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review

Boom Blox Review: Explosive Casual Play

Boom Blox is an odd creation. It's a casual game created with the help of a director known for the stories his movies tell. So what happens when Stephen Spielberg teams up with Electronic Arts to make a game for the Wii? Lots of explosions of course. The game has you throw, grab, shoot and explode "blox" in such a myriad of mind-bending puzzles that you might actually forget you're playing a "casual" game. Boom Blox includes ways to play with friends or on your own, through a story or just for fun.

But is it all of that enough to shake off the stink of Wii shovelware and live up to the expectations of a game created by the man behind E.T., Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark?

More »

2:20 PM on Tue May 6 2008
By Brian Crecente
23,821 views, 85 comments

Latest by Brian Crecente: @quen: The purpose of our reviews is to get you to read what we thought of the game and then form your own judgment. We're not going to chew the food for you, you have to do that for yourself. more »

review

Target: Terror Review: 90s Arcade Action

Target: Terror was always a game behind its time. The light gun game featuring a terrorism theme and digitized bad guys came out in 2004, well after the blending of faux guns and digital graphics created a mini-light gun renaissance in arcades. Even the fact that Eugene Jarvis, the man behind Defender, was behind the game couldn't get it off the ground. I was a more than a little surprised to see that Konami had decided to lift this game, of all of the light gun titles, out of the arcade graveyard and try to give it new life on the Wii.

Light gun games on the Wii, though, are a match made in heaven, or at least they could be if someone ever finds the right match. Could Target: Terror be it?

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11:00 AM on Mon May 5 2008
By Brian Crecente
7,022 views, 61 comments

Latest by CthulhuLA: Lol, I don't think one reviewer has realized you can adjust the sensitivity of the gun in-game by pressing the + or - keys (its in the instructions.) I had to code that one in because the original code had more »

grand theft auto iv

IGN Editor Fires Back On Exclusive GTA IV Review Flak, Ethics Concerns

Variety's Ben Fritz opined in his column The Cut Scene last week that the concept of an "exclusive" review, specifically the case of IGN's Grand Theft Auto IV review, was something he found troublesome. His entry on the matter read that Fritz seemed less concerned with the 10 out of 10 score, but that IGN securing an exclusive review—as it often does with game announcements, media and interviews—was the thing ethically troubling. (We suggest you read Fritz's original post, lest we misinterpret it in some sort of telephone game.)

The reviewer in question, Hilary Goldstein, editor-in-chief at IGN's Xbox 360 channel, talked to GameDaily about the GTA IV review mini-hubbub, chalking up Fritz's concerns to a possible grudge.

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7:30 PM on Fri May 2 2008
By Michael McWhertor
12,674 views, 87 comments

Latest by freespeech: Here's my take on the situation, WHO CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! let them squabble about who gets what exclusivity (that's a word right??)!!!! Do reviews really matter that much, do we not know when a games good or not????? Rent if you more »

reviews

Exclusive Reviews: Ethically Troubling?

Variety's Ben Fritz thinks so. Provoked by IGN's 10/10 rating of Grand Theft Auto IV, he draws a line that seems to connect "exclusive" first-crack reviews of games and superior, almost historic ratings (as is the case in GTA IV.)

For example, Game Informer gave Mass Effect a near-perfect 9.75 out of 10, while citing many problems that might otherwise lead to a lower score (and the fact Ben himself doesn't think it even comes close, but never mind that.) Without passing judgment on GTA IVs 10/10ness, he thinks that exclusive reviews are "ethically troubling" at minimum.

"But how can we trust a videogame review when the outlet running it has been given a major commercial favor — one that's worth money — from the publisher of the game? You never see a paper or TV station getting special access from a movie studio or TV network or book publisher to run an "exclusive review." Imagine the L.A. Times or Roger Ebert touting their "exclusive review of 'Iron Man.'" Absurd, right? So why do we tolerate it for a videogame?"
For the record, Ben says he never labels a review exclusive. Neither do we.

Exclusive Reviews are Ethically Troubling [The Cut Scene]

5:00 PM on Sun Apr 27 2008
By ogood
9,095 views, 119 comments

gta iv

GTA IV: Best Game Since ... Well, When?

If you hate 10-point rating systems, then pay no mind to the Nadia Comaneci 10 that IGN has handed Grand Theft Auto IV. The last game to get a perfect score from IGN was Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast, in 1999.

Yet curiously, by describing it also as "Without question, the best game since Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," IGN sets up a strange paradox. Because it reviewed Ocarina of Time on Nov. 25, 1998. And then it reviewed Soul Calibur on Sept. 20, 1999. So ... the benchmark game for GTA's greatness goes back to 1998. But since then another game has earned a 10/10 score from IGN. So what gives?

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9:00 AM on Sat Apr 26 2008
By ogood
25,453 views, 190 comments

reviews

Reviews v Sales

Yeah, it's a tired old argument, but also one we don't mind revisiting from time to time, so indulge me. IGN have taken the ten top-selling games from 2007, put 'em in a list, then compared that list to the ten top-reviewed games from 2007. Any differences? Course there were differences. As in, seven of the games on the top-selling list weren't on the best-reviewed list, including FIFA 2008, Need For Speed: Pro Street and Brain Age 2. Doesn't really prove anything you don't already know/suspect (or at least, it shouldn't), but interesting nonetheless.
Do Reviews Sell Games? [IGN]

6:30 PM on Mon Apr 14 2008
By Luke Plunkett
3,219 views, 64 comments

Latest by EloraHRanma: Reviewes don't sell anything. Music sells because people listen to the songs in Radio Formula or think the singer is hot or whatever. Movies sell because people see screeners, ads or knows the actors are fun or hot. Games sell because people recognize more »

reviews

On Fanboyism and Reviewing

Leigh Alexander has another great Aberrant Gamer column up over at GameSetWatch, this one talking about 'fanboyism' and the inherent conflicts that crop up with the review system:

I would like you to briefly indulge me by participating in an exercise. Remove all of the mascots and familiar faces from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and replace them with original constructs. Notice, if you will, the somewhat clumsy user interface, the high percentage of total content that must be unlocked to be enjoyed, the complete lack of usability of the Wii controls, and the lack of significant graphical or gameplay progression over the previous generation. It's true that even then, you'd have a good game. But would you have a 10 game?

What does it mean that I'm hesitant to even state my opinion that it'd be a 7 game? And what does that crap even mean, anymore?


Leigh suggests overhauling the review system in some easily achievable ways (starting by scraping numerical scores), and proposing that we "we embrace our own subjectivity, neutering fanboyism by accepting it — because it sure ain't going anywhere." It's a musing that's well-worth a read through.

Auto-Neurotic Asphyxiation

7:00 PM on Sun Mar 23 2008
By mgreene
8,541 views, 307 comments

Latest by Scorpi: If you took out the Nintendo-based characters... wouldn't this game be the single greatest and epic creative acheivement EVER? more »

jobs

GameSpot Goes on Hiring Binge

In the wake of GameSpot's fairly publicized shake-up in their reviews department, the Cnet owned company is on the prowl for a number of new reviewers.

Tom's Games points out that the company posted three job listings over at JournalismJobs.Com from Feb. 15 through Feb. 27 for copywriter; associate editor, reviews; and associate editor II, PC previews and reviews.

Hit the jump for some of the responsibilities for each job. On a side note, I was a little disturbed to read that their copywriter position might include the unholy wedlock of advertising and editorial, with the person being responsible for writing banner ads, print ads and, perhaps, headlines?


Update: I hear from friends over at GameSpot that the copywriter job is in fact advertising and marketing only and that there will never be any editorial hanky-panky. Good to know.

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11:00 AM on Tue Mar 4 2008
By Brian Crecente
3,337 views, 38 comments

Latest by Zensation: 3-5 reviews per person/week. Wow thats crazy, no wonder game reviews always seem like they talk about the first 4 hours of a game. "The starting missions..." more »

reviews

So, Which Publisher's Games Get The Best Scores?

Picking through the bones of EA's analyst presentations from earlier this week, I found this handy little chart. It's innocent enough at first glance - it comes amidst a bunch of other, boring charts - but this one's a little more fun. It shows what each major publisher's average review score on Metacritic for 2007 was. What a handy reference point! Thanks EA. As you'd expect, Nintendo and Sony's first-party offerings top the list, while at the other end...you can see the net result of Ubisoft's fascination with shovelware and Nintendo consoles. As for Atari, well...the chart starts all the way up at 60%, so...yeah.

6:20 AM on Thu Feb 14 2008
By Luke Plunkett
10,862 views, 121 comments

Latest by dhunter: It's understandable why MS first party games have a lower average than Sony and Nintendo since they did publish some real crap during the Xbox era which they just started in the gaming business (Sneakers, Fuzion Frenzy, etc). Fortunately the more »

endless ocean

'Hardcore Review of Softcore Games'

I'm not sure what's up with the porn terminology, but taking off on the recent talk about diverging groups of connoisseur game reviewers and the hoi polloi, Tale of Tales takes off on a rant about Eurogamer's review of Endless Ocean. Saying there's a desperate need for a 'non-hardcore games press,' there's plenty of criticism leveled at the rest of us. I'd agree that game reviewing could be improved in a number of areas, but I think this might be taking things a bit too far: More »

12:30 PM on Sat Feb 9 2008
By mgreene
8,023 views, 93 comments

Latest by FunkyJ: @Flynn: I wear my flavour on my sleeve and say so. And the important thing (in my opinion) is to challenge yourself as a reviewer, and you don't do that by playing games you like all the time. A food reviewer doesn't more »

reviews

Frankenreview - No More Heroes (Wii)

There's no doubt about it—the Wii is in dire need of some decent third party titles. That's why we find director SUDA-51's/Grasshopper Manufacture's No More Heroes so intriguing. A sort of Grand Theft Auto meets Killer7 meets light sabers, the game promised to bring action, humor and style to the Wii...without Mario or his friends.

So what did the critics think? Hit the jump for our Frankenreview to find out: not quite every review, but probably more than you're going to read anyway.

More »

12:00 PM on Thu Jan 24 2008
By Mark Wilson
28,063 views, 179 comments

Latest by shubleedsblue: i need to play this game more »

fun with pr

Sony Passes On OXM Bravia Review

Sony doesn't want you using their line of Bravia televisions with your Xbox 360, or at least that's the information I am gleaning from last Friday's post over at the Official Xbox Magazine website in which Dan Amrich reveals Sony's response to a request to review one of the televisions in an upcoming issue.
Here's where it gets weird. Murph contacted Sony's PR to request a set for review, and was told...no. It would appear that the console wars extend further than any of us realized, but that's the reason given — we're a Microsoft-focused (but not -owned, I should point out) publication, and they are a PlayStation-creating company (but not the same business division, I should point out), so...just no. "I have to support our friends over at our sister company," said the representative.
More »

8:40 AM on Wed Dec 26 2007
By Mike Fahey
7,518 views, 144 comments

Latest by elpierce: @Jamaicangmr: So, I should have 'tuned' my POS Sony Trinitron CRT to have a better vertical image? Please send me some documentation on how to do that. I would love to. Why can't you just accept the fact that I bought a crappy more »

reviews

Frankenreview, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Wii)

NiGHTS fans have been waiting for a proper sequel to the Dreamcast cult classic for some time now. Sega's attempt to capitalize on Sonic's ring collection mania in a more robust 3D world, NiGHTS was a landmark game for the era.

Now NiGHTS has come back to the masses on the Wii in NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams. So does its predecessor live up to expectations? Hit the jump for our Frankenreview: every thing you need to know about everything that is this one particular game.

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12:00 PM on Thu Dec 20 2007
By Mark Wilson
14,246 views, 94 comments

Latest by matthewbennion: Sadly Sonic team aren't what they once were since the Megadrive and Saturn era! more »

urging calm

GameRankings Drops GameSpot Review Scores

As some of our tipsters and commenters have pointed out, game review harvesting site GameRankings no longer displays any scores from sister site GameSpot, despite both being owned by CNET. GameRankings still features prominent GameSpot logo placement and links, but the reviews have disappeared. CNET's other review gathering property, MetaCritic, still features GameSpot scores as part of its database. While conspiracy theories abound, it seems the real story behind the removal of GameSpot reviews isn't as dramatic as some might think. More »

6:00 PM on Fri Dec 14 2007
By Michael McWhertor
11,957 views, 44 comments

Latest by < DARK DVNT >: @FunkyJ: lol......ha....i am indeed horrible. Unfortunate, for all. more »

industry

EA Not Worried About Casual Game Reviews

EA Casual president Kathy Vrabeck is amused by casual game reviews. She's not concerned over low scores or scathing write ups. And she's not afraid to not so subtly implies that reviewers are wasting their time with casual reviews completely:
I get less concerned about game reviews because the casual gamers don't read any of those things...They're not swayed by a low score on IGN or a low score out of one of these gaming sites.
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12:20 PM on Thu Dec 6 2007
By Mark Wilson
5,683 views, 106 comments

Latest by Krumpet: If we are speaking about 'casual gaming' being games such as Peggle, Mystery Case Files, Hidden Expedition, Tetris, etc., then for everyone who keeps saying, "the 25-34 year old female gaming demographic is non-existent", you are way off the mark. Although more »

drama

On the State of Game Reviewing

Everyone's been buzzing this weekend about the Gamespot shakeup involving Jeff Gerstmann and there's been plenty of talk flying around in various places. Gamasutra, for instance, has a good editorial up entitled Numerals, Game Reviews, And The Game Media on some of the problems with the review structure in the gaming industry; Destructoid has a brand new look to let us know exactly what they think of Gamespot; people are planning a boycott of Gamespot and other CNet sites; our very own Crecente posed a question to all the reviewers out there: Have you been forced to rewrite a review due to advertising pressure? We've been inundated with examples of bad journalism, bad bosses, and big, bad, mean companies. And of course Mark Wilson wrote his own take on the problem with game reviews. More »

2:00 PM on Sun Dec 2 2007
By mgreene
13,021 views, 158 comments

Latest by baccardi84: I think reviewers should explain why there's something there worth playing or not. Play or Don't Play. Metacritic would then just become a bar graph showing which critics said "Play" and which said "Don't Play". Critics should not decide if more »

advertorials

1Up Shows Support For GameSpot Reviewers

In the growing wake of the controversy surrounding GameSpot's alleged firing of editorial director Jeff Gerstmann comes a little bit of surprising solidarity.

A bunch of Ziff Davis staffers (including 1Up) made a banner to show their support for fellow game reviewers and marched it the two blocks to the GameSpot building on Friday. The banner, and impromptu march, shows that despite being competition, what may have happened at GameSpot could have wide-spread implications in the game publication industry.

We're also told that the Kane & Lynch user reviews on Gamespot have been, at least temporarily, disabled and there are rumors that people are canceling their Gamespot accounts "en masse."

I'm not sure how Gamespot is going to deal with all of this since I'm pretty sure they're not legally able to talk about why Gerstmann is no longer there. I'd assume that at some point Gerstmann might talk, but I'd guess right now he's trying to figure out what to do in the way of a job.

What about you? Do you work as a game reviewer? Have you been forced to rewrite a review due to advertising pressure? Feel free to email us at tips if you have or to editor. Remember, you can remain anonymous.

The 1Up Show [Flickr]

3:00 PM on Sat Dec 1 2007
By Brian Crecente
35,782 views, 245 comments

reviews

Ebert's Hitman Review (Verdict: It's Decent, All Games Still Suck)

For those who haven't heard, Hitman actually got some decent reviews. OK, maybe not some. Maybe just notably one, from Roger Ebert. In the midst of screening films lusting after precious Academy Awards in full heat, he bestowed upon the movie 3 stars.
What I found intriguing about the movie was the lonely self-sufficiency of Agent 47, his life without a boyhood, his lack of a proper name, his single-purpose training. When Nika comes into his life, he is trained to guard against her, but he cannot, because she is helpless, needy...To the degree the movie explores their relationship, it is absorbing.
But to the degree that it doesn't? More »

12:30 PM on Fri Nov 23 2007
By Mark Wilson
9,680 views, 78 comments

Latest by Tracid: The movie was decent, only thing that didn't make sense was 47's origin. more »