Metacritic, the cancer killing the industry

Why is Metacritic used as the games industry when the basic principle of it is biased? How can one site be given more weight than other? Its generally worrying when you have publishers withholding bonus because a certain game didn't gain an arbitrary score on a site that sells to the highest bidder.

yeah, i think it was obsidian that got screwed by the MC score of New Vegas by like one point

The new MGS collection even has the metacritic rating on the box lol
 

If only people stopped using the freaking thing...

Metacritic isn't killing anything. Publishers are.

They get more weight because they compile all of "profesional" review scores in one place from all sources. They also compile review scores by everyday real world gamers in one place.

Metacritic doesnt actually do anything or express their own opinion, they simply put every one else opinion in one place. You need to blame the publishers that withhold a bonus because of a score, not the place that simply only puts those scores up that arent even their own.

Jimquisition tells it better than me.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/3607-Metacritic-Isnt-the-Problem

Metacritic isn't killing anything. Publishers are.

GD1551

and shoddy games 'journalism'

Metacritic isn't killing anything. Publishers are.

GD1551

Metacritic isn't killing anything. Publishers are.

GD1551

They get more weight because they compile all of "profesional" review scores in one place from all sources. They also compile review scores by everyday real world gamers in one place.

 

Metacritic doesnt actually do anything or express their own opinion, they simply put every one else opinion in one place. You need to blame the publishers that withhold a bonus because of a score, not the place that simply only puts those scores up that arent even their own.

 

Jimquisition tells it better than me.

 

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/3607-Metacritic-Isnt-the-Problem

Gargus

they weight review scores from professional reviews differently based on their source (ign, gamespot, etc)

The Flop of Us - 8.0 @ GS. :lol:bbkkristian

Metactritic just takes all the credible reviews and gets their average. Am i missing something? Shouldn't journalism or publishers take the blame?

Metactritic just takes all the credible reviews and gets their average. Am i missing something? Shouldn't journalism take the blame?

SexyJazzCat

it's not that simple.  different sources are weighted differently in making the average

clyde46, The cancer killing SW. You heard me!

[QUOTE="SexyJazzCat"]

Metactritic just takes all the credible reviews and gets their average. Am i missing something? Shouldn't journalism take the blame?

lostrib

it's not that simple.  different sources are weighted differently in making the average

Metactritic just takes all the credible reviews and gets their average. Am i missing something? Shouldn't journalism take the blame?

SexyJazzCat

No because they have a weighted system. Meaning IGN's score means more than Gamespot's etc. It's terribly flawed

[QUOTE="bbkkristian"]The Flop of Us - 8.0 @ GS. :lol:AtariKidX

Such a shit site.

[QUOTE="SexyJazzCat"]

Metactritic just takes all the credible reviews and gets their average. Am i missing something? Shouldn't journalism take the blame?

seanmcloughlin

No because they have a weighted system. Meaning IGN's score means more than Gamespot's etc. It's terribly flawed

So what does that result in? Isn't the average going to be all the same?

[QUOTE="AtariKidX"][QUOTE="bbkkristian"]The Flop of Us - 8.0 @ GS. :lol:LordOfPoms

those flops only have to do within SW.  as actual GS score vs hype score

[QUOTE="Gargus"]

They get more weight because they compile all of "profesional" review scores in one place from all sources. They also compile review scores by everyday real world gamers in one place.

Metacritic doesnt actually do anything or express their own opinion, they simply put every one else opinion in one place. You need to blame the publishers that withhold a bonus because of a score, not the place that simply only puts those scores up that arent even their own.

Jimquisition tells it better than me.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/3607-Metacritic-Isnt-the-Problem

lostrib

they weight review scores from professional reviews differently based on their source (ign, gamespot, etc)

Well they dont weight them different, they have to include them due to the fact different places have different scoring systems. Some do 1-10, some do 1-10 with percentages thrown in, some do 1-100, some 1-100 with percents, some give grades like A B F and so on.

But the bottom line is metacritic does nothing to effect people or the industry, all they do is compile others review scores.

If say a company with holds a bonus from a game developer due to a low MC score, whos fault is that? Is it metacritic for simply compiling scores? Or is it the developers fault because they are one taking metacritic and using it as a weapon? Metacritic is simply a passive website that takes other peoples opinions and put them together in one spot. They dont actively do anything themselves. If metacritic suddenly dissapeared all of those scores would still be out there, the reviewers who post their individual scores would still have the same scores out on those seperate sources.

If gamers think a game rated an 8.0 on metacritic is a failure how is that metacritics fault? It isnt their fault because it is the choice of those gamers to take a static number and put their own importance on it.

Metacritic is a unbiased source used to collect reviews from other people and put them in one place, what publishers/developers and gamers decide to do with those scores is up to them.

Metacritic does the exact same thing with movies and music but you never hear anyone in the music or movie industry do what the game industry does with the scores do you?

[QUOTE="seanmcloughlin"]

[QUOTE="SexyJazzCat"]

Metactritic just takes all the credible reviews and gets their average. Am i missing something? Shouldn't journalism take the blame?

SexyJazzCat

No because they have a weighted system. Meaning IGN's score means more than Gamespot's etc. It's terribly flawed

So what does that result in? Isn't the average going to be all the same?

No, it's not a mathematical average.  If IGN gives a 10 and gamespot gives an 8, then 10 is going to count more in the metacritic score

[QUOTE="lostrib"]

[QUOTE="Gargus"]

They get more weight because they compile all of "profesional" review scores in one place from all sources. They also compile review scores by everyday real world gamers in one place.

 

Metacritic doesnt actually do anything or express their own opinion, they simply put every one else opinion in one place. You need to blame the publishers that withhold a bonus because of a score, not the place that simply only puts those scores up that arent even their own.

 

Jimquisition tells it better than me.

 

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/3607-Metacritic-Isnt-the-Problem

Gargus

they weight review scores from professional reviews differently based on their source (ign, gamespot, etc)

Well they dont weight them different, they have to include them due to the fact different places have different scoring systems. Some do 1-10, some do 1-10 with percentages thrown in, some do 1-100, some 1-100 with percents, some give grades like A B F and so on.

But the bottom line is metacritic does nothing to effect people or the industry, all they do is compile others review scores.

If say a company with holds a bonus from a game developer due to a low MC score, whos fault is that? Is it metacritic for simply compiling scores? Or is it the developers fault because they are one taking metacritic and using it as a weapon? Metacritic is simply a passive website that takes other peoples opinions and put them together in one spot. They dont actively do anything themselves. If metacritic suddenly dissapeared all of those scores would still be out there, the reviewers who post their individual scores would still have the same scores out on those seperate sources.

If gamers think a game rated an 8.0 on metacritic is a failure how is that metacritics fault? It isnt their fault because it is the choice of those gamers to take a static number and put their own importance on it.

Metacritic is a unbiased source used to collect reviews from other people and put them in one place, what publishers/developers and gamers decide to do with those scores is up to them.

Metacritic does the exact same thing with movies and music but you never hear anyone in the music or movie industry do what the game industry does with the scores do you?

the weighting does matter.  It makes it so the scores for certains sites count more than others. It's not a simple average

[QUOTE="bbkkristian"]The Flop of Us - 8.0 @ GS. :lol:AtariKidX

[QUOTE="seanmcloughlin"]

[QUOTE="SexyJazzCat"]

Metactritic just takes all the credible reviews and gets their average. Am i missing something? Shouldn't journalism take the blame?

SexyJazzCat

No because they have a weighted system. Meaning IGN's score means more than Gamespot's etc. It's terribly flawed

So what does that result in? Isn't the average going to be all the same?

yeah, i think it was obsidian that got screwed by the MC score of New Vegas by like one point

lostrib

[QUOTE="SexyJazzCat"]

[QUOTE="seanmcloughlin"]

No because they have a weighted system. Meaning IGN's score means more than Gamespot's etc. It's terribly flawed

lostrib

So what does that result in? Isn't the average going to be all the same?

No, it's not a mathematical average.  If IGN gives a 10 and gamespot gives an 8, then 10 is going to count more in the metacritic score

Wow, then it truly is flawed then.

Metacritic isn't killing anything. Publishers are.

GD1551

Exactly.

Makes me remember the gearscore addon for WoW (an addon that rated you based on the quality of the gear that you were wearing). Basically if there was another system the publishers would use that other system, people have to be smart to truly evaluate the quality of the work that is being produced, and when publishers don't understand what they have in their hands (i reckon those dudes in suits don't even play the games that are making them rich) they tend to seek something that can give them visual cues without needing to know the insides... and the score is just the thing.

Metacritic is flawed but it's the closest thing people have to evaluate a game without playing it, and the reason it exists is because people like you and me come to these review sites and believe reviewers words, trust their integrity and even if their opinion isn't the same as us we believe the offset of the other reviews will make up for it.

Where else am I gonna run off to when my favorite exclusive flops?freedomfreak

Why is Metacritic used as the games industry when the basic principle of it is biased? How can one site be given more weight than other? Its generally worrying when you have publishers withholding bonus because a certain game didn't gain an arbitrary score on a site that sells to the highest bidder.

clyde46

It sucks because there is no standards as far as scores, or what they mean. A 3/4 star movie is considered great. But, if you calculate that to a percentage, it is a 75%( or a 7.5/10) which looks like a mediocre score. In reality, a 2 star movie is "average" (which, btw, calculates to a 5/10, or 50% score).

Until game ratings are standardized, sites like metacritic should not be taken too seriously.

[QUOTE="lostrib"]

yeah, i think it was obsidian that got screwed by the MC score of New Vegas by like one point

mems_1224

if they got 85 they would have gotten royalties

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/obsidian-missed-fallout-new-vegas-metacritic-bonus-by-one-point/

this is why the use of metacritic her was soundly defeated.

[QUOTE="clyde46"]

Why is Metacritic used as the games industry when the basic principle of it is biased? How can one site be given more weight than other? Its generally worrying when you have publishers withholding bonus because a certain game didn't gain an arbitrary score on a site that sells to the highest bidder.

StormyJoe

It sucks because there is no standards as far as scores, or what they mean. A 3/4 star movie is considered great. But, if you calculate that to a percentage, it is a 75%( or a 7.5/10) which looks like a mediocre score. In reality, a 2 star movie is "average" (which, btw, calculates to a 5/10, or 50% score).

Until game ratings are standardized, sites like metacritic should not be taken too seriously.

that's also an issue

Metacritic isn't killing anything. Publishers are.

GD1551

This is only because people like us believe anything lower than a 9 is mediocre or average.

[QUOTE="Gargus"]

[QUOTE="lostrib"]

they weight review scores from professional reviews differently based on their source (ign, gamespot, etc)

lostrib

Well they dont weight them different, they have to include them due to the fact different places have different scoring systems. Some do 1-10, some do 1-10 with percentages thrown in, some do 1-100, some 1-100 with percents, some give grades like A B F and so on.

But the bottom line is metacritic does nothing to effect people or the industry, all they do is compile others review scores.

If say a company with holds a bonus from a game developer due to a low MC score, whos fault is that? Is it metacritic for simply compiling scores? Or is it the developers fault because they are one taking metacritic and using it as a weapon? Metacritic is simply a passive website that takes other peoples opinions and put them together in one spot. They dont actively do anything themselves. If metacritic suddenly dissapeared all of those scores would still be out there, the reviewers who post their individual scores would still have the same scores out on those seperate sources.

If gamers think a game rated an 8.0 on metacritic is a failure how is that metacritics fault? It isnt their fault because it is the choice of those gamers to take a static number and put their own importance on it.

Metacritic is a unbiased source used to collect reviews from other people and put them in one place, what publishers/developers and gamers decide to do with those scores is up to them.

Metacritic does the exact same thing with movies and music but you never hear anyone in the music or movie industry do what the game industry does with the scores do you?

the weighting does matter.  It makes it so the scores for certains sites count more than others. It's not a simple average

Also, this weighting system applies to every game in the same way, so it's fair to compare MC scores since every game scored there did so under the same rule.Not sure how that is killing te industry and I'd bet my leg tht this whole thing wouldn't result in a 5 point difference , or 0,5 for that matter.

Meh I could care less about metacritic.Rattlesnake_8

[QUOTE="Rattlesnake_8"]Meh I could care less about metacritic.rjdofu

lol

[QUOTE="SexyJazzCat"]

Metactritic just takes all the credible reviews and gets their average. Am i missing something? Shouldn't journalism take the blame?

lostrib

it's not that simple.  different sources are weighted differently in making the average

this is why the use of metacritic her was soundly defeated.

CaseyWegner

Soon we'll be posting "lol GS score".

[QUOTE="SexyJazzCat"]

[QUOTE="seanmcloughlin"]

No because they have a weighted system. Meaning IGN's score means more than Gamespot's etc. It's terribly flawed

lostrib

So what does that result in? Isn't the average going to be all the same?

No, it's not a mathematical average.  If IGN gives a 10 and gamespot gives an 8, then 10 is going to count more in the metacritic score

Only butthurt fanboys use Gamespot to hide behind

Davekeeh

^butthurt fanboy, hides behind MC

All review scores are, in part, responsible for the slow death of the industry because they put a false value on the product in focus. Ulterior motives, personal bias, vested interests, bribes and other unforseen issues taint the attempts to judge any given game.

Only butthurt fanboys use Gamespot to hide behind

Davekeeh