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Comment of the Week: Question on reviews photo

Last week we announced our new weekly "feature," something we're calling "Comment of the Week." The idea: encourage legitimate, entertaining discussion about videogaming news, reviews, previews, and more.

Not that you guys don't already do that, but we wanted to spotlight and reward it. Our commenter of the week -- chosen after a discussion between the Destructoid staff -- will win a mystery prize, to be determined weekly. 

To kick it off this week, we're giving the winner a handful of goodies: codes redeemable for Madballs: Babo Invasion and Worms 2: Armageddon for Xbox LIVE Arcade, as well as a physical copy of the recently released BioShock/Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion bundle for the Xbox 360. (We sure hope the winner has an Xbox 360!)

Hit the jump to find out who took it home this week, and why.

Winner:

Magnalon, from the comments of our Battlefield 1943 review

Why we chose it:

Sure, this is a comment that kind of calls us out on not one, but two of our reviews. But it's a legitimate and important question, one that sparked discussion in the comments, as well as with the staff. 

Truth is, Castle Crashers (like Battlefield 1943) did suffer from a number of networking issues. Unlike Battlefield, some of Castle Crashers' issues were far worse for many players, including corrupted saves that cause many to lose progress. However, while our reviewers seemed to dock points from the overall Battlefield 1943 experience, Castle Crashers was seemingly given a free pass. 

When reviewing titles, our reviewers explore each of the game's modes to the best of his or her ability, including online play where applicable. The reviewer can obviously only evaluate what was experienced. 

Many reviewers (with Destructoid or otherwise) sometimes play and evaluate a game online on a network that's not what consumers will be playing on when the game hits retail or online services. Think for a second about the difference between 400 people playing Battlefield 1943 online versus the 400,000 people who purchased the game on Xbox LIVE on day one.

Which brings up Magnalon's interesting question: Is it worth delaying a review to see how a game plays online? For us, it's something we take on a case-by-case basis. Many titles we review aren't played on retail consoles, and sometimes we're not given the opportunity to play an online game in a real-world setting. 

Would you like to have a review go up before or as a game hits shelves/online so that you can use that info to inform your day-and-date purchase decision? Or would you rather wait a few days (or maybe longer), as we hold off to test the game in a "real-world" setting? 

---

"Comments of the Week" are chosen from comments made Friday through Thursday. They can "LOL" funny or thought-provoking. Whatever you do, try not to suck.


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41 comments | showing # 1 to 41

ChronosWing's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 13:35
ChronosWing
Magnalon <3
whormongr's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 13:38
whormongr
seeing a lot of comments on here I am a bit puzzled by the choice but it is yours to make.
Necro BABS's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 13:45
Necro BABS
Mine were so much cooler and hip

BIAS
Monodi's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 13:46
Monodi
Woot woot

Also, kermit.
Tubatic's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 13:56
Tubatic
Good comment to start things off!

I've always believed in playing it where it lies. If something is busted at the time of review, a review should most definitely take that into account and work it into the evaluation. Considering that Castle Crashers still exists competently as a single player experience, I can accept broken network play as a minor knock.

If Left 4 Dead had completely busted multiplayer, though, it would need to be eviscerated in reviews, since MP is central to the experience.
EdgyDude's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:04
EdgyDude
Usually i prefer reviews ASAP, as it usually will prevent people from wasting money, or at the very least let them be aware of a game's possible flaws at purchase time. Online play can be scored separately if necessary (bugs to be fix, server problems etc.) or not considered for the final score (it should be noted in bold letters) and when (if) the main issue is addressed, and updated score is given. Yeah, i know, more work, but it's also fair for developers and customers, and the again, it's always the staff's call.

P.D. that's a weird-ass opening pic.
shogunu's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:04
shogunu
Lady Gaga?
AgentMOO's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:07
AgentMOO
HOW MANY KERMITS MUST DIE?
Zippyduda's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:14
Zippyduda
What Tubatic said :] Congrats Magnalon.
Ben PerLee's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:14
Ben PerLee
CAN'T READ MY
CAN'T READ MY
YOU CAN'T READ
MY KERMIT FACE
grassr00ts's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:20
grassr00ts
Nice pick, I like the way you went with your winner this week. Good question Magnalon. I can't wait to see what's up for grabs next week.


Not sure about when i'd prefer the reviews, more likely as it hits shevles, as a frequent visitor to DTOID, i'd be very likely to pick up on an issues as they become popular, and could influence my decision on whether to pick up a game (as long as its not a day 1 pickup, because in that case any issues wouldn't bother me regardless)
Hoss's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:24
Hoss
i knew it would be this comment when i hit the jump

very big of you guys, good job
DaedHead8's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:26
DaedHead8
It's so appropriate that Mag one the first week. Congrats dude!
DaedHead8's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:26
DaedHead8
errr one=won
walkyourpath's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:26
walkyourpath
What Zippy said. Congrats, Magnalon!
Magnalon's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:36
Magnalon
Thanks guys! <3

I just wanted to thank Brad for doing a fine job of answering this question for me. It's not every day that you get to engage in a polite discourse with the author of an article on a popular website. You'd be hard pressed to find staff who actually care enough about you to answer your fan questions anywhere else. It's a large reason why Destructoid is ahead of the curve!
Kris S's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:38
Kris S
Congrats mate, should of known it would be you :P
Magesx's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 14:58
Magesx
screw you guys my :| comment in the Natal story was pure gold
Aurain's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 15:11
Aurain
8/10

Show us second and third place too next time :P
Blasto's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 15:25
Blasto
Congrats Magnalon! dibs on your Worms 2 code :)
Dexter345's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 15:30
Dexter345
Personally, I wouldn't mind waiting a few days to see how a game performs in the real world, given that it's an online-heavy title. For instance, L4D2 would almost require for you to play it online after its official release, whereas Lost Odyssey 2 you could have the review up on its release date. That is, of course, if you can finish Lost Odyssey 2 in the time between getting the review copy and its release.
Timmeh's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 15:34
Timmeh
Congraturations!

In answer to your question regarding when to sign off on reviews, I think it depends on the title really. If players are likely to spend a lot of time online I'd say it is crucial to see how the game performs in the real world. If the online play isn't the primary reason for people playing it doesn't matter so much. Who cares if the online is broken when you'll play it for 10 minutes then go back to Halo/Call of Duty?

Games should be reviewed according to how they will perform when someone gets it home and pops it in their system otherwise what's the point? Furthermore, any talk of a fixes from the developer should be ignored (I notice a patch was talked about in the Castle Crashers review which, in reality, took months to arrive).
tazarthayoot's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 15:52
tazarthayoot
If man was crafted in God's image, then this woman must have been crafted in God's toilet.
Professor Pew's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 15:56
Professor Pew
I'm sure Mr. Ross had nothing to do with this header image!
Los255's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 15:58
Los255
OMFG VIDYAGAMES!!

I think Multiplayer heavy games should be the ones that get put off so you can get a real world feel for it.

If I was interested in this game, coming in as a consumer, I don't want to be put off a game because it's having trouble on the reviewer's side, because ai can end up thinking that it's going to happen to me and I wouldn't buy it until it's fixed. In the worst case scenario, forget that I was going to buy it because it was plagued with problems for a day or two.
Mr Wrighty 987's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 16:10
Mr Wrighty 987
erm.....wtf is she wearing?
whormongr's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 16:33
whormongr
@Magesx
this comment saying you suck for having no modesty is better
Magesx's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 17:17
Magesx
Nice to see you could tell I was being sarcastic.
psycho terror2's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 19:28
psycho terror2
after the recent demigod fiasco i can't help but feel that there are so many factors involved in the release of an online game these days that it's impossible to cover every angle, and the reviewer can and should work with whatever they have at the time of release. IMO anything prior to that is a preview and while it can influence my decision to buy, i won't even have to make that choice until the game is released.

oh and congrats magnalon, i think that's the only comment you've posted this week that didn't make me wince.
Magnalon's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 19:55
Magnalon
@ psycho terror2
Ack! I try to speak my mind, but I didn't mean to offend, or trouble you psychologically! :D
kauza's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 21:42
kauza
Glad a good man won this week! Great choice.
Chronic Logic's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 21:57
Chronic Logic
Doh. Next time!
DinnertimeNinja's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/18/2009 21:58
DinnertimeNinja
Interesting to see a serious response win this thing. Gives me hope for relevant discourse in the future.

Oh, and one thing about the Castle Crashers review. At the time of the review, I believe all of the reviewers said that they were aware of the problems but hadn't experienced them themselves.

I can't fault someone for giving a good review to a game that they've had no technical problems with, even if others are feeling the burn.

In such cases, I think it would be nice to see some sort of bolded/italicized statement near the review score to alert potential buyers of potential pitfalls.
parsleyboots's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/19/2009 00:27
parsleyboots
Giving EA/DICE only three days to sort out Battlefield 1943's widely publicised launch problems was probably not enough, despite the disclaimer. But perhaps the debate should not be about whether reviewers should rush to keep up with release schedules, but whether or not they should "patch" their reviews in the same way that some developers patch their games. Destructoid is not a print magazine. Alright, it's a blog, but that's not to say the opportunity doesn't exist for its writers to go back and expand on their initial views should developments after a game's release warrant it. They may slip from the front page, butDtoid's reviews remain for all to google.

Take Burnout Paradise, for example. Since Nick Chester's review, there have been numerous updates to the title. Destructoid has posted about them regularly, but shouldn't some of this information and the original review be consolidated? Trophies have been introduced to the PS3 version of the game. The free software update that accompanied the releases of the Ultimate Box and Party Pack added the option to restart events, fundamentally altering the structure of the game for players who choose to take advantage of it. Nick's review was an accurate and fair appraisal in February 2008, but arguably it is no longer enough to enable a gamer to make an informed decision as to whether or not she should buy the game.

Criterion's approach with Burnout Paradise is perhaps an extreme example, but I can't help but think that it is a model more developers will strive to emulate as the market forDLC grows. Shouldn't the reviews produced by games blogs such as Destructoid also adapt to reflect this? Perhaps then there wouldn't be so much controversy surrounding reviews for games like Battlefield 1943, either. The need for reviews to be both timely and representative of "real-world" experience could surely be satisfied if later updates to reviews were to become an acceptable option.
Autumn's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/19/2009 04:12
Autumn
My thoughts on this are that the review will be there for all to see forever, whereas the network problems only persisted for a few days.

Why not go back and give a second review score now that the game is fully working?
The game is a great experience for the money, and now that the online issues are sorted it deserves a high score.
Like the above post, I feel that a game's quality changes over time and reviews should be updated to reflect that in certain cases. Battlefield is such a case in my opinion.
dgschrei's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/19/2009 04:23
dgschrei
Having the game shipped from the UK to Germany takes about a week anyway. So I really don't have a problem with a delayed review. Especially if it makes the review better and more credible. The benefits of a delayed review should strike you as obvious if you compare Dtoids GTA IV review with that of "lol first" sites like IGN. Dtoid is amongst the very few sites on the net that gave GTA IV a fair and honest review. And by that they are about the only ones who don't look at their review with regret.
Cadtalfryn's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/19/2009 07:01
Cadtalfryn
Congrats dude that is awesome.
liam2015's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/19/2009 07:56
liam2015
I would rather see a review go up at least a few days late so as for the reviewer to see if those kind of problems get fixed, or to see if the developer is aware and promises a patch. But if that doesn't happen within a few days of a games release, that review should go up, taking into account those problems exist and haven't been acknowledged in some way yet.
Analoge's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/19/2009 08:14
Analoge
Well played, Magnalon.

I like this new feature. Keep up the great work, guys!
Justice's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/19/2009 10:54
Justice
Congrats Mag!
xenon's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/19/2009 11:53
xenon
I think it's obviously better to wait if the reason is to get a better undestanding of the game's stengths and weaknesses, online or not. You don't really need to buy games the day they come out. Also, you could always review retail copies, instead of the ones provided by publishers.
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