Originally Posted by
Aussie2B
I don't think professional game reviewers are playing games anything like game testers. I don't think they're playing games obsessively at all, and I definitely don't think their employers expect that of them either. The employers just want the piece done and written, as fast as possible, so they have something to go along with all of the ad space they're trying to sell. Because of that, it's true that the reviewers are sometimes forced to marathon games because they're given so little time to complete a review. They do aim to beat a game at least (but I can almost guarantee you that some games are written about without the credits ever being seen), which is is no sweat for a game under 10 hours, but it can be a nightmare for something like a long Japanese RPG. Because of that, I'd say the problem is the exact opposite. They're not playing the games enough. They're rushing like mad to get to the end, so they don't have the opportunity to dig deep and really learn and appreciate (or loathe) what it has to offer. Bottom line, reviewers need more time to more casually and extensively play a game, and their employers need to appreciate them more, pay them better, and encourage excellence in the quality of their work. There are indeed bad game journalists, no doubt about that, but the main problem is the structure of the industry created by the higher ups.