9GN: How IGN Went Overboard with Reviews in 2012

GamerSushi writes: IGN gave 84 games a 9 or higher in 2012, which is considered “Amazing” on their scale.

Let’s look at the full description for a 9 on the IGN rubric:

“One of the best games out there. When this generation of games ends, people will look back and say, “This was one of the best games made for the system.” It might have a few flaws, but this is a must-buy.”

IGN says there were 84 of those in 2012.

[Dwalls1171]

Ign is a site just like anyother site, they need hits to make money...so they will do controversial things to get traffic to their site... for example they will have members of their "playstation team" saying they hate kratos...this odvious oxymoron causes much conflict and in turn brings traffic to the site...same with review, controversy brings hits..

[BullyMangler]

i wouldnt trust the team at IGN if i were you . . did you know that chobot dresses up as other human species in order to fool US into believing things are happening around the world when they really aren't ?
she helps keep the human race stupid/un-evolved.

the less WE know about the basics of life, the faster our soul burns out.

i wouldnt mind watching a movie with Audrey Drake though

[MaleManSam]

Wait.. you cant trust am employee of a specific division about PS because he or she doesn't like Kratos. Everyone has their opinions dude, just because they work for that (Chosen) division and field of work doesn't me they lather up the juices of every game, character or idea Sony and developers make.

That's a bit of stretch dude.

[dlpg585]

he was saying that ign would make their authors give controversial opinions in order to get more hits. he's saying that the sony lovers who "hate kratos" love kratos but are just following orders to make the site more money

[LOGICWINS]

Thats still just speculation. We don't know what goes on behind the scenes at IGN, and we likely never will. What we do know is that when an IGN review pops up, half of N4G will scurry to it (as usual).

[CryofSilence]

I'd have given 9's to probably 20-25 of those. I think the 8 zone is perfectly acceptable and is a great score.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

You know at first glance this guy seems right, but just look at that list. Frankly speaking from what I know of each them, they were definitely all deserving of the score.

[MestreRothN4G]

Expect for The Walking Dead and Diablo, I agree the games I have played from the list really deserve 9+.

[joab777]

Look at metacritics top 10. Ign nailed 9/10. I guess it isnt hard if they gave 84 of them a 9. I dont know if there were 84 but looking at them, they were solid titles. Maybe a few 8.5 s would put things in perspective.

[WooHooAlex]

I enjoy the IGN podcasts, not a huge fan of their reviews tho. I'll usually take Colin Moriarty's reviews seriously. He's one of the good ones.

[platformmaster918]

It's a general plague in the industry people need to use the whole scale or change their definition on those scales. I would guess the later would be easier since games from this gen back would seem better if all their scores went by the formerly high scores, unless sites went back and adjusted and metacritic accounted for all of them but that's a lot of work.

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

I havent played all those games but I think most of them got a well deserved score.

[BanBrother]

Oh please, is this anything new? Big name site giving higher than average scores? Money money money money money. That is all it is, and all it will ever be. If people don't think that money plays a large factor into what a game scores, then they are naive.

Example: Your best friend asks you if you think that his girlfriend is pretty. Whether she is or isn't, you better be damn sure to answer 'yes'.

[xBigxBossx]

That is crazy. There is no way that many games should have a 9 or above.

[Wingsfan24]

Why not? What if they are all great experiences? I was surprised at how many quality games came out in 2012, I'm expecting 2013 to receive even more scores like that.

[xBigxBossx]

I agree that there were a lot of good games but giving all them a 9 takes away from what a 9 should be. Granted I haven't played them all but I know first hand that Kingdom of Amulur, SWTOR, and twisted metal are not the greatest games of our generation. Which by IGN standards is a 9 like it says in the article. Granted they are all good games, I just get sick of every game that comes out now scores a 9 or higher. An 8 Is a great score in my book.

[Chard]

You've answered your own question. A 'great' experience can be an 8/10. Nothing wrong with that. Most four star films are 'great'. But a 9/10 should be reserved for games that, as ign says, are 'Amazing'.

[KiRBY3000]

i agree with xBigxBossx.

i've played about 10 games from that list and out of those 10 games, there are only 2 i would rate a 9. Rayman: Origins and Okami HD. Rayman because its a beautifully crafted game, gameplay, graphics and sound, its all amazing. plus its a genre that we dont see much anymore, 2D platforming. and Okami because its really something special. and thats what a 9 should be, "something special".

Far Cry 3 was a lot of fun but thats about it. i'd give it an 8 or 8.5, which is still a great score.

same for Dishonored. i finished it last week. its very good but the game felt like it only borrowed stuff from other great games (Bioshock, Assassins Creed...) and got nothing of its own to offer. i'd give it an 8 or 8.5 tops.

Journey, and Walking Dead were downloadable games definitely worth checking but not a 9 in my book. Journey has amazing paint-like graphics but abysmal gameplay. Walking Dead characters were interesting and the devs managed to make you care about them but the gameplay is limited and there isnt much to do while you play it. i'd give them a 8. some things do amazingly well, some other things they dont.

The Unfinished Swan is a 7 to me. just "good".

@PockyKing

2012 was one of the weakest year in gaming for me. 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 were much better. they had more and better releases.

[pandehz]

LOL Author I have played almost all of them and they are worthy of the score.

If you're aiming for hits well this might just work.

[MeatAbstract]

IGN and other sites tend not to step on toes when it comes to the big releases. I've noticed this a lot. Any hugely anticipated game will rarely receive bad scores from well known sites.

I've also noted in the past that some games get a pass on bugs. Take the Call of Duty games. Often after a release, I see many people complain of the sheer amount of bugs and glitches that pop in the multiplayer that the reviewers never mention.

It's about money - simple as. These companies need to get hits and they don't want to anger publishers so they play it safe.

[jeeves86]

I think they gave Resident Evil 6 a 4/10,but they gave Silent Hill HD collection a 9/10. The HD collection was considerably broken. Those games, in and of themselves are pretty good, but the collection itself was not. Konami even acknowledged this.

[MeatAbstract]

To be honest IGN isn't a site I look at anymore either. When their reviews for a big game pops up (and it's normally there on the day the embargo lifts in order to get the first rush hits) I just shrug at the score.

IGN to me, feel like those people that would come to your school when you were a kid and the teachers would call an assembly and these people would put on a show. It would be some anti-smoking, anti-bulling 'we're all unique' kind of thing. But what really stands out is how unreal these people were and how out of touch with youth they were. Like they're trying to be cool and with it but ultimately don't understand. That's how IGN feels to me.

Of course, that's not everyone on the site, there are one of two reviewers I think are pretty good and genuine. But I've watched videos and read reviews in the past that come across as forced, like 'Look at me, I'm so nerdy like the people reading this. I get you and games are awesome, ha ha ha, we're such nerds'. On some of the shows, people talking about the game don't look real, they're like fake celebrities and some look like they're reading from a script and don't know the first thing about the gaming community.

Also the Mass Effect 3 thing felt, to me personally, like a conflict of interest and just made me feel a little more uneasy about the site as a whole. I thought it was strange how they always end up being quoted on the back of game boxes anyway but was too far I felt.

So yeah, people will disagree but that's how I feel about them.

[Good_Guy_Jamal]

Starhawk and Twisted Metal get a 9 but the Witcher 2 doesn't? True testament of different tastes and opinions right there.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

??

http://www.ign.com/games/th...

[HorrorGod]

I honestly don't trust reviews. Period.
If I want to play a game, I'm going to play it -- and make up my own mind about it.
Everyone has their own opinion.

[RuperttheBear]

I looked down the list of games and thought to myself 'That's a list of great games'. All those games deserved good scores.

*shrugs*

[MegaLagann]

People will bitch when a game gets too high of a score because the publishers are obviously paying for the review. And people will bitch when a game gets too low of a score because it shows bias.

Video game journalism in a nutshell.

[squarecircle]

This is the problem, too many games are getting 9+ scores and it's distorting the system. When a game gets a 6, 7 or 8; both of which are good scores, people will complain in droves saying how it should of deserved 9 or 10.

9 or 10 is now the expected for titles, anything lower and people will see it as a disappointment. However these scores mean a game is near perfection or is perfection and when you give them sort of scores to too many games that figure starts to lose it's meaning.

It's like money. Moneys valuable, print too much, it's worth less. Same with review scores, 9 and 10's mean flawless quality and perfection, give it to too many games and them high scores seem to lose their significance.

So this is why you're seeing all these high scores.