@masterpaperlink said:

@Hameyadea said:

So another Zelda game that, and I'm guessing here, probably involves Zelda, Link, some stuff going bad, some stuff going worse, some stuff that Link repairs, Boss Battle, Link wins, credits!

Holy shit, they've transformed RPG gaming forever! Again!

why do people do this? you can distil ANY game into a sentence and make it look like same old.

Yep Uncharted. He is on a treasure hunt to find something, nothing is what it appears, everything goes haywire -he wins.

Assassin's Creed. You search for something, climb walls, kill people, you don't find what your looking for in the end - cliffhanger.

Modern Warfare. Your on a mission to divert the a catastrophe by an evil dictator - you kill the dictator.

I find it kind of funny how some people on this thread are getting worked up about the score too....  Its just a score/opinion of someone who works at Gamespot.  Deal with it.

Hehe, I love it when a new Zelda game comes out. Always a guaranteed explosion from fans if it scores anything under a 9. Way to be predictable and hilarious.

@yakov456:Better than bf3 and mw3 fanboys. Oh its another FPS and killing the game industry with these recycled nonsense. NO! Dice get back to Mirror's Edge - that was great!

@the_OFFICIAL_jAPanese_teaBAG said:

I find it kind of funny how some people on this thread are getting worked up about the score too.... Its just a score/opinion of someone who works at Gamespot. Deal with it.

*sigh* again a person who really doesn't care because he has never played a Zelda game in his life. Why you in the Zelda forums then? He didn't realise motionplus was purely used for aiming. Thats the matter of it, imagine being frustrated about controls the entire way through a 30+ hour game simply because you got the wrong end of the stick. Quite possibly it was because he played twilight princess and that worked by the sensor bar when aiming.

 "The most pressing of these problems has to do with the fact that the game doesn't force you to move with precision."

Meh...a 7.5 isn't exactly unreasonable. The art style, seriously isn't really pulling me in. Go cell shaded all the way, or not at all. This, weird half-way done art colored scheme isn't really making me dance. Then....everything people have said about the story, is really....really dissapointing. ESPECIALLY after the masterpiece that was twilight princess. I know people hate on that game all the time, but it really is, the best 3d zelda. Ocarina had some issues of its own.

BUT! I have learned to never fully trust review scores anymore. Most people gave a completely broken game like dark souls 9s out of 10s, and no one really complained. Man...if only people would play a TRUE action-rpg like skyrim....

You know, looking back.....Every zelda game I've played that didn't have ganon in it one way or the other, isn't exactly on the top of my list of 'best games'. Take for example- the ds games and majoras mask. Both great games, but there really isn't anything THAT special about them, that brought chills down my spine like link to the past or twilight princess did.

Fuck Skyrim - it is crap. First 5 minutes and I have to listen to some douche about how he is captured - I DO NOT CARE - let me fight something. Nintendo always do a good job on the games they do, they just don't do a plot - they do an adventure together. Of course, it would be nice to have HD graphics and Skyward Sword is pretty good when emulated in 1080p. Seems the real haters calling people Zelda fanboys are the Skyrim fanboys. Well, go play your shitty little game with never ending quests like a MMO.

His complaints do seem to contradict a lot of what I'm hearing elsewhere though, so I'm not sure what to make of that review. He has a problem with the controls, while Patrick called them "astounding." I don't. .. think they can be both. So I'm not upset about his review, I just don't really know what I'm supposed to do with what he is saying.

@Zenaxzd: To me personally, yes, that is exactly what it means. Why would I trust someone I don't even know compared to someone whose content I read every day?

I'm with you man. How else are you supposed to weigh contradictory statements about a game from two different people? Patrick has earned my trust from his work, and the other guy I haven't heard of, and works for the last site I would check for recommendations.

they take the score soooooo seriously on SW. it's pretty fun in a childish school playground kinda way. would love to go across and stir some shit but i was banned a few month ago for continually shit stirring in religious topics.

@ShadowDoGG said:

Fuck Skyrim - it is crap. First 5 minutes and I have to listen to some douche about how he is captured - I DO NOT CARE - let me fight something. Nintendo always do a good job on the games they do, they just don't do a plot - they do an adventure together. Of course, it would be nice to have HD graphics and Skyward Sword is pretty good when emulated in 1080p. Seems the real haters calling people Zelda fanboys are the Skyrim fanboys. Well, go play your shitty little game with never ending quests like a MMO.

Wow. That is a perfect impression of the people in those comments! Congratulations!

@ShadowDoGG: I agree with everything you have to say and find your comments to be reasonable and poignant.

Also I am a crazy liar.

This is even better than 8.8.

@LordAndrew said:

This is even better than 8.8.

No, it's 1.3 worse, clearly. :B

Nintendo fanboys are the worst. On par with the Sega ones.

This thread is obviously here to flame, so lets flame on!

@LordAndrew said:

This is even better than 8.8.

No, it's 1.3 worse, clearly. :B

@FreakAche said:

Considering the fact that on one of my more recent, unfortunate visits to Gamespot, I found people freaking out that Gamespot supposedly hates Nintendo because they gave Super Mario 3D Land an 8 or something, I'm sure the aftermath of this will be great.

I'm sure they love the traffic. Those folks will keep coming back in droves just to keep the "very important conversation on review scores" moving forward. ;)

@ShadowDoGG said:

Fuck Skyrim - it is crap. First 5 minutes and I have to listen to some douche about how he is captured - I DO NOT CARE - let me fight something. Nintendo always do a good job on the games they do, they just don't do a plot - they do an adventure together. Of course, it would be nice to have HD graphics and Skyward Sword is pretty good when emulated in 1080p. Seems the real haters calling people Zelda fanboys are the Skyrim fanboys. Well, go play your shitty little game with never ending quests like a MMO.

Yeah, there goes your credibility. You shall now and forever onward be known as a troll. BTW: You could mask your ignorance a little more elegantly next time, as it takes at least half an hour before you can "fight" in Skyward Sword too. As a matter of fact, Zelda games are not exactly known for their extreme high pace intro. Next time maybe, don´t bash the obvious targets (read: popular games) and your trolling might go unnoticed for a little while longer.

People look way to into review scores.

@Mikemcn said:

Exactly what a well produced, voice acting free, formulaic, RPG lite game should get. Other games have done what Zelda does every time it comes out, and done it better.

Coming out so close to Skyrim, I figure Zelda fans would take a hint: the series is dated and tired. The minute I heard that they removed a traditional overworld is the minute that I stopped caring. And I do dearly care about this franchise. I mean, I farking love Majora's Mask. I also think it's rather cute that the game got so much praise for... a fully orchestrated soundtrack? I mean, it's a huge step forward. But it's a huge step forward 5 years too late.

@Superfriend: Er... excuse me, what forum are we in? Who keeps mentioning Skyrim? Zelda isn't even an RPG - its an action adventure. Skyrim is just an unfinished bug loathed game where they pay fan service out by just bringing out another game for the hell of it. Game so full of bugs doesn't deserve a perfect score - shows credibility of giant bomb i guess...

A 7.5 is still good but I didn't know that scores have to be the same across the board and that each reviewer has to be nice to Zelda. Even the game trailers review was not very positive to the game.

Welcome to the internet.

I played the demo the other day and it sucked shit. It's not enough to just flick your wrist to use the sword, I had to wave the damn thing back and forth and it clearly wasn't something worth doing 100000 times to complete a Zelda game.

@Slow_pC said:

A 7.5 is still good but I didn't know that scores have to be the same across the board and that each reviewer has to be nice to Zelda. Even the game trailers review was not very positive to the game.

Meh, maybe if I start shooting people they will start listening. It is not the 7.5 score, it is his problems with the controls! The control problems he mentioned was because he didn't know motionplus was used for aiming! Therefore he played for however many hours - 'wrongly'

I understand it is a low score but seriously? Did they listen the guy talked about how it's enjoyable, creative and had amazing moments and worth playing but he explained the things that bothered the shit out of him. I honestly think people should shut the hell up and listen to what he says and make a choice based on that not some whack ass score. I appreciate someone talking about shit that bothers him that doesn't make it perfect sounding because I'm sure as hell I would buy it if I had a Wii and then I'd say this game is great but "blah blah blah" really upset me and was annoying.

@Superfriend: Er... excuse me, what forum are we in? Who keeps mentioning Skyrim? Zelda isn't even an RPG - its an action adventure. Skyrim is just an unfinished bug loathed game where they pay fan service out by just bringing out another game for the hell of it. Game so full of bugs doesn't deserve a perfect score - shows credibility of giant bomb i guess...

I'm always confused when people get mad when a critic gives a game a lower score then what they would have given it. I mean do these people just read reviews to validate their own opinions? That seems silly to me; reviews are a conversation between critic and audience. It's differing opinions that makes them worth reading. If every critic and person had the same opinion on every game, what would be the point of reading reviews?

I like the game "Catherine", yet Jeff Gerstmann gave the game a 2/5. Do I think Jeff is stupid now? Am I mad at him? Of course not! How immature would that be? I'm glad he articulated his own position on the game, which highlights how his videogame preferences differ from mine. For me in particular, the fact that he disliked it makes the review worth reading. When I read a review, I treat it as a conversation between myself and the critic. Reading why Jeff disliked Catherine tells me something about what he values in a game, and tells me something about what I value in a game. Fans of Skyward Sword should be happy they have the opportunity to read a negative review for it helps inform why they like the game and other's don't. How boring it would be if every critic gave the game a 9/10.

@Klei said:

Why do people react like if every zelda fan goes batshit over the 7.5 score? Only a handful of them are, and they're the one to post bullshit online. As for the 7.5 score, its just Tom's opinion, he hasn't stated many facts that bothers me all that much. I'm buying a Zelda game for, well, it to be a Zelda game. With boomerang, fire temple and whatnot. I don't want it to be some kind of next-gen spin off with stealth sequences, quick time events and finishers.

So, you see? It's the a matter of opinion. I read Tom's review and it's a pretty good review, but it's still his opinion. Look at MW3. I can't even touch this series anymore without laughing at how bad it looks/plays. Yet, it gets glowing scores. And it doesn't bother me ; it's just OPINIONS. If people love it, then by all means people, entertain yourselves!

It's time for people to, you know, grow up.

THERE IS NO BOOMERANG!!! WHAT DO YOU SAY NOW!???

Been there. Done that.

@Azteck: You mention why do I mention skyrim? Because it has been mentioned at least once every 3 pages of this thread. This is nothing about factual information on the review either as I do have the game (yes America - EUROPE has the game before you for once) and I can form my own opinion on it. I don't even want the game to get a 10/10 but it should certainly get a 8 or 8.5 as controls which he talk about are INVALID.

This game is far from perfect:

* no left handed mode

* no voice acting

* instructions often badly shown

* mini games seem to be around luck rather than skill

I could go on....

I like how people are still acting surprised when this type of stuff happens. Pattern recognition, people.

I just find it to be such a stark difference from the majority of reviews out there. It seems to me like he just wanted to make his review stand out. The vast majority of all other reviews absolutely glorify the combat and the direction the series is going in, but this review really just comes off as being a "Hey, we are serious about games and so come look at this review to get us more hits."

I like how people are still acting surprised when this type of stuff happens. Pattern recognition, people.

@ShadowDoGG: I'll give you no left handed mode and maybe voice acting, but it's not a big deal. From what I've played so far I have no had a problem with instructions or the mini games really.

One of the worst reviews I've ever read, terribly written and boring. Ignored.

Yeah, Zelda fans can be crazy, but I think they have a legit beef with this one. It's not a good review, at all. It makes Patrick's review look like Moby fucking Dick. But it's just a number, an outlier even. Before you criticize Zelda fans for defending their game so vehemently, remember that just as many people are going to site this very review as an argument against Zelda being a great franchise (which it undoubtably is), even though it is strongly contrary to consensus.

If you take IGN's perfect 10 and Gamespot's 7.5, the average score rounds up to 8.8.

Food for thought.

Jeff?

@Dalai said:

If you take IGN's perfect 10 and Gamespot's 7.5, the average score rounds up to 8.8.

Food for thought.

@ArbitraryWater said:

@ShadowDoGG said:

Fuck Skyrim - it is crap. First 5 minutes and I have to listen to some douche about how he is captured - I DO NOT CARE - let me fight something. Nintendo always do a good job on the games they do, they just don't do a plot - they do an adventure together. Of course, it would be nice to have HD graphics and Skyward Sword is pretty good when emulated in 1080p. Seems the real haters calling people Zelda fanboys are the Skyrim fanboys. Well, go play your shitty little game with never ending quests like a MMO.

Wow. That is a perfect impression of the people in those comments! Congratulations!

I know right? Fucking crazy people man.

5 hours in I really like the game, but pressing down to recalibrate the fucking cursor is getting annoying. This dude is talking shit about the controls though, combat's really good. I feel it's more of a 7.8.

And are people really bothered by a lack of voice acting?

I just posted a Zelda review elsewhere with a 7.5 review score, oblivious to the fact that Gamespot took flak for doing the same thing.

I had weeks with the game, enough time to make sense of the game's total experience--the slow start, the improvements over time, and my inability to ever "adjust" to the controls, which I thought was indicative of MotionPlus's flawed implementation. I preferred to discuss those highs and lows with text rather than a point value, but my outlet requires numbers, and the point score I chose matches my views.

My review can be found here. My personal number scale philosophy can be found here at reddit. What do y'all think?

@Dalai said:

If you take IGN's perfect 10 and Gamespot's 7.5, the average score rounds up to 8.8.

Food for thought.

HOW DARE THEY

HOW DARE THEY

I wasn't actually upset by this until I decided to watch the video review on YouTube and saw the comments section, as well as the dislikes. What a pathetic bunch of people. What pisses me off the most are the people who say how he "ruined" this game's overall score, as if it matters at all. I hate that this is the reaction to even a slightly less positive review than others. As even this site is the result of, people can lose their jobs over negative reviews, and it seems that fanboys are all to eager to encourage reviewing outlets to treat certain series with kid gloves and get tilted opinions just for their franchise of choice.
 
Video games cannot be reviewed in a vacuum. Zelda, specifically, cannot be reviewed in a vacuum, as if no other video games have ever existed except other Zelda games. From the look of some of those comments you would think that's exactly what people expect reviewers to do.

@GunslingerPanda said:

And are people really bothered by a lack of voice acting?

Yes, it's a fucked up holdout of ancient game design, Link doesn't even need to talk, just pull a Gordon Freeman and have the characters around him say something. You're out of your mind if you find reading line after line of text to be good storytelling.