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[vicissitudes]

Feelings on Metacritic aside, I do see it as a fairly good reflection of the general reception of a game, both by critics and by players (I'm talking about the official score, not the user score).

I remember back in 2007 when the PS3 had been out for almost a year, we already had quite a few 90+ games on "next-gen" consoles: Gears of War, Bioshock, Guitar Hero 2, Elder Scrolls IV, Halo 3, and followed closely by Call of Duty 4, Mass Effect, The Orange Box, and Rock Band.

Now that the Xbone and PS4 have been out for nearly a year and looking at the big AAA titles so far: launch titles all more or less disappointed, hyped up games like Second Son and Titanfall landed in the 80s, and Destiny looks like it'll follow suit. Even the feelings here towards these games seem more tepid. (and sorry I'm not counting TLOU:R since it's a remaster of a PS3 game)

Am I off-base here or have the AAA efforts so far this gen been lackluster compared to what we got early last-gen?

 

[BronsonLee]

I don't know if the AAA stuff we've got is lackluster, as much as expectations for it are much higher than they were in 2007.

 

[bigkrev]

Most of the games you listed were 2007, 2 years after the generation started....

 

[dugdug]

There have been like 3 AAA games this gen, so far.

Spoiler

Jokes and jokes and jokes.

 

[Freeman]

Ask that in 2015.

 

[EdwardTeach]

Mario 3d world
Mario kart 8

 

[BadWolf]

Make this thread next year. Quality takes time.

 

[DryvBy]

Diablo 3 Ultimate Evil Edition

 

[influentzar]

GTA 5?
oh, stupid me, gen means PC doesn't count

 

[LegendofLex]

Most of the games you listed were 2007, 2 years after the generation started....

2014 is also two years after the generation started.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I checked briefly in the Destiny review thread, but I think the highest ranked physical releases so far for consoles are

Super Mario 3D World (~93)
Mario Kart 8 (~88)
TitanFall (~86)
NBA 2k14 (~85)

Reviewers have been relatively harsher on next gen with good reason IMO, none of the games available have really stood head and shoulders above what we got on the previous consoles in scope or gameplay...yet.

The only two games that I would actually put money on scoring 90 the rest of the year are Smash Bros and Bayonetta 2. That's...not that impressive, except for Nintendo.

 

[CosmicQueso]

I did a lot of work and even started a whole thread to answer your question.

You should check it out. If you like charts, tables and graphs.

• Release Counts are Significantly Lower vs Last Gen – 104 Packaged games were rated across PS4, Xone and Wii U over the first 8 months in market for each platform, down 32% versus the 154 titles rated over the first 8 months each of PS3, X360 and Wii.
• However, the number of 80+ releases has remained flat vs last gen – 35 titles in the current generation have scored an 80 or higher, the same number over the first 8 months of the prior cycle.
• Average Quality has improved slightly – The average PS4/Xone/WiiU game has scored a 71, while during the first 8 months of last cycle the average PS4/X360/Wii game averaged a 69.
• Quality scores should improve in 2015 – 95 titles released in year 3 of the prior cycle scored 80 or higher, while during the first two years only 35 titles reached that benchmark. We should expect more 80+ releases coming in 2015 than we’ve seen to date.

 

[Maintenance]

Super Mario 3D World.

 

[Dysun]

Bloodborne is almost here

 

[Dawg]

PS4 has a couple of 90+ games.

Unfortunately, they're all ports/remasters.

 

[Bgamer90]

I checked briefly in the Destiny review thread, but I think the highest ranked physical releases so far for consoles are

Super Mario 3D World (~93)
Mario Kart 8 (~88)
TitanFall (~86)
NBA 2k14 (~85)

Reviewers have been relatively harsher on next gen with good reason IMO, none of the games available have really stood head and shoulders above what we got on the previous consoles in scope or gameplay...yet.

Yep. Agreed. Give it 2-3 more years -- cross gen is holding things back.

 

[jetjevons]

Last of Us Remastered? Diablo 3? Telling I suppose that they're re-masters.

Rayman Legends scored pretty high (deservedly).

 

[Euron]

2014 is more comparable to 2006 in terms of releases. In 2006 I believe Gears of War and Oblivion both released and scored above 90 on MC. 2007/2015 sees a significant jump in both the number of releases and the overall quality level.

There are still many more releases this year. For all we know, games like Dragon Age and Assassin's Creed Unity could be excellent and score above 90. A proper comparison can't really be made until the end of the year.

 

[Eggbok]

Lackluster? Lackluster, you say? Mister Vicissitudes, not lackluster....Just begun, the 8th generation has!

Spoiler

It's honestly too soon bro.

 

[CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls]

You're not considering the fact that the jump from PS2/Xbox --> PS360 was a much bigger leap than this new generation of consoles. Therefore, we had titles being released that were far more advanced than what the previous generations of concoles had been capable of.

Right now we're dealing with developers adpating to the hardware as well as being difficult and not saying goodbye to last gen. Only when developers start making games strictly for new consoles (hello, 2015), will we start to see higher averages. Right now, we're reiterating last generation gameplay only with higher poly counts.

 

[Freeman]

I checked briefly in the Destiny review thread, but I think the highest ranked physical releases so far for consoles are

Super Mario 3D World (~93)
Mario Kart 8 (~88)
TitanFall (~86)
NBA 2k14 (~85)

Reviewers have been relatively harsher on next gen with good reason IMO, none of the games available have really stood head and shoulders above what we got on the previous consoles in scope or gameplay...yet.

The only two games that I would actually put money on scoring 90 the rest of the year are Smash Bros and Bayonetta 2. That's...not that impressive, except for Nintendo.

Diablo 3 Ultimate Evil Edition has a 90+ metacritic on PS4.

 

[Archaix]

GTA 5?
oh, stupid me, gen means PC doesn't count

Really? How's that PC copy of GTA5 working for you there? How is everything else in the future where everybody lies and just posts bullshit?

 

[Storm Kyleis]

Super Mario 3D World is the only one right now.

 

[noconstant]

Is unfair to compare PS4 XBOX ONE after 10 months to PS3/360 after 2 years. More interesting will be comparing at september 2006 for 360 games and september 2007 for ps3 games.

 

[GavinUK86]

Beyond: Two Souls PS4 edition isn't out yet.

 

[Sayter]

Super Mario 3D World is the only one right now.

SM3D had a AAA budget?

 

[NerdEyeBlind]

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't we classify "AAA" games BY the rating and not the studio/budget? So if we haven't had any games ranked 90+ this gen, then we've had zero AAA games. At least that's how I look at it.

 

[Archaix]

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't we classify "AAA" games BY the rating and not the studio/budget? So if we haven't had any games ranked 90+ this gen, then we've had zero AAA games. At least that's how I look at it.

No. Never. Ever. Never ever ever has AAA meant quality. It has always meant budget and marketing.

 

[jeffers]

Its probably also harder now with more outlets around writing reviews.

 

[Tenck]

SM3D had a AAA budget?

Who's the judge on what a AAA title budget is? You? Give me a break.

 

[SerTapTap]

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't we classify "AAA" games BY the rating and not the studio/budget? So if we haven't had any games ranked 90+ this gen, then we've had zero AAA games. At least that's how I look at it.

No.

In the video game industry, AAA (pronounced "triple A") is a classification term used for games with the highest development budgets and levels of promotion

 

[bigkrev]

GTA 5?
oh, stupid me, gen means PC doesn't count

GTA 5 is out on PC?!?!

 

[BibiMaghoo]

GTA 5?
oh, stupid me, gen means PC doesn't count

Sorry, what?

 

[noconstant]

2014 is also two years after the generation started.

So you had a PS4 or XBOX one in 2012? Or by the pic you could be reffering to the Wiiu. The Wiiu is not exactly next gen............. The original Xbox had HD support, something "new" for the wiiu.....

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Diablo 3 Ultimate Evil Edition has a 90+ metacritic on PS4.

I completely forgot Diablo and TLOU. To be fair, they are both fairly recent and ports of games that already had similar scores. GTA 5 and MCC will be the same, those games are already a known quantity being improved.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

SM3D had a AAA budget?

I don't think we know how much it cost. We do know that there were 100 people working on it, which is a lot for Ninty. I think besides that only Skyward Sword and Other M had 100 person teams as far as Nintendo games go.

 

[baconcow]

Using Metacritic as a source, the following AAA games (including remakes and ports) have 90+ critic rating averages:

Wii U

• Super Mario 3D World - 93
• Rayman Legends - 92
• Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD - 90

PS4

• Last of Us Remastered, The - 95
• Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition - 90
• Rayman Legends - 90

Xbox One

• Rayman Legends - 91

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

SM3D had a AAA budget?

Core game, made by one of the greatest developers of all time, tv ads, console bundles

what more do you want

 

[vicissitudes]

I did a lot of work and even started a whole thread to answer your question.

You should check it out. If you like charts, tables and graphs.

Thanks, I did a search for similar threads but didn't find yours. I'll definitely give it a read.

 

[Floridian]

I hope we'll see more 90+ rated games next year that aren't ports/remasters considering the massive lineup.

 

[Gotdatmoney]

SM3D had a AAA budget?

What is the arbitrary standard you are setting to be AAA?

 

[Sayter]

Who's the judge on what a AAA title budget is? You? Give me a break.

No, but I can read.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAA_(game_industry)

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

SM3D had a AAA budget?

Almost definitely. Keep in mind that budget also includes marketing & Nintendo spends as much on marketing as anybody out there when it comes to their big flagship titles.

 

[baconcow]

Super Mario 3D World had a AAA budget and easily falls within most accepted definitions of the term, AAA.

 

[Freeman]

I did a lot of work and even started a whole thread to answer your question.

You should check it out. If you like charts, tables and graphs.

How come Xbox One has 2 90+ titles in that but it still has only 1 today? PS4 also should have 3 by that time and my looking at it wrong?

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

What is the arbitrary standard you are setting to be AAA?

3D World is definitely AAA. I might argue that Rayman Legends is not, relative to the money Ubi spends on making and marketing their open world games.

 

[shiftplusone]

2014 is also two years after the generation started.

Nintendo starting the gen and spending 2 years farting around isn't quite the same scenario as MS/Sony delivering big titles a year in

There is no oblivion this gen 4 months after it really started like last time though, and a year in Epic delivered the first Gears. No comparable scenario this time

 

[Rockyrock]

Almost every big AAA game released this gen has been held back by old hardware. That's the big reason. People are expecting these new and exciting games and we're just getting slightly rehashed versions from last gen with better graphics. Happens all the time.

 

[DoubleTake]

Bloodborne is coming.

 

[Freeman]

I completely forgot Diablo and TLOU. To be fair, they are both fairly recent and ports of games that already had similar scores. GTA 5 and MCC will be the same, those games are already a known quantity being improved.

I was under the impression this new Diablo was a new game, I never played it.