Curmudgeon git or weary gamer ?

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PlipO

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#1  Edited By PlipO

Recently I have been watching GT’s reviews after many months of absence.   The reviews, as always are well presented, to the point and highlight the best features of games as well as the pit falls.

I have been watching GT reviews for several years (on and off) and the reviews are consistent and some of the best on the net.   The reviewer appears to have a wide knowledge of games and is not afraid to tell the audience if a game is rubbish.   However this opinion is not shared by many of the other GT members.   And they cannot be dismissed as teenagers who know nothing of games.   Even though they (a considerable minority) might lack a depth of experience – they do present their objections with rationale that prompted me to reconsider my opinion of the GT review dude.

 

I wonder if I am just a jaded git who is too willing to believe that most games are not worth my time because they inevitable will play out to be unimaginative and therefore not entertaining.

Many of the GT members seem to bring an innocence and fresh out look to games, an attitude which I am certain that I do not have and lost in the mid to end of the nineties when I realised that most games were unimaginative and not much fun to play.

 

I appreciate GT’s sometimes jaundice perspective on games and also Ben “yahtzee” Croshaw’s, peculiar method to reviewing games because I have learned to sieve through the bile and find good points in the games they review.

It is only of late that I have seriously considered whether I am too willing to accept these reviewers’ opinions as yard stick by which to judge what games to play.

 

Maybe I am an unimaginative curmudgeon that should now consider using my fellow GT members opinions help me consider what games to explore rather than accepting the opinions of professional reviewers.
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Ragdrazi

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#2  Edited By Ragdrazi

Why don't you work on figuring out what you like, Plipo?

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TotalEklypse

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#3  Edited By TotalEklypse

What the hell did I just read?

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PlipO

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#4  Edited By PlipO
@Ragdrazi said:
Why don't you work on figuring out what you like, Plipo?
I use professional review as a guide as to what games to avoid.  I do not allow them to form my whole opinion of games.
I believe I am able to recognise most review bias.
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Ragdrazi

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#5  Edited By Ragdrazi
@PlipO: Then you answered your own question?
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PlipO

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#6  Edited By PlipO
@Ragdrazi said:
@PlipO: Then you answered your own question?
One should not be conceited to the point where he believes - his opinions and thought processes are always correct and therefore do not seek to explore his peers' opinions.
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TanoPrime

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#7  Edited By TanoPrime

Rent game...satisfied curiosity, saves cash and allows you to have an more informed jaded opinion.  Either way, why so serious?  If games suck that much for you, take a break and do something else to pass the time.  Get some sunlight.
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Rolyatkcinmai

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#8  Edited By Rolyatkcinmai

@TotalEklypse said:

What the hell did I just read?
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napalm

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#9  Edited By napalm

KEEP ON, KEEPIN' ON, BRUTHA.

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SlasherMan

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#10  Edited By SlasherMan

You got the wrong site. This isn't GT. This is GB.

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Taklulas

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#11  Edited By Taklulas
@TotalEklypse said:
What the hell did I just read?
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TanoPrime

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#12  Edited By TanoPrime
@Rolyatkcinmai said:

@TotalEklypse said:

What the hell did I just read?

Just walk away.  You can end all of this.  Just walk away and spare yourself.
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Ragdrazi

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#13  Edited By Ragdrazi
@PlipO said:
@Ragdrazi said:
@PlipO: Then you answered your own question?
One should not be conceited to the point where he believes - his opinions and thought processes are always correct and therefore do not seek to explore his peers' opinions.
Yes, sure. But, "Do I like this?" is a question only you can answer.
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Anund

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#14  Edited By Anund

@PlipO said:

Recently I have been watching GT’s reviews after many months of absence. The reviews, as always are well presented, to the point and highlight the best features of games as well as the pit falls.

I have been watching GT reviews for several years (on and off) and the reviews are consistent and some of the best on the net. The reviewer appears to have a wide knowledge of games and is not afraid to tell the audience if a game is rubbish. However this opinion is not shared by many of the other GT members. And they cannot be dismissed as teenagers who know nothing of games. Even though they (a considerable minority) might lack a depth of experience – they do present their objections with rationale that prompted me to reconsider my opinion of the GT review dude.

I wonder if I am just a jaded git who is too willing to believe that most games are not worth my time because they inevitable will play out to be unimaginative and therefore not entertaining.

Many of the GT members seem to bring an innocence and fresh out look to games, an attitude which I am certain that I do not have and lost in the mid to end of the nineties when I realised that most games were unimaginative and not much fun to play.

I appreciate GT’s sometimes jaundice perspective on games and also Ben “yahtzee” Croshaw’s, peculiar method to reviewing games because I have learned to sieve through the bile and find good points in the games they review.

It is only of late that I have seriously considered whether I am too willing to accept these reviewers’ opinions as yard stick by which to judge what games to play.

Maybe I am an unimaginative curmudgeon that should now consider using my fellow GT members opinions help me consider what games to explore rather than accepting the opinions of professional reviewers.

You shouldn't take Yahzee "reviews" as reviews. They are more like comedy bits. I always laugh when I read comments on that page from people saying "Yeah, I knew this game was shit" when, according to him, every game is shit except the first Portal. Again, he's not a reviewer, he's a person who makes witty and sarcastic movies picking apart games. I really enjoy his work, but you can't take what he says seriously.

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SlasherMan

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#15  Edited By SlasherMan
@hckling: Don't forget Silent Hill 2. He considers it the best survival horror game ever (which I'm definitely not in disagreement with).
But yes, Yahtzee "reviews" are for comedic purposes only. I'm surprised a lot of people seem to take them seriously.
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Anund

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#16  Edited By Anund

@SlasherMan said:

@hckling: Don't forget Silent Hill 2. He considers it the best survival horror game ever (which I'm definitely not in disagreement with). But yes, Yahtzee "reviews" are for comedic purposes only. I'm surprised a lot of people seem to take them seriously.

Oh yeah, Silent Hill 2. Didn't he also have a thing for Saint's Row? Maybe I imagined that, hehe.

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fox01313

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#17  Edited By fox01313

Agreed with hckling, the Zero Punctuation videos are best once you've either played the game & know what he's talking about or have 0 interest in the game just to hear him hack it to bits. Though there are a few ones that he seems to critically enjoy & those are the exception. You want real reviews on games, just stick with some place like gamerankings.com for a good collection of reviews from game journalistic sites all over web tp get a great overview from many different places to see most of the good & bad points on a game.

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PlipO

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#18  Edited By PlipO
@SlasherMan
I do agree that Yahtzee's reviews are intentionally comedic however he does highlight flaws in games and do occasionally complements games even if it is done grudgingly.
I do place a lot of value on professional reviewers opinions including the three who work for this site.  A practical reason for this - they are able to play more games than me and have far more in-depth knowledge of games and therefore I use their opinions as guide.  As a result I have dismissed the opinions of any person who I did not recognise as a professional reviewer.
 
I reconsidered my views on professional reviewers' opinions because several recent reviews done by GT was at odds with the opinions of a considerable minority of its members and those members were able to present their arguments with pragmatism yet with an innocence 
(not naivete)  which I believe, I once had but now I am questioning whether my arrogance as a result of playing games that did not live up to my expectations - is causing me to limit my options rather than exploring a wide spectrum of games.
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JoeyRavn

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#19  Edited By JoeyRavn

You've got cynicism, like in that recent South Park episode.

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SlasherMan

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#20  Edited By SlasherMan
@PlipO said:
@SlasherMan: A practical reason for this - they are able to play more games than me and have far more in-depth knowledge of games and therefore I use their opinions as guide.  As a result I have dismissed the opinions of any person who I did not recognise as a professional reviewer.
Do you ever think that maybe that's not always the best way to make your judgements on games when some reviewers are often cynical and jaded?
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This is the right time in the current cycle of consoles to start exploring games that aren't AAA titles or widely praised. There's a lot of games that are a couple years old now and well under $20 USD, which for me at least is the price where I'll buy just about any videogame. Just for example, I bought Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes for $15 on Amazon just because it looked cool. Most reviews say it's boring button-mashy nonsense, but I dig it and never would have played it if I went by everything professional reviewers said.

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Anund

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#22  Edited By Anund

@hckling said:

@SlasherMan said:

@hckling: Don't forget Silent Hill 2. He considers it the best survival horror game ever (which I'm definitely not in disagreement with). But yes, Yahtzee "reviews" are for comedic purposes only. I'm surprised a lot of people seem to take them seriously.

Oh yeah, Silent Hill 2. Didn't he also have a thing for Saint's Row? Maybe I imagined that, hehe.

...I think he liked Infamous 2.

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Dookysharpgun

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#23  Edited By Dookysharpgun
@hckling said:

@PlipO said:

Recently I have been watching GT’s reviews after many months of absence. The reviews, as always are well presented, to the point and highlight the best features of games as well as the pit falls.

I have been watching GT reviews for several years (on and off) and the reviews are consistent and some of the best on the net. The reviewer appears to have a wide knowledge of games and is not afraid to tell the audience if a game is rubbish. However this opinion is not shared by many of the other GT members. And they cannot be dismissed as teenagers who know nothing of games. Even though they (a considerable minority) might lack a depth of experience – they do present their objections with rationale that prompted me to reconsider my opinion of the GT review dude.

I wonder if I am just a jaded git who is too willing to believe that most games are not worth my time because they inevitable will play out to be unimaginative and therefore not entertaining.

Many of the GT members seem to bring an innocence and fresh out look to games, an attitude which I am certain that I do not have and lost in the mid to end of the nineties when I realised that most games were unimaginative and not much fun to play.

I appreciate GT’s sometimes jaundice perspective on games and also Ben “yahtzee” Croshaw’s, peculiar method to reviewing games because I have learned to sieve through the bile and find good points in the games they review.

It is only of late that I have seriously considered whether I am too willing to accept these reviewers’ opinions as yard stick by which to judge what games to play.

Maybe I am an unimaginative curmudgeon that should now consider using my fellow GT members opinions help me consider what games to explore rather than accepting the opinions of professional reviewers.

You shouldn't take Yahzee "reviews" as reviews. They are more like comedy bits. I always laugh when I read comments on that page from people saying "Yeah, I knew this game was shit" when, according to him, every game is shit except the first Portal. Again, he's not a reviewer, he's a person who makes witty and sarcastic movies picking apart games. I really enjoy his work, but you can't take what he says seriously.

Don't forget Arkham Asylum....and I think Fallout, but I'm not really sure....Still despite that, he more often than not hits a lot of points that a lot of serious reviewers tend to miss. I for one hate niggly bits and pieces in a game that, while might not seem like that big a deal, can push you out of the experience. Having said that, Yahtzee have a system whereby even the best games in every standard have to be ripped a new one, that's the danger with writing in his particular style, you can't really tell if he's actually making a valid point, or he's just taking the piss because that's his style...