“Alone in the Dark” was the subject of glowing previews but highly critical reviews.

Developers at studio Eden Games took those criticisms to heart when working on the PlayStation 3 version, and has actually implemented some of the suggestions.

“We knew we had, like, four months to work on the PS3 before we were done with that version,” said game designer Emile Morel to me last week, while showing off a build of the improved PS3 version. “So we decided to make changes to improve the game and make sure this time everybody can enjoy it.”

The control and interface tweaks are part of the PS3 version shipping this fall, and may later arrive as a patch for Xbox 360 users — but it’s not guaranteed.

The question is, how did Eden Games not realize some of these issues in the first place? There are a couple of reasons, Morel explained:

Read more…

EA’s biggest PC game of the year and the brainchild of renowned game designer Will Wright, “Spore” hits store shelves today. The game has won Best of E3 awards and been lavished with positive pre-release coverage in the gaming and mainstream press.

So why is it getting 8s and 9s rather than 10s? And what does Wright make of reactions such as that of the New York Times‘ review, which concludes:

“Now if Mr. Wright and the Maxis team just take another few passes through Spore’s later stages and release a big revision patch next year, they may finally end up with a game to match the stellar toy they have already unleashed.”

On Friday, I had a chance to talk to Wright about the response the game has been getting, giving him a chance to clarify the goals of his design team and to reveal how he’s playing “Spore.” (As the week progresses, we’ll be posting Wright’s thoughts on each of the game’s stages, which he also shared during the interview.)

I read Wright that Times paragraph and this is what he said: Read more…

Remember that review restriction flap about “Metal Gear Solid 4“?

Well, some “Metal Gear” superfans told me they want more limits on reviews.

Yesterday, when I went to the Virgin Megastore in Times Square to take photos of all the people waiting in line to meet creator Hideo Kojima, some fans told me they avoided reading most coverage of the game because they didn’t want any parts spoiled for them. “I wish there were more restrictions!” said Yascear, the very first person in line to get Kojima’s autograph. “Sometimes reviews tell you too much, and I just want to play it on my own,” he said. The others completely agreed.

Readers, what do you think? Should reviewers have more restrictions to save gamers from spoilers? Or should gamers stop themselves from reading reviews beforehand? Do review restrictions matter in the case of “Metal Gear Solid 4,” where gamers know they want to buy it regardless of what reviewers might say?

I’m ready to have my mind changed about anything that I’ve long held to be true.

Such changes can occur at any time, as happened earlier this week when a reader began to convince me that today’s seemingly generous game reviewers actually dole out too few perfect scores.

Another core tenet I’m at least considering abandoning: the belief that game reviewers need to finish games.

I’m not comfortable changing my mind about this. I happily finish the games that I think are important. That means I finish a lot of games each year, even though I don’t review any of them. And if I didn’t finish, say, “Metroid Prime 3” or “The Phantom Hourglass,” what would I know of each game’s major final-hours gameplay twists? How could I talk confidently about “Mass Effect” without having triggered at least one of its endings? How else would I know that the fantastic “BioShock” stumbles to the finish line, a failing worthy of a penalty?

Surely, games must be finished to be reviewed — or even to be discussed authoritatively.

Yet something N’Gai Croal wrote on his blog a couple of days ago prompted me to question my belief.

And when I learned yesterday that Variety’s Ben Fritz hadn’t finished — probably hadn’t even played half of — “Grand Theft Auto IV” before reviewing the game for his Hollywood publication, I knew I had to ask some questions of them and of myself.

Read more…

What does it mean when everything is great?

What’s happening when it’s no longer the exception for something to be regarded as exceptional?

The glowing reviews “Grand Theft Auto IV” received last week — all those perfect 10s — reminded me of just how many perfect scores and how much high praise I’ve seen and read lately. Last fall, the highly regarded Edge magazine in the U.K. ended years of stinginess and doled out three 10s in three months, to “Halo 3,” “The Orange Box” and “Super Mario Galaxy.”

Gametrailers just named last year as the best year in gaming’s history. Factor in “BioShock” and you’ll see over at Gamerankings.com that 4 of the 12 best reviewed games in that site’s history of aggregating reviews came out in the last 10 months.

Have game critics ever been so thoroughly satisfied?

Maybe we’re in the best era of video games. Maybe the hype is giving everyone sunstroke.

Read more…