Jarvis
10-23-2002, 03:29 AM
Good article from SpaceGhost2k (Xbox Rep) at TXB forums about Gamespot and Game Informer magazine:
As I understand it, game publishers provide review copies of games to websites and magazines, to be reviewed. Sometimes they get them early, and other times (as GI mentioned about "The Thing") they don't get them until the game has been released. In even other cases, some games are purchased from overseas and reviewed in advance of a domestic release (at least one site did this with Steel Battalion.)
My opinion?
Scratch "GameSpot" off the "Free Game For Your Review" list.
If they want to review Xbox games so badly (It doesn't really appear that they do), let them go spend $50 on a copy. Then maybe they'll appreciate it more. I certainly appreciate the game I have to purchase at full price more than the ones I got cheap or free. I have a stack of $20 games gathering dust, but all of my $50 games get regular play.
Anyway, Xbox is not gaining anything by having these people review their games, and neither is anyone developng a game for the Xbox. Why spend a couple of years of blood, sweat and tears to produce a game of passion, only to have GS rip it a new one because they can't catch the vision? If it doesn't involve a pointy haired youth saving the world, or a punk with a baseball bat trying to ruin it, then it much suck.
You might as well go hunt down one of those guys with the cardboard sign on the freeway offramp that reads "will work for food." Give him a pen, a pad of paper, an Xbox and a game, and turn him loose. He's likely to be more elloquent, and even more likely to be more accurate, or at least more insightful, with his review. Hell, send them to me for review. I have no credentials, except that I have all of my fingers and thumbs so I can work the controller.
By the way, I'd take Game Informer off of that list, too. They said Quantum Redshift was "slow." God, is it possible to be more erroneous in a review? Only if you refer to Mario as "sexy." That might do it.
I completely agree with SpaceGhost on this one, Gamespot and Game Informer do nothing at all for the Xbox community.
-jarvis
As I understand it, game publishers provide review copies of games to websites and magazines, to be reviewed. Sometimes they get them early, and other times (as GI mentioned about "The Thing") they don't get them until the game has been released. In even other cases, some games are purchased from overseas and reviewed in advance of a domestic release (at least one site did this with Steel Battalion.)
My opinion?
Scratch "GameSpot" off the "Free Game For Your Review" list.
If they want to review Xbox games so badly (It doesn't really appear that they do), let them go spend $50 on a copy. Then maybe they'll appreciate it more. I certainly appreciate the game I have to purchase at full price more than the ones I got cheap or free. I have a stack of $20 games gathering dust, but all of my $50 games get regular play.
Anyway, Xbox is not gaining anything by having these people review their games, and neither is anyone developng a game for the Xbox. Why spend a couple of years of blood, sweat and tears to produce a game of passion, only to have GS rip it a new one because they can't catch the vision? If it doesn't involve a pointy haired youth saving the world, or a punk with a baseball bat trying to ruin it, then it much suck.
You might as well go hunt down one of those guys with the cardboard sign on the freeway offramp that reads "will work for food." Give him a pen, a pad of paper, an Xbox and a game, and turn him loose. He's likely to be more elloquent, and even more likely to be more accurate, or at least more insightful, with his review. Hell, send them to me for review. I have no credentials, except that I have all of my fingers and thumbs so I can work the controller.
By the way, I'd take Game Informer off of that list, too. They said Quantum Redshift was "slow." God, is it possible to be more erroneous in a review? Only if you refer to Mario as "sexy." That might do it.
I completely agree with SpaceGhost on this one, Gamespot and Game Informer do nothing at all for the Xbox community.
-jarvis