Games
Company
Genre
Format
Consider Cole MacGrath, the returning hero of Infamous, proof of what lies at the eye of a storm: nothing. He might look like actor Sam Worthington and sound like Batman, but to see him is almost to see through him. His eyes are permanently narrow, fixed on his next opponent or waypoint. His mouth is just a slit, source of little more than cynically devised canon. His head is shaved, his arms inked with high-street tattoos. His only magnetism is electrical.
There’s no real excuse for this, but the argument will be that he speaks with his powers, and in that respect he’s a poet. No sooner has the game begun than he’s siphoning electricity from anything plugged in and firing it out as bullets, shields, bombs, rockets, restraints, tractor beams, defibrillating shocks, kinetic blasts and, ultimately, lightning. It’s the loadout from a dozen popular action games given a makeover.
Infamous 2 is interactive fan fiction, a clumsy popculture magpie. Its best weapon: the sticky bomb, which is identical to Halo’s plasma grenade in almost every respect. Its biggest villain: The Beast, a giant glowing man who, it’s revealed, has everything in common with Watchmen’s Dr Manhattan. Its story: Watchmen again, via Blade II and X-Men. Its environment: somewhere between Left 4 Dead 2, Crackdown, Mercenaries and The Saboteur, and often distractingly similar to one or the other. And LittleBigPlanet? We’ll get to that.
What little of the story matters involves the destruction of Empire City (New York) by the aforementioned Beast, whose trek across America is watched avidly by in-game TV broadcasts. MacGrath flees to New Marais (New Orleans) in the deep south, a place of conflict and superstition – a perfect dojo for his powers. But what’s this? The levees have broken and feral mutant freaks have started rising from the floods. For nefarious private army the Militia, it’s the perfect staging ground for a war against the Conduits, the world’s emerging population of supermen and women.
Together with sidekick gadget man Zeke, MacGrath quickly teams up with bickering supergirls Nix (an atrociously characterised voodoo tribeswoman) and Kuo (a special agent on the wrong side of a Militia experiment). To say this dovetails with returning plot threads from Infamous would be generous: for newcomers to the series, much of the dialogue will sound like impenetrable fanboy gobbledygook.
From a gameplay perspective, what’s really important is that MacGrath needs enough power to activate the RFI, a shiny round MacGuffin full of dormant special effects, and the last, best hope against The Beast. This he achieves by consuming ‘Blast Cores’ found in key story missions.
To be fair, Infamous 2 is a game of two halves, only one of which is horrible. The first, which sees the game methodically set its agenda, is actually pretty good. The murky and misty New Marais is a much better place for the series’ murky and misty in-game palette, not to mention a melting pot of bustling pedestrians. You’re reminded of the how well the game reacts physically to MacGrath’s actions, cars dying as their batteries are sucked dry, buildings shredded by combat. And with a broader range of entry-level powers than last time, moving up and around the buildings is a painless and more attractive process.
Comments
138I obviously haven't played this yet, but I do reccomend that anyone with any vague interest at least tries the demo off PSN. I really enjoyed it, and I think they've fixed my main problem with the first game (the city being a big grey amorphous mass) with a really vibrant look and colourful districts.
Also, I really disagree with the reviewers issues with Cole's fluidity in movement. As with the first game, using the power-line grind and glide ability to hurtle across the city just feels super-fun. Anyway, as I mentioned, I definitely feel like this game is worth a play of the demo at the very least!
"I obviously haven't played this yet" "I really disagree with the reviewers issues" hmmmm
believe it or not, you can move the character in the demo. They're pretty sweet like that.
I agree. Great game. We actually just put up our review for Infamous 2 as well. See what we had to say at Wrecked, a new entertainment website written by regular guys like you! http://wp.me/p1iCBb-Cl
i'am just about to finish infamous 1 and must say that i will be soon ordering infamous 2:)
I was already expecting this!Edge only give high marks to The Holy Grail Halo,Gears of War,Forza and mostly first party Nintendo titles and LBP. I didn't see anything greatly original in Halo ODST yet it still got a 9.
I stopped taking Edge reviews seriously a long time a go!
Normally I don't get involved in this "Edge sucks" business but you have a good point about ODST. It was overpriced and underwhelming. I guess in the end there's no accounting for taste.
I'm not sure how ODST was over-priced at £30, and as for underwhelming, the campaign is fantastic, and it introduced Firefight, which is amazing. I'm not sure I can see where you're coming from.
Personally I didn't play more than 1 hour of the campaign before I was bored to tears and 1 round of firefight was enough. Gears 2 does that mode much better. But everybody's got their own opinion. I said overpriced because it played exactly like Halo 3. For all intents and purposes it could've been an expansion to H3. It was definitely not worth $60.
... but you feel the need to join their site and comment on their reviews? I'm a long-time subscriber, and even I don't care enough to trawl the reviews and post my thoughts.
It's funny this game has been getting great reviews from other sites?
No surprise there. This is why no one takes Edge reviews seriously anymore.
Wonder if the score would have been increased if this was only on the Xbox? I played Prototype the other day, and found it extremely inferior in most respects compared to even the original inFamous.
After only playing the demo for this one (and a subsequent play through the first) I'll admit that sometimes the camera can go a bit haywire, but what game doesn't have a dodgy camera? And in a generation which is becoming over saturated with FPS's a game like this deserves at least a chance.
I wonder if this was a multi plat title would people be so quick to rush to its defence and whine about the score?
But I have to say Prototype is a pretty naff game with some horrible quirks. Infamous was better but it felt like a huge crackdown rip off in a lot of ways. At least they picked a good setting for this one and not just another bland city like we see in so many games these days.
"MacGrath isn’t like Alex Mercer, star of the vastly superior Prototype" - And with that line all credibility the reviewer may have had has been completely and utterly lost. I'm beginning to think Edge are just being contraversial for the hell of it now.
This reviewer seems oddly biased and negative. He needs to keep his personal feelings out of the review and keep it professional. Otherwise nobody will take him seriously. Which, after reading the above comments, appears to be the case.
What personal feelings would these be?
I don't know you, so you i don't need to answer your question. Sorry.
God forbid anyone asks/answers any questions on a comment thread. What next? A meaningful exchange of perspectives? A dialogue?
There're a few questions in there but you don't know me so there's obviously no requirement to answer. We'll just take your word for it that you're well acquainted with the reviewer, you know him personally, and are well aware of said reviewers 'personal feelings'.
Ok :)
My predictions for future Edge scores
Gears of War 3 = 9 or 10
Forza 4 = 9 or 10
Halo 4 = 9 or 10
Mario 3DS = 9 or 10
Mario Kart 3DS = 9 or 10
All of these games will be very original and not borrow any ideas from other games. I wonder what Infamous 2 would get if it was a X360 exclusive or Nintendo Wii U title??? easily an 8
Edge Su... Di.., and sticking, a tounge in, MS ASS. This bite.. like this Sh.t. Hole Crap what a fuck..g w.ore.
fortunately Sony and Sucker Punch released a demo of the game, so gamers can try it out for themselves and not be swayed by BS reviews like this. it's seldom that i disagree with a review but all to often EDGE are the ones i find myself disagreeing with most. here, they've trumped themselves. i'm on my fourth mission, and have enjoyed everything i've played thus far.
This is one of the most terrible reviews I have read in a long time.
The reviewer was unable to grasp the virtues of the gameplay, the flow of the combat and the movement through the city. Comparing this game with the can of flaws that is Prototype is almost a joke
Using the bland moral choices (as bad as in every console game that present that kind of mechanics) or the typically comic-book like argument is an excuse to trash the game and hide the fact that he was unable to understand the game mechanics or that he didnt care about that from the start.
Game journalism is full of frauds.
And by the way, thanks for knocking this GREAT game's score on Metacritic down 2 POINTS. You scumbags.
You SCUM edge how dare you! 2 POINTS!!!!!
I thought reviews where to inform the consumer prior to a purchase but based on this it seems Edge's reviews are just to reiterate their elitist position. To say that this game is worse than that garbage Crackdown 2 you must be on a drug more powerful than anything Charlie Sheen has ever taken.
I mean, Bayonetta a 10? Really?
Read the comparison that i did back in February of 2010 below...i'd love to see Edge respond to this...why do they always score PS3 games so much lower than their industry peers??
http://www.psu.com/forums/threads/222712-Heavy-Rain-7-10-EDGE%21?p=4788570&viewfull=1#post4788570
You've intentionally left out any ps3 games edge scored highly, you're a silly sad fanboy.
both of them?
actually i just grabbed popular titles from around that time that were from similar genres...the data is clear as day however...you're the silly sad fanboy that doesn't want to admit it...
id still love to see the "journalists" (used VERY loosely) from EDGE address this...
All the 'data' shows it that some games get better scores than others, imagine that.
I have to say that I usually don't agree with Edge reveiws. They're more than welcome to their opinions but I do want to point out that comparing this game to Halo, to Prototype, to crackdown, etc...not really fair. First, Prototype was inferior to the original infamous on every level imaginable except for combat...both infamous and prototype were fun combat wise, however, infamous had the edge on prototype for having two significantly different approuches to playing the game.
Graphics, better. Story, better. framerate, better. You name it and INfamous did it better. Crackdown 2 revcieved an 8 out of 10..and let me point outt hat crackdown 2 was the exact same game as the first. Same graphics from 2007, same city, same powers...you had a few tweeks and some other stuff added but it was the exact same game.
Now, on to INfamous 2..i've played about 25 chapters in and I have to say that INfamous 2 improves on INfamous in every way imaginable. Graphics, powers, fights, the issues that plagued the first are practically gone. I mean, this is an amazing game.
THe one difference was storytelling. Infamous 1 did storytelling a little bit better...but then again, INfamous 2 is a lot like Mass Effect 2 storywise. ME1 was all about what was happening and the characters..ME2 was all about preparing for a massive no win situation and focused less on the over-all arch or the story. That's what Infamous 2 is doing, focusing on a big battle coming up and the need to get ready for it.
Lastly, I just have to say once again, that while I compeltely hate the fact that someone gave this amazing game a 6 out of 10...the reviewer is welcome to his opinion...as for me, as long as this continues to be a hell of a ride, i'm thinking more like 9 out of 10.
Everyone knows that this magazine generally marks down ps3 exclusives with the odd very rare exception and gives sometimes overly generous scores to M$ games. The statistics have been analysed very clearly on several blogs/sites.
I buy Edge occasionally because it is a beautifully produced well written multiplat magazine, but I would love to know why they consistently do this with ps3 game reviews. They won't admit to it though sadly, they just give a standard response of 'what about LBP' etc. I'm not a Sony fanboy but I do not like M$ as a company, maybe i'm wrong that's why I'd like to know their honest and candid opinion on this. After all these guys are well educated and work in the industry, what is it that they know that makes them so biased against ps3 exclusives? There is a good chance that this particular review is the genuine opinion and score of the author (Diluted Dante?) and that's fair enough, but there is a very clear general trend of reviews like this.
Did sony do something to piss you off? Living in Britain can be a bit of a miserable exerience...working hard all week...excessive binge drinking and a poor quality charly at the weekend leaves most of us feeling grumpy and cynical...I don't know.
Would I prefer reading Edge or buy it more often if there wasn't the anti PS3 bias in reviews? I doubt it, it's expected now.
Lykon: Everyone knows that this magazine generally marks down ps3 exclusives with the odd very rare exception and gives sometimes overly generous scores to M$ games. The statistics have been analysed very clearly on several blogs/sites.
Except when I did that by including every game, and not leaving out games to suit my argument, the difference was negligable.
I'm not the author by the way. I no longer work for Edge, and I never went outside of Community Spotlight when I did anyway.
Ahahahaha
Fanboy meltdown.
It's just a score peeps. If you like it, buy it and tell your friends. You have friends right?
Yeah, it is just a score...My problem is more with the comparisons to worse games and how those worse games are better than this game. It just oozes bias on every level and journalism is about being unbiased, professional. Honestly, i'm a multiplatform owner that play's just about everything under the sun. Hell, I thought Halo ODST was awesome, were many people didn't. I'm fair, if a game sucks it sucks...This is not a sucky game. Again though, this is an opinion that Edge is welcome to have, which is what I said when I wrote my first message. Just pointing out that i'm no fanboy.
Well to me, this 'infamous had the edge on prototype for having two significantly different approuches to playing the game' is complete nonsense. I don't really like either game that much but to say there were two significantly different ways to play the first game is laughable.
So obviously you must be very biased and have an ulterior motive because your opinion differs from mine and obviously my opinion is the only correct one.
Dear Edge,I have been a subscriber with you for many years (just check my account info). On a whole, the quality of your magazine is unmatched. You're previews are great and you have great features. I know you review harshly, and that is ok. When God of War got an 8 where others gave it a 9 i thought "They review harshly but at least they say its a good game still." I was ok with that. Didn't agree with it but thats matters of opinion really. I do notice the small bias but when it is one point, i really don't care.But this review is different. This review is taking the bias to a whole different level. It really is. It is full of hate and to be honest is harsh and has unfair comparisons. You now have entered a level where you rate a game as poor when it is in fact a very good game. I have played Infamous 1 and loved it. And bought the second game on that alone, without reading any reviews. Infamous 2 is a good game. Whether someone thinks its an 8 or a 9 doesn't matter to me. It is a good game. But this review just makes me angry. Its one of the biggest trolls i have seen in a magazine in a good while. Its very unfair. Comparisions with Halo, Prototype are Crackdown 2 are really laughable and most of the people on this forum agree with that (other forums too).If any of the editors read this, people don't take Edge seriously any more when it comes to reviews. Do you really want to be know as the magazine with odd reviews that nobody trusts? Seriously, this review makes me not trust you any more. This review is wrong.So having said this, i'm going to say goodbye. My subscription runs out in a few months and i'm not renewing. I'm going to try some other magazine.I rather have a magazine that hypes a bit then one that beats a game to death unfairly just so he can knock off a few points on Metacritic.Goodbye Edge,E.
What a load of utter nonsense.
Not played this but I'd have given the first one a lot less than a 6 so my gut feeling is that Edge have it about right on this one.
Still doesn't make up for the crime of giving GTA IV a 10.
I don't know, personally, I loved INfamous. The best open world super hero game out there in my opinion. Second best would be the original Crackdown...Then Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, then Prototype, then Crackdown 2. I put Crackdown 2 so low because the game made no improvements, the same city only destroyed, and barely any improvements. Though I found myself just as addicted to it as I was to the first. Infamous 2, after playing it, falls just ahead of Infamous 1 for me. Though i'd have given both games a 9 out of 10. Again, just my thoughts on it, not trying to push my opinion on you.
I totally agree on Crackdown 2 (or even the first one). Cheap, shoddily put together bargain bin fodder and Edge did make a bit of a mockery of themselves by giving it an 8 in some bizarre show of self-knowing inverse snobbery.
On the first Infamous, I felt that even though it had a unique gameplay hook and an interesting premise, it was simply going through the motions from the first minute. I couldn't believe how dull I found it.
I know a few others who say the same yet equally as many who loved it so I guess it's just a game that divides opinion.
Give the demo a go! It's free! My major problems with the first game were that the city seemed bland and grey, and the characters weren't very interesting at all. The characters still seems fairly uninspired, but the new city is really vibrant and cool.
Also, on the "going through the motions" point, I get that quite often with games nowadays (usually ones with loads of combat). Sometimes setting the game to "easy" in the menu solves it for me, by just reducing the amount of time I get stuck in each irritating brawl. Dragon Age and Uncharted 1 were major offenders for me, in this sense.
Playing on easy?! I couldn't handle the shame!
I tend to play on the hardest setting possible right off the bat. It's frustrating and time consuming but makes me feel I'm getting my money's worth.
I'll try the demo at the weekend then and see...
Nobody need ever know!
I know exactly what you're talking about. On the other hand though, there were honestly only a few sections that irritated me. The rest I found extremely fun. I liked that I had to earn my powers and once I was fully powered up I could level just about everything. The second game is one you might want to give a chance, at least a rental. A lot of the stuff that was dull and boring in the first are fixed in the second. You start off more powerful than the first and you get some truly awesome powers. Not to mention the fact that in some way's the story is actually told better than the first. Massive monsters to fight, etc. And you don't have to do any of those crappy missions that have you debugging peoples apartment buildings. lol
As for Crackdown..I don't know, was seriously addicted to the first and the second just irritated me..I mean, looking at INfamous 2 and how much better the graphics are than the first...how much more is going on and how much was added and fixed...thats true enhancment which is what I was hoping for from Crackdown 2. I'd still hope for a Crackdown 3 and I have to admit, even if it turned out to be just like the second with no enhancments..i'd still play it. But I'd hope they'd fix that issue.
Like I said Edge reviews can't be taken seriously anymore. Halo ODST 9/10 was the biggest joke ever. Try reading that mag The Games i think it has a much better open opinion.
If Edge is on form then Resistance 3 will be 6-7/10
Well to be fair Resistance games are pretty dire so that would be about right. Especially if the rubbish video they showed at e3 is anything to go by.
Subscription cancelled - if you're going to consistently show this level of bias against the console I own (consistently the lowest score on metacritic, as is once again the case here), then what use are you to me?
If you're not going to justify my purchases what is the point?
More a case of how can I use a magazine to inform my buying decisions when they rate quality games as 'average'
Fallout 3 is one of my favourite games of all time and it recieved a 7 in Edge. Yet somehow I was able to read the review and not have a hissy fit because my opinion was not shared by the reviewer. Amazing isn't it.
I think you missed the "consistently" bit from my post - this isnt about one review.
No it's about you having a whinge about games you like not getting the scores you want them to.
Course it is mate, go and give your copy of Edge a good cuddle.
you've completley missed the boat...its not a problem with a single review...its the fact that Edge reviews PS3 games CONSISTENTLT 10 to 20 points lower (out of 100) than their industry peers...and its across the board...
OH MY GOD REALLY! Well if you'd put it like that in the first place then.......I still wouldnt care.
Your rubbish meta critic argument has already been trashed by somebody else on the forum you originally posted it on.
Why didn't you compare the scores with Nintendo games which are probably on average the games which score the highest from Edge reviewers? Oh yeah its because you've got some moronic console wars agenda that the Wii doesn't fit in to.
Calm down dear, its just somebody's opinion
Metfanant: its the fact that Edge reviews PS3 games CONSISTENTLT 10 to 20 points lower (out of 100) than their industry peers.
You do realise that Edge don't in fact mark out of 100 right?
bluetemplar, surely a review that bucks the trend is only going to help you as a console owner? You can always refer to Metacritic to get a feel for the general critical response to the title, but at least the Edge review gives you a different perspective.
I find it much less helpful when the likes of IGN churn out 9/10 scores for every bit of unoriginal trash going.
The problem is the score leaves me with no idea of what the actual quality of the game is - if a game gets a 5 or 6 in Edge it could be anything from an absolute turd to a really enjoyable game (as has proven to the be the case here with infamous 2 which thus far im finding every bit as enjoyable as the first game).
Similar magazines such as GamesTM seem to offer much more useful indicators of a games quality - in general if a game scores 8-10 I can be pretty sure its going to provide a decent experience, while games scoring 5-6 are going to be totally average (and are hence given an average mark).
It's getting to the point where you can almost predict what the scores are going to be based on the platform they appear on.
Before opening the magazine I predicted 9/10 for child of eden, 8/10 for bangai-o and 7/10 for infamous 2. I wasnt that far off either.
Calm down dear, its just somebody's opinion
A paid journalist whose opinions are read by tens of thousands and whose views can massively affect the sales of a game and therefore the likelihood of sequels, etc. Minor difference i know.
So you'd like a positive opinion on every game then?
No, just reviews that more accurately reflect the quality of a game
By the point where this guy described prototype as "vastly superior", all credibility had been lost.
Do you understand what an opinion is?
Edge, your magazine is the worst. Your writers adequately is low. I played infamous 2 to the end and there was no time for... Infamous 2 one of the best title of PS3.
This is the best comment ever.
I like how he leaves us hanging with the "no time for...." no time for what??? On the edge of my seat waiting for a conclusion to this.
i hope Edge will think about all those angry readers, and make some improvements when it comes to their reviews.
I hate to break this to you but none of these people actually purchased the magazine in the first place.
As a subscriber with the latest copy in front of me, I can tell you you are wrong
Have you not ripped it apart yet in a fit of rage at the injustice of it all?
Look seriously i don't mind that they gave Halo 3 a good score because it is a good game same with Forza 3 hell i even prefer it to GT 5 but what pisses me off is the way Edge everytime reviews PS3 exclusive it will get marked down for not being original or having its own ideas etc etc. Yet Halo ODST which has hardly any fuckin originality etc gets 9??? WTF???? I been gettin the mag since issue 1 but now i can't take their scores seriously anymore. There is no consistancy at all.
Prototype 8/10 what the fu...??
Crackdown2 8/10 holy shi...!! loool
Infamous 7/10
Infamous 2 6/10
Seriously?? What's wrong with u guys?? ^^
Their not 12 year old Sony fanboys perhaps ?
being 12 year old Sony haters is somehow better?
No im an adult , with a family and my own business moron.
From what I can glean from the comments, it seems that the 6/10 score wouldn't be such a problem if other games that are equally derivative, clunky and uninspired weren't given inflated scores.
I personally would have given the first Infamous a 6/10 and, all things being equal, the addition of a user generated content system would probably put my score up a point or two. I still thoroughly enjoyed the first one but I didn't care for any of the skill progression - I didn't do anything with any of the unlock points, played through on hard with the base powers and was thrilled with the challenge.
I do feel that there's a disparity of recognition of merit between microsoft exclusives and ps3 exclusives, but i also acknowledge that ps3 exclusives are generally more derivative than microsoft ones - whether that should make any more than a marginal difference to the review scores in a market saturated with derivative products is up to the reviewers.
Whyyyyyyyyyy EDGE Whyyyyyyy can't you justify my purchases for me??????????
You'd think you'd all give up on this now after the massive whining about the Killzone 2 score which I'm sure most sane people now see was perfectly fair seen as the game is pretty average.
over....your...head...
I do usually love Edge's down to earth reviews and InFamous 2 has a few drawbacks
But come on a 6 is a ridiculous score, especially when placed up against some other scores. Someone else mentioned the 9 for Halo ODST as a great example of a slight imbalance.
Review scores are not the be all and end all of, well, it all but this score is an odd one to give and does call into question the cohesive and reliable nature of Edge reviews.
The effort and polish put into this game is huge and its strengths massively outweigh the pronounced 'horrible' elements of the game
Work on consistency Edge to keep meaning in any review scores
actually, forget the score for a minute...the actual comments made in this review "MacGrath isn’t like Alex Mercer, star of the vastly superior Prototype." "Its best weapon: the sticky bomb, which is identical to Halo’s plasma grenade in almost every respect."
this is just a troll review dressed up in some fancy post grad english... a new low for edge, i might stick to games tm in the future.
I HAVEN'T PLAYED INFAMOUS 2 YET BUT I'VE SEEN THE VIDEOS AND SO IT IS DEFINITELY GOTY AND EDGE IS WRONG.
EVEN THOUGH I GO ON FORUMS AND CONSTANTLY BERATE PEOPLE FOR HAVING DIFFERENT OPINIONS, I AM ACTUALLY WELL INFORMED ABOUT THE GAMES INDUSTRY.
If you don't like someone's opinion, just don't read it. Please don't come onto the comments section, nobody cares about your opinion.
congrats on completely missing the point lol
Nobody is missing the point, it's just that most people aren't interested in pushing some moronic conspiracy theory about video game review scores because they only own the one console and that one console has to be the greatest thing ever and nobody better dare disagree.
I am going to cancel my Edge subscription , Why ? because they have giving a game that i have NOT played yet an average score.This game happens to be on my console of choice and therefore cannot recieve an average score.
I'M RIGHT THERE WITH YOU BRO.
I DON'T EVEN BUY OR REGULARLY READ EDGE, I JUST FOLLOWED A LINK FROM A FANBOY FORUM, BUT I'M STILL GOING TO CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION.
If it was one instance of edge being the lowest score on metacritic, i'd agree but the fact is it's getting ridiculous.
I knew before even opening the magazine that infamous 2 would get a panning - simply because of the platform it happens to appear on. As other people have mentioned here, games on one platform get lambasted for showing a lack of originality or lack of new ideas, while these flaws get ignored for games on other platforms (say hello Halo ODST and Reach - neither one of these games offered anything radically new to the franchise yet got fawned upon).
Seriously, what is the point of a games review magazine when the reviews show such an apparent lack of objectivity
Edit. And while i havent played Infamous 2 yet (it arrived today), i did play the first one and loved it (for them to say the god-awful prototype is vastly superior is frankly ludicrous)
bluetemplar: If it was one instance of edge being the lowest score on metacritic, i'd agree but the fact is it's getting ridiculous.
I feel that it needs pointing out that Edge review on a different scale to basically everyone else. From Gamespot:
Because we do not strictly grade on a curve, we have not set 5.0 as our average rating. We believe the high end of our rating scale (the 8 and 9 range) works suitably well to distinguish truly outstanding games from all the others
That's the way most game reviewers seem to go. Edge's approach is actually more similar to that of film critics. Even Metacritic admit that the general appproach differs between games and films, so Edge is often going to be an odd one out, especially as it only uses a 10 point scale, compared to many that use 100 points.
Thats great but it doesnt explain why flaws such as lack of originality, etc are so often higlighted in reviews of some games but totally glossed over for the likes of ODST.
Thats the biggest problem i have with a lot of these reviews - one game will be severely penalised while others with the same faults are celebrated.
It may not necessarily be any kind of favouritism towards a given platform, but certainly by allowing this kind of inconsistency, edge encourages such accusations. IMO.
Lack of originality isn't an issue if it's really really fun. That's why ODST scores a 9, but Army of Two scores a 5. By the sounds of it, Infamous 2 isn't really really fun.
For me, there is a real disparity between the score and the review here. The important bit - the words - are damning, and if anything the 6 seems like an attempt to dampen the inevitable fanboy furore.
Contrast that with another 6 - Borderlands, in which the review was largely positive (and didn't stop me buying and liking the game).
Consistency is a b*tch.
It isnt just infamous 2 in this months issue either - Edge also has the lowest score on metacritic for Witcher 2, another game that has received glowing reviews for other sources.
Can i suggest you " fuck off " to your other sources where they give a score YOU think is applicable , Edge uses 1 through 10 in its scoring not 7 through 10 like most manistream gaming sites gamespot, ign ect.
Well arent you just a f**king charmer.
And it was exactly that that I stated I was planning to do - but you seemed to take objection with your previous post
Thats sarcasm you moron READ !
rofl - if that is sarcasm, you dont do it very well.
You are an obnoxious c**t. And for the record, that isnt sarcasm but a statement of pure fact based on your posts.
i don't think they use the 1/10 system that consistently to be honest. i don't think the score is a big deal when you read edge because their reviews actually tend to be insightful.
i think it's perfectly valid to say odst should get a lower score given how little it actually adds to the series.
Terrible, terrible, terrible review by a reviewer with terrible, terrible, terrible taste. Par for the course for EDGE, the most hypocritical review source in town!
So was Halo ODST! but i didn't see that get an average score
And that's why you never read the bottom of the Internet.
Bwahahahahahaah
Reading comments like the ones on here aids my own sense of superiority. Keep up the good work normal people.
What Jimmy said.
Does anyone on this forum actually remember, or know in the first place what Edge magazine stands for? Edge has been around for years, since a time when the art in videogames was the clever designs of levels, the unique challenges only possible in the medium that is videogaming and tasks that actually require some cerebral work from the player, not games that are nothing but great graphics (Gears of War for example) or are just created for brainless fun (pretty much every 360 exclusive). Although I did completely disagree with the Edge Halo reviews, I generally think that their reviews are far superior to other sites for reasons I outlined above. I think people forget something that Edge has not: the difference between games from the "Golden Era" and today. Current games make you stupid as they have zero challenge which requires no cerebral output from the player; older games required real thought and problem solving skills to fathom the complex challenges their creaters designed. It saddens me that wewill probably never see a game as complex, challenging and unique as say, Majora's Mask ever again. Most games now require you to do nothing more than repeatedly press a button, take cover and shoot, shoot some more, shoot some more, kill, kill, kill, or embark on repetitive quests for 60 hours on end. The only game I can think of from recent memory with cleverly designed levels is Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Edge certainly heaped it with the praise it deserved in this department. For all those fanboys whinging that Edge is bashing Sony, have you forgot that Little Big Planet received a perfect score and received their coveted Game of the Year award? I think us geeks should claim our beloved, almost completley murdered, hobby away from the general public that plays these kinds of games and make it our own again.
I agree with some of your points but its the consistency in their reviews is fucked. Something changed when the X360 came out. Halo which is the Holy grail according to Edge is the biggest culprit. What is so different from Halo 3 and ODST???? Yet other games mainly PS3 exclusives get marked down for not being original or different enough to their predecessors. Not enough of their own ideas etc....you get the jist. They had to test Reach out fully before they could review it. The multiplayer and forge modes had be tested out properly etc. They never even printed a review in the mag because there was soo much to it. Get the drift???
My fave game of all time is Super Mario World on Super Famicom or Snes here. Games like that deserve a 10 and some of the newer Mario stuff looks amazing(i aint tried it,won't buy Wii) like Mario Galaxy etc. The review quality has gone down since the days you are on about.
I mentioned they liked LBP
The whole games industry changed when the Xbox 360 came out. I do own one but it gathers dust. I would rather play original games and nearly every game that comes out for the machine is a brainless shooter. Since the 360 has been released it has all been about the graphics and less about the level design; so much money goes towards graphics that there is not enough to put anywhere else. I love my PS3 and looking forward to The Last Guardian. Although I have fallen out of love with Nintendo there has certainly been some creative games on the machine such as Little King Story (9/10 from Edge), Zack and Wiki and No More Heroes; even Donkey Kong Country had amazing level designs which I was surprised was not really acknowledged by Edge. I have been playing Infamous which I downloaded for free and I must say it is incredibly average and quite repetitive with no cosnideration for level design. Even Uncharted which I think is good has no challenge whatsoever in its puzzle sections. It seems like all the big budget games are now made for the masses; therefore, incredibly easy. I like the idea of what Nintendo did with Super Mario Galazy 2 and Donkey Kong Country, if the game is too hard you can have the AI complete it for you. It is entirely optional and it means designers can put some challenge in to the level design of their games without the casual gamers become frustrated. I personally feel that games such as Infamous are a step backwards from games of the past. Games are too Americanised now and the creativity from Japan has disappeared as the Japanese are now trying to Americanise their games.
The score matches the review, as far as I'm concerned. And those of you who are too busy bleating about Halo comparisons appear to be skirting around what sound like significant flaws in the game, including inconsistent dynamics built around a binary moral system, a second half descending into a 'fiasco' of awful bosses, repetitive and exploitative mission structures, tedious amounts of traveling between locations.
Sounds like my idea of a 6.
Of course, any justification within the review itself (and I would submit there are several) for the overall score won't stop those of you with an axe to grind screaming bias and conspiracy - and in the process conveniently forgetting such acknowledged gems as LittleBigPlanet and Demon's Souls receiving the highest scores.
thats just the thing i own the game and the thing is what he is saying is a lie sure the moral choice is binary but serious who cares the second half is pretty fun with only the ocasional mini boss the mission are only a tad bit repetitive but not noticably so and travel is smooth
I dont think its just the score thats the problem, the review itself is unduly negative.
The statement that prototype was vastly superior to infamous sums it up really - i played both and find that absolutely baffling. I know these reviews are subjective and one mans gold is another mans rubbish but they do seem to pick apart faults in one game (a perceived lack of originality for example), while totally glossing over them in other games.
i don't accept the argument about a binary moral system...many great games are like that...bioshock being a clear example...you either killed the little girls or you didn't..but it was hailed as some sort of moral masterpeice ... rpg's have a bit more room for more subtle scales of morality but these are action games.
Funny you should mention that. Bioshock was awarded an 8, at a time when it wasn't forthcoming for the PS3. Edge did not regard it as a masterpiece at all. And that score (although still good) was considered by 360 fans to be disappointing at the time. I'd argue it deserved higher, not due to the binary moral code (which you rightly point out was equally simplistic) but due to the creative options available for tactical play.
And while we're bringing up other titles, I also agree that ODST was overrated generally. I hated the pace of that installment, easily the least exciting of the series and the only one I'll not play through twice. On the other hand, I have friends and colleagues who would give it a 9 for Firefight alone.
Should be at least an 8, I like how he shoots all the lightning and stuff.
This is why the old forum became bitter and twisted. By the way, I'm going to shock you all and tell you a major truth. Game reviews are subjective, not objective.
Good for a laugh this. Who is Phixional Bear though?
Heh. I am angry because a reviewer doesn't have the same opinion as me about a game I haven't played yet. Yay. Why don't any of these people come onto the forum so we can have a proper laugh at them?
We're too insular. AH IT'S GONE CIRCULAR. INCEPTION
I wish I was Phixional Bear. He's right.
You get an 6 you git murdered.
FIRST NU ALT
you can still by my christmas song in itunes, All precedes go into the bank.
I made this account just to say that this review is pretty much bullshit in every way possible.
I made this account to post on the forum, but I'm now also using it to say that your comment is pretty much bullshit in every way possible.
This comments section has reminded me of why I left Gamespot.
Thank god Edge finally opened up the comments threads to a wider audience. It's really spurred some thought-provoking conversation and a sense of community.
This review is pretty wrong. If 30 reviewers gave this game at least a score of 80% and only 1 gives it a 60% score, who is at the right end? Nuff said. This game is brilliant, definately 80% minimal.
Is your favourite game Lemmings?
They're all right, as they are all expressing their personal opinion. Their opinion does not have to match your own. That's what makes it personal. Do you understand that?
I agree. It's 80% minimal. Minimal on originality, ideas and depth.
(btw, not played the game yet)
Best review ever. Best commenters ever. (Are mostly on page 3.)
I think I might only read comments from Posters I know. There's a lot of hate here, which I dont associate with the old edge forum (ok, there was squabbles, but not hate)
Back to infamous 2. Havent played it but I'll probably pick it up in a few months when cheaper. Thing is, I really enjoyed the first one but whenever I recommended it to friends I had to admit it was a guilty pleasure. There were a lot of flaws and lots of repitition in there and a lot of the flaws the review points out sound familiar. And the thing with a game like this is you really need to buy into the high-concept plot. If that doesnt appeal to the person writing the review, then it wont gloss over the flaws.
I love the superhero genre. But if I didnt, I dont think infamous 1 would have entertained me for more than an hour. Maybe its the same case here.
All you people bitching about Edge reviews I notice you don't offer an alternative. I find these Reveiews to be the best in the industry after every single and reliable source sold their souls. Where Gamespot had thoughful and insightful reviews with adequate language, it now has been taken over by a bunch of 13 year olds who review all games in dictionless mumbles to the tune of "Dude, this is awesome!" IGN isn't much better. What happened to all the professionals? Seriously. At least at Edge the reviewers can spell and string together a coherent sentence. I'm staying with Edge. Just wish they had a video review.
Oh and, by the way, Infamous sucks... dude.
Seems like the reviewer tried to hate the game as much as possible. It's people like this that don't look at some originality in games - the reviewer complains about everything being flawed and unoriginal and only briefly mentions the mission creator only to say it sucks. Not every game is going to be amazing but heck, this game is about 10x better than the first. Pull your finger out your ass, understand the difficulty in making a game, and stop being blind to everything but CoD!!!!
Stop to hate. Really Edge. Stop to write this crap. People are not the same of 15 years ago.
Edge, try to get some respect , before all the shit you spread in the air starting to come back.
As usual a terrible review from Edge in an attempt to be different from other reviewers. Sources where gamers give the game a score each have an aggregate score of about 8.5/10. This includes Metacritic, Gamerankings and Gamefly. Likewise the other professional reviewers have all given it a score between 7.5 and 9.0.
Edge is beginning to look like the shameless hipster source for game reviews.