It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Community
The Witcher 2DESTRUCTOID Review(152 posts)(152 posts)
(152 posts)
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
This is my favourite topic
Posted May 23, 2011
I shook my head at lackluster story and clichéd setting.

If he walked away from this game thinking that the QTEs were pretty neat and nothing else then I do not value his opinion.

This same person gave Deadly Premonition a 10 because he felt it was so hilariously bad.
Posted May 23, 2011
I'm not part of this "majority" that hate's QTE's, don't really understand why they're so disliked. Oftentimes they lead to dramatic sequences, like in the kayran fight.

I don't love them, but if there were things about Witcher2 I'd complain about or want fixed, QTE's wouldn't even be on the list. ~shrug. I wouldn't want CD Projekt to remove them, that's for sure.
Posted May 23, 2011
avatar
billyblaze: Let me finish this thread so y'all riled up folks can get back to playing.

I'm neither a regular Destructoid reader (it's not in my RSS feeds) nor am I in any way affiliated with Sterling. But I do write reviews and I feel like a glimpse behind the neural curtain might help you not to get terrimad at review scores that don't translate to your love for a game.


a) Reviewing games is not a science. Jim Sterling doesn't call himself a journalist, which is more than self-proclaimed "professional game journalists" can say for themselves. He admits time and time again that he has only his opinion to give and that alone should earn him a modicum of respect by the raving madmen in Destructoid's comment section.


b) I actually agree with most of what he says, but I would've given the game something north of 8/10 easily after playing through it 1.8 times. How can this be, you ask? It's because my fondness for RPGs and the fact that I'm constantly starved for a good one allows me to ignore a lot of crap to get my fix. Combat hard? I don't care! I literally played on hard right out of the gate. I got my ass kicked all over the place for hours on end and loved every masochism-ridden second of it. This is where I would've called it "refreshingly challenging", but because Jim Sterling is not the RPG-nolifer-neckbeard that I am, he's calling it as he sees it. Balancing issue.


And he's not wrong, our priorities simply diverge. While he's near tears because he has to finish the game for this review, I'm fapping furiously because all I wanted for a long time was for a game to bend me over and show me who's daddy.

To drive that point home in a crass manner: If you'd pit me against a racing game aficionado, his review would always look more favorable since he wouldn't include "WHY DO I NEED BRAKES" in his list of criticisms.



Do you see how the notion of "objectivity" falls apart in a taste-driven industry like gaming? It's hit or miss. My suggestion is, if you want to get something out of a review, stick with a handful of reviewers to follow - only if you can compare their general taste to a certain review can you extrapolate enough for you to decide whether a game is worth your time.
All this except the objectivity comment...it's easy enough to maintain a balance between objectivity and subjectivity if you're well suited for a particular review...I just don't think he is so it doesn't translate well.
Posted May 23, 2011
It's no worry.

Point taken about the fanboy/girl comment.

Still, for the sake of honesty, his conclusion should have presented a stronger reflection of his bias/prejudices towards the genre (rather demanding/"oldschool" cRPGs), because it seems obvious to me that the guy forced himself playing the game from the beginning to the end.

If I was bored to tears playing Europa Universalis III, or Starcraft II, because I didn't like the wargame or RTS genres, would my reviews be any fairer ? Would they suddenly make the games objectively any worse ? I don't think so.

At the very least I would mention at the end that I am unable to properly assess all the qualities of such games, or would revise my judgment at the light of another, more qualified (passionate ?) reviewer.

Anyway, you seem to be level-headed. Thank you for contributing to this thread.

I think I would enjoy reading some of your reviews in the future.


avatar
billyblaze: I agree. I wouldn't. You won't always have access to the biggest appreciator of any given franchise to review stuff for you though, sadly. And you don't want fanboys that lack all perspective to do it either - It's a thin line.

I didn't use that example with much care. I was going for a "RPG is a niche genre and Sterling is DToid's most prolific reviewer so they have to tightrope their way between his damn solid writing and lack of appreciation for certain RPG facets" thing but lost the thread halfway through. It's late. I'm tired. Might or might not be drunk. If this thread is still kicking tomorrow I'll crap a more nuanced oeuvre your way.
My (very) bad.

Big time for me to hop to bed I guess ^.^

avatar
eisberg77: Anyways I thought my =D would have made it obvious why I think Zero Punctuation's review is the only one that matters.
Post edited May 23, 2011 by nissa
Posted May 23, 2011
avatar
SlackerSupreme: I'm not part of this "majority" that hate's QTE's, don't really understand why they're so disliked.
There are a few instances where you go from having complete control into a staged sequence where you may not be expecting to have to press a button and miss it leading to instant death. It's the lack of control that people don't like.

As for fistfights, you know that the interface involves pressing W,A,S,D so there is no confusion. I don't get people's issue with that.
Posted May 23, 2011
Aha! i found a video of Jim Sterling doing the whole review! in here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCjzA-C647o

Now everything is clear to me :D
Post edited May 23, 2011 by therpgstore
Posted May 23, 2011
People still read that site? I thought it went belly up after they got nailed taking kicks for reviews like IGN does.
Posted May 23, 2011
People are giving a break to a reviewer who is well known, and admits as much, to generate this type of controversy solely to increase page hits, and revenue for the site. I LOVED, loved, LOVED Dtoid for 3 years, until you saw them as the mess that they are today. Whilst stil being independent, it's extremely sad to see such a decline of a site where 100's, if not thousands of gamers once called thier online home. Most of the bile was brought forth then no other then sterling, who rose in the ranks of the editors. The comment section themselves has former editors outright criticize him for his purposefulness and deliberate trolling style. Most of the old guard, (former Dtoid commenter's) have long left the site due to him and how he tarnished what we all loved about the site.

He openly mocks commenters, and you will see in that thread his slavish 'followers' who defend him like a religious figure. Time after time he has mocked the people who don't like him, stating that their page hits pay for his new TV, or how he moved to america thanks to them. He has repeatedly ran articles bemoaning PC gaming, pc gamers and as evident by his review, PC games. Pc gaming is usually such an easy target for him, since we all know how the gaming press views it, by large. Take a dive into his feature history, between his insulting of other demographics, he has a special, hateful place for PC gaming.

This review has been engineered for the controversy, nothing else. Rather then allowing the two (yes two) PC gamers on the staff to review a game exclusive to a platform that is radically different then any other gaming one, they chose a guy who mocks us, pc games, and is well (WELL) known on the internet to be inflammatory, derogatory, trollish and spiteful, all to further his own ego.

I don't hate the guy, he has wrote some excellent, excellent articles (see his xbox live racist one) in the past and really has a way with words, part of me is still a fan of his. Yet his bad side massively outweighs the good one.

Please don't defend this man, there is nothing left to defend. Rather we PC gamers read reviews that do make sense, and are not prejudiced against us. Lets move on and not give attention to a man that so clearly does everything he can for it.

TW2 has flaws, both big and small, but to give such a score to a game that gives much more pleasure then (fixable) pain, is nothing but a travesty.
Post edited May 23, 2011 by mushy101
Posted May 23, 2011
avatar
mushy101: People are giving a break to a reviewer who is well known, and admits as much, to generate this type of controversy solely to increase page hits, and revenue for the site.
Indeed, he's very blunt and honest about it. This man said it best in the comments section of the review:
Jim doesn't have an opinion. He has an agenda. If a game is scoring highly on Metaciritc, it is his sworn duty to troll the game to hell and back with a bad review in a desperate attempt to bring this website more views.
He is all about page views, and he says bluntly that he writes solely to get people to click. He knows that by providing the first negative Witcher 2 review he will get a ton of threads like this one linking to it and saying "look at this fucking review!" Just like you have to remember when watching the news on TV that every thing they do is about ratings you have to remember with news websites that every thing they do is about page views.

He's free to do it, you can't blame the guy. What I do dislike is that his reviews are posted on metacritic.
Posted May 23, 2011
Entirely valid complaints, but yeah game is definitely better than a 6/10 will likely be 9+ once they've smoothed it's issues out and released more content for it. Wouldn't call the guy a moron at all though.
Posted May 23, 2011
avatar
Oddhermit: Wouldn't call the guy a moron at all though.
The more I read about him on the interwebs, the more comfortable I am calling him precisely that, for reasons that have nothing to do with this review.
Posted May 23, 2011
avatar
Skoltnik: So if i dont like something you like, im a moron? Great...
avatar
NewYears1978: No. But it is true that this review sucks. There are some valid things said in the actual review..but the score of 6/10 is ridiculous.
reviews are based on opinions and are therefore subjective. why is it ridiculous?

Look at trends to better serve your needs
Posted May 23, 2011
Pretty accurate review.

Good but not great game.
Painful early on
Even more painful for those it crashes every 5-10 min
Gets better as you go
Combat is unenjoyable early on, but gets passable
Voices, horrible

Hopefully, there will be a 3.
Posted May 23, 2011
Read the review. I honestly don't think this guy takes his job seriously. So I don't take the review seriously.
Posted May 23, 2011
avatar
mastorofpuppetz: http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-201752.phtml?s=139#comments

This guy is an idiot. Many sites praising this game calling it one of the best in the genre, this guy is a moron.
I agree with him for the most part although I'd give TW2 7/10 (with potential for more).
CDP and European developers in general have a huuuuge problem with QA on all levels and anyone claiming otherwise is a deluded fanboi.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
This is my favourite topic
Community
The Witcher 2DESTRUCTOID Review(152 posts)(152 posts)
(152 posts)