I am aware of the fact that under the 10 rating, there is the word "perfect". I've heard a variety of different opinions, including "no game is perfect, so no game should get a 10". I disagree with that. I don't think 10 should be "perfect", but rather "amazing". That's one of the perks with the 5 point scale in my opinion. Also, as EGM puts it, "a 10 does not mean a game is perfect, but rather the best we can give it". But for gamespot and ign, it seems like they have a completely different philosophy.

It seems like, to be a good reviewer, you have to be extremely tough. A frame rate drop? Subtract .5 points. A little easy/hard? Subtract .5 points. Too short? Subtract 2 points. For me, Aaron Thomas of Gamespot comes to mind. Nothing personal obviously, and he writes great reviews, but he really seems to take off too many points for trivial issues, or hates giving games AAA. Ratchet and Clank and Mass Effect were both "flopped" (by definition of the community at least, despite these being great scores). However, many refuse to read/watch the review. His mass effect review is great... it seems like he loved it. But he dropped it to an 8.5 for a few glitches and frame rate drops, and to be honest, I did not notice most of the frame rate drops he talks about. Aarons reviews are always great, but they always seem to contradict the score he gives.

Now, to elaborate on the title. Critics are afraid to give 10's. The last 10 on gamespot, Tony Hawks pro skater 3, had many people angry. Since then, there have been games with extremely positive reviews and almost no cons get a 9.5. Examples are Halo 3, Mass Effect (ign), Mario Galaxy, and so on. I highly doubt any game will get a 10 at gamespot again, and the only three possible options, from the games that are announced, are Grand Theft Auto IV, Metal Gear Solid 4 (god I hope so), and Resident Evil 5. I truly think that a 9.5 is the highest honor at gamespot and should be regarded as a 10.

Maybe I'm too lenient. After all, they are critics, and it is their job to point out flaws with whatevery they are reviewing... but it's also their job to reflect on the great things about it. Assassins Creed has gotten mixed reviews. The general complaint is repetition. While that is a huge flaw, but even then, the game is fun (to some people, it might not be to others). Really, if it's a fun game, that's the only needed reason to justify a good review IMO. I don't care about game length (I have enough stuff to do anyway... not to mention other games), multiplayer funcionality, or even repetition. The game just has to be enjoyable, and then it's worthy of a good score. A 10? Probably not, it will need more than that, but still, a good score nontheless.

The last time I thought about this was back in March, where the only real "game of the year" material game was God of War 2. That has definitely changed (it is currently the end of October). Not to say that Gow2 doesn't have a shot, but it's got competition. So far, I think Halo 3, Bioshock, Mass Effect, and theThe Orange Box are definite canidates. Possible ones are Assassin's Creed, Rock Band, and Super Mario Galaxy (im a bit skeptical of this one for a definite canidate because of the tendency for critics to go for shooters).

God of War 2- Amazing game, the best action game I've played in a long time. I'm sure this one has a shot, because of the great story telling, and it is so fun that you beat it in very few sittings.

Bioshock- My favorite part of the game was the story. While I prefer Metal Gear Solids type of story, because I am the rare gamer who enjoys cutscenes, but that does not mean I can't get into this type (seeing through the characters eyes). The game was really fun too. I spent pretty much the whole game experimenting different combinations of weapons and plasmids.

Halo 3- If you look past the hype, Halo 3 is a great game. While there is controvery over the quality of the single player length and narrative, I loved the story, and was fine with the length. As much as I can talk about the sp, I want to keep this brief, and the most popular part is the mp. I am not a fan of mp, and this will keep me playing for awhile. And finally, theater makes me want it in every game, and forge is a simplified map editor that is really fun.

Mass Effect- The one I am rooting for. This game looks amazing, and sadly I don't know as much as I want to know. Ill probably read the book.

Mario Galaxy- I have yet to play it, but it looks very fun.

Like I said, I can also see, Rock Band, Assassin's Creed, Ratchet, Uncharted, Heavenly Sword, and Guitar Hero as possibilities, but I doubt game of the year.

I bought Windows Vista Ultimatetoday.

Overall, I like it a bit better then xp. It was easy to install, and the interface is familiar, yet different at the same time. However, it has been annoying running some of my previous files, such as itunes, where i would have to "repair" it, which was not much effort, but annoying nontheless. A much bigger problem though is:

1. Getting some of my videos to work. When I double click them like I would on xp, it does not play the video... instead i have to put it in a folder, then play it, which is a huge headache.

2. Getting some of my games to work. I have had problems with wow, though I think I have it working now.

The main reason I bought vista is for the purpose of dx10... now I just need a compatible video card. My current is a 7900, a great card, but I want to upgrade pretty soon.

I havent tested out most of my pc games yet. I plan on trying Oblivion, Rome total war, half life 2, battlefield 2142, and counter strike (the only pc games I own, I have not had a gaming pc for very long) and see if the performance is the same, or better yet, increased.

Without a doubt, the best game this year so far has been God of War II.  In preparation for this game, I beat the original about a week ago, and now bought this.  It took me around 10-15 hours to beat one, as opposed to the 9 hours it took me for God of War.  God of War had a better story, but God of War II has better game play, and tons of little "minigames" to break up the fighting.  The puzzles are even better in this one.  In short, I like the second one even better, and God of War II will be a contender for game of the year for sure.  Of course, we still have Halo 3 and Metal Gear Solid 4 coming....