The main problem with metacritic and why it isn't that reliable.

[Acidwell]

So i was wondering what metacritic had as the top rated pc game of all time, no surprise it was half- life 2. But then comes the problem, the second best pc game of all time is......... Out of the Park Baseball 2007.

Has anyone played this game? If yes is it better than Kotor, GTA:Vice City or any of the other games on that list?

So heres the question: Is any point in including scores from places like ign and the onion av who rarely give scores lower than 85 or 90 to major releases?


[link]http://www.metacritic.com/games/pc/[/link]

 

[JEBWrench]

OotPB2007?

Is it better than Vice City, Bioshock, and others on that list?

Hell. Fuckin'. Yeah.

AND it's free, by the way. Win-freakin'-win.

 

[j0z]

Metacritic just agitates scores. Don't blame them, blame the reviewers. And just because #2 isn't your type of game, doesn't mean that the system is flawed.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Reviews don't mean facts. Opinions are opinions. That's really all there is to it.

 

[Baby Tea]

*Snip*

What I don't like about this story, is that everyone has some movie they loved that a lot of people didn't enjoy. I really really enjoyed the movie Phonebooth, but it only has a 56 metacritic score. I would call that outrageous, and say the film deserves far more then that. I bet there are others who agree.

But, that, as they say, is the way the ball bounces. Metacritic isn't a one-stop review shop. It's a 'overview' site where you can go to get a 'rough idea'. You want specifics? So read individual reviews.
Metacritic is there for convenience, not as an absolute final word.

 

[Acidwell]

Its just an opinion to guide you on your purchases not some god damn bible law. Stop being such a whiner and get over it. Yes to some a sports game is better than whatever the hell you like, surprise surprise people like different things.

Hmm did you even read the question or just the first half of the post because i did ask is there any point in including scores from places that just give high scores all the time, its not specifically about that game its just that it is a perfect example of where 3 of the scores could easily be ignored because they are given to every game.
Also where did i say it was law, just because its a guide doesnt mean it can't be a decent representation of opinion?

 

[JEBWrench]

Download complete. Ah, yes, the sweet sweet memories of OotPB.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

I always thought the biggest problem with metacritic was that they sometimes invent numerical scores for reviews that did not originally have them, which is just ridiculous.

Also, that baseball game thing is surprising. I'm not saying that it couldn't be really amazingly good, it's just that I've never heard anyone mention it. I would think that a game with such high scores would receive more attention.

 

[T-Bone24]

*Snip*

What I don't like about this story, is that everyone has some movie they loved that a lot of people didn't enjoy. I really really enjoyed the movie Phonebooth, but it only has a 56 metacritic score. I would call that outrageous, and say the film deserves far more then that. I bet there are others who agree.

But, that, as they say, is the way the ball bounces. Metacritic isn't a one-stop review shop. It's a 'overview' site where you can go to get a 'rough idea'. You want specifics? So read individual reviews.
Metacritic is there for convenience, not as an absolute final word.

Finally someone else who enjoyed Phonebooth. Anyway, I find that Metacritic is more about reviews than numerical score. Look at the reviews, look at what they have to say and only pay attention to the score for quick scanning. If you're looking for an opinion, look at some of the good reviews and the bad reviews. It's an aggregate service, not end all be all fact.

I just realised I pretty much said exactly the same as the post I'm quoting.

 

[danmega]

Diff'rent strokes makes the world beat your drum in tune to each's own... or something.

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

I'd never even heard of that baseball game until just now. But then I don't actually care what the Metacritic composite score is, I only visit that site to follow all the handily collected links to actual reviews - saves me a bunch of time when I don't have to go trawling the web myself.

The number they put at the top is only going to catch my attention if it's ridiculously low.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

I'm outraged. Out of the park baseball is much better than Half-Life 2. Time to write a stiffly worded letter to the Times to let the world know how appalling and out of hand this situation is.