Thank God, I lost faith in journalism LONG time ago.
People who still read reviews that has a number on it should be skipped either 2/10 or a 10/10.

anyone who hates pc gaming is a moron, fair review or not.

I agree with the review. If I had bought a physical copy, it'd be on the used market now. Props to the marketing department for making me think OMG NEW WITCHER GAME NEED NOW. My main gripe is the length of the game. I was under the impression it would be almost as long as the original, which would have made it worth the money to me. They claimed 40 hours without sidequests, while I completed it in about 30 hours with most sidequests (and lots of dying). Hopefully they decide to flesh out act 3, add a couple more acts, and add plenty of witcher's work with the DLC they've been talking about. Meanwhile, I look forward to playing more Witcher in the future, a year after they've been released and drop in price, as I do with all other games.

I disagree. While I do submit to the fact that he's not a fan of PC games, you can't say "he's not a fan of PC gaming". That's like saying he hates all the people involved with it, which is obviously wrong. I won't even go into that dumb argument that he's a troll, since people are rather relentless about that sort of thing. He's good humored, unlike a lot of reviewers who take it all dead seriously and suffer for it. I truly doubt Destructoid really needs hits that bad. I met with Hamza at PAX East (he's one of the site managers) and the fact that they were taking out chunks of time to have big meet-ups shows me that they're not all about the latest coverage and site hits.

Guys this is no surprise. Destructoid is well known for for its PC hate. Console elitists RUN that web site.

- 6/10 for TW2
- 7/10 for DA2

that alone disqualifies Destructoid as a serious reviewing site for me.

One can criticize TW2, fine, but let's be at least somewhat objective doing so ^.^

The only review that matters is Zero Punctuation from The Escapist. =D

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.

The Escapist :

DA2 - 5/5 (or 10/10, I can't remember), instant GOTY according to them !!

Peeeeeerfect game, just perfect I tell you, now all you haters, shut up, will ya ^.^

and Yathzee's didn't age well -.-

Good wine mellows over time, he just turned into unremarkable, common vinegar.

Thank you, Billyblaze.

I read the closing comments.Its fails on so many ways.

"At times, Assassins of Kings is good. Great, even. For the most part though, it's just okay. It does the job and wastes some time, while providing no lasting impression or unforgettable experience. There are just far more fun and intensely more rewarding ways of wasting time"

Like mashing A X and and other buttons on your console controller jimmy boy?

How much cash do you get from EA for saying stuff like that?

Oh is your opinion jimmy boy? Im sorry its just you get that card out when your comments/drivvle are controversial with intent.

Even the Epic Battle Axe guys think your an arse.
lol indeed

I still cant believe we're actually debating the merits of someone who says he *likes* the QTE's.

He thinks they make the fistfight mini-game *exciting*.

Thats one of the few positives he chose to bring away from The Witcher 2.

The QTEs.

Well, fine, but why would you leave a racing game aficionado to review cRPGs then for your site ? or vice versa ?

That doesn't sound like a very serious site to me.

Just saying.

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.

Yahtzee (Zero Punctuation) slams Dragon Age 2 pretty hard, you could tell he really didn't like the game. He is not the one that gave DA2 5 stars.

Anyways I thought my =D would have made it obvious why I think Zero Punctuation's review is the only one that matters.