to the IGN haters...

[Cubit]

Should IGN be criticized for poor writing? Yes.

Should IGN be criticized for their review score distribution? Probably not.


http://fc53.deviantart.com/fs43/f/2009/062/c/d/review_scores_by_nomorecry.jpg


I'm not a IGN fanboy. I'm just trying to dispel some assumptions that are thrown around so freely on our boards.

Personally, I visit IGN for their reviews (among other sites) purely because they write about so many games that other sites don't have time to touch. Even a poorly written impression is better than no impression at all.

[zengonzo]

Well, assuming that relative distribution of review scores is the most important factor in the enjoyment of reading a games journalism site .. I have to assume that the issue everyone has is with handing out sixes.

Everybody knows that sixes are bullshit.

[MSUSteve]

That's pretty interesting really, though it does nothing to address the actual quality of the writing at IGN, which I think is the problem most people have with them.

[Hanzii]

I rate the OP 7,9.

(Or a vague thumbs up under the Tom Chick pseudo-binary school of scoring)

[André Costa]

Is this the follow up to the gamefaqs poll thread?

[Cubit]

Is this the follow up to the gamefaqs poll thread?

nah, i just decided to gather and plot some data. i haven't read that gamefaqs thread.

[Tim James]

At least they don't use commas for their decimal points. That's just crazy.

[zengonzo]

I'm actually pretty curious about the six thing with Eurogamer, honestly.

It's pretty clearly deviant. It's like a psychological slope wherein a game is either given a kick up or down.

You can even see a little bit of the effect with IGN, but not nearly as severe as Eurogamer's apparent sexaphobia.

[salwon]

Step 1: Label your axes.

[Brian Seiler]

Interesting, but I'm in the crowd that wouldn't have criticized IGN for their scores anyway. I try to avoid them mostly because their reviews tend to read like a gorilla threw a bag full of colorforms at the world's biggest refrigerator and some sort of robotic frat boy interpreted the results through a game of find-the-word. I'm less interested in the fact that a game is a 6 than I am in WHY the game is a 6, since I'm the kind of deranged lunatic that can enjoy a Dynasty Warriors game in the right mood - an indication my opinions clearly diverge from the mainstream.

[Aeon221]

The IGN table has a third more reviews, and will obviously be smoother than the Eurogamer table. Feel free to post the data behind it, I'll happily crunch it and give you a better output than two shoddy tables.

[Cubit]

IGN
Score Number
1...... 0
2...... 7
3...... 15
4...... 25
5...... 37
6...... 41
7...... 54
8...... 56
9...... 14
10.... 1

Eurogamer
Score Number
1...... 0
2...... 4
3...... 8
4...... 9
5...... 25
6...... 19
7...... 34
8...... 35
9...... 9
10.... 6

I just gathered this data real quick (by counting) this morning. It would be cool to be able to compile more info spanning different genres, times, websites and platforms. If it actually means anything though is another matter.

[Bahimiron]

Step 1: Label your axes.

http://i42.tinypic.com/2rwrcxj.jpg

[RobotPants]

All this makes me hate IGN less. Thanks!

[copet]

If you are going to compare two graphs, you should keep the same axes. One marks every 10, one every 5 :P

[Cubit]

Oh you people. :) I know how to make graphs correctly, I just whipped the OP up in like 30 min to get something posted. Aeon can expand on the data collected if he wants.

[Tim James]

What's up with the weird squares around the text on that axe drawing? Something is amiss!!

[Adree]

I don't trust either sites reviews.

[Sidd_Budd]

I don't have any current generation consoles, so I am interested primarily in PC game reviews. The graph below shows why I'm suspicious of IGN's scores. The scores reflect 1729 IGN reviews (more for the other two sites). The left scale is the proportion of all reviews receiving that score. 1Up's A-F rating scale has been converted to 1-10.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3638/3326544922_9f269fbcf7.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidd_budd/3326544922/)

In comparison to other large online sites, IGN reviews tend to skew higher. IGN has the greatest proportion of reviews in the 8-9 range, and the fewest in the 1-6 range that Tom is convinced does not exist.

But really, the concept that squids are not technically animals is the main reason I take IGN writing with a grain of salt.

[Tim James]

Just a meta question here: whenever this subject comes up periodically, do people forget or dismiss the idea that ratings numbers mean different things for different websites, or is that genuinely not the case anymore anyway?

[UncleSmoothie]

I've never criticized IGN for appending ridiculous numbers to the end of their ridiculous reviews.

Just a meta question here: whenever this subject comes up periodically, do people forget or dismiss the idea that ratings numbers mean different things for different websites, or is that genuinely not the case anymore anyway?

I try to actually read the review, and disregard the number as much as possible. They often don't agree.

[RobotPants]

Just a meta question here: whenever this subject comes up periodically, do people forget or dismiss the idea that ratings numbers mean different things for different websites, or is that genuinely not the case anymore anyway?

Yes. Wait, no. I forget what the popular response is. I'll just dance a jig to create a diversion.

[Sidd_Budd]

Just a meta question here: whenever this subject comes up periodically, do people forget or dismiss the idea that ratings numbers mean different things for different websites, or is that genuinely not the case anymore anyway?
With regard to my graph, you have a point when it comes to 1Up's scale; a straight conversion from a grade-based system to a 0-10 system isn't comparable. But you can take a look at Gamespot's (http://www.gamespot.com/misc/reviewguidelines.html?tag=scoresummary%3breview-guidelines) and IGN's (http://games.ign.com/ratings.html) rating policies. I can't find meaningful distinctions between the two.

Is the classification of a squid also supposed to be relative, based on the website? I couldn't find anything on either website about that.

[bigdaddygamebot]

So because of IGN's "reasonableness" regarding review scores, it makes the site suck less?

Can I get a ratio?

Can I get a chart plotting the inverse correlation between total number of middle-of-the-road review scores and site suckage?

[extarbags]

So... if you only look at the meaningless number attached to the review, IGN is in line with the meaningless numbers attached to the reviews on other sites?

[Pentadact]

I try to actually read the review, and disregard the number as much as possible. They often don't agree.

When they don't agree, I disregard the review. Games writers are good at explaining flaws, bad at explaining fun. The score's the only place where their writing ability can't interfere with the force of their recommendation, and they can always say what they feel.

-

[Tim James]

Editors can change review scores.

[Mehrunes]

Fuck Score Wars

[Pogo]

If you are going to compare two graphs, you should keep the same axes. One marks every 10, one every 5 :P

You might already know this, or you're being sarcastic, but what matters is the trend in the data, which he emphasized accurately in his graphs.

As others have mentioned, it's not the review scores that turn me off to IGN, it's the generally crappy write-ups themselves (barring a couple good ones here and there, but I rarely keep track of the authors).

[alexlitel]

(barring a couple good ones here and there, but I rarely keep track of the authors).Where are these?

[Pogo]

Where are these?

To be honest, I don't remember and may be talking out of my ass. It's possible.

[copet]

You might already know this, or you're being sarcastic, but what matters is the trend in the data, which he emphasized accurately in his graphs.

As others have mentioned, it's not the review scores that turn me off to IGN, it's the generally crappy write-ups themselves (barring a couple good ones here and there, but I rarely keep track of the authors).

Haha no, bad attempt at sarcasm :( I honestly check IGN scores, but don't often read the articles. It does seem, though, that big name games are getting bigger scores nowadays. I guess it would be interesting to see a graph going by what are considered the "big" releases of a segment.