Is it fair to judge all games by the same standard?

I just finished 2 Worlds II and I think it is the best Western RPG without Elder Scrolls on it. Keep in mind I play on consoles so there isn't a lot of competition there. I saw a lot of complaints that I just chalk up to Open World RPGs and a couple I found myself thinking it isn't fair to compare this to Elder Scrolls. This got me thinking is it fair to judge all games equally or should you consider who made it and the resources they have. As another example I liked Deadly Premonition but honestly I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much if it had Resident Evil in the title because I wouldn't have been able to overlook the flaws as easily.

Yes, although you shouldn't be comparing the two games when determining if a game's good. Determine it on the game's own terms; not through outside bullshit.

If you like the game it's good, done.

Actually that would be the most fair.

Let me further explain: if you are judging whether you like a game, then you could say pong sucks, then the guy at gamestop could take the disk and crap on it, sell it back to you as pong Extream edition, and you might be Enthralled. just because its new, or because of the marketing, or perhaps you like the smell of teenage crap, I dont know. However you judge games is up to you, fair or not.

I think if the standard is "do I enjoy playing this game" then yeah for sure. I think where it gets iffy is when you start comparing games. I think you can to an extent but at a point you have to look at the differences in budget/dev team/dev time etc, etc, and it breaks down. It gets really stupid when people say stuff like "well this game got 4 stars and so did this game, so are you saying they're worth the same?".
Ultimately I think personal enjoyment should be the standard every game gets judged by.

@kingzetta said:

If you like the game it's good, done.

Not necessarily. I like Takeshi's Challenge, yet I'd be fucking stupid to call it a good game.

@kingzetta said:

If you like the game it's good, done.

Not necessarily. I like Takeshi's Challenge, yet I'd be fucking stupid to call it a good game.

@kingzetta:

Then why the "it's good" part? It's easy to separate liking games and their quality, even if the idea of doing so sounds alien.

@kingzetta:

Then why the "it's good" part? It's easy to separate liking games and their quality, even if the idea of doing so sounds alien.

If they're both $60, then it's perfectly fair to compare them.

@kingzetta said:

If you like it, you think it's good.

You ignored the Takeshi's Challenge thing, didn't you?

If you are trying to be objective then judge it for what it is. If you put it on a better/worse scale with other titles then the outcome will vary based on what you put up there, so don't do that.

IMHO, better to review a game by your own "whys". Why did you like or not like it? Despite that what are factors of it that you do or don't like, and why? For example...

@Video_Game_King: Why did you like it? In spite of that, why do you think it's not a good game? Are there reasons why someone else should or shouldn't try it themselves?

I don't really think it's fair to compare games by some sort of "standard" no more than to say I think it's fair to utterly dis something without first trying it yourself.

@kingzetta said:

If you like it, you think it's good.

You ignored the Takeshi's Challenge thing, didn't you?

@kingzetta:

Check it out and all its horribleness.

Yes, they should. A score given to something made by the likes of Naughty Dog or Bioware should be harsh, given the vast budget and resources that those two companies have access to. Anything they want, Sony or EA will give to them. Then you have to take into account the sheer talent that both have previously shown.

Something that just came out by a new developer who doesn't have anywhere near that, however, shouldn't be quite so harsh. Still critical, yes, but with an "It's good for a new guy" type of mentality.

Also, you can't judge two very different genres. Survival Horror and Mario can't be judged on the same grounds, even if a person likes them both.

You can't really judge Tetris on the same standard as Battlefield 3. They are both games but two very different experiences. So I think it's almost impossible to judge all games based on the same quality standard. You can more easily base it on the amount of enjoyment you get out of the experience, but then it is purely subjective (which it really is anyway because of personal taste).

@kingzetta said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@kingzetta said:

If you like it, you think it's good.

You ignored the Takeshi's Challenge thing, didn't you?

never heard of it.

Yeah I like Amy, but that game is shit

@kingzetta said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@kingzetta said:

If you like it, you think it's good.

You ignored the Takeshi's Challenge thing, didn't you?

never heard of it.

Yeah I like Amy, but that game is shit

@kingzetta:

Yes, he would, because he liked it. (This is assuming that he stops playing a game when he realizes that he does not like it. I'm not like that. I'm an idiot.)

@kingzetta:

Yes, he would, because he liked it. (This is assuming that he stops playing a game when he realizes that he does not like it. I'm not like that. I'm an idiot.)

@kingzetta:

They are different concepts entirely.

@kingzetta said:

If you like the game it's good, done.

I couldn't agree more.

I'm irrational, I judge quickly and unfairly, my expectations are erratic and unreasonable.

I definitely do not have some master scale in my head by which I judge all games uniformly. It's just entertainment to me so no point in over-analyzing it. I'll leave that to the pros.

P.S. JRPGs suck. Universal truth.

As long as a person's or organization's reviews use the same standards for judging quality, and as long as they can argue for however they ended up judging a game, then I'm all for it. It doesn't matter if they take into account or outright ignore developer resources, or launch price, or their own personal likes and dislikes in games. The key is consistency.

That way, when I read a review from some person or some organization, I can take their standards and biases into account before I make my judgment.

@kingzetta:

They are different concepts entirely.

@kingzetta:

Other people are not relevant to this discussion. Again: did you not see my example with Takeshi's Challenge?

@Video_Game_King said:

@kingzetta:

Yes, he would, because he liked it. (This is assuming that he stops playing a game when he realizes that he does not like it. I'm not like that. I'm an idiot.)

Pretty much, I didn't keep playing it but I enjoyed what I saw and I was willing to see more, but it doesn't change the fact that the game is pretty weak.

Yes. Is it fun?

@Video_Game_King said:

@kingzetta:

Other people are not relevant to this discussion. Again: did you not see my example with Takeshi's Challenge?

The problem here is that you may be able to step back and look at the games from a neutral perspective, but not every one can do that.

@Dagbiker:

What mean you?

@kingzetta:

Other people are not relevant to this discussion. Again: did you not see my example with Takeshi's Challenge?

@kingzetta:

If all that I say is true, then you're an idiot.

It all depends on the price.

@kingzetta:

If all that I say is true, then you're an idiot.

@kingzetta said:

have you seen the stuff I've said?

Yes. I've been talking to you in this thread this entire time.

@kingzetta said:

have you seen the stuff I've said?

Yes. I've been talking to you in this thread this entire time.

@kingzetta:

So I imagine you'll be defending Steve Burnside come Thursday?

@Video_Game_King said:

@kingzetta:

If all that I say is true, then you're an idiot.

I would have given up on this the first time he ignored your point. You sir have patience.

@kingzetta:

So I imagine you'll be defending Steve Burnside come Thursday?

@Video_Game_King said:

@kingzetta:

If all that I say is true, then you're an idiot.

I would have given up on this the first time he ignored your point. You sir have patience.

@kingzetta:

I post my blogs on Thursdays. (Also, a Code Veronica X review I've had sitting around for a while.)

@canucks23 said:

If they're both $60, then it's perfectly fair to compare them.

I agree with this. If I'm paying a good sum of money for something, I should be able to compare it to products that cost the same amount.

@Video_Game_King said:

Then why the "it's good" part? It's easy to separate liking games and their quality, even if the idea of doing so sounds alien.

I love MegaMan Legends to death, but I know that it's controls were wonky, it was an Ocarina of Time knock off, and it had a cheesy anime-ish plot line. Doesn't mean I still don'y love that series.

They should be held to the same standard, and for an employed adult that standard should be 'is this worth my time?', given you are more likely to be time limited than money limited. If you're really lucky you might be asking 'which of these is more worth my time?' The budget and resources they had available shouldn't even come into it - we're talking about judging the game, not judging the developer. If you were judging the developer then you could make a case for those things being relevant ("they should have done better" / "they did well, considering..." etc). Once you're playing then all that matters is how good the game is.

@kingzetta said:

@laserbolts said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@kingzetta:

If all that I say is true, then you're an idiot.

I would have given up on this the first time he ignored your point. You sir have patience.

It was a bad point

Nah id have to disagree. I think that just because a person likes something doesnt mean its good. I mean for example deadly premonition. While I understand why some people like the game I understand that the people that do have the exact same game as I have. The graphics, gameplay and overall jankiness of deadly premonition is the same no matter if you like it not.

@kingzetta said:

@laserbolts said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@kingzetta:

If all that I say is true, then you're an idiot.

I would have given up on this the first time he ignored your point. You sir have patience.

It was a bad point

Nah id have to disagree. I think that just because a person likes something doesnt mean its good. I mean for example deadly premonition. While I understand why some people like the game I understand that the people that do have the exact same game as I have. The graphics, gameplay and overall jankiness of deadly premonition is the same no matter if you like it not.

@kingzetta:

You don't understand logic, do you?

@kingzetta:

I post my blogs on Thursdays. (Also, a Code Veronica X review I've had sitting around for a while.)

We should build robots that judge fun.

@kingzetta:

You don't understand logic, do you?

@kingzetta said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@kingzetta:

I post my blogs on Thursdays. (Also, a Code Veronica X review I've had sitting around for a while.)

I didn't like it, but it was the 1st game Wesker has super powers in.

Also the first one where he bitched out of a fight for no goddamn reason.

@kingzetta said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@kingzetta:

You don't understand logic, do you?

I cut myself shaving once. Is that logic?

I never shave; I am logic.