IGN: Second Opinions: No More Heroes 2

IGN writes: "Ubisoft and Grasshopper's latest Wii offering, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, was one of 2010's most anticipated games for the Nintendo Wii in the IGN offices. Editors were chomping at the bit to get their hands on a copy of the sequel, and now that it's been released and fully reviewed, a variety of folks in the editorial pool have put some time in to check out this ambitious (and super over-the-top mature) third-party Wii game."

[EvilTwin]

"The fact that I didn't understand what the heck was going on had nothing to do with me not playing the original."

Actually, yes. Yes, it did. Revenge as the central plot point only makes sense if you know what happened in the first game and why it's coming back to bite the anti-hero in the ass. Moving on...

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"I just wish it was on another system like the 360 or PS3. Because cry as we do that the Wii needs more mature games, Wii owners just don't purchase them. Prove me wrong."

You were already proven wrong. Enough Wii owners purchased NMH that a sequel was greenlit.

NMH is Suda's best-selling home console game. Aren't you people gaming journalists?

[Gr81]

Also..I'm sorry but, I just can't bare to even visit that 'site' anymore. There about as ridiculous as many of the BS posters around here who troll the Wii sections. I care even less about their reviews, I don't even watch/read those anymore either.

Their editorials are even worse!

Maybe its just me. But IGN is for the birds, as far as I'm concerned.

[Shnazzyone]

I'm not sure what happened between madworld and NMH2 but IGN went from being one of the most pro nintendo sites out there to being bitter and awful as the rest of the internet. That's why I like Gamesradar and gamespot now. Those sites are fair and if their talking nintendo then you don't half the spite and off remarks you get on IGN these days. I mean listen to the nintendo podcast... it's officially the Nintendo bashing hour these days.

I liked when Journalists were unbiased and didn't whine about their jobs.

[EvilTwin]

Arius -- I decided to click on this one because Bozon (who recently left IGN) gave NMH2 a fair review (IMO). And really, they're pretty fair in this article. They just aren't particularly careful with their facts, though.

Schnazzy -- It's good cop/bad cop with their editorials. Being bad cop generates controversy, which in turn generates page hits. It looks like they're trying to be a little more even handed with Craig Harris taking a bigger part on the Wii side of things. But the whole Nintendo channel suffered big time when Cassamania lost his marbles.

[Gr81]

They used to actually have pretty damn good reviews. They were spot on with MP3 (Which is what enticed me to buy a Wii in the first place, though GT's Prime 3 review was the best of the bunch) Boz was very hit and miss; some of his reviews were good but some were bizarre (MW:R?)

But its as Shnazzy said, the snide remarks and comments and such is so unneccessary.

All for the sake of traffic though right? Which is why I generally don't participate in that stuff. I'd rather ask you for a recommendation on a game than listen to IGN's review of one.

[Gr81]

Shnazzy here's some bubbles. People must be trying to shut you up, as I remember a time when you had a reasonable amount, Now its three strikes you're out! LoL

[Mahr]

"Aren't you people gaming journalists?"

Sure they are. That is largely the problem.

This is a little off topic, but to put it in slightly less pithy terms, it's not just IGN -- even though in many ways they are probably the worst offenders -- but game journalism as a whole has been on the decline for a number of years in terms of quality, style, originality, consistency, and general purpose. Ten years ago, you would have been laughed at for suggesting that a magazine or website was being held to ransom for a high review score.

Now, it is the rule. No major game site has -- any -- editorial independence at all. None. Comment threads on review pieces and personal relationships with the people developing the games supposed to be under the microscope also kill off any real sense of critical distance.

This is why there was that whole 'New Games Journalism' craze a while back that spawned the likes of Tim Rogers and his 45,000 word 'reviews'.

"Being bad cop generates controversy, which in turn generates page hits."

From what I've heard and seen, it doesn't have so much to do with page hits as much as it has to do with being hacks who believe enough in their own hype that they actually think they have an informed and unique perspective to offer.

[asdr3wsfas]

"Comment threads on review pieces and personal relationships with the people developing the games supposed to be under the microscope also kill off any real sense of critical distance."

Remember that time IGN editors appeared in credits for The Conduit? That's like making Maureen Dowd secretary of state.

"From what I've heard and seen, it doesn't have so much to do with page hits as much as it has to do with being hacks who believe enough in their own hype that they actually think they have an informed and unique perspective to offer."

That's so sad. I figured no one could be that stupid - they had to have some other motive. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and ended up mistaking fingerpainting for modern art.

[Nu-Magician]

was this some kind of joke