Bumblebeetuna
Member
Of magazines? Old school EGM, GameFan, PSM.
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Is a 6 a good score?
- Thread starter Mibu no ookami
- Start date
Of magazines? Old school EGM, GameFan, PSM.
Wildebeest
Member
1 to 6: they reviewed this game for a joke.
7: might be ok since game reviewers have awful taste.
8: likely a bad game
9: bad game
10: probably a boring game without too many flaws
7: might be ok since game reviewers have awful taste.
8: likely a bad game
9: bad game
10: probably a boring game without too many flaws
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FinalBossWithTheMostPower
Member
The problem with the 1 to 10 scoring system is that the full range is rarely used.
Plus even when they aren't moneyhatted most outlets don't have the balls to score a game accordingly. And so, they use sixes and sevens when they really should use 2s and 3s.
Gamers shouldn't have to guess what receiving score of 6 means.
But here is Gollum. A game clearly deserving of a 1 or 2 at best, yet it sits on metacritic with a 33 average and GamingTrend had the audacity to give it 70.
Mind you, GamingTrend also gave Alone in the Dark a 70.
Plus even when they aren't moneyhatted most outlets don't have the balls to score a game accordingly. And so, they use sixes and sevens when they really should use 2s and 3s.
Gamers shouldn't have to guess what receiving score of 6 means.
But here is Gollum. A game clearly deserving of a 1 or 2 at best, yet it sits on metacritic with a 33 average and GamingTrend had the audacity to give it 70.
Mind you, GamingTrend also gave Alone in the Dark a 70.
S0ULZB0URNE
Member
Larxia
Member
I actually learned something about scores not that long ago.
For the longest time, I was really confused why, particularly on american places online, scores below 8 were considered mediocre, and then below 7 was considered bad, this was always very weird to me, because if you rate out of 10, then 5 is the average, 5 is mediocre.
I even remember one time here on gaf when I talked about how 5 should be the medium line, the average, and a guy told me that if you have 5 at school, you failed, that 5 wasn't average. There again, I didn't understand what was going on.
And then, not long ago, I learned that this is apparently all related to the american score grading scale, which is, for some reason, uneven. From what I understood, the middle line out of 10 in america is... 7, not 5, and anything below a 7 means you failed. When I read about this, I started understanding that one guy one neogaf before who talked like that, but it's still super weird to me, why would 7 be the middle ground, why is it uneven like that? lol
I also think it's a shame that video game scores are done the same way, I don't see why it has to be like school, and I think this system is flawed because it gives a very broken scale, making the measurement not accurate enough.
With this system, basically anything below 6 doesn't even exist, so you just have 6 to 10 to rate games, instead of a wider and more precise range. I think it's stupid.
For the longest time, I was really confused why, particularly on american places online, scores below 8 were considered mediocre, and then below 7 was considered bad, this was always very weird to me, because if you rate out of 10, then 5 is the average, 5 is mediocre.
I even remember one time here on gaf when I talked about how 5 should be the medium line, the average, and a guy told me that if you have 5 at school, you failed, that 5 wasn't average. There again, I didn't understand what was going on.
And then, not long ago, I learned that this is apparently all related to the american score grading scale, which is, for some reason, uneven. From what I understood, the middle line out of 10 in america is... 7, not 5, and anything below a 7 means you failed. When I read about this, I started understanding that one guy one neogaf before who talked like that, but it's still super weird to me, why would 7 be the middle ground, why is it uneven like that? lol
I also think it's a shame that video game scores are done the same way, I don't see why it has to be like school, and I think this system is flawed because it gives a very broken scale, making the measurement not accurate enough.
With this system, basically anything below 6 doesn't even exist, so you just have 6 to 10 to rate games, instead of a wider and more precise range. I think it's stupid.
clarky
Gold Member
Edge magazine scored GTA3 a 6 back in the day, nothing mid about that my friend.
5 is the very definition of mid.
Don't get me started on 7's.
Paltheos
Member
I don't know if it's ever been true either. I think scores have been inflated for a long time. I know it was definitely a problem in the '00s, but I don't remember about before then.
Some of my favorite games are 7 out of 10 games. They're not revolutionary or outstanding; they're just solid genre titles that I can enjoy while acknowledging their many shortcomings.
I generally wouldn't see a review score of 6 in today's landscape and be too eager about it though, but that's largely because I assume score inflation is present until proven otherwise.
Some of my favorite games are 7 out of 10 games. They're not revolutionary or outstanding; they're just solid genre titles that I can enjoy while acknowledging their many shortcomings.
I generally wouldn't see a review score of 6 in today's landscape and be too eager about it though, but that's largely because I assume score inflation is present until proven otherwise.
yet_another_alt
Member
School has basically warped people's perception of what average means. When you need 70% to pass for most of your young life, that tends to stick with you forever.
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yet_another_alt
Member
This is funny cause before college, educators are also encouraged to give out 50's as pity points because it's mathematically impossible for a student to reach an average of 70 if their scores so far are low enough. So really, it's more like the the grades are from 50 to 100. Used to be that high school graduates are in for a rough awakening once they get to the merciless profs in colleges and universities but I hear that's changing too. If you fail them too early in their college life, then they're a lot less likely to keep trying and paying for the rest of their coursework.
Pegasus Actual
Member
Doesn't matter what 'scale' some braindead communist who can't get through the Cuphead tutorial screen uses, I ain't listening to him.
^A decent scoring system I will glance at.
^A decent scoring system I will glance at.
Kabelly
Member
I think this is the biggest thing. Culturally it's very similar to the school system as you said. When I see games get a game get a 7 I just think, a probably fun game to pass the time by, might have some technical issues but other wise still playable and could be very enjoyable to some. Other people think a 7 is dumpster juice.
If we actually graded games properly on a 10 scale Bloodborne would get a get an 7 for it's terrible ass performance and dumb change to the lamp system, but the game is just perfection otherwise.
Tears of the Kingdom would also get proper 7-8 for it's terrible menu system to Fuse things together. TOTK combat is sorta a downgrade from BOTW imo. But other STILL a great game and 7 is still a great score.
To me truly bad games are 1-5 but I usually don't waste my time with too many games I don't think I will really like.
Mozzarella
Member
I dont use a 10 point rating scale.
1/5 - Bad
2/5 - Mediocre
3/5 - Decent
4/5 - Good
5/5 - Excellent
1/5 - Bad
2/5 - Mediocre
3/5 - Decent
4/5 - Good
5/5 - Excellent
vaibhavpisal
Member
Not a good score in how scoring works in gaming.
But game could be good regardless. Would rather play a fun 6/10 than a 9.5/10 slog.
But game could be good regardless. Would rather play a fun 6/10 than a 9.5/10 slog.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
"score" alone does nothing to tell you about the actual game.....Just because a game got 9 or even 10 is no guarantee you gonna enjoy the game.
I mean games like Helldivers 2 got bunch of high scores but I will never gonna play it because I'm not in to that type of games.
Meanwhile Nier Gestalts didn't got high scores and love the crap out of the game.
I just can't rely on reviews scores because most of the time my taste just very different that theirs.
I mean games like Helldivers 2 got bunch of high scores but I will never gonna play it because I'm not in to that type of games.
Meanwhile Nier Gestalts didn't got high scores and love the crap out of the game.
I just can't rely on reviews scores because most of the time my taste just very different that theirs.
March Climber
Member
Nope, also flawed and very, very fickle.
^A decent scoring system I will glance at.
The minute a dev gives a small update people don’t like, or if a game has an iffy release, or if they’re platform warring, or if a dev will say something on twitter gamers don’t like, they will purposefully drag the reviews down to mostly negative.
Mob voting is mainly good to warn buyers if a game is broken, but in almost every other instance it just ruins steam reviews.
Knightime_X
Member
8/10 or higher day 1
7-6/10 will wait for sale
I view 6/10 games as if you're a big fan of the series
7-6/10 will wait for sale
I view 6/10 games as if you're a big fan of the series
Bankai
Member
A better topic would be "when is a 6 a good score?"
Because it all comes down to personal preference and knowing what you like.
I love brawlers and I remember Streets of Rage 3 getting bashed, because it didn't do anything new. But I love brawlers, so a 6 (scores were pretty low I remember) wasn't a problem for me.
Because it all comes down to personal preference and knowing what you like.
I love brawlers and I remember Streets of Rage 3 getting bashed, because it didn't do anything new. But I love brawlers, so a 6 (scores were pretty low I remember) wasn't a problem for me.
Fredrik
Member
Not if I would rate it myself, that would be minimum 7/10.
But it can be good enough in professional reviews, if I know I love the genre and IP and dev and know something I don’t care about could drag down the score. A professional 6 could be a 9 for me.
Problem is, unless it’s on a subscription service or dirt cheap it’s likely that I’ll never play it.
The harsh reality is that a 6/10 don’t exist if money is involved. I have far too many games with higher scores on my backlog waiting to be played.
But it can be good enough in professional reviews, if I know I love the genre and IP and dev and know something I don’t care about could drag down the score. A professional 6 could be a 9 for me.
Problem is, unless it’s on a subscription service or dirt cheap it’s likely that I’ll never play it.
The harsh reality is that a 6/10 don’t exist if money is involved. I have far too many games with higher scores on my backlog waiting to be played.
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
HmmScores don't matter.
This
Is a better game than this:
(or better than rebirth but I am not going there just yet)
Tams
Member
Yes, it's an exponential grading system.
My university in the UK used it (1-20 for bizarre reason). It was/is almost impossible to score a 20 there. Score lower than a 20 and you risked getting kicked out and below an 11 got you put on special measures.
It is also utterly pointless as anything below halfway just isn't used.
Borowski_1
Member
Scores don't matter.
This
Is a better game than this:
(or better than rebirth but I am not going there just yet)
Are you always this high?
foamdino
Member
I think the scoring system for games is a bit weird to be honest.
There are certain categories/types of games which I'm likely to enjoy somewhat, *no matter what*. There are other types of games I just won't play even if the consensus is 10/10 - because for me they are not 10/10, they are worse than 0/10 - I have no interest in playing Madden, NBA, Street Fighter/Tekken/MK, any sous-like etc - they just don't interest me at all.
Yet a janky crpg that most people would ignore could be something like a personal 7/10 for me
I think reviews should concentrate on aspects of the game that work well/don't work well in the context of the game. I can respect developers building a great souls-like or sports game without wanting to play it myself.
At the end of the day there are 2 main aspects of games that they can be judged on: artistic merit and technical merit. The artistic side is subjective, the technical side can be objective (bugs etc are objectively bad), but technical aspects can also be a choice that the devs made given constraints - so these can be subjective also.
Scored reviews are just this strange aspect of this hobby which don't really make sense.
There are certain categories/types of games which I'm likely to enjoy somewhat, *no matter what*. There are other types of games I just won't play even if the consensus is 10/10 - because for me they are not 10/10, they are worse than 0/10 - I have no interest in playing Madden, NBA, Street Fighter/Tekken/MK, any sous-like etc - they just don't interest me at all.
Yet a janky crpg that most people would ignore could be something like a personal 7/10 for me
I think reviews should concentrate on aspects of the game that work well/don't work well in the context of the game. I can respect developers building a great souls-like or sports game without wanting to play it myself.
At the end of the day there are 2 main aspects of games that they can be judged on: artistic merit and technical merit. The artistic side is subjective, the technical side can be objective (bugs etc are objectively bad), but technical aspects can also be a choice that the devs made given constraints - so these can be subjective also.
Scored reviews are just this strange aspect of this hobby which don't really make sense.
rofif
Can’t Git Gud
I am always this right !
sigmaZ
Member
Three star/prong system. Poor Average Excellent Cuts out the BS and makes the reviewer commit.
GymWolf
Member
Not a great score on paper but i had fun with a lot of 6\10 games, sometimes more fun that with some overrated 9\10 games.
I'm extremely harsh with scores so i probably scored a 6 to many games that people consider an 8.
I had more fun with 6\10 elex over metacritic 8\10 starfield (but i consider both games a 6\10).
I'm extremely harsh with scores so i probably scored a 6 to many games that people consider an 8.
I had more fun with 6\10 elex over metacritic 8\10 starfield (but i consider both games a 6\10).
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crackajack
Member
In a sane system it should mean solid average fun. I enjoyed some quite a bit, especially when these are not bloated like the supposed to be good games.
Reviewers get some games "wrong", one score is hardly ever correct since even the best games can have features that are objectively unlikeable for some, while bad games can have some nice hook that is damn fun and overshines the rather meh rest, for some, but the average gamer with their we know it better attitute overcorrects any perceived wrong doing and their opinions are therefore more wrong than the pros, with way too many 0s and 10s, extreme scores, ruining user scoring systems way more than games journos ever did.
No score sytems don't survive since people want a simple number, but games should imho be scored with a range. Since the individuals enjoyment can vary quite a bit. That is certainly also no simple number, but would be more accurate. A 6 game can feel like an 8 for some, but also like a 4 for others, while both groups understand the game's mechanics equally good and notice the same bugs and flaws.
Reviewers get some games "wrong", one score is hardly ever correct since even the best games can have features that are objectively unlikeable for some, while bad games can have some nice hook that is damn fun and overshines the rather meh rest, for some, but the average gamer with their we know it better attitute overcorrects any perceived wrong doing and their opinions are therefore more wrong than the pros, with way too many 0s and 10s, extreme scores, ruining user scoring systems way more than games journos ever did.
No score sytems don't survive since people want a simple number, but games should imho be scored with a range. Since the individuals enjoyment can vary quite a bit. That is certainly also no simple number, but would be more accurate. A 6 game can feel like an 8 for some, but also like a 4 for others, while both groups understand the game's mechanics equally good and notice the same bugs and flaws.
E-Cat
Member
Mario Kart: Double Dash is not a tenth above 7.9
gtabro
Member
So I was right to consider Nier Automata a 6/10 game personally:
I love what it does in terms of combat, fluid gameplay and twisting story.
I found the graphics utterly mediocre, the world slightly above average and lacking detail, but at least rather original and charming still. The 60 fps were a big plus.
Story didn't impact me as much as it did a lot of people, but the 3-act/protagonist idea was fresh.
Main characters were fine, but the side ones were bordering on anime quirkiness, which I don't really like.
So I've always considered it a very memorable experience, just one too many things that underwhelmed me.
S0ULZB0URNE
Member
That's there opinion.
It's mid to them.
Hydroxy
Member
6 is for me an okay average game. The kind of game you buy when its 80% off or so during sale if you're interested in the genre or premise. I enjoy story games and there are many games which have good story but lack good gameplay, have bugs and poor graphics. I'm willing to overlook those things to some extent if story is really good and its on a good sale. Games like Murdered Soul Suspect, Deadly Premonition, etc.
Larxia
Member
It's actually like this in France, /20 is the norm here, not 10. The big difference is that here the whole scale is used.
Sushi_Combo
Member
I also had a ton of fun with the game, glad I gave it a shot and didn't listen to those naysayers.I might have to unwrap it and play it
If I can find where I put it...
Dynomite
Member
Alan Wake 2 must be terrible because Forespoken is a hard 6/10.Scores don't matter.
This
Is a better game than this:
(or better than rebirth but I am not going there just yet)
I am playing Rebirth now and the only thing Forspoken does better is movement on the map. It pales in just about every other way.
Bruno_Arrais85
Member
5 is not ok
Lokaum D+
Member
Scores don't matter.
This
Is a better game than this:
(or better than rebirth but I am not going there just yet)
RayHell
Member
5/10 comment
Bert Big Balls
Member
I will never understand the current grading scale where a 7/10 is a piece of shit and a game isn't good unless it's a 9 or a 10. It makes no sense to me.
Astral Dog
Member
There are a few games i played that got around "6" snd still found decent
for what its worth Metacritic considers 75 "good" and anything below that bad
for what its worth Metacritic considers 75 "good" and anything below that bad
Morrie’s wig shop
Member
Why even go to 10, just do 1-5.
Listen, if your purchasing decisions are solely based on other peoples opinions and you feel like you need the okay from a stranger, your about as deep as a puddle.
Listen, if your purchasing decisions are solely based on other peoples opinions and you feel like you need the okay from a stranger, your about as deep as a puddle.
Tsaki
Member
Unless there is something specific about a game that intrigued me, everything lower than 7 is a Never-Touch category. 7 to 8 is I'll play it if on deep discount ($10 or less) or PS+ Essential pick.
The supply of good games (and huge BC catalogues) far exceeds the demand for them so there is always an 80+ game to play.
The supply of good games (and huge BC catalogues) far exceeds the demand for them so there is always an 80+ game to play.