Wall for trachy (page 48)

Top 5 Worst Critic Practices

This is a little article I wrote up about the things critics tend to do that I despise. These are practices done by critics in all forms of media, but as my knowledge is best when it comes to video game critique, there might slightly more focus on that aspect.

5. Heavily focusing on only one aspect: Yes yes yes. We get that Castlevania: Lord of Shadows 2 had a terrible stealth aspect. Yet that isn't the entire game. There is a far heavier focus on the combat and platforming, both of these aspects are barely mentioned in the review. You don't have to give even focus to every part of the thing you are reviewing, but do make an effort to at least cover all elements of the product. Otherwise you're not only misrepresenting the product but also are doing a disservice to consumers, who will not get as much out of your review.

4. Trying to review a product from the perspective of a fan: I get it. Some things (such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Doctor Who) have huge fan bases. And I get that you might not be a fan of these things. But stop making an effort to review from the viewpoint of another. You only know how you feel about something, and have no idea how the fanbase will react. Just because Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has Darth Vader in it, doesn't mean Star Wars fans find it any less awful. And to the guy who guessed that Ozymandius would not be the fan favorite episode for Breaking Bad, look how wrong you were. Just review things based off your own opinion. There are other reviewers who are fans of the product to have that viewpoint, so let them write as a fan of the product.

3. Not doing research: You'd think this goes without saying, but you'd be wrong. I mean, how easy is it to find out that Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is far from the first metroidvania? Incredibly easy. Fact check all of your work, or get someone else to do it for you. Otherwise you end up looking like a fool, and in the eyes of some people, all future work you do will be invalidated because you made a factual error in the past.

2. Scores: Scores are used by those who lack confidence in the strength of their words. Scores add absolutely nothing to critique, and instead only cause points of contention between readers and the critics. They're an arbitrary number that provides no way to reference it with the work of different critics. Removing scores from your article will force readers to actually pay attention to what you write, and will remove such areas of contention as "price is too high", "boobs are too big", or "I don't like the humor". Plus it will stop companies from firing people for getting "only" an 84 on metacritic.

1. Top X Lists: Now these could be helpful, except that they almost always end up useless because the writer decided to end with a controversial choice designed for click baiting. An example of this could be seen in an article that was titled "Top 10 Biggest Rip Offs" which ended by saying the biggest rip off was every single zombie thing ripping off of Night of the Living Dead. First off, the novel I Am Legend, which came out in 1954, was the inspiration for Night of the Living Dead. And I Am Legend wasn't even the first piece of zombie fiction! Also it clearly fails to understand that the development of genres is a process of iteration. Top X lists can have a purpose, but only when it is clearly the authors own opinion, such as saying "The Top 10 Movies I Enjoyed Most This Year". Not "The Top 10 Best Movies of the Year", not "The Top 10 Greatest Pictures of All Time" but instead a piece that is clearly geared toward opinion rather than trying to create facts.

...Okay then! Thank you! :3

Th-th... that's all?
Like, 'tra' as in track?
'chee' as in tai chi?
...Okay then! Thank you! :3

I've got some weird question that's been lingering around my head for so long but I never bothered to ask. :P
How do you pronounce your name? I've always pronounced it 'trashy' but obviously that isn't the answer since that's sort of mean. :c

Have you ever had 12 arena wins in Hearthstone?
And what's your ranking in constructed?

This is for some gaming freak friend of mine e-e

Pretty underwhelmed by the Amazon Fire TV. I can see no real advantage over the PS Vita TV aside from being out in the United States right now. But hell, just be patient and wait, and you'll be getting a better experience.

Just because you have no idea what something is, doesn't mean it isn't important. It just means you are ignorant.

V

Yeah, you can have TV, cowbell, bongo drum, and half of the magazine stack I keep under my bed. I'll be sure to send them to you with your next Pizza Hut order.

Spider-Man runs Steam's customer support.