Have we had any AAA titles score 90+ this gen?

not yet (not counting remasters/ platform ports) though reckon the first will either be Bloodborne or Batman Arkham Knight maybe Witcher 3 but think that will be high 80's

i think those 2 are locks for 90+.

What I think have an outside chance at 90+ are:
ssoverdrive
driveclub
alien isolation

long shots at 90+
evil within
order

(obviously mcc will probably end up with a high score just cause of the known quality and quantity of content it will be packing)
 
I enjoyed Second Son more than most games that score 90+ on Metacritic...I think I have different expectations than reviewers.
Oh I agree. Most people don't seem to impressed with it but it's my favourite PS4 game by far and deserves a +90 from me. That's why reviews are subjective and scores are an ineffective way to rate a game.
 
I'm not defending the Nintendo droughts, but in its first year it had New Super/Luigi U, Zombi U, Nintendo Land, The Wonderful 101, Lego City Undercover, and Pikmin 3. And if you include games like Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Wind Waker HD, the Wii U has had a vastly superior first year to what the PS4 and X1 have had so far.

Because absolutely nobody buys games like Battlefield 4, Diablo III, the Last of Us, Infamous, Titanfall, Assassin's Creed, and Call of Duty games.

Vastly superior? Please. Nintendo fans need to settle on the fact that nearly every Nintendo game is niche these days. Even Mario and Zelda don't draw like they used to.

And note: I own a WiiU and every single game you listed. Incidentally Nintendo Land is a terribly bad game, I can't believe you even went there.
 
Because absolutely nobody buys games like Battlefield 4, Diablo III, the Last of Us, Infamous, Titanfall, Assassin's Creed, and Call of Duty games.

Vastly superior? Please. Nintendo fans need to settle on the fact that nearly every Nintendo game is niche these days. Even Mario and Zelda don't draw like they used to.

And note: I own a WiiU and every single game you listed.

Galaxy 1 did over 10 mil LTD
Galaxy 2 was like 7 or so mil LTD
NSMBWii? Yeah a fuck ton
Isn't Twilight Princess second to only Ocarina as the best selling Zelda?
Mario Kart Wii? A fuck ton
Mario Kart 8? Look at that attach rate
Brawl? Over 10 mil LTD

Yeah, so niche.

What has held back those games' equivalents this gen is a smaller install base to due other problems. Not because of the games' draw.
 
Galaxy 1 did over 10 mil LTD
Galaxy 2 was like 7 or so mil LTD
NSMBWii? Yeah a fuck ton
Isn't Twilight Princess second to only Ocarina as the best selling Zelda?
Mario Kart Wii? A fuck ton
Mario Kart 8? Look at that attach rate
Brawl? Over 10 mil LTD

Yeah, so niche.

What has held back those games' equivalents this gen is a smaller install base to due other problems. Not because of the games' draw.

The hardware is definitely holding back software sales for sure. I don't think Wii U is a valid place to assess the popularity of Nintendo's brands. 3DS more so, where MK7 and 3DL have sold about 10 million each. Though 3DS hasn't exactly lit it up either.

If Nintendo releases a popular hardware, their games will sell more. Really that simple. Can't get any more unpopular than Wii U.
 
The hardware is definitely holding back software sales for sure. I don't think Wii U is a valid place to assess the popularity of Nintendo's brands. 3DS more so, where MK7 and 3DL have sold about 10 million each. Though 3DS hasn't exactly lit it up either.

If Nintendo releases a popular hardware, their games will sell more. Really that simple. Can't get any more unpopular than Wii U.

Well... There's the Vita.

Did we ever come to a conclusion on the minimum required to classify a game as triple a?
 
In terms of current-gen console exclusives :

92.91% Super Mario 3D World
88.86% Shovel Knight
88.52% Mario Kart 8
87.61% TowerFall Ascension
86.71% Titanfall
86.59% Pikmin 3

Plus, Bayonetta 2 and Smash soon probably. WiiU has the most top quality content at the moment IMO.
 
Wii U is current gen? I know it is an active console...

Generations are measurements of periods of time. You don't get to be part of the Greatest Generation by hitting the gym and making yourself super-strong, and Baby Boomers aren't determined by how fast they can run.
 
Thanks for the kind feedback, everyone.

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?

At the time of the data pull, on Xbox One Rayman Legends (92.2) and FIFA 14 (90.8) both qualified as >90.

PS4 just had 1 (Rayman Legends 90.5).

These scores change over time, and a lot has released since June. So just consider it point in time.

The thing that interested me most was that we had 154 titles release over the first 8 months of the last consoles, and only 104 this time.

That release drought is real and clear.
 
You just wait. Uncharted 4, SSBB, Zelda 2015, Far Cry 4 and Xenoblade X will reach 90+ easily. And so should Bayonetta 2, Bloodborne, Pokemon, FIFA 15 and Witcher 3 as well.
 
Nintendo farting around for the first year is really no different than what Sony and Microsoft have been doing. Except Nintendo farted around with at least a few of great games, while Sony and Microsoft haven't really released anything worth buying their systems over. And it looks like they won't have anything worthwhile for the system until 2015.

I'm not defending the Nintendo droughts, but in its first year it had New Super/Luigi U, Zombi U, Nintendo Land, The Wonderful 101, Lego City Undercover, and Pikmin 3. And if you include games like Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Wind Waker HD, the Wii U has had a vastly superior first year to what the PS4 and X1 have had so far.

if your going to list games like nintendoland, lego city and zombi u than i guess this makes a good list of ps4/xbone games in their first year

ps4
assasins creed 4
watch dogs
destiny
wolfenstein tno
infamous ss
mgs5 ground zero
and tlou, diablo 3, tomb raider and metro redux if we are counting re-release

xbox
most of the above+
titanfall
dead rising 3
killer instinct

and the year still hasn't ended. Im not saying sony and microsoft are doing amazing but you are delusional if you think nintendo had a better fist year.
 
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?

You shouldn't count 2007 being the first year of last gen, that was 2006, 360 launched in 2005. By Holiday 2015 this gen will match what we had in 2007.
 
Reviewers have been keeping their powder dry. Very impressive of them. And they are right to do so, the first year of games is usually a bit rough.
 
I remember listening to the last bombcast and Jeff talking about how a few people told him that Pubs held off on putting together big projects for the now current gen consoles because they were not convinced that people actually wanted new consoles.

I found it interesting as I remember a statement from a developer from that Kingdom Come game saying the same thing last year(everyone blew it off as bullshit), but it shows in the current landscape of AAA upcoming releases and why Publishers are trying to push out "Definitive" versions of last gen games earlier then many probably expected
 
Smash Bros.


Also I see Sunset Overdrive as an 82 kinda game. But we'll see.

Ah forgot about Smash. That should probably make it too.

I just have a hunch about Sunset. It's shaping up to be a really good looking and, more importantly, fun game that's sort of flying under the radar right now. I think the lack of attention to it could take some reviewers by surprise and knock the reviews up a couple notches higher than they would be if it were being hyped more.
 
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.

KaQhne9.jpg

That was a great thread. Shame it never picked up steam.
 
Seeing as you're counting games like Oblivion, Gears etc as one year after the PS3 launch, then this generation has already seen Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8 and soon Smash Bros. 4. Pretty good line up for just one year into 'this generation'.
 
Deservedly so, though I can't help but feel Tropical Freeze deserves more praise and attention than it got. It's definitely way better than anything on PS4 but the reviews certainly wouldn't have you believe it.

Makes sense; you certainly can't have difficult AAA games. They wouldn't sell :)
 
Ah forgot about Smash. That should probably make it too.

I just have a hunch about Sunset. It's shaping up to be a really good looking and, more importantly, fun game that's sort of flying under the radar right now. I think the lack of attention to it could take some reviewers by surprise and knock the reviews up a couple notches higher than they would be if it were being hyped more.

I love the visuals and style of Sunset but I feel like it's going to get hit with the "repetitive" label based on what I've seen so far, which admittedly isn't that much. I hope it turns out great though.
 
It's ironic that, considering the original meaning of AAA (at least when I saw it back on the Gamespot forums around 2005) was a game that scored 90+ on review websites, none of the games that fit the new meaning of AAA this gen fit the old meaning.
 
Most of the games you listed were 2007, 2 years after the generation started....
2007 was about a year for the PS3 and Wii, but there was cross over from the 360 there for PS3 unlike Wii U to PS4/XB1, and the Wii was quicker to develop for and Nintendo was developing those games well in advance, similar to how we had a ton of awesome stuff at the end of the Wii U's second year.

Though, yeah, 2015 is poised to be the year this new generation really starts to come into its own. Especially since most of the games that'd have really made 2014 got delayed to 2015 (and the games that got delayed, behind the scenes or publicly, to 2014 ended up being kind of flat so far, or stuck on last gen.)
 
Its early days OP. I'd say wait till next year, then you can make a fair comparison. Although with games like Bloodborne starting in Febuary, i'd say we should be smiling with anticipation, my friend.
 
Thanks for the kind feedback, everyone.



At the time of the data pull, on Xbox One Rayman Legends (92.2) and FIFA 14 (90.8) both qualified as >90.

PS4 just had 1 (Rayman Legends 90.5).

These scores change over time, and a lot has released since June. So just consider it point in time.

The thing that interested me most was that we had 154 titles release over the first 8 months of the last consoles, and only 104 this time.

That release drought is real and clear.

Interesting. With studios struggling, games being delayed and games costing much more to make this makes sense. Nintendo is the one who had the most significant impact. There is also the lack of participation from Japan.
 
Year one of the gen seems about as unremarkable as 2006 was so far, and I thought people would like journalists not handing out 9s like candy when I look at nicknames like 9GN from the 7th generation.
 
Interesting. With studios struggling, games being delayed and games costing much more to make this makes sense. Nintendo is the one who had the most significant impact. There is also the lack of participation from Japan.

Your third point is the real culprit I believe.

It's about the costs.

And when you're a dev, you can choose to try and take on the big expensive disc game or make a lot of smaller bets on digital releases and mobile.

Obviously, many more people are deciding that making big disc based content for the consoles is not as appealing an investment as some other spaces.

I don't know how that gets "fixed". Obviously, the demand for Consoles themselves is incredibly strong.

It's not a demand issue that's driving the NPD figures down the last few years, it's the supply of software titles. The data is clear on this point.

That was a great thread. Shame it never picked up steam.

Thanks! Yeah, I think it's because it's written kinda academically and doesn't say "ur fave console dr00lz" or something.
 
The problem is that in 2007, COD4, Mass Effect, Bioshock, Crysis, Portal, Assassin's Creed, Uncharted, were all new franchises.
They were surprises that nobody saw coming and they set the trends for the remainder of the generation. They were pioneers of the AAA cinematic genre.
Right now people seem to put their hopes on the new Uncharted or new Gears to be the first true next gen experience like Gears was in its time. Or even The Order, which however prettty it may be, is still a scripted corridor shooter. The difference is that before Gears of war there was nothing like Gears of war.
I don't see anything already out or announced that provides the same paradigm shift.
The real next gen experience will be something that nobody expects. And Unfortunately I think that may take more than 2 years to arrive this time, seeing as we are moving more and more towards a risk averse industry.
2007 was still before the economic crisis and devs/publishers could afford to take risks.
 
I think Sunset Overdrive makes it in the 90+ range. Probably the only exclusive game this holiday that will.

Sunset Overdrive from what I played was terrible. I doubt it will cross even 80 if the final version's controls and speed are not tweaked.

My guess is the first game to cross 90 this gen will be Bloodborne.
 
The problem is that in 2007, COD4, Mass Effect, Bioshock, Crysis, Portal, Assassin's Creed, Uncharted, were all new franchises.
They were surprises that nobody saw coming and they set the trends for the remainder of the generation. They were pioneers of the AAA cinematic genre.
Right now people seem to put their hopes on the new Uncharted or new Gears to be the first true next gen experience like Gears was in its time. Or even The Order, which however prettty it may be, is still a scripted corridor shooter. The difference is that before Gears of war there was nothing like Gears of war.
I don't see anything already out or announced that provides the same paradigm shift.
The real next gen experience will be something that nobody expects. And Unfortunately I think that may take more than 2 years to arrive this time, seeing as we are moving more and more towards a risk averse industry.
2007 was still before the economic crisis and devs/publishers could afford to take risks.

I think it's more that equivalent games simply weren't received as well: Titanfall, Watch Dogs, Destiny, and Knack (lol). Whether it's because reviewers are harsher now, or these games simply aren't as good, I'm not sure.
 
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?

I rarely follow scored reviews anymore so I can't answer this, but has there been any observable score deflation from the major sites/magazines in response to years of widespread criticism of everyone scoring in the IGN 8-to-10 scale? Are reviewers stingier about the numbers than they used to be? (I'm guessing probably not.)

Anyway, as others have said: a) the cross-generational transition is still ongoing and major new releases have failed to break away from years of AAA fatigue, mostly due to the consolidation and risk-aversion of AAA development amidst rapidly escalating costs; b) Super Mario 3D World.
 
I'll repost what I said in the Destiny review thread

I understand that the year still have many things left to do, but when there is the chance that two remasters end up with the best scores in the year, I think something strange is happening.

Honestly, I expect this to be the case. The only games that have a chance of scoring great enough to at least challenge those are probably

Smash Bros.
Bayonetta 2(this won't win it with the media)
Dragon Age
Sunset Overdrive

The other games are largely "samey" experiences like CoD, AC and Far Cry. Yes, you could make the case Smash Bros. is as well, but Smash tends to score better than those games nowadays and doesn't come out as frequently.

There are also games like Evil Within, Mordor, etc., but I doubt any will score better than the above.
 
The Last of Us Remastered is the highest rated game on current Gen consoles:

The Last of Us Remastered 95 average
Super Mario 3D World 93 average
Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition 90 average (on PS4)
Mario Kart 8 at 88


Safe to say that Grand Theft Auto V Remastered will score in the low 90s
Halo Master Chief Collection in the 90s based on value of the package


Sunset Overdrive did not get good impressions from Gametrailers. The guy that played the E3 build said it was nothing special (Daniel Bloodworth). It will probably score in the low to mid 80s like with most Insomniac games.
 
Top Bottom