Lost Odyssey > Blue Dragon on Gamerankings.com

[Dodece]

I really do not buy into the punitive innovation marks that reviewers toss around. They are irresponsible, and more to the point they aren't very relevant. Unless someone is playing a massive catalog of games on a daily bases it doesn't matter to your average consumer either. Yes the consumer is ignorant of the last one hundred and fifty games in the genre for the most part. Seeing as its highly unlikely they have played more then ten of those.

Call it elitist or call it jaded, but reviewers shouldn't be reviewing games in a way that only applies to other reviewers. I don't care if they have seen it before or where or how often. This is a prime example of why reviewers need to be recycled out of the industry after a few years. They start to fixate on things like lack or originality, or ambient noise effects. Thats when you can tell their perspective is fading fast.

The real twisted thing about the debate is there is no rhyme or reason to a reviewers madness when it comes to the holy grail of originality. They allow games exemptions for all sorts of contrived reasons. Games being sold on the virtual console most certainly aren't held to the same standards or are getting punished for now being terribly unoriginal. Other genres aren't even required to make the effort. Sports games are a prime example they have been running off the same mechanics for years now. They all look very much the same, and there are few risks being taken.

Originality isn't a real reviewing criteria its what someone who is very bored desperately wants. They don't care if its even good they just want something totally different from the standard model. Even if nobody has a problem with the standard model. I want my reviewers to be concrete and down to earth. I don't want them reprimanding games because they aren't something else. Do you seriously hold it against a sports car for not having a five ton carrying capacity.