Comments on: Editorial: On Review Scores

By: Wolfe

Wolfe — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 09:34:48 +0000

Reducing an entire work to a single numerical value has more to do with moving product than investigating its potential qualities.

By: The Legendary Zoltan

The Legendary Zoltan — Sat, 24 Jan 2015 21:57:42 +0000

I liked the point about review scores just arming people to argue about the review instead of educating the consumer. I certainly hope Joystiq can keep those scores off. I imagine their reviews will get significantly less traffic now. This was a great article, Mel. I give it an 8.

By: Lusipurr

Lusipurr — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 00:58:17 +0000

Also: that… cabin(?) in the last picture is shocking. I should die of shame if I had a place decored in such a way.

By: Lusipurr

Lusipurr — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 00:37:27 +0000

The problem with scores is that by their very nature they obscure the premises by which they are reached. One has to read the review to actually understand the score, at which point the score is no longer necessary: for, one has just read a review which gives a far more comprehensive set of information than a reductive value can ever provide.

And that’s why we don’t have them here.

By: Java

Java — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 23:59:34 +0000

I don’t like single score reviews, but if we’re breaking up the scoring into discrete categories, then I pay a bit more attention. Even the few times I’ve seen this, they still want to average out those numbers into one at-a-glance grade, which ruins the point, to me. I’ve attempted to come up with a proposed compromise, but haven’t gotten any further than rating games by association with various candies and mints.

By: Ethos

Ethos — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 18:51:52 +0000

I think that a score is nothing but how somebody feels about a game (or movie or whatever). That's why I only reviewed my favourite games as reader reviews on IGN when I was younger. I wanted my feelings about the game to seem more concrete. I loved looking at the 9.8 I gave FFIX instead of the 9.2 IGN gave it (that's based off memory, but I'm probably right, sadly). As you detail in this article, the usefulness of a score fades away the more one thinks about it. It serves no function outside distraction and chest puffing.