There are flaws and there are flaws;

Some games have small flaws that doesn't spoil the fun of the game.

Example: Super Mario Galaxy. The game had some camera problems but didn't spoil the fun of anyone (or atleast no one has complained that I know).

Others have huge flaws that spoils the fun of the game.

Assasins Creed: Big bugs, game freezes, glitches that really should not happy....

A lot of people complained about that.

They said "we could be a credible review site but we like money and following the crowd, who also likes money"

It happened... I saw it.

But was it a glitch? who knows.

i find it hard to believe they posted the score just as the cheque from whoever cleared and then had to change it. if they were paid, it would have been a 10 from the start.

From what my sources told me, they were holding the 10 for ransom money, Once MS and Sony paid their parts, they released the 10. Those crazy bastards!

I started to wonder how much of the 100% scores on Grand Theft Auto 4 is related to "Review Score Inflation" in this generation ...

So far this year we have already had 34 games that recieved 80% or higher on Gamerankings.com ( and we have had more than 300 games with 80% or higher on Gamerankings since the beginning of 2006). What this has done is create a market where an 80% is becomming more and more the 'Above Average' game, which makes 90% 'really good' games, and 95% a 'Great' game ... If GTA 4 only received an average of 90% many people would have considered it a flop.

Actually, ever since the K&L scandal, they have changed alot of ratings, and they now wait weeks after a game is released so they can give a score that is the same as the metacritic average (or close too it) they are afraid of being called corrupt some more.

Are you surprised. When do reviewers anymore review legitly. Got IGN copping out and lowering standards, Gamespot reviewing for hits, and of course both of them being paid to give certain scores. I mean can't trust reviewers anymore. It's more of a business than a proffesion nowadays.

Why GS changed their score has nothing to do with whether or not GTA4 deserves said score.

That said, I imagine that this is probably what happened:

The reviewer gave his score (9.5) and it went up. Some higher up, for some reason, decided that the reviewer's score was... wrong, and sent down word to have it changed to a 10.0.

I have no particular knowledge of the situation, except a lifetime working within business, and that scenario seems likely to me.

The motivation of the higher-up? Who knows. Maybe he just thought the game deserves it.

Not really.  It's just that today you are less stupid than you were 10 years ago.