I agree completely with this guy.

well jim does have a point, as an 8/10 score isn't really a score from a hater but you can understand how cliff is dissapointed' because he has been claiming for months that gears is the definitive game on the xbox console, but a meteraric of 91 is amazing and any game devoloper should be be proud of that, and even though it's less then the other 2 gears game it doesn't mean it's worse! a 91 would be a 97 a few years ago and it just shows how much times have changed uncharted 3 might not even get a 96 like it did last time it will most likely get around the 90's because even though the game will be better then 2 it has to show how much it has improved from the 2nd game to warrant a higher score.

Since when is the main benchmark for a game its story?  I can give you a number of stories of games in less than 3 lines, and I challenge you to show they stink:

* Civilization: Build an empire that stands the test of time.

* Donkey Kong: Rescue Pauline from the clutches of the evil ape.

* Tetris: Drop blocks to form lines that vanish to keep the screen clear.

* Chess: Checkmate your opponent's king.

* Pacman: Eat all the dots and eat power pellets to turn table on ghosts that chase you.

* Super Mario Bros: The princess is in another castle.

* Doom: You are a space marine who attempts to survive by fighting off the forces of evil.

* Puetro Rico: Settle the island, and run plantations to score the most amount of victory points.

* Basketball: Score more points than your opponent by putting the ball in a basket.

* Gran Turismo: Win races to be able to acquire better cars.

* LIttleBigPlanet: Platform your way through levels to find goodies to make your own levels.

* Poker: Use betting out read and bluff your opponent out of their money.

Want a good story?  Google library, movie theater, or book store near you.  You will find plenty.  As for games, well... don't necessarily need no stinkin' story.

Eurogamer:

Halo 3: 10

Halo: Reach: 9

ODST: 8

Gears 1: 8

Gears 2: 9

Gears 3: 8

They've scored above and below, so not really sure where the sarcasm lies.

If the story is important for the one playing it, then its important for his review, thats all there is to it. If you dont care about story, then you know that this review will not reflect your enjoyment of the game. Hence why its important to actually read the review and not solely refer to its score. A small grip for one may be a big one for another, vice-versa. A review isnt meant to reflect the opinion of the majority but the opinion of the one reviewing it. Who are you to decide story isnt important in game?

Some people just have a lot of pride in their work, sometimes too much pride and it ends up hurting themselves. 8 is a good score.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game

By the normal definition of what a game is, a game doesn't need a story.  What you have is an interactive entertainment industry that throws large budget storytelling titles under the name "game", for the lack of anything else, perhaps because saying "game" is shorter than saying "interactive entertainment".   And I go in this direction, to discuss it now, because I see people who have gone off and flat out say a game isn't a game without a story, and also the videogame industry feels the need to try to go after movies in the storytelling angle.  Because of this expectation, a game which can be solid in lots of ways, and fun to play, gets dragged down low, because it has a weak story.  And I also comment here, because it wasn't just someone's opinion, it was the opinion of who is said to be a reviewer in the largest newspaper in Sweden.

Sure it doesnt need a story in order to be called a game, thats not what im saying. But for some persons like me, many genre needs a good story in order to be fun. Not that I completely dislike games that dont either.

Cliff you are a great dev, but has always come off as a bit arrogant. Bulletstorm and now this

His comments weren't that bad. He has a point though Gears 3 looks better than Gears 2 in every possible way yet it's getting lower scores. That's gotta be rather disheartening.