Game News South Park: The Stick of Truth goes gold, gets 13 minute gameplay video and glowing previews

[Lhynn]

Hormalakh Reviews dont work like that in the codex, the whole community reviews it, so actually giving good impressions about something that the majority has rated as shit will be a blow to the reviewers credibility and will amount to little else.

 

[Duraframe300]

Ban Hormalakh


Seriously dude. You've declined from someone I've actually enjoyed reading to the most annoying shitposter on the codex.

 

[LibertyRansom]

IMO, Codex should start a section of the website doing video game reviews.

Yes, I know we would all disagree with them but ... generally the critical codex consensus gets whether a game is a incline or decline. Getting the Codex review listed and aggregated on Metacritic would help incline games and hurt decline games.

 

[SuicideBunny]

If you paid money for something, you're more likely to try to justify the purchase.

justify to whom? i don't have to justify my purchases to anybody. trying to tell myself that something is more enjoyable than it actually is for me because i spent money on it would be some pretty fucked up denial on my part.
if i spent money on a game i compare it to what i could have gotten for that money instead, which in turn tends to emphasize the game's flaws. if the game has no redeeming qualities that override those for me, it becomes pretty damning because

• i spent money on it that i could have used to buy groceries or go out on a nice (thanks to potatoland prices) date
• i spent time on it which i could have used better including earning more money or going on a date and
• i am more stressed out than i was when i started playing it meaning i now have to find some form of entertainment to relax

pretty sure it's the same for other people as evidenced by 1usd apps that are trite still being somewhat popular, people buying humble bundles for cheapish even if they are full of games they don't want, popularity of all you can eat buffets, mystery movie nights with reduced ticket prices or even proverbs like "don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

IMO, Codex should start a section of the website doing video game reviews.

Yes, I know we would all disagree with them but ... generally the critical codex consensus gets whether a game is a incline or decline. Getting the Codex review listed and aggregated on Metacritic would help incline games and hurt decline games.

http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?type=Review

 

[Hormalakh]

Ban Hormalakh


Seriously dude. You've declined from someone I've actually enjoyed reading to the most annoying shitposter on the codex.

how am i a shitposter? i might be using a little bit more profanity than usual, but I'm still making points that are relevant to the discussion. as for the insults, sometimes i forget people have feelings.

as for being prestigious, Zed, if i didn't have the same goal as you for the codex, I wouldn't have cared. I just don't think it makes the codex more prestigious when we ask companies for reviews. if they want to give us a review without our asking it, fine. but i disagree with this idea that us begging/asking for a copy makes us more prestigious.

 

[tuluse]

It's a psychological fact SuicideBunny

It might be a form of denial, I'm not well versed enough to comment. If you have a group of people who spent money on something, they're more likely on average to view it positively compared to a group of people who did not.

 

[Jasede]

IMO, Codex should start a section of the website doing video game reviews.

Yes, I know we would all disagree with them but ... generally the critical codex consensus gets whether a game is a incline or decline. Getting the Codex review listed and aggregated on Metacritic would help incline games and hurt decline games.

I don't know how I feel about this; there's some really strong and good arguments both for and against.

 

[Hormalakh]

i'm having some serious trouble distinguishing between tuluse and Jasede

 

[Haba]

BTW, am I biased to review books I rented from the library or movies I watched from the TV?

...or games I pirated?

 

[tuluse]

i'm having some serious trouble distinguishing between tuluse and Jasede

I'm doing all right, getting good grades
The future's so bright I gotta wear shades

 

[Jasede]

I'm wearing a hat, hitting up the cute furries
Feeling so rad and cooking Indian curries

 

[Hormalakh]

BTW, am I biased to review books I rented from the library or movies I watched from the TV?

...or games I pirated?

It's a matter of who gives you the media that affects how you review it and the perceived idea of whether there is a "reciprocity" that is important. Because the TV or the library didn't write the book, you don't feel that you "owe" them anything when it comes to writing a review. Hoever, if the librarian wrote a book and you got it from her then you're more likely to review that favorably, or not be so harsh.

 

[Infinitron]

If you're worried about bias, don't look at a few free Steam keys from Ubisoft or Daedalic. Look at the 10,000 Codexian dollars in inXile's, Obsidian's and Larian's bank accounts.

 

[SuicideBunny]

It might be a form of denial, I'm not well versed enough to comment. If you have a group of people who spent money on something, they're more likely on average to view it positively compared to a group of people who did not.

links to study? maybe if the group collectively made the purchase or if the purchases are made by individuals who then have to justify their expenditures either to the people condoning the study, their partners or parents, but there is no possible reason why you would delude yourself when nobody else is involved rather than play down your own incompetence before another person. not to mention that valuing something higher that is equivalent to something else that requires less investment would be a sound strategy to get your entire race extinct.

 

[Jasede]

If you're worried about bias, don't look at a few free Steam keys from Ubisoft or Daedalic. Look at the 10,000 Codexian dollars in inXile's, Obsidian's and Larian's bank accounts.

I really don't follow that logic at all, personally. When I spend money on something I become way more critical than if I don't. I have none of this "justify a purchase" bias; it's the very opposite for me. If I paid bucks I want bangs, and if there aren't any bangs I'm going to be very, very critical and pick out every flaw.

Bangs.

 

[Hormalakh]

If you're worried about bias, don't look at a few free Steam keys from Ubisoft or Daedalic. Look at the 10,000 Codexian dollars in inXile's, Obsidian's and Larian's bank accounts.

All of which is evident in the feedback about those games by the "players." It's evident right next to many of the codexer's names what they've kickstarted for and quite often, they are more likely to go easier on the game they've backed. Or tougher. But it's at least there for people to see.

There are aslo people on the codex who give Obsidian an easier or a harder time because of the perceived "relationship" with that company. For example, I know duraframe300 probably has a closer attachment to Obsidian than most other companies. I probably do too. The reviews don't have any sort of conflict of interest posting.

Of course, none of this has to do with what I'm talking about. Kickstarting a game is very different than developing a relationship with a game-company based on them giving you free copies and expecting "nothing." It doesn't work that way. If they make it a point to give you free copies, then they expect decent reviews. If you write a bad review, don't expect copies for the next game. there's no such thing as a free lunch.

and it also doesn't change the point I made about prestige coming from asking a company for a review copy.

 

[Monty]

valuing something higher that is equivalent to something else that requires less investment would be a sound strategy to get your entire race extinct.

Free copies of South Park to race extinction...... in 5 Codexian pages

 

[Infinitron]

If you're worried about bias, don't look at a few free Steam keys from Ubisoft or Daedalic. Look at the 10,000 Codexian dollars in inXile's, Obsidian's and Larian's bank accounts.

I really don't follow that logic at all, personally. When I spend money on something I become way more critical than if I don't. I have none of this "justify a purchase" bias; it's the very opposite for me. If I paid bucks I want bangs, and if there aren't any bangs I'm going to be very, very critical and pick out every flaw.

Bangs.

Well, notice that I didn't say "positive bias". Obviously some people on the Codex have reacted with extreme negativity towards WL2 and PoE, because they're invested in it and every hiccup or minor misalignment of expectations seems like a disaster.

One of the good things about the Codex's old habit of reviewing games a year after their release is that over time that sense of emotional investment lessens and it's easier to be objective.

 

[Diggfinger]

Honestly looks decent. Definitely needed more crazy classes and I also agree that the class-restricted gear seems dull. I assume at some point you gain a party?

I agree, it looks way better than I feared thought. Im saving my money for Dark Souls II, but I hope that Obisidian earns a bunch of money so that they can develop…

 

[Tormented Seph]

Hormalakh have you ever read a codex review where we've gone "oh but it was free for us so overall it's okay 10/10"
you're growing to become the most stupid person on this website. impressive feat.

shut your whore mouth. nobody ever says "overall it's okay 10/10." but you're deluding yourself if you think free copies have no effect on reviews. did you look at those links I put in here or are you talking out of your ass again?

tuluse, why would i donate to a site when they're getting free "review" copies of games? i don't donate money to whores.

As I said: this, my dear Codexian, is a perfect and horrible prototype of the "final internetz user 2.0" that I mentioned earlier...


Free contents and informations in change of a fucking nothing, without understanding the real problems hidden behind the management of an indie website (confusing pro and indie in a ridicolous way)...

 

[Cadmus]

other journos don't beg either. they get keys and "write" good "reviews" and get rewarded with more keys. it's called conflict of interest.

you can go ahead and do shit like that just like every other gaming website out there.

i'll await the day your ads match the game you're reviewing.

I doubt the free review copies do much to affect reviewers' opinions. Their publications would pay for their copies if they didn't just come free from publishers. Sometimes there are even press preview versions on Steam that stop working eventually. That being said, the opinion of someone who did pay full price for a game has a certain extra amount of credibility that a pro reviewer has to work pretty hard to achieve.

That other thing you mention, advertising, is obviously the real corruption. Traditionally business and editorial people are kept segregated, but that often isn't the case in games, or other niche journalism.

This is an important factor people tend to overlook. Obviously, the reviewers are crying " OMG IF I DONT GET FREE COPIES I CANT DO MY JOB!" Well, fuck you because part of the evaluation process is measuring whether or not the game is worth its asking price and if you don't have to flip burgers for 5 hours just to be able to buy it like the poor plebs, you can't understand the value of the game. This is definitely a part of the dissonance between pro reviews and user reviews, the plebs gets pissed if they waste their money and time, the reviewers don't even waste their worthless time playing the shit game because it's their job.

 

[Severian Silk]

If this game will be successful it will teach persuade people that turn based combat can be fun.

That's not something people need to be persuaded of. jRPG-style combat (which this game has) never died out in the way it did for cRPG's.

Are you sure? I think most JRPGs these days are action RPGs or tactical RPGs.

 

[tuluse]

Are you sure? I think most JRPGs these days are action RPGs or tactical RPGs.

You are ignoring handhelds then.

 

[Athelas]

If this game will be successful it will teach persuade people that turn based combat can be fun.

That's not something people need to be persuaded of. jRPG-style combat (which this game has) never died out in the way it did for cRPG's.

Are you sure? I think most JRPGs these days are action RPGs or tactical RPGs.

They are less popular than they were in their PS1/PS2 era heyday, but there will still plenty made for the PS3 this generation, and there are lots more on handhelds. Can you imagine an AAA turn-based western RPG being released with the same media blitz and humongous budget as Final Fantasy 13?

 

[imweasel]

This is the part where you tell me where/how, and I get all giggly at your smarts.

You can get it for half of 35ish actually...