Well here I go again trying to plead with people that are reviewing games, including gamespot to be more unbiased in their reviews. Don't get all fired up yet I haven't given the reasons why I would make that comment.
If you are all fired up, that brings me to my first point don't review when your angry. What I mean is that you shouldn't being ticked off about all the things they didn't do and look for the things they did do. I find a lot of reviews just point to all they stuff they thought was going to be in the game but was left out. When the general public never even saw the preview build. They had no idea that it was supposed to have certain power ups or the ability to fly so to base a review on what noone even knew was going to be in the game is just plain wrong. I do want to point out that this is the smallest problem so you won't see it that often, but it is out there.
The latest of the mistakes I see reviewers making is based on my previous post about next-gen verse current-gen. I believe they are the ones that coined the phrase - a port. I hate this term more then any term in a review. They act like the overhaul in the graphics isn't enough. The main change to the Xbox and the 360 is the GRAPHICS so if the graphics are better then it's a step up. They ask for next-gen gaming...ok so you have online play and achievement awards, but that's not enough they want new gameplay. Do they really want new gameplay...just look at some of the reviews for FIFA 07 on the 360 with its new gameplay its gotten the worst review of any FIFA game ever. Apparently innovation isn't awarded unless your Nintendo. This brings me to the last point and really the reason for this post.
The main mistake I think a lot of reviewers make is they compare all systems. I don't really care if this game is like the PS2 game because I didn't buy it for the PS2 I bought it for the Xbox so I want to know how it stacks up against other Xbox games. They spur the console wars, and then step back and giggle while ever one fights. They'll even throw the PC into the battle...just look at the latest review for F.E.A.R on the 360. It didn't get the same prop's that the PC got simply because it's the same game as it was on the PC...which means that it's a biased review. The bias is that they have already played the game. They do the same thing with each system. I actually saw a preview for a 360 game that they said is playing like a "PS2 RPG" I didn't know if that was meant to be a compliment or an insult because weren't the PS2 RPG's good? I can also tell when games are docked one or two extra points based on the system they are on. The worst is the PSP, which gets hammered by reviews because its compared to the PS2 not the DS. They act like people can just carry around a PS2 in their pocket. Its not given points for being portable it's actually docked points. Nintendo is given points simply on it's name. You don't believe me look at some of the crappy titles for the Gamecube and how great the reviews are. They didn't do any comparisons to other systems when it came to Metroid...anyone who has played Halo or Timesplitters can tell you that Metroid isn't that great. The games on the DS aren't even in the same league as some of the PSP games, but you'll never see them compare the two...because the DS has a touch screen? Don't get me wrong I like Nintendo and their innovations, but they shouldn't be playing favorites. You want to base your reviews on other systems then do it or don't do it, but this biased crap needs to stop. A good review just looks at Gameplay, Graphics, Sound, Value, and Tilt based on that system alone not every system ever made. The only time I should see a comparison between systems is in the little "BEST" box in the Vital stats, or add another section in the reviews that's based on all systems..a "Comparison Review" section.
The point is stop the biased reviews.