House

@CoconutSkittle

Echo: Bandana is an EPVL hydra-rotor ZGH from ex-Pill rags.

I'm sure this isn't the greatest game ever, but would it be too much to ask the reviewer to actually play the multiplayer, instead of just complaining about the inability to completely disable it? Some of us like to play games with other people, you know.

@Typicalgamer

Crap, I didn't know this. First no competitive multiplayer in Red Faction Armageddon, and now it's missing from Saints Row 3. C'mon, Volition, you're killing me here.

Despite the game not looking that great, I kind of liked the destruction and the arcade-y orbs. Definitely has a Bulletstorm vibe to it.

Too bad LT stops you from moving. Why would I want to lean in a game like this? And yeah, I understand that I could partially hold the trigger and still be able to move, but that would mean forgetting 10+ years of shooter controls.

@Spunky Monkey 190906 Forums and comments are full of people giving their emotion-filled opinions about games. I can skim those, look at Gamerankings and Metacritic scores, and get a solid idea of whether or not people generally like a game or not. A review like this one is therefore a drop in the bucket, just one dude's gut-level opinion amidst hundreds or thousands or others.

A good review becomes useful to me when I've seen or heard something about a game that makes me think I might like (or dislike) it contrary to the popular sentiment. I'm looking for some more information beyond just "it sucked" or "it's awesome" before deciding whether or not to put down my money.

Eric Qualls' reviews are generally very useful, as an example.

@Spunky Monkey 190906 It wasn't that Joystiq reviewed Nier poorly, as it didn't receive great scores from most reviewers, it's that they didn't review it at all because Mr. McElroy couldn't figure out how to play the game.

@ArnoldPalmerTea Thank you, I got more information from your first two sentences than I did from the entire review.

The reason this is a poor review is that it's all opinion and emotion, leaving me with no idea of whether or not I would enjoy the game. I know Mr. McElroy disliked it, and that isn't useless to know, but he should try to get beyond that and, in a somewhat systematic way, give out some real information.

For example, I know the game has co-op multiplayer, as it has been touted as a major feature, but how does it work? What are the modes, are there any new mechanics, how many people can play together, do they just throw more/tougher bugs at you, how is the network performance and framerate, and does playing with friends make the game more fun?

@brotherdaz I'd forgotten about that. Definitely a low point for this site, as Nier was a great game if you allowed it to be.

No, what was disappointing was this crappy game. We had 4-5 people in the room, trading off playing and watching, which usually makes everything seem more fun, and we barely lasted 10 minutes with this stinker. Total junk, and a horrible advertisement for what I assume (or maybe hope, after Battlegrounds) will be a good game in Armageddon.