While trying to get paid (and at the very same time, laid), my buddy and I got into a conversation about whether or not review scores are of any worth. It basically started when my “friend” asked me if I would still get Assassin’s Creed if it got an average score of 7.0. Of course, my answer was short and sweet:
“Fuck yeah.”
|
|
Numbers mean nothing to me, especially when it’s based on the 100-point scale that the majority of gaming publications tend to use. My sole reasoning for taking this stance on the issue is because most gamers will gloss over anything that’s rated 8 or below. It’s disheartening as a game designer to see games like Pac-Pix and Drawn to Life passed over all because they weren’t the greatest games ever made. I’ve had some amazing gameplay experiences with games that were rated far below the “average” score of 8, and I really think abolishing numbered scores would do a lot to rectify the situation.
It also annoys me that people will only look at the review score when the reviewer obviously took many hours to craft a review for their benefit. And there is just no way in hell you can fully describe a game with only two numbers. Would you give Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” a 9.1, or Andy Warhol’s “Electric Chair” a 7.2? No, you wouldn’t.
So what did my friend do after hearing my ranting on why we should, at the very least, adopt a 4-star rating system? He created a reviewing website that gives nothing but review scores. They don’t even include text. Yes, just numbers. No, I did not just make that up. Here’s the site, Gamenumbers.
So if you ever wanted to save your time, but at the same time waste it, then check out the site, in all of its default WordPress-themed glory. And then point and laugh on how stupidly absurd their idea really is:)
For the record, in Matt’s perfect society, review scores would be the Siskel and Ebert version, with the thumbs up/thumbs down system. There are a lot of enjoyable games out there, and even if you don’t have the money, you could always just rent them. It’s not gonna kill you to play Pac-Pix, I assure you.
And yes, I have no friends.
Is the site a joke? It’s like everything I never wanted in a review minus everything I like. Awesome!
Yeah, it’s a joke. They did it despite me, basically. But the reviewers (or enumerators, as my friend likes to call them) have some fairly lengthy conversations on what scores to give games.
I like how Uno outscored quite a few games on there. Gotta love Uno!
A site with nothing but numbers for reviews? So they’re competing with metacritic?
Nope, it’s their own numbers.