Feedback -- Rockin' Fable BlizzCon Edition

Treeclaw

I know Im going to get flamed for this... but I'll bite anyways.

G4, your review system needs some serious help.

I am assuming that reviewing video games is part of your "Bread and Butter" there are some major issues that should be discussed. But before I get ahead of myself, I do wanna say that I really really appreciate that you do review games, and despite Adam's recommendation to use more than one site for game reviews, I do just the opposite. I almost exclusively use G4 to review any game that I buy. And it is the reviews that keep me coming back to the site, but I stay logged for other things.

The 5 point system that G4 uses is extremely confusing and frustrating. At a glance you may think something like, "WTF? How so? It seems pretty straight forward to me..." Actually there are two ways to look at the 5 point system, both of these ways are so engrained in us that we probably dont even notice it since we have been learning them since elementry school. Below are the two viewpoints:

Model 1
5/5 game= "A" game= perfect or near perfect game
5/4 game= "B" game= good solid game
5/3 game= "C" game= a mediocre game, not bad, but not great
5/2 game= "D" game= a much to be wanted game
5/1 game= "F" game= failed

Model 2
5/5 game= 100% game= perfect or near perfect game
5/4 game= 80% game= good game, not good but not bad
5/3 game= 60% game= a bad game (and everything else below this is also considered bad)

Looking at these two models, do you know what I think many viewers use as how to interpret the 5 point system? Model 2. Its probable that no one at G4 actually intends for use to interpret Model 2 when we read/watch their reviews, but we do. If you do not believe that a large portion of your male audience uses Model 2 to look at your reviews, please go look up the recent review of Vanquish and read the feedback from the fans. If you are still not convinced please read the feedback from God of War: Ghost of Sparta. Basically, to many of your viewers you have called a game bad they thought was not bad. We can take you calling a beloved game of ours and saying it was an "OK" game. But many of us wont stand for you calling our "OK" game bad (or if we have rosy tinted glasses on, a good game bad). I know, I know, you are using the first model and really meant to say that that 3/5 game was an "OK" game and not a bad one. But ummm... G4 I dont recall you telling us which model to use. And more importantly, should you even need to? As a business, shouldnt your review system be so intuitive that even a 10 year old can know what you meant? In my overdrawn and way to long opinion, the current 5 point system might as well be a 3 point system, because that is how many of us see your system.

And here is a kicker. Lets pretend that only 20% of your game viewers interpreted your reviews using Model 2 (I dont have the data so I shot low, but I think that number is way higher). How many of your games are given a 3 points or 4 points? I think I could comfortably say 80% of your game reviews. This means that 25% of your game reviews are totally misinterpreted by your viewers.

Do you know who else looks at your reviews and probably uses the "3 point" system (Model 2)? Game producers. Why would I let you review my game early when you constantly call my OK games bad? Or my solid games OK?

I think I could go on and on regarding this subject. It has been on my mind alot since one of the games I really liked got burned with a 3/5. But I also know that I am not alone in this. And I know that this is probably just a misunderstanding and all, but... its still kinda alienating to me when something I like turns out to only be a 3/5. (And no, it wasnt Vanquish or GOW.)

Anyways, sorry to rant G4, but I just thought I would clear some air around here (if this was even read, its cool if it wasnt). Again, thanks for the many many on spot reviews and thanks for todays great show. I am also grateful for the time you took to answer the question on air (and sorry Kevin for unnecessary sarcasm in your last review.)