Arbitary scoring system

[Tharticus]

It puzzles me that people rely the number system to see if the game is really good or not.

My opinion on scoring using letter or number system isn't a good way to indicate if a game is good or not. Everyone has individual tastes of a game, even having a game that's spawned from a popular franchise outside gaming or for glorified advertisement.

What's your opinion on the scoring system to tell if the game is good or not?

 

[Cpt Morgan]

Do you mean like rating a game from 1 - 10?
I agree it's a stretch since everyone has their own opinions.
Everyone has their different values they find in a game.
However, things like GameInformer that incorporate the rating system tend to be fairly accurate in my opinion.

 

[jamesworkshop]

People don't rely on it otherwise reviews wouldn't contain any words

 

[UnearthedArcana]

I only like the way that Famitsu does it (four people), which is more scientific. It's still subjective, though. I will generally read a review after I've bought something.

 

[Srkkl]

Hours Played is how I would score, I think thats pretty good, but I don't really look for a scoring system, just people saying good things.

 

[TaborMallory]

A number score means nothing to me. A game cannot be judged in the slightest by a single number.

It's all about what the player likes in a game. For many, the GTA series was fun and I understand that. However, I'm more of a chess guy.
I think strategy is infinitely more fun than mindless killing.

 

[Nightflight51]

They're useful when it comes to getting an overall appraisal of a game, but they don't go much farther than that.
I rarely pay attention to them when I'm looking at a game.

 

[lostclause]

When you've got a big website with hundreds of review it is not helpful to the user to have no order. A score is a rough guide (especially when out of 5 like gamespy becuase then it's more of a gut feeling than a real score)) which can help separate the good from the awful. If you see a 5 you're interested, if you see a 1 you're not. It's not simple giving something a number, after all these numbers are usually backed up by a text review. The numbers are just a rough guide, nothing more than a way to quickly order the hundreds of reviews.

 

[Crabturtleking]

People don't rely on it otherwise reviews wouldn't contain any words

It's somewhat sad that that isn't quite true to the mainstream gaming public

 

[jamesworkshop]

People don't rely on it otherwise reviews wouldn't contain any words

It's somewhat sad that that isn't quite true to the mainstream gaming public

I don't feel that, game magazines and review sites contain too much text which is basically the only way to see a review score anyway

 

[phwbt]

I think number scores are quite helpful. When I read reviews, I often go to Metacritic. Then I look for a game I'm interested in and read a few of the reviews with the highest scores and a few with the lowest scores. It generally gives me a decent idea of what is going on with the game.

That being said, reviews are worthless without descriptions of what the reviewer liked and disliked in the game.

 

[jaeger138]

Well, it's true that everyone has their own opinion, but if that's your reason for not liking the scoring system then we may as well not review games. I mean, any reviewer worth their salt will throw in their own opinion so doesn't that nullify much of the article? Okay, I'll agree Cpt Morgan than some sources, IGN for me, are accurate with their scoring as they'll get people who enjoy the genre or the series to review the game.

Although, IGNs main scoring is a little wierd in that each aspect is assigned a number but the main number isn't an average of these scores, just the reviewr's opinion. But generally I don't necessarily rely on reviews too much. For example, IGN gave Shellshock 2 a bad review, really bad. I bought it anyway, played it and find it quite enjoyable. It has its flaws, sure, but it's fun!

I think reviews are a guide, not a scripture, but numbers are there for lazy page scanners or those in a hurry. They can be helpful, but also a detriment in some cases.