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Author Topic: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"  (Read 6654 times)

Pathos

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Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« on: July 06, 2010, 04:54:19 am »

Source: MCV

Spoiler: Article (click to show/hide)

My first reaction is: What a load of bullshit. To imply that "games are getting better" is saying that there's a verifiable standard for the quality of games, and that media (ie. reviewers) can't be influenced by a massive variety of other factors.

I've ranted about declining standards in terms of review scores (like Dragon Age scoring higher than Baldur's Gate II / Planescape Torment / Icewind Dale) in the past, but I think this really brings it to a head. I suspect the reason the average has bumped up considerably is also due to lots of reviewers not reviewing the "chaff" of the gaming world, meaning that you don't get the full spectrum of games reviews as you used to.

What does everyone else think?

EDIT: I'd like to counter with a "Reviewers are getting worse."
« Last Edit: July 06, 2010, 04:57:21 am by Pathos »
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KaelGotDwarves

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2010, 05:03:16 am »

*cue sniggering* He still reads mainstream reviews!

Just read around forums and such on this wondrous thing called the internet and make an informed choice before you buy. Who cares what the media thinks?

Ioric Kittencuddler

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2010, 05:09:34 am »

As far as I can tell, The majority of people who buy games.
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PsyberianHusky

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2010, 05:31:59 am »

Notice how must of those are produced by large studios : O
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KaelGotDwarves

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2010, 05:40:25 am »

Let's face it. Video games are a much younger medium of entertainment or art (if you want to get into that whole bitchfest) than cinema, books, music, etc. 90% or more of which are all generally shit catering to mass market. Games have mainly been shit, they are shit, and will continue to be shit. You only think it was better in the good old days because you only remember the good old games. No one remembers the vast amounts of shit, except for the exceptionally shitty ones.

In the long run: Twilight will not be considered a literary masterpiece, Justin Bieber will not be lauded as a virtuoso, Avatar will not be remembered for being brilliant, and *gasp* Call of Duty:MW2 will not be heralded as a masterpiece of gaming to stand the test of time.

Sure, people do like such things and they get good reviews even by our peers. But ultimately, they're just popular because it appeals to the most people. Such is also - wait for it - gaming and reviews now.

Reviewers often just cater to what is popular or what is paying the advertising bill on their site. Hell, even rugged individuals like Yahtzee and others have their schtick that they have to maintain for their audience. It's less of a review and more of a performance we watch for shits and giggles.

EDIT: Basically what I'm saying is - Who gives a shit what other people say. The games that are truly good will stick with you, and other people.

Like Pitchfork did for In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and many game review sites did for X-Com - the idiot reviewers will retroactively change their reviews to declare great masterpieces that stand the test of time as the best thing ever. And that's hilarious.

Also, in b4 10 million replies.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2010, 05:57:03 am by KaelGotDwarves »
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PsyberianHusky

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2010, 05:49:24 am »

Consider the following: No game has given me more joy then Spunkey has, I honestly could care less what the for profit guys do do as long as throwing cavemen at man eating plants.
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Virtz

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2010, 06:31:25 am »

EDIT: I'd like to counter with a "Reviewers are getting worse."
My thoughts exactly.

New game soon to be released. Site/magazine advertising the game gets preview version. Game gets at least 8/10. Few months later or after a sequel is announced, the reviewer suddenly notices glaring flaws in the game. Cycle repeats.
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olemars

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2010, 06:40:24 am »

In a minor defense of reviewers, their readers aren't getting any better either. Wasn't there some shitstorm over a reviewer giving Bioshock a mere 9.5/10, leading him to get fired? Then there's the advent of (very noisy) "pixelcounters", who have successfully badgered the tiny, populistic mind of some reviewers into thinking the quality of the HDR lighting is what you should judge a game by.

For reviews I generally go to Rock, Paper, Shotgun or similar, although I rarely base my buys on reviews anyway.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2010, 06:42:20 am by olemars »
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fenrif

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #8 on: July 06, 2010, 07:13:05 am »

I've started to notice an annoying trend of reviewers to be kind of half honest in the body of their reviews, and then have scores that just flat out don't reflect the text. I was reading joystiq's reveiw of crackdown 2 (A hugely dissapointing game) and the guy basically slated it for being exactly the same game as crackdown one, with no improvement. Then he gave it something like 3 or 4 stars out of five.

How can you spend the entire review talking about how dissapointing and bland a game is, then give it a decent score? Mind-boggling.
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Ioric Kittencuddler

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #9 on: July 06, 2010, 07:20:42 am »

Well you have to count for score inflation.  Which, you know, makes it all better.
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PsyberianHusky

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2010, 07:24:15 am »

the problem is fanbases are raving packs of loonies who will lynch anyone who disagrees with them .
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Ioric Kittencuddler

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2010, 07:26:18 am »

Who're you calling a loony?!  You're a homosexual and you suck and also some other random nonsense that's meant to be an insult!!
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Pathos

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2010, 07:45:01 am »

Like Pitchfork did for In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and many game review sites did for X-Com - the idiot reviewers will retroactively change their reviews to declare great masterpieces that stand the test of time as the best thing ever. And that's hilarious.

Maybe because hindsight shows them to be actually pretty damn good? It's like having a burger and then being fed gruel for a few years. You're going to look at that burger as the greatest thing ever, even if you'd had many burgers before it. Maybe not the best metaphor, but it works well.

Hindsight shows them to be pretty damn good games, at least compared to modern ones.
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Virex

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2010, 08:02:46 am »

One interesting thing to consider is that good games aren't good reviewed games per se. Take for example Baldur's gate 2. While the game's of course brilliant, the fighting can be pretty bland amongst other things. The result is that reviewers, who include everything in their judgment, give it a lower score then gamers, who are easily persuaded to forget the bad parts if the good parts are good enough.
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Josephus

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Re: Metacritic: "Games Are Getting Better"
« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2010, 08:06:23 am »

Like Pitchfork did for In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and many game review sites did for X-Com - the idiot reviewers will retroactively change their reviews to declare great masterpieces that stand the test of time as the best thing ever. And that's hilarious.

Maybe because hindsight shows them to be actually pretty damn good? It's like having a burger and then being fed gruel for a few years. You're going to look at that burger as the greatest thing ever, even if you'd had many burgers before it. Maybe not the best metaphor, but it works well.

Hindsight shows them to be pretty damn good games, at least compared to modern ones.

Yes, there's that saying about hindsight having inherent 20/20 vision. It always struck me as asinine, because I had vision problems.

At any rate, what do we consider a good game, and be we, I mean the subset of us who are sitting and raging about the pathetic state of modern games?

Honest question.

Because one critic shouldn't immediately be the voice of authority, even if he is getting paid for voicing his opinion and we're not. I mean, should we care what the reviews say? I buy games because I enjoy them. Hell, I bought Dynasty Warriors 3-6 without any qualms.
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