going by what I've seen in videos and whatnot, that the production quality of this game alone warrants nothing less than an 8.

 

[Ushojax]

Sounds like the controls are very hit or miss.

It sounds to me like there are two kinds of people. People who are willing to use proper motion controls, and people who get angry when their hurried waggling doesn't work.

 

[Social]

I don't understand all the perfect scores. Were they all bribed or what? A great game: yes, a perfect game: hell no!

 

[scitek]

OK so I aint even mad gamespot. I don't care about your score, SS could well deserve a 7.5, I can't say because I haven't played it. But JESUS FUCKING CHRIST they need an editor up in this bitch.

There's a reason I do video reviews. I can get my point across while writing, but my grammar is asstastic. Video reviews are more fun, anyway.

 

[Jeff-DSA]

Honestly I think that's fine. Alot of the Metacritic scores are inflated IMO. I'm more concerned with the criticisms and whether they're valid. Reasons trump a number every single time and the reasons in the GS review seem valid.

Metacritic is definitely inflated. The whole industry is messed up and people basically use a 7-10 scale.

I'm torn, because we use a 5 star scale. I don't allow for half stars either, so each star up or down better be pretty dang meaningful. The problem is, the industry doesn't follow suit and basically in my scale a 3 star score is reserved for a sucky game thanks to metacritic problems.

In reality, we say a 1 is a bad game, a 2 is decent game with more flaws than merits, a 3 is a good game that's a little rough in parts, 4 is great, and 5 is excellent. But Metacritic makes people feel like we're cutting the legs out from under a game since in their mind they translate each star to mean 20% on a 100% scale.

 

[butter_stick]

It sounds to me like there are two kinds of people. People who are willing to use proper motion controls, and people who get angry when their hurried waggling doesn't work.

The whole pressing down on the d-pad to recenter in first person mode seems to be coming up very frequently in reviews, and sounds terrible to me. I've said it before but I'm confused why Nintendo didn't use the IR sensor to avoid that issue. It's certainly never something I came across in TP.

 

[Jarmel]

I don't understand all the perfect scores. Were they all bribed or what? A great game: yes, a perfect game: hell no!

Welcome to the past few weeks for me playing Uncharted 3. Honestly every person has different opinions and reviewers are just as susceptible to hype as an any other individual. That's why I enjoy reading the most negative reviews possible as while they may be full of bile and crap, there usually is a grain of truth in there.

Metacritic is definitely inflated. The whole industry is messed up and people basically use a 7-10 scale.

I'm torn, because we use a 5 star scale. I don't allow for half stars either, so each star up or down better be pretty dang meaningful. The problem is, the industry doesn't follow suit and basically in my scale a 3 star score is reserved for a sucky game thanks to metacritic problems.

In reality, we say a 1 is a bad game, a 2 is decent game with more flaws than merits, a 3 is a good game that's a little rough in parts, 4 is great, and 5 is excellent. But Metacritic makes people feel like we're cutting the legs out from under a game since in their mind they translate each star to mean 20% on a 100% scale.

One thing my parent's drilled into me at an early age is that people in general are crazy. If something doesn't fit their preconceptions, they will go to extraordinary lengths to reject it. Your scale is fine as it's not putting importance so much on the score which should just be a summary for the illiterate people who hate to read reviews.

I would be using a similar scale if I had to give a game a score(something which is damn near impossible). I would actually be using a tier scale instead of a score but that's neither here nor there. You just need to ignore the crazies and write your opinion as best you can even if the fanboys out there want to rip you apart.

 

[Raziel]

Yeah, but look at their recent reviews. They're even going beyond that now. Often a full 10 points behind the metacritic curve.

I personally don't care. If that's the reputation they want, that's fine. My site gave Uncharted 3 a 4/5 and I got some noise back my way for it. People get a little too hung up on things.

excluding zelda for a minute, what recent gamespot reviews seem "beyond that" to you?

 

[spekkeh]

A couple of interesting things I looked at before I try to pass out :

- Looking at this reviewers other scores, I did find this description for Mega Man 10 pretty funny and ironic in comparison to what he thinks about Zelda ...
"Mega Man 10 - The 10th installment in this long-running franchise proves that some formulas don't need to change"

Not saying he's not a hypocritical bellend, but to be fair (and this is also something of a reply to people bringing up MW and to a lesser extent FIFA), MegaMan is much more of a (motor) skill-based game. You may bring prior knowledge of Mega Man games with you, but it will do you little good other than knowing what powerups are and that you can use one guy's weapons on another guy. Zelda revolves much more around two other things: exploration and cognition. If you keep on repeating the same adventure structure, and to a certain extent world (Gerudo check, time to go to death mountain), the wonder will get lost over time. If the puzzles in the dungeons are mostly of the variety where you will find item x and have to use it to defeat or progress to y, you will have to use your brain less and less (which is the most important part of Zelda games) and the sense of accomplishment will also diminish over time.

 

[kayos90]

Honestly I think that's fine. Alot of the Metacritic scores are inflated IMO. I'm more concerned with the criticisms and whether they're valid. Reasons trump a number every single time and the reasons in the GS review seem valid.

Agreed. Honestly, as much as I love great scores for games, if they're too inflated it just means that we're not going to get iterations that go above and beyond. Reviews should critique games and hopefully the next one will be better. I'm not saying SS is bad.

excluding zelda for a minute, what recent gamespot reviews seem "beyond that" to you?

He's probably talking about infamous 2

 

[Ushojax]

The whole pressing down on the d-pad to recenter in first person mode seems to be coming up very frequently in reviews, and sounds terrible to me. I've said it before but I'm confused why Nintendo didn't use the IR sensor to avoid that issue. It's certainly never something I came across in TP.

It sounds like the standard drift that you get with MotionPlus, Wii Sports Resort had the exact same thing, you pressed down on the d-pad to recenter, most of the time because your sensor bar was getting interference. I doubt it's something that you'll need to do regularly if you've got the right set-up (lighting conditions, distance to sensor bar, etc).

 

[Globox_82]

this is why I like GS reviews. They don't let hype or nostalgia affect their judgment

 

[marc^o^]

The whole pressing down on the d-pad to recenter in first person mode seems to be coming up very frequently in reviews, and sounds terrible to me. I've said it before but I'm confused why Nintendo didn't use the IR sensor to avoid that issue. It's certainly never something I came across in TP.

Are you on a mission? You spend so much time and energy criticizing this game, you seem like someone on a mission. Or are you just loving Zelda that much?

 

[boiled goose]

And that my friend imo is perfectly valid.

I completely agree about the sky I was just kind of confused cause I really have been finding lots of hidden content in the land areas for the past few days. I think the game is going to end up having the same amount of secret areas...on the "underworld" as other Zelda games do in the long run but I guess we have to wait for heart piece walkthroughs to find out if this is an established fact or not.

To me the open world stuff in 3D Zelda games wasn't really fun except for in Wind Waker cause it just had this fantastic sense of discovery to it even though it didn't have enough content to justify that sense. There's nothing wrong with the design of it, but actually bombing or picking up a rock on the overworld that is slap dab in the middle of nowhere...is just way too obvious to me. It kind of ruins the flow cause there really is no secrets in Zelda games after the original anymore. I understand that some people enjoy this but I never did and always wanted the secrets to be more obscured like in the old 2D Zelda games, which is what Skyward Sword largely does (it's especially difficult to see cracks on walls in the desert at times). I barely even got much heart pieces and I did MANY NPC quests (all gave me Gratitude Crystals) and going back to find secrets all over the place has been a blast.

it is not how many secret areas or how many heart pieces.

it is how meaningful they are. if they are meaningful, you will be pressed to explore.

Think Zelda 1. Finding a piece of heart is a HUGE deal. Even finding coins is rewarding as there are several items you need to buy.

TP had secrets, but they were completely worthless. Rupees were worthless.
Even heart pieces were worthless as they game was so easy you never really needed the extra health.

It seems to be the same in SS. sure upgrading equipment sounds nice, but unless you have a reason to it, you might as well not bother. Sounds like the game is so easy you never really need the upgrades. Zelda games need difficulty. Nintendo refuses to accept this. They will continue to make games that are too complex for beginners yet too easy for seasoned gamers to find compelling.

Difficulty is not a barrier to entry for new gamers, complexity is. anyone can play a challenging NES game. unnecessary tutorials are a baririer as well. forced arbitrary linear restrictions are confusing. Trim the filler. Dont dumb down the game.

tom is a decent reviewer so this is making me a bit wary of the game

i have to confess that i'm one of the people who's a bit bored with the OOT formula. long ass tutorials, z targetting etc have gotten a bit old for me

the series needs a radical shakeup in my opinion

it is sad because these tutorials are so unnecessary. Zelda team needs to get dismantled. until then, we can expect the same shit every time.

 

[guek]

I have a feeling this review thread is going to make this game less enjoyable than it would have been for at least a few people

 

[Jeff-DSA]

He's probably talking about infamous 2

Super Mario 3D Land was a full 9 points below the average as well. Seems pretty big.

 

[Sipowicz]

tom is a decent reviewer so this is making me a bit wary of the game

i have to confess that i'm one of the people who's a bit bored with the OOT formula. long ass tutorials, z targetting etc have gotten a bit old for me

the series needs a radical shakeup in my opinion

 

[Jarmel]

He's probably talking about infamous 2

I agree about the score for Infamous 2. My reasons are alot more expanded than Gamespot though.

 

[L0st Id3ntity]

demo was boring as shit, looked good on dolphin though.

 

[Regulus Tera]

this is why I like GS reviews. They don't let hype or nostalgia affect their judgment

 

[butter_stick]

It sounds like the standard drift that you get with MotionPlus, Wii Sports Resort had the exact same thing, you pressed down on the d-pad to recenter, most of the time because your sensor bar was getting interference. I doubt it's something that you'll need to do regularly if you've got the right set-up (lighting conditions, distance to sensor bar, etc).

It doesn't use the sensor bar. From what I've read, when you enter first person mode (or a menu you "point" in), it takes the Wiimote's current position as the center point, unlike in TP where it was always relative to the position of the sensor bar. So if you're moving the Wiimote as you switch to a menu or a slingshot, the center point is going to be off, and you need to calibrate it.

 

[_Ace_]

Famitsu gave the game a 40/40

 

[AlexSmash]

actually i like the polarizing reviews for this game.

 

[butter_stick]

Are you on a mission? You spend so much time and energy criticizing this game, you seem like someone on a mission. Or are you just loving Zelda that much?

Dude I'm a massive Zelda fan. TP is one of my favourite games of all time, and I bought a 3DS to play Ocarina. Just like I bought a Wii on day one for TP. But I'm concerned by some of the things I've read about SS. Seeing as we have threads for discussion before the game comes out, it makes more sense to be a bit pessimistic than just jumping on the hype train.

 

[kayos90]

Famitsu gave the game a 40/40

Late, and I feel like Famitsu is completely irrelevent at this age now.

 

[Cygnus X-1]

Cygnus X-1 created a wall of shame nearly all by himself. and this review hasnt seen a minute of NA daylight

I'm just writing what I think. Nothing really special you know.

 

[Ushojax]

It doesn't use the sensor bar. From what I've read, when you enter first person mode (or a menu you "point" in), it takes the Wiimote's current position as the center point, unlike in TP where it was always relative to the position of the sensor bar. So if you're moving the Wiimote as you switch to a menu or a slingshot, the center point is going to be off, and you need to calibrate it.

Well I don't know, I haven't played the game, but it sounds pretty standard for a MotionPlus title. We'll all be able to find out for ourselves in a few days, all I know is that I won't be paying attention to supposed 'control problems' until I play it myself. A lot of people just don't know how to use the Wii Remote properly, like the crazies who think the ball rolling or flying in Mario Galaxy is difficult.

 

[Jarmel]

Late, and I feel like Famitsu is completely irrelevent at this age now.

When was the last time they were considered relevant? I've always viewed them as a joke for the past 5-10 years and this was partially during the time I was still reading IGN reviews with interest.

 

[Raziel]

Super Mario 3D Land was a full 9 points below the average as well. Seems pretty big.

SM3D reviews are currently all over the place, it has a few other 8's from other notable outlets as well like edge and giantbomb (2 gaf favorites).

regardless, cherry-picking a single handheld game and a june release make for a tenuous case at best. IMO gamespot has been spot on with this fall/holiday heavy hitters, and mostly free of the hyperbole used by IGN, eurogamer, and giantbomb.

 

[Chuck Norris]

Gamespot wanted a lot of hits. So what?

That said, this just reeks of attention mongering. Basiclally the very last major review to come out, from the famous 8.8 crew, after everyone has been kinda sarcastically praying for a meltdown for the last several days. The review is significantly lower than the average and median, and at the end of the day, it's definitely fishy.

I think I would have been less cynical had this review come out on the 11th with other major sites; but as it stands, it's almost as if GS checked out what others were saying, reactions, and then played off that.

LOL.. hilarious. It's very, very difficult to believe that score isn't meant for page views and to be attention whores. Pretty pathetic, but the meltdowns should entertain.

doing gaming journalism proud!

They are doing it for attention/hits just like the 8.8 review for TP was back in the day. GameSpot is so trashy lol.

lol gamespot

I kind of expected G4 would be the attention whores on this one.

LOL 7.5? Wow. So did Gamespot basically wait until all the reviews were out and say "fuck this, we gotta get some attention, time for some epic trolling."

What pisses me off is that probably this dude want just people to pay attention to his review.

The reviewer's home address and phone number have been discovered.

Yeah, gonna be a bad week for him.

To be fair was probably referring to happenings on other forums.

Strong emotional feelings and personal convictions aside, does anyone think Gamespot gave the score they did to increase publicity? I mean, they know what 8.8 did for buzz so who knows

Out of curiosity, what are standard credentials for most video game journalists?

Games that are better or just as good as Skyward Sword (according to Gamespot):

Saint's Row The Third
Sonic Generations
Skylanders
Driver: San Francisco
Cars 2: The Video Game
Red Faction: Armageddon
Kinectimals
Fable III

I don't think I can make a plain face big enough to express myself right now.

Think of it like this.

What would generate more hits: posting one of the first available reviews and giving a lower than expected score, or posting a review days after everyone else, when most people have already read their fill of reviews, and giving a lower than expected score?

Not surprised by Gamespot's farce...I mean review. They have consistently scored games exclusive to Nintendo's platforms lower than the exclusives on other platforms. But 7.5? Geez, they must be struggling harder to stay relevant than I thought they were.

The GS score is BS. The review was more like an 8.5 than a 7.5.
I think the reviewer fails to understand the wii audience and the backlash he is getting is fully deserved.

I think he understands the Wii audience perfectly, at least the ones on the Internet. He's trolling for clicks with that score and that will boost his employer's revenue.

Either that or he is a manbaby who hates motion controls on principle and wanted to make a point, but I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Holy shittt. A 7.5?? Damn. I almost feel like they did it intentionally lol.

The point is: why always Gamespot? They were the ones with TP and now they're repeating the trick with SS. It would have been more believable coming from another editor.

In reply to someone stating reviewers should be allowed to assert their own opinions

I wonder how one could believe this. So are you supposing that Gamespot is the only "free" website, while all others have tied hands. Tell me please the logic behind this.

A 7.5 is definitely just looking to grab some attention. I mean, I haven't even played the game yet, but I can honestly say going by what I've seen in videos and whatnot, that the production quality of this game alone warrants nothing less than an 8.

Quality work once again guys. Doing us proud.

 

[TangMeng]

Gamespot has a clear agenda against Nintendo, the Wii, Miyamoto-san, and the Legend of Zelda series in particular. All the evidence is right there in front of your faces, remember 8.8-gate?

I haven't played the game yet, but from what I've read, this is the OoT of our generation. Don't let GS stop you guys from enjoying it; I sure as hell won't.

 

[BY2K]

This is nothing.

Good God, stop trying to make it look worse than it is!