Author Topic: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'  (Read 217408 times)

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Offline NinGurl69 *huggles

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #250 on: February 02, 2009, 08:09:43 PM »
"All I can think is that this game is suitable for children and 30 year old fanboys desperate to recapture their childhood."

Realize, that's the definition of RPG players.

Respect the possession of the opinion, not the person.  If it's a horribly thought-out opinion, it's coming from a horrible person.

=D
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Offline Peachylala

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #251 on: February 03, 2009, 01:20:22 PM »
Quote
Respect the possession of the opinion, not the person.  If it's a horribly thought-out opinion, it's coming from a horrible person.
This makes so much sense it's scary.

Anybody else have any unintentionally hilarious reviews of Nintendo games from Game Rankings?
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Offline NWR_pap64

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #252 on: February 04, 2009, 07:15:56 PM »
BUMP!

Here's another masterpiece regarding Wii Fit and its effectiveness.

Sean Malstrom dissected this article really well. The whole thing is basically trying to discredit its impact in the gaming world by telling people it doesn't work. But instead of doing an insightful research by asking real people about their Wii Fit usage, a second or even third opinion and try to be balanced. Instead, its just trying to make the thing look bad because its selling, and they asked a core website in order to prove a false point.

Wii Fit is as effective as any other diet, treatment, exercise routine and medicine on the planet. Meaning that it works if the person is willing to spend time and money on it. Everything works and nothing is useful, it all depends on the person.

Wii Fit was never meant to replace your routine. The game even recommends that you do other activities in order to stay in shape, as well as watch what you eat. If your weight doesn't drop is asks you why its not lowering and you pick an answer, and it gives you a reason why is that a bad thing. The game motivates you into living a healthy lifestyle, but the one that makes that decision is you.

Here's another example. A friend of mine used to be quite heavy. He started playing DDR for two hours straight every day. By 2006 he was quite fit, completely different from the chubby guy I met back in 2004, and today he still goes to the gym, runs and plays DDR while watching what he eats (though I do wish he would cut on the excessive parties and drinking...). Meanwhile, I tried the DDR thing myself and there was no result. Yes, I played everyday, yes I played for more than an hour and yes it did some good stuff. But then I got bored and stopped playing. I have the same body I had back in 2005 when I started the training.

See, while my friend was really  into it and he got great results, while I got lazy and preferred the laid back lifestyle. I don't blame DDR because I was the one that lacked motivation and pretty much stopped.

The same deal will happen to some with Wii Fit. Some will really be into it and see amazing results from it, while others will grow bored and stop using it. And again, Wii Fit shouldn't be blamed because its a tool, one that tries to motivate you into a healthy lifestyle. But if you decide to be lazy about it the only one to blame is yourself.
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Offline Flames_of_chaos

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Offline KDR_11k

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #254 on: February 07, 2009, 05:44:57 AM »
G4 at it again, giving Rygar Wii a 1/5 score (apparently mostly for being old). I played it on the PS2 and it really wasn't any worse than God of War except it didn't have those terribly annoying quicktime event kills or the total asshole of a main character that GoW has. Oh and G4 apparently can't tell Icarus and Aristotle apart (the winged evil guy is called Icarus, damn it!).

Offline Flames_of_chaos

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #255 on: February 09, 2009, 07:01:31 PM »
Here's another smart nugget on a talk show man sues Nintendo because Nintendo's Wii PLAY STATION contributes to people's obesity and causes injuries

Quote
People around the World are sustaining serious injuries due to the lack of proper warnings on their products and Torchia is taking a stance to ensure that people are aware of the potential dangers.

In addition, Torchia feels Nintendo is misrepresenting their Wii games as a replacement for sensible exercise and sports activities. He believes that Nintendo needs to issue a warning that these games are intended for entertainment and not to replace actual physical activity. Through slick advertising campaigns and product placements on popular television shows, children and adults are being brainwashed that Wii games are safe and effective ways to become physically fit.

I think people have enough common sense that videogames don't give a "proper workout". Also do we need even more warnings and safety guidelines which show up BEFORE THE CONSOLE AND GAMES FULLY BOOT UP?!?!

Quote
There is a new phenomenon that is occurring as a result of extensive and widespread usage of the Wii Fit and Wii Balance Board. As more people use the Wii as an exercise tool, they are sustaining injuries in their knees, back and wrists because of overuse and improper warm- up.

It seems that up to ten people a week are being hospitalized with injuries caused by playing Nintendo Wii games, prompting doctors in Britain to issue warnings of the dangers associated with the Wii video game system. "Most patients are admitted after playing tennis or running games which involve sudden movements, resulting in tendon stretching or tearing"says, Dr. Dev Mukerjee of Broomfield Hospital, Essex.

Guy should know that Wii Fit gives people plenty of suggestions to people about stretching and warm ups and also plenty of prompts to take a 5 - 10 minute break. It's up to the end user to follow those suggestions and it's not Nintendo's fault that the end user doesn't follow those suggestions.

I think if Wii causes an obesity outbreak then 360 and PS3 should be the equivalent of death incarnate.
Also Jim Sterling from Destructoid.com says it the best:
Quote
Michael Torchia has decided to press a suit against Nintendo for the injuries that stupid people sustain by not knowing how to waggle an electric plastic stick properly. By pure coincidence, Torchia also hosts a fitness radio show called Shape Up America, and runs specialized programs for obese children. Not that I'd ever imply that he feels threatened by the success of Wii Fit or anything.

"Nintendo is contributing to the epidemic of obesity," claims the jealous concerned Torchia. "Young and old are putting away their gym clothes and shying away from going outdoors to play sports, because the addictive appeal to the Wii game products. Just as the tobacco companies created such a false image of their products and hid the potential dangers, so is Nintendo."

The irony of course is that a lawsuit blaming Nintendo for your being a fat moron who broke his arm pretending to play tennis is just as bad for lazy Americans who don't want to take responsibility for their lives. Of course, Torchia won't admit that he's as bad as Wii Fit if not worse. Both of them prey on the lazy, Torchia's just sad because Nintendo is getting all the fresh meat.
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Offline GoldenPhoenix

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #256 on: February 09, 2009, 07:09:53 PM »
That guy is some fitness dork (I mean man) right?
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Offline Flames_of_chaos

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #257 on: February 09, 2009, 07:26:39 PM »
That guy is some fitness dork (I mean man) right?

He has his own radio show called Shape Up America.
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Offline NovaQ

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #258 on: February 09, 2009, 10:46:00 PM »
Quote
Young and old are putting away their gym clothes and shying away from going outdoors to play sports, because the addictive appeal to the Wii game products. Just as the tobacco companies created such a false image of their products and hid the potential dangers, so is Nintendo.

The Nintendo Machine is as bad as cigarettes! Next thing you know, Mario will be riding Joe Camel instead of Yoshi.
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Offline NWR_pap64

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #259 on: February 09, 2009, 10:52:39 PM »
Sad. Very, very sad...
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Offline Flames_of_chaos

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #260 on: February 10, 2009, 12:00:09 AM »
Epic LULZ to a Playstation fan site called PSxextreme.com argues on how EDGE scored Let's Tap an 8/10 and Killzone 2 a 7/10 and that this is a travesty to gaming as a whole

All I have to say is HOW DARE REVIEWERS HAVE DIFFERENT TASTES ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF GAMES. We all know that Killzone 2 is a god's gift to gamers and that let's tap is another crappy shovelware title from the master of shovelware those evil bastards at Sega[/end sarcasm]

But that mindless rant just proves to me how review scores are complete utter bullshit.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2009, 12:05:15 AM by Flames_of_chaos »
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Offline Flames_of_chaos

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #261 on: February 10, 2009, 02:37:46 AM »
G4 should be banned from reviewing games

Tenchu 4

Pros
    * Ninjas
    * Cool Japanese Score

Cons
    * Unreliable stealth mechanics
    * Poor controls
    * Sub-par graphics

The irony is that in the video they weren't playing it like a stealth game. I also like how they complain that the game has bad AI yet they get caught by that bad AI which forces them to restart the level.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2009, 02:40:51 AM by Flames_of_chaos »
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Offline GoldenPhoenix

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #262 on: February 10, 2009, 02:42:13 AM »
I'm surprised Edge gave killzone 2 a 7/10.
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Offline KDR_11k

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #263 on: February 10, 2009, 06:08:04 AM »
We need a warning "Warning: If you require warnings to be displayed before your videogame you are polluting the human gene pool and would significiantly improve it by committing suicide"

Also that G4 video has such an obnoxious narrator... I love how she complains about the smoke bomb effect when that's pretty much the game's way of saying "you died" except it doesn't make you drop dead (which would make it fairly difficult to continue playing).

As for that psxextreme article...
Quote
But here's what we are saying- publishers have long since understood the power of the review score

Last I checked studies found that there is no correlation between review scores and sales... Sorry to burst your bubble world in which you are important, reviewers but the public just doesn't give a damn.

EDIT: AHAHAHAHA, comments:
Quote
How do you review a video game and NEVER mention the graphics?!!?
« Last Edit: February 10, 2009, 06:17:34 AM by KDR_11k »

Offline NinGurl69 *huggles

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #264 on: February 10, 2009, 12:08:02 PM »
lulz
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Offline Kairon

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #265 on: February 11, 2009, 01:59:09 AM »
I think it's really game reviews where we see that gaming journalism has no consistent educated, professional, focused and reliable class of critics unlike other mediums that get covered in the media. We have book reviewers and movie critics and musicologists... but for some reason game media just gives games to just about anyone who volunteers their time... it's almost like game review blogs: devoid of experts.

Wait a sec... that means... me... I... oh no... *hugs his first review*
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Offline mac<censored>

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #266 on: February 11, 2009, 02:17:55 AM »
Wait a sec... that means... me... I... oh no... *hugs his first review*

Now, now, ... reviews at NWR are far more professional than those in fanboy rags like IGN...

... sadly, I'm not kidding -- IGN has far more resources to throw at things, but the degree of drooling fanboy stupidity amongst their staff is absurd.  I think NWR reviews do often sound more professional than those in IGN, even if everything is on a shoestring budget and done by volunteers.

Offline NovaQ

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #267 on: February 11, 2009, 07:36:53 AM »
I agree about the reviews here being much more even-handed and professional than a lot of others'.

It seems strange that, as Kairon pointed out, video games are one of the few means of entertainment with so many "uneven" reviews (not that there aren't plenty for movies, books, music, etc.). I wonder why it is that most major game reviewers have such silly biases that often favor a system over good games in general.

Maybe it's because video games are still relatively new compared to the other forms of entertainment, so that there still isn't a disciplined set of standards and qualities that go into a good game versus a bad game (there are film schools in the U.S. and elsewhere where you can get an in-depth education of these qualities, for example).

Or maybe it's simply that video games, while very popular, simply haven't become legitimized in the way that the other forms of entertainment have.

Perhaps it's the added interactivity of video games that keeps this from happening. I mean, have board games reached the point of the other forms of entertainment in terms of even-handed reviews? Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like board games aren't held (at least by the majority of people in the world) in the same category as movies, books, etc.

Then again, it might also be because there are multiple video game players that are expensive but not cross-compatible. (I mean, Paramount doesn't have its own movie format or movie player that only it, and maybe select other studios, exclusively publish their films for).
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Offline KDR_11k

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #268 on: February 11, 2009, 02:00:49 PM »
Are there even board game reviews? The only list I've seen is compiled from user votes, not review aggregates.

Offline NovaQ

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #269 on: February 11, 2009, 11:22:57 PM »
I actually had no idea until I just did a Google search. I found at least a couple small-scale sites with fully written reviews (not just star ratings or "buy it"/"don't buy it" recommendations). Google has much less to say when it comes to board game review aggregates, however.
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Offline GoldenPhoenix

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #270 on: February 11, 2009, 11:34:23 PM »
I actually had no idea until I just did a Google search. I found at least a couple small-scale sites with fully written reviews (not just star ratings or "buy it"/"don't buy it" recommendations). Google has much less to say when it comes to board game review aggregates, however.

Care to share what sites have reviews that you found good for board games?
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Offline NovaQ

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #271 on: February 12, 2009, 12:15:56 AM »
Aside from the few well-known board games I've played (Clue, Monopoly, Mr. Wiggley's, etc.) and several lesser-known ones that friends have told me about (Catan, Zombies, Munchkin), I don't have much experience with them.

That said, FunandBoardGames.com looks like it provides fairly useful reviews - though I did notice that they haven't updated the site in a while. I also found Game Zombies at angelfire.com/games/zombiereviews, which seems even smaller and more outdated (I can't wait for "next month's review(s)" of Yu-Gi-Oh!). It looks like boardgames.about.com has at least brief and definitely more up-to-date reviews.

It might be interesting to see what kind of comparisons could be found between board and video game reviews. I suppose I'm still stuck on the idea that many gamers have had about video games being an art akin to movies or music. But, especially with the general shifts that the Wii has brought, it seems more and more that video games are, despite their stimulating visuals, sounds, and narratives, only games after all.

Not that that's necessarily a bad thing.
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Offline D_Average

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #272 on: February 12, 2009, 12:58:57 AM »
I believe IGN has a sub site for board game reviews somewhere in that mess of a network.
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Offline NWR_pap64

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #273 on: February 12, 2009, 01:50:59 AM »
Sean Malstrom digs deep in to why the gaming media is pathetic. Long story short; he believes that the gaming media is trying hard to fight current gaming culture in order to pursue their own culture and fails to see readers as consumers.

Here's the link:
http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/email-the-sick-obsession-of-culture-in-the-game-industry/
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Offline Kairon

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Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #274 on: February 12, 2009, 02:43:53 AM »
Sean Malstrom digs deep in to why the gaming media is pathetic. Long story short; he believes that the gaming media is trying hard to fight current gaming culture in order to pursue their own culture and fails to see readers as consumers.

Here's the link:
http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/email-the-sick-obsession-of-culture-in-the-game-industry/


I skimmed the article and generally agree with the point you pointed out: that there's a real danger of media these days becoming self-focused. This is something I actually got a hint of at E3 2008, where it seemed like the games media bellowed in collective outrage when Nintendo didn't give them their bottle.

I actually disagree with Malstrom on the destructure of Nintendo culture though. Nintendo culture isn't being destroyed, but it's having a layer peeled back and challenging Nintendo fanatics to take a closer and harder look at the entirety of Nintendo. I believe that a holistic view of Nintendo doesn't yield a cultureless perspective like Malstrom implies it would. Instead, I believe that a new Nintendo culture based around a re-orientation around the tenets of the NES (and thus, the tenets of the Wii) would actually bring people back full circle to a valuable take on gaming.

But back to the gaming media. In fact, I read something similar to Malstrom's concerns in Time the other day, about how newspapers needed to be saved. The author started out with an argument that newspapers needed to be re-focus on subscriptions, not because charging people for the content is good, but because charging people for the content is the best way for newspapers to actually be meaningful to their readers and carry out journalism because it keeps them honest: their true consumer is NOT the advertiser, their true consumer is the reader, and what the reader believes news is.

... you know... Now that I think about it, I never want Nintendo to go down that path. It's ironic, but Nintendo's been able to forge a real relationship and dedication to its consumers not by following some clarion trumpet call for higher culture or better graphics, but by merely trying to put smiles on people's faces. Ironically, Nintendo has remained one of the most meaningful gaming companies present not by flying high, but by staying grounded.
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A glooming peace this morning with it brings;
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Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;
Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:
For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Sega and her Mashiro.