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What's up with Reviews today?

ZehDon

Join Date 04/2009

+115

What's up with Reviews today?

A Review of current Game Review systems

As most gamers do in todays gaming environment, I almost always research and investigate most titles before laying down my money for a new game. Frankly I don't have as much money or free time as I used to and want to make sure I get some bang for my buck. I tend to watch as much gameplay footage as possible, hit the forums and read a few reviews. Now-a-days, however, Reviews - particularly from the bigger publications and websites - aren't as honest or as trustworthy as they used to be. Most big releases receive questionable scores in hindsight, often never lower than 8 when in hindsight it should've been a 6, and often a popular series' latest instalment is rated higher than superior-but-lesser-known titles. Some games receive the covetted 10/10, and in two months time the internet is filled with the general consensus that the game is utter crap. What happened?
Reviewers often give conflicting scores to their written opinions - the review will be cite tales of utter and extreme frustration and boredom, or how simply unfun playing the game is, and then drop an 8.5 at the end as if they're trying to dodge a bullet, with 8.5 being considered neither great nor bad. A new title, similar to a popular series but with improvements and new ideas will emerge and be given a 6/10 and insulted for being too similar. Then the next installment in the popular series - which is exactly the same as previous entries, now with slightly flashier graphics - will receive a 9 or a 10. Why the double standards?

Anyway, I think the current review system no longer serve the general public's needs. Most gamers want to know one thing: is it worth the asking price! The 5 Star system is the best current system as it's concise and simple, however it's often scrapped or used only in film. In its place we get the 10/10 system or the 100 point scale. Each have their benefits. The 5 Star system forces the reviewer to rate the game into one of five levels. The major problem is that there isn't really a lot of difference between a 1 star game and a 2 star game; no one really wants to play them and so most games either get a 1 star or a 4 star, and then some people like to use half-stars, creating a basic 10/10 system. The 10/10 system is better as it gives more ratings and thus allows for greater reviewer detail however, again, the difference between a 4/10 and a 5/10 is moot; most people won't play them. Furthermore, most reviewer systems like to use decimal scores, such 9.2, defeating the purpose of the 10/10 system as it becomes a 100 point scale. Now, the 100 point scale is fantastic as it gives a lot of room for really intricate and detailed reviews... however in order to justify the difference between an 66 and a 67, the review needs to be more detailed than most people care to read. Instead of one or two page reviews, a 100 point scale really needs a small thesis about the game to justify such a massive scale. We also see that around 70/80 is the cut off point for most gamers; if a game scores a 69 or lower most people won't care to play it unless they were already going to play it before the review.

Personaly, I think we need a new system that reflects the basic question - a Three Star system, so people instantly get the info they want: is the game worth my money. One star simply means it's a bad game and isn't worth playing. I feel getting a game finished and out there to buy is worth one star at least for the effort. Two stars means its either worth renting to play through it or you should buy it if its really cheap, because its good but not worth the purchase price. Three stars means its a great game and worth your money. This forces reviewers to be decisive - is it worth it not? Instead of bickering over 8.9s and 9.1s, people would simply get the info they want.

What do you guys think? 3 Stars, 5 Stars, 10/10, or 100 points?

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Quoting Raven X,

reply 21

My philosophy Won't help someone chose a game if they're looking to "get their money's worth" but it will help them buy the games that are about the things they like. Just as your example given about "Africa and the Endless Ocean". Many people wouldn't like games like those. If you go into it knowing you like the subject content though does it really matter? Someone who likes massive action and explosions isn't going to like those games no matter how good they are or no matter how many sites say they are the most awesome games ever made. If you like taking pictures though then these games are probably on your radar.

You're example/philosophy doesn't help anyone buy anything. Your example pretty much addresses whether or not people need pats on the back after they buy a game, why they want to see their favorites get high scores. You offer nothing whatsoever in actually finding a favorite. If you feel the need to call people names that disagree with you, well that doesn't surprise me. I didn't buy a game because my sister verified that Majest 2 was didn't have any of the features they advertised on launch day. If that makes me a sheeple, so be it.

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Quoting Nesrie,

reply 26

Quoting Raven X,
reply 21

My philosophy Won't help someone chose a game if they're looking to "get their money's worth" but it will help them buy the games that are about the things they like. Just as your example given about "Africa and the Endless Ocean". Many people wouldn't like games like those. If you go into it knowing you like the subject content though does it really matter? Someone who likes massive action and explosions isn't going to like those games no matter how good they are or no matter how many sites say they are the most awesome games ever made. If you like taking pictures though then these games are probably on your radar.

You're example/philosophy doesn't help anyone buy anything. Your example pretty much addresses whether or not people need pats on the back after they buy a game, why they want to see their favorites get high scores. You offer nothing whatsoever in actually finding a favorite. If you feel the need to call people names that disagree with you, well that doesn't surprise me. I didn't buy a game because my sister verified that Majest 2 was didn't have any of the features they advertised on launch day. If that makes me a sheeple, so be it.

Wow, you read way too much into stuff. I wasn't calling people who don't agree with me names. I was calling people who blindly buy something because other people like it, names. People who like what everyone else likes simply because everyone else likes it. Those people are sheeple.

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Those people are sheeple.

I think you will find those are the majority of the human race, since most people desire to fit in scocialy. They probably enjoy talking with thier friends more than the game anyway - the fools.

Its a bit like the welsh, they like to have thier way with the Sheeples. Nothing wrong with that.

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Quoting Raven X,

reply 27

Why feel the need to try and lump a large group of people into a stereotypical category at all. There are people who read reviews for a lot of reasons. Do some games sell more because of high ratings, sure Black and White got to ride high on a cloud of scores for awhile before it was pretty clear how lacking both games were (though still an interesting take). State your opinion, and back it up if you want, but lay off the labels. For some people it's about score. I certainly disagree with that position, and i read reviews for very specific things: how long the single player game is, is there cooperative play, is there AI in the cooperative play, how much has changed if its ia franchise, what is the same, is there heavy DRM, can I play a female character, etc.)

What I do not do is feel the need to to judge other people and call them names for doing something I don't do. If some kid or an adult out there buys game because some editor or reviewer slaps their choice award on it, fine, let them. It's their choice, and if they show up on a forum spouting the company mantra and doing nothing but froth at the mouth at critical, honest reviews, THEN feel free to dismiss but hopefully with a little more insightful feedback than simple name calling.

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I think the truly classic games are the games that appeals to everyone, not just fans of the genre. However, I know that some people simply don't like RTS games, or RPGs or FPSs, and so they simply don't bother. I think this is a good thing - how annoying is it when the Halo Kids populate a game - such as Demigod - and then complain about the mechanics. 'Man, Halo plays so much faster, can we speed it up?' 'Why are there no vehicles? Vehicles should be added!' 'Can I go First Person?'. Staying away from what you know you simply don't enjoy is probably better for eveyone.

What review sites, magazines or publications do people generally trust?
For me, PALGN and 1UP are about the only ones I trust. I gave up on magazines years ago.

I never buy a game at launch. Ever. When looking at a game to buy, I wait around a month, and then I read the highest scored review, the lowest scored review and one in the middle which gives me a general over-view of the game's weaknesses and strengths from different points of view. I also hit the forums, and see if the game is having any problems.

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Quoting Nesrie,

reply 5

I have a similar mindset. I mean some of my favorite series are lucky if they get 7 because these so called professional reviewers penalize the series for the very thing that fans of the series enjoy, aka maybe gameplay is slow laid back for example. There was on reviewer who thought it was appropriate to go after Afrika and the Endless Ocean series as boring. Hey, those series are not for everyone, but they do a pretty good job at what they do. It's a mistake to think that the guy, or gal, who gushes over MW2 is equipped to play and enjoy a picture taking game.

Anyway, I usually ignore scores unless its a 1 or 2 which usually means you're lucky if you can get the game to start. I'd say buggy as hell but some top rated games get their perfect scores despite being buggy as hell too.

exactly. if a reviewer gives a poor score, but includes reasoning for why its marked down, it might turn out that the reason he's marking it down is a reason you'd love to buy!

i recently picked up divinity 2: ego draconis despite its lukewarm reviews, and its now one of my favourite RPGs ever.

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exactly. if a reviewer gives a poor score, but includes reasoning for why its marked down, it might turn out that the reason he's marking it down is a reason you'd love to buy!

Good example for that is Xplay .. They HATE turn-based rpg's and will always say the battle system sucks...This makes me go out and buy the game. R.I.P Final Fantasy.

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Quoting -RAISTLIN-,

reply 31

exactly. if a reviewer gives a poor score, but includes reasoning for why its marked down, it might turn out that the reason he's marking it down is a reason you'd love to buy!

i recently picked up divinity 2: ego draconis despite its lukewarm reviews, and its now one of my favourite RPGs ever.

Agreed. For example, one review dumped GalCiv2 due to no multiplayer. That made me want to buy it more than ever, because I knew that it would actually have the singleplayer experience done right, instead of sabotaging it in favor of the multiplayer option. I was right.

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Haven't trusted the major review sites in years.

1. Let the game be out for a bit, then

2. Go visit metacritic and pay particular attention to the lower pro scores. Look at the user scores also. Gamespot does have user reviews and there is always gamefaqs.

At gamefaqs poke the PC button and stop to marvel once more that whatever else may be shown on the listing of the top 10 games and boards, Diablo II LoD is always there!

3. Visit the official forums, if any. Head straight for the Technical Support section.

4. Firingsquad is always worth a visit. www.firingsquad.com They do not review everything, but their reviews tend to be in depth. And sometimes a bit contrarian and cantankerous. I mean you, Jakub Wojnarowicz!

This is also a great site for hardware too! If nobody on their forums has heard of your new game, it is usually a bad sign! Usually ... they gave Civilization 3 96%; but they never reviewed Civilization 4 unless I am missing the link.

5. Plug the name of the game into your favorite search engine with extra words like sucks, won't install, crashes, etc. Surprising what you can find.

6. Head on over to youtube and see if there is anything interesting there.

After you have done all this, if the game looks reasonable then conclude that it will be even better with an expansion pack or two and the best deal will be the bundle in 3 to 5 years!

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If I am interested in a game, I read about it on forums, check the user score on MetaCritic and watch gameplay videos of it on YouTube.

Professional reviews are mostly worthless. Often games get low scores simply because the reviewer doesn't like the genre (for example, he likes FPS and has to review a strategy game). And every review of a sequel rants about the game being too similar or not similar enough to its predecessor.

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I often dont agree with my friends over what's a good/bad game, why would i agree with some random guy on the internet that couldnt (or wouldnt) get a real job

Most reviewers these days are more interested in being funny than writing informative reviews.

As for review scores, completely pointless for most parts of a game as theyre a matter of opinion, the only parts that should be rated in scores should be things like stability & buggyness.

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