Bill Abners Gameshark review is up

[Bill_Abner]

Every game, if you believe forums, has comeback logic. From XBL CATAN to, it seems, Head Coach. I didn't see anything of the sort.

HC was a hard game to rate. It's pretty easy to pick apart its issues as they're pretty much front and center but the final question, for me, was fun. I enjoy playing it despite its quirks and bugs and if a game has legs for me post review, then I am very confident that I graded it appropriately. I think a B+ is fair, even though I can certainly understand how some players could get frustrated with it. Hopefully the patch fixes the bugs.

Then I read a truncated "D" review at 1Up and wonder if the guy played the same game I did. Reviews like that, IMO, really do the gamer a disservice, not because he gave the game a "D" (which I obviously disagree with) but because he doesn't even mention where the flaws in HC truly lie. He just gave it a D. End of story.

Such is the media, I guess.

[Josh_Looman]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bill_Abner

Every game, if you believe forums, has comeback logic. From XBL CATAN to, it seems, Head Coach. I didn't see anything of the sort. HC was a hard game to rate. It's pretty easy to pick apart its issues as they're pretty much front and center but the final question, for me, was fun. I enjoy playing it despite its quirks and bugs and if a game has legs for me post review, then I am very confident that I graded it appropriately. I think a B+ is fair, even though I can certainly understand how some players could get frustrated with it. Hopefully the patch fixes the bugs. Then I read a truncated "D" review at 1Up and wonder if the guy played the same game I did. Reviews like that, IMO, really do the gamer a disservice, not because he gave the game a "D" (which I obviously disagree with) but because he doesn't even mention where the flaws in HC truly lie. He just gave it a D. End of story. Such is the media, I guess.

The 1up review was devastating. I know the game has problems, but there's no way it's a 25. That rating dropped our metacritic score drastically. It's so frustrating when you get so much positive feedback from the fans and good reviews from everybody else and then you read something like that. I could almost feel the guy's anger with being asked to review Head Coach. You can tell that he would much rather be reviewing Spore or Final Fantasy (which is fine) but that's why he was the wrong person to be reviewing our game. This is a killer.

[DLaren]

Quote: Originally Posted by Josh_Looman

The 1up review was devastating. I know the game has problems, but there's no way it's a 25. That rating dropped our metacritic score drastically. It's so frustrating when you get so much positive feedback from the fans and good reviews from everybody else and then you read something like that. I could almost feel the guy's anger with being asked to review Head Coach. You can tell that he would much rather be reviewing Spore or Final Fantasy (which is fine) but that's why he was the wrong person to be reviewing our game. This is a killer.

Josh, are you insinuating that the effects of the 1up review may prevent your team from getting another shot at making another HeadCoach game?

If you have a good feeling that there will be a HC'2011 then who cares what a couple of detractors have to say...

[ChicagoSparty]

Quote: Originally Posted by Josh_Looman

The 1up review was devastating. I know the game has problems, but there's no way it's a 25. That rating dropped our metacritic score drastically. It's so frustrating when you get so much positive feedback from the fans and good reviews from everybody else and then you read something like that. I could almost feel the guy's anger with being asked to review Head Coach. You can tell that he would much rather be reviewing Spore or Final Fantasy (which is fine) but that's why he was the wrong person to be reviewing our game. This is a killer.

I just read it. Terrible, uninformative review, score notwithstanding. That guy must have spent about 30 minutes with the game. He apparently didn't even know he could watch the on-the-field play? See the following:

Quote:

But none of those options make the games exciting or interesting. You can sim or SuperSim the games -- SuperSim allows you to pick each play and record its result. But SuperSim robs you of some of the information you need to help you devise your play call (it tells you the formation the opposition is using, but that's it).

[adembroski]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChicagoSparty

I just read it. Terrible, uninformative review, score notwithstanding. That guy must have spent about 30 minutes with the game. He apparently didn't even know he could watch the on-the-field play? See the following:

If he spent 30 minutes, I'd be shocked. This was such a bare bones, no depth review it's sad. Looman's right... absolute disservice to the consumer.

[uiucjpo]

Quote: Originally Posted by Josh_Looman

This is a killer.

Man, I feel for ya. I can't imagine spending years making a game that for the most part accomplished what it set out to do, then some joke of a journalist who obviously just doesn't "get it" kills the overall score of the game. Tough break, keep your chin up. You made a hell of a game.

[Donny_Moore]

Quote: Originally Posted by adembroski

If he spent 30 minutes, I'd be shocked. This was such a bare bones, no depth review it's sad. Looman's right... absolute disservice to the consumer.

And the unbelievaebly in-depth Operation Sports review is NOT included in the official Metacritic scores, in which we got our best score...from probably one of the only reviewers not named Bill Abner who has actually spent tons of hours playing the game, gathering your impressions, and delivering a well written, fair and balanced video game review.

bottom line....ughhh

[Bill_Abner]

I cannot stand Metacritic and how they lump scores into their system.

When we give a game a "B" Metacritic spits that out to read "75%"; my B+ review of HC is an 83. An 83.

It's frustrating because PR use GRankings and MC as gospel, which is very unfortunate.