Scores in general are always going to be a source of contention, though I do find it amusing when people disagree with a score for a game they've never played. Which happens a ton across the internet.
In a perfect world, scores wouldn't exist. If it weren't for the SEO/Metacritic value, I likely would have done away with scores the last few years. It's the worst part of a review on a reviewer's side of things. How do you take these 4000 words and distill them down to a numerical value? In reality, a score leaves so much nuance out of the discussion, it actually does a disservice to the broader conversation around games.
This is why we changed up the descriptor on the scores themselves, from "good" "great" "masterpiece" to help out there. If as you describe it to a friend you would use "good," it's in the 7 range. Masterpiece (note, not perfect, just a masterpiece), it's a 10. Average? 5.
It's not an exact science, and every outlet does this differently. And that's part of the problem: there is no consistent scale across the industry. This is why we recommend reading our reviews - and everyone else's to get a broad opinion across the spectrum of reviews.
If all you care about is a score, then honestly the lack of consistency across outlets does you a disservice (not saying you, Sov, but a royal "you"). The content of the review is what matters. But oftentimes (and our data shows this) people just scroll down to the score, get mad and comment.
So yea, there is no perfect scoring system, and I actually find a 1-5 a bit more restrictive. I like that we use a 100-point scale here as it allows for some variations on the theme, and offers much more for our reviewers to work with.
The last thing we need is no scores, that's just a way for the gaming industry to get away with murder. Yes, scores are an imperfect system (what system is perfect?) but we have to have them, the main problems stem from two areas.
There is that upper squashing of scores I mentioned that means 1 to 6 is rarely used, I do note you have used that on MMORPG.com, but in a way that conforms to the rest of the gaming industries use which is quite understandable. I would not expect MMORPG.com to go out on a limb, the industry itself needs to think about this. Like all the other places grade inflation has occurred like education qualifications, it is very difficult to row back from once it has started.
Then we have player prejudice (for or against) a franchise a genre etc, there is not much that will change that and not having a score will not change it at all.
You mentioned how the score can do a disservice to the review, I agree but I think players can be educated into realising they can only take a score so far. I think most posters on here get that in fact, though it may not seem that way to you.
I don't think it is too much of a problem that every outlet does it differently, that gives us a range of opinions and savvy players will know to always read reviews that give a range of scores to get the full picture. If you read one review and take that as gospel, that's on you.
Incidentally, I think the decision to put a hold on the D4 review until after launch was solid and something we need to see more of, how on earth are players meant to get the full idea from a beta review of a MO game, which is what many outlets seem to have done?
Games should be reviewed and scored even before they’re announced
I agree. Internet randos judge them so why not reviewers too? I mean, you could call the score "provisional" if sounding more professional is important to you but why not?
I'm calling TES 6 a 9.5 right now - actually a 10 but for those bugs!
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Games should be reviewed and scored even before they’re announced
I still wish I had a Switch to play this game…
We don't need no stinkin numbers. There aren't numbers big enough on this flat earth to give a score for a Final Fantasy game justice.
I'll send you the RPD info for my Switch and you can login and play remotely. I preordered before it was even announced and they gave me earliest access.
Great review. I don't know why people obsess over the score. I care more about the content of the review because then I can decide what's important to me. 8, 9, 10, who cares, especially when I know that multiple people review games over a long period of time and scales and brain cells are all different.
The game sounds excellent, will eventually get to it as a new console gamer (have always been PC in the past), but it took me forever to finish Horizon Dawn and Forbidden West earlier this year, currently completely in love with Ghost of Tsushima, need to play Spiderman which I never did, still haven't finished Cyberpunk on my PC, be patient as I always do with large world games, so still waiting to play Hogwarts on PS5, followed by probably Final Fantasy XVI, followed by probably Baldurs Gate, all of those will keep me busy over the next year or two :-)....it's a great time to be a gamer. It's a great MMORPG ever gets released, I won't have any time for life outside the house :-).
Comments
There is that upper squashing of scores I mentioned that means 1 to 6 is rarely used, I do note you have used that on MMORPG.com, but in a way that conforms to the rest of the gaming industries use which is quite understandable. I would not expect MMORPG.com to go out on a limb, the industry itself needs to think about this. Like all the other places grade inflation has occurred like education qualifications, it is very difficult to row back from once it has started.
Then we have player prejudice (for or against) a franchise a genre etc, there is not much that will change that and not having a score will not change it at all.
You mentioned how the score can do a disservice to the review, I agree but I think players can be educated into realising they can only take a score so far. I think most posters on here get that in fact, though it may not seem that way to you.
I don't think it is too much of a problem that every outlet does it differently, that gives us a range of opinions and savvy players will know to always read reviews that give a range of scores to get the full picture. If you read one review and take that as gospel, that's on you.
Incidentally, I think the decision to put a hold on the D4 review until after launch was solid and something we need to see more of, how on earth are players meant to get the full idea from a beta review of a MO game, which is what many outlets seem to have done?
I still wish I had a Switch to play this game…
I'm calling TES 6 a 9.5 right now - actually a 10 but for those bugs!
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
The game sounds excellent, will eventually get to it as a new console gamer (have always been PC in the past), but it took me forever to finish Horizon Dawn and Forbidden West earlier this year, currently completely in love with Ghost of Tsushima, need to play Spiderman which I never did, still haven't finished Cyberpunk on my PC, be patient as I always do with large world games, so still waiting to play Hogwarts on PS5, followed by probably Final Fantasy XVI, followed by probably Baldurs Gate, all of those will keep me busy over the next year or two :-)....it's a great time to be a gamer. It's a great MMORPG ever gets released, I won't have any time for life outside the house :-).
There Is Always Hope!