Do the X-Play
hosts ever give less than a 3 out of 5 rating to a game? I’ve watched them
verbally thrash several games and then give them a 3 star rating. What’s the deal?
Do they have some sort of behind-the-scenes deal with the game publishers that keeps
them from giving out less than 3 stars? What the heck?
Jan 10
Skewed Reviews
I’ve seen them give 1s and 2s.
My sense is they have a rubric that they don’t share. So if a games graphics are fine they can’t give it a 1 even if it’s a terrible game. May be the cause of the disparity between what they say and teh final number.
The reason you don’t fine lower rankings is that there is actually a system to the stars. It seems stars 3 through 5 are far more discresionary. For example, a one star game essentially has to have technical deficiencies that make it unplayable. I’m sure this is a pretty rare occurance. I have personally seen a few 2 star ratings for horrible games a few years ago.
Here’s the rating definitions:
Five Stars: Our Highest Recommendation
This is a must-buy product for just about everyone — something too cool and useful to pass up at a reasonable price. The product should break new ground, be affordable, and head in a revolutionary direction rather than an evolutionary one.
Four Stars: Great
The product works well, and should be considered by just about anyone looking for a solution in this category. However, it does include one or two drawbacks, typically a high price or a missing feature we consider essential. Usually among the best in a particular category.
Three Stars: Average
A reasonably solid product that does what it’s supposed to do, it’s also hampered by drawbacks that make it less than useful for some members of its target market. It may not be the best product in a particular category, but some consumers will find that its features and functionality work best for them.
Two Stars: Fair
The product works most of the time, but lacks key qualities such as ease-of-use and value. Two-star products typically miss the mark in delivering features consumers can use, or have significant quality problems. They are usually buggy or difficult to use, and there are usually much better alternatives in the market.
One Star: Poor
Don’t even consider buying this product. Either it’s not usable or it doesn’t work at all.
copied from: http://www.g4tv.com/gear/features/47742/G4_Product_Reviews_and_Rating_Disclosure_.html
“A reasonably solid product that does what it’s supposed to do.”
I’d include “entertain” in the list of things a game is supposed to do. If bugless functionality automatically earns a 2, perhaps a 7-star scale is needed.