About a comment Brad made on the latest Bombcast..

It was during the Dead Space conversation. Brad was talking about how he'd noticed the "monster closets" in DS2. He said he wouldn't have even noticed it if he was just playing through the game, but because he was reviewing it, he had to pick around and notice this stuff. 
 
My question is: Why? What does it matter? Aren't you supposed to be reviewing the game based on the experience you had with it? Why are you running around like you're in QA trying to find all the little problems with it? It's completely irrelevant, and all it's going to do is sour your view on the game as a whole. 
 
I think this is why Brad really pissed me off the DP ER and countless quick looks. He picks on all the stupid technical stuff, and doesn't just enjoy the game. 
 
Anyway, that's my little rant over with.

Critics critique dude. That's their job. He has to find every marred surface and point out it's flaws. If he just played the game and then said "Shit was tight" he would be just like a member, writing a review in their blog. Well, maybe a bit more eloquent. 

I don't think that he's going to deduct an entire star because of it or anything, but I know what your talking about... 
 
unlike the rest (I might be wrong), but Brad focus's on a few small negative aspects of a game, rather than praising what the game has going for it... I remember the Mahjong game(forgot what it was called) looking great, and Brad was shitting on it throughout the quick look even though Vinny was digging it...
 
different perspectives.. but if you see a 2 star review from Brad due to monster closets, then it's time to freak out

Shit like that happens have years of reviewing games.  You just notice that stuff easily.

He was just commenting on it. Their discussions on the podcast aren't a review. Just because he says something on the podcast doesn't mean it will make it into the review. 

I kind of agree with you, but I have picked up during interviews that Brad is really into digging in and around the tech aspects of games, and looks for that stuff specifically more than most,

It's what impresses him, at the same time when it pisses Jeff off he looks for the scripting behind the events and gives praise when that stuff is done well.

it's what they look for. 

Blowing things way out of proportion, aren't we? 
I notice stuff like that too and that's just from playing through them and trying to enjoy them

" Blowing things way out of proportion, aren't we?  "

It's just his review philosophy.  There is no single standard that everyone follows.

" It's just his review philosophy.  There is no single standard that everyone follows. "

Why?  Because it's his job.  If he just frolicked happily through every game he reviews and didn't stop to critique it, every game would get 5 stars.

" whats a monster closet by the way, mechanically speaking? A place where monsters spawn from indefinately, or something too small to hold said monster? or neither, they alluded to Doom 3 syndrome, but I never played Doom3 "

Well it's actually a fact that people that review games, don't have fun playing games anymore.
Because you hobby is now you job and all that jazz.

" @EvilTwin said:

" It's just his review philosophy.  There is no single standard that everyone follows. "

It's a closet that fucking eats people man!  It's becoming an epidemic. :( "

" @ZeForgotten said:

" Blowing things way out of proportion, aren't we?  "

Indeedly. Thread actually looks pretty hypocritical in fact, since he's doing exactly what he's complaining about, with Brad making mountains over mole hills with all the little ticks he'll find. "

Monster closets are almost inexcusable in games this generation. Don't be upset with Brad for noticing a flaw in the game. Be upset with the Dead Space team for using such a lazy tool.

" Monster closets are almost inexcusable in games this generation. Don't be upset with Brad for noticing a flaw in the game. Be upset with the Dead Space team for using such a lazy tool. "

" @TimAllen624 said:

" Monster closets are almost inexcusable in games this generation. Don't be upset with Brad for noticing a flaw in the game. Be upset with the Dead Space team for using such a lazy tool. "

Why are they inexcusable? If they achieve the desired effect, what's the problem? What would you suggest they do instead to achieve the same effect? "

You can't please everyone. If Brad hadn't noticed that someone would have created a topic in the forum complaining about how useless the review was because it didn't mention the monster closets.
 
Now, I won't disagree that Brad seems to sometimes get hung up on small things that don't bother me. They do, however, bother some people. People like Brad, and he's not alone. That's why I like to follow groups of reviewers, like here at Giant Bomb. Reviews are most helpful when you understand how the reviewer's tastes align with yours. If you find that you agree with Brad, except for his hang-ups about small technical things, then you can go ahead and ignore those complaints in his reviews. If the same things that bother you also bother Ryan, well, then pay attention to what he says. There's no right or wrong, just opinion.

Yeah, I don't see what's so wrong with monster closets. Enemies gotta come from somewhere, right? I mean, if you spawn them out in the middle of a hallway to come up from behind when the player triggers something or passes a certain point, it's the exact same effect. Every game does stuff like that. Granted, Doom 3 overused it, but it's a legitimate design choice.

this thread is intense. 

" this thread is intense.  "

He's attaching it to the appropriate concept pages is all.

So the issue with monster closets is very simple; it's very possible to create an alternative solution that is more acceptable. For example, necromorphs used to pop out of air vents; maybe they even used to pop out of air vents too often. But those air vents were a work-around of this problem; the idea behind the "monster closet" is basically the bait-and-switch. The monster closet relies on baiting the player into trying to get ammo and the like, only to encounter a monster that uses up a comparable amount of resources to what you end up gaining inside the closet. It's a simple jump scare, and encourages the player to not explore more than it encourages the player to remain always watchful. The air vents actually add a sense of tension to rooms that don't even end up having any monsters. 
 
Hell, Deadly Premonition had two totally different and valid solutions to the monster closet. By telegraphing where regular-ass-zombies might spawn, it fills the player with a sense of dread when they see the black spots on the floor or on the walls. There's a handful of times in the middle episodes of the game where the black spot doesn't spawn even a single zombie; but by telegraphing where zombies came from, the sense of dread is at least put forward by a preference to continuing the story rather than just a preference of trying to collect more resources. Meanwhile, every single time I encountered a narrow hallway in that game, I was legitimately scared of having to fight another wall-crawler, and most of the time an air vent was nowhere in sight. Now, you could, of course, argue that the dread in DP comes from a deep-seeded hatred of the combat system rather than actual fear of the enemies or a lack of resources, but if the enemies had been successfully dangerous and less laughable then they were in the final product, they would've found a great solution to the monster closet problem. 
 
Now, does this keep the game from being a game Brad will recommend unconditionally? I doubt it, but maybe it's the kind of thing that stands in Dead Space 2's way toward being the ultimate choice for GOTY 2011. It could still easily win, don't get me wrong; the guys had plenty of similarly niggling complaints about Mass Effect 2. But it's better if that's on the record now rather than being forgotten by the end of the year.

" Well it's actually a fact that people that review games, don't have fun playing games anymore. Because you hobby is now you job and all that jazz. "

I think it's more a fact that he looks at with a critics viewpoint because he's supposed to tell us, the readers, of all the parts. If he just went "and this part was awesome, and this oh god this is fantastic. All in all a solid product" the review would have no meaning whatsoever. Critics need to weigh the pros and cons, but we as gamers don't because we don't have to give an honest, all-out review on every aspect of the game to hundreds of people. I think some of it has to do with having played so many awful games in the past in their job, they can't not notice it anymore.

People get so weird when it comes to criticism. I would be pissed if Brad or a reviewer didn't point out something  if it bothered them. In fact it sounded like Brad was digging the hell out of the game, and if anything an arcahic design practice such as monster closets sticks out like a sore thumb in what sounds to be a very quality game.
 
@Little_Socrates: You nailed it. We're in an era where developers can do much better than relying on monster closets and other tired "video gamey" concepts. When a game as janky as Deadly Premonition appears to have figured out a solution to the problem it makes it seem that much lazier in this day and age.

I couldn't even get a quarter way through dead space because of the pathetic levels of monster closets, so I totally don't blame him. 
 
This coming from someone who actually enjoyed Doom 3, by the way. Dead Space was just bad, totally don't get the big deal about that game.

"

I kind of agree with you, but I have picked up during interviews that Brad is really into digging in and around the tech aspects of games, and looks for that stuff specifically more than most,

 

It's what impresses him, at the same time when it pisses Jeff off he looks for the scripting behind the events and gives praise when that stuff is done well.

 

it's what they look for. 

   

"

" Critics critique. "

I know! Brad's little comments really make my ass hurt, too!

" So the issue with monster closets is very simple; it's very possible to create an alternative solution that is more acceptable. For example, necromorphs used to pop out of air vents; maybe they even used to pop out of air vents too often. But those air vents were a work-around of this problem; the idea behind the "monster closet" is basically the bait-and-switch. The monster closet relies on baiting the player into trying to get ammo and the like, only to encounter a monster that uses up a comparable amount of resources to what you end up gaining inside the closet. It's a simple jump scare, and encourages the player to not explore more than it encourages the player to remain always watchful. The air vents actually add a sense of tension to rooms that don't even end up having any monsters.  Hell, Deadly Premonition had two totally different and valid solutions to the monster closet. By telegraphing where regular-ass-zombies might spawn, it fills the player with a sense of dread when they see the black spots on the floor or on the walls. There's a handful of times in the middle episodes of the game where the black spot doesn't spawn even a single zombie; but by telegraphing where zombies came from, the sense of dread is at least put forward by a preference to continuing the story rather than just a preference of trying to collect more resources. Meanwhile, every single time I encountered a narrow hallway in that game, I was legitimately scared of having to fight another wall-crawler, and most of the time an air vent was nowhere in sight. Now, you could, of course, argue that the dread in DP comes from a deep-seeded hatred of the combat system rather than actual fear of the enemies or a lack of resources, but if the enemies had been successfully dangerous and less laughable then they were in the final product, they would've found a great solution to the monster closet problem.  Now, does this keep the game from being a game Brad will recommend unconditionally? I doubt it, but maybe it's the kind of thing that stands in Dead Space 2's way toward being the ultimate choice for GOTY 2011. It could still easily win, don't get me wrong; the guys had plenty of similarly niggling complaints about Mass Effect 2. But it's better if that's on the record now rather than being forgotten by the end of the year. "

It's just stuff that hangs behind your mind. It's not a big enough issue to actually register as a genuine problem overall, but it does stick in your head. 

Douche-chill!

That is why you're supposed to read the review text and not just look at the score. People weight things differently. For example, I was never ever bothered in the slightest way by monster closets and I also really enjoyed Doom 3. So whenever a reviewer complains about monster closets in a game review I appreciate the mention of that fact but I know that this is a non-factor for me.

" @Khann said:

"My question is: Why? What does it matter?"

...  If  you want a truly terrifying experience, play Minecraft. You'll be shitting your pants every time you think you hear a creeper. "