Why do all game reviews sound the same?

[Moeez]

Whenever a triple A game's reviews come out, they all sound the same. Like Fox News. Everyone sounds like a parrot.

Is this because critics focus on the game as if it's a toy/product, vs its artistic merit? What's good about the game, what's bad about it, bullet points. Is this the fault of using review scales, like 1-10?

This doesn't make sense, compared to film reviews, because playing a game is surely a more subjective experience than viewing a movie.

Are they all paid for? Or are only the highest rated reviews let out first, like Game Informer?

 

[Angry Caterpillar]

Everyone uses numeric scores, for one. Besides that, they're all playing the same game, so they're likely to have the same issues and/or bright spots, unless they have drastically different playing styles.

 

[SNIPERFOX ft. Harry P.Ness]

maybe its because their payed to give a good reveiw?

 

[khaimera]

Why do all people who complain about nothing sound the same?

Reviews for games are similar becuase they cover simlar topics like graphics, gameplay, sound, controls, interface, etc. Whats the point of this thread.

For fun reviews look here for Baby Tea's google image reviews or the thread about time vs enjoyment. I'd link em but I don't feel like it.

 

[Cherry Cola]

Ah, a young person I must teach the value of life to!

For you see, the truth is this:

There are rules about how things are supposed to be done for one single reason.

So that someone can break them.

 

[Chardan]

It all depends on the reviewer themselves, as its thier own opinion. Whether or not they play into a fanboy's desires with a high review doesn't matter, as they themselve may be a fanboy. Also, some companies would rather the highest rated reviews go out first (Ubisoft recently with Creed 2), but honestly most publishers do not attept to influnce the scores, unless you count promotional items (Dante Inferno did this recently).

 

[khaimera]

Ah, a young person I must teach the value of life to!

For you see, the truth is this:

There are rules about how things are supposed to be done for one single reason.

So that someone can brake them.

I see what you did there. Like breaking the spelling rules in your second to last word. Well done my friend. Keep on teaching these youngsters how to get over that which they have no control.

 

[Cherry Cola]

Ah, a young person I must teach the value of life to!

For you see, the truth is this:

There are rules about how things are supposed to be done for one single reason.

So that someone can brake them.

I see what you did there. Like breaking the spelling rules in your second to last word. Well done my friend. Keep on teaching these youngsters how to get over that which they have no control.

Will you believe me if I said it was intentional?

No?

...You nosy bastard!

 

[NewClassic_v1legacy]

Whenever a triple A game's reviews come out, they all sound the same. Like Fox News. Everyone sounds like a parrot.

Is this because critics focus on the game as if it's a toy/product, vs its artistic merit? What's good about the game, what's bad about it, bullet points. Is this the fault of using review scales, like 1-10?

This doesn't make sense, compared to film reviews, because playing a game is surely a more subjective experience than viewing a movie.

Are they all paid for? Or are only the highest rated reviews let out first, like Game Informer?

I'm not sure which reviews you're looking at, but I tend to see a lot of variety in reviewers out there. (Though I might be biased, being a reviewer myself.) I just find it hard to imagine that you think all reviews are structurally similar. A review written by RAKtheUndead is going to focus almost exclusively on how the technical merits translate into functional enjoyment, whereas SimuLord sticks a little bit closer to the emotional side of the fence. Then you have comedians like Yahtzee or professionals like Susan Arendt, who sounds different from other professionals like Russ Pitts or John Funk.

Either way, I'm not sure how I can really say too much more. I'll boil it down to "I disagree. I think there's plenty of variety, if you look around enough."

 

[khaimera]

Ah, a young person I must teach the value of life to!

For you see, the truth is this:

There are rules about how things are supposed to be done for one single reason.

So that someone can brake them.

I see what you did there. Like breaking the spelling rules in your second to last word. Well done my friend. Keep on teaching these youngsters how to get over that which they have no control.

Will you believe me if I said it was intentional?

No?

...You nosy bastard!

Leave my big nose out of this.

I believe you. You are quite clever after all.

 

[Travis Austin]

I think if it's a big franchise people tend to get biased and give it a better score.
Not that it matters 'cause most of them don't know what they're talking about.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

I'll just add this list of cliche review phrases and be on my way.

 

[manaman]

...they all sound the same...

Stupid obvious answer:

Cause you are reading them so of course they all sound like whatever you internal monologue sounds like. Try reading them in funny voices to yourself. Make them all pirates.

Slightly less stupid answer:

Cause you want them to. No seriously, at the end of the day unless you are reading reviews after the game comes out you are going to get review after review that is part of a company the has one goal. Make money. You are reading an entertainment piece based off a game that was given to them so they can say nice things about it. So that you buy it, and everyone is happy except you who shelled out $60 for a mediocre game at best, when some truly excellent games are sitting in the bargain bin.

 

[Srdjan]

They don't sound same at least not to me I don't read fancy big name sites, I look for reviews on some smaller not so fames sites.

 

[SimuLord]

Because game reviewers are pretty far down the hierarchy talent-wise among writers. Because game journalism suffers from major problems with its credibility, it tends to attract the sorts of people who are better at toeing the line and writing corporate propaganda than at actually writing compelling content.

Or, for the less literate among you, "because game reviewers have no talent."

 

[Cyanin]

I don't think ALL critics sound the same, in my opinion there are 4 types of reviews:
1) Yahtzee,
2) Advertisements paid to glorify the decent stuff, completely ignoring the bad,
3) Critics who want to be first to say how SHIT a game is and usually aren't, and
4) Honest critics, probably the most difficult because it doesn't exist, everyones taste is different, so they have to pick a defined side, or no-one respects their opinion.

 

[armaina]

Maybe because all games being released are the same?

... Or at least they're all trying to follow similar trends.

 

[Moeez]

I'll just add this list of cliche review phrases and be on my way.

Thank you so much, that explained a lot.