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Is a 6 a good score?



Is there any truth to this? I've been gaming for a long time and I don't recall a 6 EVER being a good score for a game. Even 7s were very flawed games. I also think getting 10s was much easier back then at least from major publications excluding the most biased publications.



I remember Rise to Honor a game I was really excited about. It has a metacritic score of a 68. It was a bad game.

If anything I think getting a higher grade was easier back in the day. Lots of 80s that were really average games back then.
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Scores don't matter.

This
DOWUsbc.png


Is a better game than this:
kj8VW4s.png

(or better than rebirth but I am not going there just yet)
 

Bond007

Member
Im ok with it. 6 should be decent.
We focus on scores too much. As children we could give two shits and played the crap out of games cause we had fun based on our taste.
We all probably miss tons of great games cause we are too focused on 8+ scores.


Im playing Skull and Bones right now and love it. Not without its problems- i personally love it - low score and hate aside. Its my taste.
I love all the great stuff that is 8+ but that doesnt mean i cant enjoy something a reviwer and their sheep decide to hate on cause its below a 7 or something. Like that supposed to actually mean anything.
 
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Dacvak

No one shall be brought before our LORD David Bowie without the true and secret knowledge of the Photoshop. For in that time, so shall He appear.
I mean, it does kind of make sense that a 6 would be considered weak. This isn’t a problem with the games industry either; movie ratings are the same way. The thing is that games are inherently something enjoyable and positive, and so if they fail at the basic task of being entertaining and enjoyable in any way, they should fall below the 5/10 mark.

At least that’s the way I’ve always seen it. It’s not a mathematical scale, it’s a number being assigned to subjectivity. Someone who rates a game a 6/10 had a net positive experience with the game, but generally we don’t seek out “net positive” games, we want games that have a huge return on enjoyment.

I really don’t see an issue with the way things are rated in media. At this point, it’s reasonably understood. Plus, you shouldn’t be relying on just a number anyway, you should read the review.
 

StueyDuck

Member
scores come from people who write for gaming outlets (we will stop calling them journalists because they simply aren't)

it's safe to disregard and ignore literally anything any of those idiots say online. Besides something like Digital foundry that will give literal facts on performance (don't care about their opinions). Any game can be decided upon purchasing based on the plenty of resources of footage available. prior to release and even more so afterwards.
 
10 point systems have always been terrible because no one ever uses them right. GamePro's 5-point system was the best one all along.

remember-the-gamepro-rating-system-v0-cgjsrlwxi36c1.jpg


I remember Rise to Honor a game I was really excited about. It has a metacritic score of a 68. It was a bad game.
I remember borrowing this game from a friend and it was a fun ride for the weekend I played it. It was PS2's Sifu for me. A 68 on GamePro's scale would be between a 3.0 and 3.5. That's a smiley face with a possible thumbs up, which pretty much describes my fun weekend with Rise to Honor.

Edit:

Mathematically, but that's an F in most school grading systems.
And this is one of the biggest reasons why current day review scores are broken.
 
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Dacvak

No one shall be brought before our LORD David Bowie without the true and secret knowledge of the Photoshop. For in that time, so shall He appear.
Scores don't matter.

This
DOWUsbc.png


Is a better game than this:
kj8VW4s.png

(or better than rebirth but I am not going there just yet)

Anyone know how to automatically ignore a GAF user’s posts in the settings?
 
6 is deeply flawed. 5 is often a chore. 4 is unmemorable. 3 is a waste of money. 2 is a waste of time. 1 is pure masochism.

7 is mediocre. 8 is fun and memorable. 9 is very good. 10 is great. They should not be handing out 10s like candy. If there is a single shortcoming in execution, then it cannot be a 10.
 
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Arsic

Loves his juicy stink trail scent
Can a 6 be a good game? Sure but mileage will vary big time from player to player.

I loved babylons fall which many deemed like a 2/10. Granted those many never even played it, so…
 
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Arsic

Loves his juicy stink trail scent
rofif rofif reminds me of Skyrim's Alvor the blacksmith in Riverwood whenever a dragon attacks the village.

He charges that dragon head-on armed only with his smithing hammer & an apple in his pocket 😄
He reminds me of the homely looking guy at a gas station trying to sell his homemade rap mix CD.

I respect the hustle and self confidence, but I wouldn’t take that shit mix even if you were giving it away for free.
 

Dacvak

No one shall be brought before our LORD David Bowie without the true and secret knowledge of the Photoshop. For in that time, so shall He appear.
I had a pretty great reply about mathematic averages, subjectivity, and biases in the entertainment industry, but then I got baited by rofif’s post and now my brain doesn’t work. Oh well, pretend it was a good reply.
 

nkarafo

Member
We need less fractions when we rate games. 1 to 100 is ridiculous. What determines if a game gets 78 or 79, for instance? It's just random numbers at this point.

1 to 10 is also too much.

The best is the mid-90's CVG magazine 1 to 5. The best games would get a "high five" and you didn't have to compare them. Doesn't matter if OOT is better than, say Resident Evil or BOTW. They all get the same 5/5 score because they are all objectively great games, everything else is subjective. 4 also means the games are great but not as much to become real classics. 3 means pretty average or "OK". 2 means the game is pretty bad with some good parts and 1 is simply the worst games.

Much simpler and much more objective and on point.
 
You want to know if a game is good? Read the text while ignoring the personal bias number attached.
Seconding this part, especially with lower scored games. Also, if you don't want to read, watch a youtube video. If you don't want to watch a video, listen to an impressions podcast. There are multiple ways to absorb information to know if a game speaks to you.
 

Fbh

Member
Gaming media uses the scoring scale shown in the second tweet.
So no, a 6/10 isn't considered a good game

I mean, it does kind of make sense that a 6 would be considered weak. This isn’t a problem with the games industry either; movie ratings are the same way. The thing is that games are inherently something enjoyable and positive, and so if they fail at the basic task of being entertaining and enjoyable in any way, they should fall below the 5/10 mark.

At least that’s the way I’ve always seen it. It’s not a mathematical scale, it’s a number being assigned to subjectivity. Someone who rates a game a 6/10 had a net positive experience with the game, but generally we don’t seek out “net positive” games, we want games that have a huge return on enjoyment.

I really don’t see an issue with the way things are rated in media. At this point, it’s reasonably understood. Plus, you shouldn’t be relying on just a number anyway, you should read the review.

For better or worse, games seem to be scored like tests in school.
Instead of "how good is it from 1 to 10" it reads more like "what percentage did they get right?"
5wM2QiD.png
 

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
7 is a bad score in game reviews that basically operate on a 6-10 scale for AAA games. I’m not paying seventy United States dollars plus tip for a mid tier game.

That said game reviews are kinda worthless now. I can watch 10 mins of gameplay and draw my own conclusions. Or watch the small handful of YouTube reviewers I trust and have no bearing on metacritic.
 

SHA

Member
I like fps, I like mmos, Strategy, sim, cards, I'm also aware some genres are fundamentally above others and taking these numbers from a linear point of view perspective is just stupid.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
In theory a 6 is a fine score but in practice, hell no!

People get worked up if a hyped game scores an 8.

I realize everyone has a budget but for the love of God, please don't allow reviews to prevent you from playing a game you are legitimately interested in. To act like such and such game that has a 63 on MC is an unplayable mess... Come on, be real. Think of the unplayable messes during the 16/32-bit gens. I struggle to think of something modern that is legit "unplayable" (I own Quantum Error even) most games are so neutered these days that the biggest sin a game can do is simply being no fun to play. Unplayable though, so incredibly rare.

Gamers really need to stop focusing so much on review scores and get back to playing a wide variety of games. It's really as simple as that. Something like Devil's Third for instance. It was so trashed but I guarantee that 8/10 gaf members would have an absolute riot with that game if they actually sat down and played it! There are so many games that are worth playing but are written off due to the reviews from outlets that we actively want to see fail.

Play games, have fun, and talk about them with friends, that's what gaming is all about. It's so much more than the handful of AAA games that suck all the oxygen out of the room.
 

Mattdaddy

Gold Member
7 is the bare minimum to even be considered acceptable. Its the 30fps of the review world. Anything less is trashola.

And thats also why number scores suck ass and need to be purged. They never tell the full story.
 
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It did used to work that way in the 16 and 32 bit era. Scores of 6 or 7 could still be very good games, just flawed in some way. Now, a 6 is literally considered garbage, and a 7 or even mid 7 is seen as mediocre.

Maybe it was the shift away from magazines and into digital, reviewers want the clicks. Idk why it changed.
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
It all comes down to personal choice.
Some low reviewed games actually were fun for me.

Kane and lynch 2 multi player.

I like the
Buy/wait for sale/rent is that still a thing ? / Avoid type review.
 
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Power Pro

Member
I've always kinda looked at scores like school test scores, regardless of how some critics try to paint their scores in the past. If you score something in the 60s, you think there was effort put in, but not very good, and ultimately is a failing grade.
 
For better or worse, games seem to be scored like tests in school.
Instead of "how good is it from 1 to 10" it reads more like "what percentage did they get right?"
5wM2QiD.png
*US schools, other regions use the full scale and I passed a lot of classes in middle school thanks to 5.5 being a passing grade :messenger_smirking:
 
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It did used to work that way in the 16 and 32 bit era. Scores of 6 or 7 could still be very good games, just flawed in some way. Now, a 6 is literally considered garbage, and a 7 or even mid 7 is seen as mediocre.

Maybe it was the shift away from magazines and into digital, reviewers want the clicks. Idk why it changed.

Examples?
 

FoxMcChief

Gold Member
Gaming media uses the scoring scale shown in the second tweet.
So no, a 6/10 isn't considered a good game



For better or worse, games seem to be scored like tests in school.
Instead of "how good is it from 1 to 10" it reads more like "what percentage did they get right?"
5wM2QiD.png
That grading scale has changed. I have a daughter in high school and when I saw their grading scale in one of the back to school nights, I “boo’d” out loud. We really are doing everything we can to get these new stupid generations out of school, no matter what.

My daughter is in Principal’s Honor Roll with a 4.2 GPA, for what seems like the same stuff that got me a 3.1 in high school.
 
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