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This week, we have much to be thankful for. One thing we should all be thankful for is the fact that Adam Sessler takes the time out of his busy schedule each week to let us know what's on his mind. This week, Adam is going to respond to some of your criticisms about the recent scoring of Assassin's Creed II and Left 4 Dead 2. Many of you pointed out that these sequels have improvements over their predicessors, but got a lower score. Press play to find out why.
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Comments
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telcltd01
telcltd01's comment is abusive and has been removed.
Vinny464
Numerical reviews are the commercial beast all good reviewers have to bear. They should be done away with, but that probably won't happen, since too many "gamers" have the attention span of a 3 year old. In other words, they don't want to sit down and read a review, they just want to spend their $50+ bucks on a whim that some random number they happened by will give them all the information they need to know to make an intelligent purchase... bleh.
However, that being said, there is another legitimate "scientific" (I'm sorry Sessler) reason to give a "better" sequel a lower numerical value than its inferior precursor. It harks back, somewhat to the fact that the reviews were written by different people. Consider the fact that when some games come out and earn a 5 star rating, part of that high rating comes from the game bringing with it an original idea (a new game engine, a new gameplay style, a new method of storytelling, etc...) Originality does play a part in ranking games. This is ONE OF THE REASONS why games like Bioshock, Little Big Planet and Assassin's Creed 1 did so well. When those games come out with a sequel, the sequel is expected to have that previously-innovative engine, style method and therefore it is being held to a higher standard, hence it might not get as high a score, even if it IS "technically" better than the original.
I say that Assassin's Creed 2 is better than the first game. However, AC2 did not come out with the innovative story-telling mode and gameplay that AC1 did. Therefore, in order for AC2 to score a 5 (in my book) it doesn't just have to be "better". It has to be "MUCH better."
Drakonzo
I'm not mad over the whole 4 out of 5, frankly THE ONLY reason why I watch xplay besides liking the hosts is that they point out the flaws, I don't give a damn what they put on the sticker board I just want to know things i might not like, then ill make the decision if that flaw is big enough on my own personal annoyance scale to justify not picking up the game. The only time I acknowledge the score a game gets is if it gets a 2 and sometimes 3, which shows that all around it probably isn't a very enjoyable experience. then i debate heavily on that and wither or not i should get it. Also I look at more then just xplay for game reviews, i check out ign, gamespot and the xplay community; also a handful of user reviews on gamespot. This is due to the fact that different people have different opinions and it helps to see if the reviewer was just a d-bag about that title cause he/she wasn't good at it.
Which honestly I think was the problem with the person who reviewed ac2, not that he is a d-bag or that his 4/5 was wrong, it was his reasons for 4/5; in my opinion the game was great but when i took it as a whole it felt like a 4/5. I don't think the reviewer did that; it seems to me he is almost always on board with pc titles but never really the console only games, and his nitpicks at free-running were unfounded and were obviously derived from the fact that he couldn't make his point without coming off like a pessimist. So he blamed the game play. I watched the feedback show on ac2 and lfd2 and it was obvious in that discussion that the others didn't really agree with his statements about the game. If anything i would have nitpicked the sword fighting animations, which were terrible, i mean it looked like he was trying to hit them in the head with a golf club, no style whatsoever.
the-king-in-yellow
pepole need to remember the 4 or 5 is the persanol view of one person. Like that person you need to make your owen idea about wether the game is good or not. Allso remember it's a game not the end of the life as we know it just have fun regardles of the score.
SuperStingray
As far as I'm concerned, number grades only works for one-dimensional, right-or-wrong phenomena like math tests. Beyond that, everything- books, movies and especially games- have too many criteria to narrow down to a single, vague value. A person can ignore it, but in the long run, number grades are a dangerous concept. It gives the message that entertainment can have a unit of measurement. I'm reminded of a quote by Einstein: \"It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience.\" I'm fine with reviewers judging games, but sticking a number onto what they say, no matter how well thought out, is just harmful to subjective journalism.
JimMD102
I do read the reviews here sometimes, but I usually lean towards gametrailers reviews because I'm too lazy to read a review and I want more stuff broken down in a video so that I have a better idea of if I like it or not. I remember the resident evil 5 review, who doesn't, and I was disappointed to hear the news but still bought the game and had a great time because the review was a simple guideline and I'm an RE fanboy who seperates supjective and objective. Hell, Mass Effect got a great review and ME2 will probably get one too, but I definitely won't buy the sequel cause even though I could tell it was a great game, it wasn't my cup of tea. Though I might still rent ME2.
Vultur
i think most sane viewers \"get it.\" most people decide what games they buy based on the points made by reviewers, not so much scores. most people i know read a review and say to themselves \"that sounds like fun, or that sounds like i wouldn't have fun,\" based on their own personal likes and dislikes.
i could read a 5 star review, and hear the game uses quicktime events, and perhaps i have an extreme aversion to quicktime events. i would not buy the game.
keep doing waht you're doing adam. you're the man. i've been watching you for some 9 years or something like that. i lost you on g4 for the last 3 years, but recently re-found you on the internet. i'd say your analysis has gotten better here! keep doing what you're doing, cuz you've got me listening to what you have to say... about things.
SirPukey
haha I love don't score you moms meal send off really I think you guys do a great job with your reviews I alway look at your guys reviews before I buy a game and trust me I really could care less about the score it gets it more about does that sound fun to me and I think your reviews give a fare statement about a game.
SirPukey
haha I love don't score you moms meal send off really I think you guys do a great job with your reviews I alway look at your guys reviews before I buy a game and trust me I really could care less about the score it gets it more about does that sound fun to me and I think your reviews give a fare statement about a game.
FrontLineSpartan119
Well said Mr. Sessler. And he does bring up a great point. 4/5 doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad game. But it is questionable when the sequel scores lower, but he did validate that it wasn't scored by the same people on the previous installments of those two games, accompanying the fact that taste in the video game industry does change as well.
xWilliamRockerx
I couldn't agree more.
Personally, if I don't feel like reading an entire review, I skip to pros and cons, from there determining what individually appeals to me.
4/5 or 5/5 doesn't really matter-- the only number scores that immediately turn me off are terrible 1/5s.
fenrir_tenhoor
I would outright agree with the Sess, but almost everyone is already doing that,
Really, people that are griping about a one point difference in a score, get over it. I bet most of you don't even have the game, you're just looking for something to gripe about. if you really love the game and want other additions into that game series spread the word, word of mouth is the best advertisement of a game.
Please, realize what the rating system for G4 is, its a guide, not a law.
SIRsmackzALOT
well since it seams like Adam wants to get rid of the numbers placed on the game they should put it in categories I.E (Awesome) (incredible) (sucky) (worthless) (okay) of course, this would never happen, but it would be nice because numbers placed on a game can ruin its sells (BTW BUY BORDERLANDS GOT A 4/5 AND I THINK IT'S AWESOME)
theGreatZamboni
Just all I'm asking is to address this sometime down the line if it's a slow week, please make a soapbox about people and their needs to justify their own opinions by spewing garbage. Using what little knowledge they have to justify their bias opinions, then turn around and belittle other gamers for their preferences in gaming. You addresses this in other Soapboxes I'm sure but it never hurts to re visit important issues. (Like this Soapbox and an older one titled Innovation vs. Numeration). It embarrasses me to be group into the same category as these people, to be labeled \"gamers\" where these people don't understand what the term really means. Hell if I even know what being a gamer is, maybe I'll google it (or Bing, what ever window is open)
Here is a reference http://www.youtube.com/user/Za matoElite
Aussiepowa
Changing the it to a score out of 10 would help
If they were scored 9/10 it would have better reflected the written review
theGreatZamboni
Adam! I need your help! Please make a soapbox about these people and their needs to justify their own opinions by spewing garbage. Here is a link http://www.youtube.com/user/Za matoElite help me to understand them and maybe I won't lose anymore sleep. (not that I do) He is the epitome of self-righteous ignorant fools in the gaming community.
bigbluectc
A bit of advice for future soapboxes. Stop being so politically correct Adam. and u don't have to be so nice to developers and publishers
jhoe45
want to know why they got 4/5. left for dead two.... more of the same thing... there i said it. AC2 the first game should have gotten a 4/5 and since they didnt play the game longer then 4 hours before writing the review they gave it a 5/5 and now since they messed up the first round they gave AC2 a 4/5.... there the truth hurts.... and all sites are doing it.
Fullarr
Maybe you guys should get rid of the number and score it with a single concise sentence describing your opinion. For instance: \"Worthwhile experience despite mediocre plot.\"
and then offer \"gold stars\" or something if it's groundbreaking in a good way or something I dunno.
I mean if you hate the scoring so much then stop scoring them. You'll only be angering and estranging the illiterate/ADHD people on this site. And they rarely contribute to meaningful discussion anyway.
If I'm interested in a game, I'll read the whole review. I mean your game reviews are meant to be helpful for potential fans/consumers anyway, not fuel for the fanboys.
Snickersnee
With me i don't like the scores, they make some games feel not as good as others. because you can look at MW2 and there are many problems with that game, but hey it got a 5/5 and that's all you need to know right so go get it. We should be given the review and if they see parts they like they should get them. Also i have a problem with the system they use to play certain games. Like with L4D2 that should have been reviewed on a PC because it is coming from a PC developer, also it is a FPS they are superior on the PC because a M&K. And assassins creed should be done on a console just because the controller was made for it unlike a M&K. When you are going for a game you should be looking at the developer and looking at past systems they have done the best on. like DA:O you went for the PC because the developer was Bioware and the last game they made like this was a really good PC game.
but again great SSB Adam keep them up
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