Edge Magazine, a self-important publication that makes me nauseous...

How does anyone stand this publication?

Their very obvious faux, pretentious and smug writing is more than enough to make anyone with some decent taste hurl in dismay. Why would anyone adhere to a publication that approaches video-game reviews in a manner akin a college-level analysis of The Great Gatsby? There's a difference between "critical-analysis" and self-important, pretentious criticismthatshames the human race, or at-least anyone with decent taste. Maybe if the publication conformed to the former as opposed to the latter, I might actually take it seriously for once. I'm sorry guys, but you just can't be critical of video-games as you can with a film or novel, and being overly critical most certainly does not equal good writing. Amusingly enough, they once published an article questioning whether or not Braid was "pretentious". Ironic to say the least.

What are your thoughts on this and what is your opinion?

Edge aren't perfect but they are pretty great. You want yet another review source scoring every halway decent game 7 - 10, and giving every hyped game a 9? locopatho

[QUOTE="locopatho"]Edge aren't perfect but they are pretty great. You want yet another review source scoring every halway decent game 7 - 10, and giving every hyped game a 9? LlFE

Edge is an excellent magazine.

Its one of the few with genuinely strong writing as well as decent criticism towards games, as well as actually offering a proper window into the industry.

Makes magazines such as Game Informer, and the 'official' magazines look absolutely terrible in comparison.

Which isn't saying much, games journalism on a whole is pretty poor.

Its not just the people working on EDGE magazine that have a high opinion of themselves,the magazine is also held in very high esteem by many people who actually work in the industry,thats why they frequently contribute to the magazine.

The writing style could probably be considered pretentious,but only because the mainstream vidogames journalism is generally so bad and usually aimed at the lowest common denominator,so we become used to that sort of thing.

At least in EDGE the reviews aren't littered with hyperbole and superlatives,which is frequently the case with other reviewers as they swoon over the latest cookie-cutter FPS.

[QUOTE="LlFE"]

[QUOTE="locopatho"]Edge aren't perfect but they are pretty great. You want yet another review source scoring every halway decent game 7 - 10, and giving every hyped game a 9? locopatho

Don't worry, there's a lot of reviewers who'd give a 9 to any game with a big marketing budget.

[QUOTE="locopatho"][QUOTE="LlFE"]Hurr durr ohh I don't know...maybe because there's more to a review then the actual score?

LlFE

Makes you nauseous? It's just a magazine, I don't see why you've expressed such emotional gravitas about it :?

I get the impression that some posters just look at Edge's scores and just cry foul if it dosen't correspond with the metacritic average, same to an extent with Eurogamer. I have no idea why people expect every outlet to score the same, as if they expect consistency from opinions. I personally find Edge's approach to be refreshing, same with Eurogamer's.

So you only like it because its more "critical" (and brainlessly critical at that)? That's exactly what irks me.

LlFE

You know it's a critic's job to be you know criticizing a game for its flaws rather than just ignore than like what most publications do. Anyway, why do you hate them so much for that? The worst thing you can do to an artist is to say their work is perfect while it is not. Go read IGN if you want them throwing roses at the feet of every high budget game.

Can someone please give me an example of this pretentious writing style? Or is opinion pretentious? Isn't that how reviews should ultimately be? Critical?!Ravensmash

They do have some crazy scores. I don't think they are bad, but they are not as reliable as Eurogamer.

[QUOTE="Ravensmash"]Can someone please give me an example of this pretentious writing style? Or is opinion pretentious? Isn't that how reviews should ultimately be? Critical?!LlFE

[QUOTE="Ravensmash"]Can someone please give me an example of this pretentious writing style? Or is opinion pretentious? Isn't that how reviews should ultimately be? Critical?!LlFE

[QUOTE="LlFE"]

[QUOTE="Ravensmash"]Can someone please give me an example of this pretentious writing style? Or is opinion pretentious? Isn't that how reviews should ultimately be? Critical?!gingerdivid

[QUOTE="gingerdivid"]

[QUOTE="LlFE"]Can't you tell the difference between "critical" and being "overly-critical"? Its like going to McDonalds and critizing the, "simplistic, Gothic architecture of the french fries", being "dismayed" and "affronted" by the "archaic and Victorian-era inspired ketchup dispenser" while praising the "juxtapositioning of atmopsheres within the restaurant to create conflicting and sensational emotions within the eater". That's the kind of pretentios BS you'd expect from Edge

LlFE

I get the feeling this was inspired by my comment in the other thread. :P

EDGE are on my "stay away" list as far as reviews are concerned. There's something about their faux, pretentious and smug writing style that pisses me off...which unfortunately tries too hard to scream out "Hey! Look at us! Over here! We're gonna try and be totally awesome and play it cool by givin' this game a beatin'!".BigBoss154

There's nothing wrong with being critical, or overly critical. However, it's the METHOD of how you present/write your critical analysis that is ultimately the deciding factor for me. And like I said in the comment above, EDGE come across as possibly the most smug and pretentious of all.

Which is why I like Eurogamer so much. Critical reviewers, don't cave in to hype, and don't have their head so far up their own asses that they can't see what it is they're writing.

But...I just did....wait...what? You actually think that there's nothing pretentious about, "the juxtapositioning of atmopsheres within the restaurant to create conflicting and sensational emotions within the eater"...?

LlFE

God forbid they actually write in an interesting fashion that isn't something along the lines of 'OMG THIS GAME IS ABSOLUTE PERFECT I WANT TO CARESS THE MAKER OF THIS GAME' or something that is equally generic.

EDIT: Wait, EDGE doesn't even review fast-food restaurants. Way to make crap up.

I get the feeling this was inspired by my comment in the other thread. :P

[quote="BigBoss154"]EDGE are on my "stay away" list as far as reviews are concerned. There's something about their faux, pretentious and smug writing style that pisses me off...which unfortunately tries too hard to scream out "Hey! Look at us! Over here! We're gonna try and be totally awesome and play it cool by givin' this game a beatin'!".BigBoss154

There's nothing wrong with being critical, or overly critical. However, it's the METHOD of how you present/write your critical analysis that is ultimately the deciding factor for me. And like I said in the comment above, EDGE come across as possibly the most smug and pretentious of all.

Which is why I like Eurogamer so much. Critical reviewers, don't cave in to hype, and don't have their head so far up their ass that they can't see what it is they're writing.

[QUOTE="gingerdivid"]

[QUOTE="LlFE"]Can't you tell the difference between "critical" and being "overly-critical"? Its like going to McDonalds and critizing the, "simplistic, Gothic architecture of the french fries", being "dismayed" and "affronted" by the "archaic and Victorian-era inspired ketchup dispenser" while praising the "juxtapositioning of atmopsheres within the restaurant to create conflicting and sensational emotions within the eater". That's the kind of pretentios BS you'd expect from Edge

LlFE

[QUOTE="LlFE"]

[QUOTE="gingerdivid"] Provide an example of that 'kind of pretentious BS', preferably something that comes close to the comparsion you made.

gingerdivid

"...Not content to just rekindle memories of Metal Gear, the game insists on physically revisiting them, veering this way and that, back and forth in time, the fates of its characters wrenched in improbable directions."

"...That game felt like a dialogue between Kojima and the player, a determined blend of action, cinema and podcast. In contrast, MGS4 feels more like a genie struggling to find enough goodies in the lamp, slave to the demands of everyone but itself."

"Metal Gear Solid has always been a story of duty in the face of obsolescence..." (no it hasn't!)

...and that's from only the MGS4 review.

Well TC, I've linked you to a Fable 3 review and all their reviews are on that site - so feel free to share with us an example.Ravensmash

[QUOTE="gingerdivid"]

[QUOTE="LlFE"]But...I just did....wait...what? You actually think that there's nothing pretentious about, "the juxtapositioning of atmopsheres within the restaurant to create conflicting and sensational emotions within the eater"...?

LlFE

"...Not content to just rekindle memories of Metal Gear, the game insists on physically revisiting them, veering this way and that, back and forth in time, the fates of its characters wrenched in improbable directions."

"...That game felt like a dialogue between Kojima and the player, a determined blend of action, cinema and podcast. In contrast, MGS4 feels more like a genie struggling to find enough goodies in the lamp, slave to the demands of everyone but itself."

"Metal Gear Solid has always been a story of duty in the face of obsolescence..." (no it hasn't!)

...and that's from only the MGS4 review.

[QUOTE="Ravensmash"]Well TC, I've linked you to a Fable 3 review and all their reviews are on that site - so feel free to share with us an example.LlFE

[QUOTE="LlFE"]

[QUOTE="Ravensmash"]Well TC, I've linked you to a Fable 3 review and all their reviews are on that site - so feel free to share with us an example.Ravensmash

[QUOTE="Ravensmash"][QUOTE="LlFE"]You provided me with an example of the exception, not the rule. And that my friends, is backwards logic akin to 9/11 conspiracy theories.

LlFE

I felt like that after reading their Mario Kart Wii review. It just seemed to go too much for styIish writing rather than a meticulous anaIisys of the gameplay. But after having read some more of their stuff, I'd say they often succeed in formulating an opinion without losing sense of styIe or sensibility. Especially their review of Super Mario Galaxy 2 was top notch, probably one of the best I've ever read, and I like how they use the scoring system like it was intended to be used (i.e. games with a 7 there are in fact really good, while games that get a 7 on IGN are often borderline passable).

I felt like that after reading their Mario Kart Wii review. It just seemed to go too much for styIish writing rather than a meticulous anaIisys of the gameplay. But after having read some more of their stuff, I'd say they often succeed in formulating an opinion without losing sense of styIe or sensibility. Especially their review of Super Mario Galaxy 2 was top notch, probably one of the best I've ever read, and I like how they use the scoring system like it was intended to be used (i.e. games with a 7 there are in fact really good, while games that get a 7 on IGN are often borderline passable).

DraugenCP

[QUOTE="Ravensmash"][QUOTE="LlFE"]You provided me with an example of the exception, not the rule. And that my friends, is backwards logic akin to 9/11 conspiracy theories.

LlFE

Examples of the above can be found in various places, ultimately it depends on the writer.

While you're at it you can oust writers who are terrible on the other end of the spectrum.

Pretty sure you'll be left with little else after that.

[QUOTE="LlFE"]

[QUOTE="Ravensmash"] You can easily go on that site and choose reviews that you see fit. You seem to be against any analytical examination of a game by a reviewer.skrat_01

The problem with that excerpt, is that it contains almost nothing of informative value.

Words mean something. They are a tool for communicating thoughts. You dont use words like bucolic in place of rural to better communicate thoughts, you use it to feed your own ego.

The two articles provided are examples of poor writing because -- and it may not be an ego thing, perhaps the writer just really likes obscure words -- it loses the objective of the words in the words itself.

"...but you just can't be critical of video-games as you can with a film or novel..."

...and that's where I stopped taking you seriously.

Edge isn't perfect, but they're better than most. There are plenty of great film critics who both take their craft seriously and also write very well (that is, much better than anyone at Edge) and that's what gaming needs to aim for. We need Kaels and Rosenbaums, not machined product reviewers.

Games can be, and have been, many times, good art, and your statement above does a disservice to those numerous titles which qualify.

[QUOTE="skrat_01"][QUOTE="LlFE"]No I'm not. I'm actually against any pretentions, faux-critical examination of a game by a self-important reviewer.

LlFE

[QUOTE="gingerdivid"]

[QUOTE="LlFE"]But...I just did....wait...what? You actually think that there's nothing pretentious about, "the juxtapositioning of atmopsheres within the restaurant to create conflicting and sensational emotions within the eater"...?

LlFE

"...Not content to just rekindle memories of Metal Gear, the game insists on physically revisiting them, veering this way and that, back and forth in time, the fates of its characters wrenched in improbable directions."

"...That game felt like a dialogue between Kojima and the player, a determined blend of action, cinema and podcast. In contrast, MGS4 feels more like a genie struggling to find enough goodies in the lamp, slave to the demands of everyone but itself."

"Metal Gear Solid has always been a story of duty in the face of obsolescence..." (no it hasn't!)

...and that's from only the MGS4 review.

I really don't think that vivid description and creative writing is pretentious, I mean, ok, I was alienated slightly by that genie in a bottle quote, which was quite extravagant. Yet a lot of readers appreciate this ****of writing, I personally prefer Eurogamer's more humoured approach.

you just can't be critical of video-games as you can with a film or novel

LlFE

I don't like edge because I don't agree with most of their reviews. Bayonetta a 10 and MGS4 an 8? No dude, no. I love action games but Bayonetta wasn't that great...

Halo ODST, Halo Reach and Uncharted 2 a 9/10? There must be a mistake here, Halo ODST was rated too high or Uncharted and Reach are too low.

Edge aren't perfect but they are pretty great. You want yet another review source scoring every halway decent game 7 - 10, and giving every hyped game a 9? locopatho

[QUOTE="LlFE"]

[QUOTE="gingerdivid"] I'm confused, is that literally a quote from Edge themselves? Hard to tell whether you was just made something up based on what you think Edge's writing style is like, or whether you've literally quoted something from Edge.

Icarian

"...Not content to just rekindle memories of Metal Gear, the game insists on physically revisiting them, veering this way and that, back and forth in time, the fates of its characters wrenched in improbable directions."

"...That game felt like a dialogue between Kojima and the player, a determined blend of action, cinema and podcast. In contrast, MGS4 feels more like a genie struggling to find enough goodies in the lamp, slave to the demands of everyone but itself."

"Metal Gear Solid has always been a story of duty in the face of obsolescence..." (no it hasn't!)

...and that's from only the MGS4 review.

Oh, you're one of those who are still butt hurt over their MGS 4 review. They gave it an 8. Get over it.

Edge editors try too hard to be douches and have "HIGH standers", with that pretentious writing style.ZippySlappy

Ok after reading the website a little I kind of get what the OP is talking about. Both the reviews and comments feel a little douchey and sometimes the big words feel forced. Other than that you are totally exaggerating.

[QUOTE="Icarian"]

[QUOTE="LlFE"]"For all the incredible technology he brings to the battle, all the abilities and charisma, he feels throughout like a species on the brink of extinction..."

"...Not content to just rekindle memories of Metal Gear, the game insists on physically revisiting them, veering this way and that, back and forth in time, the fates of its characters wrenched in improbable directions."

"...That game felt like a dialogue between Kojima and the player, a determined blend of action, cinema and podcast. In contrast, MGS4 feels more like a genie struggling to find enough goodies in the lamp, slave to the demands of everyone but itself."

"Metal Gear Solid has always been a story of duty in the face of obsolescence..." (no it hasn't!) IDK, seems fair to me.

...and that's from only the MGS4 review.

hd5870corei7

Oh, you're one of those who are still butt hurt over their MGS 4 review. They gave it an 8. Get over it.

I thought MGS4 was a great game but that criticism seems spot on to me.

[QUOTE="Icarian"]

[QUOTE="LlFE"]"For all the incredible technology he brings to the battle, all the abilities and charisma, he feels throughout like a species on the brink of extinction..."

"...Not content to just rekindle memories of Metal Gear, the game insists on physically revisiting them, veering this way and that, back and forth in time, the fates of its characters wrenched in improbable directions."

"...That game felt like a dialogue between Kojima and the player, a determined blend of action, cinema and podcast. In contrast, MGS4 feels more like a genie struggling to find enough goodies in the lamp, slave to the demands of everyone but itself."

"Metal Gear Solid has always been a story of duty in the face of obsolescence..." (no it hasn't!)

...and that's from only the MGS4 review.

hd5870corei7

Oh, you're one of those who are still butt hurt over their MGS 4 review. They gave it an 8. Get over it.

good thing you never visit the videogame critic's website then, he gave it a B- :lol: