Kotaku Promises Critical Video Game Coverage Post-Release

Video game journalism is about to read a lot less like corporate advertising. Kotaku editor Stephen Totilo announced today that the gaming news site will shift their focus to reporting on games and gamers long after a video game has been released. This is in contrast to the current and long-held standard in video game journalism of previewing and reviewing games before they come out, then ignoring them once they are released.

Totilo says this change will help their articles seem less like press releases as they begin to write more people-centric stories that cover games once they are actually being played. His reasoning is that addressing the community of players surrounding a game is more important and more interesting than simply covering games before they are released. This is an effort to get out of "a cycle of coverage dictated by public relations firms."

Authenticity is a big theme at Kotaku, where Totilo wrote similarly about the downsides of previewing games in February of 2013, saying that they are "reporters and critics ... trying to find the truth," and that the truth is rarely found in the small preview of a game. An article in 2012 also criticized the cozy relationship between journalists and the developers of the games they write about.

As Kotaku prepares to make video game journalism more journalistic and interactive, they have set up an email address for people to send their story tips and ideas, and made it clear that contribution opportunities are available.

You can find the full article on Kotaku here.

Warning from Bungie about poor early reviews for "Destiny"

If you see a bad review for "Destiny" in the next couple of days, Bungie says it might be because the reviewer didn't play it enough. 

Developer Bungie is not allowing reviewers to play the first-person shooter until it has been released to the public so that the reviewers experience the world fully populated with other players. For their most recent and final weekly update before the launch on September 9,  Bungie expressed that reviews for the game would be incomplete if they were written before playing for a few days. The developer has said that you can play through missions on your own without running into too many people, but their vision for the game's full experience involves working with others and teaming up for missions and raids. 

Half a game: Review of The Sims 4

By Jenna Brown

This review was originally published on 2014-09-06. It was updated on 2022-05-27 for clarity and to provide additional information, as well as to revise the grade from C+ after further consideration of the base game’s content.

I'm not sure whether I'm flirting with a teenager or a senior, but at least I look good doing it.

The Sims 4 features a more complex balance of emotions and needs, but is missing too many other elements that were established in The Sims 3 for me to feel comfortable encouraging anyone to buy it. For example, people who are teenagers or older are all the same height, and there are only a handful of lots to visit in each world map. Above all, it is missing the Create a Style function!

Complete customization of characters and the environment was one of the most creative aspects of TS3 and, while I enjoy the fun updates to clothing and hairstyles, I miss designing the textile, pattern, and color of every outfit or object. Apparently, the engine in which TS4 was built was not capable of supporting Create a Style. How much consideration was given when deciding to eliminate this compelling and popular feature?

Additionally, there are fewer than 25 home lots in a world, all of which have completely flat and unchangeable terrain. TS4 does not have an open world, so each lot requires a loading screen to get to ‒ no more walking, driving, or cycling between places. In fact, there are no cars or bikes at all. Your Sim just walks off the lot, and you enter a loading screen. Also missing is the option to choose your Sim’s quality of performance or area of focus while working: instead, your Sim's career status and promotion rate are determined by completing assigned tasks outside of work hours. This is beginning to get a little too close to reality…

Unfortunately, the game is lacking too many features considered standard from TS3 for The Sims 4 to be a true sequel. Rather, you might play it and its predecessor alternately for different experiences, if you play The Sims 4 yet at all. It's as though it's half of a game, albeit an interestingly novel half wrought with mixed feelings and more of the usual wild reactions.

I give The Sims 4 a grade of B-.

The Sims 4 was released Sept. 2. For a laundry list of everything missing from TS4, check out this mega-post by Sims4News, a fan-owned and operated website devoted to discussion of the game.