I'm very pleased to read that. If I'd been aware that so many people were following the thread, I'd've returned to it long ago.

Well, having had a little read around the internet, Trails HD is basically a new game using the same core mechanics as the PC versions, so it deserves the exclusive status I gave it.

Awesome.

If anyone disagrees, feel free to post your reasons here and I'll take them into account.

360 reviewers seemed to be so pleased to see Secret of Monkey Island on their console that it scored a bit better than on PC.

Variations of this sort between the various platforms are very, very common. In particular, PC reviewers are often harsher than console reviewers and certainly less willing to put up with niggles that console gamers are almost used to. Indeed, this sort of thing is so prevalent that better versions of games (often the PC version) commonly score lower Metacritic ratings than poorer versions on other platforms. But really, this should be expected, as the Metacritic score is just a collection of subjective views, and hardly a reliable metric when compared to something that isn't entirely like-for-like; hell, it's not even reliable when it is compared to something that's like-for-like. However, it does give a good overall picture of how games are perceived by the media, and for that it's handy, even if the end number doesn't really mean that much.

@Hapimeses: I know, been a PC gamer for almost 20 years and in fact I don't really care about metascores or metascore differences, I just found it interesting in this case. The new character design wasn't LA's best choice according to many fans of the original and some hardcore PC fans and reviewers critizied that the SCUMM interface had been streamlined. Guybrush's new hairdo certainly didn't help either, shocked fans of the original released a hair patch within days.

okr said: @Hapimeses: I know, been a PC gamer for almost 20 years and in fact I don't really care about metascores or metascore differences, I just found it interesting in this case. The new character design wasn't LA's best choice according to many fans of the original and some hardcore PC fans and reviewers critizied that the SCUMM interface had been streamlined. Guybrush's new hairdo certainly didn't help either, shocked fans of the original released a hair patch within days.

Ditto. I've been gaming on PCs for far too long to be entirely comfortable (and I really should update my game list, as it's sadly lacking many titles). And where would we be without hair patches, huh?

But, that aside, I agree entirely and I find it oddly interesting to see what platforms get the better reviews, especially when the games are essentially identical.

Wow, I love this thread. Had no idea PS3 had that many exclusives up there this year. This does a really good job of showcasing this years top games.

Thanks very much. I've tried my best to provide a thread that should be of interest to most gamers in one fashion or another. Sure, for a sales site, this thread misses the mark a little as it's less interested in the games that sell tons, and more interested in the games the critics prefer, but I feel it complements what is already on offer here especially as it acts as a good springboard for discussion along the lines of 'why did such-and-such game sell with such poor reviews?' or 'why did such-and-such not sell when the reviews were so stellar?' and similar.

And, yes, the PS3 has been out-performing all other platforms the entire year in this thread, which, whilst not a shock to many, was certainly a bit of a shock to me. Still the year isn't over yet, so more games can come or several of the shaky 85s may slip off the list. Only time will tell.

Anyway glad you love the thread. At the very least, it's a handy list of games to buy from the year's offerings.

hm ratchet up to 86, hopefully it will stay over 85. I expect Gow collection to get low 90's on metacritic so thats the tenth exclusive right there:)

half minute hero is good enough for the liat now, hopefully it stays above 85 the psp needs it.