Hi Space Quest Fan,
No, I didn't notice and thought your post was a reaction to mine. Sorry about my post, but happy that I was wrong and you meant someone else. Peace.

I am willing to start a coup d'état, who's with me??

Great idea about taking back Gamespot Becky. Thanks sierramindy.

I'm with you, Butcher. If you post a Memento Mori review on Gamespot, I'll post a Return to Mysterious Island 2 review there.

Anyone else want to join us?

Don't bother with G(arbage)Spot, they just hate all adventure games. 10.0 score is reserved for "masterpiece" games like Tony Hawk or GTA where IQ requirement is 25. Ever wondered why Xbox 360 is popular among gang members?

Pirate, I personally find your post as offensive as I do the reviews of Adventure Games on GameSpot. I play all games of varying genres and none of them are no brainers. They all require a different set of skills to get through. I also have an XBox360 and have at least 3 Tony Hawk Games and all the GTA games and can assure you that no one in my home is a gang banger. Those are as ignorant comments as the ones regarding adventure games on GameSpot. Do your homework before you generalize.

Ana

Hmm, I think everybody should do their homework. There is no reason on earth why anyone should compare GameSpot reviews and ratings of adventure games with GameBoomers reviews and ratings. They each write for a different group of gamers and therefore come from different viewpoints. It's that simple! Heavens, why should they agree with us ... just because we say so?

It isn't necessarily so much as agreeing, as treating each genre equally and fairly. Tailoring an adventure-genre review toward twitch-gamers on a site that purports to cover all things gaming is a bit pointless, as those players will almost assuredly not spare said review a glance in the first place. All I'd like to see is a reviewer willing to see both sides of the coin!

In an interesting contrast to their Memento review, they've recently given a "great" 8.0 to the experimental horror game, The Path. Which of course begs the question, is the nearly two-fold difference in scores really justified? It just goes to show how much tastes can differ, though.

And to be fair, calling action/sports games "no-brainers" is a misnomer at best; reflexes and eye-hand coordination are certainly valid skill sets, too, and it's surprising how many complex, RPG-like elements creep into them nowadays.

I totally agree, sierramindy

Everyone is entitled to their structured views & opinions...Even if we all disagree with it...

Also I want to add that I never go to Gamespot or any other forum to get a review on a game....I depend strictly on GameBoomer staff & members for a review on a game...

I mostly agree with Feeb88. There are times when you can see the reviewer doesn't enjoy traditional gameplay. He colors his descriptions with words like "dreary" and "plodding." I don't doubt that the game has its problems, but looking at them through the eyes of someone who dislikes traditional adventure games doesn't help a reader who actually wants to play a traditional adventure. You can't tell what's exaggeration from what's really a problem.


Why give "The Path" an 8.0 while giving "Memento Mori" a miserable 4.5?
Because it "tried something new." Gamespot also gives "The Experiment" a 7.5, despite that the unusual control scheme became tedious and frustrating really fast. It makes you wonder if the reviewer really played the game to the end. Just because something is "new" doesn't make it enjoyable. Yet anything that "tries something new" seems to get bonus points at Gamespot.

In my opinion this makes their review grades even more unreliable. I don't care if a gameplay feature is new or not. If it doesn't work, if it turns out to be a pain in the you-know-what, I don't think it deserves bonus points.

You could argue that "The Path" is not an adventure game, and deserves to be rated for what it is (an unclassified type of multimedia experience) rather than as an adventure game. But then giving an adventure game a bad grade because it's "traditional" doesn't make sense, because you're rating it as something it's not rather than for what it is.

Asking gamespot to review an adventure is like asking johnny rotten to give an opinion on the works of mozart.

Exactly, Jenny; I completely respect opinions, but when the purpose of these is to inform others, things get a tad tricky. My problem isn't opinion, it's bias; if a Gamespot reader were to develop a budding interest in adventure games, they'd be liable to feel put off for life by one of Mr. Todd's consistently skewed reviews.

To me, it's the equivalent of a BAAGS-addict 'Boomer spending two pages sourly complaining, "There's just too much darn shooting in this FPS!"

I just finished Memento Mori and I LOVED every moment of it.
I thought playing the two characters were equal and fair and added to the storyline. The graphics are beautifully done, the characters very easy to relate too. Besides Max is very handsome to look at.

The storyline is very interesting, and the voice overs and music done excellently. I had no bugs so it played flawlessly on my Vista 32 OS. I love the different endings, dialogue, there is not one way I could have asked for any change to improve the game. The puzzles were enjoyable and all of the puzzles made perfect sense.

I never read Gamespot reviews anymore or even go to their site. At one time I did and than realized the reviewers always gave adventure games a bad score with games I loved and knew the games deserved high scores. Always it seems if it is a war game they give high review scores. Sorry but I hated the path, I don't even know why it was called an adventure game, yet they gave it a high score, this makes no sense.

I have many times been really leary when I see Google give a virus warning on the search engine for gamespot website, which I have seen many times when I am looking for info on a game. I never would click on it no matter how desperate I am for information on a game!

YIKES, Gamespot Website appears to have a virus of another kind a reviewer that tries to destroy all adventure games with his keyboard and word of mouth, and this angers me. How can they hire a reviewer who is already prejudiced against Adventure Games?

I found Memento Mori quite enjoyable and hope there will be a sequel because I will buy it for sure. So Adventure Designers and Game Companies please don't pay attention to the negative reviews from game reviewers like Gamespots Mr.Todd. as far as I am concerned he doesn't recognize a good game when it stares him in the face!

Exactly my feelings, Merlin, no other words needed...

I am just nearing the end and have enjoyed the game. It's a bit different with the two characters playing but still good fun and flows nicely.
Regarding reviews, I only read them here on Gameboomers. These always give a good outline of the game but still make room for people's tastes and preferences.
When I read critics of movies, I frequently disagree with their reviews when I see the film for myself. It's all down to personal enjoyment.
Loved the post by Merlin. How true

Another way to look at a review by someone known to be negative about adventure games is to figure that the lower the score that reviewer gives, the higher will be your enjoyment of the game! See, even a negative can be turned into a positive, if one is willing to look at both sides of the coin, so to speak.

Why would Brett Todd bother playing a genre of game he abhors? Is he paid staff?

Bawdy -- yes, the larger generalist gaming sites do hire reviewers to review games of all genres, including adventure games.

Thanks, Becky. I usually disregard their critics ratings anyway. It sounds unprofessional to have such biased reviews.

To get a honest result they need some one on the team who likes playing adventure games to