Which Review Scale is Better 'Out of 5' or 'Out of 10'

[hydr0x]

Unless strict guidelines are set up by some sort of governing body, there will never be a truly OBJECTIVE way of scoring and/or rating videogames.

exactly, so why make the problem worse, by adding extra layers of subjectivity, a simple well defined scoring system reduces the problem

no, it doesn't, it makes it even worse cause the reviewer has to decide between a 2, 3 or 4 for an ~average game. Now, let's say it's a fantasy story-line, the game itself is subpar in it's genre, but he LOVES fantasy. He gives the game a 3, maybe even a 4 because it has some kind of micro-collecting (you know, like the Pokemons or Battle Trophys in Star Ocean) and he's an collecting addict. The game deserved a 2 though just based on technical (graphics, script, controls and so on) aspects. It jumped right from BAD into GOOD (which is the next below PERFECT!!) because of his bias. If the same thing happened with a 10-scale, it would have jumped from a 4 to a 6, maybe a 7. Still far away from being near-perfect. and now you want to tell us that on a scale of 5 the ratings are more objective averagely??? come on....

[Chrome]

I'm two sided on this. When basing the rating overall, I prefer a 1-5 scale with half values included. Like someone mentioned earlier, it's like an academic scale with plus and minus thrown in the mix. When reviewers sometimes break it down and rate things like gameplay, graphics, sound, etc. I prefer a 1-10 scale with no half values.

I forget who said it earlier, but the review is the important part, not the rating. Usually, I only use the rating to determine if I'm even going to read the review. This is where the scale holds its importance for me.

Later,
Chrome...

[hydr0x]

I'm two sided on this. When basing the rating overall, I prefer a 1-5 scale with half values included. Like someone mentioned earlier, it's like an academic scale with plus and minus thrown in the mix. When reviewers sometimes break it down and rate things like gameplay, graphics, sound, etc. I prefer a 1-10 scale with no half values.

you know 1-10 w/o halfes and 1-5 with halfes is the same?!?

[chrisbid]

are you just blind to the idea of simplicity?

here is how it works

1. turn on the game
2. play game
3. did the game stick out, in either a positive or negative way?

the answer of number 3 is your score, if you say to yourself "this game is pretty fun", it gets a 4. if you say "this game is kindof disappointing", it gets a 2. if you say "its ok, but nothing special" then it gets a 3. you save the 1 for games that vomit on your lap, and you save the 5 for games that turn you into a digital crack addict.

graphics/sound/presentation/controls all can contribute to how fun a game is, but these are all secondary catagories that are not always equal.

you can write all the detail you want in the actual review.

the point is game reviews are editorial and subjective.
but ranking and scoring games is objective. x game is better than y game.

the majority of review readers (as evident in the results of this poll) want a broader range of numbers, so they can establish a more finite mental ranking of games.

the catch-22 is every scoring system (5, 10, 20, 100 points) lacks detail on how a score is tabulated, and is therefore subjective, thus nullifying the objectivity of the rank/score.

the more narrow the range of scores, the more narrow the subjectivity in the portion of the review that needs objectivity to be effective.

[Tan]

there's such a fractured radius of ideas here that no wonder there's no definitive source for objective reviews most can agree on.

one thing i'll add though is when i read OXM, i read more into the pros/cons or plus/minus that they include with the score, i find it gives me a better indication of a game's strengths and weaknesses and how it can relate to my tastes, while summing up a review in a few short statements.

[THATinkjar]

one thing i'll add though is when i read OXM, i read more into the pros/cons or plus/minus that they include with the score, i find it gives me a better indication of a game's strengths and weaknesses and how it can relate to my tastes, while summing up a review in a few short statements.

Yeah, I agree. It is a shame that most publications/sites I read actually waste this part. For instance, PC Gamer UK includes a little section like this at the end of the reviews and they are useless comments, sometimes just a single word, and really don't help.

The Advanced Media Network (advancedmn.com) are pretty good with the plus/minus thing, though.

[Daria]

no, it doesn't, it makes it even worse cause the reviewer has to decide between a 2, 3 or 4 for an ~average game. Now, let's say it's a fantasy story-line, the game itself is subpar in it's genre, but he LOVES fantasy. He gives the game a 3, maybe even a 4 because it has some kind of micro-collecting (you know, like the Pokemons or Battle Trophys in Star Ocean) and he's an collecting addict. The game deserved a 2 though just based on technical (graphics, script, controls and so on) aspects. It jumped right from BAD into GOOD (which is the next below PERFECT!!) because of his bias. If the same thing happened with a 10-scale, it would have jumped from a 4 to a 6, maybe a 7. Still far away from being near-perfect. and now you want to tell us that on a scale of 5 the ratings are more objective averagely??? come on....

Sounds like a dipshit whose reviews I'd be avoiding anyway.

You're treating the 5 point system like it's a 10 point scale. If it's an average game it gets a 3. There's no deciding between three grossly different grades, 2's below average and 4's good. So average game? That's a 3. Period. If the reviewer really enjoyed the collection aspect, then he should say so in his review but it shouldn't tilt his score.

The 10 point scale can be subjective for exactly the reason you posted. It's very easy to bump a game up a few notches for purely personal bias. The 5 point scale is much more limiting in that respect, and because of this limitation almost forces the reviewer to be objective.

[hezeuschrist]

I'd just like to say that in defence of the 5 point system, a 5/5 does not signify a perfect game. It signifies a simply remarkable game (RE4, God of War, Ninja Gaiden, etc.) that trancends genres and should be accessable to anyone.

[chrisbid]

I'd just like to say that in defence of the 5 point system, a 5/5 does not signify a perfect game. It signifies a simply remarkable game (RE4, God of War, Ninja Gaiden, etc.) that trancends genres and should be accessable to anyone.

exactly, there is no such thing as a perfect game