Mario Galaxy Review: “The Worst Two-Player Experience”
Variety.com writer Ben Fritz puts his name on the Nintendo fan blackbook after writing an insanely bias Super Mario Galaxy review attacking not only Super Mario Galaxy, but also Nintendo’s Wii graphic performance and the use of the Wii-mote.
A desperate move to bad mouth what could possibly be “The Best Game of the Year” and most likely “The Best Game for the Nintendo Wii Console” and believe me I’m not a fanboy at all, in fact I own a PS3.
As you read the review you will notice the majority of the effort is concentrated on picking apart the game’s limited two player mode, camara control, storyline and Nintendo’s Wii graphic shortcomings, this at a time when Super Mario Galaxy has received such a high amount of praise across the globe, even getting an unprecedented 11 out of 10 rating! This is simply neglecting to give credit where credit is due.
It’s amazing how this “reviewer” found Super Mario Galaxy “The Worst Two-Player Experience” while at the same time declaring Ratchet and Clank for the PS3 “vastly superior” when it’s close to impossible not to find Super Mario Galaxy objectively groundbreaking and superior to current games in its category.
I have screen saved a copy of the review, just in case they might decide to take it offline, which I hope they do, check out the “Sponsored by Sony” logo on the right top section.
Update: This topic is hot at the NSider forums.
EDIT:
I was recently contacted by Fritz Benjamin and I was asked to edit the title of this article from “Is the worst experience” to what it is now “the worst two-player experiences…” and I also got this quote from Fritz himself: “I stand behind it (my review) 100%“
The title has been edited along with references to a possible Sony conspiracy.
RANDOM QUOTES FROM ACROSS THE NET ABOUT THIS REVIEW:
“So this is what Variety has become - publishing a PS3 commercial disguised as an ‘independent’ ‘review’. Shame on you! You have no longer any right to call yourself a magazine. You have become a sell-out advertising vehicle with no journalistic integrity whatsoever.” - Tuomas Salo -
“Wow, what an excellent and accurate review of the Nintendo Wii Game Supermario Galaxy! I cannot believe I considered buying this console for such a horrible game. Now I can continue saving up for a PS3, Thanks! THIS COMMENT WAS SPONSERED BY SONY ENTERTAINMENT“ - John Hateface -
“Too bad, because at least a couple hundred people probably read his articles with a straight face on a daily basis. Can’t wait for the next one, Mr. Fritz; the internet videogame community is watching with salty eyes and a bucket of popcorn!” - Steve Schardein -
“Credit to Mr Fritz for having the courage to be contrary, but his review doesn’t really carry much credibility.“ - Gus Swan -
“This is probably the single worst (read: misguided, agenda-driven) videogame review I have ever read… as though he could not help himself from injecting his personal delirious opinions into this supposedly professional product review” - Steve Schardein -
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If sony was sponsering that, he probrubley only did that because sony payed him.
This is unstandable.
Wow. Just wow.
Lol, sorry but do you have any understanding how advertisements work? A place like Variety has an ad sales team and editorial team (review staff). They work independently because of conflicts of interest. It’s called hilarious irony when stuff like this happens, not Sony buying out reviews… *sigh*
To your credit, the attacks on the graphics were baseless as you really need to compare with what looks good on each system, not cross pollinate.
First off, reviews are *always* biased to some degree - they are, by definition, opinions. Having said that, I don’t see a whole lot of anti-Nintendo bias in the article. The negative things he says are, for the most part, true.
- He says that the graphics on the Wii are not as good as the 360 or the PS3 - everyone knows that, though many (myself included) don’t care.
- He says the two-handed remote is awkward - and it is for some games (including MG), and more for some people than others. Personally, I *much* prefer the old GameCube controller - and wish there was a way to use that for MG.
- He says that camera control in MG is a problem. It is, at least in comparison to Mario 64 (which is the closest comparable game and had great camera control).
- He says the two-player in MG is weak - and it is. Though, again, most people won’t care.
He also uses the superlatives "fantastic" and "amazing" to describe the gameplay, and says that MG is proof that Nintendo has some of the best game developers out there. Hardly anti-Nintendo. BTW, Mario Galaxy is a blast. Not perfect, but a blast.
From what I see, he mainly fussed about the petty issues rather than the game itself. IMO, co-op play and the console’s controler shouldn’t be rated. Oh no, a different controler! Now we’ll have to try something new! Apparently, this guy has little hands-on time with the Wiimote. As for co-op, get over your Halo fanboy-ism and try a game NOT built around online play.
DarkHarbinger Says: From what I see, he mainly fussed about the petty issues rather than the game itself. IMO, co-op play and the console’s controler shouldn’t be rated. Oh no, a different controler! Now we’ll have to try something new! Apparently, this guy has little hands-on time with the Wiimote. As for co-op, get over your Halo fanboy-ism and try a game NOT built around online play.
—————————
A reviewers job is to point out the flaws even small ones that people might gloss over. And just because he pointed out thing that aren’t meaningful to you. Doesn’t mean other will feel the same. So he’s a halo fanboy because the co-op is weak? That’s bull**** the videos of Galaxy showed people playing co-op advertising it to be a good co-op game. Does the fat not everyone will use it excuse it from being weak heck no. For the Camera all the reviews I’ve read have said the same thing. It just isn’t as good as Mario 64’s and will cause you to die in the later parts. The remote is more user preference. In games you could use a GCN controller for I’d much rather use that, imo it just feels more comfortable. I can agree the graphics comment was stupid. Everyone except blind Nintendo fanboys know it’s not going to be as good looking as a PS3 or 360 game.
As for the sponsored by Sony that has nothing to do with the review it’s an advertisement. Sony payed for ad space which is run by a different group of people then the reviewers. It was just a very ironic coincidence.
Well, as ironic a coincidence as it was, he sites the PS3 at least twice in his review; and at the end gives extreme reference to… Ratchet and Clank? Why not Bioshock, or some other LESS conspicuous title?
Regardless, companies can and do pay for "canned" reviews where they’re purposely flubbed– have you ever wondered why you get the "Maltin minute" only after you purchase a PPV movie? It’s all press, it’s all publicity– It’s all money.
All in all, just a very strange situation…
If I ever see that nub on the street, I’ll beat him to an inch of life….
Ben is such a retard, this game is awsome, and there is no way to mock it.
Obviously this isn’t the case. Does anyone really think Sony would want to put their logo on a Nintendo review? This only makes them look bad. I’ve seen this same sponsored by Sony logo on multiple places on this review site and many others including CNET.
*grabs toruch and burns PS3*
RACHET AND CLANK IS THE ONLY GOOD GAME ON THE PS3 RIGHT NOW SO BE QUIET!
That guy realy needs to get a life. And *sigh*… obviously all these anti-Nintendo, pro-FPS reviewers love to point out the low graphics processor; oh no, they can’t POSSIBLY overlook that! These are signs of a bad reviewer, and when they rate a game low based on graphics (*cough*Game Informer*cough*), their credibility just plummets. That’s like rating Pac-Man low because of inferior graphics! And Pac-Man is a great game.
For this idiot’s information, Mario Galaxy is actually utilizing the Wii’s graphics engine to its maximum extent. And you know what, the game looks fantastic! And the gameplay is just perfect! I’m not much of an action game player (Frankly, I really suck at action games. LOL) , but this has got to be the first platformer game where I’m actually laughing and having a lot of fun. In fact, I don’t remember having this much fun playing a video game ever!
Oh, and some advice to this blatant Sony name-dropper: why don’t you freakin’ play the game for Christ’s sake! What, $250 too pricey for you, Mr. PlayStation 3? Maybe actually playing the game will make you eat your words if you ever think about re-reviewing the game.
Otherwise, ignore this guy. He’s got no idea what he’s talking about.
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Finally, a honest and unbiased review of a rather mediocre game w/ poor graphics.Let’s face it, only Nintendo seems to be capable of producing decent gameplay with Wii’s controller and that’s what we have with Super Mario Galaxy as well.. decent gameplay, but nothing to write home about.
Is the issue that sony sponsered the article or just got caught this time in a slip up?
Pontus, look, stop beign Glib XD
Not I not going to be Tom Cruise on you but still you aren’t looking at the facts. HE BARELY GETST TO IT! He mocks the Wii overall rather then looking at the Game as a whole. It’s comparing to the PS3. It’s even sponserede by the copycats at Sony *burns PS3 even more*. AND THAT’S THE ISSUE! It’s sponsered by Sony because it’s marketing sony because it’s mocking Nintendo. GET THE FACTS PEOPLE!
Sony needs to learn how to STFU when calling big hit games that aren’t on their pile of sh!t known as the PS3 crap. I think they also criticized Halo 3 when it was almost out.
Well, I think I know which news article you said was recently ‘Dugg’… lol.
im disapointed that a sony reviewer sunk as low as giving a bad review just because the system itself isn’t as powerful as the others…. you know that used to be PS2’s position just a year ago…
lol, true, pelord
i wonder when the fourms are going to be back up….
Wow…this is quite hilarious actually. It’s quite obvious he decided he was going to hate the game before he played it, not to mention his not so well hidden ads to Sony products. He spends more time talking about how sony is better at everything and about the "poor" graphics than he does anything else. It would be like giving OoT a bad score because it’s graphics are outdated now. Or criticizing Mario Kart DS for having graphics that look like they came from a…DS :P.The best part of the review however is where he criticzes the plot. Having a complicated plot would completely ruin Mario. Sure the RPGs may be more complicated…but they’re entirely seperate from the Platformers.
You’re all welcome to your own opinion of my review, but for the record "is the worse experience" is not a quote from my review. I assume what you MEANT to quote was "one of the worst two-player experiences ever seen in a videogame."
Also, just for the record. I called the game "astoundingly original" and "brilliant." And I have absolutely nothing to do with the ads that are sold or where they are placed.
well now i’m DEFINITELY not getting a PS3 and i’ll be BUYING mario galaxy instead of just renting it.
fuck off, sony
I love that some of these commenters are willing to murder the reviewer because he gave a bad review. I have the game. It’s good fun, but it really is far from perfect. Sure, every time I play it I cannot put the controller down for hours, but it does not mean the game is immaculate. The camera does not mix well with the controls at some points, and while it isn’t a game halting flaw, it is rather annoying. Of course the graphics are not as good as the other systems (duhh), and if you want a visual experience, you will be impressed but not amazed. And the coop is actually pretty bland. Everyone who has tried it in my apartment has chosen to rather watch than help me jump higher.Its actually one of the more unbiased reviews I have read so far. Just because it is Mario, doesn’t mean it is perfection.
The funniest part of this is how all of you nintendo fanboy morons think that the random Sony advertisement on the first honest Wii game review ever is somehow a conspiracy.
Face it guys, your system sucks, it’s just another gimmick-laden Gamecube update with a 3-year lifespan. By 2009 you’ll all be buying the next crappy Nintendo console just like you all do with those stupid Gameboy systems, and Zelda remakes, and lets not forget Super Mega Metroid Prime Zero Hyper Championship edition. When are you idiots going to figure out that Nintendo keeps polishing the SAME turd and selling it to you AGAIN?
You know what? Sony can go fuck itself. Seriously. They wouldn’t know gaming if it hit them on the side of their heads. Theyre like..failures. Idiots
@ Ben Fritz
Thank you for stopping by, you can’t deny the review was completely bias and in favor of Sony’s PS3.
Regardless of whether Sony explicitly paid this guy off, Sony has just been digging it’s self a ditch recently, and by recently I mean the past 2 years consistently.
My own personal views of Sony aside, the company has been a concentrated
PR disaster this generation. It’s like they want to lose.
You cant compare SMG to R&C…
Obviously PS3 fails this generation….
oh, and… SONY FAIL!
Seriously, the review was not as bias as you made it out to be. It praises Mario to be innovative throughout the article.
It’s true the Wii is not the best console to work on, there’s a reason why there’re so little quality 3rd party games for the Wii. Hell the top 10 nintendo Wii games are all Mario related.
Story really isn’t Mario’s strong suit. Have kidnapped princess saved by fat plumber suddenly became the greatest story of all time because its on a Wii? Nope. So no one really need to elaborate on that same story for each game. And seriously, Mario IS an Italian Stereotype.
Saying reviewers shouldn’t compare Wii to the other 2 consoles are absolutely stupid. They’re in the same market, they should be compared with. While nintendo is ahead of the curve with their inventive controls, I’m pretty damn sure Wii owners all wish the graphic of Wii are better. I sure do. Imagine Twilight princess and Mario Galaxy with the same graphics as that displayed with a PS3 or 360. Heck I wish I can just use the Wii classic control more with its dual thumbsticks.
I’m saying this and I’m a fan of nintendo.
EJ, you’re still assaulting Fritz? "You can’t say that…"
Excuse me, I believe he just did.
@ EmperorChow
Thank you, that was an objective opinion, I admit that you have very valid points, heck why don’t we get guys like you to write video game reviews?
But, to your disadvantage to say that the review wasn’t as bias as I made it out to be sir… well I doubt many people will agree with you on that one, I sure don’t.
Honestly i wonder if the guy who wrote this actually bothered to read the review. He actually spoke very well of the game for the most part. His negative comments were actually that the controls were poorly done and awkward which he pointed out is a problem with the wii-mote system for third person action games not just mario galaxies, that it was "one of the worst TWO PLAYER experiences ever seen in video games" which from how he describes it i’d have to agree it sounds horrible, and that its graphically inferior to Ratchet and Clank which is it, hell its inferior in most ways to the Jak and Daxter series on PS2.
Basically all of his arguements had more to do with the limitations of the Wii which are all true. The Wii will never have as good a graphics as the PS3 or Xbox 360 unless a developer really drops the ball. The Wii-mote control system is only really good for FPS titles and cheesy party games.
10,000,000 pissed off 16-year-old gamers who toss around terms like "journalistic integrity" as if they knew what it meant, responding to a post where the original author apparently isn’t aware of the existence of the word "biased".
So awesome.
So… leet.
@ Tim
What kind of moron doesn’t read my whole article to see that I even created a screen shot and HIGHLIGHTED the most bias comments of the review to point out that "I wonder if who wrote this actually bothered to read the review"
Get the heck out of here Tim!
I’ll have you know I’ve forwarded your review to the important people on the internets who reside in the important places on the internets, I’ll have you know, because we understand that a sponsorship logo on a page means that the writer works DIRECTLY for that sponsor, so we know, Ben Fritz, you work for Sony, Audi and Pinecone Research (don’t deny it!!!), and that your attack on Super Mario Galaxy was baseless when you said, " “Super Mario Galaxy” is proof positive that Nintendo still has some of the best videogame development talent in the industry…" and has nothing to do with our reading comprehension whatsoever and if we see you on the street, we’ll beat you to a pulp over a videogame when people are starving in the streets because THIS IS SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT!!!!!! Watch your back, Fritzy.
This post is ridiculous. Just because a Sony ad shows at the top of the page and the reviewer isn’t creaming his jeans about what a great game this is, someone has to call the review bias (the correct term is biased, btw). If you enjoy the game and think it’s the greatest ever, great, play it and enjoy it. If you find someone else who doesn’t think it’s the pinnacle of human achievement, guess what? That’s their opinion and they’re entitled to it. Grow up.
a lot of hate in here =x
Please learn how to use "Bias" and "Biased" properly and you’ll have more credibility.
None of you people have even a remote understanding of the editorial separation that occurs in a publication like Variety. What is more likely: that part of the site carries sponsorship that’s unrelated to the reviews process, or that Variety would tarnish its reputation and trustworthiness by accepting money to influence the content of reviews?
Please use your brain and refrain from accusing me, too, of being on Sony’s payroll.
Sony’s sad attempt to put their flop title "ratchet and crap" over galaxy. Go screw a rootkit fony.
You know what your problem is Sony? You just can’t accept that it’s a good game. You can’t accept the fact that people love this more than your war-killing games. "Oh yes, war and death is way more fun, woo!" Fuck you. Take your piece of fucking fail and shove it up your tight fucking ass. You don’t know games, so quit while you still can and just stop. Everyone’s sick of your useless remarks, noone cares. So just STFU. Your useless, stupid, and lame.
Oh, BTW, GRAPHICS DONT MATTER! It’s gameplay.
wtf dude i bet you didnt even play the game.
lmao nice bias review dude. HINT: when your writing a review you dont compare the games graphics or gameplay to other games on other consoles. Nice try dude but you fail.
[...] read more | digg story [...]
The complaints he makes are minor, but the way the review was written seems to pooh-pooh all of the things Nintendo did right as being force of habit or mere expectation, while the line about the co-operative play is such hyperbole that it taints the whole review. I will concede the graphics point, though: while Nintendo has made their little white box do some serious acrobatics, it can’t stand up to the raw horse-power behind Ratchet and Clank’s eye candy. I understand, however, that Mr. Fritz had little space to explain his review, and a very different audience to consider. Variety is not a games-centric news source, and while the review is frustratingly imbalanced, the gripes are valid.
This sounds like the people whining after some site didnt give Zelda TP a high enough score to satisfy them.
Am I the only one that read the actual review? It was really quite positive on the whole. You have to understand that the reader of Variety isn’t your typical video game consumer, it is probably the opposite. I think it was a good review for somebody outside of the video game world, like say a parent that buys for their child. His critiques about the wii-mote and the graphics back up that he is speaking to somebody that doesn’t already know about that sort of thing. So I really believe all your calls of him being a fanboy are directed in the wrong direction, you should be pointing at yourselves for misreading and overreacting to a single review of a video game. In short: get a life.
Xanthic_Schistosome Says:
Well, as ironic a coincidence as it was, he sites the PS3 at least twice in his review; and at the end gives extreme reference to… Ratchet and Clank? Why not Bioshock, or some other LESS conspicuous title?
—————————————–
Maybe because Ratchet and Clank is a platformer like Galaxy, while Bioshock is and Adventure/RPG title.
You honestly couldn’t have figured that out yourself?
That "review" actually made me want to purchase the new Mario game. He clearly stated the shortcomings, so i won´t be disappointed as much as i would be after reading a equally crappy overhyped "zOMG!! teh greatest game evah!!!110%"-review. Might be worthwhile game to wipe the dust off from the top of my wii which it has been gathering since the launch.
Well, I’m buying the game. Nice try, Sony.
Oh. My. God.
Have you people ever thought for a single second that maybe, just MAYBE someone may support an unpopular opinion? For the love of christ, just because you cream yourself at the sight of this game doesn’t mean everyone will.
The best part about all of this is that the review wasn’t even THAT negative. He says in the FIRST paragraph that he thinks Nintendo has some of the best video game development talent in the industry.
Honestly, this is just like when people got all up in arms over Zelda getting an 8.8. People, reviews arn’t fact but mearly one person’s opinion of the game.
I agree with V13. Maybe he just didn’t like the game. Not everyone likes Mario games. I haven’t liked any of them since it went 3D.
[...] played it for more than a couple of hours. Update: This topic is hot at the NSider forums. in http://nsidernews.com/sony-sponsored-mario-galaxy-review-is-the-worse-experience/ Posted by David Amador at 00:17 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks [...]
Well, I think he made his point.
If you are all about graphics, don’t buy this game.
The story isn’t really strong either.
But I for my part enjoyed every core Mario game up to date. I prefer a nice "Wheee!" on gameplay much more than a "Whoa!" on graphics. Getting both would be nice tho.
a lot of the same points are made in pro-nintendo reviews. yeah, this guy takes it a little farther, but you kind of overhype it and misreprepresenting his spelling/grammar.
[...] to our new beloved Ben Fritz of Variety.com Vivendi games is in the talks with Sony about turning The Ghostbusters into a video game franchise, [...]
Can someone tell me if there is actually any proof sony paid this guy, or is this just the usual sony-bashing, perhaps he’s just biased, or maybe he just dosn’t like the game (althougth he does seem to over criticize it). It does sound like this guy is bias(althougth i havn’t read the article), but from the statements i’ve heard it isn’t that bad, Ratchet and Clank may not be "vastly superior" than Galaxy but based on the reviews these two games are getting there are going to be a lot of people who do think Ratchet and Clank (it is a really great game) is better. The things he complains about i’ve heard other reviwers complain, about the good but not brilliant graphics, alot of reviwers complained about the camera and of course the storyline (it is an italian plumber in space)
stop deleting posts you do not agree with
I’m sorry but if you really read the review it is clear he likes the game and many of its new concepts "Super Mario Galaxyâ is proof positive that Nintendo still has some of the best videogame development talent in the industry" "features the most astoundingly original levels of the year, enhanced by gravity tricks never before seen in videogames" "causing the camera to flip, they may feel motion sickness. But once they get used to it, they’ll find it enables some amazing tricks." "But the best ones take full advantage of the games fantastic physics" You could have red lined these quotes to make the point that he likes the game. and in all fairness the story is not a big thing in any of the supper mario titles and possibly it is the worst TWO user experience ever and more a gimmick the a real 2 player game. last but not least you miss quotes him in more than only the title of your article you say: "while at the same time declaring Ratchet and Clank for the PS3 "vastly superior" " while in the review it says: "given the vastly superior quality of the graphics in a game like Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction" he doesn’t like the wii graphics that’s it. And any one knows that the wii graphics are not the strong point of the wii and that the xbox360 and ps3 are vastly superior in this department. the only thing you can say is that he could not compare, that’s it. and indeed while the wii remote brings a lot of new possibility’s in lacks some standard possibility’s like camera control etc. I didn’t mind this to much in zelda, because with some tricks you can control the camera, but it is his opinion, that he doesn’t like this. Nothing wrong with that your article is little more than a way to get more traffic to your site and to set a fellow reviewer in a bad spot lite. ultimately it is you how writes a biased article and you miss quotes Fritz Benjamin to make your point of a far fetched conspiracy theory come true. I truly think you should be a shamed, because this is little more than a character murder.
[...] also Nintendo ’s Wii graphic performance and use of the Wii-mote. wonder woman custom costumeread more | digg [...]
Go to school - learn about webpage design, corporate sponsorship and having an objective, intelligent debate about topics where people WILL disagree with you. Most people think GODFATHER II is one of the greatest American movies ever made. My wife thinks it’s boring. Guess what? She’s right - because to her, it is boring. And guess again - I’m right. Because to me, I think it’s one of the greatest films ever made. All you can do is put your opinion out there - this isn’t math, there isn’t a single correct solution. Some will like the game, others will dislike it. It happens. Deal with it. Not everyone is going to share your opinion no matter how many times you holler and shout that you’re just plain right. I give you another example - critics cried that ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT was one of the greatest TV shows on air. But no matter how much they shouted, audiences didn’t show up. They didn’t care for it. They weighed arguments for and against the show, they watched it themselves and then made a choice of their own. Guess what, EJRaven, people are going to disagree with you in this life, even on topics that, to you, are CLEARLY black and white. I applaud Mr. Fritz for not taking personal potshots back at you, because essentially, this is what you’ve done to him - you’ve started a rally cry not around Mr. Fritz’s review, but around his intelligence, his personality and his very being. People on the board have told this complete stranger to "screw off" and that they’ll beat him if they see him. In a world with so many problems, why have you created something with hate…about a video game? And regarding Sony’s logo on the page, I’m perplexed that you don’t understand that Mr. Fritz isn’t associated with Sony in anyway other than the fact that Sony pays for advertisements on the website, just like Audio, just like the other market research groups. You work for Digg, you understand how this works - Mr. Fritz is not part of a vast conspiracy to undermine the Wii. He’s one man, writing an article about how he views this particular video game. You can disagree with him all you want and state your case, but I’d advise you to keep things classy - don’t go after the man on a personal level and don’t rally others to do the same. If you talk about fair journalism, then you must practice it and accept when others voice opinions different from you own.