Editor's Note: This review is posted as an addendum to this post on GameFAQs' removal of PSP reader reviews. The review was posted by GameFAQs editors, then removed, tweaked by the author to its below form, reposted by GameFAQs, then taken down again in the span of a week.
Dubbed many things by the media, including a portable PS2 and the iPod of gaming, Sony set expectations very high. Did they deliver? Well that depends on how much you like Spider-Man 2 and Sony’s backlog of first part games I guess. No Ratchet and Clanks or God of War’s here, although a port of Gran Turismo 4 is on the way. No, instead they opted to go ahead with some of their older standbys such as Wipeout, Twisted Metal, and the 989 sports line (Which I‘ve never played personally, but I‘ve also never heard anything good about these games). While these games are still good, they hardly represent the best Sony has to offer in my eyes. If you’re already a diehard fan of these games though, then this is a definite must-have. Third parties once again make up the majority of noteworthy titles for a Sony system, with titles such as Ridge Racer and Metal Gear Acid, although I don’t have any interest in either. Personally, I bought my unit because of all the hype around Lumines, which I can attest to being a very good game, although lacking much “Meat”, as in value beyond trying to improve your high score and a small puzzle mode in which you build objects out of the blocks.
The screen is big and beautiful, but the system design is highly overrated and smudges at even the lightest touch. Unbelievably, I actually have a dead pixel on my screen. It’s in the upper-right corner and it doesn’t get in the way during gameplay, but when I was watching Spidey 2 it became pretty distracting. And correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t this thing basically look like a GBA? Anyway, video playback is rock solid, as I’m sure you’ve been told numerous times already (But yeah, right now SM2 is the only movie available). MP3 playback is good too, but this thing will hardly compete with the iPod. The storage medium is Sony’s expensive memory sticks which range between 32MB to 4GB (The upcoming Memory Stick PRO). Compare that to the 20GB and 40GB versions of iPod and you’ll see my point. One can store a few songs while the other can store an entire collection. Sure, PSP can do other things, but aside from gaming there are simply better stand-alone devices out there. Yes, it does many things, but it’s a jack of all trades, and master of none. There was one pleasant surprise though, and that was the battery life, which so far hasn’t been an issue at all for me.
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Launch Lineup- 6/10- It has it’s rudimentary “killer-app” (Although it‘s no Halo as in being a true must-have in my opinion) and a few other noteworthy titles, although I wouldn’t recommend any of them myself.
Future Lineup- 3/10- Pretty slim pickings for the rest of the year. Sony made the launch very top heavy, leaving very few interesting games to be launched later in 2005. When Hot Shots Golf is the bright spot on a release calendar, you know you have problems. GTA might turn my opinion around, but currently nothing is known about it.
Battery Life- ?/10- As mentioned earlier, it hasn’t been an issue.
MP3 Playback- 5/10- It gets the job done, but the memory sticks are an unattractive medium for me, and it doesn’t curb my desire for an iPod any.
Movie Playback- 8/10- Good quality (Aside from distracting dead pixels which appear on some units), but the selection of movies right now is lacking if I do say so myself. If you’re playing your own stuff then you’ll be A-OK though.
Aesthetics- 4/10- I’ll probably be lynched for this, but I really don’t like the way this thing looks. The screen is big, but I’d say that it might.
Value- 4/10- $250 for a handheld (Even with extras) and $40-$50 for games seems ridiculous to me. If you’re looking into buying a PSP, I strongly recommend holding out for a non-Value Pack option unless you have a lot of disposable income.
Overall- 5/10- It has some decent media functions, but the outlook on games is less than stellar. Coupled with a crippling price point and load times, and you have a somewhat disappointing system on your hands.
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THAT got yanked?
ReplyDeleteI would love to read GameFAQs try to explain that one.
It reminds me of the Game Gear more than the GBA. But that's just me.
ReplyDeleteThe review was yanked for good reason. Two and four GB sticks do not exist yet, and the original cited price (which has been conveniently removed from this copy) was 300 dollars, which is false information. Combined with the fact that it makes useless comparisons to the iPod (a non-gaming machine, and stand alone Mp3 player) and using future unreleased software as some sort of measure of the PSP's quality makes the review worthy of the lowest form of internet publication: a blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming the above poster is Auron255 (Hello Auron!), the man most likely behind getting my review pulled. Here are the facts:
ReplyDelete1.) In the original I said "You'd basically be paying 300 dollars to play a puzzle game", meaning Lumines, which was the main reason I bought the system and considered by many to be the best launch title. Lumines of course costs $40 and a PSP value pack costs $250. Adding sales tax, it would be somewhere around $300 (And I was only $10 off in the first place. So sue me, I rounded up).
2.) Notice how I said upcoming in regards to the Memory Stick Pro.
One I don’t see why the review was taken down it was a good solid review and better than most fan review. Second the North American president of Sony’s game division has said himself in a number of interviews that he is going after the iPod market. (Please check yahoo tech news for article) Despite what people believe this country still gives you the freedom of expression regardless where it is popular opinion or not.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Vesto's comments:
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the two and four GB sticks do not yet exist is covered in a parenthetical statement.
"Since the PSP can play MP3s, would it be a suitable replacement for an iPod? Should I sell my iPod/MP3 player to get money for a PSP purchase?" See those questions? Both are perfectly legitimate from a consumer standpoint, and reviews of the PSP hardware should have answers. Also, consider how often the media suggests that the PSP is an iPod-killer, and how Ken Kutaragi himself mentions the iPod every other time he talks about the PSP, and the comparison is practically mandatory.
The upcoming software lineup is not relevant when reviewing what you have gone out of your way to depict exclusively as a GAME machine? That contradiction speaks for itself, but I’ll offer the obvious rebuttal anyway: The potential displayed by a game system’s software forecast is of utmost importance, because playing games is what you DO with the hardware. EGM evaluates every game system’s software forecast every year.
Then again, perhaps you consider a widely circulated print publication to be only a hair above the lowly stature of the Internet blog. That was the icing on the cake in your comment post: A statement that fits the definition of trolling much better than anything in Chris Buzan’s PSP review.
I forgot the price of the memory stick is listed in page 38 of the April 05 issue of GameInformer.
ReplyDeletethe prices are as follows.
2GB $450 Sony High Speed
1GB $219.99 Sony High Speed
512MB $129.99 Sony High Speed
256MB $84.99 Sony High Speed
1GB $150 Sony
512MB 104.99 Sony
256MB $64.99 Sony
1GB $204.99 SanDisk
512MB $159.99 SanDisk
256MB $74.99 SanDisk
128MB $59.99 SanDisk
And by the way, the line about Lumines wasn't cut from my review, it just seems that Kyle accidently cut off the first paragraph when posting it. Here it is for anyone that wants to see it:
ReplyDeleteThe PSP promised to bring a revolution to portable gaming, and pull it out of a supposed ghetto which Nintendo dug it into. Call me crazy, but I think I’ll stick with the slums if this is the alternative. It shows some definite promise, but with reported (And in my case, apparent) hardware defects, shoddy “Convergence” performance, and a restrictive price point, I just can’t recommend this thing to anyone other than the most diehard of Sony supporters. You’d basically be paying $300 for puzzle game at this point (Albeit, an outstanding puzzle game).
Maybe they just took it down because it was a crappy review. It is a crappily-written review; you realize that, right?
ReplyDeleteYour examples all tend to be weak and opinionated without reason. Your example of Lumines, for instance... "value beyond trying to improve your high score". Let's take a game a few people might have played, like, say, Tetris. Not much replay value beyond trying to get more lines! This oversimplification can be applied to any game. RPGs, play 'em once, not much replay beyond the story and getting more experience points. This is poor writing.
And there are contradictions. "The screen is big and beautiful" vs "doesn’t this thing basically look like a GBA?" Battery life "??/10" ... but it hasn't been an issue. Couldn't come up with a number? Most of your other areas are "well, I don't like it" or "it doesn't suit me personally"---that's nice, but I don't care. Does it suit me? You don't give examples or reasons, you just say you don't like it ("I really don’t like the way this thing looks") or that you don't like them (" I wouldn’t recommend any of them myself"). Why wouldn't you recommend them? Is the gameplay poor? Do they lack replay value? Are the graphics muddy? What, exactly, do you have a problem with, so that I, the reader, can decide if I would also have the same problem with the unit?
To sum it up: you write a heavily-opinionated review with few facts, making it worthless to the general reader, and wonder why GameFAQs takes it down to make room for another one? Why?
(Now how's this: will my comment get taken down because it's a comment that rates your rating poorly?)
Compared to most rag reviews, it was pretty well written. A reviewer is of course allowed to give their personal opinions, and as they say, opinions are like a$$holes, everyone has one.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they just took it down because it was a crappy review. It is a crappily-written review; you realize that, right?
ReplyDeleteAside from the review being fine, even if it were a "crappy review" that's still not a valid reason to yank someone's review. You say he was opinionated, but that's exactly what a review is for: the reviewer expressing their opinion and view of the machine.
There aren't any misfactual statements here (unless you think saying something you like is bad is a lie, although it's not, it's a matter of opinion), and it seems to have only been pulled for censoring a negative review. Sony's to be trying to cover that the PSP release hasn't been that great (no surprise there, any company would), and here it appears that others are trying to do the same by inappropriately trying to silence negative reviews. And for that matter, a review which mirrors the complaints of many gamers. A few of my own thoughts have been clearly outlined here as well. Although I don't agree on every point - I'm not even interested in Lumines.
Ryan Pavlik posted:
ReplyDelete"It is a crappily-written review; you realize that, right?"
I am sorry but this is the most immature quip you can use to start a rebuttal, and every time I hear "you realize that, right?" it it infuriates me to no end. That is all.
Your examples all tend to be weak and opinionated without reason. Your example of Lumines, for instance... "value beyond trying to improve your high score". Let's take a game a few people might have played, like, say, Tetris. Not much replay value beyond trying to get more lines! This oversimplification can be applied to any game. RPGs, play 'em once, not much replay beyond the story and getting more experience points. This is poor writing.
ReplyDeleteWhy shouldn't this be without reason? Sure, Tetris is a great game, but should it really be taken as a modern standard? It is yor personal opinion that Lumines and Tetris can beat modern RPGs, but alot of people think that gaming has come a long way since Tetris, and you can expect maybe a bit more.
Although I personally agree with your opinion that simplicity is often great, his argument is by all means valid, and cannot be classed as "poor writing"
And there are contradictions. "The screen is big and beautiful" vs "doesn’t this thing basically look like a GBA?" Battery life "??/10" ... but it hasn't been an issue. Couldn't come up with a number?
You can't take excerpts from their context and expect them to correspond perfectly. In this case, the reviewer commented on the excellent diplay of the unit. It beats the GBA by miles.
However, the overall design of the system, which many other reviewers consider to be good, is criticised, and compared to the GBA (meaning the placement of the buttons and the screen). Notice the word basically.
If you can't think for yourself what he meant by this, you should by no means be criticising other poeples reviews.
I expect the reviewer didn't do any tests for the battery, he just played his puzzle game and didn't have the problem that he had to recharge so often that it got annoying.
You don't give examples or reasons, you just say you don't like it ("I really don’t like the way this thing looks")
In this example the reviewer was clearly talking about the aesthetics of the unit, which is by all means a very subjective mattter.
It is his opinion, which he clearly defines by saying that he doesn't like the look of it. It is better than "*insert handheld* looks crap" as one might expect in bad reviews.
or that you don't like them (" I wouldn’t recommend any of them myself"). Why wouldn't you recommend them? Is the gameplay poor? Do they lack replay value? Are the graphics muddy? What, exactly, do you have a problem with, so that I, the reader, can decide if I would also have the same problem with the unit?
If every thesis in every review was explained in ervery detail, noone would finish. It depends how intricate you want your review.
And even if this were a review which could be classed as "not so great", it's no reason to take it down. I have seen much worse on Gamefaqs.
I will agree that the above review is of extremely poor quality, even for a blog. But that is no reason to pull it down. As someone else stated, there have been and still are, much more poorly written reviews that remain on GameFAQs, so this seems to be a case of them taking down reviews they disagree with.
ReplyDeleteI personally think this reviewer sounds like he doesn't even own a PSP, just read some other reviews, maybe played Lumines on a friend's and that was it. RR is a stand up game, MP3 playback is fantastic on the headphones (speaker is lacking in quality, but it came with free headphones), and as the reviewer said, the screen is incredible. He clearly bought the hype as he plunked down his hard-earned cash for the unit and a game. IMHO RR is THE launch title, Wipeout is popular due to the browser hack, Lumines is a kick ass puzzler that will keep you occupied on long trips. THUG2 is an excellent port of the original with all the same music, similar graphics and 4 NEW levels. I could go on and on, but the point is this: Regardless of the fact that this review is very shortsighted and appears to be written by a 12 year old who is pissed that his friends have PSPs and he doesn't, it doesn't deserve to be removed from the site as this is the Intarweb and people can decide this is total crap on their own.
Thank you,
THC
I think it's pretty immature of you to accuse me of not owning a PSP, and to assume I'm a child.
ReplyDeleteA few comments. To Mr. Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteWhy shouldn't this be without reason?
Because it's a review. Not everyone thinks exactly the same. If you give simple opinions ("I don't like this very much") without reason, then it's useless: the reader cannot determine if he or she will also not like it very much.
Sure, Tetris is a great game, but should it really be taken as a modern standard? It is yor personal opinion that Lumines and Tetris can beat modern RPGs, but alot of people think that gaming has come a long way since Tetris, and you can expect maybe a bit more.
We have reading comprehension problems here. Please re-read the paragraph I wrote until you understand it. Here, I'll summarize: the form of criticism given for Lumines is meaningless, as it can be applied to any game.
Anyhow, enough of that. To THC:
As someone else stated, there have been and still are, much more poorly written reviews that remain on GameFAQs, so this seems to be a case of them taking down reviews they disagree with.
This is perhaps the case, but the reason still stands; especially since the PSP is new and there are likely to be many reviews. Also, there are other "low-score" reviews; I see one for 6/10 there as well. However, the writing is much better. If you check the the Reader Review Contributor FAQ, we see that there are a few things that this probably still violates (like the "Game Bashing" one... too much "I think" and not enough facts?). Also, there is the ability to see why your review was rejected... but I don't see that reason posted anywhere here, or the reasons it was rejected the first time.
I personally think this reviewer sounds like he doesn't even own a PSP, just read some other reviews, maybe played Lumines on a friend's and that was it.
I wasn't going to say that. It's odd when everyone else I've talked to with one... and that's quite a few people... have a different opinion. In the review, I think this sentence sums it up:
Personally, I bought my unit because of all the hype around Lumines, which I can attest to being a very good game, although lacking much “Meat”, as in value beyond trying to improve your high score and a small puzzle mode in which you build objects out of the blocks.
It sounds like the author bought the unit, either expecting something not delivered, or not knowing what to expect of Lumines, and was disappointed at this game. Based on the previous mentions of games (Wipeout and Twisted Metal vs Ratchet&Clank and God of War), and the mention of media hype, this seems to be the case. I say again: this is why facts are important, and your opinion isn't. Instead of hype ("oooh shiny!"), it's important to be able to evaluate the system according to what it offers.
ReplyDeleteI will agree that the above review is of extremely poor quality, even for a blog. But that is no reason to pull it down. As someone else stated, there have been and still are, much more poorly written reviews that remain on GameFAQs, so this seems to be a case of them taking down reviews they disagree with.
Okay, so we're agreed that the review itself is awful.. is "but they have lots of other cruddy reviews!" a reason to let Yet Another Poorly Written Review through?
Heck, my biggest problem with gamefaqs is that they don't delete enough total garbage from their site.. I'm hardly going to fault them when they actually seem to require better writing.
This would have been a better 'test' if the review was well written, or at least something that slashdot would post... A poor quality review isn't much a test of bias: refusing to post a well written and well thought out review would have been a better 'test' of any bias.
It's not about if he has a psp. He obviusly doesn't have one because he didn't liked it.
ReplyDeleteFrom my point of view, it's vry overpriced, both system and games, and it is just a portable wich seems very easy to break. When i buy a portable, i know i'll be able to toss it into my backpack, lug it in my pocket, or just put it everywhere. This thing scratches like hell if you ask me.
or something slashdot would post?
ReplyDeleteodd, i think most of the readers came from there :D
-----anyway, i agree with his review almost 75% of the way
the launch titles were a tad stale, and it smudges way too easy, it's twice as cheap to get a 20gb ipod than to attempt to play MP3s on the psp
it was not 300 dollars (game + usb cable) well spent
Calling the review "good" or "well written" is like calling a log of crap a tastey banana. If you want to read a well written review (highly biased however) read Ashley Winchester's PSP review (who is widely considered the best reviewer on GameFAQs).
ReplyDeleteThis review utter trash. I pity those who defend calling it valid and well written. Either your mommies and daddies didn't send you to the proper schools, or you're just an average moron.
The review Kyle posted was indeed pretty bad, but Ashley Winchester is a god-awful writer with an infuriatingly precious and pretentious writing style. His/her reviews should never be recommended to anyone except as cautionary examples of How Not to Write.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience with IGN, only I made simple criticizing posts about the outrageous price, and a poll which asked "Why the PSP Sucks". Although there were many posts about other, less protected systems in this vein - some even with the same topic name; others which have been active over a year - I was banned and my topics locked because I posted them in the "PSP General Discussion" area. To everyone else except IGN forum staff, "general" means negative OR positive - to IGN it means "only loving comments allowed".
ReplyDeleteThis protection does not extend to people or old games and hardware, odd enough - I could post "The Dreamcast SUCKS HARD..." and never get that topic de-activated. I could post That user "blank" sucks and never get banned - but when I touch on the new stuff, all hell breaks loose. To top it off, thier "trolling" rule is being used to put the blame on whoever they want if someone doesn't like a post! I now am in charge of your emotions and can be banned if you cuss me out! Ridiculous! But they are so greedy that they will do anything to protect the interests of thier sponsors - even if it means selling out the membership.
I don't have a problem with chris' review, and I don't care how badly some of you think it is written - it was obviously good enough for the editors to put up, and it is a READER OPINION, so there is no expectation of some "correctness" or molding to a particular cultural opinion. It shows a lack of integrity and honor; and sense of fair play for GameSpot, GameFaqs, IGN or any other large media company pretending to serve the public to exhibit the immature behavior that they have been displaying as of late. It also shows some stupidity - because it isn't as hard as it looks to build yet another site like Gamefaqs - simple yet successful, so what they are trying to acheive will be for naught anyway.