I think Kevin VanOrd is testing us once again with his KoA review...

Personally, when I experience cognitive dissonance because a reviewer I like gives a game I like a bad score, I go with, "I no longer trust this reviewer." (Not that I'm a fan of Amalur... haven't even tried the demo yet, though I surely will do to the shameless Mass Effect 3 tie-in. Kevin V lost me right from the get-go with his harsh - some would say lazy - treatment of my beloved Tenchu-Z.)

Kevin V recently tweeted that in 2012 he was going to change his reviewing process to make the 10 point scale mean something.

He's reserving the 9+ scores for games he truly believes will be remembered.

This thread is one of the reasons for him changing the process. Look at how many of you see that 7.5 as a bad score.... On Gamespot itself 7.5 is deemed as a good score, and recently an article was published stating that even 6.0 rated games could be as great as AAA games gameplay-wise, but lack the polish of those AAA games.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

Sorry SW, but your RPG that was supposed to 'beat' Skyrim failed incredibly. Acceptance.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

SW__Troll

Another day, another Shake thread.

Time to play Skyim folks. ;D

Stevo_the_gamer

Ha, yeah you go back to playing your hot mess :P

I'll be playing KoA, the latest and kewlest RPG that all the kewl kids be playin :cool:

I've always enjoyed your threads.This one is no exception :P.

I've always enjoyed your threads.This one is no exception :P.

Michael0134567

Much appreciated. I always try to be as factual and informative as humanly possible while jamming my opinions down people's throats :D

[QUOTE="Michael0134567"]

I've always enjoyed your threads.This one is no exception :P.

Master_ShakeXXX

Much appreciated. I always try to be as factual and informative as humanly possible while jamming my opinions down people's throats :D

Kevin V recently tweeted that in 2012 he was going to change his reviewing process to make the 10 point scale mean something.

He's reserving the 9+ scores for games he truly believes will be remembered.

This thread is one of the reasons for him changing the process. Look at how many of you see that 7.5 as a bad score.... On Gamespot itself 7.5 is deemed as a good score, and recently an article was published stating that even 6.0 rated games could be as great as AAA games gameplay-wise, but lack the polish of those AAA games.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

SW__Troll

Well, to be fair, it was KVO's former reviewing standards that created the expectations people have now. Sure, he tweeted he was making a change. Not everyone here is following KVO on twitter however, and it isn't like he made a big show of it in his reviews. People have to learn from experience what a reviewer's opinions and scores mean compared to their own. Most people are familiar with the manner that KVO used to score games, and now are struggling to realign their own views with KVO's "evolving" standards.

I think it's great that KVO wants to make a change that can allow him to further differentiate between games, but I also blame his earlier work for much of the confusion and disappointment that there is around here now.

[QUOTE="Stevo_the_gamer"]

Another day, another Shake thread.

Time to play Skyim folks. ;D

Master_ShakeXXX

Ha, yeah you go back to playing your hot mess :P

I'll be playing KoA, the latest and kewlest RPG that all the kewl kids be playin :cool:

Uh...what happened? I thought you liked Skyrim? Not like TEH BEST GAME EVAR but you liked it a little; like more than what your previous hype was?

What happened?

[QUOTE="Master_ShakeXXX"]

[QUOTE="Stevo_the_gamer"]

Another day, another Shake thread.

Time to play Skyim folks. ;D

Goyoshi12

Ha, yeah you go back to playing your hot mess :P

I'll be playing KoA, the latest and kewlest RPG that all the kewl kids be playin :cool:

Uh...what happened? I thought you liked Skyrim? Not like TEH BEST GAME EVAR but you liked it a little; like more than what your previous hype was?

What happened?

I did like it, until I found out I was duped into buying a broken game. If Beth fixes it and makes it worth my money then I can go back to loving it. It's kind of hard to enjoy a game when you can't even continue on playing it, ya know.

[QUOTE="Goyoshi12"]

[QUOTE="Master_ShakeXXX"]

Ha, yeah you go back to playing your hot mess :P

I'll be playing KoA, the latest and kewlest RPG that all the kewl kids be playin :cool:

Master_ShakeXXX

Uh...what happened? I thought you liked Skyrim? Not like TEH BEST GAME EVAR but you liked it a little; like more than what your previous hype was?

What happened?

I did like it, until I found out I was duped into buying a broken game. If Beth fixes it and makes it worth my money then I can go back to loving it. It's kind of hard to enjoy a game when you can't even continue on playing it, ya know.

What about patch 1.03? I thought that fixed those issues? :?

...or do you not have it?

Kevin V recently tweeted that in 2012 he was going to change his reviewing process to make the 10 point scale mean something.

He's reserving the 9+ scores for games he truly believes will be remembered.

This thread is one of the reasons for him changing the process. Look at how many of you see that 7.5 as a bad score.... On Gamespot itself 7.5 is deemed as a good score, and recently an article was published stating that even 6.0 rated games could be as great as AAA games gameplay-wise, but lack the polish of those AAA games.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

SW__Troll

This guy.. gets it.

[QUOTE="SW__Troll"]

Kevin V recently tweeted that in 2012 he was going to change his reviewing process to make the 10 point scale mean something.

He's reserving the 9+ scores for games he truly believes will be remembered.

This thread is one of the reasons for him changing the process. Look at how many of you see that 7.5 as a bad score.... On Gamespot itself 7.5 is deemed as a good score, and recently an article was published stating that even 6.0 rated games could be as great as AAA games gameplay-wise, but lack the polish of those AAA games.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

MLBknights58

This guy.. gets it.

A troll...gets it?

Holy $#!+, IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD! :o

[QUOTE="MLBknights58"]

[QUOTE="SW__Troll"]

Kevin V recently tweeted that in 2012 he was going to change his reviewing process to make the 10 point scale mean something.

He's reserving the 9+ scores for games he truly believes will be remembered.

This thread is one of the reasons for him changing the process. Look at how many of you see that 7.5 as a bad score.... On Gamespot itself 7.5 is deemed as a good score, and recently an article was published stating that even 6.0 rated games could be as great as AAA games gameplay-wise, but lack the polish of those AAA games.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

Goyoshi12

This guy.. gets it.

A troll...gets it?

Holy $#!+, IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD! :o

Pretty crazy how a guy with the name of SW_Troll makes very well thought out posts isn't it?

And yes it is the end of the world, December 2012 bro. :o

[QUOTE="Master_ShakeXXX"]

[QUOTE="Goyoshi12"]

Uh...what happened? I thought you liked Skyrim? Not like TEH BEST GAME EVAR but you liked it a little; like more than what your previous hype was?

What happened?

Goyoshi12

I did like it, until I found out I was duped into buying a broken game. If Beth fixes it and makes it worth my money then I can go back to loving it. It's kind of hard to enjoy a game when you can't even continue on playing it, ya know.

What about patch 1.03? I thought that fixed those issues? :?

...or do you not have it?

It fixed minor things but not the memory leak that plagues the PS3 version and makes it unplayable over time. 1.04 is supposedly going to fix it, but I'm not holding my breath.

[QUOTE="Goyoshi12"]

[QUOTE="Master_ShakeXXX"]

I did like it, until I found out I was duped into buying a broken game. If Beth fixes it and makes it worth my money then I can go back to loving it. It's kind of hard to enjoy a game when you can't even continue on playing it, ya know.

Master_ShakeXXX

What about patch 1.03? I thought that fixed those issues? :?

...or do you not have it?

It fixed minor things but not the memory leak that plagues the PS3 version and makes it unplayable over time. 1.04 is supposedly going to fix it, but I'm not holding my breath.

Eh, I guess...well, good luck with Skyrim and enjoy Amalur. :)

Kevin V recently tweeted that in 2012 he was going to change his reviewing process to make the 10 point scale mean something.

He's reserving the 9+ scores for games he truly believes will be remembered.

This thread is one of the reasons for him changing the process. Look at how many of you see that 7.5 as a bad score.... On Gamespot itself 7.5 is deemed as a good score, and recently an article was published stating that even 6.0 rated games could be as great as AAA games gameplay-wise, but lack the polish of those AAA games.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

SW__Troll

[QUOTE="Goyoshi12"]

[QUOTE="MLBknights58"]

This guy.. gets it.

MLBknights58

A troll...gets it?

Holy $#!+, IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD! :o

Pretty crazy how a guy with the name of SW_Troll makes very well thought out posts isn't it?

And yes it is the end of the world, December 2012 bro. :o

Usual SW Trolls never make these well thought out posts...this guy is trolling the trolls by being SMART! :o

DAMN, this guy is good. :shock:

Kevin V recently tweeted that in 2012 he was going to change his reviewing process to make the 10 point scale mean something.

He's reserving the 9+ scores for games he truly believes will be remembered.

This thread is one of the reasons for him changing the process. Look at how many of you see that 7.5 as a bad score.... On Gamespot itself 7.5 is deemed as a good score, and recently an article was published stating that even 6.0 rated games could be as great as AAA games gameplay-wise, but lack the polish of those AAA games.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

SW__Troll

No. I'm pretty sure he just gave it a 7.5 because he thinks it's a good game.

Kevin V recently tweeted that in 2012 he was going to change his reviewing process to make the 10 point scale mean something.

He's reserving the 9+ scores for games he truly believes will be remembered.

This thread is one of the reasons for him changing the process. Look at how many of you see that 7.5 as a bad score.... On Gamespot itself 7.5 is deemed as a good score, and recently an article was published stating that even 6.0 rated games could be as great as AAA games gameplay-wise, but lack the polish of those AAA games.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

SW__Troll

https://twitter.com/#!/fiddlecub/status/155514344623443968

Ah, here it is.

Oh, here's more:

https://twitter.com/#!/fiddlecub/status/26201644077162496

Personally, I think he should make 7 the new 9, that would be more in line with using the whole scale. This is only going to turn the 7-10 scale to a 6-10 scale or a 5-10 scale, but nevertheless this is a good step forward and I give this a seal of approval.

[QUOTE="Master_ShakeXXX"]

[QUOTE="Goyoshi12"]

What about patch 1.03? I thought that fixed those issues? :?

...or do you not have it?

Goyoshi12

It fixed minor things but not the memory leak that plagues the PS3 version and makes it unplayable over time. 1.04 is supposedly going to fix it, but I'm not holding my breath.

Eh, I guess...well, good luck with Skyrim and enjoy Amalur. :)

Thanks. Maybe by the time I'm finished with KoA Skyrim will be fixed. That'd be great.

I don't know why people say that about Skyrim. The story can be pretty thin, but not terrible. There's a difference. The Elder Scrolls has some pretty well thought out lore, so I'm confident that Bethesda can be somewhat capable in that department also.

Jabby250

[QUOTE="SW__Troll"]

Kevin V recently tweeted that in 2012 he was going to change his reviewing process to make the 10 point scale mean something.

He's reserving the 9+ scores for games he truly believes will be remembered.

This thread is one of the reasons for him changing the process. Look at how many of you see that 7.5 as a bad score.... On Gamespot itself 7.5 is deemed as a good score, and recently an article was published stating that even 6.0 rated games could be as great as AAA games gameplay-wise, but lack the polish of those AAA games.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

santoron

Well, to be fair, it was KVO's former reviewing standards that created the expectations people have now. Sure, he tweeted he was making a change. Not everyone here is following KVO on twitter however, and it isn't like he made a big show of it in his reviews. People have to learn from experience what a reviewer's opinions and scores mean compared to their own. Most people are familiar with the manner that KVO used to score games, and now are struggling to realign their own views with KVO's "evolving" standards.

I think it's great that KVO wants to make a change that can allow him to further differentiate between games, but I also blame his earlier work for much of the confusion and disappointment that there is around here now.

[QUOTE="santoron"]

[QUOTE="SW__Troll"]

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

Shinobishyguy

Well, to be fair, it was KVO's former reviewing standards that created the expectations people have now. Sure, he tweeted he was making a change. Not everyone here is following KVO on twitter however, and it isn't like he made a big show of it in his reviews. People have to learn from experience what a reviewer's opinions and scores mean compared to their own. Most people are familiar with the manner that KVO used to score games, and now are struggling to realign their own views with KVO's "evolving" standards.

I think it's great that KVO wants to make a change that can allow him to further differentiate between games, but I also blame his earlier work for much of the confusion and disappointment that there is around here now.

Exactly. KVO has a crisis of conscience in his former scoring methods, (quietly) decides to reset his criteria, and his readers are to blame for their confusion? Okay...

Kevin V recently tweeted that in 2012 he was going to change his reviewing process to make the 10 point scale mean something.

He's reserving the 9+ scores for games he truly believes will be remembered.

This thread is one of the reasons for him changing the process. Look at how many of you see that 7.5 as a bad score.... On Gamespot itself 7.5 is deemed as a good score, and recently an article was published stating that even 6.0 rated games could be as great as AAA games gameplay-wise, but lack the polish of those AAA games.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

SW__Troll

So Kevin VanOrd cares about what people in SW say and he want's to test them, that's why he scored it the way he did right? To "test" fanboys on the internet? Or mabey the more likely explanation is that he doesn't care about people on SW and just reviews according to his own opinoin? Now there's an idea!

If you don't like it, just ignore it. Is it going to stop you from enjoying a game? No, it shouldn't. Just write your own review of the game instead if you want, and people do read user reviews, you'd be surprised.

[QUOTE="Shinobishyguy"][QUOTE="santoron"]

Well, to be fair, it was KVO's former reviewing standards that created the expectations people have now. Sure, he tweeted he was making a change. Not everyone here is following KVO on twitter however, and it isn't like he made a big show of it in his reviews. People have to learn from experience what a reviewer's opinions and scores mean compared to their own. Most people are familiar with the manner that KVO used to score games, and now are struggling to realign their own views with KVO's "evolving" standards.

I think it's great that KVO wants to make a change that can allow him to further differentiate between games, but I also blame his earlier work for much of the confusion and disappointment that there is around here now.

santoron

Exactly. KVO has a crisis of conscience in his former scoring methods, (quietly) decides to reset his criteria, and his readers are to blame for their confusion? Okay...

Kevin V has never been a bad reviewer is the thing. In fact most people would claim he's spot on in most his reviews. For every high score he gave out last year he must have given out multiple low ones, and yet across all those scores they were all deemed fair included the low ones.

He's formally announcing it now, yes, but I don't believe his reviewing process has been different at least in the last year or two.

It was ALWAYS the readers, especially here on SW, who were misunderstanding what a 10 point scale meant, and I'm sure that may have affected the GSpot review staff in some ways. When everyone here seems to find a 8.5 (or lower) review as unacceptable do you not think that may have influenced the review team to shift some of their scores up a point or so as to not receive an insane amount of backlash as they've ALWAYS gotten each time they try to break from that?

Well, unfortunately for Gamespot, that eventually came to bite them in the ass. Now everyone doesn't trust them when they rate high, or low as has been seen in this very thread.

Nobody agrees with the Kingdoms of Amalur review because it somehow conflicts with Nier (5.0), Dragon Age 2 (8.0), and Skyrim (9.0 and GOTY)? That's how bad it's gotten........... (it doesn't conflict with any of those reviews btw. The System Wars audience just has messed up expectations).

I think it's nice to see Kevin V announce that he's officlaly going to attempt to change this for the better

Kevin V has never been a bad reviewer is the thing. In fact most people would claim he's spot on in most his reviews. For every high score he gave out last year he must have given out multiple low ones, and yet across all those scores they were all deemed fair included the low ones.

He's formally announcing it now, yes, but I don't believe his reviewing process has been different at least in the last year or two.

....

I think it's nice to see Kevin V announce that he's officlaly going to attempt to change this for the better

SW__Troll

I agree that it's nice to see him try and make a positive change he feels is necessary in the way he compiles reviews. I suppose it's possible that he actually did so years ago, and decided to formally announce it a couple weeks ago, but I don't think that's a smart bet. More likely, in the spirit of the New Year and the incumbent self reflection that grabs most people around that time, KVO elected to make a change he felt was necessary to improive at a job he does well and wants to do better. There is nothing wrong with any of that, and in fact it's rather commendable. However, it's also expected that when you announce a change, that people will want to understand how the "new" reviews mesh with the "old".

Now, maybe KVO confirms what you have guessed, and claims there hasn't been a notable change in his criteria in years. Maybe it's like he said, and he's taking a more reserved approach these days with scores. Either would be helpful for a person to understandhow his point of view meshes with their own a little better. But I think in light of his recent comments, and also Tom's recent similar topic, that GS users have legitimate questions on how to view current scores in the light of some of their older work. I have to imagine they'd prefer the question to what most people on here are saying: which is to ignore the reviews all together. :| When KVO said something to the effect of wanting to make a 9 special again, it's hardly the fault of the user for assuming he was looking to score more cautiously, and to wonder how this reflects on recent games. When you make cryptic assertions (especially if, as you assert, he actually changed nothing) you can hardly blame readers for having questions...

Kevin V recently tweeted that in 2012 he was going to change his reviewing process to make the 10 point scale mean something.

He's reserving the 9+ scores for games he truly believes will be remembered.

This thread is one of the reasons for him changing the process. Look at how many of you see that 7.5 as a bad score.... On Gamespot itself 7.5 is deemed as a good score, and recently an article was published stating that even 6.0 rated games could be as great as AAA games gameplay-wise, but lack the polish of those AAA games.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

SW__Troll

This is exactly what I was talking about earlier. Everyone in here keeps wanting to point the finger at Kevin V when in reality, we can only point the finger at the readers (ourselves). Kevin V is trying to make greater, and more accurate, use of the 10 point scale, and in doing so is fundamentally changing the way that we must gauge the numerical scores. As I said in my earlier post, it's going to be much closer to the older (and I'm talking way older) GS scoring system if he can stick to his guns. 6.0 shouldn't be considered an "avoid at all costs" piece of software.

The ideas that we've perpetuated about the numbers side of a review, especially in here on SW, have skewed the whole thing.

i think the TC was very bored

[QUOTE="SW__Troll"]

Kevin V recently tweeted that in 2012 he was going to change his reviewing process to make the 10 point scale mean something.

He's reserving the 9+ scores for games he truly believes will be remembered.

This thread is one of the reasons for him changing the process. Look at how many of you see that 7.5 as a bad score.... On Gamespot itself 7.5 is deemed as a good score, and recently an article was published stating that even 6.0 rated games could be as great as AAA games gameplay-wise, but lack the polish of those AAA games.

It's not Kevin V's reviewing process that's the problem; it's you guys.

Assassin_87

This is exactly what I was talking about earlier. Everyone in here keeps wanting to point the finger at Kevin V when in reality, we can only point the finger at the readers (ourselves). Kevin V is trying to make greater, and more accurate, use of the 10 point scale, and in doing so is fundamentally changing the way that we must gauge the numerical scores. As I said in my earlier post, it's going to be much closer to the older (and I'm talking way older) GS scoring system if he can stick to his guns. 6.0 shouldn't be considered an "avoid at all costs" piece of software.

The ideas that we've perpetuated about the numbers side of a review, especially in here on SW, have skewed the whole thing.

i think the TC was very bored

max-Emadness

Just got my first house. The game is a blast and it's definitely robust

Just got my first house. The game is a blast and it's definitely robust

Animal-Mother

I'm about to start playing. Last night I was pretty tired and passed out before I could even take the wrapping off. Game is gonna be epic :D

[QUOTE="Animal-Mother"]

Just got my first house. The game is a blast and it's definitely robust

fadersdream

I'm about to start playing. Last night I was pretty tired and passed out before I could even take the wrapping off. Game is gonna be epic :D

Master_ShakeXXX

Uh...what happened?Goyoshi12

[QUOTE="Animal-Mother"]

Just got my first house. The game is a blast and it's definitely robust

fadersdream

[QUOTE="dreman999"]No, it was not. You had no combos, no reason to change or develop combat tactics, no depth in weapons and no skill needed get through it. It's horribly lacking in combat. There are way better example of better action combat system. The standard prime example of a good action rpg sword play should be Kingdom hearts.Nier is no where near that. And Yes, I played itfoxhound_fox

[QUOTE="santoron"]

Sounds like KoA simply didn't create the kind of interesting lore that really hooks a player into the world. For a game that's focus is to establish a franchise (with a sequel and MMO already in development) I'd say that's a fairly big complaint...

Still, the review was fairly positive. I'm not sure I have the time to invest in a game this size, but this review does nothing to dissuade me from a purchase if I change my mind. After all, I found DA:O to have a very generic world and lore, and I still enjoyed it. Of course, KVO gave THAT a 9.5 :shock:

Master_ShakeXXX

Kevin never really touched upon the quality of the lore or story, atleast I don't recall. He just said it was generic. So like you point out in your last paragraph it could still be enjoyable and deep regardless of being generic.

Personally, when I experience cognitive dissonance because a reviewer I like gives a game I like a bad score, I go with, "I no longer trust this reviewer." (Not that I'm a fan of Amalur... haven't even tried the demo yet, though I surely will do to the shameless Mass Effect 3 tie-in. Kevin V lost me right from the get-go with his harsh - some would say lazy - treatment of my beloved Tenchu-Z.)

donalbane

[QUOTE="donalbane"]

Personally, when I experience cognitive dissonance because a reviewer I like gives a game I like a bad score, I go with, "I no longer trust this reviewer." (Not that I'm a fan of Amalur... haven't even tried the demo yet, though I surely will do to the shameless Mass Effect 3 tie-in. Kevin V lost me right from the get-go with his harsh - some would say lazy - treatment of my beloved Tenchu-Z.)

Kevin-V

That's all this place is. It's just entertainment. I wouldn't dare take anything in System Wars seriously or personally, and I doubt anyone who posts in here takes even their own posts seriously.

At least, I hope that no one does. :?

[QUOTE="Kevin-V"][QUOTE="donalbane"]

Personally, when I experience cognitive dissonance because a reviewer I like gives a game I like a bad score, I go with, "I no longer trust this reviewer." (Not that I'm a fan of Amalur... haven't even tried the demo yet, though I surely will do to the shameless Mass Effect 3 tie-in. Kevin V lost me right from the get-go with his harsh - some would say lazy - treatment of my beloved Tenchu-Z.)

Assassin_87

That's all this place is. It's just entertainment. I wouldn't dare take anything in System Wars seriously or personally, and I doubt anyone who posts in here takes even their own posts seriously.

At least, I hope that no one does. :?

Now I'm confused.... are you taking your own post here seriously? Because if you're not that means you're serious. But if you are that means you're going against your own views therefore....... ????????............................................ Hm.................................................................

[QUOTE="Assassin_87"]

[QUOTE="Kevin-V"]I have never even played Tenchu-Z. So I have no idea what you are talking about. If you're gonna make snap judgments about someone, at least get your people right. That was Aaron Thomas. I would respond to some of the serious points in this thread, but it would get swallowed by most of the thread's ridiculousness. I will say that this thread was my main source of entertainment during my commute tonight, however. I am grateful for the incredible entertainment!NeonNinja

That's all this place is. It's just entertainment. I wouldn't dare take anything in System Wars seriously or personally, and I doubt anyone who posts in here takes even their own posts seriously.

At least, I hope that no one does. :?

Now I'm confused.... are you taking your own post here seriously? Because if you're not that means you're serious. But if you are that means you're going against your own views therefore....... ????????............................................ Hm.................................................................

I was taking my post seriously.

But I wasn't SERIOUSLY taking it seriously. :cool:

He did the same thing with, uh, Too Human? Wait a second...