Slashdot Mirror

It would be nice if economic troubles caused gamers themselves to be more selective about which games they bought. A few years ago when I worked at gamestop, most of the customers (children especially) seemed to buy games based ENTIRELY OFF THE BOXART. "Hey, I have a PS2. Hey, I enjoyed the movie 'fight club". Hey, this box which appears to have been the first game I picked up is Fight club for the PS2. That's GOT to be a good one!" Many people are apparently buying wii games at random, the effect being that most of the games for the wii are barely playable. Developers wouldn't make movie-tie in games if they didn't sell. It would be great if the economic troubles really put a damper on people buying games on impulse without reading a single review to tell if the game was halfway decent, or shovelware.

Then again, I'm pretty sure even if that 29% decrease were entirely due to throwaway games, the industry would still follow the path of least resistance. Maybe they'd just make ONLY worthless games.

While I'm making demands of millions of people who wouldn't change even if they did read this post, it would be nice if gamers were more supportive, or at least more forgiving, of games that try to do new things. A lot of "hardcore" gamers get very entrenched opinions about what a game should and should not be according to genre. It's like if moviegoers complained that a movie wasn't formulaic enough.

It would be nice if economic troubles caused gamers themselves to be more selective about which games they bought. A few years ago when I worked at gamestop, most of the customers (children especially) seemed to buy games based ENTIRELY OFF THE BOXART. "Hey, I have a PS2. Hey, I enjoyed the movie 'fight club". Hey, this box which appears to have been the first game I picked up is Fight club for the PS2. That's GOT to be a good one!" Many people are apparently buying wii games at random, the effect being that most of the games for the wii are barely playable. Developers wouldn't make movie-tie in games if they didn't sell. It would be great if the economic troubles really put a damper on people buying games on impulse without reading a single review to tell if the game was halfway decent, or shovelware.

Then again, I'm pretty sure even if that 29% decrease were entirely due to throwaway games, the industry would still follow the path of least resistance. Maybe they'd just make ONLY worthless games.

While I'm making demands of millions of people who wouldn't change even if they did read this post, it would be nice if gamers were more supportive, or at least more forgiving, of games that try to do new things. A lot of "hardcore" gamers get very entrenched opinions about what a game should and should not be according to genre. It's like if moviegoers complained that a movie wasn't formulaic enough.

I would have made a clever reference to the game resistance: fall of man but I got bored before I made it, just as I got bored with the game before getting far enough to have anything to reference.

can we please have something... fresh? Sure, Mario, Metroid, and Golden Sun are good, but it seems like Nintendo has really stagnated in good games that aren't gimmicks.

Gimmicks? New super mario bros and super mario galaxy were innovative twists on old franchises that worked. Really well. Those were great games. Galaxy remains the highest rated wii game and definitely my favorite wii game. Nothing gimmicky about it.

Rotten Tomatoes: Trek 95% v Wolvie 37%
MetaCritic: Trek 84% v Wolvie 44%

'Nuff said.

The cult boss-rush game will be adapted by Justin Marks, who also wrote the recent Chun-Li movie.

You mean the movie which has a metacritic score of 17% (tied for 89th on their bottom 100) and a rotten tomatoes score of 4%? The only way we'll ever see a proper screen adaptation of a video game is if we stop hiring talentless hacks to write the scripts.

You could always try Evil Genius.

And a bad review from a non-fanboy, whichever suits your preference.

Ebert, since his unfortunate brush with death, seems to have had an spiritual awakening and realized that every movie is beautiful in its own way. A great outlook perhaps, but not very useful for a critic.

There are plenty of other reviews out there, both kind and unkind, if you wish to read them (be warned: many have spoilers).

So why hasn't World of Goo been a blockbuster hit? Low system requirements, a rating of over 90, a budget price tag, and no DRM?

By far the most popular PC game right now is still World of Warcraft, which runs comfortably on machines without fancy "3D" graphic accelerators Left 4 Dead (mentioned) will also run just fine on a 5 year old machine + a $70 graphics card (GeForce 9500, less than 1/2 the cost of a Wii).

Maybe people just want to play games in the their living room and not their computer room? (If anyone can find a comparison of WoG sales on Wii vs PC, it might be very interesting -- but also might just tell of how much piracy there is on PC)

You really need to give a platform. The FarCry 2 user scores on the console are pretty close to the critic's scores. The PC review, on the other hand, has a score of 86 from critics and 56 from users.

Another good example is LittleBigPlanet, which pulled a 95 from critics - but only a 63 from users!

Although you still have to be careful when using user reviews - Gears of War 2 got 93 from critics but only 63 from users. The low user score is mostly due to people whining about cheaters online - which, while a problem, is one that the developer can fix, versus a simply bad game.

You really need to give a platform. The FarCry 2 user scores on the console are pretty close to the critic's scores. The PC review, on the other hand, has a score of 86 from critics and 56 from users.

Another good example is LittleBigPlanet, which pulled a 95 from critics - but only a 63 from users!

Although you still have to be careful when using user reviews - Gears of War 2 got 93 from critics but only 63 from users. The low user score is mostly due to people whining about cheaters online - which, while a problem, is one that the developer can fix, versus a simply bad game.

You really need to give a platform. The FarCry 2 user scores on the console are pretty close to the critic's scores. The PC review, on the other hand, has a score of 86 from critics and 56 from users.

Another good example is LittleBigPlanet, which pulled a 95 from critics - but only a 63 from users!

Although you still have to be careful when using user reviews - Gears of War 2 got 93 from critics but only 63 from users. The low user score is mostly due to people whining about cheaters online - which, while a problem, is one that the developer can fix, versus a simply bad game.

How the hell is the parent flamebait?

Overstated points or invented points ("long load times and shitty online play") by an Anonymous Coward? How could it notbe? Normally I don't respond to trolls, but you managed to get upmodded and an educational opportunity is at hand.

LBP is a lot more than a tech demo. You don't get praise and scores like that from tech demos. I play it regularly, and so do my kids, and it's fun. And no, the physics is quite good. As to user-made levels - sure, there's a lot of crap, but since there's already more than 100,000 user-created levels, only a tiny percentage need to be good to make it worthwhile... and in my experience the percentage isn't all that tiny, plus the ranking system's gotten to the point where it's easy to find good levels. (My 8-year-old loved "Little Dead Space". :-> ) People who have no affection or affinity for side-scrollers won't like it. But then, people who don't like FPS won't like Halo. Oy. Of course, there's been a concerted effort by fanboys of other platforms to slam it, so at least you're not alone.

I'm not an RPG guy, so I can't comment on Valkyria Chronicles, but a lotta people seem to like it, though it's also not everyone's cup of tea.

Mirror's Edge? I found the demo fresh and interesting, but again, ultimately not my cup of tea. And yes, like Rock Band it's available for more than one platform... but if you have a PS3, why not?

Let's give you full credit and state that the PS3 version of Rock Band is a "port". Heaven forfend! What problems, exactly and specifically, does this lead to? You only mentioned PS2 and Wii issues, and while I'm sure they're fascinating and all, they're kind of irrelevant to the PS3.

I've got Singstar 'cause my wife likes to sing and she's good at it. Now the PS2 discs work with the PS3, too, and we can buy songs off the "Singstore". Sure, there's "Lips", which is apparently all right, but if you're worried about ports, then clones should terrify you...

The 360's initially cheaper than the PS3 (though that's in both senses of the term, unfortunately) and has a bigger library. No question. The Wii outsells both, and is more open to casual gamers than either. There are reasons why the PS3 might not be the best choice for everyone, but neither you nor the parent hit on any of 'em.

How the hell is the parent flamebait?

Overstated points or invented points ("long load times and shitty online play") by an Anonymous Coward? How could it notbe? Normally I don't respond to trolls, but you managed to get upmodded and an educational opportunity is at hand.

LBP is a lot more than a tech demo. You don't get praise and scores like that from tech demos. I play it regularly, and so do my kids, and it's fun. And no, the physics is quite good. As to user-made levels - sure, there's a lot of crap, but since there's already more than 100,000 user-created levels, only a tiny percentage need to be good to make it worthwhile... and in my experience the percentage isn't all that tiny, plus the ranking system's gotten to the point where it's easy to find good levels. (My 8-year-old loved "Little Dead Space". :-> ) People who have no affection or affinity for side-scrollers won't like it. But then, people who don't like FPS won't like Halo. Oy. Of course, there's been a concerted effort by fanboys of other platforms to slam it, so at least you're not alone.

I'm not an RPG guy, so I can't comment on Valkyria Chronicles, but a lotta people seem to like it, though it's also not everyone's cup of tea.

Mirror's Edge? I found the demo fresh and interesting, but again, ultimately not my cup of tea. And yes, like Rock Band it's available for more than one platform... but if you have a PS3, why not?

Let's give you full credit and state that the PS3 version of Rock Band is a "port". Heaven forfend! What problems, exactly and specifically, does this lead to? You only mentioned PS2 and Wii issues, and while I'm sure they're fascinating and all, they're kind of irrelevant to the PS3.

I've got Singstar 'cause my wife likes to sing and she's good at it. Now the PS2 discs work with the PS3, too, and we can buy songs off the "Singstore". Sure, there's "Lips", which is apparently all right, but if you're worried about ports, then clones should terrify you...

The 360's initially cheaper than the PS3 (though that's in both senses of the term, unfortunately) and has a bigger library. No question. The Wii outsells both, and is more open to casual gamers than either. There are reasons why the PS3 might not be the best choice for everyone, but neither you nor the parent hit on any of 'em.

How the hell is the parent flamebait?

Overstated points or invented points ("long load times and shitty online play") by an Anonymous Coward? How could it notbe? Normally I don't respond to trolls, but you managed to get upmodded and an educational opportunity is at hand.

LBP is a lot more than a tech demo. You don't get praise and scores like that from tech demos. I play it regularly, and so do my kids, and it's fun. And no, the physics is quite good. As to user-made levels - sure, there's a lot of crap, but since there's already more than 100,000 user-created levels, only a tiny percentage need to be good to make it worthwhile... and in my experience the percentage isn't all that tiny, plus the ranking system's gotten to the point where it's easy to find good levels. (My 8-year-old loved "Little Dead Space". :-> ) People who have no affection or affinity for side-scrollers won't like it. But then, people who don't like FPS won't like Halo. Oy. Of course, there's been a concerted effort by fanboys of other platforms to slam it, so at least you're not alone.

I'm not an RPG guy, so I can't comment on Valkyria Chronicles, but a lotta people seem to like it, though it's also not everyone's cup of tea.

Mirror's Edge? I found the demo fresh and interesting, but again, ultimately not my cup of tea. And yes, like Rock Band it's available for more than one platform... but if you have a PS3, why not?

Let's give you full credit and state that the PS3 version of Rock Band is a "port". Heaven forfend! What problems, exactly and specifically, does this lead to? You only mentioned PS2 and Wii issues, and while I'm sure they're fascinating and all, they're kind of irrelevant to the PS3.

I've got Singstar 'cause my wife likes to sing and she's good at it. Now the PS2 discs work with the PS3, too, and we can buy songs off the "Singstore". Sure, there's "Lips", which is apparently all right, but if you're worried about ports, then clones should terrify you...

The 360's initially cheaper than the PS3 (though that's in both senses of the term, unfortunately) and has a bigger library. No question. The Wii outsells both, and is more open to casual gamers than either. There are reasons why the PS3 might not be the best choice for everyone, but neither you nor the parent hit on any of 'em.

If its coming from Atari don't set your expectations high - expect a mess something along the lines of 2 of their flagship titles:

DRIV3R

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/driv3r?q=driv3r

  or even worse Alone in the Dark!

http://pc.ign.com/articles/887/887197p1.html

Ok, let's use Metacritic...

Wii First available: November 19, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 36 games
Scores 85 and above: 13 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/

Xbox 360 First available: November 22, 2005
Scores 80 and above: 122 games
Scores 85 and above: 47 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/

PS3 First available: November 11, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 79 games
Scores 85 and above: 34 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/

PS2 First available: October-November, 2000
Scores 80 and above: 319 games
Scores 85 and above: 149 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps2/scores/

Nintendo DS First available: November, 2004
Scores 80 and above: 64 games
Scores 85 and above: 25 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ds/scores/

"Good" Game per Month (GGPM) Ratio Since most consoles were released in November, lets round up their ages by year. And assuming the score of 80 qualifies as a "good" game: - Wii: 36/24 = 1.5 GGPM
- 360: 122/36 = 3.39 GGPM
- PS3: 79/24 = 3.29 GGPM
- PS2: 319/96 = 3.32 GGPM (*)
- NDS: 64/48 = 1.33 GGPM

*) The PS2 probably doesn't have many new games anymore in the past few years.

It seems the NDS and Wii are filled with a lot more family and kids-friendly games, and these games tend to not favor the critics, and possibly most hardcore gamers.

I think, given the quality and innovation of SMG, there is enough room for further elaboration on the Wii.

And if you truly actually want decent titles on the Wii rather than noveltyware, right now, you're worried about the future of this console. Very little quality stuff is coming out. It's a complete contradiction to the perpetually sold out status of the console. I'm surprised more people are not complaining about how poor the catalogue is. As it stands, more often than not if I go browse the Wii shelves, I'm standing next to a family who are buying a game on cover alone (and promised novelty mechanics that rarely work). If that is the majority market, I can see why publishers don't give a shit, just turn out turds and watch the dollars roll in :-)

I'm not by any stretch of the imagination a "gamer". I just make informed decisions on whether to buy something. Strangely, whenever I check whether I should, I'm confronted with a fairly resounding "nothing to see here" regarding new stuff coming for the Wii.

Ok, let's use Metacritic...

Wii First available: November 19, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 36 games
Scores 85 and above: 13 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/

Xbox 360 First available: November 22, 2005
Scores 80 and above: 122 games
Scores 85 and above: 47 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/

PS3 First available: November 11, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 79 games
Scores 85 and above: 34 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/

PS2 First available: October-November, 2000
Scores 80 and above: 319 games
Scores 85 and above: 149 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps2/scores/

Nintendo DS First available: November, 2004
Scores 80 and above: 64 games
Scores 85 and above: 25 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ds/scores/

"Good" Game per Month (GGPM) Ratio Since most consoles were released in November, lets round up their ages by year. And assuming the score of 80 qualifies as a "good" game: - Wii: 36/24 = 1.5 GGPM
- 360: 122/36 = 3.39 GGPM
- PS3: 79/24 = 3.29 GGPM
- PS2: 319/96 = 3.32 GGPM (*)
- NDS: 64/48 = 1.33 GGPM

*) The PS2 probably doesn't have many new games anymore in the past few years.

It seems the NDS and Wii are filled with a lot more family and kids-friendly games, and these games tend to not favor the critics, and possibly most hardcore gamers.

I think, given the quality and innovation of SMG, there is enough room for further elaboration on the Wii.

And if you truly actually want decent titles on the Wii rather than noveltyware, right now, you're worried about the future of this console. Very little quality stuff is coming out. It's a complete contradiction to the perpetually sold out status of the console. I'm surprised more people are not complaining about how poor the catalogue is. As it stands, more often than not if I go browse the Wii shelves, I'm standing next to a family who are buying a game on cover alone (and promised novelty mechanics that rarely work). If that is the majority market, I can see why publishers don't give a shit, just turn out turds and watch the dollars roll in :-)

I'm not by any stretch of the imagination a "gamer". I just make informed decisions on whether to buy something. Strangely, whenever I check whether I should, I'm confronted with a fairly resounding "nothing to see here" regarding new stuff coming for the Wii.

Ok, let's use Metacritic...

Wii First available: November 19, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 36 games
Scores 85 and above: 13 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/

Xbox 360 First available: November 22, 2005
Scores 80 and above: 122 games
Scores 85 and above: 47 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/

PS3 First available: November 11, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 79 games
Scores 85 and above: 34 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/

PS2 First available: October-November, 2000
Scores 80 and above: 319 games
Scores 85 and above: 149 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps2/scores/

Nintendo DS First available: November, 2004
Scores 80 and above: 64 games
Scores 85 and above: 25 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ds/scores/

"Good" Game per Month (GGPM) Ratio Since most consoles were released in November, lets round up their ages by year. And assuming the score of 80 qualifies as a "good" game: - Wii: 36/24 = 1.5 GGPM
- 360: 122/36 = 3.39 GGPM
- PS3: 79/24 = 3.29 GGPM
- PS2: 319/96 = 3.32 GGPM (*)
- NDS: 64/48 = 1.33 GGPM

*) The PS2 probably doesn't have many new games anymore in the past few years.

It seems the NDS and Wii are filled with a lot more family and kids-friendly games, and these games tend to not favor the critics, and possibly most hardcore gamers.

I think, given the quality and innovation of SMG, there is enough room for further elaboration on the Wii.

And if you truly actually want decent titles on the Wii rather than noveltyware, right now, you're worried about the future of this console. Very little quality stuff is coming out. It's a complete contradiction to the perpetually sold out status of the console. I'm surprised more people are not complaining about how poor the catalogue is. As it stands, more often than not if I go browse the Wii shelves, I'm standing next to a family who are buying a game on cover alone (and promised novelty mechanics that rarely work). If that is the majority market, I can see why publishers don't give a shit, just turn out turds and watch the dollars roll in :-)

I'm not by any stretch of the imagination a "gamer". I just make informed decisions on whether to buy something. Strangely, whenever I check whether I should, I'm confronted with a fairly resounding "nothing to see here" regarding new stuff coming for the Wii.

Ok, let's use Metacritic...

Wii First available: November 19, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 36 games
Scores 85 and above: 13 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/

Xbox 360 First available: November 22, 2005
Scores 80 and above: 122 games
Scores 85 and above: 47 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/

PS3 First available: November 11, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 79 games
Scores 85 and above: 34 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/

PS2 First available: October-November, 2000
Scores 80 and above: 319 games
Scores 85 and above: 149 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps2/scores/

Nintendo DS First available: November, 2004
Scores 80 and above: 64 games
Scores 85 and above: 25 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ds/scores/

"Good" Game per Month (GGPM) Ratio Since most consoles were released in November, lets round up their ages by year. And assuming the score of 80 qualifies as a "good" game: - Wii: 36/24 = 1.5 GGPM
- 360: 122/36 = 3.39 GGPM
- PS3: 79/24 = 3.29 GGPM
- PS2: 319/96 = 3.32 GGPM (*)
- NDS: 64/48 = 1.33 GGPM

*) The PS2 probably doesn't have many new games anymore in the past few years.

It seems the NDS and Wii are filled with a lot more family and kids-friendly games, and these games tend to not favor the critics, and possibly most hardcore gamers.

I think, given the quality and innovation of SMG, there is enough room for further elaboration on the Wii.

And if you truly actually want decent titles on the Wii rather than noveltyware, right now, you're worried about the future of this console. Very little quality stuff is coming out. It's a complete contradiction to the perpetually sold out status of the console. I'm surprised more people are not complaining about how poor the catalogue is. As it stands, more often than not if I go browse the Wii shelves, I'm standing next to a family who are buying a game on cover alone (and promised novelty mechanics that rarely work). If that is the majority market, I can see why publishers don't give a shit, just turn out turds and watch the dollars roll in :-)

I'm not by any stretch of the imagination a "gamer". I just make informed decisions on whether to buy something. Strangely, whenever I check whether I should, I'm confronted with a fairly resounding "nothing to see here" regarding new stuff coming for the Wii.

Ok, let's use Metacritic...

Wii First available: November 19, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 36 games
Scores 85 and above: 13 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/

Xbox 360 First available: November 22, 2005
Scores 80 and above: 122 games
Scores 85 and above: 47 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/

PS3 First available: November 11, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 79 games
Scores 85 and above: 34 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/

PS2 First available: October-November, 2000
Scores 80 and above: 319 games
Scores 85 and above: 149 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps2/scores/

Nintendo DS First available: November, 2004
Scores 80 and above: 64 games
Scores 85 and above: 25 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ds/scores/

"Good" Game per Month (GGPM) Ratio Since most consoles were released in November, lets round up their ages by year. And assuming the score of 80 qualifies as a "good" game: - Wii: 36/24 = 1.5 GGPM
- 360: 122/36 = 3.39 GGPM
- PS3: 79/24 = 3.29 GGPM
- PS2: 319/96 = 3.32 GGPM (*)
- NDS: 64/48 = 1.33 GGPM

*) The PS2 probably doesn't have many new games anymore in the past few years.

It seems the NDS and Wii are filled with a lot more family and kids-friendly games, and these games tend to not favor the critics, and possibly most hardcore gamers.

I think, given the quality and innovation of SMG, there is enough room for further elaboration on the Wii.

And if you truly actually want decent titles on the Wii rather than noveltyware, right now, you're worried about the future of this console. Very little quality stuff is coming out. It's a complete contradiction to the perpetually sold out status of the console. I'm surprised more people are not complaining about how poor the catalogue is. As it stands, more often than not if I go browse the Wii shelves, I'm standing next to a family who are buying a game on cover alone (and promised novelty mechanics that rarely work). If that is the majority market, I can see why publishers don't give a shit, just turn out turds and watch the dollars roll in :-)

I'm not by any stretch of the imagination a "gamer". I just make informed decisions on whether to buy something. Strangely, whenever I check whether I should, I'm confronted with a fairly resounding "nothing to see here" regarding new stuff coming for the Wii.

Pretty much every variant of every game made in the past two decades is neatly archived on various sites. They are easy to find, you just have to look.

What games would you put on display?

Why not put all of them in storage, and have a computer to browse it displaying the most popular ones by default? Let people play them. Record their games and put up some good past recordings on a few big screens for others to see.

Ok, let's use Metacritic...

Wii
First available: November 19, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 36 games
Scores 85 and above: 13 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/

Xbox 360
First available: November 22, 2005
Scores 80 and above: 122 games
Scores 85 and above: 47 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/

PS3
First available: November 11, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 79 games
Scores 85 and above: 34 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/

PS2
First available: October-November, 2000
Scores 80 and above: 319 games
Scores 85 and above: 149 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps2/scores/

Nintendo DS
First available: November, 2004
Scores 80 and above: 64 games
Scores 85 and above: 25 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ds/scores/

"Good" Game per Month (GGPM) Ratio
Since most consoles were released in November, lets round up their ages by year. And assuming the score of 80 qualifies as a "good" game:
- Wii: 36/24 = 1.5 GGPM
- 360: 122/36 = 3.39 GGPM
- PS3: 79/24 = 3.29 GGPM
- PS2: 319/96 = 3.32 GGPM (*)
- NDS: 64/48 = 1.33 GGPM

*) The PS2 probably doesn't have many new games anymore in the past few years.

It seems the NDS and Wii are filled with a lot more family and kids-friendly games, and these games tend to not favor the critics, and possibly most hardcore gamers.

Ok, let's use Metacritic...

Wii
First available: November 19, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 36 games
Scores 85 and above: 13 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/

Xbox 360
First available: November 22, 2005
Scores 80 and above: 122 games
Scores 85 and above: 47 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/

PS3
First available: November 11, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 79 games
Scores 85 and above: 34 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/

PS2
First available: October-November, 2000
Scores 80 and above: 319 games
Scores 85 and above: 149 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps2/scores/

Nintendo DS
First available: November, 2004
Scores 80 and above: 64 games
Scores 85 and above: 25 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ds/scores/

"Good" Game per Month (GGPM) Ratio
Since most consoles were released in November, lets round up their ages by year. And assuming the score of 80 qualifies as a "good" game:
- Wii: 36/24 = 1.5 GGPM
- 360: 122/36 = 3.39 GGPM
- PS3: 79/24 = 3.29 GGPM
- PS2: 319/96 = 3.32 GGPM (*)
- NDS: 64/48 = 1.33 GGPM

*) The PS2 probably doesn't have many new games anymore in the past few years.

It seems the NDS and Wii are filled with a lot more family and kids-friendly games, and these games tend to not favor the critics, and possibly most hardcore gamers.

Ok, let's use Metacritic...

Wii
First available: November 19, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 36 games
Scores 85 and above: 13 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/

Xbox 360
First available: November 22, 2005
Scores 80 and above: 122 games
Scores 85 and above: 47 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/

PS3
First available: November 11, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 79 games
Scores 85 and above: 34 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/

PS2
First available: October-November, 2000
Scores 80 and above: 319 games
Scores 85 and above: 149 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps2/scores/

Nintendo DS
First available: November, 2004
Scores 80 and above: 64 games
Scores 85 and above: 25 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ds/scores/

"Good" Game per Month (GGPM) Ratio
Since most consoles were released in November, lets round up their ages by year. And assuming the score of 80 qualifies as a "good" game:
- Wii: 36/24 = 1.5 GGPM
- 360: 122/36 = 3.39 GGPM
- PS3: 79/24 = 3.29 GGPM
- PS2: 319/96 = 3.32 GGPM (*)
- NDS: 64/48 = 1.33 GGPM

*) The PS2 probably doesn't have many new games anymore in the past few years.

It seems the NDS and Wii are filled with a lot more family and kids-friendly games, and these games tend to not favor the critics, and possibly most hardcore gamers.

Ok, let's use Metacritic...

Wii
First available: November 19, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 36 games
Scores 85 and above: 13 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/

Xbox 360
First available: November 22, 2005
Scores 80 and above: 122 games
Scores 85 and above: 47 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/

PS3
First available: November 11, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 79 games
Scores 85 and above: 34 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/

PS2
First available: October-November, 2000
Scores 80 and above: 319 games
Scores 85 and above: 149 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps2/scores/

Nintendo DS
First available: November, 2004
Scores 80 and above: 64 games
Scores 85 and above: 25 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ds/scores/

"Good" Game per Month (GGPM) Ratio
Since most consoles were released in November, lets round up their ages by year. And assuming the score of 80 qualifies as a "good" game:
- Wii: 36/24 = 1.5 GGPM
- 360: 122/36 = 3.39 GGPM
- PS3: 79/24 = 3.29 GGPM
- PS2: 319/96 = 3.32 GGPM (*)
- NDS: 64/48 = 1.33 GGPM

*) The PS2 probably doesn't have many new games anymore in the past few years.

It seems the NDS and Wii are filled with a lot more family and kids-friendly games, and these games tend to not favor the critics, and possibly most hardcore gamers.

Ok, let's use Metacritic...

Wii
First available: November 19, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 36 games
Scores 85 and above: 13 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/

Xbox 360
First available: November 22, 2005
Scores 80 and above: 122 games
Scores 85 and above: 47 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/

PS3
First available: November 11, 2006
Scores 80 and above: 79 games
Scores 85 and above: 34 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/

PS2
First available: October-November, 2000
Scores 80 and above: 319 games
Scores 85 and above: 149 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps2/scores/

Nintendo DS
First available: November, 2004
Scores 80 and above: 64 games
Scores 85 and above: 25 games
Source: http://www.metacritic.com/games/ds/scores/

"Good" Game per Month (GGPM) Ratio
Since most consoles were released in November, lets round up their ages by year. And assuming the score of 80 qualifies as a "good" game:
- Wii: 36/24 = 1.5 GGPM
- 360: 122/36 = 3.39 GGPM
- PS3: 79/24 = 3.29 GGPM
- PS2: 319/96 = 3.32 GGPM (*)
- NDS: 64/48 = 1.33 GGPM

*) The PS2 probably doesn't have many new games anymore in the past few years.

It seems the NDS and Wii are filled with a lot more family and kids-friendly games, and these games tend to not favor the critics, and possibly most hardcore gamers.

He uninstalled a mediocre, at best, third-person shooter. I agree with the start of the thread, Gears of War wasn't even a good game.

You know, I originally thought I was just going to reply and say that we disagree and both our opinions are valid. But instead I've decided to actually disprove what you are saying.

It's a third-person shooter (and that in itself is bad)

False. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/942000.asp and http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/gearsofwar both show high marks, ~87%, with the X360 version getting even higher scores. Even Gamespot gave it an 8.7. So, unless the entire community of game critics is crazy, being a third-person shooter is not, in itself, bad.

absolutely nothing fun

False. Over 5 million copies worldwide, including 1 for me, and I know I had fun.

Why the article spent so much time fawning over Epic's worst game is beyond me.

False. See also, One Must Fall: 2097.

gg. Feel free to tell me you didn't like it, but don't tell me it's bad because you can't figure out how to look over someone's shoulder.

The press average on Meta Critic for the two games you mentioned isn't exactly outstanding:

• Excite Truck: 72%
• Wario Land Shake It: 78%

If these are hopes for the Wii players, the hopes are thin.

2 years in and according to Gamespot only 8 games have made a score over 8.5 - 12 if you count 8.5

About the same on Meta Critic according to their All-Time High Scores:

• games > 85% : 10
• games >= 85% : 13

And for the record:

• games >= 90% : 7

The trend is quite similar on GameStats too (which is to IGN what Meta Critic and Game Ranking are to GameSpot -- no one is independent).

I very much agree with the original poster, there is a serious problem with the Wii, but it's not just with the hardware, it's with Nintendo and it started before the Wii. However, when you could -- rightfully or not -- put the blame for the sometimes mediocre software quality on a variety of reasons graviting around the below-average GameCube sales (unsupportive 3rd party, hasty development time, tiresome reliance on tried and true franchises), you can't do the same with the Wii. The Wii is a hugely successful console with a bunch of uninteresting games and the regular quality titles from Nintendo, Capcom, maybe a few others.

Even if those two usely live up to modern gaming standards, a majority of their games for the Wii lack surprise and excitement. What are exactly those top games on Meta Critic / Game Stats ? It's quite simple, really:

• Mario
• Zelda
• Nintendo characters galore (SSBB)
• PS2 port (Okami)
• Metroid
• GameCube port (RE4)
• Mega Man, Paper Mario, Mario Kart, Mario everything...

GameCube ports, which is becoming a well-loved trend among publishers, has to be one of the most obnoxious, shameful idea to ever hit game consoles; for Gumpei's sake, the console is compatible with GC games! The so-called original games are all these pretty lousy Wii Something titles that appeal an awful lot to the heretical casual gamer. Between that and the remakes, the ports and the franchises ad nauseum, what's left?

In your opinion, perhaps. According to metacritic, roughly 80% of folks who have played it, enjoyed it. People were falling over themselves to play it when it was first released and it was touted as the WoW killer. Fast forward four months and the player base knows better, my point being that they didn't back when it was three weeks old.

Warhammer's reception is a bit warmer but it's too early to say what direction it's heading in. My prediction stands and is yet to be tested.

"Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." -- Niels Bohr

In your opinion, perhaps. According to metacritic, roughly 80% of folks who have played it, enjoyed it. People were falling over themselves to play it when it was first released and it was touted as the WoW killer. Fast forward four months and the player base knows better, my point being that they didn't back when it was three weeks old.

Warhammer's reception is a bit warmer but it's too early to say what direction it's heading in. My prediction stands and is yet to be tested.

"Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." -- Niels Bohr

Remember that part where he talks about how nobody likes it when he's being nice to a game? The whole point of the ZP is to make fun of the bad stuff. If you use it for a serious evaluation of the game you're insane. 91 on Metacritic ( http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/crysis?q=crysis ) implies it was a pretty good game. If you didn't like it personally then you're welcome to say so, preferably with an explanation, but a pointless link to someone else's intentionally skewed review does not make for useful discussion.

As for your other point, I don't know anything who thinks Halo is the be-all and end-all of FPS games, just that the series is overall pretty good, the latest is very polished, and they're popular so it's never hard to find a match.

Let me help by providing a brief list...

How the fuck is an average of 94/100 not living up to the hype?

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/metalgearsolid4gunsofthepatriots

Go fuck yourself, tool.

Does the DS have Age of Empires?

Age of Empires is a Microsoft game. The day when you will see that running on a non-MS platform is probably the day hell freezes over.

Yes, the DS does have Age of Empires. It's not quite the same game as the PC version, though.

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/hellgatelondon

Pretty much all the reviews point out that while it's a nice enough game, it's competitors are similar if not better, are cheaper, and were already out there. Hellgate was well polished but dull is what it sounds like, and there were better products out there.

There was no money coming in because your product wasn't competitive.

While I hate to see people lose their jobs, and sincerely hope all the people who created the game get hired again quickly at studios with better guidance, it's somewhat of a relief to me that creative financial management couldn't be used to make a bad game into a success. There are a glut of games on the wii especially but consoles in general that aren't worth a dime because they're bankrupt in the innovation and creativity department. It would be nice if those games weren't made.

I personally prefer games that aren't as polished graphically but have great concepts. They're more fun to play as well as being cheaper. It's nice when they're both, but the old adage about a horse built by comittee is a camel rings true. A small group of individuals can often come up with a better, riskier idea for a game than you'll get coming out of a big studio, at the small price of not having overdone graphics.

Here's to hoping that EA will suffer the same fate.

If you look at metacritic 5 of the top 10 games are third party, as are 13 of the top 20. While Nintendo has the plurality of the top games, they don't have a majority.

Take the idea of a car racing game with cute characters driving. Miyamoto's gone to that well multiple times, but nobody else has scored big with it,

I seem to remember Crash Team Racing and Diddy Kong Racing being incredibly successful at the time, and both feature the idea of "car racing with cute characters."

Take the idea of a car racing game with cute characters driving. Miyamoto's gone to that well multiple times, but nobody else has scored big with it,

I seem to remember Crash Team Racing and Diddy Kong Racing being incredibly successful at the time, and both feature the idea of "car racing with cute characters."

And as a counter-point, I take you to the Metacritic DS list.

Notice how few green titles there are on that list?

The DS has become a shovel-ware platform, mainly because it has no competition, so all sorts of crap gets released for it. Of course they want to reduce competition from actual creative and innovative games.

Hell, the first green game on the list (as of the time I'm posting) is Final Fantasy IV - a rerelease of a 20-year old game! (How it got that high a score I'll never know, but since almost all the Sqeenix games on the list got good scores it's fairly safe to say that the reviewers are biased in favor of Squeenix.)

So, yes, it's safe to say that at least some of this move is to drive out competition from unlicensed games.

Okami

I do own a PS2 as well... long long played out

Twilight Princess

How old is this? Launch game if I recall or a month later, certainly is one of the good games I was mentioning however, no doubt about that.

Super Mario Galaxy

You're joking right? Brilliant, fun platformer but in no way is this a 'proper' single player linear experience with a half decent storyline - I will eventually finish it but you're clutching at straws here.

No More Heroes

Haven't tried it I'll be honest. I've been too busy with life / movies / TV / PS3.

need I go on? You're just not trying.

Yes, please go on, there's only 2 or 3 games left for the Wii which fit my criteria, you're stretching, I don't even need to try.

And unlike Metal Gear Cutscene 4, those are actually fun to play and don't involve mindless cutscene watching.

BZZZT sorry buddy, we're not all MGS fanboys just because we own a Sony machine.

Let's see what I've been playing now.
Uncharted
GTA4
Heavenly Sword
Resistance Fall of man
Ratchet and Clank (ok I admit, this too is a platformer)
Call of Duty 4 (short but good)
Burnout Paradise (I admit, not the linear SP type I mentioned earlier but also nothing close to this on Wii now is there?)
Lego Star Wars
Assassins Creed

and if I didn't have it on my PC, I could be playing the entire contents of the Orange box, which is 3 good SP games (HL2, Ep1, Ep2)
same with Oblivion

Pixel Junk Monsters (incredibly addictive and fun) - again, I admit it's not a linear SP game with a good story as previously mentioned

Also I've been lent a copy of MGS4 (I disliked the earlier ones) but this isn't so bad, it does indeed have a lot of cutscenes but it is also true as the reviews have said, that it blends cinema with gameplay very seamlessly, cinematics in games won't be the same after this.

Ultimately, you're trying to argue the Wii is a good SP gamers machine when it's common knowledge by pretty much any gamer worth his crust that it's not it's specialty, why waste my time and other slashdot readers times? Seriously?
Ragging on the PS3 is no longer hip and trendy, Sony have made some damned fool mistakes but the console is not in any way a useless piece of consumer electronics only good as a BD player as some fans would have you think.

As I said, I'm an owner of all 3 systems and my PS3 by far gets the most playtime (I can't hack the noise of the 360, thank god for the new load to drive feature)

The Wii is known for it's shovelware, if you like it or not, let's see here
http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/
81 games rated above 75 for the PS3 - out of a total of 184 - not bad
http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/
167 games rated above 75 for the 360 - out of a total of 424, also not bad
http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/
43 games rated above 75 for the Wii - out of a total of 233 - shovelware much?

Definitely without any doubt in my mind NOT a system an SP gamer would want to focus on, it's a good spare console but in no way a good primary machine.
Oh and yes I do play back BD's and DVD's on my PS3 - it's quite good at it too, thanks.

Okami

I do own a PS2 as well... long long played out

Twilight Princess

How old is this? Launch game if I recall or a month later, certainly is one of the good games I was mentioning however, no doubt about that.

Super Mario Galaxy

You're joking right? Brilliant, fun platformer but in no way is this a 'proper' single player linear experience with a half decent storyline - I will eventually finish it but you're clutching at straws here.

No More Heroes

Haven't tried it I'll be honest. I've been too busy with life / movies / TV / PS3.

need I go on? You're just not trying.

Yes, please go on, there's only 2 or 3 games left for the Wii which fit my criteria, you're stretching, I don't even need to try.

And unlike Metal Gear Cutscene 4, those are actually fun to play and don't involve mindless cutscene watching.

BZZZT sorry buddy, we're not all MGS fanboys just because we own a Sony machine.

Let's see what I've been playing now.
Uncharted
GTA4
Heavenly Sword
Resistance Fall of man
Ratchet and Clank (ok I admit, this too is a platformer)
Call of Duty 4 (short but good)
Burnout Paradise (I admit, not the linear SP type I mentioned earlier but also nothing close to this on Wii now is there?)
Lego Star Wars
Assassins Creed

and if I didn't have it on my PC, I could be playing the entire contents of the Orange box, which is 3 good SP games (HL2, Ep1, Ep2)
same with Oblivion

Pixel Junk Monsters (incredibly addictive and fun) - again, I admit it's not a linear SP game with a good story as previously mentioned

Also I've been lent a copy of MGS4 (I disliked the earlier ones) but this isn't so bad, it does indeed have a lot of cutscenes but it is also true as the reviews have said, that it blends cinema with gameplay very seamlessly, cinematics in games won't be the same after this.

Ultimately, you're trying to argue the Wii is a good SP gamers machine when it's common knowledge by pretty much any gamer worth his crust that it's not it's specialty, why waste my time and other slashdot readers times? Seriously?
Ragging on the PS3 is no longer hip and trendy, Sony have made some damned fool mistakes but the console is not in any way a useless piece of consumer electronics only good as a BD player as some fans would have you think.

As I said, I'm an owner of all 3 systems and my PS3 by far gets the most playtime (I can't hack the noise of the 360, thank god for the new load to drive feature)

The Wii is known for it's shovelware, if you like it or not, let's see here
http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/
81 games rated above 75 for the PS3 - out of a total of 184 - not bad
http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/
167 games rated above 75 for the 360 - out of a total of 424, also not bad
http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/
43 games rated above 75 for the Wii - out of a total of 233 - shovelware much?

Definitely without any doubt in my mind NOT a system an SP gamer would want to focus on, it's a good spare console but in no way a good primary machine.
Oh and yes I do play back BD's and DVD's on my PS3 - it's quite good at it too, thanks.

Okami

I do own a PS2 as well... long long played out

Twilight Princess

How old is this? Launch game if I recall or a month later, certainly is one of the good games I was mentioning however, no doubt about that.

Super Mario Galaxy

You're joking right? Brilliant, fun platformer but in no way is this a 'proper' single player linear experience with a half decent storyline - I will eventually finish it but you're clutching at straws here.

No More Heroes

Haven't tried it I'll be honest. I've been too busy with life / movies / TV / PS3.

need I go on? You're just not trying.

Yes, please go on, there's only 2 or 3 games left for the Wii which fit my criteria, you're stretching, I don't even need to try.

And unlike Metal Gear Cutscene 4, those are actually fun to play and don't involve mindless cutscene watching.

BZZZT sorry buddy, we're not all MGS fanboys just because we own a Sony machine.

Let's see what I've been playing now.
Uncharted
GTA4
Heavenly Sword
Resistance Fall of man
Ratchet and Clank (ok I admit, this too is a platformer)
Call of Duty 4 (short but good)
Burnout Paradise (I admit, not the linear SP type I mentioned earlier but also nothing close to this on Wii now is there?)
Lego Star Wars
Assassins Creed

and if I didn't have it on my PC, I could be playing the entire contents of the Orange box, which is 3 good SP games (HL2, Ep1, Ep2)
same with Oblivion

Pixel Junk Monsters (incredibly addictive and fun) - again, I admit it's not a linear SP game with a good story as previously mentioned

Also I've been lent a copy of MGS4 (I disliked the earlier ones) but this isn't so bad, it does indeed have a lot of cutscenes but it is also true as the reviews have said, that it blends cinema with gameplay very seamlessly, cinematics in games won't be the same after this.

Ultimately, you're trying to argue the Wii is a good SP gamers machine when it's common knowledge by pretty much any gamer worth his crust that it's not it's specialty, why waste my time and other slashdot readers times? Seriously?
Ragging on the PS3 is no longer hip and trendy, Sony have made some damned fool mistakes but the console is not in any way a useless piece of consumer electronics only good as a BD player as some fans would have you think.

As I said, I'm an owner of all 3 systems and my PS3 by far gets the most playtime (I can't hack the noise of the 360, thank god for the new load to drive feature)

The Wii is known for it's shovelware, if you like it or not, let's see here
http://www.metacritic.com/games/ps3/scores/
81 games rated above 75 for the PS3 - out of a total of 184 - not bad
http://www.metacritic.com/games/xbox360/scores/
167 games rated above 75 for the 360 - out of a total of 424, also not bad
http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii/scores/
43 games rated above 75 for the Wii - out of a total of 233 - shovelware much?

Definitely without any doubt in my mind NOT a system an SP gamer would want to focus on, it's a good spare console but in no way a good primary machine.
Oh and yes I do play back BD's and DVD's on my PS3 - it's quite good at it too, thanks.

My wife wants the PS3 for Singstar. Yes she loves Singstar. I have yet to see a game for the 360 or PS3 that I must have.
So we will keep playing with our Wii, PS2, XBox, and Dreamcast for now.

Has she tried the Karaoke Revolution series? It's pretty highly rated, and some people prefer it to Singstar. Plus, you can buy it used for the PS2 or Xbox. (Providing you can find the microphone too.)

Grid is an amazing game. I'm usually not into racing games... this game though is fantastic.

Reviewers are saying it's like going to dinner with a supermodel only to discover she's also as witty as a stand-up comic.

At least he didn't mention the Holy Grail of violent video games and rap music, 50 Cent: Bulletproof. I'd probably want to burn my property down to the ground after playing that pile of shit. :) )

I would hardly call a metareview of 81 "pwned by critics." I will withhold my own judgment until I play it, of course, but it sounds like it's doing pretty well, critically.

Awesome story (pretty graphic language), but VERY annoyingly repetitive game play. More so than the typically annoyingly repetitive game play.

Dude, they're already here. Have you played No More Heroes yet?

meta review
trailer

Except Metacritic gives Assassin's Creed a score of 81/100. A game which after completing I gave a 5/10. This single game alone has made me lose so much faith in video game critics. The only thing I trust anyone is my friend's word of mouth.