hey look, it's my least favorite genre of video game review: This Game Is For Girls But I, A Man, Strangely Found It Enjoyable, Contrary To Reasonable Expectations http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/46129/style-savvy-styling-star-3ds-review

...ignoring the existing fan base for these games who might want to read a review that includes information about, say, how it's different from its predecessors, what new features were added, etc. and not just another "sometimes there's good games that aren't marketed directly at my face, who'd a thunk it"

@aparrish I think both types of reviews have value? I mean, not to you, but imagine a guy who has always been sold on MANLY things and plays GTA and Call of Duty reading this review and trying a game that ISN'T like that for the first time.

I'd refer to these articles as "Hey, I tried something other then toxic masculinity and it wasn't bad. You should try it too."

@Canageek I wasn't trying to establish a binary (reviews like *this* and reviews like *that*), and I didn't say that this kind of review didn't have value. (just that it's my least favorite kind.)

@Canageek I am all for men talking to other men about relinquishing toxic masculinity and am overjoyed by the idea that video games could be a venue for doing this. but reviews like this are a reminder that even though this is a long-running series of quality games from an established publisher with strong sales figures and a large fan base, some mainstream video games review sites think it's more important to talk about how certain kinds of men should feel about it than actual, you know, gamers

@aparrish To be fair, that is probably most of their audience, right?

@Canageek true, but a style of review doesn't just cater to an audience, it enacts the audience (by communicating the kinds of readers it expects). which is why the prevalence of this kind of review on video game review sites can feel so alienating