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Forums - Gaming Discussion - MetaScores per year (2000 - 2023)

Conina on 10 January 2021
Cerebralbore101 said:

Ah I see. I assumed you had the common sense to add to Xbox any game that got good reviews on the PC, PS4, or Switch side. In that case Xbox isn't as bad off as this graph shows.

That would be sisyphus work to check every game on every system. I only mirror the metascore data. Without judgment, which scores should count and which shouldn't.

What do you mean by tie ratio?

Tie ratio is the number of games bought per console/system on average:

https://www.vgchartz.com/analysis/platform_totals/Tie-Ratio/Global/

The VGC tie ratio doesn't include digital sales, so it should be a bit higher. Nevertheless most gamers will only buy ~20 games for a system on average. So it doesn't matter THAT much if 300 or 500 good games are available for the system.

Also a few questions about your graph...

1. Do game expansions count as an individual game? For example if WoW gets a new expansion does that count as +1 game for PC? Or if Sword/Shield gets new DLC does that count as +1 game for Switch?

If the expansions are popular enough to get enough good reviews, they are counted. I only mirror the metascore data. Without judgment, which scores should count and which shouldn't. But since all platforms have a few games with good reviewed expansions, that should even out.



2. What's the ratio of 2D Indie games to fully fledged 3D games?

I don't care. A good game is a good game, no matter if it is a 2D indie game, a 2.5D indie game, a 3D indie game, a 2D AA game, a 2.5D AA game, a 3D AA game, a 2D AAA game, a 2.5D AAA game or a 3D AAA game. Also the transitions are fluid.



3. Do game compilations count as their own games? For example: Do all the games in Super Mario 3D All Stars count as one game for Switch or as three games? If a game gets released in both a compilation, and in a standalone release, do both the compilation and standalone release count as a game? Would Control and Control Ultimate Edition each count as +1 release for their respective platforms?

If the compilations are popular enough to get enough good reviews, they are counted (as one game, since the compilation gets the score, not the included games). I only mirror the metascore data. Without judgment, which scores should count and which shouldn't. But since all platforms have a few compilations and most compilations are released on all popular platforms (f. e. the Borderlands Handsome Collection), that should even out.



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Cerebralbore101 on 10 January 2021
Conina said:
Cerebralbore101 said:

Ah I see. I assumed you had the common sense to add to Xbox any game that got good reviews on the PC, PS4, or Switch side. In that case Xbox isn't as bad off as this graph shows.

That would be sisyphus work to check every game on every system. I only mirror the metascore data. Without judgment, which scores should count and which shouldn't.

What do you mean by tie ratio?

Tie ratio is the number of games bought per console/system on average:

https://www.vgchartz.com/analysis/platform_totals/Tie-Ratio/Global/

The VGC tie ratio doesn't include digital sales, so it should be a bit higher. Nevertheless most gamers will only buy ~20 games for a system on average. So it doesn't matter THAT much if 300 or 500 good games are available for the system.

Also a few questions about your graph...

1. Do game expansions count as an individual game? For example if WoW gets a new expansion does that count as +1 game for PC? Or if Sword/Shield gets new DLC does that count as +1 game for Switch?

If the expansions are popular enough to get enough good reviews, they are counted. I only mirror the metascore data. Without judgment, which scores should count and which shouldn't. But since all platforms have a few games with good reviewed expansions, that should even out.



2. What's the ratio of 2D Indie games to fully fledged 3D games?

I don't care. A good game is a good game, no matter if it is a 2D indie game, a 2.5D indie game, a 3D indie game, a 2D AA game, a 2.5D AA game, a 3D AA game, a 2D AAA game, a 2.5D AAA game or a 3D AAA game. Also the transitions are fluid.



3. Do game compilations count as their own games? For example: Do all the games in Super Mario 3D All Stars count as one game for Switch or as three games? If a game gets released in both a compilation, and in a standalone release, do both the compilation and standalone release count as a game? Would Control and Control Ultimate Edition each count as +1 release for their respective platforms?

If the compilations are popular enough to get enough good reviews, they are counted (as one game, since the compilation gets the score, not the included games). I only mirror the metascore data. Without judgment, which scores should count and which shouldn't. But since all platforms have a few compilations and most compilations are released on all popular platforms (f. e. the Borderlands Handsome Collection), that should even out.

Yeah, actually counting every game with reasonable exceptions, and additions would be a massive task.

I don't believe that there are 300 good games, released within the last 7 years on any platform let alone XB1. I own virtually every PS4 and Switch game that I consider worth owning (which is mostly games with 80+ metascore). Even if I were to combine my two PS4/Switch libraries together, and throw in some games that I have on PC for good measure, I wouldn't hit 300 games.

But I can't really blame you for not trying to judge the games, or filter the list through a sieve of reason. That's just way too much work.



Conina on 10 January 2021
Cerebralbore101 said:

I don't believe that there are 300 good games, released within the last 7 years on any platform let alone XB1.

https://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/all/xboxone/filtered?page=0



Cerebralbore101 on 10 January 2021
Conina said:
Cerebralbore101 said:

I don't believe that there are 300 good games, released within the last 7 years on any platform let alone XB1.

https://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/all/xboxone/filtered?page=0

That list just runs afoul of all the things I've been pointing out and then some. Expansions to games being counted as their own individual games. Games with less than 10 scored reviews being counted. Yearly Sports/Racing titles being counted. Freemium trash being counted. Games being counted twice, due to being both part of a compilation and a stand alone release.

You already admitted that your list was flawed when you said you didn't bother adding in Xbox games that had high scores on PS4/PC/Switch. Why not admit that counting things I listed above is also flawed?

We can either take the data as is, without any judgement, or we can take the data with reasonable exceptions/additions. As is, without any judgement XB1 is sorely lacking in games compared to PS4. Taking the data with reasonable exceptions/additions XB1 is also sorely lacking in games compared to PS4.

Last edited by Cerebralbore101 - on 10 January 2021

Conina on 02 January 2022

I updated my MetaScore charts again (graphics best viewed in fullscreen)



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SvennoJ on 02 January 2022
shikamaru317 said:

Seems like they use to give out 90+ meta like candy in the early 2000's, but have gotten stricter as time went on.

I feel it's going the other way again. Games used to get lower scores when releasing unfinished and/or having server problems at release. The last few years it feels like stuff simply gets rated on potential. And then you had CP2077... It got adjusted later but at release the meta scores were a total joke. 86 for PC is still too high.

Flight Simulator 2020, 91 score, broken still / again. Unfinished, many problems, add-ons get broken every update.
Forza Horizon 5, 92 score, multiplayer is a mess, online stuff barely works.
Psychonauts 2, 89 score, yet the actual gameplay is very undercooked. (Does deserve it on creativity)
Halo Infinite, 87 score, released unfinished in pieces, many things still missing, netcode is a mess.



Conina on 05 June 2022

I updated my MetaScore charts again, now with correct colors. Home consoles + handheld consoles of the same manufacturer are now put together.

Some 2020 and 2021 numbers are higher than in January, since a few games now have overcome the threshold of 7 ratings.



Conina on 05 June 2022

Almost nobody wants to review last-gen versions anymore, they are focussing on PS5, Xbox Series, PC and Switch instead.

It's a shame due to the supply constraints, not everyone can buy a PS5 or Xbox series and will have to settle for the PS4 or XBO versions:

Digital Foundry makes a few comparisons, but can't make a video for eevery crossgen game:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/repwHeJYwFk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>



IcaroRibeiro on 05 June 2022

Awesome thread. Great work



DonFerrari on 05 June 2022

Excelent and laborious work. Congrats.



duduspace11 "Well, since we are estimating costs, Pokemon Red/Blue did cost Nintendo about $50m to make back in 1996"

http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=8808363

Mr Puggsly: "Hehe, I said good profit. You said big profit. Frankly, not losing money is what I meant by good. Don't get hung up on semantics"

http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9008994

Azzanation: "PS5 wouldn't sold out at launch without scalpers."