Support NeoGAF

[Static Veins]

Wanna know how good this year is so far? Huber didnt even mention Xcom 2, Fire Emblem, The Witness, or Ratchet and Clank.

The releases in May this year were so good they ruptured the space/time continuum and sent Huber back to 2014.

 

[Bloodworth]

Thanks for taking the time to explain this, Blood. But, sorry if I insist, then isn't "decent" a very sad way to say "good"? I know there's nothing to gain in spending too much thought into this and it's just semantics. I much prefer the 5 star scale, the only issue is identifying where the reviewer draws the line if the "worth playing".

Honestly, I think that's just kind of the space that rating fills. For some people it's well worth the time, it's enjoyable even if it's not great. Others will want to save their money for something better.

It's also the one we've had the most back and forth on in regards to a defining term. The first thing that came to mind was "Good" but that didn't really feel like it was saying much. I then went with "Recommended" for the first several reviews, but that doesn't feel like the right kind of statement. So after discussing a few options, "Decent" is what most people felt comfortable with.

 

[UrbanRats]

Honestly, I think that's just kind of the space that rating fills. For some people it's well worth the time, it's enjoyable even if it's not great. Others will want to save their money for something better.

It's also the one we've had the most back and forth on in regards to a defining term. The first thing that came to mind was "Good" but that didn't really feel like it was saying much. I then went with "Recommended" for the first several reviews, but that doesn't feel like the right kind of statement. So after discussing a few options, "Decent" is what most people felt comfortable with.

What about: "Noice!"

 

[Maiar_m]

Changing up styles this week. Been really busy and I'm pretty sure I missed an episode.
Regular style resumes next week, hope you all enjoy this in the meantime.




In case anyone wants a wallpaper version

Quoted for the awesomeness.

 

[Karu]

Changing up styles this week. Been really busy and I'm pretty sure I missed an episode.
Regular style resumes next week, hope you all enjoy this in the meantime.

In case anyone wants a wallpaper version

These are incredible, great job!

 

[Tankard]

Changing up styles this week. Been really busy and I'm pretty sure I missed an episode.
Regular style resumes next week, hope you all enjoy this in the meantime.




In case anyone wants a wallpaper version

Amazing again, TCG.

 

[Volotaire]

Changing up styles this week. Been really busy and I'm pretty sure I missed an episode.
Regular style resumes next week, hope you all enjoy this in the meantime.




In case anyone wants a wallpaper version

Incredible!

 

[lazybones18]

Mirror's Edge Catalyst review is up

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Great review Damiani!

 

[ShaoranWright]

Changing up styles this week. Been really busy and I'm pretty sure I missed an episode.
Regular style resumes next week, hope you all enjoy this in the meantime.




In case anyone wants a wallpaper version

Beautiful, great work!

 

[BlackBuzzard]

When is dodgy Bosman streaming LTTP i don't think he has much time left.

 

[Xemnas89]

When is dodgy Bosman streaming LTTP i don't think he has much time left.

Yeah I think next friday is the deadline so he needs to get on that.

 

[wiibomb]

I'm starting to think Kyle will really do a dirty trick to avoid the stake..

like... what if he has been streaming somewhere else?

 

[Xemnas89]

I'm starting to think Kyle will really do a dirty trick to avoid the stake..

like... what if he has been streaming somewhere else?

I think the rules stated it had to be streamed on the easy allies twitch channel.

 

[Napalm_Frank]

I bet he will use a skip glitch to complete the game in like 10 minutes.

 

[wiibomb]

I think the rules stated it had to be streamed on the easy allies twitch channel.

what if he created a different "easy allies" channel to avoid it?

no one said "official"

 

[GamingOblivion]

what if he created a different "easy allies" channel to avoid it?

no one said "official"

He still has to announce that he's playing it on his Twitter. Even if he streamed it somewhere else the ravenous canvass would find it. Don't worry, he hasn't streamed yet.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Did the rules specify @KyleBosman or can he make a second account...

 

[wiibomb]

Did the rules specify @KyleBosman or can he make a second account...

he... kinda said something like that on the bets video... there is no indication of something like that

may be we should look for other easy allies and kyle bosmans

 

[Xemnas89]

Did the rules specify @KyleBosman or can he make a second account...

Yeah they specified that it had to be @KyleBosman

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Alright rewatched the terms, both the Easy Allies Twitch page and @KyleBosman were mentioned.

Don't think he can weasel out.

 

[Xemnas89]

Alright rewatched the terms, both the Easy Allies Twitch page and @KyleBosman were mentioned.

Don't think he can weasel out.

The most he can get away with is doing the stream so late that most can't watch it live. Even then we can all see it the next day so it's no big thing.

 

[so1337]

For us "Good" is actually an alternate description we had for 3 stars. We definitely see a 3 star game as good and worth playing. Something like Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom which I'm playing right now, that's enjoyable and has certain charms, but it also has a clunky side as well.

To me at least, there's quite a clear jump between a game that's "Excellent" - highly recommended, well crafted - and "Masterful," which is essentially saying, look, this is how a game like this should be done. This raises the bar.

How about "Ten out of ten" for four stars? That seems like something most people would understand immediately.

 

[wiibomb]

The most he can get away with is doing the stream so late that most can't watch it live. Even then we can all see it the next day so it's no big thing.

for me it is still a big thing..

even if he streams it with no chat around, although I doubt it since guys like hasney are on the other side of the world to back us in the chat game-harassment in case he does it way too late at night.

He will find a way to weasel out, but I haven't figured how... I rewatched the video and he said about the hyper link of twitch, but the other things are not so easily avoidable

 

[orthodoxy1095]

How about "Ten out of ten" for four stars? That seems like something most people would understand immediately.

That seems like a needlessly weird way to word it since you're literally saying the same thing.

 

[luchadork]

my improved scale

5 - masterful
4 - worth playing
3 - not worth playing
2 - woeful
1 - umbrella corp

 

[Bloodworth]

my improved scale

5 - masterful
4 - worth playing
3 - not worth playing
2 - woeful
1 - umbrella corp

I think every one of us would argue that a 3 is worth playing. Not great, but worth playing.

 

[katsubento]

I think every one of us would argue that a 3 is worth playing. Not great, but worth playing.

3 is definitely worth playing. 3's are average. Good but not great, and certainly not bad.

 

[llehuty]

I still think that people are putting to much thought into the rating, when the meat of the review and what could have an impact in your purchasing decision is everything before that.

It's metacritic tier of discussion.

 

[PepperedHam]

Every review with this. Their scale really isn't that difficult to understand.

 

[luchadork]

if youre undecided on a game... and it gets a 3... its not really a ringing endorsement is it? i also factor in the value of time and money into my improved scale. i'd assume most people dont have the time nor the money to play 60% of games (at a minimum, assuming games are distributed evenly along the scale, which they arent. they tend to trend higher). so my scale really becomes a guide to whether a game is worth buying or not.. along with the ability to praise exceptionally good games and shame exceptionally bad games as games are an art form that deserve critiquing. it also covers umbrella corp.

 

[Bloodworth]

if youre undecided on a game... and it gets a 3... its not really a ringing endorsement is it? i also factor in the value of time and money into my improved scale. i'd assume most people dont have the time nor the money to play 60% of games (at a minimum, assuming games are distributed evenly along the scale, which they arent. they tend to trend higher). so my scale really becomes a guide to whether a game is worth buying or not.. along with the ability to praise exceptionally good games and shame exceptionally bad games as games are an art form that deserve critiquing. it also covers umbrella corp.

insider tip: there are graphics for scores lower than the published scale

 

[Crocodile]

Saw the most recent podcast. Loved it with one caveat: Metroid: Family Struggles is the worst videogame related idea I've ever heard. Obviously they weren't being completely serious but I think I need to put into words how awful it sounds on every conceivable level. No. Bad.

Carry on <3

 

[brotkasten]

I know I'm super late on this, but I just got around to watch the For Honor E3 impressions and the ending was so wonderful.

I got you this gift.
We're going to Valhalla!

We're going to battle.
Together!
(That wasn't a metaphor, honey)

Absolutely incredible.

 

[MrMette]

When is dodgy Bosman streaming LTTP i don't think he has much time left.

I think he is going to stream it on dumb game monday. I don't think he can stream one full playthrough in one go, but he will start it off there and probably do some extra streams next week to finish it off.

There is a reason he finished off the pokemon game which took more than 7 hours the last stream.
You never know he calls it "Dumb Game Week Special" or something. Doesn't he put up the schedule on patreon and such?

 

[so1337]

That seems like a needlessly weird way to word it since you're literally saying the same thing.

I was joking.

 

[Hasney]

I think he is going to stream it on dumb game monday. I don't think he can stream one full playthrough in one go, but he will start it off there and probably do some extra streams next week to finish it off.

There is a reason he finished off the pokemon game which took more than 7 hours the last stream.
You never know he calls it "Dumb Game Week Special" or something. Doesn't he put up the schedule on patreon and such?

He has to do at least 3 streams, but he could just stop the stream and boot it back up again.

 

[SlickVic]

if youre undecided on a game... and it gets a 3... its not really a ringing endorsement is it? i also factor in the value of time and money into my improved scale. i'd assume most people dont have the time nor the money to play 60% of games (at a minimum, assuming games are distributed evenly along the scale, which they arent. they tend to trend higher). so my scale really becomes a guide to whether a game is worth buying or not.. along with the ability to praise exceptionally good games and shame exceptionally bad games as games are an art form that deserve critiquing. it also covers umbrella corp.

It's not a ringing endorsement, but I also wouldn't go so far as to call it 'not worth playing'. I think a 3/5 on a typical 5 point scale is a fairly neutral score; not a strong recommendation that all gamers should play it, but also not terrible that it should be avoided by most. I see a 3/5 review as 'we'll outline the flaws and what works in the game, and if the flaws are things that don't bother you as the reader and the premise is otherwise interesting to you, consider checking it out'. If anything, a 3/5 tells me the game didn't have the severe issues/flaws to merit a lower score, but can potentially turn out to be a game worth playing at the right price and/or it aligns with my gaming interests.

Also can't be understated how much sales affect the impression of whether a game is worth purchasing. We don't really live in a vacuum where games stay full MSRP (at least not in the US). We have GCU/Amazon Prime already knocking 20% off the price of new games, but beyond that, it's not that uncommon to see games drop 33-50% off MSRP on various sales within months of coming out. There are just so many instances now of games I read about that don't necessarily seem worth $60, but they sounds interesting enough despite flaws mentioned in reviews and user impressions that I can wait to pick it up later. And many times I wind up getting my money's worth out of those games bought at a lower price.

 

[sora87]

Swimming in 3's baby

 

[Karu]

A definite statement like Not Worth It at the end of a review just urks me the wrong way. Especially with the rather decent (heh) score of 3 attached to it. That limits your range of scores for passable games like Cataclyst right there.

 

[Sheentak]

I see a 3 being if your a fan of the genre.
Good but not great, worth your time if you like these games.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

I was joking.

Sometimes it's hard to tell when people are discussing scores lol

 

[sinxtanx]

insider tip: there are graphics for scores lower than the published scale

nega-stars? daggers?

 

[J-Skee]

I've never played a Zelda game before, but Breath of the Wild is right up my alley. And Damiani did a great job explaining everything. Think I'm finally buying a Nintendo console come March (or requesting one, since it's my birth month).

 

[MrMette]

He has to do at least 3 streams, but he could just stop the stream and boot it back up again.

I think he has to do a maximum of 3 streams, he can do just one (although I am not sure if it is possible to do a zelda game in one stream) (I have never played this one as I didn't have a SNES).

I think the frasing was something like:
"... in no more than 3 streams ..."

 

[Auctopus]

For what it's worth, I like the Goodreads and Netflix scale.

1 = Did not like/bad.
2 = it was okay/missable
3 = good / worth your time or at least a try
4 = great
5 = excellent / the best around


Also, excellent work as always Cal. Really like the vibe of this one.

 

[Karu]

For what it's worth, I like the Goodreads and Netflix scale.

1 = Did not like/bad.
2 = it was okay/missable
3 = good / worth your time or at least a try
4 = great
5 = excellent / the best around


Also, excellent work as always Cal. Really like the vibe of this one.

That's exactly what I use/prefer. No half-star bullshit. Differentiation might be not so great in detail, but the ease of use and possible high consistency make up for it.

 

[TheCalGee]

Incredible!

Beautiful, great work!

Amazing again, TCG.

These are incredible, great job!

Quoted for the awesomeness.

Love your artwork TheCalGee.

Just want to say thanks to everyone! The EZA Community here on GAF is jolly as hell. Mostly ;P

This is just too awesome. I wish I can paint.

You should give it a try if you havent before!

Also, excellent work as always Cal. Really like the vibe of this one.

Thank you! I was actually worried people wouldn't like it as much as my previous stuff.

 

[TheDarkKnight774]

Kyle rad a good night of Tetris. Fun stream.

Also the Damiani Zelda BoTW footage is up. Really enjoying this video

https://youtu.be/1SDGCvdw8z4

 

[luchadork]

For what it's worth, I like the Goodreads and Netflix scale.

1 = Did not like/bad.
2 = it was okay/missable
3 = good / worth your time or at least a try
4 = great
5 = excellent / the best around


Also, excellent work as always Cal. Really like the vibe of this one.

the problem with this is, in terms of a guidance on what to read... 1 and 2 are practically the same thing. noones going to read a book that was rated 'missable'. so why even distinguish below that?