Why the Hell Do We Still Give Review Scores?

The Last of Us was buried beneath a sea of 10-out-of-10s before it was even released, yet Gamers Association editor Luke Frazier isn't too excited about the stealthy gameplay. When all of the perfect scores couldn't sway him, he suddenly realized how worthless the numbers can be.

[Snookies12]

The Last of Us deserved all those amazing scores. There will always be people who don't like something, doesn't mean the product in question is any less amazing just because it doesn't suit someone's tastes.

[Ezz2013]

NO....Gamers Association editor Luke Frazier wasn't too excited about it
even though that site still give it 10/10 by another editor

to hell with every one opinion
to hell with every 10s and 9+s this game got
because someone didn't like a game mean it sucks and every other review or opinion from gamers is invalid

god can gaming media become more lamer ?!

[Philoctetes]

If you don't like stealthy gameplay, that's fine. It's just a matter of personal preference. That doesn't change the fact that this game is a 10, in the sense that it that is in the absolute upper tier of games made this generation. Nobody says you have to like the genre, but you ought to be able to appreciate the game for what it is.

As an alternate example, I really don't like racing sims. But I can definitely see that the Forza and GT franchises have accomplished something really remarkable. Even if I don't personally enjoy those games, I can certainly appreciate them. Same with TLoU.

[Bimkoblerutso]

Well, I gotta say it's not a perfect game from a gameplay perspective (it's sluggish, standard, and borderline repetitive), but like the best games of all time, it does something so well and so much better than anything else out there that it transcends any problems it may have in other areas.

The characters, writing, and narrative are LITERALLY unmatched in the industry, as far as I'm concerned. So for that reason, it's in my top five of the generation and I see absolutely no problem with the perfect scores it has been getting.

[Hufandpuf]

Because people don't like to read anymore and want information at a glance.

[Neixus]

pretty much this

[SatanSki]

Hehe, it could be the reason why some reviews mention serious game flaws still giving it very high rating. They know noone will read all the text ;)

[MilkMan]

This is the saddest thing I've read in like 5 years.

[Morgue]

Didn't bother reading your comment since you had 16 agrees.

[Corpser]

So true, a game can't be for everyone. I don't like driving games for instance, they all feel the same to me, a game may well be the best driving game ever made, and it still won't interest me. I can see some people just will never like stealth gameplay

And Skyrim (360) has higher metacritic score (96) than TLOU (95) , people love that game universally on n4g right?

[GDDR6_2014]

I'm not the only one doesn't like driving huh? Im always taking cabs in gta4

[nutcrackr]

Don't forget the pressure form aggregate sites like metacritic, gamerankings etc. If you don't have a score, nobody cares about you.

[despair]

Not really true actually, its just that people like definitive and short verdicts on things and games are no exception. We like things rated on a scale and the numbers/letters help with that.

I for one like scores, I take away what I want from a review but the score solidifies my impression of the game from the reviewer's perspective and that's something I like.

Then even, there are games like The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite where I did not want to read any reviews to avoid spoilers (even minor ones) but was curious about how the games were received (was getting them anyways but curiosity is powerful). An arbitrary number helps with that as no other information is revealed and I can take away what I want from this "score".

[Fishy Fingers]

You don't expect people to actually read reviews do you?

[Zichu]

To trick people into thinking a game is better than it actually is?

The Last of Us is an amazing game, but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. They did need to brush up on the game. I don't understand how a game can get solid reviews across so many reviewers after the autosave bug. I know it's fixed and they fixed it pretty quickly which is a great thing.

The visuals are pretty amazing, but I have seen better, but the game makes up for it with it's story and I would say dialogue. I enjoy Ellies dialogue, it's quite humorous.

[FriedGoat]

And this is why it is all opinion. I found TLOU to be one of the IF not the best game this gen. And I have a beasting PC, Xbox, and PS3.

[Afreelunch]

The autosave issue wasn't a bug, it was a temporary problem with Sony's servers that record player data. There was nothing wrong with the actual game code, and it likely wasn't an issue for anyone reviewing the game, or we would have heard about it before launch day.

[PrimeGrime]

Better question why are people actually getting paid to give their opinion on a game...

[Perjoss]

after reading several reviews you might find a reviewer with similar tastes to yours and you end up trusting his or her opinion. It saves you cash, as the alternative is to buy every game that comes out and see for yourself which one you like best.

[matgrowcott]

Why are people paid to actually hand out food in a restaurant? Why are people paid to sit at a computer all day, watching spreadsheets? Why are people paid for anything?

Because there's a demand there.

[Tody_ZA]

The same reason people get paid to give their opinions on any other media there is, like movies or books.

Because these people take the time to inform you of a product so to better help you make a decision without buying and hoping for the best.

Because marketing does not equal truth and you can only know the quality of something once you've experienced it, so for instance if there is a serious issue with the game that would deter you from buying it, a review can inform you.

A writer you may trust or like or someone who has similar gaming opinions to you may be helpful.

Someone who actually knows gaming and has lots of experience may give you a pretty solid idea of what to expect.

All of the above doesn't translate to reviews are the best thing in the entire world, but it does give them a purpose, and explains why people get paid for it.

[SatanSki]

The only numbers that matter are those that come from me. I dont give a shit about reviews for more then 10 years now.

[jimmywolf]

i enjoy others views an opinions, just don't like the reviews who can't judge something objectively an dismiss a game completely.

[RedHawkX]

why do we still go to n4g to see crappy articles like this? when movies stop getting review scores then you can complain about games review scores

[Psychotica]

I don't rely just on the review score, I use them along with watching gameplay videos and the forums to make up mind.

[MilkMan]

Gamers don't like them cause basically we are all a bunch of anarchist. We dont like to be told about anything, we like what we like, even if its a game that looks like it was made back in 1982. Or the very niche game you discovered in the basement of a burnt down comic story.

However, they are a good way to make a decision. At least in the real world. You know, cars, books, stamps. Anywhere else but in gaming.

The logic in the gaming world is anything ranking upwards of 8 out 10 should fail. We know this cause devs are being fired left and right cause of these horrible, mediocre games they make.

Use them as a guide, if you can tear yourself away from COD and Battlefield to give your platform a taste of a different kind of gaming experience.

[GedoMazo]

The 'Winter' part alone deserves 10/10.

[sly-Famous]

Its opinion and its ok, my opinion though is that any one who does not play this game is missing out on something special and unique.

[timmyp53]

Even the worst games are loved by someone.

[Tidybrutes]

What an awful article, to say he doesn't want to play The Last of Us because he doesn't like survival or slow paced action.. wtf.

While the gameplay and action is great, and game just oozes that Naughty Dog flair, however the highlight of the game for me is the characters, the story and the fiction of the world ND have created for The Last of Us.

The opening sequence just sets the scene for Joels character perfectly, one reason I think Joel is a much better character than Nathan Drake will ever be (and im a huge Uncharted fan btw) is because Joel never chose to become a killer, he had to become a killer to survive in the world he has no choice but to live in, its kill or be killed. While Drake yes he is a lovable character but he chooses to be a treasure hunter and chooses to kill hundreds of henchmen in pursuit of being a master treasure hunter, so when it boils down to it he chooses to be a murderer.

[_QQ_]

The gameplay is okay, The enemy ai are stupid during stealth combat and won't notice you choking someone out if you are right infront of them.The upgrade system doesn't give any sense of improvement,The combat gets really repetitive and tedious, the only thing that drives the game is the amazing story. Really overated game, even the graphics aren't as good as everyone wants to believe, The opening scene looked amazing but it just went downhill from there, most noticable being very muddy textures.I don't believe this game deserves all the 10s it received, more like 8.5s and 9s.

[Revolver_X_]

1. Play Survival Mode, and then tell me the AI is stupid. What game has amazing AI on easy or normal?
2. The sway of your guns go away, faster reload, handles recoil better, etc... Your claim about upgrades is nonsense.
3. Repetitive? Again, play hard or survivor. Since, when did tedious become bad? Should every enemy stand in front of you, and let you shoot them? Kinda contradicts your stupid AI claim.
4. TLoU is the most graphical game on consoles. Not just my opinion, but its the consensus of the gaming community.

In short, troll harder.

[_QQ_]

Yes because stating my opinion means i'm a troll,i Didn't say the upgrades don't do anything i said they don't give much feeling of improvement.and i did play on hard. What are you talking about with the "Should every enemy stand in front of you, and let you shoot them?"If i'm doing a take down maneuver and another AI was standing right in front of me a smart AI would shoot at me,but the problem isn't even that the AI didn't take the right course of action but the fact that they didn't notice me at all.

sure the last of us is the best looking game on 7 year old consoles,But in reality that isn't saying much especially because it goes for an ultra realistic look that needs extra fine detail.I didn't say it was a bad game, i didn't even say it was an average game,i still think its a great game but its not a 10/10 game, and its severely over hyped.
Also Slow paced action isn't technically a problem, the problem is that it has no depth to it, you just wait for an enemy to walk by and stealth take down,or you just sneak up on oblivious AI and stealth take down,If there is anymore depth it certainly isn't required to pass the level.

[Eyeco]

I disagree, Basically you've tried to take you're personal gripes/ Opinion and tried to pass them off as fact.

Now I'm not gonna go to into in to it because Revolver_X_ has pretty much nailed it, but there are certain points I wanna address. For example I've noticed you seem to have a huge problem with the AI and yes the AI does have it's holes in certain points in the game as with most games, (Halo) I'm not gonna lie, but for the MOST part the Ai is very stellar, and when it's not spotty it's arguably the smartest AI in consoles this gen.

Your next big issue seems to be with the combat, which you find tedious, and repetitive. This is probably the most unusual criticism I've seen of the game thus far. Tedious in what way ? you don't have to engage in combat, the game does advocate using stealth. And exactly how is the combat repetitive ? what in the sense that the game forces you think tactically on how you engage enemies, taking into account ammo reserves, rate of fire, number of enemies ? You have to understand I recently got back from playing Doom 3 so calling this game tedious and repetitive comes of as absurd especially when compared to the latter.

Finally you're comments on the graphics is almost contradictory and makes no sense, you downplay the graphics yet acknowledge the fact that the're the best on consoles, despite saying "it's not saying much". Considering that this has been the longest gen of consoles in gaming history that is saying allot. Fair enough you didn't find the game to be as good as the reviews but can you at the very least see why many people consider this game to be a milestone ?

[objdadon]

This is best game ever created hands down! I literally don't want the damn thing to end!