Are there video game reviews done by the HTF like the DVD reviews? (1 Viewer)

[Jay Mitchosky]

Real review means, "I paid $50 for this and waited months, this is what I think".

 

[Allen>B]

I meant people that waited months in anticipation for the game to release and put their hard earned money down to get it.

 

[BrianB]

But that in itself means they're biased - they have different expectations for the game than someone who just happened across it in a shop.

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

But that in itself means they're biased - they have different expectations for the game than someone who just happened across it in a shop.

Agreed. However, their expecations are also justified as they've now made the investment. For someone to not have a vested interest in a game one way or another can bias them as well.

 

[BrianB]

However, their expecations are also justified as they've now made the investment.

No - if someone has been "waited months in anticipation" for a title, frequently their expectations are much higher than they should be.

Face it - everyone who reviews a game has some level of bias.

 

[Romier S]

Face it - everyone who reviews a game has some level of bias.

Hit it right on the head. No such thing as a completely unbiased review. We are all human beings and that being the case our emotions and experience do contribute to our opinions on any product.

The important thing IMHO is not to actively make sure your not being bias but to make sure that
you are aware of what bias you bring to the table and try to write with some level of responsibility despite it.

 

[John_Berger]

Hit it right on the head. No such thing as a completely unbiased review.

Bullsh*t. Nice blanket statement there. Where does this idea come from? I've done a boatload of game, software, and book reviews in recent years and I have absolutely no qualms in calling a spade a spade. If the product sucks, I'll say it, and if it doesn't suck, I'll say that, too. If that means that I don't get any more products from that company, so be it. Honesty comes first. Those of us who do not have a livelihood based on the products of others have no reason to show any kind of bias.

 

[Romier S]

Those of us who do not have a livelihood based on the products of others have no reason to show any kind of bias.

In this hobby of ours that is the absolute most naive statement you can make. Do a simple search on anything relating to any of the current consoles on the market and you'll see exactly how a great many people, whose livelihood has zero to do with these companies, wear thier biases on thier chests like its a fucking badge.

There would be no such thing as a "console war" if your statement had any truth and the fact of the matter is trying to find a good game review that is even handed and fair despite bias is damned hard to come by.

 

[BrianB]

Those of us who do not have a livelihood based on the products of others have no reason to show any kind of bias.

So if you had to review an online only game from Microsoft that's fullframe only with no coop play, you'd give it the review it deserves with zero negative weight because it doesn't meet your own personal gaming preferences?

Everyone has biases. It's not a bad thing, it's part of human nature. Go look up the dictionary definition of it - it wasn't a personal slam against you saying you're "teh bias". It's just that everyone that reviews a game comes with some sort of baggage.

 

[Alanna]

In this hobby of ours that is the absolute most naive statement you can make. Do a simple search on anything relating to any of the current consoles on the market and you'll see exactly how a great many people, whose livelihood has zero to do with these companies, wear thier biases on thier chests like its a fucking badge.

That's the truth!! That's why I completely avoid most video game forums (except for this one - so far). Everyone is *so* console biased. Their console is the greatest, all the others "suck". Flame, flame, flame. Pffftt, I hate console "loyalty" so to speak, its one of the most ignorant things that have been bred out of this great hobby.

And yes, its difficult finding a review that is not biased, and even tougher locating one with the technical information I desire. *sigh* Is it really so hard to mention whether a game supports 720p or not? Or has widescreen options at all? There are so few reviews that bother even mentioning this - probably because most people don't give a flaming fig. Oh well.

 

[Brian Johnson]

Whats this thread about again?
I think the original poster was asking weather or not HTF would do reviews of games like it does for movies.
First, I don't think we NEED reviews on any particular game. Also, with the number of games & consoles out there, it'd almost be impossible.
I think if its a game people want to talk about, then they will. If you have a question about a particular game or would like to tell us what you thought about it, then post a topic about it (assuming one hasnt already been started)
There are plenty of sites that review games, most of those allow people to post their personal thoughts about that game. Once you filter out the asshats, you can get a pretty good idea on weather or not you will like the game. If you're still undecided, I've heard that they rent games now.

 

[Larry Talbot]

"First, I don't think we NEED reviews on any particular game. Also, with the number of games & consoles out there, it'd almost be impossible.
I think if its a game people want to talk about, then they will. If you have a question about a particular game or would like to tell us what you thought about it, then post a topic about it (assuming one hasnt already been started)
There are plenty of sites that review games, most of those allow people to post their personal thoughts about that game."

I don't think you've really been reading this thread. With VERY few exceptions, there are hardly any sites out there that offer game reviews with an HT audience in mind. Even those sites that have been mentioned in this thread have a spotty track record when it comes to clearly stating whether a game supports 480p and 16:9 screens, the two essential factors in HT compatability. Your statment that "with the number of games & consoles out there, it'd almost be impossible" is curious. Do you mean it would be impossible for this site to review every game released for every console? Of COURSE that would be impossible. Which is why most sites DON'T review every game for every console. You seem to be suggesting that unles the HTF can cover every game for every console, it shouldn't even try. That's ridiculous.

While I think Romier has a point, that we all have a certain degree of bias, I think there are degrees. Having an opinion ("I like First Person Shooters" or "I like games with a horror theme") is not the same as "This company gives me games for free and if I give them a negative review they might cut me off" or "I've been waiting for months and months for this game, soaking up all the hype, and I just spent fifty bucks on it so it better meet my expectations" or "I've been waiting for months and months for this game, soaking up all the hype, and I just spent fifty bucks on it so I'm going to find something to like about it no matter what."
Again, a matter of degrees.

As for civility, or a lack of civility, sometimes I think we can be a little too sensitive at the HTF. Yeah, John_Berger used the word "bullshit" in his post, and yeah he is making a very forceful argument, but so what? He's making a strong argument, to which we are free to offer equally strong counter arguments, should we so wish. I do agree that, instead of labeling someone's point "bullshit," it is more polite to simply state WHY you disagree with it - but it isn't the end of the world either. Compared to most of the forums I see out there, this place is very, VERY reserved. Most of the time I think that's a good thing, but I think it can also lead to us being too quick to take mortal offense.

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

I do agree that, instead of labeling someone's point "bullshit," it is more polite to simply state WHY you disagree with it - but it isn't the end of the world either.

Not the end of the world, but a standard that we look to follow at the HTF. And a problem we continually have to deal with so we don't end up like some of those other forums.

 

[Dean DeMass]

OK, my 1st post here in a long, long, long time.

Anyway, the problem with finding sites that mention all the things that people at HTF want to know is this:

Most gamers don't own home theaters like most folks here do, and if they did, most wouldn't care about 480p, 16:9, etc. Why you ask? Here is why... gameplay is #1. I have a pretty nice HT, if the game looks as good as my Finding Nemo DVD but plays like a $2 turd, guess what? I will have nothing to do with it. If a game I want to play is in 5.1, 480p, and is enhanced for my 16:9 Toshiba that is great, but if it isn't, I will not worry too much about it.

I understand that this is a HT site and a lot of the gamers here care about the HT aspect of gaming, the problem is this, most gamers don't. You are in the minority when it comes to gaming.

-Dean-

 

[Romier S]

.

 

[Larry Talbot]

"Most gamers don't own home theaters like most folks here do, and if they did, most wouldn't care about 480p, 16:9, etc. Why you ask? Here is why... gameplay is #1."

Yes, of course gameplay is number one. No thinking person would dispute this. But tell me - what good is gameplay if I can't PLAY the game? I have a Z1 front projector with a VGA input hooked up to my Xbox. This lets me play Xbox games in beautiful detail on my 82-inch wide screen. Ninety-five percent of Xbox games are in 480p but a handful continue to come out ("The Haunted Mansion" seems to be the latest) which aren't, due to lazy coding or whatever. This makes them UNPLAYABLE on my setup, which won't play 480i material through the VGA input, period.
So while it is also a matter of asthetics - interlaced games can look terrible when projected on a large screen - it is FIRST and foremost a matter of whether I can play the game at ALL.
As for 16:9, RPTV sales are soaring and most of those are in 16:9. While your average consumer remains clueless ("What are them black bars doin' on my TV?") 4:3 RPTV sets are nonetheless a dying breed. I think more people are going to want to use the screen real estate available to them, rather than be confined to a 4:3 square in the middle, so this question may eventually prove to be more important to your average consumer than you might think. Even if it doesn't, it will still be important to those of us in the know, and no - that doesn't mean we don't care about gameplay.

"I understand that this is a HT site and a lot of the gamers here care about the HT aspect of gaming, the problem is this, most gamers don't. You are in the minority when it comes to gaming."

Of course. And I think most people here realize that, and aren't expecting Gamespot or IGN to suddenly start optimizing their reviews for the HT crowd. No one is going to do that for us. Which is why it would be nice to do it ourselves - here.

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

The gameplay vs. techspec argument is ongoing on this forum. Ultimately the game needs to be fundamentally sound. However, I think it would be hard to pass a redfaced test and tell someone that the technical presentation doesn't matter. A solid technical presentation may well enhance gameplay - for example, progressive scan or antialiasing making a racetrack smoother and therefor easier to navigate.

 

[Dean DeMass]

Larry and Jay,

Don't get me wrong, I am all for more enhancements to games, but until gamers really voice their opinions about it or developers get on the HT bandwagon, all the goodies we love for our HT's will not be here anytime soon as a standard. If it were up to me, all developers would take a look at games like Splinter Cell, Crimson Skies, Rainbow Six 3, Project Gotham Racing 2 to see how things should be implemented. Sound, graphics, and gameplay are all top notch in those titles. I know all are generally for the X-box, but look what Ubisoft pulled out of the PS2 for Splinter Cell.

Sorry to hear about your gaming rig Larry, it must suck really bad to not be able to play all games on your display.

-Dean-