There has been a great deal of discussion in recent days about “Day One” reviews and what you should expect from that sort of review. With games on the recent selection of consoles constantly being pushed out without the level of polish that was expected in the past. As games change with the level of technology present it is up to writers and critics to take a look at how the process of reviewing takes place. This is one reason, we as a magazine have to take a hard look at the pros and cons of using a games release date as a publication date for reviews.
The critical voice that CGMagazine endorses is a comprehensive, thoroughly thought-out, and analytically one. Matching deadlines, so that our reviews are ready for a game’s release date, is only one criteria that we adopt to ensure our reviews are complete. By allowing reviewers the time to explore a game entirely — this includes multiplayer, testing day-one patches etc. — we are providing readers with a review that represents the immersion our journalists apply to every game we consider.
Reviews are a vital aspect of CGMagazine’s mandate. Reviews not only offer advice on what a reader should buy, they explore a game’s influence as a cultural artifact and allow journalists to reflect upon their personal experience. As games continue to develop beyond entertainment, so reviews need to envelop the more expansive reach of games, including emotional range, and depth of social significance. These aspects are not revealed when the plastic is shed, they are arrived at after careful and considerate game play, and this kind of analysis takes time.
We will also strive to ensure all reviews are done with this all in mind. We will strive to never cheat our readers by not giving the time needed to a review, and we will ensure that all articles, and written work featured in the magazine and on the website maintain a level of quality you have come to expect. With the constant changing landscape of gaming, we as media must change to. We need to insist that what we are playing and experiencing is not something special, built in a vacuum but a creation of many people. There will be problems but it is the overall experience that makes it worth diving into. We hope our choice to delay reviews until our critics believe they are acceptable is something you all can get behind.
