MS to do the "Halo, Gears, Forza" formula again?

[Angelus]

Veknoid_Outcast said:

Angelus said:

First off, that was a typo in my post there, meant subjective, but I think you got it.

And ya, I do absolutely think one can make a convincing case for the objective quality of a video, regardless of tastes. For starters, how are the production values? Visual design, sound design, etc. How do those match up to similar games, in the same genre? Does the game perform well on a technical level? Then, in terms of the gameplay, you're absolutely right that we all have (very) different ideas of what constitutes fun gameplay, but....does the game execute the intended gameplay well? Again, how does it stack up to similar gameplay in it's competitors? There are lots of very easy, objective ways to determine quality.

What if you find the soundtrack grating, and I find it mesmerizing? What if the realistic art style works wonders for you, and leaves me cold? What if I don't mind settling for 30 FPS and for you it's 60 FPS or bust? Which one of us is right? There's a big difference between the objective "this soundtrack was composed by Mr. X and played with A,B, and C instruments" and "this soundtrack is pure poetry and elevates the game from a rental to a must-buy." Surely you see the difference between a cold, objective presentation of facts and a deeply personal, emotional analysis?

You suggest measuring quality gameplay by stacking it up to similar gameplay in competing games? Well, to get there you'd have to assume some objective, quantifiable baseline, when, again, it's just your personal preferences, this time spread across multiple games.

I get where you're coming from, but some basic assumptions simply have to be made, otherwise we could never rate ANY piece of entertainment. Everyone writing previews, reviews, etc, for them would be wasting their time, because nothing they said would have any objective merit to help anyone get any wiser as to whether that piece of entertainment is more worthy of their time than others, beyond telling them whether it falls into a genre or style they like. I'd like to think that despite people's many differences, there's certain baselines we can acknowledge as being executed well or poorly, regardless of how strongly they resonate with us on a personal level. Maybe that's just me though.

Edit: I'll do your FPS example real quick, because what you're referencing again here is preference. Some people might be have issues with 30FPS, and others may not, sure….but does the game give you whatever FPS it's settled on at a consistent clip? Is the performance steady, or does it go all over the place? These are things I can use to judge the quality, even if my personal ideal is something other than what's presented.

Last edited by Angelus - on 31 May 2018