EDGE magazine is known for it's tough reviews, as they typically put the entire scale to use. For instance, a game could get a 6 and is still considered above average.
Thus, it's well known that a 10/10 score is very rare from them. Since 1996, they've only given around 20 10s. It's worth it to note, however, that EDGE doesn't consider a 10/10 perfect, instead, the word they use is revolutionary.
Here is the list:
Super Mario 64 (1996)
Gran Turismo (1997)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
Half-Life 2 (2004)
Halo 3 (2007)
The Orange Box (2007)
Super Mario Galaxy (2007)
Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
LittleBigPlanet (2008)
Bayonetta (2009)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010)
Rock Band 3 (2010)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011)
The Last of Us (2013)
Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
Bayonetta 2 (2014)
Bloodborne (2015)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
Aditionally, these games were rescored retroactively and received a 10:
Elite (1984)
Exile (1988)
Super Mario Bros. (1985)
GoldenEye 007 (1997)
Advance Wars (2001)
Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Drop7 (2009)
Red Dead Redemption (2010)
Super Street Fighter IV (2010)
Dark Souls (2011)
Overall, it looks pretty respectable to me, even the games I haven't played I can tell are generally revered. The only two that kind of puzzle me are GTAIV and LOZ:SS. Also, the lack of Metroid Prime is sad :/
So, what are your thoughts on the fabled EDGE 10s?
Thirty 10's in 22 years is too many in my opinion. Of course, I have never ever given a game a perfect 10 nor would I ever because to me, a 10 is perfect and no game is perfect, past, present or future. I don't go past 9.5/10 personally and those are very rare for me. I can see magazines and outlets going up to 9.8/10 but should never go past that and could still use "revolutionary" in the review and score.
As for all those thirty games, I would only give them to the following - Super Mario 64, Zelda OOT and the original Halo because they were truly revolutionary at the time. The rest not so much and when you think about it, just like the present day, there's nothing that hasn't already been done before. They are missing a few games though. The original Metal Gear Solid should definitely be on the list as should Final Fantasy VII.
Those five games are revolutionary to me and funny thing is that outside of MGS, I don't even care about those other four games but I know what they were and meant at the time. The majority of that list is just a joke and doesn't deserve all that praise simply because there's either better games or they just aren't "revolutionary". After Mario 64 and Zelda OOT, I don't see any other Mario or Zelda game being "revolutionary". They were THEN. NOT NOW simply because it's already been done.
I look at SMB and GoldenEye 007 for example but laugh because they didn't include SMB 3 or Perfect Dark 64 which are both superior to the previous two mentioned games but yet, they include nearly every Mario and Zelda game after Mario 64 and OOT? Sorry but no way.
10/10 scores to me are almost handed out like candy. It's a joke and truly takes away from what the rating is meant to be. Sadly, Nintendo is heavily favored in that list and while I can easily agree with Mario 64 and OOT, nothing that has come since is revolutionary. They are all basically the same just in a different way with the same exact objectives every game - rescue Princess Peach/Zelda and defeat Bowser/Ganon. Sorry but to me that's not revolutionary and if anything, it's a joke.
SM64 and OOT are revolutionary in spite of that same objective simply because they were what truly showcased what 3D Third Person games could truly be in visuals, gameplay, audio, etc. but in no way, shape or form were they revolutionary for the main objective of the game. In that regard, every Mario and Zelda has been exactly the same for 30 years.
So for me, ONLY Mario 64, Zelda OOT, Halo in addition to MGS and FFVII should also be on the list due to being revolutionary and outside of MGS, im not even playing favorites. The rest, sorry but nope.
