Critics aren't gamers, lol.

Critics are meant to be critical of a game, not be on a "I just paid 40 quid for this I better like it!" or "I really love Star Wars I hope they didn't cock it up completely this time!" high.

You should always be able to add and subtract points from a review as a consumer, you'll know if the subject matter weighs up for otherwise rather uninspired action. Critics - when halfway clever - should set you up with the tools to determine that.

After having played the demo through a number of times I think a 7 for this sounds perfectly reasonable. I also know that some of my personal faves hover somewhere around that average, and what they lack in sheer spectacle they make up for by knowing which way to rub me.

Response of the thread.

And uh, lol at all the +XXX replies to my insanely sarcastic quip. GG.

re:All

-1000000~

I apologize for every banning you! ;) That said, you probably don't want to hear my general game comments seeing as I am uber critical, hard to please, and have a very limited scope of gaming interest (American sports, racing games, shooters ... a strong like for MP, especially MP that allows various classes, teamwork, and objective focused gameplay to allow a wide array of styles and interests ... distaste for stale gameplay/genres that do little to address core deficencies of the genre and often pale in quality to older premium titles, and so forth.)

I totally agree with the fact consumers need to be able to add/substract points based on preference. If I am a total SW geek I can +20% to the score if SW allows me to overlook shortcomings. But unless you are a SWs fan site, NO REVIEWER ever should "fudge" the score due to such. Yes, if a license/brand adds to the story, quality, etc then yes. But if it is just the license / consumer infused backstory/nastolgia that is impacting the impression then no (unless you have some sort of tilt; e.g. 70% score, 90% if you are a SW geek, 50% if you not a fan of the genre/license).

Someday, alongside writing my own Game Design Docs I would love to fiddle with a review system. I once did reviews and show a lot of shortcomings in how the media addresses them. The old school "4 reviewers" method is a good start actually, especially if it was ammended adapted for genre likes/dislikes and such. e.g. Mixing in a group of "consumers" of hardcore (twitch), casual, story centered/thinking mans gamer, and "I hate every game" reviewers (+ bonus: genre/license fan tilt) could paint an interesting picture. e.g. If I am a casual and see that everyone but the hardcore gamer likes the title then cool. If I see that the casual gamer hates the camera and the hardcore gamer thinks it is shallow, but the license/genre has mass appeal it fleshes out a solid picture.

That is the problem debating scores online ... I have no clue where you as a consumer are coming from.

Me, personally, I am the "I hate every game" type but give a nod toward individual prefernce and tastes (i.e. I may hate it, but I can see why you love it). Although I have given up with Sath and only can conclude: If I hate it, he loves it. If he likes it, I will be suspicious! He is the anti-Ban Bot :P