Saturday, April 28, 2007

MY RESPONSE TO GAMESPOT (and the reviews in general)

MY RESPONSE TO THE REVIEWS:

The nice thing about having a blog, is I can review the reviews! :)

So…

As of now, here’s what we’re looking at:

IGN: 8/5/10
1UP: 8/10
GAMESPOT: 6.7/10

The first two I can live with, they feel fair and make sense. I am very, very proud of those reviews. Although, I have to say, when I hear the 1up guys on the podcast saying the game is the best on PSN AND saying that it's closing in on being one of the top 3 download games out there, it does seem 8 is a bit low...but what the hell...8 is good in my book, so thank you guys!

I’m not so keen on the GAMESPOT review, and who would be? It simply feels unfair and simply wrong. Granted, why would I not say that? I am the director of the game they are saying is simply ‘fair’. So take my opinion with a grain of salt.

I think tho, much of it has to do with expectations for titles such as this, as well as maybe me not really understanding the review process.

So my thoughts in general on aspects of the reviews:

MAGNET ISSUE- Here was a nice, simple, clean PROBLEM with the game that the reviewer hit on that was pretty black and white. Hard to argue with this one. IGN hit this spot on and we’ve fixed it already! Nice thing about download games is you can see a review and then rush back to the code and do some tweaks :) So while we don’t know if we’ve solved IGN’s issue where the AI seemed to be able to dominate with the magnet weapon, we’ve at least toned it down and increased the amount of time a player needs to be in the magnet ‘cone’ before the criminal is sucked away. We did not touch the multiplayer aspect of this, just the single player where IGN had what we felt was a great point about how the single player was feeling. So thanks IGN!

LACK OF CONTENT: This one just makes no sense to me but I can live with the fact that I may in the minority here. I can also live with the fact that my take on what something should cost (as a guy who gets games for free mostly) is different from the take of a reviewer as to what a game should cost (as people who get paid to play games they usually get for free…but to be fair, the reviewers ARE paid to take the consumer mindset into mind….but then again, so am I…so anyway…). But look, it’s a 10 dollar game. And for that you get: the core game (which in multiplayer- which is the point- EVERYONE says is at least fun, and many say is really, really fucking fun). 4 maps, split screen, internet with voice, and 10 cars to unlock. I fail to see how this is a bad deal, especially since if you like the multiplay- and all of the reviewers have- you can play the game for hours (over time) before you burn out. How is this a bad deal for 10 bucks? I just don’t see it. The gamespot review- I think- didn’t seem to like that you could finish the single player game in 20 minutes. And maybe this is a fault of the game’s presentation but it’s not an adventure game…it’s like a fighting game in that sense: you work thru the single player to learn the game and unlock stuff. And when you get thru one level if you want to get better, up the difficulty. I get thru Tekken and Mortal Kombat single player in 5-15 minutes on default setting. Again, maybe our presentation did not make this clear and it's a fair call that Gamespot would want more from the single player experience. But it's not like I go out and buy Madden or NBA JAM or NBA HOMECOURT cause I'm going to be playing it by myself. But that could just be me and it's Gamespot's job- I assume- to take all gamer's desires into account and I can appreciate that.

But again, this may be the problem. Gamespot was not saying it’s a shit game. They seemed to like aspects of it. So I’m not bashing them or the score so much as just being confused a bit. We set out to make a balls to the wall, trash talking, fun ass multiplayer/party game. From all reviews we did that and from a few of the reviews (IGN and 1up) we did that really, really well. And so really, that’s all I care about. And I can see reviewers are not going to JUST review the game portions I care about. Hell, I guess I could have just taken out the single player so it would have never been an issue. But somehow that would have just felt wrong.

SCORES IN GENERAL: And maybe therein lies the problem. With the exception of the GAMESPOT score- which I really just feel is simply unfair- these scores are good scores and I am happy with them. I am proud of those scores; happy with them and grateful for them. So thanks IGN and 1up! But the issue may be that our goal was to provide a trash talking fun ass time with your buddies. And I feel we did that really well…between an 8 and a 10 depending on all the factors that determine fun that go into any individual game (who is playing; skill level;etc). So to me, I’m like: grade us on THAT because that was what we wanted to do.

But I guess that’s like asking a movie reviewer to grade a horror movie 10/10 that wanted to do nothing more but provide a visceral thrill ride (and did that) while at the same time there may be other movies out there that provide the thrills AND drama and story too? You guys know my shitty analogies....not sure if that makes sense. And I'm rush typing this as I gotta head out for some shit to do today.

CASUAL: Diner Dash got like a 3/10 on a game site the other day. And that game is considered a watershed/masterpiece in the casual space. It may also be that as I get away from hardcore games, some of the reviewers (that have no interest in those sorts of games) that used to love the kind of stuff I did, will simply not find as much in the stuff we do nowadays to love? Could be…and I can understand that.

Or it could be that the game really is a 7/10 and I just WANTED it to be more. I can live with that as an option if that's how- once the game ships and people play it and pass judgement and time passes- that is how it all comes down. Hope that's not the case, but what can you do?

I don’t know…I wanted to get a response to the scores up fast. I will prob. think on this some more and hit you guys back.

But overall, I am so proud of this game and think in many aspects it’s the most fun game I’ve ever worked on. If you want a fun party game, then I think we’ve got something for you. I hope you read the reviews from folks who are into these sorts of titles and THEN make your decision to buy or pass.

Ok gotta run...thanks for indulging me. A more mature designer would say: 'my game is my response' and shut up about it. But come on, this is me :)

David

267 comments:

«Oldest   ‹Older   201 – 267 of 267
R.Bunk said...

How is it any of you have played this game? It hasn't been released. GameSpot is fairly Xbox biased.

Here is some evidence...

Halo 2 (XB) - 9.4
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/halo2/index.html?q=halo%202&tag=result;title;1

Half-Life 2 (PC) - 9.2
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/halflife2/index.html?q=halflife%202&tag=result;title;3

What makes Halo 2 better then HL2?

Ninja Gaiden Black (XB) - 9.4
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/ninjagaidenblack/index.html?q=ninja%20gaiden%20black&tag=result;title;0

God of War I (PS2) - 9.3
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/godofwar/index.html?q=god%20of%20war&tag=result;title;2

God of War II (PS2) - 9.2
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/godofwar2/index.html?q=god%20of%20war&tag=result;title;0

Devil May Cry (PS2) - 9.1
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/devilmaycry/index.html?q=devil%20may%20cry&tag=result;title;7

Devil May Cry 2 (PS2) - 6.4
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/devilmaycry2/index.html?q=devil%20may%20cry&tag=result;title;9

Devil May Cry 3 (PS2) - 8.6
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/devilmaycry3/index.html?q=devil%20may%20cry&tag=result;title;2

Devil May Cry 3 SE (PS2) - 8.2
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/devilmaycry3specialedition/index.html?q=devil%20may%20cry&tag=result;title;4

What makes Ninja Gaiden better then any of these?

Read my earlier comments about the 1 - 10 system of scoring. It leaves WAY too much room for subjectivity.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with the other posters here in that Gamespot is pretty terrible as a review source now. It was my favorite site and I was a paying member for a long time but it went downhill fast. They always review late, they copy and paste reviews, they do alot of reviews based on shock value, they make editorials with false information, etc, etc. Not to mention they have the worst reviewer on the internet named Jeff Gerstman (AKA, they guy that sees porn as the only good reason to use HOME).

Dont take anything they say seriously, nobody else does anymore. If they fire Jeff and convince Greg to come back maybe they will have some credibility again. They used to be so good, its really sad what they have become.

Anonymous said...

You are coming off insecure. This game is not worth 10 dollars. I was going to buy it until i saw previews of it. Ten dollars for 4 maps? That is lame. I could get better games on both Xbox 360 and Wii for 5 dollars.

I find that Gamespot is the least fanboyish review site. I would have been suprised if this game got above a 7.5.

R.Bunk said...

Does anyone read comments before they post their own? I think I made a fairly compelling argument against GameSpot.

See my past 2 posts. Out of 10 review system needs to go.

Anonymous said...

the games definetly worth an 8+, everything who scores it less then 8 are dicks :P looks like many fun and its just 10 dollars, which i think is a very fair price...i would love to buy it but at the moment i cant afford a ps3 =( you need to wait a lil for get my 10 bucks ;P

good luck for your next projects =)
richard

Neil said...

Can't wait for this game to hit this Thursday. As a gamer I never let reviews change my perception of a game. Most of the time I disagree with their reviews anyway.

Make Sony host some Tournaments and stuff for this game!

Anonymous said...

The reviews and scores on gamespot are not that good. So don't worry Jaffe.

Anonymous said...

Regardless of GS's review is there a selfrespecting PS3 owner who gives a flying fucking shit what those assholes at GS have to say anymore? They've been bashing PS3 since launch and they've never let up for a second when the users were calling them on it. It's nice Know to see you and Insomniac calling them on their shit but seriously no PS3 owner even remotely cares what they have to say and any that do are just kidding themselves into thinking GS will ever give the system it's due without it selling a hundred million consoles. You just keep doing your job the best you can 'D, The people that really matter (That's [b]us[/b], the consumer.) will make the decision to buy you game or not based on whether you actually did a good one not because of the console you did it for.

Anonymous said...

r. bunk you're a fucking moron What makes Ninja Gaiden better then any of these? obviously you dumbass you've never played ninja gaiden otherwise such an idiotic comment would'nt have come out of your stupid mouth and if you did play it was prolly too damn hard for dumbass and you gave up ninja gaiden was a fucking bad ass game so was half life 2 your a moron takes sony's dick outta ass and mouth you fucking bitch

Tor said...

Well, I pretty much ignore Gamespot's scores for Live Arcade titles, as by that logic I really only should have bought Geometry Wars, and have to read the text.

Judging from their review of Virtual Console titles as well, it seems as though all casual games are destined to be capped around 8.5, so....

6.5 out of 8.5 isn't bad.

Honestly, I agree that scores are the problem and that Gamespot should get it's shit together with the scoring for *all* casual games.

derrickgott007 said...

Whatever you do don't go on NEOGAF and give your opinion....Hell I got banned for saying that I felt that Nintendo is marketed to kids!! Fuck NEOGAF and their closed mindedness....

Dave, don't let some bunk ass reviewer get you down...I bet that the guy that gave you a bad review is a big Barbies horse ride adventure player...lol


Keep up the awesome work, and hey, you can't please all the people all the time, and the rest that are not pleased can eat a dick.

Carlos M. said...

r.bunk, there are over 200 comments in this particular entry (it's like Cory Barlog's blog with every new entry...), so you'd have to forgive people for not reading every single comment before they post their own.

As for your two compelling arguments, there's a lot of subjectivity within them, as well. Let me elaborate.

Your first one deals with how a score of base 10 is just too big, but it all comes down to a matter of opinion. I, for one, prefer a wider score range so games fall under a broader spectrum. That means that any game that gets a 10 of 10 is REALLY worth checking out, as opposed to a 5 of 5 game which many games can fall under and not all of which might deserve everyone's attention. Sure, smaller base scores help the game developers get 100% scores easier, but the reviews are meant to please consumers, NOT developers.

Then again, it'd be better to do away with scores altogether. Like Joe said above, the GameSpot CAC! review was mostly positive in text but had a relatively disappointing score in the end. The reviewer felt the limited content and disappointing single player were enough to give it a low score. If you want to be a "fair" gamer, it's up to you to read the review and see if the points the reviewer found negative are something you'd find negative as well.

For example, some people didn't rate Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox as high as others because they felt the game was too hard and would therefore turn off many players. After reading that, I was actually MORE excited about the game, and would've given it a higher score BECAUSE of its ridiculously high difficulty. I got my ass handed to me so many times, but because the combat and controls were so damn polished and fun, I kept trying until I beat the game. Accomplishing such a challenging and fun game is the ultimate reward in game playing. I even went ahead and beat the game in 14 hours in the span of two days to get my score on the leaderboard before the tournament was over. That's how much fun NG was for me.

Which brings me to my next point dealing with your second argument. I could easily look for better reviewed games for PS2 and compare them against lower-rated Xbox games and say GS is Sony biased. This really doesn't proof the proclaimed "fanboyism" of the site. Ninja Gaiden is a damn good game, and I can easily see why it got a better score than God of War and Devil May Cry. In fact, 1UP awarded the game a perfect 10. I can also easily see why GoW got better reviews than Ninja Gaiden, and the same goes to the first DMC.

And heck, both IGN and 1UP also gave Halo 2 a better score than Half-Life 2. Go figure.

Also, (and this is for everyone) it's kind of unfair to compare Wii and PS3 scores to 360 games just yet. The 360 is a year ahead and should obviously see better games than the first few months of PS3 and Wii titles. We'll see how scores stack up once the real AAA titles for those consoles come out.

In the meantime, READ the reviews and decide for yourself. The score is more of a personal reviewer choice than an accurate guideline of what you'll experience. Maybe it's not supposed to be that way, or it's not meant to, but that's what I think it boils down to... which is why scores suck. :)

Anonymous said...

can't wait for the insane bitchfest/defection when the CAC sales tank....just kiddin, luv ya Davey!

Anonymous said...

DOES

ANONE HERE

SUPPORT

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Anonymous said...

:
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Anonymous said...

that was the shittiest potleaf art ive ever seen bitchboy go find some better kid youre a fucking loser if thats the best u couldve done fucking bitch

Anonymous said...

I've seen gameplay videos of Calling All Cars, and it looks like a fun game. Although I didn'y know there were only 4 maps, and really hope there are future maps available for download through PSN.

BTW God of War was a goddamn masterpiece.

Anonymous said...

Gamespot is a bit of an anachronism now anyways- the nets moved on to sites like destructoid and other blog sites- gamespot is heading the way of other old media..its just old with their standard boring phoned in reviews that are just too boring to read anyways

Anonymous said...

219+ comments, I doubt mine will be seen, none the less..

David, 4 maps in a primarily MP game will get boring in shorter time than if you made 12 maps (3 varied sets of the 4 themes you may have). At least then people won't be stuck playing two maps all the time (we all know every online game has *THE* maps, yours will too). Ten bucks or not, there needs to be more than 4 maps, really.

Thanks David, take care.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jaffe,
Continue your great work. These Gamespot guys probably couldn't "get" your game. At least is does sound more like a 8 game than a 6 game.

I like the way you see game design and the enormous balls you have for going from "epic" to "downloadable small game" for the sake of experience. That's passion brother. A true game designer is there to create and express himself. Making a small or big game is irrelevant to him as he's only looking for bringing something to and express himself through this wonderfull medium that is videogames.
Keep up the good work! CAC sales will laugh at Gamespot i'm pretty sure.

Anonymous said...

Dave, I do hope that you're not putting much stock into the almolst sickeningly sycophantic pandering that is overwhelmingly prevalent in the responses to this blog post.
These people lack objectivity almost on the scale that these very same people will sit here and tell you that Gamespot does. This isn't to say that Gamespot is right, because the content of their review isn't something that I think is all that important, it's that these people are far from being the objective voices you might need to hear on this matter, and you seem like you need a bit of objectivity.

Reviews don't mean shit, actually.
Good or bad, they're the opinions of some guys who get paid to tell us what they think of something. Reviews should never be about making one's decision for him or her, but should give us an idea of what one gamer out there thinks about something, and even then they're not all that important, with demos being made more readily and easily available. Now more than ever, reviewers are obsolete as an authority on what gamers should buy, so it's not really worth putting stock in what they say, beyond maybe taking something from it as a creator, as creative criticism.

I know that you're likely worried that sales will be impacted by lower review scores (not that a high six score is particularly bad...), but it's arguable that this game is only so ingrained in the minds of the gaming public because of your involvement.
That's not to devalue the game itself, but it's arguable that had it not come from the guy responsible for GoW, and didn't represent something of a milestone as far as DLC goes on the Playstation Network, that it may not have enjoyed the hype that it did leading up to it's release, which in turn put it front and center into the minds of your fans.

What I'm getting at is that those who were predisposed to buy it are likely going to do so anyway. If you lose sales to reviews, they'll likely be next to nothing, as these aren't people who were likely to buy it anyway.

So rather than worry about what one reviewer has to say, maybe you ought to educate gamers on what you're offering here. Snag those gamers to whom the game's pedigree means nothing, by filling them in on why this is a must-buy game. If you think that Gamespot is wrong, take it out to the blogs and forums if you feel you must, and let them know that this game is the best damn thing that they can currently download on the PSN, and make them see what they'd be missing by passing on it. IMO, that would be a better use of your time and talent than worrying about what Gamespot, or anyone else for that matter, has negative to say about your game.

Just my unsolicited two cents.

Anonymous said...

Jaffe get over yourself you fat f@ck you arent as important to the gaming industry as you think you are you clown.

Anonymous said...

Avacado Platypus are you moronic? thats how they pay their bills with ADVERTISEMENT...my lord you must be in the same camp as Jaffe.

ITS A CONSPIRACY!!!!

ROFL jaffe you doofus

R.Bunk said...

collapser --- I have not played Ninja Gaiden but it was the only one I could really compare with the others there (GoW, DMC).

Half Life is a great game but according to GameSpot it's not as good as Halo 2.

I am not trying to bash the scores they gave. If you read the post it was about their scoring all-together and not the individual games, you fucking moron.

Anonymous said...

Gamespot can shove the blades of olympus up their asses. They've always been jerks about their reviews and always will, esp. Gerstman or however you spell it. Don't worry about it David, you make good games and i look forward to CAC

Anonymous said...

JAFFE,

THIS BLOG NEEDS A FORUM, WHERE PEOPLE CAN MAKE MORE POSTS, and SUBJECT, 230 POSTS/COMMENTS ON A BLOG IS INSANE

Anonymous said...

227 comments has got to be a record for Jaffe's blog i'm guessing. It reminds of that old fucking show 227. Even then I wanted to fuck the shit out of that black bitch Jackie. Not now though time hasn't been kind to her, but it seldom is Karnas, it seldom is.

Unknown said...

Gamespot.com reviews SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Robert said...

What I dont understand is that reading GS's review, the game deserves an 8. A $10 game with as much content as they described should be at the very least an 8. Single player is probably meant to be a tutorial to help players get better for online, but GS wanted a game that costs $60.

Maybe Jaffe should make a $60 CAC game with a real single player and more content just to shove it up their ass.

Unknown said...

How long will it take, for developers or anyone in the industry to go out and shout really loud, that in america there is space for only one console, that microsft has bought every single videogame site, that now even blog sites like kotaku, live and die for the 360, and no one wants to see the immense flaws of that system, That yes the ps3 is a lot more powerful by far, and that microsft is not a hardware company, that all they do is money, no matter how.

And finally, that the entire gamespot staff, all of it, are nothing but a bunch of mindless group of nationalistic ultra patriotic brain deads, that think they must support microsoft because is american. face it that company, makes rubbish software, and rubbish hardware, what they do best is buying out companies, nothing else, mopoliing the market, period

Anonymous said...

How long will it take, for developers or anyone in the industry to go out and shout really loud, that in America there is space for only one console, that Microsoft has bought every single video game site, that now even blog sites like kotaku, live and die for the 360, and no one wants to see the immense flaws of that system, That yes the ps3 is a lot more powerful by far, and that Microsoft is not a hardware company, that all they do is money, no matter how.

And finally, that the entire gamespot staff, all of it, are nothing but a bunch of mindless group of nationalistic ultra patriotic brain deads, that think they must support Microsoft because is American. face it that company, makes rubbish software, and rubbish hardware, what they do best is buying out companies, nothing else, monopolize the market, period

Anonymous said...

hi David, I'm a reviewer myself (official PS Benelux), just played your game for hours on end and about to write my review... it's a great game, especially in multiplayer, balanced almost to perfection. Don't worry about the reviews you mention. Your game is going to be enjoyed enormously to those addicted to social games. It reminds me a lot of Micromachines or Mashed, both games got mediocre scores, but I know tons of people who are still enjoying them with friends. Your game will do the same, of that I am certain. Anyway, gotto run, deadline coming up... be sure though, I will give this game my recommendation for sure...

Anonymous said...

gamespot = gamerankings = cnet = MS

Anonymous said...

I'll just leavea comment. :)

Let me note.. 4 levels sounds a bit weak. That is proably why they gave you that score.

I was quite anticipating this game, but 4 levels is kinda meager. 7-10 would be nice. but alos 100 would be nice so it doesnt really matter whats nice does it.. lol

Hope it does well. I'll possibly pick it up. I'm 50/50 now.

On a sidenote Sigma is fantastic i recommend you check it out..

Anonymous said...

Yeah, glad to see the prima donna is still whining. Sorry, but I read the review and it makes some very good points. Sorry Gamespot didn't see fit to give you an extra two points on the review because it's a game by the high and mighty David Jaffe, but that's what I like about their reviews.

And accusing them of not liking smaller games is asinine. Check their reviews for Geometry Wars (360) and Bejeweled 2 Deluxe (PC). They're definately good with smaller games. Just not yours.

So do us all a favor and stop whining like a baby because at least one site had the guts not to treat you special.

Anonymous said...

cry much?

Anonymous said...

Awww... someone cry a river for the poor designer who's game got a bad review.

Does it really matter that much to you that game sites positively review your games? If so, you're making games for the wrong reason.

Anonymous said...

You've found the same problem I find with Gamespot's reviews: they are consumer reports, not experiential. Their scoring system is not based on a singular score given by a reviewer to state their opinion of the experience, it is an equation that weighs heavily on the production aspects of a game, thereby giving big budget games an automatic edge over their smaller competitors. I have noticed it for some time, but their twilight princess review really reveals the flaws in their system. I gave them the benefit of the doubt before I played the game, but that game is probably the greatest experience in gaming I've had since I started playing in 1987. That is quite a statement. It is the most elegantly designed game I've ever played, and has more wonder than any gave I've ever played, but their score system could not give it the ranking it deserved (not to mention the increasingly jaded Jeff Gerstmann simply did not enjoy the game). I digress, but Dave, take heed that those of us who revere Twisted Metal 2 more than God of War still know that fun is the true value of a game.

Blake Stewart

Unknown said...

You're a hardcore pussy, Jaffe. Get over yourself.

Anonymous said...

Apparently you haven't checked any of Gamespot's Xbox live arcade reviews. If a game gets over a 7 its lucky. Gamespot is always the most harsh across the board, and if they give a AAA score, the game is badass. The only Gamespot score that I've ever disagreed with is Gerstman's THPS 3 perfect score. I also thought that Crackdown deserved a better score, but I bought the game anyways and enjoyed it. I understand that you put a lot of time and effort into the game, and that you would hope for reviews to reflect that, but that's not always going to be the case. Just don't let a few reviews that you disagree with dictate your passion for games.

Anonymous said...

A bias bunch of cockheads, that is Gamespot...

Anonymous said...

David, gamespot is pretty much against the PS3. Only one PS3 game has gotten a 9 or above, and that's Obilvion. Resistance got 8.6, then the highest rating after that was Tekken 5 and NHL 2k7, both with 8.3. Only 16 PS3 games have been scored at 8 or above. Speaking of Resistance, gamespot have it one of the lowest reviews of the mainstream game sites.

Another thing about gamespot is that they don't like downloadable games from what I can see. A majority of the PSN, XBLA, and Virtual Console games are rated at 6 or below on gamespot.

Don't feel bad because those fucking imbiciles at gamespot didn't like your game. You still have plenty more reviews to go. Also, all the buzz I've heard on your game has been positive, EXCEPT FOR GAMESPOT'S REVIEW!

Anonymous said...

Why do people even read big mainstream review sites anyways? Its like reading Rolling Stone for music reviews; a starting point. If you can't judge games on your own, then you deserve to buy the bullshit corporations shove down your throat.

Anonymous said...

Wow I lost my respect for you. Its just a review get over it. 6.7 means it average. Do you expect everyone to like it or something. I played it at a friends house and it was average. Do you think you can do no wrong just because you made one of the greatest (not best) games of all time. Don't get me wrong I loved GoW but come on man. Its okay though no offense but I'm sure the Sony fanboys will praise you for a average game.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry, but all of these posts, as a whole, demonstrate why gaming is not taken seriously. Somewhere in this broiling pit of junk there are 5 or 6 interesting comments. The rest are cruse-riddled misspelled rants. I am ashamed to be a gamer.

Mr. Jaffe, if you want me to take your blog seriously, step up to the plate and moderate it. Any valid point you may have had is overshadowed by a deluge of posts from crazy people. You complain about the professionalism of a site, and your inattention to blog comments is arguably just as unprofessional.

Anonymous said...

The Review sites are always hard on games.
i dont have any company loyalty as im a pc user.
but u should have been given 1
as u work for sony, the most lieing,manipulative its customers with endless pr and endless word twisting. luckily ps3 is not a great success.

solomonrex said...

There are two ways that we measure success:
1. profit
2. ratings based on quality

Trying to influence #2 because you have little influence over #1 is unproductive. All you're doing is poisoning the well for the future. You got good average ratings and you shouldn't try to call out individual reviews.

If you try to influence the "judges" now, all you are doing is setting yourself up for false positives in the future that will lead to bad games. Individual reviewers have bad days or stupid biases, so focus on average scores and profit. Those will keep you employed. Petty whining will blow up in your face.

btw, I thought your post was pretty balanced. It's the goal of this writing I find dreadful.

Unknown said...

Anonymous said...
quote
"The Review sites are always hard on games.
i dont have any company loyalty as im a pc user.
but u should have been given 1
as u work for sony, the most lieing,manipulative its customers with endless pr and endless word twisting. luckily ps3 is not a great success."


are you living under a rock?
ps3 not a success?
absolute non-sense

evan said...

there are a lot of people talking a lot about a game they haven't played....

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Yeah, they really didn't seem to give you a fair shake -- almost as though it was something personal (obviously, I can't say that it was, it was just the way it was worded; seemed like it).

I read what you wrote, and I agree on pretty much everypoint you wrote! Especially, when you were talking about the val- no, wait, you're a faggot.

Shut up.

Anonymous said...

This is my first post, I think ever, but reading this I felt did actually warrant a moment to have a say.

I was totally on the fence about whether to buy this and was not v.interested, but frankly now hearing the passion by you about the game and the commitment by you and the developers to make it great fun, I will be buying it. If nothing else you have got my interest in the game and you have secured a sale.

I see nothing wrong with responding to your critics with a reasoned, thought-out response. I hope your passion/commitment to making games that allow people like me to take a time-out from a busy life continues, despite what you feel is perhaps unbalanced criticism.
Cheers.
Oli

Unknown said...

As with anything in life, its all subjective--which is why if you had any form of real intelligence, you'd PLAY a game before making a judgement. To me, reading reviews is just a way to satisfy my curiosities with certain titles (the ones I personally enjoy for story/setting/gameplay), not to base someone ELSE's opinion on whether or not I should buy a video game. I don't even know any of them personally, nor do I want to, so why should I spend money based on their opinions that may very well be the opposite of mine?

On the other hand, people DO have a right to their voices and opinions, even if they get more attention than others and even if they differ from yours. There's no real reason to get all bent out of shape, especially if you are considered a professional in the field--did you expect 9.0s across the board?

All in all people should be smart enough to make their own decisions based on their own experiences, not that of people posting shit on the internet, no matter their "clout".

Anonymous said...

I know what it's like buddy. GameSpot is making more games look like trash while they are in fact great fun to play. While a game is still in development they do everything to get the most exclusive content, but as soon as they receive a review build they look at the name of the developer or publisher that is stamped on the box. Wouldn't surprise me if they keep a blacklist with names of devs and pubs. Fucking idiots thats what they are. Hooray for IGN!

Anonymous said...

I think Jaffe feels alone at the moment and all the pressure surrounding this game is starting to get to him. Jaffe is trying to make the best game he can and he's currently working for a company that's getting attacked left and right. Coupled with the fact that Sony is depending on Jaffe to give PS3 a bonafide hit. That and PS3 owners want new games. THAT ARE GOOD!

I mean working for Sony these days isn't exactly like the glory days of PS2. When Sony could do no wrong. When we all loved Sony with pride, before they lost their freakin minds. So a lot rest on Jaffe's shoulder. It's also hard to be motivated when you're making a game for a system that like 30 people own lol.

Here's an example of a PS3 owner. My friend today told me she beat GOWII and I'm not kidding. With a frown she said, ":( Guess its back to playing PS3." It's gotten that bad.

Anonymous said...

i think you have to take in consideration the price of the game when writing a review...

i suppose their argument was that the lack of variety made the game quickly go from fun to repetitive then it's a fair one...

i'm just no sure if some of the reviews are well written...

for example many games are long and have loads of content, but at the same time can be boring and repetitive... like zelda: twilight princess

then there are games like counterstrike, which people only like playing on a single map (dust_2) and do this for years on end.

i can't always say lacking content is a bad thing... it's more in the quality of the extant content that is important, rather than the sheer volume...

quality over quantity?

if cars is fun, i think it's worth a 10$ purchase.

Anonymous said...

You all need to realize that Gamespot uses an averaged rating system. And the graphics, sound and such are not a 10, or near it at all, so each of these are going to pull the score down. Quit whining. It's not like 7/10 is bad anyway.

And to the comments about it "not being Zelda", Gamespot was quite harsh on Twilight Princess, and ranked it relatively low for a Zelda game.

gormers said...

Wii play got low ranks from very many, though the game itself costs only like 10Dollars. And the game is not bad either, only short (I actually think that Myamoto complained about the low scores, saying that “they did not consider how fun the game was for people who don’t usually play games”. They’re kinda in the same boat…

hawtfrank said...

Don't worry about Gamespot.
Gamespot is full of dipshits. 1up and IGN are much better websites for gaming.

Laura_H said...

This is just reinforcing what other people have already said but just in case...

Seriously, several of Gamespot's editors have severe ego issues. I have seen them delete legitimate, rule-abiding reviews submitted by free users AND PAYING CUSTOMERS because they refuted holes in the official Gamespot critic's review (for example complaints made about a supposed "limited control system" that existed for a story purpose and were later resolved 20 minutes into the game, proving that the critic had not spent an adequate amount of time to give a game a rating of 6/10).

I think it's a shame that insecure, juvenile people that feel the need to chase off PAYING CUSTOMERS just to try and make themselves feel and look better have any sort of pull in the gaming industry.

Never mind their less-than-fabulous grammar and notably biased leanings.

Keep on trying, sir.

Jahdie said...

I think it would have been better to release a demo of the game on PSN rather than a purchase only, that way the consumer would have had an opportunity to try before you buy. After reading the reviews I am kind of on the fence. For $10 the games seems short but for $5-$7 the game seems ideal.

Anonymous said...

Greg Mueller also gave these ratings that I disagree with:

Gradius III-7.0 (the Wii version, but still...this great game is barely a good game?)

Bullet Witch-5.5

Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII-6.0

Not surprisingly, all three of those games are fairly simplistic games, which apparently translates into mediocrity for him. I think simplicity can degrade a game, but it's not always the case.

I don't know if Gamespot has a general discussion on scoring a game, but I'm assuming it's mostly or completely one person (in this case Greg M.) reviewing the game. One person isn't likely to get it right all the time, despite it being his job. Unfortunately, this can affect sales of your game, so I completely understand your frustration.

Also, I agree that the review doesn't seem to match up with the score. Gamespot attempts to fairly implement pricing into a game's score, but I've seen mixed results.

If it makes you feel any better, they gave Double Dragon on Xbox 360's Live Arcade only a 6.9, despite saying that it is "inarguably one of the greatest games of all time." Gamespot also gave TMNT on Xbox Live Arcade a 7.1 and Gauntlet a 6.7. Yet, Smash TV gets a 7.9!!! I'm not saying Smash TV isn't a fun game, but how does it have around a point over the other games!?

I haven't played your game, but from what I've heard from people and read from reviews (including Gamespot's), it deserves at least a rating of "good."

Anonymous said...

It's encouraging to see so much passion, drama and outrage over such topics. In a world where at this very moment there is a genocide happening, an occupation / civil war over-seas grinding our relatives and friends into pulp that we see passionate outcries opposing some silly number that 'wasn't high enough' for some silly little game that will be stabilizing the leg of my desk in a few months and all but forgotten.

I guess this is called a 'flame', sure, but its mostly just one of a gazillion meaningless opinions on the internet right now. Let's all try and get mad or sad at something real imagine what kind of rating we could give ourselves if we even tried.

Unknown said...

gamespot is extremely harsh on a lot of games. I don't think anyone pays attention to that site anymore. I know I don't.

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