Dear Fanboys,
As a reviewer, it’s my job to view and rate items based on their individual merits. It’s a tough job and sometimes it’s hard because I have to give something I really love a bad score because it’s the right thing to do. But not everyone seems to understand that. Some people think that if something has always gotten a good score and you love it, then its faults aren’t worth acknowledging. I like to call these people “fanboys.” Or "the scum of the earth," it really depends on the day.
Recently Jeff Gerstmann, a reviewer at the popular videogame news site Gamespot, gave The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess an 8.8 out of 10, citing its controls and graphics as faults while otherwise praising the game in every way possible. Having played the game myself I can easily say I agree with Jeff’s complaints and will probably say the same thing when I get around to writing my Twilight Princess review. It’s a fair score and a fair, well written review, but apparently in your eyes, the eyes of arrogant Nintendo fans and Zelda-lots, it was sacrilege.
Quickly you people jumped on forums with your bitter, bile-filled complaints about the slightly-less-than-perfect score the game — which you most likely have never played or at least never played to completion — had received. Gamespot even had to add a stickied comment to their forums reminding you of professional criticism not personal attacks, which many of you quickly resorted to.
What’s the point of attacking a man for doing his job? Does it somehow make you feel better? Does it help you sleep at night to know you’re bad-mouthing someone who was only doing his job?
And what about his fair complaints that you’ve either ignored or somehow vainly attempted to justify? How is that better than a woman who is beaten by a boyfriend but tries to justify it as tough love? Is what you do any better?
Article comments
1 - Matt Paprocki
Thank you for writing this one. I tried and it came out more hateful than this. It should be noted that the review came out a few days before the game and that's when the whining started. Yes, before the game was in stores, and everyone who bitched never even touched the game. The utter idiocy of this whole incident is just a sad statement on the whole internet gaming scene.
Oh, and a 8.8 would be a 5 outta 5 here.
2 - Jason "Njiska" Westhaver
Thanks Matt, it wasn't easy to be so tactful, but it's what i do best.
And yes i know 8.8 would be a 5/5 here. The reason i said 4/5 is because a number of sites have actually given it a 4/5 but recieved no backlash.
Just ask someone the next time the critize the 8.8 if they'd accept a 4/5. It's sad.
3 - Egoraptor
This is a great article. I was thinking of doing a blog posting on my own site with the same subject in mind but I fear I've been bested.
Actually, maybe I still will. Except mine'll be gayer. Much, much gayer.
4 - Ken Edwards
Jason, I did just that. One guy in the newsroom was bitching about the 8.8 that Jeff gave the game. I asked him what he would think about a 4/5 and he was fine with that.
I could only shake my head.
5 - Peter Jones
Excellent article. I have to say I agree. One can disagree with a review and still have respect for the reviewer. A well written review, that addresses a game's weakness and strength is all that we, as gamers, can ask for.
6 - RCM
"It's a tough job and sometimes it's hard because I have to give something I really love a bad score because it's the right thing to do"
I'm not sure I get this point. Before I jump on you I'll give you a chance to explain.
Oh yeah, I forgot to PM you a while back...the "big game" was Doom.
7 - Matt Paprocki
What don't you get with that quote? Let me try this:
I loved the budget shooter Rebel Raiders on the PS2. The game is an utter disaster, but for some reason I couldn't stop playing the thing. However, the AI was pitiful, missions stupid, controls terrible, etc.
It ended up with a 1 out of 5, even though I played through the whole thing and enjoyed it. As Njiska put it, it was the right thing to do.
You can spin it around too. I hate the Splinter Cell franchise. I hate everything about it. On the other hand, it's a great game if you enjoy that kind of thing. If I was reviewing it, it would land a solid score because I know it's a great game, just not one that appeals to me.
8 - RCM
What I don't get is how you can give a game a shitty rating that you enjoy. Sure you can mention the "flaws," but ultimately if you enjoy the experience it's not a bad game.
Same goes with B movies. I constantly hear people with comments akin to "I love that film but it's horrible."
As usual I'm in the minority but if you enjoy a piece, be it film, books, gaming, music. etc. it's good. Entertainment is meant to entertain!
If you give something a bad rating because it's the "right thing to do" you're as bad as the rabid fanboys urging reviewers to do the opposite with Zelda.
"One person even tried to reason the game deserved a better score because it may be the last traditional Zelda game made and the series has earned the right to go out on a high note. Its pedigree warrants it a high score. What kind of bullshit excuse is that?"
9 - Matt Paprocki
A good critic should recognize a good/bad game when they see it. Not being a fan of stealth action/special ops type stuff, I have no chance of enjoying the game (Splinter Cell) as a whole. However, I know what the game does right and I can understand why it sells as well as it does.
Just because the game doesn't fall within my tastes doesn't mean I should give it a low score. It's not a bad product.
Same goes with those awful games that I tend to spend far too much time with. Once in a while, you get one of those games, kinda like Sonic on the 360, that is a complete and utter disaster yet you can't put it down.
Same goes for a movie critic. If you hate romantic comedies but are forced to sit through one, you should be able to tell whether or not the target audience is going to enjoy it. In my case, the new Splinter Cell is perfectly in line with the rest of the franchise and I would so reason to dock it any points. It's a fine game, but one I'll pass over unless I need to play it for a review.
10 - RCM
Being able to tell whether the target audience is going to like a film and giving it your stamp of approval because of that doesn't work with me.
It really shouldn't matter if you like a particular genre you're reviewing or not. A critic must jump into every piece with an open, objective mind.
11 - Jason "Njiska" Westhaver
Well Rob it works like this. I like DOAX2, hell i love it. But i love the game because i'm a fan of the series and i love Team Ninja. That love makes me blind and makes me appreciate the game for more then just it's merits. If i had given it a score based on that it would've been a 5 out of 5, but that's not being honest about it.
Even though i can over look it's faults and ignore them because i so love the series, but that doesn't change the fact that the faults are there. So love it or not i have to rate the game on it's merits and because of that i gave it a 3/5 even though i wanted to give it more.
Matt is in essence saying the same thing only the other way around. He hate's Splinter cell, but that doesn't change the fact that he hates it because of his own personal reasons, not because of the actual faults of the game itself.
The job of a review is to be objective and to critque a game based on the game itself, not personal prefernce.
If you need a better example we can use race since everyone understands that issue.
Let's say I was a person who hate's black people. Even though i don't want to hire this black guy who's got all the qualifications because of a personal beleif, the fact is i still hire him because it's the right thing to do for the future of my business.
Do you understand?
12 - Matt Paprocki
"The job of a review is to be objective and to critque a game based on the game itself, not personal prefernce."
That pretty much summed up my hour of typing responses in one line.
13 - RCM
"It really shouldn't matter if you like a particular genre you're reviewing or not. A critic must jump into every piece with an open, objective mind."
If you enjoy a title and feel it's a good experience you should rate accordingly.
14 - Jason "Njiska" Westhaver
Ok RCM let's make it simple. Should the ESRB rate a game based on the actual content or personal opinion?