08.21.07
On Game Reviews
Essay Week 2007 runs from August 20 to August 24, 2007. Each day I’ll present a short essay on a topic of concern to me; as you may already have noticed, though, I have the option of including a pre-essay post giving updates on ongoing life events if necessary. Some of the elements in these essays may be controversial; I hope, however, that most will be well-regarded and at least read with an open mind. If you have anything to say about them, please feel free to leave a comment; I read them all, even if I may not respond due to time or other concerns. We’re staying in a gaming mood today, talking a little bit about game reviews and how they can or should be improved.
Last week, a friend of mine was a bit disappointed and quite discouraged by some reviews he’d seen about a particular DS title. The criticism in question focused around what was perceived as weak writing and a generally overcliched storyline. Now, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume that my friend was upset because he was a fanboy and had some unnatural and improper attachment to the game; but, of course, you’d be completely and totally wrong in this case… Read the rest of this entry »