Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - Review Thread

Metacritic isn't everything these day with streamers, YT personalities and many popular outlets not even scoring their game reviews. Time to stop getting upset over a number on a website being lower than you would like.

Funny thing is, this wouldn't have happened with IGN or Gamespot, or any site with a traditional editorial structure. The reviewer would've informed someone, the publisher would've either fixed it or claimed they were going to fix it before launch, and the game would most likely get that 8/10. This is fine if they actually fix the bug before launch, but they might not. Whether you prefer this or Sterling's approach is personal preference, I guess.
 
No review scores remain the only good review scores. This is the perfect example for that. Write a review, let people read it and people will be able to make an informed purchasing decision. Not try to compare it to other random games that just happen to have the same score. Or argue about how important a bug is for the end score. Or completely ignore any reasoning and just focusing on a completely arbitrary number.

They don't hell, they confuse and are a huge detriment to any actual discussion.
 
kiguel182 said:
This game hasn’t entered my radar all of a sudden.

Jim’s review score is a little ridiculous, game breaking bugs are unfortunate but trashing their meta critic score forever because of it is too much.
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Just ignore him, I stopped listen to his nonsense a long time ago, or trash his reputation whenever possible instead if that makes you feel better, the game will still get a nice metacritic score in the end.
 
Necro900 said:
You keep putting that word between inverted commas as if it was some kind of made up term.

Also, 1 is not half of 10.
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I know it's not a made up term. I'm putting in inverted commas because using the whole of the ten point scale is as far from unprofessional for reviewers as can be. Having a ten point scale and only using 7 and up is unprofessional.

Happened with Prey too, happens with a ton of other games. Hell Jim's 7/10 for BOTW was called "unprofessional".
 
orient said:
Metacritic isn't everything these day with streamers, YT personalities and many popular outlets not even scoring their game reviews. Time to stop getting upset over a number on a website being lower than you would like.

Funny thing is, this wouldn't have happened with IGN or Gamespot, or any site with a traditional editorial structure. The reviewer would've informed someone, the publisher would've either fixed it or claimed they were going to fix it before launch, and the game would most likely get that 8/10. This is fine if they actually fix the bug before launch, but they might not. Whether you prefer this or Sterling's approach is personal preference, I guess.
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Haha you must have missed IGN.s 4/10 for Prey and the shit that stirred up. That almighty editorial structure. Lol

Hell, that one had Total Biscuit all fired up, blasting the reviewer and here he is not even giving this game a chance because of the chance for permadeath. Lol

What a fucking shitshow this industry can be.
 
Hasney said:
It's his opinion and he can score it how he wants. That's been the case throughout the entire thread.
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Right, I don't think any of us defending Jim's score are doing it to make a statement on the game's quality, but because he should be able to assign the score he sees fit. And he's also free to alter his review, which is why no one here is actually disappointed that's what Jim seems to have decided to do.
 
The kind of following Sterling has on neogaf is borderline "cultish" at times.
I understand that having a game-breaking bug sucks, but if the entire game up to that point (the end) is an 8/10 and you ran into a bug that as far as other reviews are concerned doesn't happen to everyone, then sure, take it down some points, but not all the way to 1/10, that just sounds like a child throwing a fit.
I agree that reviewers should in no way be thinking about metacritic and a developers' bonus, no matter how small or big the team is, but there should also be some consistency and thought behind giving scores to other people's work of art.
And yeah, this would be the perfect example against "scores" at the end of a review
 
Salty Rice said:
Well at least Jim himself thinks his review wasnt maybe the best way handled.
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After stirring enough shit to get da clickzzz.

Anybody with half a working braincould have told you, this is the wrong approach. He could have just delayed his review until he got word from the dev telling him what's up or fixing the bug. Instead he chose to jump out screaming "First, first, first!" with his review and: "1/10! it's shit."
Now realizing no one else is having these issues it's a bad look for him, so he decides to change the score... sorry I mean "approach".
This looks terrible, and if it happened to any other "big" review site and a game he had loved he would have went to town on the issue with another unnecessary long 9 minute rant about the state of the industry.

Bravo Jim Sterling and thank god to prove you ain't different to all the other bad apples you like to blast in your 10 minute rants. You are just one with an british accent, which some think makes you more sophisticated or something.
 
If review scores genuinely upset you, then you're probably putting too much significance in the opinions of other people. On the flipside, Jim giving the game the lowest possible score and calling it unplayable strikes me as self-indulgent venting. None of his peers encountered the same issue, and for all we know it may or may not be possible to replicate it.
 
Kintaro said:
Haha you must have missed IGN.s 4/10 for Prey and the shit that stirred up. That almighty editorial structure. Lol

Hell, that one had Total Biscuit all booked up and here he is not even giving this game a chance because of the chance for permadeath. Lol
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I'm not defending traditional games media in the slightest. Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have included IGN. But sites with editorial standards, I don't think this would've happened. Whether that's good or bad is open to interpretation.
 
Paquete_PT said:
The kind of following Sterling has on neogaf is borderline "cultish" at times.
I understand that having a game-breaking bug sucks, but if the entire game up to that point (the end) is an 8/10 and you ran into a bug that as far as other reviews are concerned doesn't happen to everyone, then sure, take it down some points, but not all the way to 1/10, that just sounds like a child throwing a fit.
I agree that reviewers should in no way be thinking about metacritic and a developers' bonus, no matter how small or big the team is, but there should also be some consistency and thought behind giving scores to other people's work of art.
And yeah, this would be the perfect example against "scores" at the end of a review
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I don't watch Jim, I find his videos quite annoying and his persona grates on me. I will defend any reviewer giving a game any score they see fit, however. Must be part of a cult.
 
Damn this game looks/sounds amazing. Just shot onto the top of my radar. Not even sure if it was on my radar because the game's title is generic as hell. Some of these reviews are making me consider an impulse buy.





Wow at that Jim score. Sure there are times I can agree with his opinions or consider his review content to be on point, but his scoring 'system' has always been garbage. Always seems like a cry for attention/look at me!

For that I can and will never take him seriously as a reviewer/journalist.
 
I am not angry about Jim Sterling's review score like others, but I do believe he was unfair. I believe I'm allowed to have that opinion, just like he has his. The evidence is there, considering he liked the game until it broke. I do not believe that means the game should be a score so low. But you know - that's like, my opinion, man.
 
ctw0e said:
Chill dude, it's just people with opinions
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Oh I am chill. It is still a shit show. Between people who can't accept opinions, scores, flip floppers or flop flippers (Total Biscuit) and such. It's hilarious! Pretty most people in the shit, including Jim would say a lot of this stuff is a shit show. =)
 
Paquete_PT said:
The kind of following Sterling has on neogaf is borderline "cultish" at times.
I understand that having a game-breaking bug sucks, but if the entire game up to that point (the end) is an 8/10 and you ran into a bug that as far as other reviews are concerned doesn't happen to everyone, then sure, take it down some points, but not all the way to 1/10, that just sounds like a child throwing a fit.
I agree that reviewers should in no way be thinking about metacritic and a developers' bonus, no matter how small or big the team is, but there should also be some consistency and thought behind giving scores to other people's work of art.
And yeah, this would be the perfect example against "scores" at the end of a review
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Why not? If that bug completely ruined his experience and how he felt towards the game, I'd say he is perfectly within reason to deem something as such. This doesn't have to be JimmyBoy, this could have been anyone.
 
I see Jim took a leaf out of Dan Stapleton's playbook.

Scores need to be done away with. It would force reviewers to think differently about how they treat their audiences. Maybe then we would get a higher proportion of reviews that are mature, well rounded and well thought out.
 
dex3108 said:
To me bigger issue is this TB opinion

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For a person who said multiple times that he will do his work as he wants to come and call out other people who did their work how they wanted is just sad.
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This guy is a tool. Just so full of himself.

As for the Jim's Sterling review yes he doesn't need to care about the metacritic score but honestly I dion't need to care about his review either, sounds like the score was meant to be get some attention.
 
GHG said:
I see Jim took a leaf out of Dan Stapleton's playbook.

Scores need to be done away with. It would force reviewers to think differently about how they treat their audiences. Maybe then we would get a higher proportion of reviews that are mature, well rounded and well thought out.
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yes.. Buy, Wait or Avoid is a great scoring system..

but for those who still use the "normal" scale with numbers, they should use them as they are supposed to.
 
Giving the game a super low score reminds me of the gamespot(was it gamespot) review of Prey where they scored it super low after the review ran into corrupted save file issue!
 
DarknessTear said:
I am not angry about Jim Sterling's review score like others, but I do believe he was unfair. I believe I'm allowed to have that opinion, just like he has his. The evidence is there, considering he liked the game until it broke. I do not believe that means the game should be a score so low. But you know - that's like, my opinion, man.
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I think it's totally fair to feel he was unfair! I think what bugs me more is the response that Jim (or any critic, for that matter) absolutely must change his score or the belief that his final score can't come from a genuine place. If you don't think the score matches the text or that his criticism was sloppy for whatever reason it's okay to voice that opinion. Critics aren't immune from criticism, but they also can't be forced to adhere any given reader's subjective standards.
 
Drillary Clinton said:
Why not? If that bug completely ruined his experience and how he felt towards the game, I'd say he is perfectly within reason to deem something as such. This doesn't have to be JimmyBoy, this could have been anyone.
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Cause it might be a rare bug, cause you had 8 hours of enjoyable gameplay up to this point, cause it's a score you are giving to games that are pure trash like Big Rigs, games that got no redeemable quality whatsoever, not a game that you enjoyed a lot up until a certain and unintentional (and not so common it seems) point near the end.

He is also realizing he didn't handle the situation well, what else can anyone say?
 
GHG said:
What I love best about it is how he states it's a waste of "everyone's" time.

Who put this guy in charge?
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Its a shame he's always gone for max abrasiveness, tonewise. He has done some good work, i just can't deal with it anymore.
 
GHG said:
I see Jim took a leaf out of Dan Stapleton's playbook.

Scores need to be done away with. It would force reviewers to think differently about how they treat their audiences. Maybe then we would get a higher proportion of reviews that are mature, well rounded and well thought out.
Click to expand...

In our timeline, scores will never go away. Best we could do is have reviewers do their job and have a good scoring system.
 
Tapejara said:
I think it's totally fair to feel he was unfair! I think what bugs me more is the response that Jim (or any critic, for that matter) absolutely must change his score or the belief that his final score can't come from a genuine place. If you don't think the score matches the text or that his criticism was sloppy for whatever reason it's okay to voice that opinion. Critics aren't immune from criticism, but they also can't be forced to adhere any given reader's subjective standards.
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That's where I stand. My first post said I read the review and didn't think the text matched a 1/10, and it seemed like a classic Jim move for clicks and attention.

Jim could have easily made the same point by refusing to review (or score) the game and making a Jimquisition episode about the state of unfinished or buggy games. He'd get attention, and so would the topic. Giving it a 1/10 based on his written review just seemed like a child whining for attention.

He can score games however he wants but that doesn't mean his m.o. isn't up for criticism. I also don't think he had to change the score or take the review down, but I'm curious where he'll land with this.
 
SomedayTheFire said:
I know it's not a made up term. I'm putting in inverted commas because using the whole of the ten point scale is as far from unprofessional for reviewers as can be. Having a ten point scale and only using 7 and up is unprofessional.

Happened with Prey too, happens with a ton of other games. Hell Jim's 7/10 for BOTW was called "unprofessional".
Click to expand...

Giving 1/10 is not really using the lower half of the scale properly, is it? It's more like a statement.

Unless the game is actually 1/10 and every time you start it up your PC catches fire, that is

But anyway, do you know of any industry where products get reviewed and reviewers consistently use the full scale? I don't. Everyone just uses 5-10 scores.
There probably is a discussion to be had on how people generally evaluate enjoyment intuitively on a much smaller scale than what we've grown accustomed to use. I'm starting to think the five star (without halves i guess?) scale would be much more suited for entertainment products.

EDIT: whoops
 
GHG said:
I see Jim took a leaf out of Dan Stapleton's playbook.

Scores need to be done away with. It would force reviewers to think differently about how they treat their audiences. Maybe then we would get a higher proportion of reviews that are mature, well rounded and well thought out.
Click to expand...

People can keep saying this but they would probably lose readers due to the loss of review scores. Because most of the audience wants the tl:dr. The full review is there for the audiences that want it. I doubt reviews would change much with or without a score at the end. Hell, they might get shorter with less information.

Some sort of score is necessary. Its a number, stars, thums or whatever. Not having something is cutting your work off at the knees.
 
I like Sterling but there's no way the game deserves a 1/10. I've played it for 3 hours and that score is downright egregious. To give a game 1/10, you're basically saying the game has no redeeming features whatsoever and, in the case of Hellblade, that's so far away from the truth that it renders his review a joke, frankly. It's as clear as the nose on his face that Hellblade has a lot going for it. Unfortunately, this really seems like a case of the critic wanting to be the headline and caring more about shock value than giving the game a fair shake. Quite embarrassing, really.
 
Necro900 said:
Giving 1/10 is not really using the lower half of the scale properly, is it? It's more like a statement.

Unless the game is actually 1/10 and every time you start it up your PC catches fire, that is

But anyway, do you know of any industry where products get reviewed and reviewers consistently use the full scale? I don't. Everyone just uses 5-10 scores.
There probably is a discussion to be had on how people generally evaluate enjoyment intuitively on a much smaller scale than what we've grown accustomed to use. I'm starting to think the five star (with halves) scale would be much more suited for entertainment products.
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Yes it is.

Literally everything that uses ten point scales to judge art except games.
 
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