Metacritic Scores and how they affect your purchases?

NikuNashi

NikuNashi

Member
Hi gang.

I would like to know how metacritic scores affect your purchasing of a game.

What score encourages you to buy a game you were on the fence about?

What score discourages you to buy a game you were on the fence about?

Below what score does a game get relegated to buy in sale?.

Genuine question.
 
I refer to metacritic user score many years ago, now i refer to metascore because of fanboy, trolls review.

More than 80s + some reviews from youtuber + reviews from reddit post should decide the purchase for me.
 
I like to think they don't affect anything.

I wish it was true though.

With that said, every game is a sale game for me unless its very compelling in all ways, not just metascore.
 
Too much. I recently have got a lot more fun out of a low-mid 70s rated game than the couple of much higher rated games I played before it. If that game had scored 90% I may have picked it up at launch. As is, I only gave it a go when it appeared on a subscription service, and even then it was only because it appeared at the moment I felt like trying something new.

I think we ought to get rid of review scores, tbh.
 
Last edited:
There is no way if a game got a 45 metacritic scores you guys wouldn't doubt your intended purchase. I know it cool to say you don't care but seriously a terrible aggregated score must affect your purchases, right?
 
Metacritic doesn't factor into my purchasing decision. If I'm on the fence, word of mouth from places like GAF and Reddit are my go-to.
 
My buying decision is massively altered by MC scores. It is the only way to filter out edge case praise or review bombing. If a game is 90+, chances are, if I like the genre, I'll also like the game.
I'm no snowflake and tend to like what the masses like. Except GTA, RDR, Call of Duty, Fortnite...wait a minute.
 
The only times it influences me is when the score go to the extremes. A game I had high hopes for getting rated 3-4/10 on average I'd probably look into more and be more weary about purchasing.

On the other hand it can also encourage me to look into a game I had no interest in if it suddenly jumps to 9/10 average and becomes one of the best rated games of the entire generation.

But for me it's more about getting a general idea for the quality. It doesn't really influence my purchasing decisions. BG3 is one of the highest rated games of last year, but in a genre I don't enjoy, so I obviously won't buy it.
 
Last edited:
Open critic is better than metacritic but neither of them affect the games I play.

I have my own brain and I use it, all you need is a trailer showing gameplay to know if it's your thing and then you follow it more closely near to launch to decide for yourself.
 
I am more into reading actual detailed impressions from people and watching video reviews or playing demo.

But still, I am sure subconsciously the overall score also plays some role in whether I want to play something.

That said, I have no problem playing games with metascore in 60s or even lower if the game appeals to me for whatever reason.
 
giphy.gif


I trust my own taste above else.
 
When a badly written, dull, needlessly overlong humourless slog like Uncharted 4 somehow manages to score 93% at MC, you just know this shit ain't an accurate metric to measure game quality.

Yeah, I just trust my instincts and taste based on past experience playing games.
 
If it's an IP and genre I know from a dev that usually makes games I like then review scores don't matter.

Otherwise it depends what it cost. I don't buy a 7/10 game for $70 but at $20 on sale it can be interesting and if it's on Gamepass I play everything that looks like it'll fit my taste.

One of the games lately with the biggest clash on review score and my own enjoyment is The Ascent. It got like 70 on Metacritic. I only played it because it was on Gamepass and I'm sooo glad I did that. I think it's absolutely phenomenal! It was on my top 5 the year it released, looks amazing and plays like a dream, twinstick shooting is seriously the only way analog controller based shooting truly works without issues. Since then I've bought it on both Xbox and PC and all it's DLC. Need to replay it!
 
Depends on the game, not everything I play needs to be a 90+ score masterpiece. However, I don't believe those who say metacritic scores don't affect them at all. If a game gets let's say under 50 metascore, obviously you will think twice before buying it.
 
I don't look at metacritic scores, outside of curiosity for bigger titles. If there is a game I might be interested in, I check out it's steam page etc, maybe look at some videos on youtube, and if I think it is up my ally I buy it.
 
NikuNashi said:
Hi gang.

I would like to know how metacritic scores affect your purchasing of a game.

What score encourages you to buy a game you were on the fence about?

What score discourages you to buy a game you were on the fence about?

Below what score does a game get relegated to buy in sale?.

Genuine question.
Click to expand...
They generally don't. I've played 90+ games that have put me to sleep and 70- games that are a ton of fun.

Honestly we get so much information from developers and on demand gameplay footage of most games as well as impressions without reviews that's it's easy enough to know if you'll have fun with a game.
 
I use meteoritic as well as the views/opinions of the members of NeoGaf. As I get older I rely more and more on positive word of mouth in regards to what games I should invest my time into. Same with movies, shows, etc ... Usually around 87 is the cutoff. I maybe have time to get through one game a month if I'm lucky.
 
I rarely use external input to makes me Buy something. Well, my taste for games often kind of weird for most people. Their score usually means nothing for me.
 
I generally stay away from games that get a sub 75 metascore and that has been working well. Every time I've strayed from that I've been sorry.

But really, I am more interested in the written opinions than the actual numbers.

With that said, I absolutely don't trust 90+ games as being masterpieces or anything. Sometimes they are, lately - not.
 
Last edited:
No Metacritic scores, but Edge and Eurogamer scores are. A 7 or 8 with the right text in the review in a genre that I like is still worth a try.
An 80 on metacritic is suspicious.
 
I'm not aware of the scores and never cared.

Only reviews that I find helpful in making a choice are steam user reviews. But most of the time I just need to check out a good gameplay stream to see how it plays and make my own mind.
 
Last edited:
It depends. If it is a high scoring sequel to a previous game I played and didn't like, I expect the sequel has improved and I check out if thr improvements made justify a return to the franchise.

If it's low scoring but has an interesting hook. I'll see what the issues are and take a risk on my checks.

If its low scoring and there are many saying give the game a shot then I'll look for it on sale.

I don't give Metacritic too much weight in deciding what game to get but it is used on occasion.
 
existensmaximum said:
I generally stay away from games that get a sub 75 metascore and that has been working well. Every time I've strayed from that I've been sorry
Click to expand...

Not wishing to call you out, but the idea that the quality of experience you get with a 75 rated game vs a 74 rated game seems unlikely to be tangible.

This is why I think we need to move on from scores, they're too wooly. I suspect there's plenty of 73s out there that you'd have loved! (And 89s you wouldn't).
 
Last edited:
I probably answered this about a dozen times in a dozen different threads asking the same question but,

Games I am interested in. 0% influence

Games I am not interested in. 100% influence.
 
Dont care what "critics" have to say about games for a long time.... the "professional journalist/critic" dosent exist anymore ... you can put all of them in a mix of Leftist activists, social justice warriors and/or corrupted individuals who sell their reviews for fucking gaming chairs...

There are countless examples of any of those in any midia so reviews/grades/awards mean fcking nothing nowdays.


Read foruns, see some online game play, find 2 or 3 youtubers (outside the bubble) you "mostly" align ... and try to decide for yourself.
 
They shouldn't impact your decision because reviewers are not legit professionals anymore. Saving a few exceptions, they all fall into one of these groups:

- Fanboys of a particular brand that will destroy a competitor's game (XBOX - PS / centric outlets)

- Political activists that start a smear campaign even before the game releases.

- Straight-up trolls that will sink the game for clicks.

- Snobbish pricks who only praise minor/niche titles.

Much more important than the score is what you read in the review. Even if some aspects of the game are put in a negative light, by how it's written you may learn that they are actually positive and vice versa.
 
All scores, metacritic or other sites, have no impact on my gaming purchasing choices. I go with my gut for almost all my games, and word of mouth for games I don't know much about, and it's never failed me once.
 
Looking at the scores and blind praises would fill my library with 90+ scored AAA shit. From my experience, the best way to separate the good ones from the bad ones is to read the complaints and negative reviews.

I found that when people criticize they are usually more honest and direct vs when they praise. It's much safer and more useful to make sure a game doesn't do certain mistakes that would taint my enjoyment, before i spend my money on it.
 
As a rough buying guide they're pretty good. I put more value on user reviews or reviews from people whose taste align with mine.

Can't deny that when I see a game score 90+ my first thought is "it's gonna be a banger".
 
i dont really care about it

metacritic avg of high on life is 67. for me game is a solid 75/100

metacritic avg of gow ragnarok is 94. for me it is a solid 85/100
 
Metascores, like other reviews, don't affect my overall interest in the game. But I use them as a signal to a possible flags a game may have so I can investigate further why certain divergences.

Like having high scores from critics but poor user score. This is usually a red flag to raise my attention to investigate for why having such differences. So it's not a deciding factor, but a sign to investigate things.
 
Last edited:
I don't care at all about the critics scores and there are a lot games with 60-70 metascore I had a blast playing (or even lower, like Terminator Resistance). I sometimes read user reviews to find out about potential technical issues, woke stuff or problematic / flawed mechanics.
 
NikuNashi said:
There is no way if a game got a 45 metacritic scores you guys wouldn't doubt your intended purchase. I know it cool to say you don't care but seriously a terrible aggregated score must affect your purchases, right?
Click to expand...
I bought both Gollum and Balan Wonderworld and had zero regrets getting them lol. :messenger_grinning_sweat:
 
NikuNashi said:
There is no way if a game got a 45 metacritic scores you guys wouldn't doubt your intended purchase. I know it cool to say you don't care but seriously a terrible aggregated score must affect your purchases, right?
Click to expand...


This is one of my most favorite games of all time.


4pciE3K.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

  • Poll
Mario Kart World Metacritic score
Hype  2 3
119
5K
Thebonehead replied
  • Locked
Edge scores Clair Obscur : E33 a 10/10, raising its Metacritic score to 93
News 
2
952
Orpheus replied
  • Locked
We are like one person, how does it affect you
1
186
Calverz replied
  • Locked
  • Poll
Mario Kart World: Metacritic Score Prediction (Veteran Gamer Edition)
Poll 
9
445
Orpheus replied
Your favorite games with <70 Metacritic score
2
97
6K
Shifty1897 replied
Top Bottom