Issue with a review

http://www.gamespot.com/shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey/reviews/shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey-review-6256971/

Seriously....

If you're going to have someone critique a legacy game like Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, they should have some experience with the series. They should have some knowledge of the experience the game should be offering the player.

In the instance where the 'core audience' might not have played any previous games in the franchise, you have an opportunity to educate.

In the instance where the reviewer does not particularlily like the core style of game, have someone else review it.

In the instance where you can't get someone that has experience, and likes this particular type of game, the reviewer should be mature enough to give a subjective and informative review.

Lark obviously was not interested in playing the game. Lark wanted to play Persona 4, or Devil Survivor again.

"Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey may be the latest entry in the venerable franchise, but its outdated demon negotiation system and tedious dungeon-crawling action might have you think otherwise."

This really doesn't make any sense. What is he saying? That the game isn't new because it's similar to the rest of the games in the series?

I think I get how this works:

Super Mario World may be the latest entry in the venerable franchise, but it's outdated platforming, and tedious side-scrolling action might have you think otherwise.

Did I do it right?

Longtime series fans will no doubt appreciate its return to form for the dozens of hours its appropriately dark story will occupy them, but neophytes--especially those expecting something similar to games like Persona 4--are better off staying away."

???

/facepalm??

SO longtime fans of this series will LIKE the game, but people that expect a DIFFERENT GAME EXPERIENCE should stay away?

You guys really need to take a closer look at the content you publish.

The opening statement from the Destructiod review:

"I really dug Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, but I want to be clear on what type of gamer I think will also enjoy Atlus' latest DS title and Shin Megami Tensei game.

If you are a gamer that has roots in the earliest Shin Megami Tensei series games, I'm sure you've already pre-ordered this, knowing exactly what to expect. Likewise, the savvy gamer that jokingly calls this game SMT: Etrian Odyssey surely knows what they're buying. This is a big, console-sized dungeon crawler in a little tiny package, and it gets back to the series' roots. If you're looking for that, this is your game.

On the other hand, if you came into Atlus games later, and find that most of your enjoyment of the Persona series was the social links and the cute girls, and you found yourself running through dungeons to get to the next story bit, you might want to try Strange Journey before you buy. Or read our review."

The closing statement from the same review:

"As far as Nintendo DS role-playing games go, this is my new favorite, hands down. But then again, I'm a huge fan of both dungeon crawling and Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei series games. For me, Strange Journey was a match made in heaven, with its unique blend of science fiction and demonic themes. Even beyond that, it's the "more" I've been craving since Nocturne, and despite being on a portable, feels like a huge console game. But, as I said before, this is not a light-hearted romp that has you dating high-school girls and working part-time jobs. You've got to know what you're getting into. If you do, Strange Journey is highly recommended."

Notice the difference? He's a fan of the series, obviously, but he is going to inform you in the review if you don't know what to expect.He gives it a 9.

Closing from RPGamer review:

"For those who know only of Nocturne, Strange Journey will be a bit of a surprise due to how it returns to the series' roots. It's a solid game all-around that takes a good-not-great traditional JRPG and replaces the standard third-person dungeons with good-not-great first-person, tile-based ones, binding everything together with a strong apocalyptic story. I'm all for RPGs that ramp up the difficulty over the course of a playthrough, and Strange Journey gives you the tools to make a party capable of annihilating the latest threat, but when a game with brilliant storytelling pulls you in and makes you care about the dire situation, then breaks that in order to fill a requisite quota for frustrating, huge endgame dungeons, it is hard not to feel wronged when the setting and story are weakened. Many gamers will love the beginning, but take out the cartridge forever when the gameplay stalls in a convoluted hedge maze. And that is a shame, because the final stretch concludes one of the best stories on the DS, complete with multiple paths that shake the foundation of the game world, and Atlus USA wrote some powerful prose to give the game jaw-dropping emotional and philosophical moments. Unfortunately, those who stop playing at the first warp-filled labyrinth will never experience it all."

gave it a 7.0, feels the end-game dungeons detract from the overall experience. The first few sentences tell us that he doesn't have a large enough frame of reference, but I feel the actual critique is focused enough to overcome that.

My issue with the "review" is that there is basically no substance to it. All I got from it was that he didn't like it because it wasn't like Persona 4 and Devil Survivor.

If he doesn't like dungeon crawlers, and has no familiarity with them, why is he reviewing one?

There are lots of people that still appreciate this style of game. It's very unprofessional to have some dude hack out what amounts to "nah, no social links, f*** this game".

My issue with the "review" is that there is basically no substance to it. All I got from it was that he didn't like it because it wasn't like Persona 4 and Devil Survivor.

If he doesn't like dungeon crawlers, and has no familiarity with them, why is he reviewing one?

There are lots of people that still appreciate this style of game. It's very unprofessional to have some dude hack out what amounts to "nah, no social links, f*** this game".

Deinbeck

Lark is familiar with the style of game and intimately familiar with the Shin Megami Tensei series. It sounds like you wished us to assign the review to someone guaranteed to like it, but that is not how reviews work--nor should it be how you want reviews to work! Lark, by his very nature, was uniquely qualified to review the game, and like all games we review, we approach reviews with "cautious optimism." He was offered the review because he has a huge body of applicable knowledge, and is familiar not just where the series has been, but where it has gone since its inception.

Lark wrote a review that accurately represented his experience. He no longer writes reviews at GameSpot, and the review is over 2 years old, so as far as I can tell, no further action is to be taken.

Regardless, reviews aren't written for those that already know what they feel, nor are they meant to tell any given reader what they wish to hear. It sounds as though you have found a review that you are happy with because it mirrors your own opinion. Obviously, we are always looking to improve both our writing expertise as well as our critical eye. We appreciate your feedback.