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by Jerry Whorebach 02/28/2006, 8:50pm PST |
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"Scores" have the potential to make text-based video game reviews obsolete. I'm going to give you a second to put your monocle back in before I continue.
Traditionally, a review score has taken the form of a number - one which the critic himself probably considers somewhat arbitrary - appended to several paragraphs of text. Conventional wisdom has it that the body of a review is necessary to communicate a wide range of opinions which don't fall neatly into a linear scale, and to provide evidential justification of a critic's conclusions. While I can't argue with the latter, I must take issue with the former.
A review is written with the goal of persuading me to take one of a very limited number of actions. These generally boil down to BUY THIS PRODUCT or DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT. Variations may include "buy this only if you have a thing for similar products" and "don't buy this as it gets old quick, rent it instead."
Has any professional critic ever considered breaking with the hierarchal scoring system and including instead a symbol representing his rather-simple-when-you-get-right-down-to-it opinion? It seems that one of a handful of characters - say, apple/orange/banana/shit - could communicate through a single glance what used to take a brief skim of the concluding remarks. |
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Tom Chick takes swing at Game Rankings, falls over. by Jerry Whorebach 02/28/2006, 6:43am PST 
I wonder what he thinks of me. by Rotten Tomatos 02/28/2006, 11:27am PST
Hating the numerical ranking of games by Flavio 02/28/2006, 3:53pm PST
I liked TimeSplitters 3 :( by Jerry Whorebach 03/01/2006, 2:01am PST
I only played Future Perfect NT by Flavio 03/01/2006, 11:06am PST
They're the same game. by Future Flavio 03/01/2006, 6:57pm PST
The problem with scores. by Jerry Whorebach 02/28/2006, 8:50pm PST
Re: The problem with scores. by I need clarification 02/28/2006, 9:27pm PST
Re: The problem with scores. by Fullofkittens 02/28/2006, 11:42pm PST
What DO you do? by Really? 03/01/2006, 1:46am PST
Wow, "Really?" demands I stop being a pussy and (finally!!) admit what I do. >:[ NT by I need clarification 03/01/2006, 11:50am PST
WHAT'S THE HOLDUP NT by Creexul :( 03/02/2006, 7:04am PST
I herd the cows that give the milk that dilutes the tea that David Jaffe drinks. by I need clarification 03/03/2006, 4:36am PST
I wouldn't misspell "designer." :( NT by I need clarification 03/03/2006, 4:03pm PST
You edited my post to make me look stupid. NT by I need clarification 03/03/2006, 6:50pm PST
I mean make YOU look stupid >:[ NT by I need clarification 03/03/2006, 6:52pm PST
You know who else thinks reviewers suck? Marc Ecko. by Fussbett 03/01/2006, 3:33am PST
Re: You know who else thinks reviewers suck? Marc Ecko. by corax 03/01/2006, 11:39pm PST
More free-associative rambling on the subject of scores by Tony 03/02/2006, 2:42am PST
Text is okay as long as I don't have to read it. by Jerry Whorebach 03/03/2006, 2:49am PST
Hey, good point by Tony 03/03/2006, 3:34am PST
Re: Tom Chick takes swing at Game Rankings, falls over. by Souffle of Pain 03/02/2006, 9:38pm PST
The only people more wrong than Tom Chick by FABIO 03/02/2006, 10:54pm PST
At least Troika tried (and failed) to make another Fallout. NT by Bioware hasn't even done that :( 03/03/2006, 2:53am PST
No clever verbal twist (also, Erik!) by Tom Chick 03/03/2006, 12:54pm PST
Haha awesome. by Fussbett 03/03/2006, 7:11pm PST
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