Why Maxim sucks.
So I’ve been a subscriber of Maxim for some years now. Not because it’s a quality publication, but because it’s cheap ($9 a year), and I like getting shiny paper in my mailbox that’s not a bill. This month’s issue is especially awesome. Not for its bland, photochopped pictures of Lindsay Lohan, but it’s clear failure at giving honest or informed ratings on video games. This month’s violation? Bioshock. This game is currently ranked 97% on Metacritic, and all the major game review sites have given it raving reviews. So what did Maxim give it? 3/5 stars, the equivalent of 60%, or an average score (or a D+ if this was your spelling test).
That’s really not the worst part though. This magazine made its way into my mailbox two weeks ago, and the game was released last Tuesday with many gaming sites not getting their hands on it until a week before, let alone Maxim, who has no clear games editor (go ahead, check their vague staff listing), and the section in question offers no byline whatsoever. I’m not one to question if they really took the time to play the game before giving the game its rating, but it gets worse.
Blacksite: Area 51 (the game pictured above Bioshock) has the same star rating, and doesn’t come out until early November. That’s three months away. I seriously doubt Maxim’s had a chance to even play anything besides the shit-tacular demo that made its way onto the XBOX Live Marketplace in early May.
Why is this even worth blogging, or bitching about? Well, not much besides the fact that if you’re even going to bother putting this type of shit in your publication you should back it up with something. I’d hate to see little Billy get Area 51 for Christmas instead of Bioshock because his daddy is taking game buying advice from Maxim. Well…actually if that’s the case, Billy has bigger problems.
