M3rlin

@Landon: From the very first episode I constantly had to think of Patrick when Misfits' Nathan appeared! He even has the silly gestures of a beanpole like Patrick! :)

Gonna get all 4 of these!

You only really know what you're missing, when you don't have it...

Do developers solely get bonuses (and personal satisfaction) depending on the critics' scores? Are sales numbers ultimately not more important? Not only for the managers who decide how much to pay the makers of the games, but also for those makers themselves. I know I find it more satisfying, if more people than ever bought a new Volkswagen (where I work) even though critics were pessimistic.

So who cares whether or not Mass Effect 3 gets a lower rating than 96, as long as more gamers will buy that - I'm certain - fantastic game?!

@sanchopanza: That definitely makes sense, thanks for the info! I wonder if review writers from the UK hesitate to a lesser extent to give lower scores on the 10 or 100 scales, since they are also used to those wider distributions from school/uni - maybe even subconsciously.

Patrick, do you think the review score inflation could be linked to the American Grading System in schools and universities that basically all writers grew up in?

I was a German high school exchange student in the US a couple years back and am now doing my Graduate studies in NYC. Both times I was surprised how closely distributed most of the grades are at the top end of the grading scale: A+ to B-.

A C was already a bad grade. From Germany, however, I was used to the equivalents of C's and D's being decent grades. Only the top performing third of the class got A's and B's, so it was really something special to be up there. In the US I felt, most of the distinction was made between A- and B+.

Game reviews I feel have ended up in the same cul-de-sac where reviewers have to be extremely cautious when giving away the final +/-0.5 points on a scale of 10, because that's where amazing games overtake great games.

I witnessed the phenomenon myself that reviews without a final score ultimately don't seem as relevant. I usually read everything on Shacknews.com EXCEPT the reviews, as they do not assign a score.

As to "criticism" in reviews, I like those sections a lot and even expect it in a way. A recent example that comes to mind is Jeff's MW3 review, in which he says it's a very well-made game that lacks innovation, however.

Please more pieces like this!

Too few sites go beyond the "simple" reviewing of games but actually publish some Editorials that cover trends/developments/problems in the industry. The only other outlet I know of to get these kinds of discussions is the Shacknews Weekend Confirmed Podcast with Garnett Lee.

Can anyone recommend more sites/writers who tackle topics like this? I'm fairly knew to the table...

Finally!

Also: Interesting story. Good to know!

The Ambassador titles are now ready to be downloaded on the US eShop!