Why isn't GOTY the highest rated game?

If GOTY is hailed as the best game of a year then why it isn't the highest rated game?

Consider 2011, Skyrim got 9.0 whereas GoW3 got 9.5 and dark Souls also got 9.5.

Does that represents that Skyrim is a bit behind from those games but is still better when it comes to winning titles? Or does its denotes that GoW3 and Dark Souls should have been the winner?

If GOTY is hailed as the best game of a year then why it isn't the highest rated game?

Consider 2011, Skyrim got 9.0 whereas GoW3 got 9.5 and dark Souls also got 9.5.

Does that represents that Skyrim is a bit behind from those games but is still better when it comes to winning titles? Or does its denotes that GoW3 and Dark Souls should have been the winner?

true_gamer007

[QUOTE="true_gamer007"]

If GOTY is hailed as the best game of a year then why it isn't the highest rated game?

Consider 2011, Skyrim got 9.0 whereas GoW3 got 9.5 and dark Souls also got 9.5.

Does that represents that Skyrim is a bit behind from those games but is still better when it comes to winning titles? Or does its denotes that GoW3 and Dark Souls should have been the winner?

Elann2008

But doesnt the score given to said game represent the sites opinion? I know one person reviewed it, but it is the score that is backed by the site. It is kind of strange to give GOTY to a lower scored game vs one that scored higher.

[QUOTE="Elann2008"][QUOTE="true_gamer007"]

If GOTY is hailed as the best game of a year then why it isn't the highest rated game?

Consider 2011, Skyrim got 9.0 whereas GoW3 got 9.5 and dark Souls also got 9.5.

Does that represents that Skyrim is a bit behind from those games but is still better when it comes to winning titles? Or does its denotes that GoW3 and Dark Souls should have been the winner?

mazdero

But doesnt the score given to said game represent the sites opinion? I know one person reviewed it, but it is the score that is backed by the site. It is kind of strange to give GOTY to a lower scored game vs one that scored higher.

That's why I wanted to know which website or group of websites he was referring to. To answer your question, simply no. I highly believe it doesn't work like that, or at least, it shouldn't work like that.

If I reviewed Dark Souls and gave it a 9.0 because I felt strongly that it truly deserved it, but Bob in cubicle A, thought it was average at best, then I should be able to give Dark Souls a 9.0. So no again, one reviewer's score should nto represent everyone's opinion at a company/website.

[QUOTE="mazdero"]

[QUOTE="Elann2008"] GOTY from who? Gamespot? Personally, I don't think a game should be automatically given GOTY title just because of one reviewer's score/rating. Elann2008

But doesnt the score given to said game represent the sites opinion? I know one person reviewed it, but it is the score that is backed by the site. It is kind of strange to give GOTY to a lower scored game vs one that scored higher.

That's why I wanted to know which website or group of websites he was referring to. To answer your question, simply no. I highly believe it doesn't work like that, or at least, it shouldn't work like that.

If I reviewed Dark Souls and gave it a 9.0 because I felt strongly that it truly deserved it, but Bob in cubicle A, thought it was average at best, then I should be able to give Dark Souls a 9.0. So no again, one reviewer's score should nto represent everyone's opinion at a company/website.

Correct. I don't believe it's the opinion of the entire staff, just one man (or woman). It doesn't reflect the entire staff as a whole.

Flaws generally hold more weight in a game's rating than how much the reviewer "likes" the game, whereas awards are to the contrary. They are also decided upon by more individuals than reviews are.

[QUOTE="mazdero"]

[QUOTE="Elann2008"] GOTY from who? Gamespot? Personally, I don't think a game should be automatically given GOTY title just because of one reviewer's score/rating. Elann2008

But doesnt the score given to said game represent the sites opinion? I know one person reviewed it, but it is the score that is backed by the site. It is kind of strange to give GOTY to a lower scored game vs one that scored higher.

That's why I wanted to know which website or group of websites he was referring to. To answer your question, simply no. I highly believe it doesn't work like that, or at least, it shouldn't work like that.

If I reviewed Dark Souls and gave it a 9.0 because I felt strongly that it truly deserved it, but Bob in cubicle A, thought it was average at best, then I should be able to give Dark Souls a 9.0. So no again, one reviewer's score should nto represent everyone's opinion at a company/website.

I agree thats the way it most likely works.

My understanding was though that when the score is published on a site, that is an acceptance from the site that the game deserves that score. the goty selections prove otherwise though. I guess goty is a deliberation between a few staff members that have played the games, and the award is given to the game which the majority of that group agrees is the winner.

Since this is the case, it really renders the scores on any single site meaningless. Reviews should be done the same way as the goty is done to avoid any contradictions. The problem is if it was done this way, there would be no need for the goty awards as everyone would already know the winner.

[QUOTE="Elann2008"]

[QUOTE="mazdero"]

But doesnt the score given to said game represent the sites opinion? I know one person reviewed it, but it is the score that is backed by the site. It is kind of strange to give GOTY to a lower scored game vs one that scored higher.

mazdero

That's why I wanted to know which website or group of websites he was referring to. To answer your question, simply no. I highly believe it doesn't work like that, or at least, it shouldn't work like that.

If I reviewed Dark Souls and gave it a 9.0 because I felt strongly that it truly deserved it, but Bob in cubicle A, thought it was average at best, then I should be able to give Dark Souls a 9.0. So no again, one reviewer's score should nto represent everyone's opinion at a company/website.

I agree thats the way it most likely works.

My understanding was though that when the score is published on a site, that is an acceptance from the site that the game deserves that score. the goty selections prove otherwise though. I guess goty is a deliberation between a few staff members that have played the games, and the award is given to the game which the majority of that group agrees is the winner.

Since this is the case, it really renders the scores on any single site meaningless. Reviews should be done the same way as the goty is done to avoid any contradictions. The problem is if it was done this way, there would be no need for the goty awards as everyone would already know the winner.

That's why I liked the old magazine PC Accelerator. I think game review scores were given via consensus, not just a single reviewer. The games which scored highest would be in the running for GOTY. It's been a while though. So, I may be wrong.

[QUOTE="true_gamer007"]

If GOTY is hailed as the best game of a year then why it isn't the highest rated game?

Consider 2011, Skyrim got 9.0 whereas GoW3 got 9.5 and dark Souls also got 9.5.

Does that represents that Skyrim is a bit behind from those games but is still better when it comes to winning titles? Or does its denotes that GoW3 and Dark Souls should have been the winner?

Elann2008

[QUOTE="Elann2008"][QUOTE="true_gamer007"]

If GOTY is hailed as the best game of a year then why it isn't the highest rated game?

Consider 2011, Skyrim got 9.0 whereas GoW3 got 9.5 and dark Souls also got 9.5.

Does that represents that Skyrim is a bit behind from those games but is still better when it comes to winning titles? Or does its denotes that GoW3 and Dark Souls should have been the winner?

mazdero

But doesnt the score given to said game represent the sites opinion? I know one person reviewed it, but it is the score that is backed by the site. It is kind of strange to give GOTY to a lower scored game vs one that scored higher.

That's the point. How can a review made by only one reviewer's opinion can be presented on the behalf of the entire team?What if a team member has a problem with another's ratings. There are thousands who count on their reviews. Doesn't this catch the mist of personal likings than of collective verdict.

true_gamer007

I like how you skip over the one correct answer to your question solely to argue some arbitrary point that is not relevant to the subject of the topic.

Because it's only ONE person that reviews that game. It's only THEIR opinion what score it should get, no different that your specific opinion.

The GOTY awards are chosen by the whole staff.

Games are rated at their release generally, and rated against a different criteria, or at least should be. Like it would be graded against simiar games in the genre or previous entries in its' series if there are any.

GOTY is rated retrospectively against all the games out that year. They represent two different things. One is just a score basically against itself, the other is which held the most impact in the year regardless of genre, for several reasons. Personally, I don't put much weight in either, but I understand the difference.

Say for example, Skyrim would be rated in accordance with other RPG's in that play style and against previous Elder Scrolls games. But at the end of the year those things wouldn't come into play, just what other games were released and which one you would maybe recommend the most or have spent the most time with, and not just because the game required you to but because you enjoyed it. Make sense? If GOTY was just based on scores then not much thought would go into it and it wouldn't hold much merit, as you could just check the scores yourself to go find out which one was higher.

I haven't played a single game released this year so I couldn't give you a definitive opinion though, but I don't think that's what you're looking for anyways.

[QUOTE="true_gamer007"]

That's the point. How can a review made by only one reviewer's opinion can be presented on the behalf of the entire team?What if a team member has a problem with another's ratings. There are thousands who count on their reviews. Doesn't this catch the mist of personal likings than of collective verdict.

Smoker_Face

I like how you skip over the one correct answer to your question solely to argue some arbitrary point that is not relevant to the subject of the topic.

I like your way how you comment on questions rather than answering the asked them solving the mess out.

And for the questions, i started this topic to clear all my queries in this thread alone. Those who are smart enough, they got what i'm asking and know the answers of all my questions.

Games are rated at their release generally, and rated against a different criteria, or at least should be. Like it would be graded against simiar games in the genre or previous entries in its' series if there are any.

GOTY is rated retrospectively against all the games out that year. They represent two different things. One is just a score basically against itself, the other is which held the most impact in the year regardless of genre, for several reasons. Personally, I don't put much weight in either, but I understand the difference.

Say for example, Skyrim would be rated in accordance with other RPG's in that play style and against previous Elder Scrolls games. But at the end of the year those things wouldn't come into play, just what other games were released and which one you would maybe recommend the most or have spent the most time with, and not just because the game required you to but because you enjoyed it. Make sense? If GOTY was just based on scores then not much thought would go into it and it wouldn't hold much merit, as you could just check the scores yourself to go find out which one was higher.

I haven't played a single game released this year so I couldn't give you a definitive opinion though, but I don't think that's what you're looking for anyways.

CDuG

[QUOTE="CDuG"]

Games are rated at their release generally, and rated against a different criteria, or at least should be. Like it would be graded against simiar games in the genre or previous entries in its' series if there are any.

GOTY is rated retrospectively against all the games out that year. They represent two different things. One is just a score basically against itself, the other is which held the most impact in the year regardless of genre, for several reasons. Personally, I don't put much weight in either, but I understand the difference.

Say for example, Skyrim would be rated in accordance with other RPG's in that play style and against previous Elder Scrolls games. But at the end of the year those things wouldn't come into play, just what other games were released and which one you would maybe recommend the most or have spent the most time with, and not just because the game required you to but because you enjoyed it. Make sense? If GOTY was just based on scores then not much thought would go into it and it wouldn't hold much merit, as you could just check the scores yourself to go find out which one was higher.

I haven't played a single game released this year so I couldn't give you a definitive opinion though, but I don't think that's what you're looking for anyways.

true_gamer007

Ratings, for me, are more of a thing to consider when buying a game, but I prefer aggregates and then checking them with the actual reviews, specifically from sites I tend to agree with more. In the end, I barely use them, unless I'm buying a system and want a few games on top of the ones I know I'l be getting.

I believe the GOTY award is just that, an award. It's a pat to the devs, recognition amongst that year's competition, and beyond that, a reason for people who haven't already got the game to give it another consideration and boost sales. For people on budgets it could potentially equate to only buying one game and that assisting the final decision I suppose.

I don't really know the answer to that, but I think that GOTY isn't the highest rated game because the highest rated game got an arbitrary score from its reviewers.

Sometimes I like games that other reviewers scored lower than the higher scored games.

So in reality, GOTY, while it has something to do with scores it gets, also has other multiple factors that make it truely an amazing game experience most want to play, give credit to, and hope for the future.

Who cares what game wins GOTY, let's play all of them anyway.Black_Knight_00

Maybe there's a group of people that votes on the games that will win GOTY...

[QUOTE="Black_Knight_00"]Who cares what game wins GOTY, let's play all of them anyway.Elann2008

Rating is opinion of 1 person.

GOTY is opinion of the whole staff.

Rating is opinion of 1 person.

GOTY is opinion of the whole staff.

ZombieKiller7

[QUOTE="ZombieKiller7"]

Rating is opinion of 1 person.

GOTY is opinion of the whole staff.

true_gamer007

As with most things, ratings are an imperfect science and you should take them with a grain of salt.

Gears 3 a 95/100 game? hahahaha only in your dreams. It's basically a B+ game.

Even Skyrim isn't a 95/100 game.

Compare most newer games vs Deus Ex 1, they are utter garbage in comparison.

[QUOTE="true_gamer007"]

[QUOTE="ZombieKiller7"]

Rating is opinion of 1 person.

GOTY is opinion of the whole staff.

ZombieKiller7

As with most things, ratings are an imperfect science and you should take them with a grain of salt.

Gears 3 a 95/100 game? hahahaha only in your dreams. It's basically a B+ game.

Even Skyrim isn't a 95/100 game.

Compare most newer games vs Deus Ex 1, they are utter garbage in comparison.

Because ratings are meaningless & cant define which game is the best

Ratings & scores are given out Based on what genre it is & how good it is for what its trying to be.

Lets say for example a simple, sidescrolling, arcade game gets a 9.5. That score is given to it based on what it is for its particular genre. It doesnt mean its compareable to Skryim, Batman AC, Uncharted 3, Deus Ex, Dark Souls, or Portal 2.

WHat if a simple arcade game gets a 10 does that make it better than those triple A game listed above? No. As i said scores dont mean squat & scores themselves aren't compareable because each game is judged on what its trying to be. If scoreing were differently then every game that wasn't a triple A game would be a automatic score of 1/10.

Does this make sense? I dont really think anyone of you truly understand the scoring of games. This is why smart gamers dont give a rats a** about scores. You cant judge which game is better or best, based on a score & that is exactly WHY GOTY ISNT GIVEN TO THE HIGHEST RATED GAME.

[QUOTE="true_gamer007"]

[QUOTE="ZombieKiller7"]

Rating is opinion of 1 person.

GOTY is opinion of the whole staff.

ZombieKiller7

As with most things, ratings are an imperfect science and you should take them with a grain of salt.

Gears 3 a 95/100 game? hahahaha only in your dreams. It's basically a B+ game.

Even Skyrim isn't a 95/100 game.

Compare most newer games vs Deus Ex 1, they are utter garbage in comparison.

Couldn't agree more, on the bolded.

I see what you mean, but without GOTY, developers will aim for mediocrity. Competition is healthy in this case.Elann2008

[QUOTE="Elann2008"]I see what you mean, but without GOTY, developers will aim for mediocrity. Competition is healthy in this case.foxhound_fox

On the other hand, scores can infuriate developers to the point of where they will harass the company that brought that certain review to light and will even get that person fired. Developers have no right to be angry at the reviewer for doing their job.