Polygon console review score

I don't want to bash Polygon but I find their console review score little strange. I read their extensive review and having that 7.5 at the end left me with a bad taste in my mouth. If they want to put a number on a console they should explain in more detail how they are computing it. If the xbone hasn't come out yet and their review is still pending are they basing the score by comparing the 360 and ps3 against it. If that is the case than 7.5 is phenomenal in my opinion. If they are comparing it to the PC it think that would be little unreasonable since PC's grow with the components you put in them. The consoles are just coming out and from what we saw during this generation they have extreme potential for growth and improvement. Polygon slapping a number on them is unnecessary and baseless especially since there is such exponential growth that can happen in the next few years.

Honest opinion: they can do whatever they want, but assigning a score to a console that's been out for a day is fucking pointless. Like, one of the most pointless things ever. Like, it angers me how pointlessly meaningless it is.

I dunno. They talked a lot about the console. Was it a 4000 word review? 5k? It felt like a lot. And the tone of the review pretty much supported the number they gave it, in my view.

Polygon's Ouya and Wii U reviews had no score, I could imagine they wanted to have some sense of impact with it's audience? But yeah it's ridiculious, might as well turn into Sim City review score that gets changed every hour.

Its almost like they knew it was stupid and would attract way more attention to themselves that way.

Honest question: can you guys take Polygon's website seriously? (nothing about the writing, I just mean the structure, layout, design of the website)

I still can't. It's so silly.

Both the Ouya and Wii U received review scores from Polygon. It does not make the practice any less dumb.

It's click bait, plain and simple.

It's like reviewing a website during it's first week. It's going to change and grow over time so a review score is kind of pointless.

@hailinel: did they? Huh? I honestly didn't remember the score numbers? Huh.... reminder just how much of an impact a Polygon review is to me.

@naru_joe93: I completely agree that's why I wanted to see the GB community's opinion.

I give Giant Bomb a 2 out of 5.

@videorob: exactly such a extensive review just to slap a number on it a the end of it. I wonder if they put the number at the beginning would people even read it at that point.

@crithon: I don't think they were around for the 360 and ps3 to give them reviews so what are they comparing the ps4 to

Is Polygon still struggling to be relevant? That's nice.

Yeah, pretty much. It's the Kotaku model.

I give the PS4 a score of 10 out of OVER NINE THOUSAND!

@jinstarwing: nope, they weren't just did a double check they did scores for Ouya and Wii U just to eat my own words for Hailinel.

I honestly don't care what they do. I understood the review, and although giving a number was dumb, it isn't the end of the world because reviews have scores, usually. Tech sites review hardware and give them scores all the time.

Out of the box, apparently it has a lot of cool things about it, but it isn't always great. 7.5.

Tide goes in; tide goes out.

Well, it's Polygon so they'll just update the score in a few days. And then again a few days later. You know, to totally trivialize the review process, and only perpetuate the 'fix it whenever' attitude this industry has taken over the past decade.

Fuck, I'm in a bad mood or something.

Polygon, haha. Are they still around?

Polyon took $750k in funding from Microsoft in the past.

One should NEVER, EVER mention Polygon or give that site any clicks. They have an obvious agenda and the blatant Microsoft paychecks are acknowlegded.

The write-up was pretty well done, it's a shame they really kind of ruined it with a dumb number at the end. I imagine they did it to enhance clicks, like most websites.

They change their review scores as products develop post-release... very frequently. It's kinda their thing. I wouldn't worry about it.

WTF is polygon ?

@trafalgarlaw: I'm no expert, nor do I regularly read Polygon, but I feel like there is a significant amount of context missing in that image you've included.

Well, The Verge gave PS4 a 7.7. They're sister websites. Get Hype!

There isn't much context. Polygon received $750,000 from Microsoft to make a documentary about stroking their egos. Close to a million dollars from which also directly salaries to reviewers were payed to produce the documentary.

I honestly think reviewing the consoles is a little silly. Maybe it's just me.

you see how you went out of your way to point that out? That's exactly why they did it.

On the surface there is nothing wrong with doing something consumer-report style regarding hardware. There are definitely problems with the interface, many of which our own Hood Boyz on the GB staff highlighted on Friday's stream. But Polygon's history lends an overly-sinister air to this whole shindig, so I dunno. 7.5 Ain't bad for something that will change in very minor fashions over the next two to eight years.

If people think this is dumb why do they keep spending so much time talking about it?

Who cares.

Something about Polygon is just off-putting to me. I don't know if its their content is more off-putting than their pretentious design and tone of their website. Their early review of the PS4 and other debacles such as Sim-Ciy makes me not like their website.

Does it play games? Yes or no. Yes? 5/5.

Maybe they're experimenting?

So what? What, in the grand scheme of the world and your enjoyment of games, does it matter?

That was rhetorical because it doesn't matter.

where can we find this documentary btw?

It just amazes me they list "Not enough great games yet" as a con, they even put YET at the end of it, so what's the point in saying it's a con when you acknowledge it will get better? Like any console line-up.

Let's blame Josh. Nobody likes Josh. I don't like Josh. Do you like Josh? I'm sure we can hug it out and not like Josh together, I think.

Paul.

Let's blame Patrick instead. And Kessler.

@journ3y said:

I mentioned it earlier in the thread, and it's a little more conspiracy-theory-ish than I usually get, but the part where Polygon got a bunch of big name games writers (Justin McElroy to Brian Crecente to Arthur Gies, and a bunch of others) who all had senior positions at their respective previous jobs, suggests to me they just went around buying up all the talent they could and offering them huge salaries. Maybe that's common knowledge, I don't know. And it's a perfectly acceptable tactic that has happened before, so I'm not declaring them to be evil or anything. It wouldn't surprise me if one or more of the Giant Bomb staffers were offered a job there and turned it down (I'm positive they must've at least tried to contact Jeff).

Anyway, in addition to all the stuff you've mentioned, that's a real mercenary tactic that really drains some talented writers from other outlets, and it's another thing that could easily rub people the wrong way, since it's kinda just "company with the most money swoops in, buys up half the notable games writers at major publications that have worked for years to help those writers build careers".

Reviewing a console seems weird but I guess it makes sense if you look at it like any other piece of technology.

Take it for what it is, guys. It's meant to be a view on what the console is right now, at launch. I was wondering if they were going to do constant review updates as games start to trickle out, but... no, I'm pretty sure it's just meant to show the day-one opinion for people who are still on the fence about buying. Maybe more specifically, people on the fence about buying right now or waiting.

He's referring to the fact that Microsoft sponsored Polygon's "Press Reset" documentary about designing Polygon dot com. They sponsored it in exchanged for it including ads for what was then the new version of Internet Explorer. In the trailer and in the documentary, Internet Explorer is shown as the sponsor. It appears to have been an advertising effort by them. Polygon has not hidden the fact that they took the sponsorship for their documentary, and they don't believe there is any conflict of interest in having once taken a sponsorship for their documentary.

I think people jumping to the conclusion that this score has anything to do with bias are being silly, especially without having seen what their Xbox One review will be. Is it really that hard to believe that they might suggest that it's a decent system with potential but not something you have to go out and get right now? Polygon has a scoring system that changes over time; so, I imagine they will increase the score once more games come out.

Here is the trailer of the documentary that was sponsored by Internet Explorer:

@bisonhero: and what would that conspiracy be? I mean, two of the creators were of Escapist and 1up, I can kinda see that linage there in their whole design but then they haven't really found a voice. A lot of these enthusiast web sites are personality driven and that hasn't really clicked so far even with AMAZING Production videos. I mean my theory is they want to make another 1up or a Escapist, but they haven't really captured that yet. Like right now, the whole reviewing a console is fanboy baiting because they haven't really done anything yet to motivate anyone.

Actually, you know what I noticed, they have done over 100 videos and still doesn't feel like they have a personality yet. If I were to give them a complement, their layout is beautiful if they were to make it a new blog.

They have been pretty open about how they made Polygon. That's what their documentary was about, after all. Vox Media took a massive war chest and used it to try to form a Voltron-like super site of the best in tech and videogames media. The results were the Verge and Polygon. They would put a bigger emphasis on design and large articles that would take advantage of a staff comprising both some of the best in the business and young talents.

Unfortunately, I would agree that them basically poaching the best from elsewhere through using a vast investment of resources may rub some people the wrong way, and they have always been rather grandiose about how revolutionary and better their site intends to be.

To me, though, the biggest criticism toward them is simply that they often allow overwrought design to distract from their content and make the site less functional for the sake of flash. They are in an odd position where they have both style and substance, but their style is very often overwhelming the substance. Their obsession with style also seems to distract them from establishing any kind of personality of their own; their personality, at times, seems to simply be that style without any heart. In many ways, Polygon are their own worst enemy.

I can't find the Gaf thread where I read it but there's a Forbes or Business Insider article that lists all the companies who contributed to the Polygon documentary, it wasn't just Microsoft's $750,000. The problem is that it creates the appearance of impropriety which taints it as a venue for real opinions to be shared. I recognise every site gets swag and games from publishers, it's how you surface that information that makes you trustworthy or not.

Giant Bomb has in the past shown disinterest to outright disdain for a lot of that stuff (I can't count the number of times Jeff has said something like "fuck this dumb event, just give me the game so I can review it") which makes me trust their opinions on stuff. Polygon took a whole bunch of money from various sources to make a documentary about changing the face of games journalism, a bunch of grandstanding wankery in my opinion. So therefore everything they do is in question, including console review scores.

I'm sorry what did you say again ? This guy with a forklift is gonna camp right outside your house now.

@jay_ray said:

I'd say so.

Is this turning into another "Polygon is dumb" thread? Because Polygon is sort of dumb.

@ferros: I'm pretty sure their major sponsors were initially Microsoft and BMW, with ads for Internet Explorer and BMW's line of vehicles. They've also drawn in Verizon and Ford.

Polygon has been pretty upfront about the sponsorships though; so, while I don't think taking money from Microsoft was a good idea from a perception standpoint, I don't get the impression it somehow taints their coverage. I think it seems to just be a convenient way to dismiss them whenever they say something unpopular, like enjoying a game people don't like or not praising something as much as some people think they should.