*sigh* sequel reviews and spoilers rant

[irishScott]

So EA had ME and ME2 on sale last week. ME was $5, so I figured why not? Started playing it, good game, went to the reviews to see if I wanted to cash in on ME2 as well. Problem is, I can't read or listen to any of them. Why? Because they all contain spoilers about how the first one fucking ends. Seriously, I have, accidentally, learned way more about the finale of ME1 before I'm even halfway through the game, and every time I've ventured into a review I've always caught half a sentence about how "Mass Effect 2 starts you off at the very end of Mass Effect 1, where Commander Shepard *SPOILERS*"

Granted it hasn't ruined the game for me in the meantime as I've limited my exposure, and even what I know is general and is pretty obviously what was going to happen, but it's still ruined a good bit of the mystery. If I'd actually read so much as one Mass Effect 2 review in full, I probably would have found myself in the infamous Snape kills

Spoiler

Dumbledore

situation. WTF? I thought reviewers were supposed to avoid discussing the vital details of the plot of any game in their review, not just flat out state it. And stuff like this is in all of several Mass Effect 2 reviews I attempted to read/watch. What. The. Hell. /rant

 

[DaveSimmons]

Book, movie and game reviews of the second or third in a series generally assume that it is OK to discuss what happened in the earlier works and that spoilers only apply to the work being reviewed not the earlier ones.

People usually want to know how the sequel follows the prior work, for example whether it takes place one minute later or 100 years later with completely different people. Or that Jack Slade is now a drunk, haunted by visions of his dead wife who was murdered by Evil Guy in the last book . . . .

FYI, Soylent Green - it's teh people!

Also, ME2 is a lot of fun.

 

[Maximilian]

Luke is vaders father.

 

[Rifter]

Luke is vaders father.

NO WAY!! man i cant believe you just wrecked star wars for me

 

[Zenoth]

I understand your frustration, but you should have played ME1 to the end before even venturing on and read reviews of ME2. The reviewers, professional ones anyway in my opinion should notice the readers (and some do give a notice, it's just not a standard) of spoilers, of course, but some don't, so in other words you basically asked for it, trials and errors, next time you will know, stay away from reviews of sequels or prequels of games before you finish the original completely, and if that means trying to end it differently if it can be done like in ME1 then try that as well if you don't want to see or read spoilers.

I for one usually stay the heck away from reviews or previews when I play a game I really like, a campaign/story mode etc., I even just try to focus on the game and barely go on the web at all, even in discussion forums because sometimes the original poster gives spoilers in the thread's title(s).

 

[Ganeedi]

I wouldnt worry too much about the ME1 spoilers, as the endgame details differ based on the choices you make.

 

[NoQuarter]

Yea I don't even read reviews of games or movies that I'm interested in the story in. No screenshots, no reviews, no trailers, if I even see the name mentioned I just stop reading. I already find it almost impossible to get into a story so having the plot points handed out to me before I even start makes it even more difficult to get into.

I completely managed to avoid any spoilers for F.E.A.R. 1 or 2 until I was on the can and gave in to reading the F.E.A.R. 3 preview cuz I heard it was co-op and the first thing they did was jump out and spoil the story for FEAR 1, 2 and 3. Kinda sucks 15 some odd gameplay hours of wondering what the hell is going on with that little girl can be ruined by one sentence in a preview, I'd been saving playing that game for a long time and all the creepiness in that game relies on not knowing what is going on.