I am going to be honest.
I used to be all about scores at the end of reviews. Just give me a nice little number at the end
of a review and I will be on my way.
But, I slowly realized that it’s an incredibly ineffective way of
reviewing games.
First of all, I didn’t read the damn reviews! I bet you most of you don’t either. You look
for the giant number somewhere, and you move on, either using it to reaffirm
your opinion on the game, or ignoring it.
Hey, I am not blaming you, any of you.
I can’t tell you the number of times I have seen a game with a nine
point something and moved on thinking to myself, Psht, I knew it! This game is the bomb diggity! I didn’t actually
think that, because no one says bomb diggity (though I wish they did). Or even the reverse, I knew this game was utter garbage, and this person’s opinion confirms
it. Now I am gonna be smug and post
about to internet forums let people know I was correct! I will also enjoy the smell of my own farts
because I am so smug right now! When
you just rely on a number, you don’t get the full idea of what a game is
about. Maybe the reviewer is pissed
because the game is a reboot to their favorite franchise, and try as they might
to do write a review free from bias, they can’t. If you as the reader haven’t played a game in
that franchise, then you obviously won’t have that problem. Maybe the reviewer loves Sonic the Hedgehog,
and gives all the games glowing reviews with 9’s, even if their written review
is full of negative stuff. That stuff
isn’t reflected in the number. What if a
site places emphasis on the technical skills of the game, like graphics or
sound design, and less so on game play.
Then you might go out and buy a game like The Order: 1886, even though, that game is a 6 hour movie with some
super shoddy gameplay. None of these
things come across when you look at just the number.
Another thing I hate about numbered reviews is the decimal
system or the 100 point system. If one
game gets an 8.9 and another a 9.2, is the 9.2 game really that much
better. At what point does the decimal
become arbitrary? I remember I wrote reviews
and gave points out a 100 scale. By the
end when I was ready to assign a score, I was like, This is a definitely a 9 game, but is it a 9.5, or a 9.4, or a
9.2. Not going to lie, I ended up
most of the time just assigning a totally random number. When the second number becomes an afterthought
that it’s not even worth using. Why not
just give the game a 9. Is the .3
difference in a game score really indicative that it’s better? I honestly don’t think so. I think it’s a system with more cons than
pros.
Another thing I truly hate about the numbering system is the
hate. I can’t count the number of times
I have seen people flipping the hell out over an 8/10. Are you serious? That’s a fantastic score. That’s a B guys. As is above average. As in out of every game ever, the game that you
are defending tooth and nail is still better than 80% of all other games. That’s what an 8/10 means. If every damn game you like gets a 9/10, then
that means that a 9/10 is the new average.
Eventually a 10/10 won’t even be good enough. Once you start to skew that bell curve, then
you’re making the numbers meaningless. Though, I guess that furthers my point,
and I love being right, so keep doing that! Forget what I just said.
Last point, and I can cease this long winded rant. When you skip a reviewer’s work and go right
to the score, you are spitting in that author’s face. Human opinion is too nuanced. Too nuanced to be put into a number. These guys put hours into their job, to put
their thoughts into clear concise sentences, so that you, the consumer, can go
out make an informed purchase with money you have earned. By paying attention to the small number and
ignoring the larger work, you are doing the writer a disservice, and yourself
an even greater one.
That being said, I give this rant an 8.4/10.
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