A good review of Elemental - War Of Magic

Here is a good review of Elemental - War Of Magic:

http://news.bigdownload.com/2010/09/07/review-elemental/

Informed, impartial, providing good feedback about the game good and bad aspects.

And here is a bad review of the same game:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/elementalwarofmagic/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Bread-review

It buries the game in the mud without ever really explaining the reasons properly, it's filled with uninformed comments which denote lack of videogaming knowledge and experience and comes across as a strong bias about game genres.

The question one must pose is, after reading such Gamespot reviews as that of Elemental - War Of Magic, can one still look at the site unquestionably as a reliable, informed and impartial source for game information ?

YOU answer.

User score average is 6.2. I think I trust gamespot with this one.

I say just try teh games yourself in general and never let a review tell you weither to buy a game or not.

This is one of my favorite games this gen and I get alot of pc and console games to review and also that i buy myself.

It has problems and had alot on launch dya, but since then its been patched up and runs alot better now. Sure the AI and magic need some work but there are so many godo thigns about this game imo. The combat is fun, the custimization is amazing with the mod tools, the sanbox mode is fantastic, the research trees and citie management it great fun.

This is just my type of game I guess. I was laughing at it when it first came ouyt but then I saw a video that got me interested and I gave the game a try despite a few bad reviews. The game is rough around hte edges but this is the most fun ive had all this gen on a videogame.

Sure its not the best, but its damn fun to me and thats all that really matters.

I am really glad I gave this game a chance, have not been this surprised witha game since hte first Riddick game came out.

You can read as many reviews as you want but the fact remains that you might actaully really like some games that reviewers dont.

I have found more fun in this game then so many other games ive bought or been sent. Yes it came out a week to early, but playing it now is extremely fun for me personalyl and I dont need a review to tell me wiether im having fun or not.

no reviews are right or wrong, jsut personal opinions. What someone hates another might love,etc...
I got this game when I got Mafia2 and I was expecting Mafia2 to wipe the floor with it, but so far Elemental has been the much better game for me personally (though I still really like Mafia2).

I hope that some gaming sites and magazines review Elemental - War Of Magic again once it is patched up.EtherealSceam

I wish the game would have been released with 1.07 patch... its like day and night compared to when the game was released.. its so much more stable now and more enjoyable. Once they get the ai and magic right man this is gonna be amazing. I am already having a great time with this game now at 1.07 and its only goign to get better with all teh mod tools this game has, heck even I can make some pretty cool stuff with it. plus they are supporting the game for another 1-2 years.

I am so glad I have an open mind and gave this game a chance, I was about to pass on it.

So, they liked the game? Don't call the GS one bad because they don't flower your favorite title with all the rainbows and butterflies it deserves. I think the DoW games should have scored in the 9.0s but you didn't see me complaining about it.

[QUOTE="EtherealSceam"]I hope that some gaming sites and magazines review Elemental - War Of Magic again once it is patched up.kozzy1234

I wish the game would have been released with 1.07 patch... its like day and night compared to when the game was released.. its so much more stable now and more enjoyable. Once they get the ai and magic right man this is gonna be amazing. I am already having a great time with this game now at 1.07 and its only goign to get better with all teh mod tools this game has, heck even I can make some pretty cool stuff with it. plus they are supporting the game for another 1-2 years.

I am so glad I have an open mind and gave this game a chance, I was about to pass on it.

This is why I am a firm believer of reviewers going back and updating their reviews as time goes on... Especially when it comes to games in which massive patch overhauls (often times thats for MMOs but non mmo's have been known to have this)..

User score average is 6.2. I think I trust gamespot with this one.

JangoWuzHere

[QUOTE="JangoWuzHere"]

User score average is 6.2. I think I trust gamespot with this one.

Gamesterpheonix

It's a good game. It's fun. But the bugs are a HUGE problem. They're releasing another patch on tuesday though, and a huge patch before the end of this month. I'd wait at least until after the 1.1 patch to get it. See if they fix the issues. It's very frustrating, because you can tell that there's a really fun strategy game underneath those issues.

This is why I am a firm believer of reviewers going back and updating their reviews as time goes on... Especially when it comes to games in which massive patch overhauls (often times thats for MMOs but non mmo's have been known to have this)..

sSubZerOo

they probably wont re-review it, alot of gamesites are console based (advertising money). On consoles, patches almost never fix anything, mostly because of microsoft's silly xbox live rules.

Despite the horrible reviews (which are justly deserved) I am still interested in the game because it is Stardock. But I will not be purchasing crap-in-a-box just to support Stardock. Once the game is working properly I will buy it, which at this rate sounds like it will be pretty much fixed up by the middle/end of October.cametall

The game is working now very well... update 1.07 fixed alot of things with perforamnce bugs.

On day one it was not worth it.. but right now we are at 1.07 which is fantastic and also 1.08 is comign on tuesday. Its well worth it right now imo. Might have been crap in a box as you said the day it was released but there have been some great patches since then and is one of hte best games ive played all gen.

read the user responses to that review in the same article. I actually dont know how anyone could enjoy a game without multiplayer which has no decent AI. ManyAz1

I dont evne need multiplayer to be honest. Its coming this week (tuesday or wednesday they said) though the multiplayer.

The game is so deep in depth that all I care about is singleplayer sandbox mode and the editors. Ill try multiplayer next month maybe but I dont need it right now.

Some games are just great singleplayer, this is one of them imo. Glad I didnt listen to some of hte bad feedback abotu this game, I have had just as much fun with this game as any other game that has come out this year.

Only thing that needs work no after 1.07 is the Magic and AI, everything else im fine with and loving it.

If I was to review the game when it first came out I would give it a 7/10.. but with 1.07 update its a 9/10 for me personally.

GameSpot really did nail this one.

It's a legitimately average game with no help for new players. Games like that don't sell well.

Stardock isn't bad, but they were bound to mess up sooner or later. Hopefully they can get back to working on this game and release it in a year or so when they're actually finished.

GameSpot really did nail this one.

It's a legitimately average game with no help for new players. Games like that don't sell well.

Stardock isn't bad, but they were bound to mess up sooner or later. Hopefully they can get back to working on this game and release it in a year or so when they're actually finished.

airshocker

No, a 4.0 is ridiculous.

GameSpot really did nail this one.

It's a legitimately average game with no help for new players. Games like that don't sell well.

Stardock isn't bad, but they were bound to mess up sooner or later. Hopefully they can get back to working on this game and release it in a year or so when they're actually finished.

airshocker

Im a new player and I love this game....

Just takes a few days to learn it is all. Most addicting game ive played this gen personally. The game now is actualyl very good and better then most finished games. When it came out that first few days it was not very good, but now its alot better. Dont let reviews put you off of this game, its the most surprising game ive ever played.

Game really does deserver a 4-5. Stardock is working on getting bugs fixed and what the game has going for is great. That does not excuse how ridiculously bugged and problems it has/had on release. If anything this game greatly deserves a "AFTER the FACTS" from gamespot but the score is perfect.

Don't release games in Beta form to the public. Spend the extra 3 weeks and get it right and it would not have any problems.

Yeah I agree with the OP, Gamespot's review is waaay off target. Yes the game had bugs on releases which shouldn't have, but at its current state it's now very enjoyable.

The simple fact that it's a quality turn-based game, alone, makes it superior and far more interesting than most other games out there, so even with the bugs it should have received a higher score, and also maybe it should have been reviewed by someone who knew what he was talking about. Dunno what's wrong with the reviewers on this site recently, they all DO come across as casual players on their reviews, which don't dwelve into the game mechanics in any depth. Sometimes I even have difficulty in just understanding what kind of game is being reviewed, because they write about irrelevant things and not about what really matters i.e. the game engine, gameplay mechanics, how it compares to other games as reference etc.

[QUOTE="JangoWuzHere"]

User score average is 6.2. I think I trust gamespot with this one.

Gamesterpheonix

Ditto.

If the user score was low but the user review trend was increasing, then I would assume the patches are significant to the core problems, and I might disregard aggregate score.