Is it just me, or is GS screwing up its reviews lately?

I thought I was the only one deeply disappointed when GS said ME2 had a great story. *Rant* ME2 is a great shooter, and the variations in abilities make for atleast 2 replays, but there is NO main story. There is some side story and it pulls most of its story from ME1, which is highly contrived and confusing.*/Rant* Then I head over to the user reviews section and see a lot of 'disappointed', 'step back for the franchise' et. al. and wonder, is GS beng driven by forces other than pure critical appraisal? Pre-conceived bias of any kind?

I thought ME2 was a one-off thing. Then I go over recently reviewed games, such as Dante's Inferno, White Knight Chronicles and S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and see differences of two points between the GS score and the user score, and people asking, "Did GS review a different game?", and I'm kinda lost. Blindly choosing a game only if it had a GS rating of 8+ seems to be in the past, but I'm still hoping to understand all this.

For those of you with differing opinions, or those who've played any of the above games, do you agree with the topic header?

It's never "just you", on any conceivable topic. As for the user reviews questioning the GS score, any review that has the bulk of it's content about why the GS review is wrong lacks credibility. That many of these reviews went up, literally, within one hour of any gamers actually being able to get their hands on the game is pretty telling about what is actually fueling their passion. That's what happens when people who have already made up their minds about a game before they get it fail to have their purchase decision validated by this website. I believe it's called being "butthurt". It's not Gamespot's fault these people don't realize the review is for people who have not made up their mind about the game yet, and not for them.ViewtifulScott

I can disagree with this specifically wrt ME2. All the reviews that came out within hours of the game being released were 9.5s or 10s. The 8s and 7.5s only started to creep in after a couple of days, when people had fully explored the universe. I'm not saying the 10s didn't keep coming in, but no-one was disappointed enough at the outset to give it a low score. Also, the reviews I mentioned weren't focused on contradicting GS, they were reviews in their own right. Yeah, we're all butthurt, or I wouldn't be ranting here, but I disagree with pretty much everything else you said.

I can disagree with this specifically wrt ME2. All the reviews that came out within hours of the game being released were 9.5s or 10s. The 8s and 7.5s only started to creep in after a couple of days, when people had fully explored the universe. I'm not saying the 10s didn't keep coming in, but no-one was disappointed enough at the outset to give it a low score. So no, that sentiment is not valid here.

alert0

Yes, that sentiment is valid, your own post proved it beyond any reasonable doubt. Reviews coming in within an hour of most people playing the game lavishing it with praise are complete and utter BS. The more reasonable, maybe even outright low scores come in later, from people who played the game to completion first. The reviews came down with time for ME2 because the fanboys finally got it out of their system. The exact same thing will happen with Dante's Inferno. You actually validated my point while trying to disprove it.

Thank you. :)

The only difference between the ME2 fanboys and the DI fanboys is that the ME2 fanboys aren't prefacing their review with some flaccid shot at Gamespot's cred, but if ME2 scored lower, they would, like the DI fanboys are.

You cant screw up an opinion.

You cant screw up an opinion.

rzepak

[QUOTE="alert0"]

[QUOTE="ViewtifulScott"]It's never "just you", on any conceivable topic. As for the user reviews questioning the GS score, any review that has the bulk of it's content about why the GS review is wrong lacks credibility. That many of these reviews went up, literally, within one hour of any gamers actually being able to get their hands on the game is pretty telling about what is actually fueling their passion. That's what happens when people who have already made up their minds about a game before they get it fail to have their purchase decision validated by this website. I believe it's called being "butthurt". It's not Gamespot's fault these people don't realize the review is for people who have not made up their mind about the game yet, and not for them.ViewtifulScott

I can disagree with this specifically wrt ME2. All the reviews that came out within hours of the game being released were 9.5s or 10s. The 8s and 7.5s only started to creep in after a couple of days, when people had fully explored the universe. I'm not saying the 10s didn't keep coming in, but no-one was disappointed enough at the outset to give it a low score. So no, that sentiment is not valid here.

Ahh, okay, let me clarify. Whatever we're agreeing or disagreeing on, what I'm trying to say is that the reviews questioning the GS score were not made hours after the game's release. Some of them were, but not all. And they all claimed their game was fun to play (DI et. al., not ME2 here). That's not likely to change with time. I judge a game's GS score as its fun factor. Then again, GS said Dante's Inferno was great fun and gave it a 6.5... I don't know what to make of the score anymore.

Then again, GS said Dante's Inferno was great fun and gave it a 6.5... I don't know what to make of the score anymore.alert0

Ahh, okay, let me clarify. Whatever we're agreeing or disagreeing on, what I'm trying to say is that the reviews questioning the GS score were not made hours after the game's release. Some of them were, but not all.alert0

Naah, it is just you ;)

Nah it's not just you. Gamespot has been off on a lot of reviews this gen. Some of their reviews are spot on though, but it seems they've made quite a few bad calls and errors, and even neglect. They made errors in ToS2 review, ignored Rune Factory Frontier, did an extremely biased and unprofessional review with Radiant Dawn, just flat out don't know how to review most JRPGs, and over rate lots of others too.

[QUOTE="rzepak"]

You cant screw up an opinion.

ViewtifulScott

No. Simple as that. If you recall, most were annoyed that GS didn't give ME2 a HIGHER score, and were infantile in their pursuit of personal comfort. WKC is probably a game I'll like, but looking at other reviews, and the fact that 6.0 games can still be enjoyable, I'm not that aggravated at someone else's opinion of a game I haven't even played. The DI discussion is by far the worst and the most stupid. The game has gotten decent or mediocre reviews everywhere, and the few who have reviewed or scored the game are most likely those that have played the first few hours in the game, which are said to be pretty good. Almost everyone I've seen that have finished the game say the score is totally justified. It's a GoW rip-off that fails even that concept. It loses steam near the end and is generally not nearly as good as GoW. And the GoW comparisons are completely justified, since the game was advertised as a "good" God of War clone in hell. That didn't work out well... GS's score isn't far off from other reviews, so really, it's just the users throwing a fit, not looking at the game objectively. They've done it before. Honestly, why complain about a certain person's opinion of a game? It only comes out as stupid and childish.

No I find their reviews to be fine. I'm coming to the end of Mass Effect 2 and the game and story has indeed been most excellent so I'd say the review of it has been quite accurate.

No I find their reviews to be fine. I'm coming to the end of Mass Effect 2 and the game and story has indeed been most excellent so I'd say the review of it has been quite accurate.

Archangel3371

When you do reach the end, tell me whether I was justified in ranting about the Main Story. All the side-quests and companion stuff is fine, but I was expecting a grandiose plot a la ME1 and it disappointed me badly. I guess my own opinions were a little too particular for the revamp to deal with.

Reviews are done in a way to make th game sell, usually filled with lies and hype and skiping the bad parts altougether!dakan45

Reviewers aren't salesmen.

[QUOTE="dakan45"]Reviews are done in a way to make th game sell, usually filled with lies and hype and skiping the bad parts altougether!King9999

Reviewers aren't salesmen.

[QUOTE="Archangel3371"]

No I find their reviews to be fine. I'm coming to the end of Mass Effect 2 and the game and story has indeed been most excellent so I'd say the review of it has been quite accurate.

alert0

When you do reach the end, tell me whether I was justified in ranting about the Main Story. All the side-quests and companion stuff is fine, but I was expecting a grandiose plot a la ME1 and it disappointed me badly. I guess my own opinions were a little too particular for the revamp to deal with.

Well I just finished it and I loved it. The ending gave me goosebumps. I thought the main story was pretty grandiose myself.

How many people have mentioned that Mass Effect 2 has very little originality and is not much different in play from the first Mass Effect game?

If there had been much more added to ME2 other than upgraded graphics from the original it would have deserved a higher score.

as it is it is level upon level of sameness that is fun only if you never played the first Mass Effect and will not notice that the games are essentially the same.

[QUOTE="alert0"]

[QUOTE="Archangel3371"]

No I find their reviews to be fine. I'm coming to the end of Mass Effect 2 and the game and story has indeed been most excellent so I'd say the review of it has been quite accurate.

Archangel3371

When you do reach the end, tell me whether I was justified in ranting about the Main Story. All the side-quests and companion stuff is fine, but I was expecting a grandiose plot a la ME1 and it disappointed me badly. I guess my own opinions were a little too particular for the revamp to deal with.

Well I just finished it and I loved it. The ending gave me goosebumps. I thought the main story was pretty grandiose myself.

Okay then, this gives me an opportunity to see the other side of the equation.

[spoiler] The main story of ME2 is thus: Collectors are abducting humans. Why? They're building a Reaper, a human-like Reaper that looks really nasty/cool/big/husk-like but is still far from completion. So, you collect all your crew members, keep them happy and get all their powers, make sure your ship is up to par, head through the Omega 4 Relay aaaand.... beat the crap out of the Baby Reaper and its lackeys, the Collectors. The End.That, is not a story by my standards. Telling me there's a big bad douche out there whose lackeys I have to gun down to get to = Boss in Borderlands [/spoiler]

How many people have mentioned that Mass Effect 2 has very little originality and is not much different in play from the first Mass Effect game?

If there had been much more added to ME2 other than upgraded graphics from the original it would have deserved a higher score.

as it is it is level upon level of sameness that is fun only if you never played the first Mass Effect and will not notice that the games are essentially the same.

iowastate

You do realize that ME2 is a sequel to the first game, right?I have played the first Mass Effect, and I can tell you that I had way more fun with ME2.

@alert0 You're just boiling it down to it's base components, you can do that with any game. There's more to the story then that and the end of the game isn't simply "the end".

I'm not saying it isn't a good game or fun to play. Just less in the way of new content than expected. Probably deserves the 7.5 I have seen it given.

Reviews are done in a way to make th game sell, usually filled with lies and hype and skiping the bad parts altougether!dakan45

ME2 is a great shooter, and the variations in abilities make for atleast 2 replays, but there is NO main story. There is some side story and it pulls most of its story from ME1, which is highly contrived and confusing.*/Rant* alert0

Halo(10/10) - Halo 2 (8/10)

Gears of War (10/10)- Gears of War 2 (4/10)

Mass Effect(8/10) - Mass Effect 2(7/10)

alert0: You don't even know how a good game-review looks like. The only team capable of writing such texts were a Swedish magazine called Super Play. They only wrote in Swedish(äran och hjältarnas språk)so I doubt you have read of their reviews. Therefore you should be quiet!:P

You cant screw up an opinion.

rzepak

What do you mean "lately?" GS's reviews have always been controversial.JustPlainLucas

[QUOTE="rzepak"]

You cant screw up an opinion.

wizdom

Saying something is overrated is dissing opinion right then and there. Maybe you meant overstated.Check my sig for further information.

[QUOTE="King9999"]

[QUOTE="dakan45"]Reviews are done in a way to make th game sell, usually filled with lies and hype and skiping the bad parts altougether!yanbuco2712

Reviewers aren't salesmen.

I thought I was the only one deeply disappointed when GS said ME2 had a great story. *Rant* ME2 is a great shooter, and the variations in abilities make for atleast 2 replays, but there is NO main story. There is some side story and it pulls most of its story from ME1, which is highly contrived and confusing.*/Rant* Then I head over to the user reviews section and see a lot of 'disappointed', 'step back for the franchise' et. al. and wonder, is GS beng driven by forces other than pure critical appraisal? Pre-conceived bias of any kind?

I thought ME2 was a one-off thing. Then I go over recently reviewed games, such as Dante's Inferno, White Knight Chronicles and S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and see differences of two points between the GS score and the user score, and people asking, "Did GS review a different game?", and I'm kinda lost. Blindly choosing a game only if it had a GS rating of 8+ seems to be in the past, but I'm still hoping to understand all this.

For those of you with differing opinions, or those who've played any of the above games, do you agree with the topic header?

alert0

@alert0 You're just boiling it down to it's base components, you can do that with any game. There's more to the story then that and the end of the game isn't simply "the end".

Archangel3371

Sigh... I don't understand why you see it and I don't, or vice versa. Oh well, as long as Dragon Age stays Dragon Age, I don't really mind if ME goes in a new direction.

[QUOTE="iowastate"]How many people have mentioned that Mass Effect 2 has very little originality and is not much different in play from the first Mass Effect game?

If there had been much more added to ME2 other than upgraded graphics from the original it would have deserved a higher score.

as it is it is level upon level of sameness that is fun only if you never played the first Mass Effect and will not notice that the games are essentially the same.

And apart from all those new gameplay features it had a new story that starts off with a great, memorable cinematic moment and maintains your excitement and interest throughout and keeps you excited about the Reapers and the Collectors and the Omega 4 relay right until the end and ends on an epic note that made me feel like after I'd watched Fellowship of the Ring. Simultaneously satisfied by what I had experienced and excited about the next one. How in the name of Lucifer can you say it was essentially the same experience?

I did not like ME1 that much. I was happy I played it but it had problems with its gameplay that left me unsatisfied and the dialogue, decisions and missions often failed to interest me. ME2 convinced me that choices can be meaningful in a video game and sucked me in and didn't let go until the very end. I don't think I've ever felt so serene while playing a game while during ME1 I felt impatient and unsatisfied.

I am so ****ing sick of people like you who make inexplicably idiotic statements with no thought, no research and no intelligence put into them.

I've never trusted user reviews. But I don't think they're screwing them up.

I'm completely against the concept of "reviewing reviews". If you only agree with reviews that give a game the exact score that you would, then you should avoid reading reviews in the future; they're pointless.

To the people who are complaining about the reviews: what would you suggest the reviewers do?

My observations is this. If the game is not utterly unique or polished to a mirror sheen, then it will not score in the 8s or higher at Gamespot anymore. If it is derivative or "been done before" it has to have a lot of polishing and production value (I.E. Modern Warfare 2) to get a good score. For instance WKC and Dante's Inferno have been compared to FFXI and XII and God of War respectively and that seems to be something the reviewers are judging harder lately.

controversial as they are I am a member of several gaming sites and I put more trust in Gamespot than any of the others because I have more faith in the opinions of the reviewers here.