Please Rate This Review: Portal 2 Second Opinion

Autoimmunity · 05-13-2011, 10:54 PM

Rejected.

*Poof*

Li-Ion · 05-14-2011, 09:09 AM

Your subjective hatred for 'casual', 'dumbing down', the cake meme and the humor depicted overshadows everything. More irritating: after you gave the game a trashing from front to finish you still award it with 5/10. You don't mention any redeeming feature (apart from the questionable compliment of Portal being a polished urinal), why do you give it a token average rating?

This is not a review, this is an angry rant from someone who clearly hates the game. 1 Star.

Pedro · 05-15-2011, 05:53 AM

Well, you know Richard's review on the main site was pretty subjective - you could say that his idea of what was 'cool' and 'fun' is not everyone's, so I wouldn't entirely write off this review here as being invalid.

The funny thing is that it's really well-written, but then gets ovetaken by the writer's dislike of the game for 'subjective' reasons. The last paragraph in particular - if you "just don't get it", then why write a long and well-structured review?

Autoimmunity - if you wanted to 'improve' this review, then there are a couple of things. Don't take this the wrong way; I'm not saying you are whiny, but the review has a 'whiny' tone in places. The use of sarcasm probably contributes to this.

Possibly a better article would be one where you analyse why you are so disappointed with the game. I haven't played Portal 2, as I suspect the humour and puzzles would leave me cold, but why has the game been such a letdown?

EDIT: Uh, didn't see Autoimmunity's reply. The first para was directed at Li-ion.

Li-Ion · 05-15-2011, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autoimmunity

Game reviews are supposed to be subjective.

It depends what you're looking for in a review I suppose. Most people want to figure out if the game is one that is worth their time and money. Some people want to be reinforced in their buying decision (I blame this for most reviews I read on IGN). Some people want to see a game they don't like being slammed into the ground in an amusing fashion (the reason why people watch Zero Punctuation).

I know that there is no true objectivity and a piece of writing will always be subjective to some degree, but I honestly think someone who hates or blindly loves a game should not review it. From what you write I assume you hate it.

Quote:

A 5 out of 10 means an average game. If I was feeling lazy on a Sunday, I could play Portal 2 and fill my time, just as much as I could flip channels or surf the web, and it would neither add nor detract from my life, except for having wasted time. That's the definition of average.

Your definition of average seems to overlap with my definition of boring. The average is a number which typifies a data set of which it is a function. Average is a mathematic term which does not exist for many things in real life. The average number of people in a household in the US is 3.14 - who has ever seen 0.14 people?

But the thing is: I don't get the idea that it would be "average" from what you are writing. I get the idea that the game is atrocious, a colossal waste of time and not worth the time or money invested. What I consider a deal-breaker is when the number at the end does not fit at all to what I read in the text before. That's the feeling I had way too often with reviews at IGN, where a game gets picked apart and suddenly it's a 8.5/10. Your review reads like a 2.5 to me, yet you award a 5.

Li-Ion · 05-15-2011, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedro

Well, you know Richard's review on the main site was pretty subjective - you could say that his idea of what was 'cool' and 'fun' is not everyone's, so I wouldn't entirely write off this review here as being invalid.

I know the Portal 2 review on the main site and the universal praise it gets from all over the internet. I don't agree with them either since I don't think Portal 2 is the second coming. It is a good game, but it is nowhere near perfect. I still haven't finished it because of the weird sections where you basically run down a long corridor while listening to the stand-up comedian who follows you around. Who thought it would be a good idea to include a lengthy corridor without puzzles in a puzzle game? I don't like Wheatley. I think he really doesn't fit into the game. Glados, the turrets and the other computer that you hear at the very beginning are all computerized and fit well together. Wheatley just doesn't sound like he belongs to the facility, which really broke my immersion at times.

So yes, I agree there is a valid point for a contrarian view. However, I think this review goes a step too far. It concentrates basically on how annoying the cake meme is and dismisses what Portal 2 did right in favour of an amusing beating of the subject at hand. As I wrote in the previous posting my main problem with the review is the disconnect I feel between the writing and the rating. If this gets sorted out I will of course reconsider my rating of the review.

Li-Ion · 05-15-2011, 10:13 AM

Well, I'm a mod so I will approve the postings as soon as I see them but I'm not online 24/7

JLB1987 · 05-16-2011, 06:00 AM

I don't really have a lot to add to what's been said, but I read this through (always an excellent idea to check these forums for reviews of games you are thinking of trying), and thought I'd add to the consensus.

Not bad. Wish I could have read the original that Li-Ion originally commented on, because the edited version is certainly not awful. Two stars from me. Very average, at the moment.

I thought it was fairly well written. You are clearly someone who has a good grasp on writing, but there are a few awkwardly put sentences, or sentences that could have had the grammar improved. It was quite hard work for me to read through, which isn't the mark of a good review.

The content of the review; again, as has been said, the score and what you say definitely doesn't match up. You should be able to read a good review, and pretty much be able to guess the score at the end. After all, a score is the most basic summary you can get, and should reflect on what you think of the game. I guessed your score would be two out of ten, three at the very most. You need to change the review to add in more positives about the game, or just change the score.

My only other real gripe is all the comparisons, analogies and references you have put in; it takes the focus away from what you are talking about. Probably my own personal preference rather than a set rule, though, so you could totally disregard this paragraph.

I look forward to seeing where you go with this, though.

Richard Naik · 05-16-2011, 01:33 PM

Hey Autoimmunity,

I have to agree with Li-Ion's original assessment. It comes off as very, very ranty and the text does not match the score based on our scale. Reviews are indeed subjective to the fullest, but here your feelings seem to be overwhelming any kind of analysis. Tempering feelings and striking a balance between emotion and reason is an absolute must for any reviewer.

This really needs a full rewrite, but keep the things I mentioned in mind and see what you come up with. Thanks!