Current Events > Stellar Blade review embargo is tomorrow, what's the metacritic gonna be?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Gamer review culture is a dumpster fire.

Makeveli_lives posted...

https://twitter.com/ign/status/1783153055438983338?s=46&t=MclOgjiC_DZiKahxLVoZDg

IGN apparently being lit up online about having one of the lower review scores for the game.

I've seen the totally normal gamers obsessed with this game attacking reviewers who gave it an 8, they're not ok.

Doe posted...

Gamer review culture is a dumpster fire.

Game reviews just need to go back to having separate scores for graphics, sound, gameplay, controls, etc. if they need to add a special extra number for the writer's personal preferences they can add that to make them feel better, fine.

Murphiroth posted...

I've seen the totally normal gamers obsessed with this game attacking reviewers who gave it an 8, they're not ok.

It's because Gamers are desperate for a W.

s0nicfan posted...

Game reviews just need to go back to having separate scores for graphics, sound, gameplay, controls, etc. if they need to add a special extra number for the writer's personal preferences they can add that to make them feel better, fine.

I think this logic sort of treats the problem as being giving the game an overall score when that's just not the issue. The issue is that gamers have such an unhealthy relationship with their product of choice that they stake their own pride and mental wellbeing on whether the game they want is recognized as being good by others. And they already decide the game is good from the trailers or series name, so if a review contradicts their expectation at all then it becomes a personal insult against that gamer. And that's even putting aside when the culture war angle flares up like with this one.

The only meaning any kind of score has to these people is as either validation for their constructed reality or an assault on their values/childhood/beliefs. Breaking it down into smaller scores won't change how the gamers who get mad about them interpret them.

Doe posted...

I think this logic sort of treats the problem as being giving the game an overall score when that's just not the issue. The issue is that gamers have such an unhealthy relationship with their product of choice that they stake their own pride and mental wellbeing on whether the game they want is recognized as being good by others. And they already decide the game is good from the trailers or series name, so if a review contradicts their expectation at all then it becomes a personal insult against that gamer. And that's even putting aside when the culture war angle flares up like with this one.

The only meaning any kind of score has to these people is as either validation for their constructed reality or an assault on their values/childhood/beliefs. Breaking it down into smaller scores won't change how the gamers who get mad about them interpret them.

It won't change their opinion, but it does change the conversation. It makes it much harder for them to point at a holistic review and find some sentence that they think proves the writer is against them or something. It changes the conversation from "this game is a nine not a seven" to "gameplay should have gotten a 5 instead of a 4." It's also much easier to discuss in an objective fashion the pros and cons of something like gameplay or graphics when you've isolated that piece of the overall picture instead of blending it all together.

But maybe I'm just being optimistic here.

Murphiroth posted...

What outrage?

Maybe outrage was a bit too much, but without the tweet, the reactions on it, the posts here in this topic and that IGN article I would still not know about that phrase at all.

Karovorak posted...

Maybe outrage was a bit too much, but without the tweet, the reactions on it, the posts here in this topic and that IGN article I would still not know about that phrase at all.

...okay?

Your point?

I will now buy your horny

DrizztLink posted...

...okay?

Your point?

???

My point is that I didn't know what the issue was, that I learned about it because of the reaction in the first place.

What more of a point to you except?

They say this game plays like a early 2000s PS2 game like DMC2.

Dakimakura posted...

They say this game plays like a early 2000s PS2 game like DMC2.

Not like DMC2, just old classic action games from the PS2 / Xbox era.

I watched the video review, seems their biggest issues were the side quests in the linear levels and overall being meh, the story being meh and the characters being meh. They said enemy design is great, graphics and character design are gorgeous and the combat is a real blast.

Kaldrenthebold posted...

Not like DMC2, just old classic action games from the PS2 / Xbox era.

Yeah if it were like DMC2 it would be scoring WAY lower.

The "HARD R" image was funny as hell.

Kaldrenthebold posted...

Not like DMC2, just old classic action games from the PS2 / Xbox era.

I watched the video review, seems their biggest issues were the side quests in the linear levels and overall being meh, the story being meh and the characters being meh. They said enemy design is great, graphics and character design are gorgeous and the combat is a real blast.

Story and characters I expected but Im so glad its linear. Eldensoulsbourne exploration is not for me at all.

Makeveli_lives posted...

Story and characters I expected but Im so glad its linear. Eldensoulsbourne exploration is not for me at all.

It's a mix it seems. Some areas are open, others are linear. This game really does seem like it took an inspiration from Nier Automata

Gene Park with the typically even-handed takes. Honestly I often find him to be a little "too fair" in some of his critiques so the fact that he specifies particular flaws in Stellar Blade is notable.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/video-games/2024/04/24/stellar-blade-review/

A shame the story is meh as they've done decent enough stories, if not amazingly innovative, in their gacha's

Damn it's really stuck at 82. Thought it'd drop back to 81.

Funkydog posted...

A shame the story is meh as they've done decent enough stories, if not amazingly innovative, in their gacha's

My friend got a review copy and beated the game. The story at the third act really picks up and recontextualizes all the mystery in the game (they're trying very hard to pull a Nier Automata), but he did say that it does fall flat because the characters never get any better and falls into the typical clicheds you see in this type of genre. He still liked the game (he gave it a 8/10) but only because the combat is super solid.