Poll: Is Yahtzee serious?

[Alphakirby]

I said yes because there isn't a third option. He's serious when he reviews games,listing the things wrong with detail,but he's also snarky about it and exaggerates every bad thing about a game to insane levels,because that's his thing.

While yes he is serious in his reviews,he still tries to entertain us.

 

[Erttheking]

why the F*** are you asking us? You should ask him, he's the only one that knows for sure

...I think we all know that that will end badly for me. Yahtzee isn't well known for being on good terms with his viewers.

 

[chuckman1]

I'd say he's in the middle so I didnt vote.
He makes valid points but exaggerates for comedy sake.

 

[Kristina.K.]

I think that he uses hyperbole often, though I have a strong feeling that he is serious when it comes down to his key points.

He is a game reviewer. It is his job to be critical, and personal bias is often a huge part of any reviewers' critique. It would be difficult to create an entertaining review without that bias. He has seemed to find decent games out of most of the genres which he seems to hate, but not much other than that. I have no doubt in my mind that he is serious.

After all, why abuse his outlet to give credit to games which he deems crap, and vice versa?

 

[Rangerboy87]

Those that take his opinion seriously though...Well they are the reason we can't have nice things xD

I don't know about that. I do take his opinion seriously when considering whether a game is worth getting or trying out. I have watched enough ZP now that I can figure through tone and what he says whether the game is ok or horrible without him having to give a recommendation.

I'd hope you base your prospective buys on more then just yahtzees approval though

Oh of course...especially on the ones he's ok with...I'll get other reviews and opinions to see what others like or dislike...for the ones he harps on for being horrible...i tend to know what the prospective on those will be

I use Yahtzee as a starting point for games...if his review gets me interested in a game...I'll check it out elsewhere...if his review doesn't...then I usually leave it there

 

[Awexsome]

It's always been meant for comedy first. He'll rip on good games well worth your money and call them shit all the time. But he often puts legitimate criticisms in there to help with the comedy.

He's really more of a entertainer than a reviewer.

 

[Frankster]

I use Yahtzee as a starting point for games...if his review gets me interested in a game...I'll check it out elsewhere...if his review doesn't...then I usually leave it there

That's perfectly fine and dandy I seem to have a bad habit of either using too few words to describe what i mean or too many.

There are quite a few people here who litterally take yahtzees word as the word of god when truth is, most of the time he says things about games which are plain false (from the most recent gow review alone:some fans are saying it's a colorful game which goes directly against yahtzees description of it), and though funny (its the reason we watch him right?), is untrue but you will have silly people mindlessly echoing his opinion and bringing it up.

You see why I might say that those kinda people are the reason we can't have nice things (which btw i never really got what it means but just find it a funny expression <3)? Your case is perfectly fine and "normal", yahtzees influences ya and gives ya ideas, but his word ain't the gospel for ya.

 

[Aelfspranca]

That's perfectly fine and dandy I seem to have a bad habit of either using too few words to describe what i mean or too many.

There are quite a few people here who litterally take yahtzees word as the word of god when truth is, most of the time he says things about games which are plain false (from the most recent gow review alone:some fans are saying it's a colorful game which goes directly against yahtzees description of it), and though funny (its the reason we watch him right?), is untrue but you will have silly people mindlessly echoing his opinion and bringing it up.

You see why I might say that those kinda people are the reason we can't have nice things (which btw i never really got what it means but just find it a funny expression <3)? Your case is perfectly fine and "normal", yahtzees influences ya and gives ya ideas, but his word ain't the gospel for ya.

I find it funny that you don't use a concrete first hand example to prove your point and instead rely on second hand information without using another to back it up. While it's true that no one should use any one source as gospel when it comes to choosing what they themselves like, it's better to trust someone who is being highly-critical of something before you investment instead of someone who glosses over anything relevant and simply attaches a number that theoretically goes from 0-5 or 0-10 but rarely falls below 3 or 7 respectively. What is there to gleam from that? I'm curious that some people don't consider what he does to be reviewing a game when it is clearly what it is he's doing. Maybe most people focus more on what they see in flash than what he's saying.

 

[Frankster]

I find it funny that you don't use a concrete first hand example to prove your point and instead rely on second hand information without using another to back it up.

Tis good to be so easily amused

But i'm puzzled by your request for a first hand example though, example of what? Yahtzee getting it wrong (see gow fans claiming that gow3 is actually quite a bit more colorful then how yahtzee describe it)? Or people parotting yahtzees opinion as their own (this is one thing i really shouldn't need to give examples of)?
I'm a lazy man so don't ask too much of me unless i'm enjoying the conversation.


It's better to trust someone who is highly critical= ah something we can just have a pleasant debate about ^^! I'd argue you the most insightful opinions come from those who share your tastes or that you can relate to, although don't get me wrong there is good value to be had in purely negative judgements, purely positive reviews genuinely tell you very little about the game besides what unique features it might have to draw you in or in the case of some well worded reviews: give you a palpable taste/feel of the game.


As for the rest of your post in regard to reviews giving out scores... Don't want to write too much so will try and sum my stance by saying i do NOT defend rating systems, atm my review utopia would lean more towards different reviewers with different tastes sharing their perspectives, put them together and you get a good overall impression of the game.

As for people not considering zp to be a review show... Could be lack of scores/ratings or the ranty nature of zp that throws people off i guess, who knows.

 

[Frankster]

But i'm puzzled by your request for a first hand example though, example of what? Yahtzee getting it wrong (see gow fans claiming that gow3 is actually quite a bit more colorful then how yahtzee describe it)?

In some forums (hidden long away in a cave somewhere) people claim Hitler was right. Aha! This must mean that Hitler was right because some people said so!

Seriously? You can't just "This aspect of the game isn't bad, look! The fans doesn't say that that aspect of the game is bad! Therefor this aspect of the game isn't bad!" What kind of logic is that?

Did I choose my words so poorly (i should have used "people" instead of fans as i have no clue if they are fans or not, replacing claiming by counter arguing too maybe..) that you genuinely thought that was what I meant or did ya just fancy a passive agressive snipe at me?

Drop the term "fans" if you want, drop any notion the people making the couterclaim are only doing it for fanboy reasons, and actually just flat out say "we played the game and yahtzee is talking outta his ass here for whatever reason".
Sometimes those people are right but get drowned under the chorus of "lol butthurt fanboiz" as ppl have their moment of schadenfreude, what yahtzee said was funny so it has to be true!

 

[Aelfspranca]

But i'm puzzled by your request for a first hand example though, example of what? Yahtzee getting it wrong (see gow fans claiming that gow3 is actually quite a bit more colorful then how yahtzee describe it)? Or people parotting yahtzees opinion as their own (this is one thing i really shouldn't need to give examples of)?
I'm a lazy man so don't ask too much of me unless i'm enjoying the conversation.


It's better to trust someone who is highly critical= ah something we can just have a pleasant debate about ^^! I'd argue you the most insightful opinions come from those who share your tastes or that you can relate to, although don't get me wrong there is good value to be had in purely negative judgements, purely positive reviews genuinely tell you very little about the game besides what unique features it might have to draw you in or in the case of some well worded reviews: give you a palpable taste/feel of the game.

I meant the bit about him misrepresenting the content of a game and using that misrepresentation as a grounds of criticism, a la Gears of War III color/monotone statement. I don't really see many people regurgitating him though I don't go out of my way looking for it or know of anywhere that I might find it to begin with.

The reason I said that hard criticism is a better litmus test to go by than going on the reviews of those who superficially/substantively share your own typical interest is that you will likely not be exposed to anything new, innovative or exciting. As someone who once spent time doing peer reviews and editing, the hardest thing to convince someone was that their artistic wasn't as great or insightful as friend/teacher/mother/father/lover had been telling them for years. While it's good to have support, it's more important to be held accountable when things aren't working. This is sort of the function that Mr. Croshaw and few others occupy in the gaming world.

An example of this for me is God of War. I had never played God of War or any of it's incarnations until about a month of ago when I re-entered the current generation of console gaming. Having heard about this game for years as a great title, I picked up God of War III and the God of War I & II port collection for Playstation 3. I couldn't have been more disappointed. Aside from the very first part of God of War III, I was at a loss to see why anyone else felt this was such an amazing game. I was frequently frustrated by the way weapons were upgraded, quick-time events, level design, camera, quick-time events and of course, bizarre reinterpretation of Greek Mythology. I was befuddled by every aspect of the game. Another example was Devil May Cry 4 which I returned the same day I purchased it.

To me those games both embody the product of the type of peer and consumer review you argue for culminates. Part of it may be that I lack the gene or hormone (or mental illness) that allows people to enjoy mindless violence for the sake of violence and pulp novel story line. Part of it may be that it's time for something fresh that can involve more people than those who simply like to see how many trophies/awards/whatever they're called by completing pointless story-less challenges. I don't believe that sort of thing is really content and I'd bet a lot of others don't either but have a hard time admitting they were wrong by dropping $60USD/CAD, $110AUD, £50 etc. on a new game they'd had so much hope for.

 

[mrdude2010]

he fulfills a role. he's the nitpicky guy who's very difficult to please. i think he is genuinely trying to get game devs to innovate more. i feel like his taking the piss out of every unoriginal fat space marine game and turn-based JRPG with an incomprehensible plot and silly character designs and stagnant character development is his way of saying "cmon guys, pick it up." that and it's hilarious.

 

[Burntpopcarn]

Of course he's serious! He hates everything except Half Life 2 and Silent Hill 2! He's picky as all hell! In short, he's an asshole! But even though he's an asshole who hates every game I like (including some of the really good ones, like Mass effect 2!) I still have a lot of stuff in common with him, including a mutual hate of Call of duty black ops (well most of it cause i like zombies and he hates all of it). i don't hate yahtzee, in fact i think he's the one of the coolest, funniest guys on the internet. and i admit that at times i am an asshole too. but he should probably expect a bit less from games because otherwise he'll hate everything from mass effect 3 to battlefield 3 and every decent game in between.