Ben-DutkaLook, 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
