[El Capitano Gatisto]

Originally Posted by Kalyx triaD http://www.tpwwforums.com/showthread.php?t=80659

That is not an objective review. This is not meant as a criticism, it's just me pointing out the difficulty of having a truly objective game review system. There are a couple of things here, such as you describing Ada Wong as "sexy and secretive" (I don't think this is problematic or offensive or sexist or anything like that, though I do find pretty much all attempts by games to be sexy or to introduce sexuality to be juvenile and embarrassing) rather than, say, describing Leon as "sexy". You also talk about the storyline working "for you" which is an overt acknowledgement that this is your own opinion, though you don't go into detail on this, presumably for reasons of plot spoiling. Thematically, the storyline may not work for others.

Now, straining to be objective isn't necessarily helpful because some people (myself included) like to hear about interesting or problematic themes in story-telling, be it in film, TV or games. As I've said, I listen to one particular film critic for this very reason as I know he'll point out narrative themes that bother him in the same way they bother me. If games are to "grow up" as a form of entertainment, then these criticisms of narrative in games have to be made. Arguing that it is a hindrance to artistic freedom is a red herring: no one has to change in response to criticism, but they have to decide whether the criticism is voluble or accurate enough to look at their own methods. More refined criticism leads to greater innovation in games and story-telling. As the consumer, it's also your prerogative to value the opinions of certain critics (journalists, reviewers).