This week’s release of Duck Tales: Remastered has been met
with polarizing reviews. On one end, some sites, such as ScrewAttack.com, are
gushing about pretty much every aspect of the game and offering up near perfect
scores. On the other end, some sites, such as Gamespot.com, are panning the
game. I think that both of these reviews are valid and make solid case for
their respective scores. The question is thus raised, what is causing such a
rift in the reviews?
A brief synopsis
ScrewAttack’s review praised adherence to the original
gameplay while providing slick visuals and a slew of extra bonuses.
Specifically, the review mentioned the relatively high difficulty being true to
‘old-school gaming’ and praised the voice-acting featuring the original cartoon
show cast. In general, the review came off as extremely excited about the
release and contemplated that it delivered on everything it promised and more.
Gamespot, on the other hand, agreed that the visuals were slick but panned
almost everything else. The difficulty was criticized as unfriendly and not
conducive to modern gamers, the story and voice-acting was dismissed as
contrived and a barrier to gameplay, and the bonus content was basically
described as dull fan service. Overall, the review came off as being
unimpressed with the game and suggested that it was a nostalgia trip that has not
withstood the test of time. I think what is highlighted in the discrepancies of
these two reviews is how much expectations can influence our experience of a
game.
Why the difference?
ScrewAttack’s expectations were one of bringing an older
game up to modern visuals with a minimum of obtrusive alteration to the
original experience. The game is unabashedly a rehash playing on our nostalgic
need to relive our childhood. Playing a game with punishing difficulty and
quirks in design are all part and parcel of the classic gaming experience. In
this case, Duck Tales would be an utter failure if it was a slave to the
tenants of the modern platformer. For ScrewAttack, the game far exceeded
expectations by delivering the original gameplay in an appealing modern skin.
On the flip side, Gamespot went with the expectation that
the game would be a re-imagining of the original for a modern audience. In this
case, failure to provide concessions in difficulty and level design meant that Duck
Tales had failed as a modern game. While the game, no doubt, should show nods
to its roots, it should also serve as a way for newer generation gamers to
experience a piece of gaming history. Providing a bit of hand-holding through
an easier difficulty does not besmirch the legacy of the original and is not
exclusive to putting a ‘Nintendo Hard’ difficulty option for those who want it.
Further, tightening controls and improving level design is simply presenting
the game the way it would be if it first developed today. All told, for
Gamespot, by exclusively catering to the nostalgic gamer, Duck Tales failed to
recognize that modern audiences want to play too and thus the game was unworthy
of a positive review.
I think both of these perspectives have merit and, depending
mood, most gamers will side with one or another. I don’t think that it is fair
to criticize either review for “missing the point”; the stance each review
takes is valid and the results stem naturally from this stance. In other words,
I do not think the conclusion of either review was off-base given the starting
point. The difficulty lies, for the reviewer, in choosing what starting point
to take. In the case of an all new intellectual property being released in
modern times, no reference point exists and, as such, a proper review will
invariably compare the game to the modern standard. It doesn’t make sense to
compare a new FPS release to Doom and praise all the crazy new innovations it
has made. This is true even if the game is designed to emulate a classic game;
fundamental aspects of design and controls are expected from modern games and
failure to deliver is simply unacceptable to the modern games. Citing classic
influence for clunky controls doesn’t make sense as not all old-school games
suffered from awful controls. Duck Tales doesn’t necessarily fit the bill (pun
unintended) here because it can also be directly compared to the original
release. This reference point dichotomy (to compare the game to the original or
to the modern standard) is where, I think, that the review score discrepancies
are rooted.
Roger Ebert’s review philosophy applied to games
The positive/negative divide in reviews evokes memories of
an interview I once saw with Roger Ebert discussing his review philosophy (I
have desperately tried to find the source but have come up short). In the
interview, Ebert describes how one of his jobs as a reviewer is to develop
criteria for success for the movie he is reviewing. While some of these
criteria apply almost universally (acting, cinematography, editing, etc.),
often movies also need to be judged on their intended audience and within their
own genre. For Ebert, a Barney movie aimed at three to five year old might be
worthy of a ‘thumbs up’ because it is both engaging and educational to young
viewers even if it does not appeal to adults. As such, a well made children’s
movie shouldn’t be panned because adults won’t enjoy it (they aren’t the
intended audience to begin with!). Although the Barney movie may not be an
instant-classic bound for a spot in the Smithsonian, it may be a fantastic
example of its genre and thus praise-worthy on those merits. The thumbs up from
Ebert is thus considering that the audience will at least exercise some sort of
autonomy in selecting what movie they will go see rather than a blanket recommendation
for everyone. In short, if you are the sort who thinks the Barney movie will
appeal to you, Ebert’s thumbs up says to go for it (and if you are an adult,
perhaps seek help).
I think many game
reviewers, if not consciously, apply a similar approach to Roger Ebert. To very
broadly make the point, you don’t see a good reviewer docking the latest Grand
Theft Auto points because it is an awful real-time strategy (it isn’t a RTS!).
More narrowly, I think reviewers recognise that it is unfair to compare certain
elements of the new Saints Row with the new GTA; comparisons on shared mechanics
such as driving and shooting make sense but a discussion on which plot is
superior is mostly irrelevant as the intentions behind them are completely
different (SR uses a plot as a vehicle for comedy where GTA typically moves to
explore the gritty underside of human behaviour). In this case, stating that
GTA has the better storyline than SR is like stating that apples taste better
than oranges (which, in fairness, they totally do). One of the few exceptions
that would make such a comparison valid would be in a situation where GTA’s
plot is objectively measured to dramas and SR’s plot is measured to comedies
and the statement is formulated such that GTA succeeds as a gritty exploration of
humanity much better than SR succeeds as a comedy. Obviously, such comparisons don’t
really provide much tangible information to potential purchaser; I, for one,
want to know if the latest SR is funnier than the last, not some if it is, obtusely,
funnier than GTA if all of the dramatic elements in GTA were morphed into comedy.
Conclusion and some quick side-points
To bring this back to the reviews for Ducktales, I think
that the wide split in scores is chiefly due to envisioning the audience and
scope differently. ScrewAttack judged the game on the merits of bringing
old-school gaming in a modern skin whereas Gamespot reviewed on the merits of
providing a modern take on old-school gaming. The difference is subtle but,
based on the scores given, crucial.
- I personally side with the Gamespot review. If you want old-school gaming, go hook up your Nintendo and blow out the dust from the bottom of the cart. Duck Tales is a classic that doesn't need fancy visuals to be enjoyed.
- RIP Roger Ebert, I’m sure you would have come around on gaming eventually
- I only briefly discuss the possibility of some sort of objective standard where games can be compared cross-genre. I think it is totally valid to say that GTA is a better game than some shovelware iPhone game even if they aren’t in the same genre. The full elaboration of the logic here would be enough to fill another post.