Is a 5-Point Scoring System Enough For Games?

[dudex77]

5 means it's perfect and unless the game is in fact perfect (Jet Set Radio) it doesn't deserve the score.

No it doesn't. 10.0 means a game is perfect. 5 stars means a game has no real flaws. Mathematically, 5 stars could stand for anything above an 8.0. This isn't complicated. Anyway, scores are fucking lame. We don't need them.

Explain how 5 out of 5 is not the same as 10 out of 10. I hate scores as well but they are decent sometimes so you can avoid a real pile of crap. If my cousin had known about scores I wouldn't own a copy of Rise of the Robots. Things sometimes might sound like they are perfect for your tastes yet end up being total shit so it's good to have scores if every game doesn't have a review.

[racketboy]

I can kinda see Mozgus's reasoning on the 5 out of 5.

Essentially, it breaks down to this:
1 = crap
2 = below average
3 = average
4 = above average
5 = excellent

It's basically like a grading scale at a school -- just exchange the numbers for letter grades.

[dudex77]

It's basically like a grading scale at a school -- just exchange the numbers for letter grades.

Then why don't you just use letters or say "excellent"?

[racketboy]

It's basically like a grading scale at a school -- just exchange the numbers for letter grades.

Then why don't you just use letters or say "excellent"?

Computers like number better

[opethfan]

I like my 5 point scale:
1- Don't get, avoid
2- Rent or borrow from a bud
3- Buy it if its cheap
4- Buy it full price when you can
5- Buy now!!!!!

[Mozgus]

I like my 5 point scale:
1- Don't get, avoid
2- Rent or borrow from a bud
3- Buy it if its cheap
4- Buy it full price when you can
5- Buy now!!!!!

With me, it seems to be more like this.

1) Garbage
2) Garbage
3) Garbage
4) Almost Certainly Great
5) Almost Certainly Garbage

There are exceptions, but it always seems like my favorite games are considered 4 stars, b's, 8's or whatever. And then when I try a GOTY type title, I think it's shit.

[Caboose]

I like racketboy's amended review model with the 5 star quick review and 10 point detailed review.

[RadarScope1]

Mozgus - I like your scale. Funny how that top score often works out that way ....

Now to the topic at hand. I have pretty strong feelings about this. In a larger sense I agree that scores are fucking lame. But, I also agree they are helpful in a general way if not taken as gospel. It would be cool to have a racketboy rating system. This is a trusted site and if the scores hold up the same way then readers will figure that out and come to trust them. That said, you have to use the WHOLE scale. Not enough sites/mags do this, though many have started to try to do it more in the last couple of years.

And THERE IS NO SUCH THING as a "perfect" game. A perfect score just means it's damn good when judged on its own merits in the eyes/thumbs of a particular reviewer. That's all.

I really, really, really feel that a 100 point scale is fucking ridiculous and over the top. It leads to stupid arguments like people scouring the Gamestop archive after they give Zelda TP an 8.8 for some dumb game that got an 8.9 and people saying "so game X is 'better' than ZTP???!!!" We're talking about subjective opinions here. There is NO WAY we can really justify something being 1 or 2 percent better than something else, especially across all genres and many console generations.

I'm an EGM/1UP person and I like their 20-point scale (1-10 with half points) OK. However, I really think simpler is better. If we are to consider a score to simply be a general guideline as seen by individual reviewers, then there's really no reason to have anything more than a 5 or 10 point scale. So I think a five-star scale, or a five-star scale with half-stars would work out best. All this business of splitting hairs over scores on the Internet is just dumb. It's all subjective.

My other strong feeling on reviews is that price should not be taken into account. A good game is a good game is a good game. If it's cheap, then so much the better. I realize games are more expensive than movies or books, but I just think it's dumb to take price into account. Then again, I am the type of person who would rather read reviews that judge games on their merits (ie, game design, art direction and overall feel) than ones that are mere product reviews (ie, buy it vs. rent it). That gets back to the whole idea of ditching numbers altogether....

Sorry to rant ... but like I said I have strong feelings about this. I'll shut up now.

[elph]

Heres a vote for 5 stars, with half stars and an explanation. In addition, I'd like to see pertinent areas reviewed in text, e.g. replayability, etc. But I can see how that might complicate things.

[lordofduct]

Another tactic I was thinking of is as follows:

There are two ways you can rate a game:
- You can give a quick score via 5-star system on the main game page (like on Amazon.com)
- You can also write a more in-depth review that allows a 10 or 100-point scale for not only an overall score, but also for different categories like gameplay, graphics, etc.

The full reviews can be weighted a bit heavier in the game's average score since chances are that more thought was given to the scores.

Does that sound better?
Any other ideas to tweak the concept?

I like this idea. A basic 5 star (no half stars) for a general consensus of the game. This can be voted by any passerby, guest, member, all on the fly.

Then for members of the site allow a scaled one that allows 0-100% for several different parts. Which then solves the overall grade of it at the end. This requires little reviews for each area for why you considered it this value. It requires a little more thought and validates the score a bit more.

This way some one can see a 5 star game and go "hey, a five star title, might be good... lets click these reviews..."

clicky

"hrmm, a 72%, how'd it get that? Ohhh... it's graphics are a little dated and the soundtrack is bit repetative. But over all the gameplay, storyline and other tid bits are top notch! They must be good if the guests are throwing it 5 stars, despite the crappy graphics and music, and graphics or music don't concern me... I just want a good story and replayability"


I say members do the weighted reivews so that way the readers can associate the review to a person on the site and judge any bias against that. Like if I wrote a review and rave on graphics in my "for its time" kinda way, then they see who I am and see I like pretty shitty graphics... they can then assume that my score of graphics might be biased.