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Are Nintendo games reviewed easier than other companies

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Mcjmetroid

Mcjmetroid

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Oct 28, 2017
1,843
Limerick, Ireland
I'm a big Nintendo fan but I've never entirely trusted reviews based on Nintendo games. I'm more skeptical than I would be on other companies' releases.

I would often review them lower myself, I look at titles like Kirby:Star Allies which got an 8.3 on IGN and I'm thinking to myself " I played the demo, it's only got 4 worlds, the controls are clunky, I wouldn't give it anything over 6". I haven't played the full game but even hardcore Nintendo reviewers like Arlo and such are giving it 4/7 which sounds more correct to me based off what I'm hearing. Star Fox Zero got a 7.5. and everyone agrees that game is horrible.

Games like Breath of the Wild and Odyssey getting a perfect 10 from IGN as well I find a bit ridiculous. I love those games but I wouldn't give them perfect scores by any means. Then again thought GTA IV got a perfect 10 from them back in the day. I'm only using IGN here as an example but metacritic corroborate my findings for the most part.

I find the best place for Nintendo reviews are from Independent YouTube Channels.

What say you ERA? Are Major publications afraid to give below average scores to Nintendo published titles or what's happening?
 
LewieP

LewieP

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Oct 26, 2017
18,099
I don't think so, I just think they are better games.

When they do (infrequently) shit the bed, they get torn apart. Rightfully so.
 
BGBW

BGBW

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Oct 25, 2017
15,281
Never thought I'd see the day where the media is accused of being biased towards Nintendo.
 
entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
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Oct 26, 2017
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Reviews are subjective.

Reviews are subjective.

Reviews are subjective.

Why are we still on this search for objective reviews? They don't exist by the nature of the medium.

I don't think you need reviews. Just watch some gameplay videos and you'll have a better feel if you would like the game.
 
Vishmarx

Vishmarx

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Oct 26, 2017
5,043
This is not gonna go well.
Anyways, be it ps4 or xbox or switch, nostalgia affects us all, including the reviewers IMO.
 
DNAbro

DNAbro

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Oct 25, 2017
25,941
"I haven't played the game so I know they are overrating it"

Cmon man.

The reason BotW and Odyssey scores do well is because they are amazing games. There is no secret Nintendo bias.
 
DrWong

DrWong

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Oct 29, 2017
1,098
Well, statistics please.

Let's compare Nintendo Mario series notes to the Mario series from the competition...
 
takriel

takriel

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Oct 25, 2017
10,221
Nintendo's focus on gameplay first is the reason why their games are generally reviewed better.
 
WhoaIsThatMars

WhoaIsThatMars

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Oct 25, 2017
2,557
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easier? no. More critically because they have some of the most iconic franchises in the industry and a lot of people group up with those franchises? yes
 
His Majesty

His Majesty

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Oct 25, 2017
12,171
Belgium
Nostalgia undoubtedly plays a role, it's easier to fall in love with a game from a franchise that was around when you were a kid, I can imagine.
 
Anarki

Anarki

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Oct 27, 2017
320
6/10 is ridiculously low for Kirby even if it is not that long, I don't get clunky controls part, it's the same Kirby control as always but with minor deviations
 
Sander VF

Sander VF

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
25,991
Tbilisi, Georgia
"The media is biased towards Nintendo" claim is a coping mechanism used by console warriors when a Nintendo game gets recieved too well for their liking.

The omnipresent Nintendo Bias seems to be mysteriously absent whenever a Nintendo game gets less than most stellar scores though. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a game that gets long analysis videos pointing out how well-designed it is and yet Gamespot crapped over it and there was a general pushback for being ""fucking Donkey Kong". Where was this magical bias then? Sure could have used it.
 
entremet

entremet

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Vishmarx said:
This is not gonna go well.
Anyways, be it ps4 or xbox or switch, nostalgia affects us all, including the reviewers IMO.
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It's not just nostalgia, but tons of other influences. It's why good outlets don't have reviewers review outside of their genres of interest. Is that fair? According to the OP's logic, probably not.

Same with film, music, art, etc. But the gaming world loves its numbers and "objective" metrics for some reason.
 
Revolsin

Revolsin

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Oct 27, 2017
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Kirby is an average game, and it got a 73 on Metacritic. And the series pretty much always gets 70s because it's consistently average.

Star Fox 64 got a 88 because it's considered a great game by many, Star Fox Zero got a 69 because it's a divisive game that many don't like.

As is the case with any other game from any other company.

So where's the bias?
 
GiantBreadbug

GiantBreadbug

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,992
Kirby is a 9/10 for me.

Odyssey and BotW are both 10/10 by a fair margin (latter is a 11/10).

Reviews are opinions given by individuals. It's best to learn to incorporate the content of these reviews into your opinion of a game rather than the number. This happens with any publisher, not just Nintendo.
 
Jonneh

Jonneh

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Oct 24, 2017
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Good games will get good reviews.

Bad games will get bad reviews.

None of this is exclusive or excluded from Nintendo games
 

its_Ditz

Self-Requested Ban
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Oct 28, 2017
1,148
fauxcalin said:
Just because you don't like their games doesn't mean they aren't good...
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lol OP is a fan of Nintendo titles

entremet said:
Why are we still on this search for objective reviews? They don't exist by the nature of the medium.
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Take your medal and now let´s close the thread. Because it´s just as you say imo.

OP, it totally depends on the outlet that´s reviewing a game and more importantly on WHO is reviewing what. Some reviewers just can´t stop bashing Nintendo for releasing games that can´t keep up with Horizon´s graphical fidelity for instance.
 

Deleted member 9714

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If instead of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild we got the Legend of Belda starring Plink developed by Bintendo, would it have been rated so highly?
 
Zedark

Zedark

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Oct 25, 2017
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I dunno, there's several aspects to review in a game: Firstly, a reviewer can try to analyse systems as objectively as possible, but even then the personal enjoyment is paramount to the eventual priso it will get. Not every analysespect of enjoyment can be narrowed down to objective parameters, and therefore different people regard different things differently.

Also, when reviewing a game like Kirby, there should be some consideration I think that the target audience is not the adult hardcore gamer but the younger and inexperienced gamer. As such, the enjoyment that an adult gets from it might be lesser than the enjoyment a kid gets from it.

That's not to say that IGN reviews things well or anything, it's just some issues that I think prevent us from ever getting to a consensus on reviews. As such I think it's best to find an extended set of reviewers who's opinion turns out to represent your tastes best, and use their reviews as guidance. You shouldn't expect the average of reviews to represent you, since you are most likely not average, at least not in all genres you like.
 
oni-link

oni-link

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Oct 25, 2017
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A lot of people will dogpile you for making this thread, but the real issue is that numbers are objective whereas your interpretation of them is subjective

Maybe some of those Nintendo games are not 10s or 8s, to you

Which is fine, not every game is for everyone, and there are loads of great games that I don't enjoy as much as other people do, and vice versa

I beat Resi 6 last week and loved it, but a lot of people don't, to me, that's an 8/10 game, but to a lot of people it's a 5 or lower

The problem is people who lose their minds when you suggest a game deserves a score they disagree with.

Just look at how many lunatics started frothing at the mouth when Jim Sterling gave BOTW a 7/10 (I'd give the game a 9.5, personally) or the number of people who went a bit loopy when (Was it IGN?) gave Uncharted 3 an 8/10

Going back further I remember the 7.9 controversy over Mario Kart: Double Dash

Debating the quality of a game is great, but screaming at each other over what score a games deserves is tedious and pretty uninteresting, all things considered
 
Weltall Zero

Weltall Zero

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Oct 26, 2017
19,343
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Mcjmetroid said:
Did you read any of my post?
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it's kind of funny that in a thread where you assumed reviews are wrong because they don't agree with your opinion, you assumed a poster didn't read your OP because they didn't agree with your opinion.

Unless you have proof that Nintendo pays off reviewers, it makes zero sense for a reviewer to score Nintendo games higher because they're Nintendo. You simply like Nintendo games less than they do, and that's perfectly fine.
 
MisterR

MisterR

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Oct 27, 2017
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There is a nostalgia effect that is always going to give Nintendo a boost in reviews. These are characters that reviewers have grown up with.
 
Sasliquid

Sasliquid

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Oct 25, 2017
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To an extent, I think Nintendo makes very good games but I can't help but think Zelda and Mario would score a little less if they weren't plastered with imagery that tingles the nostalgia glands of a whole generation.
 
OP
OP
Mcjmetroid

Mcjmetroid

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Oct 28, 2017
1,843
Limerick, Ireland
I think a lot of you are taking this as I'm bashing Nintendo titles and I'm not. I just don't entirely trust major publications with Nintendo published game reviews. Most Nintendo titles are very good and very playable but sometimes I feel reviewers can some very weird things slide. I don't think there is a conspiracy like some have suggested. Just different expectations I suppose?
 

tencents

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Dec 21, 2017
340
Major titles are reviewed very easily and scores are inflated. See just about ever Zelda, NSMB, multiple Mario Karts, Metroid as a series, etc.
 
dyst

dyst

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Multiplatform games are reviewed pretty evenly across the board, however, when it comes to exclusives, games on other platforms that get dinged for lower end graphics, bad voice acting, incompetent AI or repetitive complexity, tend to not get the same treatment when Nintendo games are reviewed IMO.
 
BriGuy

BriGuy

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Oct 27, 2017
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I don't know about Nintendo games specifically, but I feel marquee titles in general get reviewed with kid gloves. These are are games people would buy regardless of how they reviewed, but a sizable and vocal percentage of the buyers want to see those high scores to validate their purchase. And god help you if you don't give it to them.
 
BGBW

BGBW

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Oct 25, 2017
15,281
As a fan of Nintendo, let me just say they are the worst company ever. But I'm a fan of Nintendo so it's OK to say that. I even have friends who are fans of Nintendo.

As a fan of Sony, let me just say they are the worst company ever. But I'm a fan of Sony so it's OK to say that. I even have friends who are fans of Sony.

As a fan of Microsoft, let me just say they are the worst company ever. But I'm a fan of Microsoft so it's OK to say that. I even have friends who are fans of Microsoft.
 
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