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The Forgotten 7/10 Era of Gaming…

IbizaPocholo

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


0:00 Intro
01:30 50 Cent Blood on the Sand
08:07 Black
15:26 Days Gone
23:01 Rage
29:52 The Force Unleashed
41:37 The Force Unleashed 2
44:00 The Order 1886
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Key Points Summary


  • (00:00–00:52) The video argues that "7/10 games"—not masterpieces—are often the most memorable: flawed but enjoyable titles that players revisit despite imperfections.
  • (00:52–01:11) These games are defined by solid core gameplay mixed with noticeable shortcomings, making them interesting rather than exceptional.


50 Cent: Blood on the Sand


  • (01:11–02:41) Absurd, comedic premise (recovering a stolen diamond skull) but not meant to be taken seriously.
  • (03:18–04:48) Surprisingly solid third-person shooter mechanics with variety (weapons, combos, challenges, co-op focus).
  • (05:27–06:30) Major flaws: repetitive encounters, weak boss design, technical issues (aiming, frame rate).
  • (07:06–07:43) Commercial failure (~50k copies), likely overshadowed by huge 2009 releases.
  • Takeaway: Dumb but fun—"competent mediocrity."


Black (2006)


  • (08:19–09:08) Weak, forgettable story with heavy cinematic presentation.
  • (09:36–10:45) Exceptional gunplay and destruction—core strength of the game.
  • (11:11–12:16) Highly interactive environments; explosions and sound design carry the experience.
  • (13:12–14:18) Downsides: short length (3–4 hours), limited enemy variety, repetitive structure.
  • Takeaway: Pure gameplay spectacle outweighs its simplicity.


Days Gone (2019)


  • (15:46–16:44) Strong premise (post-apocalyptic biker story) with solid protagonist performance.
  • (17:29–18:31) Unique bike mechanics and survival elements add depth.
  • (18:31–20:08) Gameplay feels derivative (similar to other zombie/stealth games).
  • (21:08–22:10) Highlight: massive zombie hordes as standout feature.
  • (21:53–22:30) Biggest issue: excessive length (30–40 hours, ~160 missions) and repetition.
  • Takeaway: Good ideas buried under bloated design.


Rage (2011)


  • (23:21–24:10) Strong post-apocalyptic premise with Mad Max vibes.
  • (24:51–25:40) Creative weapons and vehicle combat add variety.
  • (26:01–26:55) Innovative tech (id Tech 5 "megatextures") but plagued by texture issues and performance problems.
  • (27:20–28:39) Repetitive enemies and shallow systems; lacks depth across its mechanics.
  • Takeaway: "Jack of all trades, master of none."


Star Wars: The Force Unleashed


  • (29:46–31:12) Loved for its story and power fantasy (playing an overpowered Sith apprentice).
  • (34:13–36:16) Strong physics and Force mechanics create satisfying gameplay.
  • (36:55–38:07) Problems: clunky controls, poor camera, repetitive enemies, excessive quick-time events.
  • (38:07–39:23) Infamous frustrating sequences (e.g., Star Destroyer level).
  • (40:02–40:24) Short but packed experience (~5–6 hours).
  • Takeaway: Great concept held back by execution issues.


The Order: 1886


  • (44:19–45:33) Unique alternate-history setting (Victorian knights vs. werewolves).
  • (47:01–48:18) Solid shooting mechanics and creative weapons.
  • (50:42–51:20) Major flaw: excessive cinematics (≈75% of runtime).
  • (51:45–52:12) Overuse of quick-time events, even in boss fights.
  • (53:18–53:57) Visually impressive, still holds up graphically.
  • (54:13–54:39) Low replay value and unresolved story (no sequel).
  • Takeaway: Feels more like an interactive movie than a game.


Overall Conclusion


  • (55:20–end)
    • "7/10 games" are memorable because they almost succeed.
    • They often feature strong core ideas but lack polish, variety, or refinement.
    • Despite flaws, they deliver fun, unique experiences that many players appreciate more than "perfect" games.
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Season 4 Monica GIF by Friends
 
Memorable my ass. Only thing I remember about Rage is being disappointed by it

Also fuck you Gman. If you are reading this, you owe me 50 bucks for making me buy fucking Starfield.
 
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Some of my favorite games are the sleepers that critics don't love. Just tells me that critics can't tell me what's good.

Like Earth Defense Force 2017. Had a 69% Metacritic and I really enjoyed it.
 
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All of these games deserve better than a 7/10, not way better mind you, just better..........except for The Order 1886, you crossed me, no one crosses me.
 
KyoZz said:
Eh I disagree at least for one of these, Force Unleash 1 & 2 were very good

tenor.gif
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Yeah sorry my comment was mostly about Rage. The Force Unleashed games seemed full of memorable shit, haven't even played them and I still remember than scene where you pull a star destroyer into a planet. :goog_relieved:
 
7 should be removed from the 1-10 scale. with 6 feels like a serviceable, sub-par experience, 8 feels like good, but not great. 7 feels like a wierd limbo that doesn't help me decide if I want the game or not (yes I got this from Kevin Samuels)
 
TintoConCasera said:
Yeah sorry my comment was mostly about Rage. The Force Unleashed games seemed full of memorable shit, haven't even played them and I still remember than scene where you pull a star destroyer into a planet. :goog_relieved:
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It's pretty good and the physics is still very funny. It was the beginning of the Euphoria engine (yes, the same one used by R* !):



You should give it a try if you can
 
Those poor 7s. Unless it's a game you were expecting to be a 4-6 and it ends up being a 7, then it just comes off as a disappointment because you were hoping for a 8 or 9 and if that sort of a game gets a 7, it just leaves this bitter disappointment making most uninterested in giving the game time.
 
I kind of feel like most releases these days are 7/10 games and that we see fewer highs and fewer lows which is kind of boring.
 
I didn't forget Black and Rage.
Black is awesome.
Rage could have been awesome too if it wasn't an unfinished game. I wish we got an improved remake with the latest id Tech instead of a mediocre sequel.
 
Really enjoyed Force Unleashed, but the sequel was a massive disappointment. One of the most half assed feeling sequels ever.
It was also like 5 hours long.
 
Personally I feel that Days Gone is easily an 8/10 or a bit higher. I really enjoyed the story and atmosphere, I wish it got a sequel. I picked up the order for a few dollars, at that price it was worth it. Today I would pay more for a game like The Order. Tight, polished and a great weekend game. More isn't always better
 
Not the 7 of 9 era?

Shall We Begin Star Trek Voyager GIF by Star Trek
 
I remember when game trailers had their own awards for best graphics, gameplay etc.

Then one year they gave basically everything they could to Rage. Made no sense to me, they were in love with this game.
 
The Order 1886 shouldn't even be included with the others, had nothing to offer a but a story and graphics...gameplay was just bad boring af Gears of War.

7/10 games can sometimes be memorable, because usually they'll do one thing well, and be bad at other stuff like Rage: linear shooting segments + graphics good, rest meh.
 
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I played all of those except the 50 Cent game...of which I kind of regret. Could've gotten it for AUD10 at EB Games, but for some reason did not. Enjoyed my time with most of them, especially Rage. I thought it was quite good, except for that abrupt ending.
 
adamsapple said:
Black was such a technical showcase for the PS2/Xbox back in the day, such meaty explosions.
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And after recently playing it the other year as BC, that and the sound design were the only things it was really good at. The level design was very basic, the enemy a.i. was very basic, the objectives were very basic, and the story was very basic.

My favorite 7 on this list is probably 50 Cent's game.

And also I want to nominate Total Overdose to the 'Fun 7/10 game' list.
 
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fear 2 was decent for 7/10 game

Robocop rogue city critics "7/10" game which i liked recently
 
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Shubh_C63 said:
I remember really getting into its story. Was extra interesting on accounts of me being an Indian.
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The story was very cool. The setting, the weapons and the lore around it were amazing and I wish there was a sequel who could flesh it out along with better gameplay and less qtes. The Order 1886 had so much potential as a franchise.
 
Days Gone might have released as a 6/10, but it was much better when patched, pretty good game closer to 8 or 8.5/10. Stars Wars Unleashed was a power fantasy with an interesting story at times, so many different versions, 7/10 is probably being too kind overall. Sam in both of them, interesting. Dserved 3rd entry and a Days Gone sequel.
 
Black was such an underrated game. A modern day top-down arcade shooter that nobody understood. I guess that normal difficulty would be boring, but who plays on normal?

Most fun destructibility in a FPS. 9/10. Better than Halo.
 
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Its more like forgotten era of bargain bins. On PS360 I bought so many games. Because they were like 10-20 bucks sometimes mere weeks post launch. This is how I got around to play Rage, X-Com, Dead Space 3, AC Brotherhood etc all for about 15 bucks a piece.

Days Gone I started to play when it was on the PS5 welcome program. And I ended up getting the platinum for it.
 
RSLAEV said:
7 should be removed from the 1-10 scale. with 6 feels like a serviceable, sub-par experience, 8 feels like good, but not great. 7 feels like a wierd limbo that doesn't help me decide if I want the game or not (yes I got this from Kevin Samuels)
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All hail the 5 point scoring system.
 
Dead Island 2 was the last best-70s game I have played, absolutely loved everything about the game. It was my Goty 2023

 
Every era is the era of forgotten 7/10s.

When you're young enough, and not jaded enough, to appreciate a competent game that clearly isn't a masterpiece, you'll remember it fondly and you'll have nostalgia for it. I'm browsing through lists of games from old generations and even with a YT longplay, sometimes it's hard to understand if the game is worth your time or not. You see a game clearly aimed at a younger audience and all the comments are "omg this game was my childhood" and "great game, played it for months" and it's impossible to know if it was actually good, or these people were just too young to recognize shit.

But this also means that yes, the 7/10s are probably decent enough to be worth a playthrough or three and won't make you feel like you threw your money and time in the trash. And these have always been the majority of every gaming system's library. People started to diss old 7/10s because AVGN and his imitators made a career out of funny videos shitting on games millions of people actually loved, and that were actually solid and fun.
 
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