Quote:
|
Only in your mind (and of a couple of other people like Thomas T, granted). The basic assumption is that this is a review. A personal perspective on a game. Given this core premise writing "the best rpg ever" is just rethorics. The reviewer does not claim to be presenting an universal truth precisely because he is not claiming to be writing anything else than a review.
|
True, a reviewer should not claim to present a universal truth in his or her opinions.
Making a statement like "This is far and away the best game of all time," quite simply,
is (or tries to be) a presentation of a fact, and not the writer's opinion. Fine, it's rhetoric; fine, it's nitpicky; but if you heard a movie critic say, "This is the best movie ever, bar none!" wouldn't that raise some red flags? Wouldn't you imagine,
That can't possibly be true, why is he claiming that?
Likewise, if you were looking to buy a RPG or other game book, and the authors claimed on the back, "This is the best rules system/game setting/etcetera of all time!" does that not make you think twice about the validity of both the product, and the claimant?
Quote:
|
It would be interesting to know what games you think is the best game of all times. Just to add some perspective to the conversation (at least the reviewer is clear about his preferences and the reasons for the same).
|
I wouldn't want to try to pin one game down as "the best game of all times." D&D in its incarnations may very well be the most influential and most popular RPG system in creation (the latter is ultimately verifiable, the former is certainly easy to demonstrate) but is it
the best RPG?
For me, hardly. I've had lots of fun with D&D, but I've also been frustrated with it at times. Ultimately, I prefer games that are more rules-light.
I could give you a list of
my favorite RPGs and game engines (Everway, Nobilis, Castles & Crusades, BESM & Tri-Stat, WEG's Star Wars & D6) but I would never try to present any of them as "the best RPG."
Maybe "the best RPG for my tastes and my group, at the moment."
If someone is trying to relate an opinion, I think it should be stated as such.