Scores are important, but it's the context behind the scores that really matters

"Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the most technically stunning video game ever made. It's also a fine example of storytelling prowess within its medium, combining gameplay and narrative so slickly and beautifully that it's impossible to extricate one from the other. It's likely you will emerge awestruck from your first play-through, wishing the experience would continue yet nonetheless satisfied with its conclusion. It's difficult not to sound hyperbolic when discussing MGS4 because every part of its design seemingly fulfills its vision, without compromise. There is no halfway."

http://www.gamespot.com/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots/reviews/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots-review-6192543/

"Is it possible to give a game an 11? If so, this would be the game that would merit that score. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a title that exceeds all of the hype that was attached to the title. Regardless of whether you've seen every trailer and screenshot, read every preview and heard every interview, you won't get a full sense of how phenomenal this title is unless you sit down and experience it for yourself."

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/881/881472p5.html

I couldn't agree more. Probably the best exclusive I had the privilege of playing this generation.

"Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the most technically stunning video game ever made. It's also a fine example of storytelling prowess within its medium, combining gameplay and narrative so slickly and beautifully that it's impossible to extricate one from the other. It's likely you will emerge awestruck from your first play-through, wishing the experience would continue yet nonetheless satisfied with its conclusion. It's difficult not to sound hyperbolic when discussing MGS4 because every part of its design seemingly fulfills its vision, without compromise. There is no halfway."

http://www.gamespot.com/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots/reviews/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots-review-6192543/

"Is it possible to give a game an 11? If so, this would be the game that would merit that score. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a title that exceeds all of the hype that was attached to the title. Regardless of whether you've seen every trailer and screenshot, read every preview and heard every interview, you won't get a full sense of how phenomenal this title is unless you sit down and experience it for yourself."

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/881/881472p5.html

I couldn't agree more. Probably the best exclusive I had the privilege of playing this generation.

arkephonic

Thankfully game reviews are like movie reviews, most people don't pay attention to them.

Thankfully game reviews are like movie reviews, most people don't pay attention to them.

topgunmv

Exactly.

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

Thankfully game reviews are like movie reviews, most people don't pay attention to them.

Nonstop-Madness

Hard Reset, I'll have to put the name in the sig, you're the second person to ask me.

[QUOTE="arkephonic"]

"Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the most technically stunning video game ever made. It's also a fine example of storytelling prowess within its medium, combining gameplay and narrative so slickly and beautifully that it's impossible to extricate one from the other. It's likely you will emerge awestruck from your first play-through, wishing the experience would continue yet nonetheless satisfied with its conclusion. It's difficult not to sound hyperbolic when discussing MGS4 because every part of its design seemingly fulfills its vision, without compromise. There is no halfway."

http://www.gamespot.com/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots/reviews/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots-review-6192543/

"Is it possible to give a game an 11? If so, this would be the game that would merit that score. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a title that exceeds all of the hype that was attached to the title. Regardless of whether you've seen every trailer and screenshot, read every preview and heard every interview, you won't get a full sense of how phenomenal this title is unless you sit down and experience it for yourself."

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/881/881472p5.html

I couldn't agree more. Probably the best exclusive I had the privilege of playing this generation.

delta3074

Technically could mean sotrytelling, cinematography, and gameplay mechanics. And in that case, it beats Crysis.

[QUOTE="delta3074"][QUOTE="arkephonic"]

"Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the most technically stunning video game ever made. It's also a fine example of storytelling prowess within its medium, combining gameplay and narrative so slickly and beautifully that it's impossible to extricate one from the other. It's likely you will emerge awestruck from your first play-through, wishing the experience would continue yet nonetheless satisfied with its conclusion. It's difficult not to sound hyperbolic when discussing MGS4 because every part of its design seemingly fulfills its vision, without compromise. There is no halfway."

http://www.gamespot.com/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots/reviews/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots-review-6192543/

"Is it possible to give a game an 11? If so, this would be the game that would merit that score. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a title that exceeds all of the hype that was attached to the title. Regardless of whether you've seen every trailer and screenshot, read every preview and heard every interview, you won't get a full sense of how phenomenal this title is unless you sit down and experience it for yourself."

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/881/881472p5.html

I couldn't agree more. Probably the best exclusive I had the privilege of playing this generation.

15strong

Technically could mean sotrytelling, cinematography, and gameplay mechanics. And in that case, it beats Crysis.

Thankfully game reviews are like movie reviews, most people don't pay attention to them.

topgunmv

MOST people? Doubtful.

They at least pay attention to aggregators.

I wonder what Ebert thought about MGS4.

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

Thankfully game reviews are like movie reviews, most people don't pay attention to them.

Cherokee_Jack

MOST people? Doubtful.

They at least pay attention to aggregators.

Look at any popular genre and you'll find high selling low scoring games.

[QUOTE="Cherokee_Jack"]

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

Thankfully game reviews are like movie reviews, most people don't pay attention to them.

topgunmv

MOST people? Doubtful.

They at least pay attention to aggregators.

Look at any popular genre and you'll find high selling low scoring games.

Call of Duty, Elder Scrolls, Grand Theft Auto, Gears of War. Great scoring games with great sales.

[QUOTE="delta3074"][QUOTE="arkephonic"]

"Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the most technically stunning video game ever made. It's also a fine example of storytelling prowess within its medium, combining gameplay and narrative so slickly and beautifully that it's impossible to extricate one from the other. It's likely you will emerge awestruck from your first play-through, wishing the experience would continue yet nonetheless satisfied with its conclusion. It's difficult not to sound hyperbolic when discussing MGS4 because every part of its design seemingly fulfills its vision, without compromise. There is no halfway."

http://www.gamespot.com/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots/reviews/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots-review-6192543/

"Is it possible to give a game an 11? If so, this would be the game that would merit that score. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a title that exceeds all of the hype that was attached to the title. Regardless of whether you've seen every trailer and screenshot, read every preview and heard every interview, you won't get a full sense of how phenomenal this title is unless you sit down and experience it for yourself."

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/881/881472p5.html

I couldn't agree more. Probably the best exclusive I had the privilege of playing this generation.

15strong

Technically could mean sotrytelling, cinematography, and gameplay mechanics. And in that case, it beats Crysis.

HALO ODST getting a 9 out of 10 on gamespot was a jokePinnacleGamingP

Yay, it's 2009 again.

[QUOTE="15strong"]

[QUOTE="delta3074"]Except that it was never the most technically stunning game ever made, crysis was released the year before, apart from that i agree with the rest of the review and despite it being Sub-HD i agreed with GS giving it the technical graphics award, you couldn't give it to crysis 2 years in a row.WilliamRLBaker

Technically could mean sotrytelling, cinematography, and gameplay mechanics. And in that case, it beats Crysis.

Based off your post, you have no idea what cinematography is, so why should I value your opinion on the other two reasons?

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

[QUOTE="Cherokee_Jack"]

MOST people? Doubtful.

They at least pay attention to aggregators.

15strong

Look at any popular genre and you'll find high selling low scoring games.

Call of Duty, Elder Scrolls, Grand Theft Auto, Gears of War. Great scoring games with great sales.

Point being?

I wonder what Ebert thought about MGS4.

freedomfreak

[QUOTE="Cherokee_Jack"]

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

Thankfully game reviews are like movie reviews, most people don't pay attention to them.

topgunmv

MOST people? Doubtful.

They at least pay attention to aggregators.

Look at any popular genre and you'll find high selling low scoring games.

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

[QUOTE="Cherokee_Jack"]

MOST people? Doubtful.

They at least pay attention to aggregators.

savebattery

Look at any popular genre and you'll find high selling low scoring games.

I would say Metacritic is the #1 thing to go buy when deciding what game to purchase. I don't like playing demos and watching videos of games, it ruins the experience when you actually do play the game. Plus, user reviews, those are the ones you gotta watch out for. Thousands of people gave Modern Warfare 3 a 1 out of 10 just for the hell of it. I've also noticed that many people who talk about games on forums have never even played the game they're criticizing or praising. At least with a professional review, you know the person actually played the game.

No one will ever be able to convince me that Gamerankings.com is not the best tool for deciding what games to buy. All the reviews are right there at your disposal. I've used Gamerankings.com to help me buy games for the last 13 or so years, and it has never, not even once, failed me.

I go with Gamerankings, developer history, and my gut when buying games, and it never has failed me before.

Sometimes I don't have developer history to go by, like in the case of Batman Arkham City and Arkham Asylum. I bought those just based off of Gamerankings and I'm sure as hell glad I did.

The game was great but it wasn't even the best in the series for me. The gameplay and visuals were the best in the series alright but the story was a pile of bloated garbage. Too much nostalgia and tying up loose ends that felt more like fan service, which is good in a way, but doesn't really stand on it's own two feet. I hated the whole cyber war atmosphere of the agme with battles constantly going on around you. When I was given a stealth portion with a quiet part I really enjoyed the game and then they plonked me waist deep in constant gunfire again. It felt very jarring.

For me MGS3 is a much better game overall. It has its drawbacks too but the good outweighed the bad. MGS4 gets a bit too much praise. Great game but not worthy of a 10 maybe an 8.5 or 9 from me

Reviews are just opinions, the only one that matters to me is my own. I do use reviews as a general reference but I don't take one reviewer's opinion, I listen to a bunch of different ones to try and get multiple perspectives on it.

The thing that I look for is how much content and replay value a game has, does it have bugs or not ect... features and if the mechanics work or not. These are objective things, the score it'self is just a persons opinion.

[QUOTE="arkephonic"]

"Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the most technically stunning video game ever made. It's also a fine example of storytelling prowess within its medium, combining gameplay and narrative so slickly and beautifully that it's impossible to extricate one from the other. It's likely you will emerge awestruck from your first play-through, wishing the experience would continue yet nonetheless satisfied with its conclusion. It's difficult not to sound hyperbolic when discussing MGS4 because every part of its design seemingly fulfills its vision, without compromise. There is no halfway."

http://www.gamespot.com/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots/reviews/metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots-review-6192543/

"Is it possible to give a game an 11? If so, this would be the game that would merit that score. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a title that exceeds all of the hype that was attached to the title. Regardless of whether you've seen every trailer and screenshot, read every preview and heard every interview, you won't get a full sense of how phenomenal this title is unless you sit down and experience it for yourself."

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/881/881472p5.html

I couldn't agree more. Probably the best exclusive I had the privilege of playing this generation.

delta3074

Just because a game is "sub HD" doesn't mean it looks bad. RDR is "sub HD" on PS3 (well supposedly anyway), Halo Reach, Halo ODST, and Halo 3 are all "sub HD", so is Fable 2 and Fable 3.

That doesn't mean these games look bad.

[QUOTE="15strong"]

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

Look at any popular genre and you'll find high selling low scoring games.

topgunmv

Call of Duty, Elder Scrolls, Grand Theft Auto, Gears of War. Great scoring games with great sales.

Point being?

That you are wrong.

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

[QUOTE="15strong"]

Call of Duty, Elder Scrolls, Grand Theft Auto, Gears of War. Great scoring games with great sales.

15strong

Point being?

That you are wrong.

Are you trying to tell me that you think there are no high selling bad cod clones? Or are you just bad at reading comprehension?

Super Mario Game Of The Generation Second bro.

Description and opinion of the game is all that is needed. Scores only give games false values that are good for absolutely nothing.

[QUOTE="15strong"]

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

Point being?

topgunmv

That you are wrong.

Are you trying to tell me that you think there are no high selling bad cod clones? Or are you just bad at reading comprehension?

Actually, a lot of them don't do very well. Look at Homefront. As for my reading comprehension, I would say it is pretty good. The original statement you made was pretty pointless considering there is always going to be some mediocre to bad scoring games that sell well. My point was the best selling games in their respective genres are usually games that get good scores, which is somewhat the opposite of the film industry.

Description and opinion of the game is all that is needed. Scores only give games false values that are good for absolutely nothing.

Bigboi500

That's not true.

People are just not willing to admit that Gamerankings.com is always right.

Here are the top 20 rankings for games this generation on Gamerankings.com.

1) Super Mario Galaxy

2) Super Mario Galaxy 2

3) Grand Theft Auto 4

4) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

5) The Orange Box

6) Batman Arkham City

7) Mass Effect 2

8) Skyrim

9) Portal 2

10) Bioshock

11) LittleBigPlanet

12) Red Dead Redemption

13) Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

14) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

15) Gears of War

16) Xenoblade Chronicles

17) Ocarina of Time 3D

18) Company of Heroes

19) Oblivion

20) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

I'd say that is a pretty fair list right there. I would put MGS4 Higher on MY PERSONAL LIST, but that's because I'm a fan of the series. See where I'm getting at? Fan? Preferences? Bias?

Well sure. I thought that was obvious.

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

[QUOTE="15strong"]

That you are wrong.

15strong

Are you trying to tell me that you think there are no high selling bad cod clones? Or are you just bad at reading comprehension?

Actually, a lot of them don't do very well. Look at Homefront. As for my reading comprehension, I would say it is pretty good. The original statement you made was pretty pointless considering there is always going to be some mediocre to bad scoring games that sell well. My point was the best selling games in their respective genres are usually games that get good scores, which is somewhat the opposite of the film industry.

Homefront sold quite well. As did medal of honor.

Generally good scoring games sell well, yes, but there are just as many bad scoring games that sell well too.

Note that I'm not saying scores are necessarily indicative of quality one way or the other.

[QUOTE="Bigboi500"]

Description and opinion of the game is all that is needed. Scores only give games false values that are good for absolutely nothing.

arkephonic

That's not true.

People are just not willing to admit that Gamerankings.com is always right.

Here are the top 20 rankings for games this generation on Gamerankings.com.

1) Super Mario Galaxy

2) Super Mario Galaxy 2

3) Grand Theft Auto 4

4) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

5) The Orange Box

6) Batman Arkham City

7) Mass Effect 2

8) Skyrim

9) Portal 2

10) Bioshock

11) LittleBigPlanet

12) Red Dead Redemption

13) Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

14) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

15) Gears of War

16) Xenoblade Chronicles

17) Ocarina of Time 3D

18) Company of Heroes

19) Oblivion

20) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

I'd say that is a pretty fair list right there. I would put MGS4 Higher on MY PERSONAL LIST, but that's because I'm a fan of the series. See where I'm getting at? Fan? Preferences? Bias?

[QUOTE="arkephonic"]

[QUOTE="Bigboi500"]

Description and opinion of the game is all that is needed. Scores only give games false values that are good for absolutely nothing.

Another48hours

That's not true.

People are just not willing to admit that Gamerankings.com is always right.

Here are the top 20 rankings for games this generation on Gamerankings.com.

1) Super Mario Galaxy

2) Super Mario Galaxy 2

3) Grand Theft Auto 4

4) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

5) The Orange Box

6) Batman Arkham City

7) Mass Effect 2

8) Skyrim

9) Portal 2

10) Bioshock

11) LittleBigPlanet

12) Red Dead Redemption

13) Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

14) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

15) Gears of War

16) Xenoblade Chronicles

17) Ocarina of Time 3D

18) Company of Heroes

19) Oblivion

20) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

I'd say that is a pretty fair list right there. I would put MGS4 Higher on MY PERSONAL LIST, but that's because I'm a fan of the series. See where I'm getting at? Fan? Preferences? Bias?

What is a gears?

[QUOTE="Bigboi500"]

Description and opinion of the game is all that is needed. Scores only give games false values that are good for absolutely nothing.

arkephonic

That's not true.

People are just not willing to admit that Gamerankings.com is always right.

Here are the top 20 rankings for games this generation on Gamerankings.com.

1) Super Mario Galaxy

2) Super Mario Galaxy 2

3) Grand Theft Auto 4

4) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

5) The Orange Box

6) Batman Arkham City

7) Mass Effect 2

8) Skyrim

9) Portal 2

10) Bioshock

11) LittleBigPlanet

12) Red Dead Redemption

13) Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

14) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

15) Gears of War

16) Xenoblade Chronicles

17) Ocarina of Time 3D

18) Company of Heroes

19) Oblivion

20) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

I'd say that is a pretty fair list right there. I would put MGS4 Higher on MY PERSONAL LIST, but that's because I'm a fan of the series. See where I'm getting at? Fan? Preferences? Bias?

I look at my game collection on my shelf and I don't see a bunch of stupid numbers, just games I like. Some of them probably scored very low by game reviewers.

[QUOTE="arkephonic"]

[QUOTE="Bigboi500"]

Description and opinion of the game is all that is needed. Scores only give games false values that are good for absolutely nothing.

Bigboi500

That's not true.

People are just not willing to admit that Gamerankings.com is always right.

Here are the top 20 rankings for games this generation on Gamerankings.com.

1) Super Mario Galaxy

2) Super Mario Galaxy 2

3) Grand Theft Auto 4

4) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

5) The Orange Box

6) Batman Arkham City

7) Mass Effect 2

8) Skyrim

9) Portal 2

10) Bioshock

11) LittleBigPlanet

12) Red Dead Redemption

13) Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

14) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

15) Gears of War

16) Xenoblade Chronicles

17) Ocarina of Time 3D

18) Company of Heroes

19) Oblivion

20) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

I'd say that is a pretty fair list right there. I would put MGS4 Higher on MY PERSONAL LIST, but that's because I'm a fan of the series. See where I'm getting at? Fan? Preferences? Bias?

I look at my game collection on my shelf and I don't see a bunch of stupid numbers, just games I like. Some of them probably scored very low by game reviewers.

Yeah, I've liked a bad game or 2. But I must say, that is a mighty fine list of games right there.

[QUOTE="freedomfreak"]

I wonder what Ebert thought about MGS4.

princeofshapeir

To be fair, that's the case with 83% of the games with a storyline. The issue with MGS4 is that it tries SO INCREDIBLY HARD to pass as a game with a decent story, when, quite frankly, it isn't. Honest to god, I'd rather play a game that foregoes having a story altogether than a game that has a **** one.

This is thread worthy?

I also find it funny that SW has moved toward the "scores don't matter" perspective, whereas before people largely adopted the "LOLOLOL AAA OR FLOP" mindset almost religiously. I suppose it's an encouraging sign that forum users are more willing to break character these days.

Scores actually aren't that important. jg4xchamp

This is thread worthy?

I also find it funny that SW has moved toward the "scores don't matter" perspective, whereas before people largely adopted the "LOLOLOL AAA OR FLOP" mindset almost religiously. I suppose it's an encouraging sign that forum users are more willing to break character these days.

Assassin_87

I'm a firm believer that Gamerankings.com is law. Perhaps if I spread my beliefs, people will rebel against it.

Yeah, I've liked a bad game or 2. But I must say, that is a mighty fine list of games right there.

arkephonic

This is thread worthy?

I also find it funny that SW has moved toward the "scores don't matter" perspective, whereas before people largely adopted the "LOLOLOL AAA OR FLOP" mindset almost religiously. I suppose it's an encouraging sign that forum users are more willing to break character these days.

Assassin_87

[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]Scores actually aren't that important. PinnacleGamingP

Maybe you should stop caring enough about it to complain. Really, the scores are just based on opinions. What if the reviewer actually felt that the experience offered by ODST was worthy of a 9/10? Is anything that goes against your view automatically based in fanboyism? McShea clearly had issues with the SS controls, in spite of the fact that many others felt that they were brilliantly executed (including me). I'm not even defending McShea's "credibility" as a reviewer, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. (Hint: It means nothing, objectively speaking.)

[QUOTE="Assassin_87"]

This is thread worthy?

I also find it funny that SW has moved toward the "scores don't matter" perspective, whereas before people largely adopted the "LOLOLOL AAA OR FLOP" mindset almost religiously. I suppose it's an encouraging sign that forum users are more willing to break character these days.

Bigboi500

I haven't mistaken anything. It's just nice to see that people don't take it as far, as often, as they did years ago.

[QUOTE="arkephonic"]

Yeah, I've liked a bad game or 2. But I must say, that is a mighty fine list of games right there.

Bigboi500

Sure, 1 person can be wrong. 80 people? I don't think so. That's why a score of 7.5 on Skyward Sword from Gamespot dwindles off into the abyss, and the score of SKyward Sword on Gamerankings.com is like a 93%. Bad reviews get eaten alive on Gamerankings.com, which is why I like it.

I never listen to the review of 1 person and call it a day. I want to know what 80 reviewers come to the consensus of. Just like how I live in a democracy. I don't want Jim Kim or whatever his name is from North Korea calling the shots based solely on what he wants.

[QUOTE="Bigboi500"]

[QUOTE="arkephonic"]

Yeah, I've liked a bad game or 2. But I must say, that is a mighty fine list of games right there.

arkephonic

Sure, 1 person can be wrong. 80 people? I don't think so. That's why a score of 7.5 on Skyward Sword from Gamespot dwindles off into the abyss, and the score of SKyward Sword on Gamerankings.com is like a 93%. Bad reviews get eaten alive on Gamerankings.com, which is why I like it.

[QUOTE="arkephonic"]

[QUOTE="Bigboi500"]They're not bad games just because some stranger labeled them as such. It's a sad form of brain-washing to think that those guys are always correct, and changing your own opinion to coincide with theirs.

Bigboi500

Sure, 1 person can be wrong. 80 people? I don't think so. That's why a score of 7.5 on Skyward Sword from Gamespot dwindles off into the abyss, and the score of SKyward Sword on Gamerankings.com is like a 93%. Bad reviews get eaten alive on Gamerankings.com, which is why I like it.

What do you think is better, listening to 1 professional opinion, or 80 professional opinions? What is better, a dictatorship or a democracy? If you had a mental illness, what would be better, to get the opinion from 1 doctor, or 80 doctors? I find that with meta-scores, things just naturally even out in the end and end up being representative of what a game is. Like for example, if you were to just listen to the Gamespot review of Skyward Sword, you would be misinformed and possibly miss out on a great game. If you look at the Gamerankings score and read all the reviews, you would have a much better understanding of the truth behind the game.