B I G
Famitsu, a Japanese gaming magazine that appears in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (along with a slew of other products) has given the game a perfect score. From 1986 -2008, Famitsu had only given out six perfect scores. Within the last two years, it gave out eight.
Even if we were in the golden age of video games–come on. Perfect? One of those perfect scores went to Nintendogs. You pet dogs in that game.
I don’t have as much of a problem with the games that get chosen as I do with the notion of a perfect score itself. Perfect scores should be reserved for games that have tight gameplay, stellar graphics, end world hunger and cure AIDS. Anything less would be setting the bar for perfection criminally low.
Now, this could devolve into a debate as to whether or not game review scores matter, but it won’t, because that is stupid. They do matter. Everyone likes numbers. As much as I love the way Kotaku approaches reviews, sites like IGN, and Gamespot have gamers trained to scoff off anything below an 8. IGN will literally try to convince you that a Greatest Hits Album by Blink 182 is one-tenth of a point better than The Sims 2.
I’m not saying that numbered reviews are not helpful. Score aggregating sites like Metacritic and GameRankings are wonderful tools…to an extent.
Look at the abysmal failure that was Rogue Warrior. It currently has a Metacritic score of 28, so I think I can just go ahead and not give it any of my time. However, the games I tend to enjoy the most are not critically acclaimed blockbusters with widespread appeal. I tend to prefer more unique, quirky games– somewhat obscure titles that fair more in the 70 range when it comes to Metacrcitic.
This is were the problem lies. In OK games.
Say one guy buys a game called Robot Smasher X and kinda likes it. He writes a review for the game and gives it 70. Some other Gundam-robot-geek guy reviews it, and loves it so much he gives it a perfect score of 100. Then to round things off, Edge Magazine comes in and gives it an overly punishing review score of 50. Were does that lead us? Back to 70.
That’s not to say I don’t see value in numbering reviews. By all means, if you like gundam-robot-geek guys perspective, trust his reviews. If you don’t, why take it into account, even in a meta-score? Its best to just find a writer you feel kindred spirits with, and subscribe to their RSS feed, regardless of the site they write for, scores or no scores.
Case and point: JC Flecther just reviewed 3D Dot Game Heroes over at Joystiq. There are no numbered scores given, but in the review, he says:
“If you think the original Zelda is antiquated and no longer worth playing, you’re not going to be thrilled with 3D Dot Game Heroes. Also, you’re wrong.”
With a quote like that, he could give the game a score of 7 out of 12 Rainbow Coins, and I’d still buy the damn thing.
(NOTE: This was my contribution to a feature that ran @NintendoLife about the 25th Anniversary of the NES. I just wanted to archive these memories for myself.) The first video game I ever saw was Kung-Fu for the NES. My older sister’s friend down the street had just gotten the system, so she kindly escorted [...]
What if a deranged Santa Robot decided we all didn’t deserve gifts this year? Mega Man would come and bust ‘em up, that’s what! AceSparks of Sprite Inc. has re-imagined Charles Dicken’s classic, A Christmas Carol into a Mega Man game where the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, Future and Jacob Marley are evil robots [...]
Mario may be the master of Mushroom Kingdom, but that hasn’t stopped programmer Jay Pavlina from dragging other classic NES icons into goomba territory in his new aptly-titled game Super Mario Bros. Crossover. In this undefinabley-awesome act of retro bliss, players get the chance to rampage through all the levels of the original Super Mario [...]
