Posted by Gary Hodges at 11:57 PM May 31, 2008
Gamasutra has an interesting blog up, one I wish more gamers would read and get fired up about.
In a mea culpa over some inordinately kind words gushed in his review of Grand Theft Auto 4, UK journo Simon Parkin points the finger at Rockstar for the admittedly absurd conditions the game was reviewed under. Initially promised review copies of GTA4 a mere week prior to the game’s release, even that scant amount of time was shaved down:
...when review code failed to turn up the week before release, many were left panicking about how they were going to serve their readers in a timely manner with any integrity.
Rockstar’s justification (emphasis added by me):
The reason for the withholding of review code was, according to Rockstar, a result to the game’s leaking onto the internet seven days before its release. Speaking to the company at the time it was claimed that this leak came from an unscrupulous journalist.
As a result, there was a lock down on all review code: everybody would get their copy just one day before the game’s release, and, despite the wonky logic (after all the game had already leaked to those with the capability to play it so why punish the many for the indiscretion of the few) there were to be “no exceptions, no arguments”.
At best then, by the time the game had been played, copy written and subbed ready for the Tuesday morning, most journalists (both in the UK and the US) had played for only a few hours, experiencing just a fraction of the game’s content, a situation testified to by various admissions in professional reviews.
Read more "To Serve Gamers" >>
Posted by Gary Hodges at 7:21 PM May 06, 2008
A few weeks ago I wondered what might change for Play Magazine now that Dave Halverson has stepped down (or over, or up, or however he’d characterize it) from the Editor in Chief position. Well it only took a month: the new EIC, Brady Fiechter, announced in his very first Letter from the Editor his intention to abolish review scores from Play altogether.
Maybe. His exact words:
Yes, dear reader, I am tired of scoring games, as is the rest of the Play staff, so take this as a warning: next month you may not be seeing scores any longer.
That issue's reviews reflect all the clarity and certainty of his declaration: some reviews have a numerical score, another has a “VR” (very recommended, I presume?), and their rating system key now simply says “TBA?”
Cynics might point out that given the flak Play has taken over a run of… er, "inordinately generous" review scores it’s issued to games that nobody anywhere seemed to enjoy as much, this isn’t shocking. (The definitive example being Lair, a mediocre brown-tinted Rogue Squadron rehash turned nightmare by horrendously inadequate Sixaxis motion controls, which Play awarded a baffling 9 out of 10.)
Personally, I think the lack of decisiveness is the real criticism here – especially when abandoning review scores would be such a tremendous, worthwhile move to make.
Read more "What's In A Number?" >>
Posted by Jonathan McNamara at 1:37 AM Apr 11, 2008
It's less than 5 months until September and you know what that means; time for Lucas Arts to start beating us to death with inane amounts of coverage for their latest attempt to make a pile of steaming, hot money fall out of the now rotting, dead horse's ass that is Star Wars. I'm talking about Star Wars: Force Unleashed of course.
Read more "Don't watch this..." >>
Posted by Gary Hodges at 7:02 PM Apr 09, 2008
Issue 76 of Play Magazine marks the end of an era: Dave Halverson, a fixture in the games journalism biz for a little more than 15 years, is relinquishing his title of Editor in Chief. Though he’s quick to reassure:
I’m promoting myself to Publisher/Creative Director so I can pursue growing the Play, Geek, Girls of Gaming, and Play Japan brands; finally trying my hand at manga (yes, I have two in the works) and spend more time doing feature work in addition to my infamous “Dave game” reviews.
...yet reading his entire Letter from the Editor (entitled “Now you see me…”), the tone is distinctly swan song, with much reminiscing on his career and thanking everyone who’s been along for the ride.
If you follow game mags, Halverson should be a recognizable personality; yet given the nature of the mainstream gaming press it’s likely few or none of Play’s competitors will mention Halverson’s “passing”, regardless of how noteworthy. Fortunately, I’m not mainstream gaming press, so I’m not worried about violating mainstream gaming press decorum, or burning in mainstream gaming press hell.
Read more "Halverson has left..." >>
