Edge 213 scores

[Charlie]

*sigh* Because a great review isn't necessarily one that you agree with.

This should be posted at the beginning of every Edge and Games TM thread. Some people just don't get it and end up making this forum look like Gamefaqs.

Ha, yeah. I get the feeling though that even posted before every review some people still wouldn't get it.

[Brats]

A decent debate on reviews is welcome. I would like to see threads where we discuss the writing of a review and whether we agree or disagree with the points in a civilised manner.

Unfortunately, the threads do just descend into a simple posts about scores being right or wrong, followed by a brawl of 'I like/dislike this game more than they do, therefore they are wrong'.

[cavalcade]

To be fair, EDGE admitted the ODST review had been penned after (during?) one of those hot house press screening events. It's fairly easy to lose objectivity in a haze of free food, free beer and friendly PR people.

I think in general EDGE reviews are decent, certainly a lot better written than the reviews in gamesTM. The question of bias has always been an interesting one. 2 years ago, the PS3 bias was suffocating, culminating in a PS3 centric issue best described as one long advertorial, but recently there has been a marked swing back the the 360. I doubt it's a deliberate, editorial stance, but in a "hive mind" magazine you can never be sure. Which is why hive mind magazines never really work in my eyes.

With EDGE my two favourite reviews are the Doom one, where they mark it down because you can't speak to the monsters, and the brilliant GTA3 review where they awarded it a 6, then tried to claim it was a misprinted 8 a few issues later when they realised they'd missed a sales and cultural phenomenon.

[Dogg Thang]

I'd have given Sonic Pinball Party on the GBA an 8. I like that game.

Just saying.

[Team Andromeda]

Think review threads will be banned soon, just the same old debate and views every month now, starting to seem somewhat pointless, also they annoy me every month.

So why bother reading , much less posting in such threads ?

To be fair, EDGE admitted the ODST review had been penned after (during?) one of those hot house press screening events. It's fairly easy to lose objectivity in a haze of free food, free beer and friendly PR people

You mean the good score was bought ? :P . Whatever the case , that's is no excuse for giving a game a good score .

I don't really have a problem with EDGE scores , its more the reviews are just so boring to read these days , and they don't pick up on some of the better aspects in games , that they're reviewing. Not picking up on the superb audio in Bad Company II, was pretty lame , even one didn't like the game , one should point out aspects a game does well

[abigsmurf]

To be fair, Edge weren't the only ones to get caught up in the ODST hype. It got review scores far better than what it deserved from lots of places.

Spore is another example of reviewers getting caught up in the hype/marketing execs private jet to the bahama. That title got far too high reviews for what was essentially a mediocre collection of mini games with little replay value. To Edge's credit they 'only' gave it a 7 mind.

[Neon Ignition]

There's so many factors that mags have to run by that can result in a generally inaccurate score. A huge chunk of the scoring for GTA3 across the board came from amended reviews etc as it's popularity and high praise only really came a few weeks after it's release and it really highlighted the problems with magazines approaches.

As for EDGE and Games, I hold Games reviews a little higher as they've at least shown a willingness in the past to delay a review or not do one at all should they not be able to spend the required time on the game as opposed to rushing one out which EDGE is more prone to do. Plus, EDGE can seem uber skewed at times as can be shown by the massive amount of space absorbed in it's pages by the Warcraft and Halo franchises.

More so than the reviews I wish both of them would reduce or ditch their 'Industry Bio' sections. It can be interesting in doses but they're blatantly using it as padding (likely outsourced) as it can 20+ pages out the mag.

[Darwock]

It's not exactly just an argument over an opinion, it's more like an argument over whether that opinion is relevant. Edge is still held in high regard by many, but maybe it shouldn't be. I'll make up my own mind after playing it, but it'll be interesting to see a few months down the line whether anyone (and I mean games players, not magazines) really thinks this game deserves a 5 out of 10. It'll have to be downright painful to play if the gameplay is to detract enough from the production values to balance out to a final 5.

[Charlie]

To be fair, EDGE admitted the ODST review had been penned after (during?) one of those hot house press screening events. It's fairly easy to lose objectivity in a haze of free food, free beer and friendly PR people.

I remember hearing that and subsequently moaning about it. No review should be written under such circumstances. Like crazytaxi says, if they can't give a game the time it deserves they should print the review in a later issue.

[rmoxon]

I dont understand why Edge just couldnt admit that the reviewer didnt like GTA, I dont think open world games are for everyone and reading the review it made alot of points I agree with. The gameplay in the GTA seires has never actualy been that great. GTA 4 was a huge improvment but the core mechanics still all suffer becuase it tries to be a jack of all trades and simply has yet to pull it off as well as it wants too.

Alot of the reason people enjoy GTA is probabaly becuase we secretly all want to go running around the street hitting grannies with baseball bats and taking their money off them. Well I think so anyway.

[Prototype]

I remember hearing that and subsequently moaning about it. No review should be written under such circumstances. Like crazytaxi says, if they can't give a game the time it deserves they should print the review in a later issue.

Have you not in this thread been telling people to stop moaning about Game reviews. Regardless of where it's written. Developers will always give a few extras to magazines if they get a high score from them. Been happening for ages. If you don't believe me, have a read of some of the driv3r reviews.

If I'm interested in a game, I would usually watch a few videos to make my mind up or see what people on forums are saying about it. Something like Metro which I never paid attention to has gone on my radar. I never usually buy a Final Fantasy, I bought this one just to see the fuss.

[Charlie]

That's one of the series' main draws, certainly, but it's the cop chases and complete mayhem that usually follow from said cop chases that most appeal to me. That and the brilliant radio stations.

[Prototype]

I dont understand why Edge just couldnt admit that the reviewer didnt like GTA, I dont think open world games are for everyone and reading the review it made alot of points I agree with. The gameplay in the GTA seires has never actualy been that great. GTA 4 was a huge improvment but the core mechanics still all suffer becuase it tries to be a jack of all trades and simply has yet to pull it off as well as it wants too.

Alot of the reason people enjoy GTA is probabaly becuase we secretly all want to go running around the street hitting grannies with baseball bats and taking their money off them. Well I think so anyway.

GTA 4 was basically the same as GTA 3 in regards of mission structure. I mean you go there and do that. The chase missions were poor. What is the point of chasing someone if at one point they going to stop and you can't get close to them? The buying of properties and making money from that which was in Vice City was not even included. I'm hoping Rockstar buck up their ideas regarding the structures of the missions in GTA 5.

[Charlie]

Have you not in this thread been telling people to stop moaning about Game reviews. Regardless of where it's written. Developers will always give a few extras to magazines if they get a high score from them. Been happening for ages. If you don't believe me, have a read of some of the driv3r reviews.

If I'm interested in a game, I would usually watch a few videos to make my mind up or see what people on forums are saying about it. Something like Metro which I never paid attention to has gone on my radar. I never usually buy a Final Fantasy, I bought this one just to see the fuss.

There's a huge difference in moaning that a review was evidently rushed, and moaning that a game I liked only scored a 6.

[Prototype]

There's a huge difference in moaning that a review was evidently rushed, and moaning that a game I liked only scored an 6.

Did you read the ODST review? In what way was it rushed? I know the score was influenced.

http://www.edge-online.com/features/review-halo-3-odst?page=0%2C0

Seems like Edge, Halo loving as always. What game scored a 6? I'm lost.