Hyped up

One of many interesting comments that came out of my "Don't believe the hype" blog was the view that GTA: Vice City was more enjoyable then San Andreas. And I agree. VC had the perfect setting, more focussed action and, let's face it, better music. SA may have more to it, but bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. Halo came in for a bit of stick too, although the sequel fared better. So what does it all mean? Well, none of the games mentioned in the blog were bad, except Rise of the Robots, but it shows how perception of a game can change quite quickly. Reviews tend to be fairly rushed, with play concentrated in lengthy sessions. A reviewer playing through San Andreas over a stressed week is likely to have a totally different experience to someone who takes 6 months to do the same. Things that may have only been mildly annoying in a week long review are horribly amplified when the game is played in the real world by real punters. The motto? Believe some of the hype, some of the time.