People freak out over Gamespot GTA V review

[SeventhSigil]

I really can't imagine why these sites continue to subject themselves to this backlash by continuing to bother having numerical scores in the first place. Let's face it, the review's mild criticism wouldn't have been met with such whiny rage if there hadn't been a useless scoreboard that spurred them into their indignation.

Reviews should be objective? Even by that logic, GTA5 shouldn't get a 10/10; by that logic, in fact, no game should EVER get a perfect score. Perfection is an ideal, not a reality. There's always going to be bugs, glitches, nitpicking issues that detract from perfection. The decision to score a game Perfect is just as subjective as the matter being discussed here.

Look at IGN; they gave it a 10, but did note that due to the sheer scope of it, there were sporadic issues with the framerate during hairy segments.

Now, subjectively speaking, you could acknowledge the excellent technical achievement in creating such a sophisticated digital world, taking the requirements on the hardware into account. Subjectively, you might even decide it doesn't impact your enjoyment one whit. OBJECTIVELY speaking, it's still a flaw, and should have docked at least half a point from the score, regardless of how stellar the rest is.

But of course, imagine the backlash if IGN HAD. 'WTF, Skyrim was WAY buggier!' 'You barely notice when the framerate drops!' 'Fuckin Saints Row shill!'

Oh, who am I kidding. The sites add numbers so they can get page views from the folks who don't bother reading reviews. -_-

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Personally, the criticisms in the review is not enough to prevent me from buying it. There are parts I'm not exactly looking forward to, such as an apparent segment where you waterboard a Middle Eastern individual for information, I have no doubt- And these reviews don't even pretend to claim otherwise- That the game's successes will far outweigh any small narrative failures.

In a time where there is concern that game review outlets are being bought and paid for by publishers, where money is whispered to be changing hands to improve the scores of games, we should actually cherish people who are able to find criticism in even spectacular titles, not chase them from the industry. Because if things continue like this, either we're going to be left with vapid, nodding yes-men who universally praise everything to avoid pissing off the inevitable cascade of angry readers... Or the reviewers being hunted like witches will inevitably just start taking bribes.

Less people whining on your site AND free stuff? Yes please!

 

[In Search of Username]

Ugh,these people. Fucking hell guys. 9/10 is an EXTREMELY GOOD SCORE. Rampant misogyny is an adequate reason to knock off ONE FUCKING POINT.

Yeah, I'm gonna avoid the internet for a while, too many frickin' crazies these days. Hey maybe I'll just go enjoy the game people are getting so worked up about instead.

 

[Kaendris]

Yah, this is really getting blown out of proportion.

Love the people that called her a lesbian, or a tranny, or a man in disguise. Really making me want to stop identifying as a gamer. Scum of the earth some of them.

She commented on the misogyny present in GTA. Everyone acknowledges it is there. She takes issue with it. That is her right. A 9/10 is a perfectly acceptable score.

What I want to know is why does it have to be a 10/10? Why is this important to the screechers demanding it? Did you place bets on this thing in Vegas? Are you somehow linked to Rockstars' development team, after an angry email went out saying anything less than a 10 meant game developing from Siberia? Why is it important? Why are you so invested?

I hate that my hobby of choice, my childhood passion, is populated by people I would not walk within 10 feet of.

 

[Generic4me]

The internet man in me half agrees with both sides. While it is her opinion on what she thinks of the game, her feelings on whether the "misogyny" is real and a detriment to the game is more of a political belief, and doesn't really belong in a review. Again, it is HER review, but this is a big-name review website, they really should keep their political opinions to themselves, regardless of whether I agree with them or not.

Of course the normal human in me reasons that this is another example of whiny, entitled gamers making a HUGE deal over nothing and taking their precious videogames far too seriously. Yes, don't agree with her, no, don't make death threats or insult her lifestyle choices.

I mean, fuck, to play this fucking game you have to be 17. SEVENTEEN. And we can't even act like it for 12 hours after the game comes out?

This is disgusting.

 

[Otaku World Order]

OH NO! A MAJOR GAME THAT ISN'T RELEASED YET DIDN'T GET A PERFECT SCORE! PANIC!! EVERYBODY PANIC!!

And we wonder why people think gamers are immature assholes.

 

[ERaptor]

Apart from the fact that no Game ever should score a 10/10, and thus a 9/10 is pretty much saying it's almost perfect:

Did people get worked up because of the score, or the fact that she complained about the whole female-potrayal-thing? If the last thing's the case, that's like yelling at a Suda 51 game because of all the Innuendo. Or at Mario because hes an italian plumber that smashes his head against blocks and has a thick accent. It amazes me, that people still get worked up about comments like that, in a time where you cant even look at basic X-Box-Live Arcade Games without some Shriek screaming that it's somehow sexist and/or racist.

@the one that posted the Youtube-Comments:

It's youtube. Be honest, did you expect anything BEYOND "Lets find out where she lives and rape her, because she rated this game ALMOST perfect!"? Youtube's Commentsection is as close as you can get to Internet-Hell.

 

[Stephen St.]

its not a case of what you said above, its a case of her not understanding the tone of the game. Sure id be really pissed of in a game like "the last of us" if it portrayed women in a bad light but this is grand theft auto. A series which is famed for being a hive of scum and villainy. Its something that should be expected, you are not supposed to play as three "would be heroes" but instead you play as 3 thieves who will do anything to get the score (including killing people)

I think we can all accept that GTA wasnt going to be the pioneer of strong female roles in gaming. I dont have a problem with strong women roles in fact i think it will add some variety although GTA is not the place for it. The fact that the reviewer even mentioned this topic made her seem very naive and a little bit preachy

Who cares if she "understood the tone of the game"? She gave her opinion on that part of game design and stated that it took away from her fun. Maybe because, you know, she is female and would like to have a character to identify with. How is that not a valid review point?

Sure it has something to do with her political views. But it's hardly pushing an agenda. The only reason people get upset at all is because she explained that one problem she had in a little more detail than just "it kind of soured the game for me". Trigger words were used, and now her personal enjoyment of the game, which she is supposed to be rating on becomes a political agenda.

Did people get worked up because of the score, or the fact that she complained about the whole female-potrayal-thing? If the last thing's the case, that's like yelling at a Suda 51 game because of all the Innuendo. Or at Mario because hes an italian plumber that smashes his head against blocks and has a thick accent. It amazes me, that people still get worked up about comments like that, in a time where you cant even look at basic X-Box-Live Arcade Games without some Shriek screaming that it's somehow sexist and/or racist.

I disagree. Read the actual review text.

it?s deeply frustrating that, while its central and supporting male characters are flawed and complex characters, (...), GTA V has little room for women...

Do you see anything in this sentence about the "tone" of the game? Is "one-dimensional female characters" an integral part of the GTA series' identity?

GTA V is an imperfect yet astounding game that has great characters and an innovative and exciting narrative structure, even if the story it uses that structure to tell is hobbled at times by inconsistent character behavior, muddled political messages and rampant misogyny.

This is rating the story based, in part, on it's political message. I would think this is how you are supposed to rate a story. Sure you may disagree withe the weight the reviewer ascribes to certain parts of the story, but since those are laid out here. you can make an informed decision.

Seriously the only problem I see with this part of the review is that her criticism of the mysogony part takes up about 2 paragraphs of a 2 page review. Maybe that is focusing a bit too much on the issue.

 

[Caiphus]

Oh that's nothing, why not post the review that called GTA V misogynist & sexist trash but still gave it a 9?

I swear, gamers want "honest reviews" until the game is hyped to hell and back and then they want 10/10s.

How can we complain about review inflation when we are actively forcing this?

This is one of the most infuriating parts of this mess. I don't know if it's the same people complaining, but there was a Jimquisition episode on dissonance this week. Well, this is cognitive dissonance.

If the reviews are too high, well that won't do. The reviewers are in bed with the publishers and it's all a big scam. We had a thread here claiming that reviewers are morally bankrupt just a few days ago for this same reason (not speaking to the quality of that thread, some of the points raised were fair enough.)

But then if reviews are too low, then the reviewers are just click-baiting or trolling. Or horribly wrong. Or biased. Or clearly inept and need to be fired.

And reviews need to be objective. Unless the reviewer feels like lavishing praise on your favourite game. Then he can go right ahead and put his opinions everywhere. But if the reviewer actually didn't like the game? Well that's just fucking unlucky for him; he needs to be objective God damnit.

It's frankly ridiculous.

Edit: And the review is almost overwhelmingly positive!

I mean, read the summary:

Grand Theft Auto V is an outrageous, exhilarating, sometimes troubling crime epic that pushes open-world game design forward in amazing ways.

How is that deserving of any kind of backlash?

 

[havoc33]

Look, I can understand what she is saying, but then again, this is GTA and you should know what to expect. Can't we just let boys be boys for a while, even in a fictive world? All this sexism hysteria is getting on my nerves. I'm not kicking and screaming either of the fact that most television shows nowadays cater more to women than men (due to revenue from advertising). I realize there is more arenas we can get our entertainment from, so I can accept it.

Yesterday there was published a report here in Norway that shows that due to the heavy feminist turn in our society, boys have started to change their behavior pattern. You will now see boys more likely to hold hands, and more likely to be emotional and talk openly about their feelings, traits that traditionally are more linked to the female sex. Before this report was published, it was already well known that Norwegian and Swedish adult males are amongst the most feminine in the world.

Not that this needs to be bad per say, but I do find it somewhat troubling, as there seem to be a shift where there is less room for the traditional male behaviour and values. And as the report concludes as well, there are negative consequences already being seen from this shift, as many teenage boys are left feeling confused and left out, no longer being confident about how to express themselves in society, as for some this feminist shift goes against their nature.

 

[Mr F.]

Right.

So.

Can people stop saying that a lot of gamers have issues with women and transsexuals now? Just go look at those comments and shit. Jesus. That is pathetic. Any form of defense of these behaviours is pathetic.

"GTA V is bad because it features prostitutes and hookers"

its not a case of what you said above, its a case of her not understanding the tone of the game. Sure id be really pissed of in a game like "the last of us" if it portrayed women in a bad light but this is grand theft auto. A series which is famed for being a hive of scum and villainy. Its something that should be expected, you are not supposed to play as three "would be heroes" but instead you play as 3 thieves who will do anything to get the score (including killing people)

I think we can all accept that GTA wasnt going to be the pioneer of strong female roles in gaming. I dont have a problem with strong women roles in fact i think it will add some variety although GTA is not the place for it. The fact that the reviewer even mentioned this topic made her seem very naive and a little bit preachy

Women are just as capable of psychotic evil as men. Seriously. Her criticisms of how shallow the female characters are in comparison to the male characters are valid. The statement that it comes across like the game has a problem with men is valid.

Well, This thread is going to spiral south. Better start digging my trench.

Please, someone, glide in and tell me why I am wrong.

 

[Teoes]

On top of all the above comments, it needs to be pointed out that that's the YouTube comments section. In fact I'd be tempted to ignore all prior points and say "YouTube comments section - enough said". In many ways they make 4chan look respectab- no, I can't finish that with a straight face. But they're scum.

 

[Stephen St.]

On top of all the above comments, it needs to be pointed out that that's the YouTube comments section. In fact I'd be tempted to ignore all prior points and say "YouTube comments section - enough said". In many ways they make 4chan look respectab- no, I can't finish that with a straight face. But they're scum.

Well, just look at the comments in this thread. More elaborate, maybe, but no less terrible at times. Case in point:

Look, I can understand what she is saying, but then again, this is GTA and you should know what to expect. Can't we just let boys be boys for a while, even in a fictive world? All this sexism hysteria is getting on my nerves. I'm not kicking and screaming either of the fact that most television shows nowadays cater more to women than men (due to revenue from advertising). I realize there is more arenas we can get our entertainment from, so I can accept it.

Yesterday there was published a report here in Norway that shows that due to the heavy feminist turn in our society, boys have started to change their behavior pattern. You will now see boys more likely to hold hands, and more likely to be emotional and talk openly about their feelings, traits that traditionally are more linked to the female sex. Before this report was published, it was already well known that Norwegian and Swedish adult males are amongst the most feminine in the world.

Not that this needs to be bad per say, but I do find it somewhat troubling, as there seem to be a shift where there is less room for the traditional male behaviour and values. And as the report concludes as well, there are negative consequences already being seen from this shift, as many teenage boys are left feeling confused and left out, no longer being confident about how to express themselves in society, as for some this feminist shift goes against their nature.

Let "Boys be boys", seriously? Being mysogonistic is just a "thing boys do" now? Is that supposed to be "part of the fun"?

Also you are equating traditional values with good values, and are thinking that teenagers confused about their identity and self expression are somehow not normal, but instead caused by a feminist agenda. You might also be surprised to hear that your "traditional male values" are not quite as traditional as you might think. Just take a look at the poetry of the early 19th century, for example.

 

[Caiphus]

On top of all the above comments, it needs to be pointed out that that's the YouTube comments section. In fact I'd be tempted to ignore all prior points and say "YouTube comments section - enough said". In many ways they make 4chan look respectab- no, I can't finish that with a straight face. But they're scum.

Which is the status quo, frankly, yes.

Although the gamespot comments section of the review has also gone completely bonkers. It's just topped 14,000 comments. In a day. Which makes our White Guy Defence Force shitstorm look rather small potatoes in comparison.

Edit: More like a shit-breeze, really.

Further edit:

Well, just look at the comments in this thread. More elaborate, maybe, but no less terrible at times. Case in point:

Oooh, come now. Some of the comments have been a bit on the naughty side, yes. But we've hardly had people flinging terrible insults at the reviewer, nor demanding that she be fired.

 

[Samantha Burt]

Come on people we knew this would happen. It happens with basically every big time release that has ever happened.

I don't see how it affects them though. Just because some guy that gets paid to review games gives it a 9/10, doesn't mean that it has to be a 9/10 game for everybody who plays it.

A review needs to be objective and based solely on the whole of the game itself- concept, gameplay, graphics, sound, story/plot. Nowhere in that calls for one's personal bias or opinion, we want to know if the game is good, not what a person "thinks" of it's subject matter.

If a person doesn't understand the difference between the two, they have no business reviewing anything.

Jim Sterling did an objective review. I link it here for your perusal.

OT: Are we still surprised by this? Sure as birds are dinosaurs and things move towards heavier things, fanboys will defend stuff and... anti-fanboys(?) will attack stuff. No review will please everyone, just as no game will. Personally, I think we need to make less of a deal over these things.

 

[ERaptor]

Did people get worked up because of the score, or the fact that she complained about the whole female-potrayal-thing? If the last thing's the case, that's like yelling at a Suda 51 game because of all the Innuendo. Or at Mario because hes an italian plumber that smashes his head against blocks and has a thick accent. It amazes me, that people still get worked up about comments like that, in a time where you cant even look at basic X-Box-Live Arcade Games without some Shriek screaming that it's somehow sexist and/or racist.

I disagree. Read the actual review text.

it?s deeply frustrating that, while its central and supporting male characters are flawed and complex characters, (...), GTA V has little room for women...

Do you see anything in this sentence about the "tone" of the game? Is "one-dimensional female characters" an integral part of the GTA series' identity?

GTA V is an imperfect yet astounding game that has great characters and an innovative and exciting narrative structure, even if the story it uses that structure to tell is hobbled at times by inconsistent character behavior, muddled political messages and rampant misogyny.

This is rating the story based, in part, on it's political message. I would think this is how you are supposed to rate a story. Sure you may disagree withe the weight the reviewer ascribes to certain parts of the story, but since those are laid out here. you can make an informed decision.

Seriously the only problem I see with this part of the review is that her criticism of the mysogony part takes up about 2 paragraphs of a 2 page review. Maybe that is focusing a bit too much on the issue.

I have read the Review. And as you stated, she donates 2 entire Paragraphs to the whole Sexism thing. It's GTA, so im sure there arent only females portrayed rather stereotpyical. I mean, in San Andreas you play as a Black Man, whos first mission in the Game is to steal a Bike. In Vice City (I think it was Vice City, could've been San Andreas as well, im not sure) you had Homosexuals displayed as overly flamboyant and with a way over the top "Gay Guy"-Voice. It just isnt a series where i would search for grand political message. And just focusing on the Sexism-thing _again_, just came over to me like she was desperately searching for something to criticize. This doenst justify the Backslash it got, but as previous posters stated, Reviewers cant make it right for everyone.

 

[-Dragmire-]

So recently Gamespot's review of GTA V came out. The reviewer made some complaints about sexist elements in the game, which influenced the final score that enraged viewers, an insulting, degrading, undeserved score of...9/10? Seriously? Gamespot gave the game a 9/10 and people are freaking out about it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABiPHyaKgTw

This is...I just...guh. I don't want to lose my temper so I'm just going to ask some questions.

1. How can you argue that a score is incorrect when they have played the game and you haven't?

2. If you by some miracle actually got the game, why do you care what someone else thinks about it?

3. Why is a near perfect score a bad thing?

Sorry injecting your political opinions into reviews isn't something an objective review should include.

A review is about gameplay elements. Not fucking "MUH FEELINGS" bullshit.

Hurt feelings is not a part of a game.

Gaming as well as all other media entertainment is focused on the emotional manipulation of the audience. Games have the added aspect of interactivity with the media which provides the artists with another tool to make people feel a certain way while playing. The interactivity is used along side classical methods of emotional engagement like spectacle, music and story.

As much as people would like to point at the GTA series as "just a sand box", the games also have a focused narrative. During these narrative sections, both the gameplay and story follow a designated path as designed by the developers(diverging from this would result in some kind of game over/mission failure). Should a review ignore entire sections of the game the reviewer was emotionally invested in it(for better or worse)?

The purpose of a review is explain the experience the reviewer had while playing it. Their experience should be all inclusive from the more objective side (like how the controls felt/how responsive they were, notable bugs or glitches etc..) to the full on subjective (character overview, music, art style, notable themes etc..). Both parts are important to help the widest quantity of people to come to a purchasing decision.

A good reviewer will fully explain their reasoning for faulting the game for subjective reasons, this allows the readers to compare their own line of reasoning to that of the reviewer. If the reader decides that the listed subjective faults do not align with their own views, they can safely disregard those faults and be more confident in their decision to purchase the game. If the reader is of a similar opinion to the reviewer and they also view that subjective fault as one that makes the purchase of the game less appealing(or a complete no-buy), then they will at least be more comfortable in holding off on the game purchase until a price drop so that they don't waste money buying a game they may not enjoy.