Perfect Game Scores - Where to next?
So yeah, I have been noticing for a long time now, rating scores for many games are creeping higher and higher. It has finally gotten to a point that I wonder: Where to from the perfect score?
Will reviewers start rating games over their rating systems? 120%!! -- 12/10!!! Will they make new rating system?
Did you read: The Perfect Score Myth
I have often wondered the same thing.
I think the only solution to the perfect scoring system thing is that games are reviewed and dated, ie 9/10 Q2 2010
At least that way you know that in Q2 it was reviewed and performed well, but it might not be as great when rated a year later in Q2 2010
After reading that I am 100% (hah!) in agreement.Originally Posted by OmegaFenix22
Lately seeing all these insanely high scores is just freaking me out some! I am just wondering where do they go to from here? Will they suddenly give a large portion of games 100% (which will quickly mean nothing)? Or will they suddenly go higher in jest, then it becomes the norm?
To me it seem that high production values and hype are driving those numbers ever higher. Not to mention perhaps some 'nudging' from certain publishers to look favourably on titles.
Last edited by tehNihilist; 24-05-2010 at 04:19 PM.
Yes, see the thing is obviously publishers want their games to be rated well, games that are reviewd and get mediocre scores simply do not do as well.
What confuses users though is the fact that there are literally 100 titles taht each scores 98% or higher.
I think the Timestamp mechanism is the only real way to still be able to rate games as highly and still remain informative enough for buyers to use as a guideline for purchasing games.
Otherwise, and this has happened before, buyers simply buy a game that rated 100% two years ago, whcih while in essence stil lmight be a very good game, can't really be compared to the latest titles
Personally, I think it's just bad journalism really. I mean granted everyone's taste differs and that's what make life so interesting. And yes, some games are truly epic and deserve high marks, but when reviewers/journo's start giving everything high marks, it is either bad journalism or something shady going on... I wouldn't put it past developers/publishers etc to be involved in giving handouts for favorable reviews in order to generate more sales.
I refuse to believe though that every game coming out these days is deservant of the high scores, even the titles expected to be so. Just because it is a film written by say George Lucas, directed by Steven Speilberg and has A-list Hollywood actors etc etc, doesn't automatically make it great. This has happened in many movies before and also in gaming, but people get swept up in the emotion etc and gush.
I also think a game when just released should be reviewed and then reviewed a month later so the reviewer has calmed down and can get a realistic look at the game. To notice all the small irritations that were overlooked in the hype and excitement in the new game.
I also think the rating systems of games should be reviewed. Yes graphics, sound, playability, controls are all important, but what about things like long loading times, or patches 23 seconds after release or glitchy menu systems etc? I think too many reviewers skip over these things in the haste to be the first out with a review.
I think the problem lies not only with those reviewing it but more with those reading the reviews. Too many consumers simply look at the score and expect to be enlightened as to whether or not the game is any good, skipping though most of the written word where the true details of the game lie. Read most good reviews and without looking at the score and you will be able to tell if the game is any good or not.
I will also say this, that even though a game doesn't deserve a 100% reward, it can still be perfect to an individual despite it's flaws.
I am enjoying what people are saying on this topic immensely so far. I like the idea maybe of time-stamping Xero, but most reviews have a date next to them so I am not sure what the point would be.
I mentioned, and I see no one has given a solid answer to this - We are seeing more scores rise and rise, so what will happen? Will we start seeing game scores over 100% sooner than later ? Do they then lose their impact? "Pfft 100% again!? Wateva..." or "Gawd, not another 10/10. Sigh"
Yup I was thinking the same thing. Maybe games need a technical score which encompasses it as a product, and then a personal score. These should be kept very separate I think.
So nobody's mentioned that as quickly as people get all up in their bitch about 10/10 scores, they're just as quick to do so over 6/10 scores? I'll mention it.
Back back to the perfect scores thing, I do think there's some relativity here. I mean, Hypothetical Reviewer plays X, loves it, awards it 9/10. Then some months later, Hypothetical Reviewer plays Y, and it's even better than X. Where to from 9? It's not that X is, by comparison, any poorer than previously, but that Y is simply superior in some way.
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