The review score for some games is now language-specific
I know I’m late to the party but I just found out and didn’t find a post regarding this
TL;DR: Steam now calculates review scores based on reviews made on your languages only (if enough). This is on by default, but can be reverted to go back to review scores based on all reviews (from people that purchased the game directly on Steam only)
Steam review scores are more robust than what 20 games critics thought about a game and is more resistant to review bombing than metacritic. The score is not meaningless IMO.
Why do you think the scores are useless? They are good starting point and/or a way to evaluate smaller indie titles that often don’t get professional reviews.
I just haven’t seen any correlation with game quality. A short subjective rant from a random gamer is much more useful, especially with those hidden indie gems.
Print media is basically dead here in Australia, though I did just discover Edge is apparently still a thing - I adored that publication back in the pre-WoW days.
I dunno how useful that would be. Way back in the day eg. youtube had a star rating system for videos, and users gave 0-5 stars… except they found out that overwhelmingly vast majority of users only used 0 and 5, nothing in between.
While a more granular review system would be nice, it’s just the users that don’t and won’t use it properly. Even if some users would use scores other than [min] and [max], they would be such a droplet in an ocean.
Even with the current thumbs up/down people get it wrong. Give it a thumbs up but write a scathing review.
Letterboxd and Goodreads both use a star rating system in addition to long-form reviews and it seems to work out great. I have my disagreements with how the sites are run, but the rating system isn’t one of them.
YouTube star ratings never included the opportunity to review (in text) a specific video, so I think your comparison isn’t very applicable or helpful in this specific situation. The Steam review system isn’t very analogous to how YouTube used to work.
fair enough, youtube probably wasn’t a good comparison, but GOG should be. They have written text alongside the 1-5 star review. Now, there are grades 2-4, but in general 1 and 5 seem to be the most used ones.
Even with the current thumbs up/down people get it wrong. Give it a thumbs up but write a scathing review.
I’ve done that and it’s a result of not having more options than good/bad. Always the same cause: I really wanted to write a 3* review for a game that has a lot to praise but its core is fundamentally flawed, but Steam doesn’t let me give a 3*, so I try to correct for the review score bracket I think the game should be in.
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Steam reviews are a great source of info and entertainment. The score is absolutely useless.
When actually picking my next game I’ve trusted the same gaming magazine for over 30 years.
Steam review scores are more robust than what 20 games critics thought about a game and is more resistant to review bombing than metacritic. The score is not meaningless IMO.
Why do you think the scores are useless? They are good starting point and/or a way to evaluate smaller indie titles that often don’t get professional reviews.
I just haven’t seen any correlation with game quality. A short subjective rant from a random gamer is much more useful, especially with those hidden indie gems.
Which magazine? I’m legitimately surprised that (m)any have survived, to be honest!
Pelit. I don’t know how old it is but the above one was the first issue I bought. One of the original dudes still there making up terrible wordplays.
That’s awesome to see!
Print media is basically dead here in Australia, though I did just discover Edge is apparently still a thing - I adored that publication back in the pre-WoW days.
The score is useful. It could be better if Steam had a proper review system instead of just “good” or “bad”
I dunno how useful that would be. Way back in the day eg. youtube had a star rating system for videos, and users gave 0-5 stars… except they found out that overwhelmingly vast majority of users only used 0 and 5, nothing in between.
While a more granular review system would be nice, it’s just the users that don’t and won’t use it properly. Even if some users would use scores other than [min] and [max], they would be such a droplet in an ocean.
Even with the current thumbs up/down people get it wrong. Give it a thumbs up but write a scathing review.
I’ve never understood those reviews
They don’t want to hurt some dev’s numbers, but they don’t like the game either.
Or they just can’t handle giving the thumbs down. A lot of people like that nowadays. Only likes are allowed.
Sometimes it’s the opposite, bad review but positive message
Letterboxd and Goodreads both use a star rating system in addition to long-form reviews and it seems to work out great. I have my disagreements with how the sites are run, but the rating system isn’t one of them.
YouTube star ratings never included the opportunity to review (in text) a specific video, so I think your comparison isn’t very applicable or helpful in this specific situation. The Steam review system isn’t very analogous to how YouTube used to work.
Also, you watch multiple youtube videos in a day. You play a few games or watch a few movies or series a month, and probably fewer
fair enough, youtube probably wasn’t a good comparison, but GOG should be. They have written text alongside the 1-5 star review. Now, there are grades 2-4, but in general 1 and 5 seem to be the most used ones.
I would argue against this. I have seen more diverse rating, but 1 to 5 still isn’t really accurate
GOG also has a massive problem: you can’t edit your review once you published it
I’ve done that and it’s a result of not having more options than good/bad. Always the same cause: I really wanted to write a 3* review for a game that has a lot to praise but its core is fundamentally flawed, but Steam doesn’t let me give a 3*, so I try to correct for the review score bracket I think the game should be in.