Edge - Enthusiasm - Gone?

[djjimbob]

I've just been reading thru Edge 123 and I think their style of reviewing is getting very very boring indeed.

It seems that if they review a game that is generally regarded as brilliant, they spend about 1.5 pages banging on about the little things that stop the game being a perfect 10.

eg. "Well, there is some dodgy level design and you don't get the grappling hook soon enough and it's too hard to get 100%, but other than that it's an utterly fantastic game" - Metroid Prime - Game of the Year

Another example was the Mario Sunshine review..... 2 pages of bile followed by: "Relax, you're playing the second best platformer in the world"

Thanks Edge.

Jimbob

[Saurian]

Gamers, and journalists are like this online too - so many games get slated on forums and websites; simply because the person reviewing it doesnt have the enthusiasm or patience to learn the game properly.

I stopped reading Edge a while ago, their beat em up reviews are especially laughable.

[Kieran76]

I agree with you to some extent, I'm no big fan of games being scored anyway, but with Edge you sometimes don't really know if they like the game by reading the review. The score at the bottom doesn't really tally with the last 500 words.
I wouldn't say that they have lost enthusasim though, just maybe guilty of trying to hard not to hype things up too much. To me the worst reviews are the ones full of gushing praise that never mention the actual game mechanics.

[acidforblood]

As Game Central/Digi says this morning....maybe we expect to much. A game is dissected by the world and it's dog before it's release so it comes as no surprise to me that cynicism often rears it's ugly head.

On the other hand glaring faults do need to be exposed for what they are. If you go the other way and gush over every game every title will be a ten.

Regarding reviews in that particular rag, i'd just rather there were more of them.

[Andy_T]

I stopped reading Edge a while ago, their beat em up reviews are especially laughable.

i am suspicious of them in this regard too, did you read the VF4 Evo review? also ANY 2D fighter they review gets 7/10 - why is that? overall i think the reviews are alright but the scores so often don't seem to tally these days. Zelda is one in question, reading that review i can't see how it could have been any higher than 8. like i say, i don't have a problem with the content of their reviews but i reckon the scores need looking at - oh and they need someone who 'knows' fighting games.

[amorenod]

I think Edge is in an uncomfortable position. No other magazine has the scrutiny for the scores that Edge has. I'm guilty, those are the only scores I'm waiting for every month.

With that in mind, they wrongly need to explain why a game is getting 9 instead of 10, specially when import forumites start to create hype of games that, for them, should score 10/10 (I remember a topic: Tekki the next 10?)

[chrisp]

I think that E123 is the best Edge for a long, long time. S'truly most excellent and vibrant indeed and full of character for once. Especially the Climax feature.

[El Geet]

This topic has been done to death but, for what it's worth, that 'boring style' is what made me like the mag in the first place. It can come across as overly critical and dry but that is only apparent when you compare it to other ridiculously enthusiastic gaming publications. There is an effort to be utterly neutral and objective and I for one appreciate that. Maybe it is this sometimes overly obvious effort at being neutral that grates on people? I find that so long as you know where they're coming from I think their reviews can normally guide you to some decent games.

As for their highlighting the bad points of good games surely this is the whole point...critical analysis. This is especially relevant when dealing with a game which is massively hyped everywhere (including Edge) and has a fervent fan base (eg Mario). The game will be 'good' but there is a huge expectancy and no review is of any practical use if it just reaffirms this. Some people see this as courting controversy...I see it as a healthy attitude.

I would agree though with acidorblood...a few more reviews would be nice.

[badgerpie]

I quite like Edges scores, provided you don't take them too seriously.

From my point of view, you're only reading the reviews to get an appreciation of whether this game is worth buying for you as an individual.

With that in mind I tend to find that a game that scores 8 or more in Edge is a sound investment. I wouldn't normally stray outside of my preferred genres for less than an 8, but if it's something that i'd normally enjoy than a 7, maybe even a 6 can warrant attention.

Case in point Timesplitters 2 - probably one of the most argued edge scores of recent times. Personally I feel it should have scored a little lower, however that doesn't matter to me as I only quick bursts of FPS's so whether its a 9 and 8 or a 7 it doesn't matter, it still makes sense for me to buy as I'll get my moneys worth out of it.

[Bomberman UK]

On the other hand glaring faults do need to be exposed for what they are. If you go the other way and gush over every game every title will be a ten.

Nobody's saying they should do that, but it's pretty sad that they can't even get excited about a game as good as Zelda. And when they're printing issues dedicated to getting bored to death of gaming, you have to wonder if they have the right people writing for the magazine.

GAMES TM might not be quite as well written, but they seem to have the passion Edge had a few years ago. Edge was always realistic and told it like it was, but, I don't believe they were ever as cynical and miserable as they are today.

And this isn't really related, but there was a rather shocking error in their "Disappointment of the year award". They kept saying Blinx was a Sega title!

[Saurian]

So true man

People getting bored of gaming like the journalists Edge get to write for them havent got a clue about so many genres. Games are getting so deep now it's unbelievable - VF4 EVO for example is a work of genius, it's refined to perfection yet it goes over their heads completely. I cant take their reviews seriously - it's so blatantly obvious when the person reviewing doesnt have the skill to deep deep enough into the play mechanics to review them properly anyway.

[Squirtle]

And when they're printing issues dedicated to getting bored to death of gaming, you have to wonder if they have the right people writing for the magazine.

I thought this was just a reflection of the number of letters they got on the matter, and also the amount of threads on their forum concerning a waning of interest. I know I've experienced it. Is it wrong for a magazine to have a closer look at an issue that is clearly bothering a portion of its readership?

[chrisp]

They kept saying Blinx was a Sega title!

But it is! It's from Artoon, which is part of Sega, non? Or at least it used to be. Or at least it's made up of many ex-Sonic Team members. One of those.

Still, GamesTM have made some pretty awful mistakes in their time, like mispelling Super Play's mascot whilst aimlessly reminiscing about the mag.

[Squirtle]

So true man

People getting bored of gaming like the journalists Edge get to write for them havent got a clue about so many genres. Games are getting so deep now it's unbelievable - VF4 EVO for example is a work of genius, it's refined to perfection yet it goes over their heads completely. I cant take their reviews seriously - it's so blatantly obvious when the person reviewing doesnt have the skill to deep deep enough into the play mechanics to review them properly anyway.

I can see your point here, but it's still a beat-em-up. You can go on about the depth and whatnot until you are blue in the face, but it's still just a beat-em-up. Surely you can level the same criticisms at them when they review some massively in depth PC RPG or sim game or the like. Just because you like VF4 Evo doesn't make their review wrong.

[Treble]

I have no real evidence to support this, but it would seem likely that Edge have had a team huddle after a barrage of recent criticism and are trying to re-invigorate the magazine.

The decision to close their forum for re-evaluation, and people giving the thumbs-up to issue 123 would at least point towards this being the case.