Review Scores shouldn't be enough for you to make an informed decision about your purchase

[gitrektali]

I understand that the final verdict score system of many websites has evolved over the years, but I sincerely believe review scores aren't enough for people to make informed decisions for their video games. The recent review thread of Death Stranding is evidence of just that. Putting a number on any game is enough for some people to make a decision if they want to purchase the game without actually reading the content of the review.

I've seen people more anxious about Death Stranding getting a 90+ Metacritic score than actually hoping that they like the game as well.

Most reviews thoroughly explain why they feel like they gave the game a high score, and that could be the exact reason someone else could've given it a negative one. The subjective nature of games shouldn't allow for a scoring system like this to give you enough information about a game, because what exactly does a 7/10 in sound mean? you know. I'm sure people have suggested this idea before, but seeing that Death Stranding review thread spiral out of control has shown that there are people genuinely bothered by the game scoring an 84 Metacritic score, which should be enough in terms of this current scoring system.

Then there's the issue with how apparently a lot of reviews sound harsher in their review content than their overall score, and people who have actually read the content are hesitant about the game now.

People are going apeshit over the IGN review, without even reading it, and being pissed at its score. It's the same when Jim Sterling was ridiculed online because he didn't give BOTW a full 10/10.

It's why I appreciate YouTubers like Joseph Anderson, SuperBunnyHop and MatthewMatosis, that don't put a number on the game but force you to go through their content, so they can explain why they feel that way, but I know everyone doesn't have the time to read or watch an entire review.

My question to ERA is this, what do you think should be the alternative to the general scoring system we have at the moment, and would you be actually willing to go through the review content instead of relying on the number at the end?

 

[Kyuuji]

Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't. Depends on the game for me and my interest pre-reviews. Same when it comes to glancing scores or reading the full review.

 

[Comic Obsessed]

Ugh, I hate all this Death Stranding reaction as a whole.

 

[Nugnip]

Good reviews sometimes make me care about a game I would have skipped otherwise, but rarely the other way around. A bad review don't turn me off, I usually still want to check it out for myself.

 

[Eumi]

I personally don't think scores do much at all to help people purchase games. At most they may spur people into looking for more info, but the amount of people who buy games blind except for the score is damn low I'd reckon.

They more exist to benefit the site than the reader.

 

[gitrektali]

Good reviews sometimes make me care about a game I would have skipped otherwise, but rarely the other way around. A bad review don't turn me off, I usually still want to check it out for myself.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I'm only talking about the final score

 

[Chrno]

just use a demo system.

according to the reviews, if you demo'd DS for even 5 hours you'd be bored out of your mind.

mhm, maybe reviews are needed after all.

mhm.

 

[Nitpicker_Red]

My question to ERA is this, what do you think should be the alternative to the general scoring system we have at the moment, and would you be actually willing to go through the review content instead of relying on the number at the end?

Click to shrink...

I don't think there is an alternate that fits the current needs.
Old times had multiple scores for multiple aspects, but this gave the illusion that each sub-score was "correct", and reviewer tended to make an average out of it for a final score. The mean is not a good indicator of specialisations.

At least with a single score, readers know that this isn't all there is to it, and people know to read the review to get more infos if they are curious.
Aggregates should just also show the divide (via distribution graph).

 

[Thrill_house]

Review scores don't mean much to me at the end of the day. Hell botw has a 96 and I had more fun with a game that had like a score in the mid 60s lol.

Read some impressions, maybe watch a few vids and decide for yourself. Don't take review scores too seriously. Cats around here use them as some weird fucked up dick measuring contest. Its kind of funny and sad.

 

[Kain]

They never were

 

[Deleted member 30005]

Then there's the issue with how apparently a lot of reviews sound harsher in their review content than their overall score

Click to shrink...

That is being exaggerated by people attempting to diminish Death Stranding's generally positive reception.

I'm repeating myself now but a lot of reviewers caution that Death Stranding's traversal will be unappealing to people who dislike open world games, and other reviewers who often enjoy open world games found movement bothersome at various stages. Those are accurate and fair points. The game has other issues that are reflected in the score.

Some people are clinging white-fisted to a small body of reviews that awarded the game a high score while describing the gameplay in the most problematic of terms. People seeking to diminish the games reception are purposely ignoring positive attributes of the game while presenting those harsh reviews as illustrative of most other critiques. That is why we see the same cherry-picked remarks in the review thread repeatedly.

Some people can't explain away the 85% aggregate score by rationale means so they resort to generalization and repetition. 70+ critiques and their argument boils down to The reviews scores are a lie!

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

Scores are a truly flawed way to assess a game, or any type of media for that matter. It's a vague approximation that doesn't actually connect back to any sort of objective truth, as it is perceived -- and there will never be any objective truth to connect to, so it makes sense. A person that issues a 7 might have a completely different mental value assigned to a 7 than a reader that sees a 7 and goes "how dare they misjudge my favorite game!" -- maybe the reviewer thinks a "7" is a "good" game but clearly the reader thinks it's being downplayed and underrated.

OP is right. Scores should not be the metric by which someone determines their game, unless their whole investment in games is really low-effort, which in itself is fair as it is largely just a medium in which the vast majority of content only aims to entertain and please... The mass-market perception of videogames still does NOT afford it high perceived value for most individuals, I feel. It's simply a means to be occupied, engaged, and having fun for many people. But as games do push their boundaries into different directions that aren't necessarily exclusively about "fun" more and more frequently, I think score metrics end up being extremely self-defeating by becoming way too abstract and difficult to judge. The best way to actually take away from reviews is to really read the text of the author, regardless of the score, if you want to try and line it up with your own perceptions and expectations about a game.

And no reviewer has any obligation to represent your opinion in their writing, so readers HAVE TO actively engage their own tastes and judgments when reading reviews and use it as an anchor point for how the game might turn out for them. It is NOT a reviewer's responsibility to tell you how much a game should matter to you, it is only their responsibility to share how much it mattered to them and then the onus is yours to take what you know about games and contrast it to what they said and form your own speculative opinion from there. Reviewers are presenting THEIR opinion for YOUR toolset -- they do not exist to PRESCRIBE you your taste, only to give you something to weigh your taste against.

 

[Xater]

They never are. Most of Death Stranding reviews have a good score, but everything about the gameplay that is described makes me think I will hate it.

 

[Sceptre]

I like review scores. it keeps from having to watch any trailers. video games trailers are not as bad as movies, but they still suck. I like going into games blind.
i dont buy games below 85. sorry Death Stranding.

 

[Fiery Phoenix]

They never were

Click to shrink...

.

 

[Deleted member 32018]

If anything the review scores has helped DS. I've read through most of the reviews and a lot of them talk extensively about many issues with the game but then go on to give it a 9 or 10.

Some outlets have got rid of scores and it would be nice if all the others did too but I doubt that will happen.

 

[Kaivan]

They never are. Most of Death Stranding reviews have a good score, but everything about the gameplay that is described makes me think I will hate it.

Click to shrink...

Exactly.

If people actually read the DS reviews, the game should've had 75 or even lower MC score overall. Most of them dreaded the gameplay but somehow still gave it a 10.

 

[Jonneh]

Absolutely and I believe sites like Metacritic don't help with this. People care too much about the average number when really that number means nothing on its own.

We shouldn't be trying to find an average or consensus but rather finding a reviewer who's thoughts may resonate with your own. You can't get that with a number.

 

[Bremsstrahlung]

The actual score isn't as important as the reviewer's impressions imo.

 

[snausages]

Scores for Death Stranding are pretty useless as a metric as many of the people who don't like the game arent going to get captured in the metascore, cause they could not finish it.

Better to actually read what people are saying about the game, good and bad. People are so weird about MC and I dont get it at all

 

[Seedy87]

The problem is that the majority don't read the actual review to inform their decision - instead being fixated on scores, and, in turn, what the resulting Metacritic score is.

The scores are an initial impression, but reading what the reviewer has written contextualises their experience with the game and why that score was given. Of course, everyone knows that and nothing will change...

 

[Lampa]

Ugh, I hate all this Death Stranding reaction as a whole.

Click to shrink...

At least one thread a day.

 

[Wispmetas]

It's true.

 

[Kanann]

Nah, I will not buy Death Stranding.

 

[Deleted member 28523]

i preferred a pre-death stranding world

 

[HMC]

Ugh, I hate all this Death Stranding reaction as a whole.

Click to shrink...

This.

The grieving process for DS's lukewarm reviews is gonna be brutal.

 

[JohnnyMoses]

I like review scores. it keeps from having to watch any trailers. video games trailers are not as bad as movies, but they still suck. I like going into games blind.
i dont buy games below 85. sorry Death Stranding.

Click to shrink...

You've missed a lot of amazing games.

 

[The Unsent]

I thought more people were bothered about how death stranding content is described, long winded, empty environments, parcel management, very long ambiguous cutscenes, long quick travel options. It's hardly sounds like riveting stuff to a lot of us. I think there was a debate whether critics were getting their opinion across about why they thought the game is great, despite how unengaged they made it sound. It's easy to be cynical and to be honest 'it's different' or 'I'm glad it exists' sounds like a defense, rather than a review.

 

[Soundtrack2chaos]

One of the many reasons why Worth A Buy and ACG are the best sources of reviews. They just tell you whether the game is worth buying and at what price. That's all you really need to make a decision on your own.

 

[Inuhanyou]

That goes without saying op. Especially in the anything below 85 sucks world we live in.

Nier at the time made it clear to me how meaningless. Ratings were

 

[Reinhardt Schneider]

Some of my favorite games are games misunderstood by critics and fandom with mediocre to low scores so don't worry, I shit all over review scores

Just look at my nick and avatar ffs

 

[superNESjoe]

Here's the thing about review scores. Lots of people don't use them, or the review content in general, as a tool to help decide if they should buy a game. They use them to validate a preconceived notion they have about a game they haven't even played yet.

 

[Jonneh]

Here's the thing about review scores. Lots of people don't use them, or the review content in general, as a tool to help decide if they should buy a game. They use them to validate a preconceived notion they have about a game they haven't even played yet.

Click to shrink...

Absolutely this

 

[Kyuuji]

Exactly.

If people actually read the DS reviews, the game should've had 75 or even lower MC score overall. Most of them dreaded the gameplay but somehow still gave it a 10.

Click to shrink...

So you think reviewers gave an inaccurate score?
It seems odd when you assume the reviewer gives a review and score they feel is accurate, to then use one to dismiss the other.

 

[Blade Wolf]

Of course, but I would like to know what to expect.

 

[Deleted member 42484]

If I listened to review scores, I'd probably still be interested in buying Death Stranding.

However, I read the content of a few reviews, and the game sounds pretty boring and the combat doesn't seem impressive. I don't care for Kojima's pretentious cutscenes post MGS3, and if I did, I'd watch them online. I may play it down the line for a cheaper price, but I can definitely admit that the reviews (the content and opinions) swayed me away. If the game had gotten the typical Kojima 90+MC, I probably would have been much more excited and a Day 1 purchase (and the content of reviews would, well, discuss a much better game).

 

[Sadist]

Here's the thing about review scores. Lots of people don't use them, or the review content in general, as a tool to help decide if they should buy a game. They use them to validate a preconceived notion they have about a game they haven't even played yet.

Click to shrink...

Yuuuuuup

 

[udivision]

Here's the thing about review scores. Lots of people don't use them, or the review content in general, as a tool to help decide if they should buy a game. They use them to validate a preconceived notion they have about a game they haven't even played yet.

Click to shrink...

Either that or they were going to buy the game anyway and want to see how it was received.

 

[Z'ard]

If i'm interested in game - i'll buy it anyway. But if i see a game i was sceptical or didn't care much get 90+ i'll probably consider a purchase. But sometimes we got something like 97 Mario Odyssey that i codn't even finish becouse i was bored. Everybody have their cup of tea.

 

[Lusamine]

Humans like numbers; they are easy to understand.

 

[XboxCowdry]

I quite agree

 

[LoneWolfHunter]

I don't think I ever ever ever bought a game based on reviews... I don't find it difficult to judge a game by just watching gameplay videos.

 

[Sams88]

Review scores should be enough to make an informed decision. It's just who you trust/have similar views with.

I always look to Skill Up, Eurogamer, Greg Miller, EasyAllies, Gameinfirmer.

I avoid Metro, Edge, Giantbomb.

The rest I have no strong views over. But increasingly I just go with word of mouth and fan recommendations.

 

[Deleted member 30005]

Double post.

 

[Edgar]

I

This.

The grieving process for DS's lukewarm reviews is gonna be brutal.

Click to shrink...

just wait till this forum plays the game, we gonna get ''DS is genius/piece of shit'' threads daily .

 

[Jbone115]

Here's the thing about review scores. Lots of people don't use them, or the review content in general, as a tool to help decide if they should buy a game. They use them to validate a preconceived notion they have about a game they haven't even played yet.

Click to shrink...

Nailed it. Confirmation bias at work.

 

[banter]

Scores alone are literally meaningless without the context of the review itself. Every reviewer has their own tastes and opinions that differ from our own (even when you have a reviewer that you feel has very similar tastes, there are differences). Because of this, if you go solely based on a review score, or even an aggregate of scores, you're going to miss out on games that you will have liked. The bottom line is, it doesn't give you ANY actual information about the game or how it plays at all, so how in the world are you going to know if you will like it or not based on this?

Humans like numbers; they are easy to understand.

Click to shrink...

You're not wrong, even when they have no clue what actually goes in to making those numbers.

 

[djinnEXE]

People enjoy different things and reviews are people's opinions. The scores are there to rate how a person feels about a game in the end.

Should it determine if someone else buys a game? No, but it should make them somewhat cautious as to why a some might give a game a low score while others rate it higher.

Not everyone reads good reviews but they do look at lower rated reviews to learn what the person disliked about the game.

 

[Creamium]

But as games do push their boundaries into different directions that aren't necessarily exclusively about "fun" more and more frequently, I think score metrics end up being extremely self-defeating by becoming way too abstract and difficult to judge. The best way to actually take away from reviews is to really read the text of the author, regardless of the score, if you want to try and line it up with your own perceptions and expectations about a game.

Click to shrink...

This. It's disappointing that a lot of people on this forum still go bonkers over MC averages, with some people posting live updates if the MC average goes up or down a notch. We did this more than 10 years ago and it seems we haven't evolved past it, to the contrary even. Gerstmann's TP 8,8 was 13 years ago and now there DS' 6,8 from IGN, little has changed. You can easily find an exceptional experience in a low 80's game and find no worth at all in a high 90's game. Attaching value to the number by itself is misguided, I can be influenced more by what I read or see recommended here or on Twitter... or by reading the actual reviews obviously.

 

[jxN3]

With big triple A releases, I realized I considered anything sub 90 to be disappointing. That was a pretty toxic way of thinking, and I'm not sure how I even got to that mind set, tbh. I remember thinking The Last Guardian was going to be a spectacular triumph, a masterpiece! The reviews started to rain in -- suffice to say; it wasn't a masterpiece.

I just remember how it completely drained my excitement for that game, I even cancelled my physical copy. I got home after work that night and was bored, and said fuck it, I waited this long, I should at least try it.

Absolutely loved that game. Sure, it had issues, but I still considered it a 10. It spoke to me, and till this day, no game has affected me emotionally as much as that game. I guess its easy to get invested in the hype, and you start to create this titan sized expectation on games that you're excited for.

It snapped me out of it. If something looks interesting or fun to you, just try it, you never know. (also if you're worried about the investment, wait till a sale or borrow/rent)