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[level1]

Oh man, I can't wait to show you OpenCritic's infographics. I'll be sure to PM you them directly.

~60% of games fall between 70 and 85 on Metacritic/OpenCritic.

Using Net Promoter / Rotten Tomatoes, you get a very nice bell curve - 1/3 are below 40%, 1/3 are between 40% and 60%, and 1/3 are above 60%.

(The % here is "What percentage of critics would recommend this game unconditionally to general gamers?")



You fix that by just raising the cutoff to 8 or higher.

The biggest flaw of Rotten Tomatoes' system is that it magnifies very small score differences. The difference between a 7.9 and 8.0 isn't a "tiny margin on the overall score" because it changes you from a "neutral" to a "promoter. But the difference between 8.9 and 9.0 is completely meaningless.

WAIT WAIT..you're making sense. You're not supposed to do that.

 

[Latvian Hitman]

Rottentomatoes is better but still flawed

If a movie got a 6.5 from every outlet it would be at 100%, which is misleading (even though they have an average score rating too, most people don't read that)

That's because any type of meta-score will be flawed by its nature. The real value of such sites is in having a bunch of reviews in one place where you can conveniently click and read them without having to scour the internet. The unfortunate reality, though, is that people tend to just look at the meta-score, draw an uninformed conclusion from it and move on.

 

[Plywood]

With every major AAA game released it becomes more and more apparent, just how damaging websites like Metacritic are to the industry...

Honestly best thing a person could do is a read a range of reviews to get a general idea of what they're potentially getting into. Sites like metacritic just take the grade without the context.

 

[spootime]

I'm sorry but Ryan is probably one of the worst Halo 'fans' out there. He talks about how much he loves the games and franchise but rarely knows what he's talking about when discussing story nor seems to care about it very much. Now from IGN, Sean Finnegan and Destin actually seems to care about the story of Halo and actually know what they're talking about.

Unfortunately Destin thought the campaign story was terrible.

 

[ironcreed]

I find it funny that certain people in this thread are suddenly going on a crusade to detest metacritic and its relevancy.

I find it funny that some act as if any number below a 90 on metacritic should be considered disappointing. Especially for an old series that we pretty much know what to expect from.

But all indications are that they made an entry in the series that is pretty darn great and that is all I could realistically hope for. The game was never going to cure cancer, make me pancakes and give me massages with a happy ending, but that's okay. I'll settle for a great game.

 

[ArchedThunder]

From DF:

"We certainly enjoyed playing through Halo 5 but there are some gameplay related nits to pick that keep it from matching the sublime experience we typically associated with Bungie's series entries. Human weapons, for instance, still seem prone to running dry, forcing players to scavenge whatever the enemy of the moment is using instead. We were also disappointed with the approach to level design in the campaign. Similar to Halo 4, each level consists of a series of arenas strung together by hallways. While the quality of each arena is a huge step up from Halo 4, we never seen anything on par with the Scarab battles from Halo 3 or the Silent Cartographer from Halo Combat Evolved. With the engine clearly capable of delivering such large maps, this feels like a missed opportunity."​

I was really hoping for something that at least matched that string of awesome, large scale missions from Halo 3. I'm still excited, and know that Halo 5's kicking things up in other ways, but that still numbs my hype for the Campaign a smidge.

That's massively disappointing.

 

[PerezDeCorcho]

Rottentomatoes actually makes you read the reviews to find out what a reviewer liked or disliked about something. Metacritic just encourages console warriors to read a score and then start shit-posting. That's one of many reasons why RT is a better mechanism than Metacritic. The fact that you're just seeing complaints about Metacritic now isn't proof that people haven't been complaining about them for years.

LOL, the majority of people who use Rotten Tomatoes just glance at the number score and MAYBE browse the short review summaries it offers.

It is the easiest tool for gauging whether or not a release is shit or not.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Lots of high review scores.

Is this legitimately good OR is this another case of Halo 4 that was loved by the press, but had lukewarm reception by the fans?

We shall see.

 

[Kenzodielocke]

Sorry.

 

[Gascoigne]

LOL, the majority of people who use Rotten Tomatoes just glance at the number score and MAYBE browse the short review summaries it offers.

It is the easiest tool for gauging whether or not a release is shit or not.

But it doesn't assign scores to individual reviews nor does it "weigh" reviews. It makes you read them. It's better.

 

[maxiell]

A lot of people don't seem to understand that Metacritic weights the scores of certain publications.

An 86 seems like plenty to be proud of for 343i, especially considering some of the changes they made to the campaign and story. It also seems to accurately represent the reception the game is getting.

I don't really understand the point of stating Yes or No. It really tells us nothing about the relative quality of the game, which is the point of a review and a review score.

 

[Mattenth]

Two more low-scorings just came in:

Toronto Sun: 3.5 / 5 stars

I think die-hard Halo fans will love Halo 5: Guardians, as it’s a game made almost exclusively with them in mind. The rest of us might find ourselves a little lost, a bit let down and wistful for an old horizon that once reached for the heavens.

Digital Spy: 3 / 5 stars

Halo 5: Guardians features an underwhelming, confusing and surprisingly banal campaign that's not actively bad, but equally not quite good enough to warrant a purchase on its own.

Fortunately, Master Chief's adventure doesn't end here, and whether you team with friends and ramp the difficulty up, or get stuck into some 12 on 12 Warzone action, the extensive multiplayer offerings ensure Halo 5: Guardians isn't a total washout.

 

[ironcreed]

Lots of high review scores.

Is this legitimately good OR is this another case of Halo 4 that was loved by the press, but had lukewarm reception by the fans?

We shall see.

Plenty will love it and many will hate it. That is the way things usually roll, lol.

 

[cool_dude]

Great reviews, some of which are very detailed. Can't wait to play it tonight!

 

[Japanmanx3]

Sorry.

 

[Gascoigne]

Two more low-scorings just came in:

Toronto Sun: 3.5 / 5 stars


Digital Spy: 3 / 5 stars

By "just came in" do you mean came in hours ago?

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Sorry.

If you like Halo, you should really try Divinity...

said no one.

 

[NecromorphTX]

Sorry.

Hahaha.

 

[shoreu]

Sorry.

lmfao wow I didn't even know that game existed.

 

[Raziel]

But it doesn't assign scores to individual reviews nor does it "weigh" reviews. It makes you read them. It's better.

It doesn't make me read them because I rely on the blurb to tell me the gist. Sort of like Metacritic.

If anything, Gamerankings makes me click more reviews since there is literally no accompaning text.

 

[PerezDeCorcho]

But it doesn't assign scores to individual reviews nor does it "weigh" reviews. It makes you read them. It's better.

In an ideal world? Sure!

But in reality, people are lazy. The 'rotten' and fresh' labels are there so people don't have to read. They just see it, then make a quick and minimally educated decision. So it can work both ways.

 

[BokehKing]

If you like Halo, you should really try Divinity...

said no one.

True but you may see treyarch borrow this for COD in two weeks


Well not treyarch, but I can see Activision doing a split screen jab

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Plenty will love it and many will hate it. That is the way things usually roll, lol.

Indeed. I actually enjoyed Halo 4 quite a bit. The only thing I hated were the bullet sponge enemies. I cannot count how many times I ran out of ammo trying to bring them down.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

True but you may see treyarch borrow this for COD in two weeks


Well not treyarch, but I can see Activision doing a split screen jab

That makes a lot more sense.

 

[oti]

Sorry.

I have a friend who is a huge Halo fan and can't wait to play Halo 5 with his friends via offline couch-coop. I told him there was no such thing in Halo 5 but he shrugged it of as "internet rumours". Poor guy.

 

[Karak]

From DF:

"We certainly enjoyed playing through Halo 5 but there are some gameplay related nits to pick that keep it from matching the sublime experience we typically associated with Bungie's series entries. Human weapons, for instance, still seem prone to running dry, forcing players to scavenge whatever the enemy of the moment is using instead. We were also disappointed with the approach to level design in the campaign. Similar to Halo 4, each level consists of a series of arenas strung together by hallways. While the quality of each arena is a huge step up from Halo 4, we never seen anything on par with the Scarab battles from Halo 3 or the Silent Cartographer from Halo Combat Evolved. With the engine clearly capable of delivering such large maps, this feels like a missed opportunity."​

I was really hoping for something that at least matched that string of awesome, large scale missions from Halo 3. I'm still excited, and know that Halo 5's kicking things up in other ways, but that still numbs my hype for the Campaign a smidge.

It hurt my enjoyment as well at times. Though scavenging for ammo in places not normally patroled by humans isn't that odd it does slow down the awesome combo.

 

[ThatsMytrunks]

My Halo 5 Campaign review is up, and it has no plot-spoilers. It does talk about the game's structure and choices, though.
Halo 5 - Game Balance

This is only my second video review, but I'm happy with how it came out, and I want to do more.

 

[Starfield]

I downloaded the game from the european store with euros. Can anyone confirm that Ill be able to play the game after midnight?

 

[RowdyReverb]

At least I'm not seeing any allegations that the game will be broken at launch like MCC. That seemed to be a concern in the lead-up

 

[Trey]

That string of levels in Halo 3 from the Ark to right before cortana...man.

 

[Florida_Man_5000]

Wasn't going to get this but now I'm interested. Going to try to wait for Battlefront and get the better of the two.

 

[v0yce]

I'm pretty sure this game is called Halo 5, not Master Chief 5. Face it, while Master Chief will always be an iconic character in the Halo Universe, he's just one character in a larger story. 343 wants to try something new, breaking the mold of normal Halo games from the Chief perspective. As for if it works or not, I'll get back to you once I play the game through. But I'm not going to yell and moan about such changes until I play through it.

But you only play as MC in like 3.5 out of the previous 6 Halo games. You already play as someone else in a lot of them.

So.... how is that breaking the mold?

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Sorry.

I don't even know what this game is.

 

[DNAbro]

I don't even know what this game is.

it says right there in the tweet

 

[ArchedThunder]

That string of levels in Halo 3 from the Ark to right before cortana...man.

That "string of levels" was two levels...
Two of the best levels in the series, but I wouldn't call it a string.

 

[medze]

I don't even know what this game is.

You should

 

[demosthenes]

If you like Halo, you should really try Divinity...

said no one.

Don't be salty, it was funny.

Glad this game is reviewing well for Halo-GAF.

 

[nib95]

My Halo 5 Campaign review is up, and it has no plot-spoilers. It does talk about the game's structure and choices, though.
Halo 5 - Game Balance

This is only my second video review, but I'm happy with how it came out, and I want to do more.

It took you 5 and a half hours to complete the game? What. That's really short. As in, 1886 territories of short. I still don't understand how it went from twice the length or Halo 4 to being as long, if not shorter. As someone who is mostly in it for the campaign, the length coupled with the mission structure (MC/Locke breakdown) along with any potential narrative woes, do definitely put a damper on things for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited to play through it, but I don't get why 343i advertised it as being so much longer, or why they've made some of the decisions they have.

Oh well.

 

[PerezDeCorcho]

It took you 5 Hours 39 minutes to complete the game? What. That's really short. As in, 1886 territories of short. I still don't understand how it went from twice the length or Halo 4 to being as long, if not shorter. As someone who is mostly in it for the campaign, the length coupled with the mission structure (MC/Locke breakdown) along with any potential narrative woes, do definitely put a damper on things for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited to play through it, but I don't get why 343i advertised it as being so much longer, or why they've made some of the decisions they have.

Oh well.

I think they assume most people are bad at Halo.

But even then...

 

[Latvian Hitman]

I don't even know what this game is.

There's a fair chance it's Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition.

Clues were left all over the place if you look at either the hashtag or the image tweeted.

 

[eshwaaz]

The comments about frequently running out of ammo for the UNSC weapons are a huge bummer for me. I have always greatly preferred the human weapons over the alien ones.

The mixed reaction to the campaign in general is really deflating my excitement. It's the main reason I'm buying the game. Oh, well - guess I'll draw my own conclusions tomorrow.

 

[aravuus]

I don't even know what this game is.

I'd be a bit concerned if I were you

 

[Sai]

It hurt my enjoyment as well at times. Though scavenging for ammo in places not normally patroled by humans isn't that odd it does slow down the awesome combo.

Yeah, I don't really mind the weapons part. While I also prefer the UMSC's weapons, using what's on hand is something you're kinda forced to do in every game.

That said, I think Halo 3 was pretty generous in how they had human weapon caches, and periodic drops from orbit even. And it would make all the more sense for Osiris to have more prominent backup from the Infinity in this regard.

 

[ScatheZombie]

I have a friend who is a huge Halo fan and can't wait to play Halo 5 with his friends via offline couch-coop. I told him there was no such thing in Halo 5 but he shrugged it of as "internet rumours". Poor guy.

I have a coworker who went out and got one of the Halo 5 bundles specifically to play with his wife. When I told him it doesn't have couch co-op, he didn't believe me. Then he looked it up and just about shit a brick.

 

[Granadier]

In the OT, it's "BestGameEver" not "BestGamerEver"

 

[Asd202]

Haha this thread is gold.

 

[VincentMatts]

The comments about frequently running out of ammo for the UNSC weapons are a huge bummer for me. I have always greatly preferred the human weapons over the alien ones.

The mixed reaction to the campaign in general is really deflating my excitement. It's the main reason I'm buying the game. Oh, well - guess I'll draw my own conclusions tomorrow.

Running out of ammo happened also in halo4 for me. It happened then cause the enemies were sponges. I hope thats not the case here.

 

[Arby 'n' the Chief]

Sorry.

What the hell is Divinity?

 

[Trey]

That "string of levels" was two levels...
Two of the best levels in the series, but I wouldn't call it a string.

Okay the string of gameplay sequences. You know what I mean.

Up there with Silent cartographer through aotcr.

 

[Kssio_Aug]

It took you 5 Hours 39 minutes to complete the game? What. That's really short. As in, 1886 territories of short. I still don't understand how it went from twice the length or Halo 4 to being as long, if not shorter. As someone who is mostly in it for the campaign, the length coupled with the mission structure (MC/Locke breakdown) along with any potential narrative woes, do definitely put a damper on things for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited to play through it, but I don't get why 343i advertised it as being so much longer, or why they've made some of the decisions they have.

Oh well.

That's actually the main point I'm somwhat worried too. 5~6 hours wasn't what I was exactly expecting (but the double of that time). Specially since I plan to play that on coop.

There's a website, that iirc the creator is from GAF here, that makes a measure of the avarage playtime for each game and some more statistics about it (like how long to 100%, or in different dfficulties and so on). Do anyone know wich website I'm talking about?

I wanted to see the avarage time of previous Halo games and Gears of War, just to compare it with my personal time.