Requirements for game to be considered AAA

[Dodece]

Define AAA.

Three letters that individually state a fact about a product, and combined signify that a product is of an extraordinary caliber. A title that receives such a label must explicitly have three specific qualities. The first quality is the budget, and thus the resources dedicated to its development. The second is the hype either before or after launch it is possible for a dark horse to become a AAA title. The third quality is excellence of execution. The game must achieve a average rating of 9/10. The reason its been elevated so high is because reviewers are not as stringent with their determinations as they once were.

Things that do not factor into the equation are intellectual properties, series, staff, studio, or exclusivity. Simply being a known commodity does not equate to a game being AAA. While it is bound to have a significant amount of hype, and it might have a huge budget. The requirement still stands that the title must receive high marks from the review crews. Hopefully developers take care of their properties, and do them justice. That said quite often they don't.

The title only has merit as long as people are reluctant to use it. First no game that has not been released should even be associated with the title. Being hyped about a title does not make it worth such a title. You can take your franchise and shove it somewhere else while your at it. I could also care less if its some exclusive game to your console. I fully agree the term is getting abused by many. Simply put its not a fact until it is in your hands.

Most titles that are listed as AAA are not AAA titles. They are usually missing one ingredient, and while they might be exceptional or wonderful games they do not rate the title AAA. You could literally make a perfect puzzle game for under a million dollars, and consumers could be engrossed with it. That doesn't make it a AAA title nor do units sold. Were that the case then a game like Nintendogs or Brain Training would have to be considered AAA.

The only thing worse in ratings then abusing this title is abusing a title like AAAA. Frankly if we agree that there is such a level of gaming. That must be reserved for complete perfection, and to be blunt I have seen only three games perhaps in the last ten years that would even merit consideration, but I have heard it a few times this year.

Anyway thanks to abysmal rating system, and inconsistent review crews. We must have a term that differentiates great and fantastic games. From the game that at the very least should be played, and outright should be purchased. We only see a handful of such games a year.

I can name only five titles from last year off the top of my head that were AAA titles those being Halo 3, Bioshock, Super Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect, Metroid Prime 3. Mass Effect, and Metroid barely making it in. That should be a testament to anyone throwing the title around just how difficult getting such a title is. The acclaim has to be damn near universal just a couple bad reviews can push a game right into AA territory.

Those are my thoughts a lot of people tossing the title around are doing it merely for propaganda purposes, or because they don't respect the title. The thing about a AAA title is in retrospect nobody dares to debate it. Everyone knows for a fact that such a title is whether they like that particular game or not. The facts are undeniable. The ratings, the buzz, the development budget. These things are self evident.