90°

Game reviews will rarely reflect the common player's experience and that's OK

GR: "Controversy surrounding game reviews often ignore the fact that reviewers and consumers have very different experiences."

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gamerevolution.com
AK911883d ago

The point of reviews is for the consumers to decide whether they pick up a game or not. It's the sole reason why reviewers get early access to games and sometimes without having to pay them. However as of late its painfully obvious game journalists are so incredibly out of touch with gaming it hurts, in the end what needs to happen is game journalists as a profession needs to end and companies should simply have YT channels that just show cinematic and gameplay trailers kinda what happened to the aptly names GameTrailers.

darthv721883d ago (Edited 1883d ago )

The point of reviews is to present that persons perspective of what is being reviewed. At the end of the day the decision of the consumer to buy or not is still up to them regardless of the review. Especially if it is something they are interested in. Mainly because everyone perceives things differently and when you experience something yourself, it can be totally different than that of the person who reviews it.

We've all pretty much ran into this situation of reading a review and thinking if that person was the right person to review that item. Meaning if it is something that isnt their cup of tea... then their views would not be completely objective. It can and does happen. After all, that is just that person's opinion and maybe reviewers should end their segments with "This is just one person's pov. Your mileage may vary."

william_cade1883d ago (Edited 1883d ago )

Come on. Yeah people have different perspectives, but in general they line up if the game is solid.

meta critic PS4 scores and Anthem PC score

Spider Man (solid game) critic review 87 and user review 8.7
Bloodborne (solid game) critic review 92 and user 8.9
God of War 4 (solid game) critic review 94 and user 9.1
RDR2 (a solid game but divided) critic review 97 and user 7.9 (off by 18, understandable this game has a strange like or hate thing)
Fallout 76 ( a shit game) critic review 53 and user 2.5 (off by 28 for an objectively unfinished game)
Anthem (a shit game) critic review 61 and 3.7 user review (off by 24 for an unfinished game)

Critics have no problem lining up with users when the game is solid even good, but when it's shit they are way off. I would have to do more games but this is kind of the trend when you are trying to get free codes, same goes with movies and their access journalism.

starchild1882d ago

I can't take user reviews on metacritic seriously. They contain a huge percentage of fanboy reviews. And by fanboy I don't mean just positive fanatics of a game, I mean anybody that has any kind of agenda aside from honestly judging a game on its own merits.

The scores are usually absurdly polarized with 10s and 0s being handed out like candy. It's just another digital battleground where fanboys wage their pathetic little imaginary wars.

Nearly every multiplat has a much lower user score than critic score. Sony exclusives on the other hand usually have a user score that is much closer to the critic score and this is simply due to the fact that there is an army of Sony fanboys ready to go give every Sony exclusive super high scores while fanboys of other platforms generally aren't as motivated to go give those games low scores. There are also a variety of people with various other agendas that can negatively affect the average user scores. Whether it's because they are fanboys of a competing series in the same genre, or carry a hatred of the developer or publisher, or because they're jealous it looks and runs better on another platform, or because they dislike the developers' politics and want to punish the game, or any number of other things.

There are always exceptions to any rule, but this is the way it is for most games.

Nioh - 84 vs 67
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 77 vs 6.9
Red Dead Redemption 2 - 97 vs 79
Assassin's Creed Origins - 84 vs 68
Assassin's Creed Odyssey - 86 vs 55
Deus Ex Mankind Divided - 83 vs 66
Dishonored 2 - 86 vs 68
Far Cry 5 - 78 vs 60
Monster Hunter: World - 88 vs 60
Metro Exodus - 84 vs 63

In every single one of those cases my own score for those games is much closer to the critic score than the user score. I would give some of those games somewhat higher or lower scores than the critic average, and I'm certainly not suggesting that we should take the critic average as some kind of inarguable objective truth, but the critic reviews on average are still much more reasonable than the user reviews. Collectively the user reviews are a big joke.

Ultimately, though, I think we have all the necessary means nowadays to get a clear sense on our own of whether we will like a game or not. And hopefully things like demos continue to become more common again. There's no reason to let other people make up your mind for you.

william_cade1882d ago (Edited 1882d ago )

Where did you get your scores? All sites are fallable, but to ignore the huge gap and disconnect between the consumers and paid reviewers is inane at minimum. And are influenced by the same things you mentioned and also collectively a joke. It's easier to see through review bombing then it is some person lying about a game so they can get free game codes and a pat on the back. In fact that's even worse than the knee jerk reactions of the public.
.
That why there are sites that compile scores across the board.

If you think reviewers' scores have more weight then you also think access reviewing and journalism have the consumers in mind when they do their reviews. It's objectively absurd to think that critics are more reasonable.

Do you really think games like Fallout 76 should get a 5 just for playing?

Now, we demo a game then the game is changed from the demo. It's good to wait a good month or 2 to wait and see how it's being monetized, day 1 DLCs etc.

[note: I have Orgins and it's a crap game, beautiful but grindy , mometized shit I don't think it's unreasonable to give it a 6. Mankind Divided was parted out and resold, once again low score is not unreasonable etc]

FalconofLucis981882d ago (Edited 1882d ago )

agreed, metacritic is accurate for the most part. Some people just cant accept facts.

I'd argue fan reviews are just as important as critic reviews, when they both align, thats when you know a games great.

FF6: 92 metascore, 9.1 userscore
FF7: 92 metascore, 9.2 userscore
FF8: 90 metascore, 8.9 userscore
FF9: 94 metascore, 9.2 userscore
FF10: 92 metascore, 9.0 userscore

*FF12: 92 metascore, 7.5 userscore

That's when you know FF12 is a shit FF game and is the death of the franchise. The critics overrated it, it fails to take into account how much the fanbase hated it when it first came out. For those who're saying fanboys voted it down, then why did all FF6-10 in general get 90+ and 9.0+ metascore and userscore, suggesting fans were happy. FF12 was the first time it went down the shitter with a 7.5 userscore. Can't ignore that.

Leeroyw1882d ago

I see your point. Like this single 'journalist' gets to approve concepts.

I hate the term myself.

Rachel_Alucard1882d ago

It's a phrase I've seen too many times in headlines. Like "My opinion is the correct one"

The_Sage1882d ago

Great article. On a side note... I don't understand people that buy games and don't finish them. I've never bought a game and not finished it. I currently own over 100 games. All of them have been completed. On top of that, for the last few years I've only had a few hours a week to play. I still don't start a new game until I've completed the one I'm currently playing.

FalconofLucis981882d ago (Edited 1882d ago )

I find metacritic mostly accurate in general. It's just edgy people who cant accept that a review aggregate site is far more reliable and accurate than 1 individual reviewer.

130°

70 percent of devs unsure of live-service games sustainability

With so many games fighting for players' attention and interest losing out over time, time sink games are at risk of eventually losing steam.

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gamedeveloper.com
thorstein2d ago

It was worrisome to begin with.

It's a niche genre with only a handful of hits that can stand the test of time.

Cacabunga1d 8h ago

I like the sound of that!! I will for sure never support these gaas games.
Sony must be shocked at gamer's reaction, making them cancel a few of these and hopefully go back to the good heavy hitters they had us used to..
now bring on that PSPro reveal and show us some SP 1st party awesomeness.

CrimsonWing692d ago

What’s to be unsure of!? Look at the ratio of success to failure!

DarXyde1d 11h ago

It's pretty ridiculous.

Imagine having a breadth of data at your disposal to see the statistically low success rate of these games, only to be laser focused on the exceptional case studies.

shinoff21832d ago

Yes. Stop all the live service bs.

jznrpg2d ago

Only a few will catch on. You need a perfect storm to be successful in GaaS and a bit of luck on top of that. But a potential cash cow will keep them trying and some will go out of business because of it.

MIDGETonSTILTS172d ago

Helldivers 2 manages just fine…

Keep production costs low… don’t just make custscenes until the mechanics and enemies are perfected first.

Make so much content that you can drip extra content for years, and the game already feels complete without them.

Most importantly: make weapons, enemies, levels, and mechanics that will stand the test of 1000 hours. This might require more devs embracing procedurally generated leveled, which I think separates Helldivers 2 from Destiny’s repetitiveness.

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60°

The Battle Pass Is The Worst Thing To Happen To Modern Gaming

Nameer from eXputer: "Some exceptions aside, I don't think the battle pass is a net positive for gaming with how they're implemented in most live service titles."

got_dam2d ago

Battle passes AND meta gaming both.

DivineHand1252d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I like the way Helldivers 2 does battle passes. It allows you to make purchases on each level of the battle pass and gives you the option of choosing which item to unlock first. The more purchases you make using medals the further you progress. There is no timer and you can earn medals towards purchasing stuff via personal orders and Major orders.

I haven't played much live service games that have battle passes but I remember some games that have battle passes where you progress through it linearly using an exp system. What makes it really bad is that the battle pass will have like 50 or more levels with the cooler stuff being closer to the end. They also have an in-game shop that sells exp boosters so you can reach the end of the pass before it refreshes. Everyone ilse will have to grind their way through.

lucian2292d ago

battle pass in fortnite is perfect; buy one and it buys the rest for every other season as it gives you more money than the first cost. so 8.50 and season ends with you getting 13.00, it pays for the next and you have some pocket change to save up for cash shop. All of which is optional

470°

PS5 Pro specs leak video taken down by Sony

Sony is taking actions as video by Moore’s Law is Dead, has been issued with a copyright claim.

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videogameschronicle.com
andy853d ago

And people say it's all fake because Sony haven't said anything 😂 conveniently forget the PS4 Pro was only announced 2 months before release.

BeHunted3d ago

It's fake. There's no factual evidence other than his own made up specs.

Hereandthere3d ago

What were the specks Sony was afraid of showing?

Shikoku2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Digital foundry put a video out saying what he leaked was exactly what they also knew about the PS5 PRO. So no it's not just stuff he made up

Babadook72d ago (Edited 2d ago )

If it’s fake what copyright does MLID infringe upon?

😂

andy852d ago

Aye because they'd go to the effort of copyright claiming it if it didn't exist 🙃😂 you'd have to be a special kind to be thinking its not a thing by now

Cacabunga2d ago

They need to reveal it with uncharted killzone or a heavy hitter like this

Ironmike2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

U mean the specs that we'll established digital foundry which said these are the actual specs published a video on 2 weeks ago I mean they are only one of most trusted sites for tech information but they just made up a video for the sake of it

Christopher2d ago

I would love for it all to be fake, but lots of people are saying they've seen/heard the same thing. But, man, we 100% don't need mid-gen upgrades when we're failing hard to optimize current hardware.

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Seraphim2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

if I recall Sony lowered sales expectations for PS5 earlier this year. if that is the case we won't hear anything about a Pro until next year or shortly before/when it's dropping. After all, if the Pro was dropping this year/fiscal year they wouldn't have lowered expectations.

As for squashing rumors. Yeah, shit like this prevents potential buyers from adopting now, just like slim rumors in the past. It only makes sense to keep things under wraps from a business perspective. Despite living in a technological age of unfettered access to information we don't need to know whats going on behind closed doors be that at Sony, Nintendo, MS, or amongst any development studios. When the steak is done we shall feast.

JackBNimble2d ago

By the time games are actually made to take advantage of the pro spec's the ps6 will be released or close to it.

jznrpg2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Just announce it already! I want to preorder one asap. But in reality they don’t want to lessen PS5 sales until Pro is ready to launch so I understand the business part of it. September is probably when they announce it with an early November launch like the PS4 Pro

Ironmike2d ago

Pro won't lessen sales sames ps4 pro never and the ps4 pro was more relevant at the time cos move to 4k this not needed

RaidenBlack2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Yea, my brother got his PS4 (coz of a good deal) after the PS4 Pro's release.

darthv722d ago

^^same here. I got a base 4 for only $100 off a guy who bought the Pro. then a few months later I found a guy on craigslist selling a pro for $100 because it was left behind by his former roommate who moved out. That was the beginning of my obsession to buy up the different variants of the PS4 that were released.

As of now I am really only missing the 500m one and the gold slim but otherwise I have pretty much all the other retail ones. https://consolevariations.c...

crazyCoconuts2d ago

Anyone with 4K that appreciates 60fps is gonna disagree about it not being needed.
DLSS is a god send for Nvidia, and there's been nothing like it for AMD...yet ...

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DeadlyFire2d ago

They will announce it around E3 timeframe about May-June whenever they do a showcase for the year.

neutralgamer19922d ago

Just announce it this thing will sell well

Ironmike2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I don't think it will pll still haven't seen the potential of ps5 yet

Cacabunga2d ago

agreed, but it might sell if they announce some 1st party games to lead the way. if people see the difference with the base version they can move on. for my sake I am still gaming mainly on PS4 (still not finished with RDR2 due to lack of gaming time). I have a huge backlog on PS5 I am hoping to get into.

mark3214uk2d ago

why? game makers havnt even come close to maxing out current spec yet, were getting al lthese new TFlops and game maker are making crappy remakes not worthy of the ps3

Minute Man 7212d ago

The guts of the 5 and X are 5 years old

fr0sty2d ago

People keep saying that, yet we still have games running at near HD resolutions, 30fps, and ray tracing features turned off.

PRIMORDUS2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I would take that video and upload a torrent of it, fuck that copyright bullshit. If your going to do something that has a chance of being taken down, make a torrent first share it. Then Sony or any other company is helpless and you can laugh in their faces, taunting them to try to take it down 🤣

LoveSpuds2d ago

With kind of analysis and advice, you could be a lawyer for Trump!🤣

tronyx122d ago

As much as the PS4 Pro didn't represent a major % in the playerbase, announcing a 'better' model will hinder sales from the 'base' model. They are right, business-wise.

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