the problem with your critical analysis is that it disregards one thing. while it may be missing some elements that exist in other games, and is missing a replay save, the sum of its parts that is does have is so far beyond everything else we've had this gen so far that it still merits the 10.
I think the real problem is that gamers expect reviews to work their way down, not work their way up. The problem with this is that not only will no game ever be perfect under this scale, but every game would end up simply ok at best. To start ripping apart something for everything wrong with it starts missing what's right with it.
I like how reviews generally are. Start at 0.0 and look at what the game does right. If it's enough to take it to a 10, so be it. It doesn't mean the game's perfect, it just means it's good enough for a 10. We need to get this conception out of our mind that the highest score is somehow perfect. It's not, it's simply the highest score on the rating scale.
Again, 10 isn't a perfect score, just the highest score on the scale. If any game deserves the highest score a scale has, it's this. It would be like saying it doesn't deserve 5/5 from gamespy.
I will agree to disagree with you on this one. I can see your point of view of solely "[looking] at what the game does right," and giving an appropriate score. However, I feel a grading system should be both the balance of your approach and the the "opposite:" "to start ripping [it apart] for everything wrong with it."
You should look at this game in context to its time of release, both in respect to its time in the consoles life cycle, and its relation to all games until this point.
You will see how it eclipses other games in almost every respect, yet has glaring omissions such as the save-game-feature. Thus earning an almost perfect percentile.
You will see how it eclipses other games in almost every respect, yet has glaring omissions such as the save-game-feature. Thus earning an almost perfect percentile.
but again that's assuming that the top end of the scoring scale means perfect, which it doesn't. in this case the problem isn't with the review system but what people interpret the numbers to mean. If anything I would LOVE for more 10's to be handed out. Because as is it causes consumers to think that it is some unattainable grade and therefore must mean perfect. thankfully other industries like hotel and restaurant services or the movie industry don't operate under this same perception. Why have a 10 point scale if nothing is ever going to be rated 10. Why not just a 9.9 point scale then?
I just hope you remember this post after we've finished the game and start reflecting back on it, or at the very least when R* announces the feature as DLC
I was determined to beat a few games before GTA4
Beat Crysis last week, Finally beat Episode two last friday - and I started Bioshock but there is now way im going to finish it. At least for a few months
I have a question gameplay wise for anyone that has it already.
When I bring up the mobile phone under options for sleep mode it says...by turning sleep mode ON, you may disable story event's. Now, I understand the premise of it, but, when I turn it OFF, it always has a pop-up on the phone stating that it's OFF, like it want's it to be ON.
I don't know, I apologize if this is a dumb question, but it has me confused.
Anyways, the game so far deserves a 10 in my book. Playing it and watching videos of it are two totally different things. Rockstar has created a true masterpiece. This is the first GTA that a LOT of people will see through the end, because of the storyline and character's as well.
Because on his build it did. He had multiple videos of the same tree popping in. But on the others running on the retail disk, the tree is there the whole time.
Interesting. The companys salesman who distributes GTAIV to Finland claims that preorder numbers for GTAIV are 30000(PS3) and 20000(Xbox360), which are huge. He also says that this ratio also represents the sales of PS3/X360 in Finland.
Sometimes i don't understand this game and the graphics of it.
Little story:
I tried "Multiplayer training", when i finished it the game returned to Niko but HE WAS IN THE SAME SPOT OF THE ONLINE CHARACTER and i had to drive back to the save point.
This, i didn't understand if it was a bug or what.
Now, about the graphics "question":
Sometimes the game is almost black & white, before it even turns night maybe.
I dunno how to explain it, it's just this weird palette the game has, maybe it's fog or something, but i swear the image had little to no colors.
Obviously, the HUD had them, i'm talking about the in-game colors.
but again that's assuming that the top end of the scoring scale means perfect, which it doesn't. in this case the problem isn't with the review system but what people interpret the numbers to mean. If anything I would LOVE for more 10's to be handed out. Because as is it causes consumers to think that it is some unattainable grade and therefore must mean perfect. thankfully other industries like hotel and restaurant services or the movie industry don't operate under this same perception. Why have a 10 point scale if nothing is ever going to be rated 10. Why not just a 9.9 point scale then?
This replay feature/review score talk got mixed together and I take full responsibility. I will say one final thing about it before I ignore any subsequent replies on review scoring. Let me first preface the statement that AD is one of my favorite shows of all time :lol
I'm just using this as an example. This is my opinion, I'm wrong a lot, don't derail this thread.
I truly believe, after everything I've said, that OoT deserved a perfect 10. If you look at the game in context to when it was released, it was perfect. It was missing nothing, and it executed every aspect of its gameplay perfectly with respect to the confines of the time and system it was released on. You may have a different opinion, as you should as a different reviewer; but, when I played it at the time, I noticed nothing missing, nor did I find any flaws in what was in the content itself. I may have lacked the experience of all games released during that time, but thats where a professional journalist excels.
You have to remove the hype and look at the game years from now. You are looking at the game from this very moment. skate came out almost 8 months ago. Halo 3 came out almost 6 months ago. Each had the replay feature that I find would have been significant and possible with our current generation of systems.
I hope it's more clear of why I feel that GTA4 isn't perfect and that it doesn't deserve a 10. If not, I apologize, but I will continue this conversation on review scores in a more appropriate thread.
but a game doesn't have to be perfect to get a 10.
No matter how you try making your point, your only contention seems to be that it's not perfect. this is fine and dandy as 10 does not mean a game is perfect.
and frankly, having been there for oot launch and now hearing people's thoughts on this, I would have to say if OOT garnered a 10 so does this, as they both seem to have propelled the industry much further ahead than anything else in their respective genres.
you need to accept that 10 doesn't mean perfect, and a game doesn't have to be perfect to garner a top score. So no game can get a 5 out of 5, a 4 out of 4, an A+, or two thumbs up? Really?
Now, about the graphics "question":
Sometimes the game is almost black & white, before it even turns night maybe.
I dunno how to explain it, it's just this weird palette the game has, maybe it's fog or something, but i swear the image had little to no colors.
Obviously, the HUD had them, i'm talking about the in-game colors.
I JUST played Crackdown purposely before playing GTA IV. I was LTTP on Crackdown and I figured I wanted to play that before this because I want to enjoy GTA as long as possible. I gotta say, I really enjoyed Crackdown and it's a sleeper hit, but, now that I've played GTA, it would be very difficult to go back to Crackdown. GTA IV is on a whole new level.
I'm still debating if I should go get this at midnight or wait until the morning. I want to play Mario Kart some more until GTA. Once I get GTA I will probably not play MK for awhile.
but a game doesn't have to be perfect to get a 10.
No matter how you try making your point, your only contention seems to be that it's not perfect. this is fine and dandy as 10 does not mean a game is perfect.
and frankly, having been there for oot launch and now hearing people's thoughts on this, I would have to say if OOT garnered a 10 so does this, as they both seem to have propelled the industry much further ahead than anything else in their respective genres.
you need to accept that 10 doesn't mean perfect, and a game doesn't have to be perfect to garner a top score. So no game can get a 5 out of 5, a 4 out of 4, an A+, or two thumbs up? Really?
I consider perfection to be 100%. Or a (MaxNumber)/(MaxNumber) on a numerical scale.
5/5 is 100%, 4/4 is 100%, A+ is not 100%. Two thumbs up is not 100%.
There is an implicit subjectivity found in each person's numerical score, with an emphasis on content. They may believe that a game garners a perfect score because it is perfect in their eyes for their own reasons. Thus, they rate a game with a perfect numerical score. Whether you believe that same game is worthy of that score is entirely your opinion.
The "A+" and "thumbs" rating systems are seemingly more subjective, based on the "experience" and I hope we can agree on this outright. Far more emphasis is placed on the reviewer's opinion, both in regards to their personal experience, and what they believe your experience may be.
I favor the later, as it is a superior system for reviewing all forms entertainment. After all, wouldn't you say that entertainment should be judged on the experience of the user?
Having a numerical score to rate games is inefficient, ineffective, and results in inherit complications
read: banned meme's
.
To sum up this contention:
On a numerical scale, I don't think GTA4 deserves a perfect rating. It is missing an important feature (Saved Games), that would necessitate a perfect scoring.
On the superior "1up" scale, I believe that GTA4 deserves the highest recommendation that a reviewer may give. It is one of the greatest experiences found on consoles today.
Actually, I haven't played it, it could be complete shite
