Risen - Review Flood #4

[HiddenX]

On the other hand:
If you translate the english text back to german - it doesn't work.

Risen like Gothic is made in the "Ruhrgebiet" - most people here like a direct clear language. In disputes that may sound a little rough, harsh - but it's easy to understand.

 

[Ausir]

How about this bit? this is the very same bit of dialogue in Risen, an answer to "What was it like before the Inquisitor was here?"

German:

Ich kontrollierte den Handel, die Freudenhäuser und die Warentransporte der Hafenstadt. Doch dann kam der große Knall und die ertragreichen Jahre waren gezählt. Es herrschte Chaos in den Straßen, der Handel brach zusammen und die Bauern wurden von den Biestern aus den Tempelruinen bedroht. Doch das Ganze hatte auch etwas Gutes. Wir erkannten schnell, dass in den Ruinen eine Menge Gold zu finden war. Also verließ ich mit meinen Leuten die schützenden Mauern der Stadt, um das Gold zu bergen. Dummerweise übernahm der Inquisitor genau in diesem Moment der Unachtsamkeit die Macht über die Insel und meine Stadt.

Direct translation:

I controlled trade, the brothels, and the transport of goods through the harbor city. But then came the big bang, and the good years were over. There was chaos in the streets, trade collapsed, and the farmers were threatened by the beasts from the temple ruins. But all that had its good side. We quickly realized that there was a lot of gold to be found in the ruins. So, my people and I left the protective walls of the city to retrieve the gold. Unfortunately, in just that moment of inattention, the Inquisitor seized power over the island and my city.

English localization:

Corrupt, as any land ruled from the mainland. Governor after governor, bleeding the people, courting favour. When they sent their men to the mainland, that is when I took control. The brothels were clean, the prices fair. Men had dignity, pride. Then the earth shook, the temple ruins rose… And the Inquisition and all their ways came after them. Why here? Of all places… He is hiding something from us, the Inquisitor. But I shall find his secret.

The differences are quite stunning. Here it's not only the style, but they actually added some more moral ambiguity to Don's English dialogue.

 

[Anderson]

- That's the website info of that girl from GameOn, who gave Risen a 4/10.
[...] Now, I do not think in any way that EVERYONE should enjoy this game, but some of the negative reviews are written with such incompetency and MALICE, yes - malice towards the game! It's like that game owns them money or has bullied them or something!

Yeah, it's pretty awful. I just keep in mind that reviews don't mean as much as they used to, because with the plethora of gaming websites (new ones popping up constantly), ANYONE can get a gig writing a game review. It's not like this is the NY Times Book Review or something. There's no quality control. There's no credentials. There's no experience required. There's often no talent required either. Just a willingness to write the damn things. So except for the big sites, we are pretty much reading the random opinions of some gamer dude or dudette.

 

[Thaurin]

So except for the big sites, we are pretty much reading the random opinions of some gamer dude or dudette.

Exactly, with often spelling and grammar mistakes (and let's not forget factual errors) included. It's often just someone's blog without any real editor, it seems.

 

[Gorath]

Why make an exception for the big sites?

 

[Anderson]

Why make an exception for the big sites?

I was feeling generous. No, actually, it seems to me that sites like IGN or Gamespot do a fairly conscientious and professional job, at least the majority of the time -- and at least as compared to the sites/reviews we're talking about here -- so I thought I'd cut them a break. I could be wrong, but I get the impression that it takes a little more gaming acumen or experience to get a reviewing gig there.

 

[Dez]

Its sure annoying to read unprofessional reviews, but look at it this way. This is actually a great learning experience for us serious rpg fans to discover which sites require their writers to play the games they review or whether those same writers even know what makes a great roleplaying experience. Its one thing not to like some game, but not to judge it fairly is an other.

Now I can easily put couple of new gaming sites on my black list. Anything they review from now on, I can just ignore it without giving it a second thought.