As someone who's been following the gaming industry for the vast majority of my adult life, it's always been a mystery as to why people care so much about review scores. I'd hazard a guess that most comments given to sites like IGN, GameSpot or even Polygon revolve solely around why certain scores were given to certain games. I learned a while ago that review scores do not really speak to the quality of a game in the same way that movie reviews cannot speak to your involvement in certain stories. For instance, the Matrix sequels are among the most hated in movie circles, but I thoroughly enjoyed the hell out of them (draw from that what you will), and the same will probably be said by others of Pacific Rim later on.
Returning to games though, I got my PS3 when it was bundled with the award winning Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Though I'd never played a Metal Gear Solid game before, I figured, "What the hell, it came bundled with my console, I'll give it a play." I'd heard a lot about MGS4 from review sites around the net and was curious why it had received so many perfect 10s. After the lengthy install and some incomprehensible babble from characters I'd never heard of, the game began. Then stopped. Then there was more incomprehensible babble. Repeat.
The game parts were... fine, I guess. Nothing to boast of. The controls weren't exactly rock solid and the genre (stealth) was one that I'm not well suited to and had no experience in. However, since this was my first Metal Gear game, most of what appealed to everyone who had given it a 10 (hearing more of the... I hesitate to use the word "story" but there it is) and reconnecting with the legendary Solid Snake after his long absence was completely lost on me. The game was what I came for and the game... wasn't fun. Wasn't even good. Was one of the worst experiences I ever had in gaming.
Now, it wasn't a complete loss. I didn't get the PS3 exclusively for MSG4; That was just a side bonus. However, on that day, I came to realize that most of what the gaming community spends it's time arguing amongst itself about (ie, review scores), really holds no interest or importance for me. I know that some companies base bonuses or future game projects on Metacritic and similar sites, but for the average gamer on the street, it's so much useless drivel. Most of what drives my interest in gaming now is, quite honestly, podcast discussion. I listen to what people say about the recent releases, the enthusiasm in their voices, the excitement in their delivery, the joyful experiences they have had. The scores mean so little, I've tried to ignore them completely anymore. I feel better for it.
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