Even with dozens of reviews for most videogames, high or low-profile, it can always be a challenge for gamers to decide what title to purchase and play next, and as I noted in a prior editorial, even with scores, said reviews oftentimes don’t match up with the actual experience players may have with particular titles. I can name dozens of times I’ve tried games that have gotten wonderful reviews, only to be horribly disappointed due to game-breaking flaws that “professional” reviewers either downplayed our outright neglected to mention in their critiques, and conversely, have played titles that received average or even bad reviews that I actually enjoyed than many gaming “masterpieces.”
The main issue with videogame reviews is that each one represents only one
person’s subjective opinion based on their experience with one particular game,
and while sites such as Metacritic may collect the varying scores reviewers
assign games, that they represent collections of individual biased opinions is
incredibly problematic and unfriendly towards the average consumer. In my
opinion, every player’s experience with videogames is unique, and incomparable
to others, and as an autistic adult, I have a unique perspective of games that
oftentimes clashes with mainstream, mostly neurotypical, opinion, and as a
reviewer, I feel obligated to make my positions clear for likeminded
individuals.
Japanese RPG series such as many Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Megami
Tensei titles do have amazing aspects—there’s absolutely no question about that.
However, many entries of these respective franchises have serious flaws that mainstream,
casual players need to consider before purchase and play, with virtually no
mainstream videogame reviewers, for example, mentioning the total inability to
undo movement or avoid random encounters in the almighty Final Fantasy
Tactics, which I found to be serious issues. There have also been many
instances of such games taking noticeable nosedives in quality in their endgame
sequences, such as the tenth and twelfth main Final Fantasies.
Conversely, there lies the possibility that reviewers could exaggerate trivial
flaws in games, for instance, GameSpot’s review of the game version of Alien:
Resurrection that spent a sizeable time complaining about a first-person control
system that other first-person shooters would adopt. Moreover, I read a review
of Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity that grossly overstated the amount of time
between character dialogues during cutscenes, which conflicted with what I
experienced when I played the game. There’s further the possibility of
reviewers being inconsistent in their opinions, making certain criticisms for
particular games, but neglecting to mention the same flaws when discussing
other titles.
Fear of online harassment also plays a significant role in videogames receiving
more favorable reception that most other media like books and movies, and I can
attest from personal experience that this view isn’t wrong. Many reviewers, sometimes
fans as well, have a tendency to put certain media on pedestals of praise (and
their brethren within the same series on walls of shame) simply because they’re
part of established, “beloved” franchises where specific entries are seen as
among the greatest of all time. Perhaps the single greatest cause of my
conflict with others on the internet has been the view from individuals that
certain books, movies, games, and even themselves, are infallible.
Those who enjoy certain games others may not appreciate as much are definitely
obliged to help those who mightn’t like them enjoy them more, for example, with
tidbits in their reviews such as tips critical to success and enjoyment. Moreover,
a possible solution to the game review dilemma is to have several individuals
collaborate on single reviews, maybe one who liked a game, one who didn’t like
it or didn’t enjoy it as much, one with limited experience with a particular
series, one with lots of experience with a certain franchise, and a consumer
with limited experience playing videogames.
In summation, no person’s experience with certain videogames will be identical
to that of another, something all game reviewers should keep in mind. What games
one person finds easy another may find incredibly difficult. What may not
bother one person when playing a game could seriously irritate another. No two
videogamers are created equally, and reviewers in particular should definitely
keep in mind those with more limited playtime, and help the average consumer to
make more informed decisions when purchasing games. Even if certain games are
perceived to be “masterpieces,” one person’s treasure could very easily be
another’s trash.
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