AICN Reviews the DDI Character Builder!

[Traycor]

You'll have to scroll down past the Battlestar stuff.

Link

 

[Admiral Caine]

I don't disagree with him. It is a cool application, even as a limited beta.. but golly he knows how to shoot the sunshine.

 

[Fifth Element]

Lesson I've learned on ENWorld: He wrote a glowing review of a 4E product. Therefore, he must be biased.


I can't say I disagree with the review either. I've played around with the program myself and am very impressed so far.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

That wasn't a review, that was a gushing rehash of WotC talking points about a future product. But then given the source that is not surprising.

 

[Fifth Element]

That wasn't a review, that was a gushing rehash of WotC talking points about a future product. But then given the source that is not surprising.

It didn't take long to demonstrate my lesson, did it?

 

[Brown Jenkin]

It didn't take long to demonstrate my lesson, did it?

Try reading the review again and see how much is about the product and how much is about future promised elements that aren't there yet.

As for your lesson there are certain positive 4e reviewers who have had more controversy about having bias than others.

 

[Admiral Caine]

It didn't take long to demonstrate my lesson, did it?

Speaking only for myself, I didn't say he was biased.

In fact, any review should demonstrate some bias. Its just that the bias should be based upon experience or exposure to the subject. Be it a book, a film, or an RPG product.

I really believe Massawyrm tried the product. I believe the good experience he had with it prompted him to review it glowingly. I take it for granted that he is sincere.

Hell, I had a good experience with it too, and like you, I too was impressed.

I only said the review was syrupy.

And it is. That was sweet enough to rot your teeth, and it would come across as more genuine if it was a little less manic.

 

[Dire Bare]

Try reading the review again and see how much is about the product and how much is about future promised elements that aren't there yet.

As for your lesson there are certain positive 4e reviewers who have had more controversy about having bias than others.

I've read the review twice, and it is gushingly positive, and does mention a few things coming down the road, but the majority of the review talks about what you can do right now with the Character Builder. It's a fair review.

And just like the reviewer pointed out in his first paragraph, the haters and naysayers aren't going to like the review! We have two prophets! Although prophesizing the obvious probably isn't all that hard . . .

 

[ProfessorCirno]

You can review something positively without gushing about it. It reads like a review in a modern video game magazine, and that's about as far from a compliment I can make. Are you honestly going to claim that
"And that’s where this goes from being a handy tool to one of the single most inventive, brilliant, borderline batsh*t crazy ideas I’ve ever seen a major gaming company do."

...is not gushing? I can't claim if he's biased or not, but even if I weren't a gamer, a review this syrupy would make my inner cynic only doubt the character builder - the more needlessly positive a review is, the more I suspect that they're hiding something.

 

[Fifth Element]

Try reading the review again and see how much is about the product and how much is about future promised elements that aren't there yet.

I was going to reply, but Dire Bare said it well. There is quite a bit of info in the review.