Comments on the recent review of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon?

Hi everyone.  I know that there is space under every review for us to comment, but I felt that this review requires a lengthier discussion.

The current Metacritic score for Luigi's Mansion is 85, yet the Gamespot review score (here) is 6.5/10.

Now, I haven't played the game and I understand that everyone has different opinions...However, I feel that this review is unusually harsh toward the game, in that it's primary complaint is that the game is too difficult.  Why is difficulty playing such a large factor in the overall score?  It really disappoints me that Gamespot would let a review like this go out.

Thoughts?

*edit* Okay somehow I must have missed the recent thread about Luigi's Mansion.  Oh well.  I still feel the review itself is worth a separate discussion, but I understand if mods feel the need to lock/delete this thread.

I feel that this review is unusually harsh toward the game, in that it's primary complaint is that the game is too difficult.

RACiEP

[QUOTE="RACiEP"]

I feel that this review is unusually harsh toward the game, in that it's primary complaint is that the game is too difficult.

voljin1987

TEH conspiracy! Will be getting this game next month, screw the review score.

GS reviews in general are probably the least impressive when comparing to other gaming websites in that the scores rarely seem to fit according to the flaws and some scores just come out of nowhere. I like having different opinions, but some here make me scratch my head sometimes.

The best way to remedy this is to randomly score some games you own and see a website that traditionally matches your complaints for the game and the accompanying score. IGN and I agree with the scores more than any other website. So for me, I listen to them and take their reviews more seriously than any other. The site of course will be different for each person's favorite type of gaming and preferences.

Well, everyone is entitled to their opinions, even if they stand out greatly from the crowd.

However, it was certainly one odd score, and I have yet to read a review that shares the complaints pointed out by GS. And even without having played the game, I think it is a little bit too much to highlight one frustrating boss battle as a big flaw of the game.

label me confused and unsure. The same thing happened with the Castlevania review, only in reverse. IGN ripped that game apart and gave it a 4.7 and Gamespot gave the game a semi respectable 7.0. And now Luigi Mansion is a stellar 9.3 on IGN and a lowly 6.4 on GS.

I dont have a lot of money to throw around. I rely on reviews to make a purchase. Now i have to make a risky decision on wether i pick this game up this morning or not. I have it pre-ordered and paid in full, but i could put that money toward a better game in the near future.

I did not buy Castlevania because of reviews, and now maybe skip Luigis Mansion. I waited a year for these games only to be fully disappointed. WTF?

My thought is that the editor is insane, hate Nintendo, got personal issues.

label me confused and unsure. The same thing happened with the Castlevania review, only in reverse. IGN ripped that game apart and gave it a 4.7 and Gamespot gave the game a semi respectable 7.0. And now Luigi Mansion is a stellar 9.3 on IGN and a lowly 6.4 on GS.

I dont have a lot of money to throw around. I rely on reviews to make a purchase. Now i have to make a risky decision on wether i pick this game up this morning or not. I have it pre-ordered and paid in full, but i could put that money toward a better game in the near future.

I did not buy Castlevania because of reviews, and now maybe skip Luigis Mansion. I waited a year for these games only to be fully disappointed. WTF?

Videodogg

I just really don't understand how the rest of the GS staff felt this review was okay and would really love to hear an opinion from them.

label me confused and unsure. The same thing happened with the Castlevania review, only in reverse. IGN ripped that game apart and gave it a 4.7 and Gamespot gave the game a semi respectable 7.0. And now Luigi Mansion is a stellar 9.3 on IGN and a lowly 6.4 on GS.

I dont have a lot of money to throw around. I rely on reviews to make a purchase. Now i have to make a risky decision on wether i pick this game up this morning or not. I have it pre-ordered and paid in full, but i could put that money toward a better game in the near future.

I did not buy Castlevania because of reviews, and now maybe skip Luigis Mansion. I waited a year for these games only to be fully disappointed. WTF?

Videodogg

I agree with what I'm seeing on here but I also know that the gamers can have much different experiences depending on their level of skill at a particular game; what might be easy for us may be difficult for someone who doesn't game as often. 

That being said, there's one line in the review that made me discount it: 

[Professor E. Gadd's] idea of humor is so groan-worthy that it may elicit a few reluctant chuckles ...

Carolyn Petit

How can you say that about the Professor!?! C'mon! If you find what he's saying is groan-worthy then was this game targeted to you? A score doesn't matter to me, I can shrug off complaints fairly easily because they are just opinions, but taking a jabb at the Professor? Not cool. :evil:

dont mean to sound like an A-hole, but it was a girl reviewer complaining that the game was too hard..... to me thats what makes games memorable.  i hate flying through a game in 2 hours when i just spent $50 on it.

So those who have it, how is it?

So those who have it, how is it?

Epak_

The game looks and plays great on the 3DS. In the first two hours it controls better than the original did and has so much charm to it. The only thing this game lacks compared to the original is Luigi thrusting up against furniture. :lol:

But seriously, the first game had its problems. It was a launch Gamecube title that was short and a new idea; rough around the edges but the charm made up for those issues. So far it seems those rough edges have been washed away with and made into a much more solid, and longer from what reviews have said, experience. 

I also had a friend come over last night who hadn't played the original and picked this one up on a whim while preordering Bioshock Infinite. He was really enjoying the game and was eager to play more of it. 

[QUOTE="Epak_"]

So those who have it, how is it?

Zassimick

The game looks and plays great on the 3DS. In the first two hours it controls better than the original did and has so much charm to it. The only thing this game lacks compared to the original is Luigi thrusting up against furniture. :lol:

But seriously, the first game had its problems. It was a launch Gamecube title that was short and a new idea; rough around the edges but the charm made up for those issues. So far it seems those rough edges have been washed away with and made into a much more solid, and longer from what reviews have said, experience. 

I also had a friend come over last night who hadn't played the original and picked this one up on a whim while preordering Bioshock Infinite. He was really enjoying the game and was eager to play more of it. 

Ah nice to hear. I never really cared for the first game, this one looks really good though.

Yea it was an odd review. I've only cleared the first mansion so far (loving the game) but I think the reviewer came off a little whiny. If there is only one real area where the difficulty ramps up then why knock off so many points? I get it that it forces you to replay 11 stages of a boss fight (if you don't have one of those extra lives) but you never see difficulty spikes taking off that much on a review.

If difficulty spikes like that can destroy a game's review score than Fire Emblem: Awakening would probably get a 4/10 by most people. Just an odd thing to fault the game for IMO.

I defiantly think a little less of Caro after this show of arrogance. :/darkspineslayer

Damn. Why is that even necessary? I get it that people take review scores too seriously but she's just poking a user for fun. Really unprofessional.

As I posted on the page of the official review: Carolyn consistently reviews games with poor scores despite their often contradicting meta and user scores. GameSpot needs to either re-adjust her game scores or ask her to stop reviewing games. It really hurts the developer when their games receive bad reviews on this site, especially smaller companies and sleeper titles. This is getting a bit ridiculous. I'm tired of seeing Editor's Choice games belonging almost exclusively to Kevin VanOrd.

I don't even want to play this game, I'm just disgusted with the fact that Carolyn's last two game reviews were way out of the ball park.

[QUOTE="Videodogg"]

label me confused and unsure. The same thing happened with the Castlevania review, only in reverse. IGN ripped that game apart and gave it a 4.7 and Gamespot gave the game a semi respectable 7.0. And now Luigi Mansion is a stellar 9.3 on IGN and a lowly 6.4 on GS.

I dont have a lot of money to throw around. I rely on reviews to make a purchase. Now i have to make a risky decision on wether i pick this game up this morning or not. I have it pre-ordered and paid in full, but i could put that money toward a better game in the near future.

I did not buy Castlevania because of reviews, and now maybe skip Luigis Mansion. I waited a year for these games only to be fully disappointed. WTF?

RACiEP

I just really don't understand how the rest of the GS staff felt this review was okay and would really love to hear an opinion from them.

I did buy the game. It is definitely a "9" game for 3DS if i ever saw one. Top tier and first class. I dont know why i even listen to ANYTHING GS has to say about anything. Jesus. The reviewer is not even reasonable in the slightest. Disgusting.Videodogg

I NEVER care about what an official reviewer has to say, their opinions are worthless and are always biased whether it be personal or payment.  I look at the user reviews.

[QUOTE="darkspineslayer"] I defiantly think a little less of Caro after this show of arrogance. :/bonesawisready5

Damn. Why is that even necessary? I get it that people take review scores too seriously but she's just poking a user for fun. Really unprofessional.

I agree, it is unprofessional and the "reviewer" needs to be slapped, repeatedly. People constantly say that Nintendo needs to "mix it up" and move away from proven successes, then when they do people write silly reviews like hers.

She's clearly just the token female on their staff. I wonder how she "earned" her job.

[QUOTE="darkspineslayer"] I defiantly think a little less of Caro after this show of arrogance. :/bonesawisready5

Damn. Why is that even necessary? I get it that people take review scores too seriously but she's just poking a user for fun. Really unprofessional.

That's embarrassing for Gamespot and herself.  If you're going to "respond" to a user's comment at least show some professionalism, some class and maybe provide some insight beyond your review in order to explain yourself if you're indeed standing-by your game.

Evidently, Carolyn is incapable of that.  The review is lousy, the score is completely unrelated to what she even wrote in her lousy review, and she shouldn't be allowed to review games period.  She has no concept of gaging scores correctly.

And why should we care about the Metacritic review? Or the average review scores of sites that actually matter?  Because that shows how reliable your review is Carolyn.  That is why.  See, if you're review is a significant outlier from the rest of the pack of reviews out there then that means something is inherently wrong with your review.  In this case it was the fact that hey, the game is hard-obviously I'm not good at it-got frustrated-buried the game.  Interestingly, no other sites lodged that complaint including Gamespot's new affiliate, Giant Bomb.

So by looking at the Metacritic scores, watching and reading other sites/reviewers take on the game I amongst many other Gamespot users, have come to the conclusion that your review is unreliable, Carolyn.

And as a Gamespot registered user for years, upon years, and some more years, not including the time I used to visit the site before registering (add more years), I realize that Gamespot is no longer a premier review site unless Kevin is reviewing, and even then I'm cautious.  Carolyn your review is in the vicinity of Tom's review of Skyward Sword and he didn't even know how to control the game properly.

I can't wait to purchase the game.

[QUOTE="bonesawisready5"]

[QUOTE="darkspineslayer"] I defiantly think a little less of Caro after this show of arrogance. :/Jurassic85

Damn. Why is that even necessary? I get it that people take review scores too seriously but she's just poking a user for fun. Really unprofessional.

I agree, it is unprofessional and the "reviewer" needs to be slapped, repeatedly. People constantly say that Nintendo needs to "mix it up" and move away from proven successes, then when they do people write silly reviews like hers.

She's clearly just the token female on their staff. I wonder how she "earned" her job.

I hope you're not implying anything negative with that "earned" comment. She doesn't need to be slapped at all. Its not a review I agree with, I don't even think it is well-written but no need to take it so seriously and make sexist statements like that.

You should really step away from sites like this and the gaming media if you're going to take a review like this that seriously.

So many whiny users here, it's ridiculous.Blabadon

[QUOTE="Blabadon"]So many whiny users here, it's ridiculous.Cesar_Barba

GS reviews in general are probably the least impressive when comparing to other gaming websites in that the scores rarely seem to fit according to the flaws and some scores just come out of nowhere. I like having different opinions, but some here make me scratch my head sometimes.

The best way to remedy this is to randomly score some games you own and see a website that traditionally matches your complaints for the game and the accompanying score. IGN and I agree with the scores more than any other website. So for me, I listen to them and take their reviews more seriously than any other. The site of course will be different for each person's favorite type of gaming and preferences.

lild1425

I used to do this back in the day. GameTrailers was my best bet, followed by IGN.

Nowadays I don't listen to reviews anymore, I just play a couple, non-spoiler, videos from youtube and then decide.

I lost my respect after, a couple years ago, everyone found out a company was paying websites and magazines to score their games no lower than 9.0, after that, I just follow my gut. Worst case scenario, you lose 40 bucks.

The reviewer that reviewed this game and said that it was too hard at times is the same reviewer that said in the other nintendo reviews they've done that the games are too easy

[QUOTE="bonesawisready5"]

[QUOTE="darkspineslayer"] I defiantly think a little less of Caro after this show of arrogance. :/Jurassic85

Damn. Why is that even necessary? I get it that people take review scores too seriously but she's just poking a user for fun. Really unprofessional.

I agree, it is unprofessional and the "reviewer" needs to be slapped, repeatedly. People constantly say that Nintendo needs to "mix it up" and move away from proven successes, then when they do people write silly reviews like hers.

She's clearly just the token female on their staff. I wonder how she "earned" her job.

[QUOTE="RACiEP"]

I feel that this review is unusually harsh toward the game, in that it's primary complaint is that the game is too difficult.

voljin1987

just shut up

[QUOTE="Epak_"]

So those who have it, how is it?

Zassimick

The game looks and plays great on the 3DS. In the first two hours it controls better than the original did and has so much charm to it. The only thing this game lacks compared to the original is Luigi thrusting up against furniture. :lol:

But seriously, the first game had its problems. It was a launch Gamecube title that was short and a new idea; rough around the edges but the charm made up for those issues. So far it seems those rough edges have been washed away with and made into a much more solid, and longer from what reviews have said, experience. 

I also had a friend come over last night who hadn't played the original and picked this one up on a whim while preordering Bioshock Infinite. He was really enjoying the game and was eager to play more of it. 

[QUOTE="bonesawisready5"]

[QUOTE="darkspineslayer"] I defiantly think a little less of Caro after this show of arrogance. :/sonic_spark

Damn. Why is that even necessary? I get it that people take review scores too seriously but she's just poking a user for fun. Really unprofessional.

That's embarrassing for Gamespot and herself.  If you're going to "respond" to a user's comment at least show some professionalism, some class and maybe provide some insight beyond your review in order to explain yourself if you're indeed standing-by your game.

Evidently, Carolyn is incapable of that.  The review is lousy, the score is completely unrelated to what she even wrote in her lousy review, and she shouldn't be allowed to review games period.  She has no concept of gaging scores correctly.

And why should we care about the Metacritic review? Or the average review scores of sites that actually matter?  Because that shows how reliable your review is Carolyn.  That is why.  See, if you're review is a significant outlier from the rest of the pack of reviews out there then that means something is inherently wrong with your review.  In this case it was the fact that hey, the game is hard-obviously I'm not good at it-got frustrated-buried the game.  Interestingly, no other sites lodged that complaint including Gamespot's new affiliate, Giant Bomb.

So by looking at the Metacritic scores, watching and reading other sites/reviewers take on the game I amongst many other Gamespot users, have come to the conclusion that your review is unreliable, Carolyn.

And as a Gamespot registered user for years, upon years, and some more years, not including the time I used to visit the site before registering (add more years), I realize that Gamespot is no longer a premier review site unless Kevin is reviewing, and even then I'm cautious.  Carolyn your review is in the vicinity of Tom's review of Skyward Sword and he didn't even know how to control the game properly.

I can't wait to purchase the game.

Very close to my words on this! Carolyn has no trust, credibility or respect to her review scores.

[QUOTE="Zassimick"]

[QUOTE="Epak_"]

So those who have it, how is it?

YoshiYogurt

The game looks and plays great on the 3DS. In the first two hours it controls better than the original did and has so much charm to it. The only thing this game lacks compared to the original is Luigi thrusting up against furniture. :lol:

But seriously, the first game had its problems. It was a launch Gamecube title that was short and a new idea; rough around the edges but the charm made up for those issues. So far it seems those rough edges have been washed away with and made into a much more solid, and longer from what reviews have said, experience. 

I also had a friend come over last night who hadn't played the original and picked this one up on a whim while preordering Bioshock Infinite. He was really enjoying the game and was eager to play more of it. 

Agreed, the original is way better because of human ghost bosses and better atmosphere.

I recently reviewed this game and gave it a 9/10 a must buy! I had a blast playing this game, and did a thorough review of it on my channel. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFk9TlQY36E&feature=youtu.be

Here's my channel for more ubiased reviews http://www.youtube.com/knightwing01