Are Reviewers Too Critical of PS3 Multi-Console Games?

Contributed by Andrew Weymes—It is understandable that if a professional reviewer—such as the people at IGN or Gamespot—believe that a game is superior on one console over another, that they should rate it accordingly.

An example being the Fallout 3 review from IGN. Fallout 3 apparently runs better on the Xbox 360, therefore the 360 version gets a 9.6, while the PS3 version gets a 9.4. I don't see a problem with this. People deserve to know which version is superior. What I do have a problem with is inferior Xbox 360 games getting the exact same score as their PS3 counterpart.

An example of this is Grand Theft Auto IV. Here is a quote directly from IGN, "While GTA IV is pushing the PS3 and 360 to the limit, it also runs amazingly well. Sure, there are framerate hitches here and there and (particularly on the 360) there is some texture pop in, but it actually runs better than I expected." If the technical problems of Fallout 3 for the PS3 are enough to lower the score by .2 when compared to the 360 version, why have we never seen a PS3 version of a multi-console game get a higher score for the same reason?

I'm sure many gamers have a lot of conspiracy theories as to why this is, but while I'm not going to accuse anyone of any wrong doings, I still find it odd. Imagine if the most over hyped game of the year, Grand Theft Auto IV, were to get a 10 on the PS3, but a 9.9 from IGN, or a 9.5 from Gamespot on the 360. Xbox Fanboys would erupt.

If GTA IV did receive higher scores on the PS3 than the 360, then I would assume that more multi-console owners would have bought Grand Theft Auto IV on the PS3, rather than the 360; regardless of any DLC that is almost irrelevant by now (but that is another topic).

In the first year the PS3 was out, developers were still getting used to the hardware, so many multi-console games were of a slightly lower quality than the 360 counterparts, and they were rated accordingly. Over the past year, however, we have seen most PS3 games get the exact same score as their 360 counterparts, but when I read that the 360 version has problems that the PS3 version doesn't, I can't help but wonder why there is no difference in the score as I feel there would be if it was the PS3 version having the exact same problems.

IGN Crushes GameSpot in Game Review Poll

GameSpot is not receiving a lot of love around here lately. Our most recent poll has them in dead last for game reviews behind IGN, Metacritic, and Yahtzee.

Looks like IGN is now The Goozex Report's official game reviewer. Congratulations, IGN, would you like to advertise with us now? HA! Just kidding. But seriously, call us, OK?

In addition to game reviews, IGN is known for walk-throughs of games. If you ever find yourself stuck in a game and you have no idea how to continue or solve a puzzle, or whatever, chances are IGN has the answer. This site comes highly recommended and here at TGR we're happy it did so well in the poll.

Metacritic came in a close second place, so if for whatever reason IGN does not have a review of a game, then TGR will post links to Metacritic.

There were a few write in votes for 1UP, Gamestats (which appears to be associated with IGN), PS3 Life, and something called The Lens of Truth, which doesn't appear to be online yet.

Last but not least, gamers rely on themselves, demos, and friends for the best reviews, which we wholeheartedly agree. All games should have available demos, if not, it's kind of like: what do you have to hide?

Speaking of hearing reviews from friends, if you've become a regular reader and would like to contribute, send us your review of a game. We'd love to read it and post it.

Here's a shout to Yahtzee and his review of Silent Hill: Homecoming.

Can't Truss It: The State of Video Game Reviews

Who trusts game reviews these days? You've probably read articles that accuse corporate sites of writing favorable reviews for publishers who provide early copies of games. And you probably also read the stories about how a reviewer was fired after writing a negative review of a game, which prompted the publisher to pull their advertising. After hearing stories like this, can you really trust the corporate sites?

The independent sites might be better, but there's a million of them, and they take a few extra weeks to review a game, if they do so at all.

Yahtzee tops the Digg lists every Wednesday, but he admits himself he has to put a negative spin on his reviews to make them funny and to keep his audience coming back. While he's very entertaining, he might not be the best source for a review.

Sites like Metacritic provide one possible solution by aggregating several reviews, assigning a number to each review, and then creating an average. But many, many gamers don't feel that assigning a number to a game is a fair and accurate means to understanding a game.

The reason this topic is brought up, is because The Goozex Report wants to provide reviews for the games mentioned here. In the past, we've always leaned on Metacritic, but not everyone loves Metacritic as much as we do, and we really, truly do want to please all of the people all of the time. That's our burden in life, and we carry it proudly.

Tell us who you read, who you trust, and TGR will link to their reviews when we mention a game.

The poll allows multiple answers and you can provide write-in votes through the comments.