Look, we're not saying our review of the game is "right." We're not saying that personal opinion doesn't factor into an analysis of any video game. We're not saying that the consumer isn't entitled to gathering information before making a purchase; in fact, it's always recommended. But here's what we are saying- publishers have long since understood the power of the review score, and most any gamer will tell you that he/she won't drop the $60 unless they've first looked at some feedback. This being the case, we advise all of you to ignore the desperate-for-attention, we're-going-to-prove-our-elite-status so-called "review" from Edge that has the entire Internet talking.
I'm not linking to it; it doesn't deserve to be linked to. Let's just say Killzone 2 got a 7…and as a frame of reference, Let's Tap for the Wii got an 8. As we said, we're not about to question if there are legitimate reasons, and we're well aware of the often drastic differences in review policy from one publication to the next. But this is nothing more than a blatant attempt at attention, and if it were a strict editorial that doesn't really have any impact on the consumer, we wouldn't blink an eye. But this is assigning a numerical value to a game that basically says, "it's good, but there are better titles out there for your money." This…is…a… lie . That's right, a lie. Like it or not, opinions exist on a sliding scale, and we're not saying everyone is going to enjoy KZ2, but this review is akin to saying something similar about "The Godfather II" or "Citizen Kane." We all know that Guerilla's title is one of the best FPSs ever made; anyone who knows this industry and has a functioning brain will admit to this. They may not like it, but they will admit to its quality . This is what good reviewers do .
They don't lie to the consumer to get some sort of underground "elite cred." I don't care what your system is for reviewing games; if you're scoring on a scale of 1 – 10, there's no way on earth KZ2 gets a 7 in direct comparison to the other products on store shelves. I'm sorry, it just doesn't. In all honesty, based on past review scores from that publication, we're starting to wonder if anyone ever actually plays the games in question…it would be extremely easy to issue a controversial review simply for the sake of gaining attention. You don't need any real details or facts, and you can fabricate a ton of supposed negative reaction. That may not be what happened here, but we at PSXE believe that we are providing our readers with a service. We believe all journalists in all industries are, and that service must be – above all else – as reliable as possible. When a consumer puts their faith in you when doing research on a product, whether it's other consumer reviews or professional analysis, you have a responsibility to that consumer.
If it's your job to be faithful to your readers, you are not allowed to do things like this. You are not allowed to indulge your massive ego in an underhanded attempt at getting attention. Video game journalists aren't exactly treated with a ton of respect by other entertainment journalists (I know, I was one), and if this keeps happening, we'll keep suffering under the same label. And that label is: "a bunch of kids with superiority complexes who just want to prove they 'know more' than everyone else…at the expense of the consumer." That, right there, sums up Edge's review. For your sake, just ignore it.
Related Game(s): Killzone 2
It really dosnt matter Ben even if Killzone were to get 5's from three more websites I'm pretty sure that we would all pick it up anyway!!! 🙂
it DOES matter.
ouch a 7, I will be still purchasing this game.
Let me clarify why it matters. It won't matter to consumers who follow killzone 2 and know how amazing it is and know where to look for reliable reviews.
However consumers without the time to stay up to date on the information and who only rely on one or two review sources would most likely be disuaded from dropping 60$ on this game when seeing a score as low as a 7.
Now I wonder, where the hell is the morals and integrity of the reviewers?
"Why so low?" I like how Ben Dutka, in his entire fanboy tirade never once mentions the actual content of the review and what he thought was wrong with it, besides the score.
The complaints made about the game, in the actual Edge review, are absolutely valid. Whether or not those aspects of the game are important to you, the consumer, is entirely subjective. As such the review is just another point of view. You don't have to agree with it, you don't have to like it, but then, the review itself doesn't seem to be the problem here… Just the number attached to the end.
It doesn't matter. It matters so little it isn't even funny. Ben, maybe you will someday realize this and I hope that when that time comes, you will feel a little bit stupid.
Zovie. Ben knows what he's doing. Alot of the people on this site trust his opinion.
Hitting the nail on the head, really. No matter what anybody else says, you have all already made up your mind that Killzone 2 is the game to end them all. And we have now seen exactly what will happen if anybody dares show any dissent. Fanboys like you sadden me, on ALL sides of the fences.
Zovie, if I were you I'd apologize for calling Ben a Fanboy. Its like sort of like making the Hulk mad.
Zovie, you're just as naive as BuckeyeStar. I think we can all agree that the day will come when you have been lured into some fanciful cult and are staring into a cup of kool aid with a decision to make. Choose wisely.
Sorry COD WAW got a 6
@ Arnold Does Uncharted 2 take out Kilzone 2 visually???
Yes! Killzone 2 uses only 60% of the processor while Uncharted 2 will use more than that i heard all of its power!
http://www.n4g.com/ps3/News-268787.aspx
Definitely Uncharted can be better than K2 visually.
Last edited by www on 2/9/2009 12:40:38 PM
you' don't want the game to use more processor power though…that's what causes framerate issues and such. you want to use less power more efficiently so a game with less than what k2 used can still be better then what k2 used ^_~
EDGE? thats not even a real gaming website. so people don't even listen to them!
IGN-9.4
OPM 5/5
game pro 5/5
megamers= 99.9
metacritic=93%
Exactly.
Their just anti-fanboys probably, and they need to get some form of free advertising like what this article does.
And there we go!
I've always respected Gamepro mag, it's been the best since the 1990s…
@ Scarecrow, I've always liked gamepro too.
i noticed this with there poor review score for MGS4 to,what saps.
didn't they give R@ a 6 aswell
They are not the first people to give Killzone 2 a bad review just to get hits. The maxim review jumps to mind, they gave the 50 cent game a higher score.
Last edited by The Stig on 2/9/2009 11:33:37 AM
You actually count Maxim?
No, Ive never even picked up a copy of Maxim. I was just using them as an example.
I was reading a couple of the low low score reviews on metacritic. One of them says, "This game is spactacular from start to finish," then goes on to give the game an 87. WTF?!!?
At this point though, I think most consumers have made up their minds. And those who expect KZ2 to be phenomenal will laugh at the low review scores. As Katt Williams would say, if you don't have any haters, then you're doing something wrong.
Pimp Chronicles huh? Stay Black homie.
That's a haters job, to hate
I freaking love Kat Williams!
They're not allowed to have an opinion? Just because everyone else rates the game so highly doesn't mean everyone agrees. C'mon, there is NO definitive score for ANY game. I more admire someone for speaking their mind rather than giving a "me too" ringing endorsement. It's like trying to force an opinion on the public. I suppose because I won't be buying the game that my opinion counts for naught as well? I'm beginning to think the Play Magazine's decision to do reviews without scores it the right way to go. People are too hung up on an arbitrary number.
One thing is having an opinion, its another thing to deny what's there, the factual stuff…i dont know how Edge reviews their games but the standard is usually: graphics, sound, controls, replay factor, multiplayer…now, i havent played the full version yet but do you honestly think kz2 doesnt do those 5 things at a very very high level? At least when in comparison to other FPS? I cant even enjoy cod4 that much anymore, thanks to that demo…
Certain things are factual, certain things are opinion…i can hate all the harry potter movies but i will acknowledge those movies are done at a very level, at least in comparison with comparable movies
Last edited by Itdoesntmatter on 2/9/2009 11:51:18 AM
I've actually read it, and it's actually a pretty terrible review. Not terrible meaning it rips the game. Terrible meaning it has an obvious tone of bias…almost venom, and it doesn't tell you much about the game. I mean, if you're a consumer looking for information on how the game plays, what the graphics are like, what the controls are like, none of that is there. The graphics and sound are NEVER mentioned in the entire review. How do you review a video game and NEVER mention the graphics?!!? Who cares about the score? This was just a crappy review. I agree that stuff like this just gives gaming journalism a black eye.
Giving a low score just to be contrary is no better than giving a "Me too" high score.
Maxim is forgivable, its a low-brow testomag and in direct comparison to game like 50's, may seem less testicular. They are not a gaming rag, and thier opinion on gaming is credible to actual gamers.
Edge is supposed to be about gaming for gamers. Their huge front page link to the relatively poor KZ2 review proves that their interests lie in hits first, integrity somewhere further down the line.
So, No, real game reviews claiming an objective scoring system are not allowed to give such weight to the reviewers subjective opinion.
If I was a pure Reflex FPS fan with a distaste for story driven RPGs, I could not be trusted to give an objective review on any RPG, without a proven track record to the contrary. It works both ways.
To give someone with an obviously incendiary bent front page billing on a game review that represents the site as a whole, is proof positive that the site is fishing for attention at the expense of journalistic integrity.
I would have given Titanic a 1/5 because I dislike formulaic romantic blockbusters so much, I couldn't appreciate the grandeur of the films achievements. This would make me a bad movie reviewer, even if I was completely honest and skilled in the opinion piece that my review surely would have been.
Playing a game and having an opinion on it is totally valid. But sitting on your couch and not liking the game you're playing, is a totally different matter than reviewing a game for a publication in which many people may read and be influenced on. Its called journalistic integrity. You cant be totally subjective when you are writing for the public, because you are doing them a disservice. Like docpain said, there should be some guidelines for which you review the merits of the game on, not just some random thoughts of whether you personally liked the game or not.
Yeah journalistic integrity is the term that best describes it…its why sports reporters both on tv and in newspapers aren't really supposed to have a favorite team (even though we know they do)…but they are obligated to report what is going on without their own personal interests in it
Last edited by Itdoesntmatter on 2/9/2009 12:29:25 PM
They're not speaking their mind. And I'm sorry, there are such things as wrong "opinions." It's my opinion that the sun isn't hot……mm-hm.
It's their opinion that Killzone 2 is inferior to about 25-30% of all games that are currently available. ……mm-hm.
I'm going to type up a review on Killzone 2 with my opinion that it is by far the worst game of all time and how it can't compare to the greatness of Spec Ops on PS1… Let's see how many hits i get…
Is it that easy to make money these days, even through the nation's bad economic times?
Last edited by Itdoesntmatter on 2/9/2009 12:56:54 PM
yes but EDGE is stupid. who won't admit that KZ2 or MGS4 is good.
docpain is totally right. the REAL problem that happens when two members of the sony and microsoft camp start arguing is OPINIONS start being viewed as FACT. that imo is the only reason for flame wars. no one wants to agree that different people like different things aand it starts to spill over into other catagories(reviews for example) some journalists think they can get away with stating what they want you to believe is OPINION and they want everyone to take it as FACT.
im a big enough man to accept that under no circumstances will the street fighter be considered a GOOD movie or adaptation of the game but i promise that will NEVER stop me from watching at least once a month…..same with army of darkness….(but i actually do think its good)….off topic maybe?
Hail to the King, Baby! 😉
Sadly, there is a blurry line between fact and opinion. Unfortunately, this is what causes World Wars too.
This is why there is so much sensitivity when talking about religion and politics with ANYBODY. Everyone thinks their beliefs in those 2 subjects are factual.
Exactly, it is my belief this whole world is getting dumber and dumber and everyone is slowly losing respect for each other and whether it be race, religion or video game console no one can just let the world be…it would be naive to be believe in total peace but the ignorance in the world today is truly sickening….no one wants to be wrong but there comes a time when you just have to accept you might be…..
BuckeyeStar, you're so naive it kills me. It actually hurts. Weak minds like yours is exactly what Edge is catering to. People like you are the ones who would generate all their traffic because of their naivety. They will give a game that deserves much better than a 7 a bad review because it will actually make naive people think that there is something innately special about them because they are going "against the grain." While that can be good sometimes, we all need to think realistically once in a while. You, my friend, need a reality check.
@moose88 "close the door, what were you raised in a barn? hmph prolly was raised in a barn, with all the other primitives!"
best quote ever
or
"kneel rapscallion"
Going against the crowd is considered COOL and people like buckeyestar buy into it…Edge targets that kind of crowd, the ones that think they are hot shot for disagreeing with the crowd…
I'm all cool with demostrating your personal opinion but you classified that as "speaking your mind" when the review is extremely empty and doesn't really address the criteria on how to review a game…you blindly assume "they are the ones that are speaking their mind, they are real, they tell it how it is, they are different= better"
Last edited by Itdoesntmatter on 2/9/2009 4:12:15 PM
i cant wait until the crapbox stops being able to pump out games at a high level compared to the ps3. then all the pro-xbox sites will be forced to look at the ps3 with more of an open mind.
just wait. just wait.
@InfiniteRetro
You know that name calling solves absolutely nothing.
Negativity sells, especially if you stand out from the crowd by doing it…nobody reads Edge so I wouldnt worry about it, it just makes them look worse…big game sites wont do this stuff just to get more hits, because they have their loyal reader's trust to protect…doing what Edge has done is just a short term gain with a long term loss.
Negativity sells well in short term…grab some dirt on a prominent figure, write a book about it, get unlimited advertising and word of mouth, watch your book sell like hotcakes
I also think Only Gaming, Real Gaming Websites should only have the right to Review the game.
Maxim gave 50 cent game a better rating just to get hits Just like Thrax said and Xplicit said also. they just doing for advertising and get some hits off of it.
That is why i never listen or read there reviews unless its a gaming website. like this website. maxim should just stick and keep up the good work with them Hot girls
I agree with you, but I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that there isn't an official organization for game reviews (maybe here… Ben you might know anyway?)
So unless one is established, anyone can write a review and call it official.
lol beautiful rant Arnold. And i agree 100% They're attention seekers and i won't ever nor have i ever given them the time of day for their reviews because i know they lack reviewing ability. They've prooved this many MANY times in the past.