In the no doubt complex dance between publishers, PRs and each other, any games-related site looking to retain an audience (and the ad revenue to fund it) needs to focus not quite on the here and now, but on the almost-now. Previews, making-ofs and interviews are all procured on the basis of publicising upcoming games and in the weeks leading up to a title’s release I cannot move for titbits and trailers and screenshots and dev diaries and concept art and pricing and DLC and spoiler-free story information until eventually everything culminates in the glorious explosion that is THE REVIEWS.
Yet still the game remains unreleased.
So, hyped to high heaven, I eagerly await the arrival of my pre-order. And it does, and I play it, and…
Well, by that point everyone’s moved on to the next big release.
But hold on, I want to talk about what you’ve just persuaded me to buy! Now that we can shed those spoiler tags I want to hear if you too, beloved games reviewer, were a little disappointed about the fact that Heavy Rain had a narrative twist that doesn’t sit well with the “Press L2 to hear what a character thinks” button. I want find out how you dealt with the augmented lawyer in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and why you chose that option. Hell, I just want to mutually high five you over the internet for finally taking down the latest Metal Gear in a boss battle that lasted longer than the entire rest of the game.
Because previews and reviews are only interesting until a game is released. Once I’ve played a game I want to hear other’s opinions, and a review doesn’t scratch that itch. It’s too busy dancing around the plot, trying not to ruin the experience and when I- ever current- did finally get around to playing Metal Gear Solid 2 last month I was astonished to discover that, despite it being one of the most talked about games of all time, there was almost bugger-all articles that actually wanted to write any of that talk down. Sure there are a few, quickly consumed features, but compared to the reviews available- which seem naively unaware of the eventual impact of the game and outright lie as to the identity of the protagonist- there is very little actual discussion.
Luckily in that instance Leigh Alexander had just begun her own series of retrospectives on the series so I got some kind of fix, however it only served to highlight the drought of features elsewhere. Indeed Alpha Protocol, a huge favourite of mine, would seem perfect for a spoiler filled discussion of it’s tangled and sophisticated choice system, one that had been so touted in previews but was barely acknowledged in the overly negative reviews that followed, and LA Noire may have merited further comment on why it seemed to not quite sit as well with the general public despite its stellar scores.
Retrospects are able to deal not only with the full features of a game from story to mechanics, but they are also able to do something that reviews and previews can’t- and that is to put a game in context. They can address public reaction, critical acclaim and a game’s ultimate impact on the industry as a whole. But most importantly retrospects never age, and in a world as disposable as video game journalism it would be nice to see a few more pieces that stand the test of time once the hype-dust has settled.
