Nobody likes to get a bad review, not least the team who worked on last year's Star Wars hopeful, The Force Unleashed. It's clear that the team worked incredibly hard on making the game look impressive with believable Force powers. Unfortunately, they forgot about the gameplay part, and the team was pretty let down when some game reviewers felt that was an important oversight.
"I'd get these reviews, and I'd be like, "Aw, these guys are irresponsible. How could they say this?" explains LucasArts' Haden Blackman. "... but part of it, as you said, is that I'm watching this team that has worked so hard on this game for two, almost three years. And they're reading this stuff ... all the air gets sucked out of the room. People were miserable for the whole day. It's hard to keep them focused. And we were working on DLC already at this point, on Jedi Temple, so I'd say, You guys need to keep focused. Come on, it's just one review."
The closer you get to the industry and the people who work in it, it's harder to write a bad review without thinking about the people you're potentially upsetting. Unfortunately, a bad game is a bad game and a reviewer needs to say what they think without worrying that a developer is going to get the violins out. So yes, bad news for LucasArts, but if a game isn't very good, it isn't very good. Limited sympathy is in order.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
12:40 PM on 04.23.2009
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But yeah I see that it had some pretty big flaws and all...
Having said that, I'm in no hurry to play it. :)
Overall I think the game could of used some more polish, but is is a good game.
That's not a quality assurance fail. That's a designer fail.
if anything, the developers should be thankful of the scores they received.
And unlike most folks I was able to pull down the Star Destroyer without any difficulty, by just following what was requested of me on screen. The game wasn't over challenging or too cheap, if you died it's because you messed up.
It's okay, guys. I liked your game. *hug*
Thankfully, I had yet to write anyone other than my college paper, so they didn't bust out the bitch stick :P
In either case it doesn't matter, because while the critics hated it, it became the best selling Star Wars game of all time. So IN YOUR FACE CRITICS!!!!!
Seriously people, just because you spent 2+ years coloring hair textures doesn't mean that you automatically deserve praise if the game sucks.
Each fight in that game should have left a pile of maimed stormtroopers, arms, legs, hands and heads rolling in every direction.
The other major fails were the constant knockdowns that disable you. Don't they teach rolling with the punch in Sith school? Seriously my grandpa could get up from a knockdown quicker.
Perhaps they should have thought more about the gamers they would potentially be upsetting? Honestly, though, didn't the game sell really well (4+ million) and make moola?
I always wonder - How can a bad game be made by a big company? They put money, time and care into a product and then they are all like "wat, u think its bad cant be /wrists"
You fucking made the game, how can you not see if it's a pile of ass?
That's what I get for hoping for a new Jedi Knight game.
Also, LucasArts has become a steaming pile of poop. (Where's my X-wing vs Tie Fighter!?)
That's what I get for hoping for a new Jedi Knight game.
Also, LucasArts has become a steaming pile of poop. (Where's my X-wing vs Tie Fighter!?)
They really need to get thick skin, it's not fair to make sad puppy eyes to get better scores, you either care about these and try to impress fat reviewers or forget about it and milk the money (which the game did).