On Thu, 24 Feb 2022 17:55:34 -0700, PW
<iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:
>On Thu, 24 Feb 2022 17:52:25 -0700, PW
><iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:

>>I just read a review at PC Gamer:

Well, there's your mistake right there! ;-)

Of all the review sites, I tend to give PC Gamer the least
credibility. Their reviewers just don't seem up to the task, they
frequently omit prominent issues, blow up minor problems into major
ones, and overly praise minor features. And after all that, their
scores rarely reflect what the reviews say anyway.

I don't think this is necessarily any sort of corrupt shenanigans
between the publisher and game companies; rather, I think they aren't
hiring very good people. While the style is superior, the analysis of
the games seems only as accurate as you'd find in a typical user
review (I love user reviews, but view them as reliable only in
aggregate). There seems to also be a rather high turn-over in staff -
it seems every month they are announcing a writer or editor leaving or
a new one coming on board - which results in a lack of consistency.
Their reviewers also tend to be younger and more susceptible to the
hype and excitement of a new release.

The PC Gamer imprint does still carry some cachet and this allows them
access that other reviewers may not get, but this itself carries its
own risk; even the most noble of reviewers can't help but be
influenced if he's early review is made under the watchful eye of the
publisher who has wined and dined him. PC Gamer previews are gallingly
awful puff-pieces.

(My favorite example of a PC Gamer preview was for a game - I forget
which one - which praised the game incredibly for 90% of the preview,
then quickly listed a handful of fairly serious issues like crashes or
brain-dead AI in the final paragraph, but assured the reader these
would surely be fixed by the time the game was released... a month
later. While this was perhaps the most extreme, it wasn't altogether
atypical).

As for Elden Ring, I can't comment; I've paid little attention to it
since I the dread words "open world" were associated with it. Open
world games can be wonderful experiences and some of my favorite games
are open world titles, but they are incredible time sinks and very
often their huge expanse of territory only results in repetitive and
grindy gameplay.

Add to that, Elden Ring is a NEW game, and I've no interest any more
in day-one (or even week-one or month-one) purchases, especially if
the game is primarily single-player. Not only does waiting allow the
developer to (hopefully) work out all the inevitable bugs and gameplay
issue, but by waiting a few months (or years), reviews will have a
deeper appreciation of the game's mechanics and value. Plus, the price
will likely drop as time goes by. Impatience only benefits and
emboldens the publisher to release half-baked products.