(Article by Mike Snider)
This article by Mike Snider about Halo is very well put together and gives the fact a reader is looking for such as dates of new releases and upcoming projects.
The article starts off shaky, however, with the connection of Halo and Star Wars. The comparison of the two franchises is not made clear and is quickly dropped at the start of the article. The use of Star Wars could have better been used if Snider explained just how Halo is meant to rival Star Wars and continued throughout the article contrasting the two.
As the article continues on, I believe some personal opinion of the game slipped into Snider's writing. In regards to the number of people that have bought the new Halo 3: ODST game he says, it is "a nice reception for a game that doesn't star Halo main man, the Master Chief." This quote seems somewhat biased toward the game and the role of Master Chief in Snider's view.
Snider later uses a quote from Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities. I think it would have been beneficial for Snider to explain exactly how Pachter fits into the story and why he chose to quote him particularly. The use of the quote was somewhat random and seemed misplaced.
As far as the breakdown of the rest of the article, Snider did a good job getting the information out to readers. I liked the style of sectioning off the various forms of media such as comics, books, videos, etc. He made his points clear and concise giving the readers expectations for the various outlets and when the public can get their hands on it.
Outside of the rough beginning to this story, I think the overall content and way the material was provided was done well and I feel much more "in the know" regarding the Halo franchise.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2009-10-05-halo-spins-off-products_N.htm
That's all for now folks!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I totally agree with you. I appreciate the way he sectioned off the different halo products, and being a fan myself, I found the information useful and some of it new. The start of his article was a little "shaky" as you put it. I wonder, what would you do with a limited word count to begin the article more smoothly?
ReplyDeleteJessiey:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the question. You made a very good point that there is limited word count for articles so the way journalists start their pieces can be very crucial.
The way he started the story is called a lead. There are many, many types of different leads journalists can use to start their piece and I think why this article is "shaky" is because of the lead he chose to use.
It is somewhat awkward how he starts off the introduction of the Halo aspects with a comparison to Star Wars which then he does not follow through with for the rest of the piece. I think it could have gone smoother if he had possibly introduced his article by jumping right into the strong statistic he offers as far as recent game sales or even if he had talked about the Halo phenomenon by only discussing its personal history.
Thanks for the feedback!
Your insight is right on. Well thought out.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that this article is under the heading of "technology", yet he does little (Okay..NOTHING) to discuss the actual technology. Nothing about breakthroughs in 3D graphics, applied technologies,accelerators or the impact of increased computational resources.
ReplyDeleteMary:
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Bernard:
You make a really great point. It is very interesting to see this article in the technology beat possibly only because it is about a video game? You raise a very good issue.
As a journalist, I agree with this critique...a writer must always stay away from being biased when reporting...unless he/she is in columnist form.
ReplyDelete