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FEATURED VOXPOP nick_olsen
Welcome home, Mario; we’ve missed you!
By nick_olsen
Posted on 05/13/13
[ Editor's Note: As Nick Olsen is a writer for Theory of Gaming, this won't be counted in the monthly Vox Pop prize. However, it is very much a worthy read. ] By Nick Olsen Co-founder, Theory of Gaming In 1985 Nintendo started a revolution when it...

Home Manifesto What's Wrong with Metacritic?

DAILY MANIFESTO

What's Wrong with Metacritic?

Posted on Monday, October 11 @ 21:49:29 Eastern by
Aggregator sites are popular with both consumers and corporations. They aren't popular with this reviewer.

I'll admit, I lean on Metacritic and Game Rankings from time to time. First, I like to read reviews. I think they can contain a ton of interesting insight to games and how we play them. Also, I'm an English major so criticism is just plain fun to me. But ever since I started reviewing here, I've noticed some things that are completely wrong with review scores.



To be clear, we take reviews pretty seriously *smirk* here at Game Revolution, and I think letter grades are a great way to measure games in terms of scores. They're abstract enough to allow some wiggle room, they reflect the fact that everyone considers games under a 7 to be crap (through the use of "F"), and they can't be argued over as obviously as numerical scores.

This is why I hate it when Metacritic takes my C-grade of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair and calls it a 42. Or when I'm responsible for Backbreaker's lowest score, 33, despite having given the game a D+. Those numerical scores just aren't right. Do the reviews feel like that number? Do the reviews back up that number? No. They back up my letter grade, and only that letter grade.

I also don't like my review scores being used to determine the financial well-being of game developers. But that's a completely different story.

The bottom line is: Read the fucking article everybody.


Comments
  • Eduardo_Reboucas
    Eduardo_Reboucas
    Joined: Dec 2008
    Posted: Oct 12th, 2010 at 5:52 am
    Oooh, man, I thought I was the lowest score for Hydrophobia but someone upped me!!
    0 0
  • Glowstick
    Glowstick
    Joined: Jun 2007
    Posted: Oct 12th, 2010 at 9:45 am
    we certainly wouldnt want "Survivor: the game"'s score to be lowered by GR.
    0 0
  • SKX
    SKX
    Joined: Oct 2008
    Posted: Oct 12th, 2010 at 11:36 am
    I agree, i visited metacritic often and used this website as a mean. But thankfully for many reviewers, since they changed the format of their website, traffic has been halved. Sometimes you begin to wonder how much control these websites have over the success of game developer. I like how a C- equals a 42, imagine if that was in school.
    0 0
  • cyberjim2000
    cyberjim2000
    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posted: Oct 12th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
    Joe Dodson posted about this earlier in his "Mind over Meta" article on GR, didn't he? Like how a B- translated into a 67 on Metacritic.
    0 0
  • danielrbischoff
    danielrbischoff
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posted: Oct 12th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
    @cyberjim2000: If that's the case than I apologize for treading already walked-upon ground. Just venting to you readers.
    0 0
  • BelgianROFLs
    BelgianROFLs
    Joined: Jun 2008
    Posted: Oct 12th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
    Adam Sessler (I realize a lot of people hate him) had a rant about this awhile ago:

    youtube.com/watch?v=0QsXrswJ-yM&feature=
    0 0
  • sl33pythyme
    sl33pythyme
    Joined: Apr 2009
    Posted: Oct 12th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
    i never expected GR, to have a link to GR
    0 0
  • danielrbischoff
    danielrbischoff
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posted: Oct 12th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
    @sl33pythyme: uhhh... we do it all the time?
    0 0
  • Kakulukia
    Kakulukia
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Oct 12th, 2010 at 6:55 pm
    Why doesn't GR just tell those sites to stop using their reviews? Most people who'd discover GR through Metacritic probably are the same kind of shitheads who sent death threats to Duke for giving a B+ to Twilight Princess... who needs 'em?
    0 0

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