Halo 3, MGS4 & Bad Company:- Does every game need to be a grade-A blockbuster title?

NewSchoolGamer - 491 days 18 hours ago

was made because of Too Human no? lol

Okay then I think we should just play and enjoy the games that we like. AAA games are just supposed to be more fun. If you have money to spare buy Lair, Haze, Too Human, and other games that are not AAA plus the AAA games. If you just want to spend money on good games than just buy AAA games.

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XboxOZ360 - 491 days 18 hours ago

Personally I'm amazed that so many gamers do not consider the games that fall into the "average" mark. As many are great "games" per-se', it's just that the recent two generations of gamers, especially the latest one, seem hell bent on only accepting Grade=A titles and seeing anything under 8 - 8.5/10 as anything worthwhile.

Any game that gets a 7 or even 8 these days is lumped with critisizm and often contempt. Yet when you look at it as a 'game' - it usually is basically doing what it should do. Entertain and add some enjoyment.

I've picked up many a game that has had so-called bad reviews/press, to find an engaging, and enjoyable game. Sure it might not have been "perfect" or had the pixel perfect graphics or sound, but it has given me hours of fun that I would not have had if I simply saw the 7 - 8.5/10 mark and turned it down just based on that figure

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dro - 491 days 18 hours ago

no one likes crap and know one will enjoy playing a crap game so obviously every game coming out now should be at least above average and NOT average;and if possible have that AAA feeling.This is supposed to be NEXT GEN gaming!! (-_-)

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NewSchoolGamer - 491 days 18 hours ago

I for one have little money to spend on video games so when I buy a game it has to be an AAA game.

All of my PS3 titles consist of AAA games or games that are at that 8.5 mark like Madden 08.

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ape007 - 491 days 18 hours ago

don't mention mgs4 and halo 3 in the same sentence

mgs 4 is like the best game ever

halo 3 the most overhyped game ever

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PoSTedUP - 491 days 18 hours ago

if the game is not "nex gen" in any way, then dont waste your money and just rent it.

turok, turning point, haze(was ok), sonic etc. are not really nex gen games compared to resistance and halo gears and warhawk.

all the games i have are worthy of me playing, most games are great. just play games and stop worrying about AAA which i still dont know what it means lol if AAA means "great game" then motorstorm and gears is a AAA title ya know. just play the games you like.

Heavenly Sword
Motorstorm
Metal Gear Solid4
warhawk
resistance
MLB 08 THE SHOW
Uncharted

^ these are all my games btw and these are all AAA "GREAT games" and they are all worth buying. just play the games you like.

-up next.. Ratchet and Clank Future: tools of destruction!

SOCOM beta SEPT. 1st!

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NewSchoolGamer - 491 days 17 hours ago

don't mention sonic and turok in the same sentence. Sonic was much better, LOL.

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XboxOZ360 - 491 days 17 hours ago

There are those games that simply should have gone back to the drawing boards. Yet they got high scores, and thus high sales. There are those games that were excellently executed, yet for one reason or another, git low scores and got panned and poor sales. YET, when gamers have gone back to those particular games later on, once the PR Hype has died, they have found engaging, entertaining and enjoyable games.

Game Hype has a lot to answer for these days - unfortunately.

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DA_SHREDDER - 491 days 17 hours ago

The real question is, should we pay full price for a game if it isnt AAA? Why should a mediocre, lame, ugly piece of a crap that everyone calls a game cost as much as a game of AAA status? I think the reason why everyone is so anal about how good games are is cause we always pay the AAA price regardless of content and greatness.

There should be a law for games that aren't of the highest caliber be considered AA games and cost no more then $45 to $50 dollars with tax. Ill be damned if I pay $65 dollars for a game that doesn't have the best graphics, good story, and good gameplay. Any one who does is part of a bigger problem that I dont wanna get into.

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dro - 491 days 17 hours ago

to me yes every game needs high end graphics and should have a very polished gameplay and should be above average.that is what the hype for this new HD consoles were all about, graphics never before seen in a last gen game and gameplay that is close to perfect with the smallest glitches.every time u enter a new era of gaming u expect to see what last gen console could not do and at least 85% of games coming out should be above average because this consoles are letting u do what the ps2/x box could not do so devs have no reason to make a bad game or make an ok game and just call it average.will u rather have a game like mgs4 with ok graphics and average game play or a mgs4 were u can actualy see the level of details in snakes hair, or the detail on the octocamo suit when it changes colour,games like mgs4,gears2,uncharted...e.t.c shows what next gen is all about and im pretty sure pple will chose games like that over haze,too human,lair,turning point fall of man..e.t.c

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vlazed - 491 days 17 hours ago

I think we would have to define, as gamers, what a AAA title is. Most titles that get the most attention now are the ones with the most marketing budgets. I remember a time when a games were sold by word of mouth, but alas times have changed and gaming is now mainstream. The industry has come to a crossroads and must either adapt or perish. Most games that the general consensus would consider AAA are, to be perfectly honest, quite boring. I have played all these games before, albeit with lesser graphics, on previous systems. MGS4, in my opinion, is the pinnacle of what I believe to be gaming. Now we need to expend what a game is and maybe even change the word "game", in this context, to something else. Sorry for rambling on, but I feel there is much debate to be had on all these issues and I would like gamers to be more constructive in their arguments.

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Isaac - 491 days 17 hours ago

"AAA" is the most moronic buzzword I have ever heard, and there is no place where I see it uttered more other than here, especially by theMart and his gang. "AAA = 9.0+ in metacritic", seriously, metacritic's apparent level of relevance is ridiculous, and suddenly 9.0 being a cut-off or a complete dismissal of titles that get 8.9 is ridiculous. Hell, an average does not really tell you anything, since 9.0 can mean that all reviewers gave it a 9, or that half gave it a 10 and another half gave it an 8. Anyway, when fanboys dismiss a game because "OH IT HAZ 8.9 IN MATACRITIK = PHAIL" or "NO IT IS NOT AAA LOL" just show how high the gene pool contamination ratio has risen.

A review that tells you what games the newly released game has beaten and that explains thoroughly with images and video is worth a lot more than a stupid score. If all reviews were given that way, then we would ensure that no publisher pays for special care of a game, and we would get rid off fanboy gangs that only want to nit-pick and cherry-pick and do a little bit of quote-mining here and there just to make a particular product look bad.

BTW, to me "AAA" means high production values, not "appeal amongst 'professional' reviewers", but as I said before, I hate buzzwords so I only like saying "games with the highest production values", not "AAA GAMES LOL".

Edit:

Xbox360OZ, you said it well, so basically in few words, AAA means high production values. NOT "high metacritic score". Grade-A is just a subjective label, it could be "there goes a ten" the way some people label babes, or it could also be "a great game". However, a game with an 8.0 average score that had lots of 10s and lots of 6s means it is a killer app for some and that it is so-so to others. So basically, average scores fail. Hell, if IGN's resistance reviewer, a very respected source, actually saw theMart making decisions based on Metacritic they would laugh their ass off, since, according to IGN's opinion, Resistance is a great game (9.1), so to them it is a worthy game of the next-gen. It's not like IGN has to be forced to agree with "the metascore", since that is called professional integrity, something theMart lacks considering he runs his own site full of lies and deceit.

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AclayPS3 - 491 days 17 hours ago

Well, if every game was AAA quality, we certainly wouldn't be seeing as many games being released monthly because a developer would spend a longer time developing them.

But, I do think that more games should be AAA quality, especially when games these days are $60 bucks a pop and when Limited Editions go for $80+ bucks.

Also you've got to take into account that that the majority of AAA games are big budget games, and not every developing studio has the funds to pour tons of money into one game.... Some studios probably have to release a game whether it's the best it can be or not because they might not be able to afford to spend anymore money on it and they just have to make some money off of the game.

The Video Game Industry to me is pretty much like the movie industry because you've got the Big Budget Summer Block buster movies like The Dark Knight and Iron Man, but then you've got the low budget films that aren't really that great sometimes, and it works the same way with Video Games because there's big budget Blockbuster video games like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto 4, and then there's lackluster video games like Turning Point Fall of Liberty and HAZE.

I think that the majority of video games should be AAA quality, but I don't think it would really be possible because not every developing studio has the talent to make a AAA game and not every developer has the funds to pour millions and millions of dollars into one project to make a game as good as it can be and to ensure that it lives up to AAA quality.

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Firstkn1ghT - 491 days 17 hours ago

AAA is a game that is highly rated by mostly everybody like Halo 3, MGS4, and Gears but that doesn't mean a game that averages a 7 can't be a AAA title for someone. Different strokes for different folks. I personally loved playing Lost Planet and that averaged 7's and 8's. For somebody that says a game HAS to be a 90% and up is just plain silly.

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Hunter86 - 491 days 17 hours ago

I dont think the writer is saying that games have to be 90% and up I think he is saying that devs should aim for their game to recieve that sort of reviews, rather than allowing it to be average.

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Tobias123 - 491 days 17 hours ago

I have to disagree with this article to some extent. The reason for doing so is the basis on review scores mostly. For a game to get 10/10 nowadays, and "deserve" it, it has to have obscenely good graphics, excellent gameplay, longevity(usually in the form of multiplayer, which itself must be tweaked and tuned to be as good as possible), a good plot, and overall good value. I disagree with that view really. Above I listed GT5:P, Killzone, and MGS4 as my favorite games of all time, and they are, they keep me coming back for more, no matter what, and I never get bored of them. But to me, the best game will always be Super Mario World. I'll have a lot of people disagreeing with me, but oh well. What was wrong with Super Mario World? It had good graphics for its time, and it still looks quite charming. It had brilliant level design, nice music, and most importantly, it was fun. Unbelievably, incredibly fun. I can't play it as consistently as I can the three titles I listed above, but every few months I'll come back to Super Mario World, and be hooked. I'll burn through that games 4-5 times(including doing all the special missions too) before I get bored again, but I always know that in a few months I'll come back to it again. Would I pay $60 for that game? Absolutely. Would it be a "grade-A blockbuster title"? Not likely, but I would love it. I would gladly pay full price for a game that was simply THAT fun. It doesn't have to be amazingly pretty, or have lengthy multiplayer. It just has to do that one thing well, and that's enough for me. But that's my 2 cents.

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hdesroses - 491 days 16 hours ago

the Metal Gear Solid games have long cut scene

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hazardman - 491 days 16 hours ago

All i'm gonna say if your gonna be charging gamers $60 a game..Then yes developers need to try and make very good games..something worth the money..either that or ship your game with some sticky ickky..that way if your games garbage i can smoke and laugh at the demise of your company.. lorda mercy =]

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cereal_killa - 491 days 16 hours ago

I have to give you props... Your a 360 based site and yet you would say that an Exclusive PS3 game (MSG4) is a solid game i wish all gamers were like you. People should stop being so pro this and pro that the 360 has some really good games that in most peoples opinions are AAA titles (Gears and Halo) personally IMO Gears is the only reason i have a 360 though "I" thought Halo was weak but different people have different opinions and thats there choice but to say that the PS3 sucks is just being blind the PS3 had a weak start but is now proving to be a great gaming console and are producing some solid games. And as i said anyone who says different is Blind

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GUNS N SWORDS - 491 days 15 hours ago

"Halo 3, MGS4 & Bad Company:- Does every game need to be a grade-A blockbuster title?"

i have over 20 games, i picked them because i liked them, all of them, even with what ever flaws they had.

heh, i just bought "Bad Company" just the day before yesterday, ha, i can't believe i didn't get this game a long time ago.

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NewSchoolGamer - 491 days 18 hours ago

LOL, the open zone is fun some times. I have to admit I've tried to do a second account once but somehow it was deleted.

So how can 10yearflop's account still be active I mean isn't it obvious it is a second account?

I'm just wondering man no offense

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dro - 491 days 17 hours ago

pls just shut up,u have not played mgs4 before bcuz ur a fan boi and its obvious u might never play the best game made in this gen so far,i dont even find it funny any more when fan bois bring up the hole cutscence crap i just find it dumb,stupid and childish. any TRUR GAMER that played mgs4 on this site "e.g me" will tell u that yes some cutscence were too long and some were boring but the graphics/gameplay makes up for that,and i mean it really "made up for that" that has to be the best game so far this gen,the only down side is how long the cutscecne are but apart from that the game is perfect (yes i said it perfect) to me.

but fan bois like u will never know

:'( :'( :'(

very sad indeed... i feel sorry for u!!!!

i hope ur brain will mature soon enough so u can see what every other person that played the game saw..which is the best graphics to date on any console.

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Bathyj - 491 days 17 hours ago

Sorry but I think Xbots started all this every game has to be AAA crap.

In their bid to convince us all PS3 had no games, everything was, Resistance isn't AAA, is crap, Motorstorm isn't AAA, its crap, Uncharted isnt AAA bla bla bla. Meanwhile, bots buy any piece of crap anyway. How the hell does Marvel Alliance sell nearly 2.5M while NFS series has over 4M?

I could give a rats arse what metacritic says. We all know the gaming media has had a biased against PS3 they are only just waking up from. Every good game on PS3 has had plenty of 10's 9's, then of course a game that scores solid 9's in 20 or so sites will somehow score 6's or 5's in some dross blog to bring that metascore down. Big deal. I dont consult Metacritic to buy games. I wipe my arse with their scores.

Besides, one of my favourite franchises Tenchu has probably never score better than 7's or 8's. The camera is always crap, the combat weak, the graphics mediocre at best but theres something about killing dogs with shuriken, and distracting samurai with poison rice that I've always loved and I'll keep playing the franchise no matter what scores it gets, as long as I continue to have FUN when I'm doing it. F U N, those are the 3 letters we should be worried about.

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NewSchoolGamer - 491 days 17 hours ago

Actually has a point. When the PS3 started geting titles like Uncharted, HS, and Warhawk that were not AAA games just AA xbox fanboys started that whole dilemma.

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juuken - 491 days 16 hours ago

According to the 360 fanboys, yes.

Heaven forbid it's an 80/85 average and it's called garbage. And yet they can't take the sh*t that's dished out when they don't receive flattering scores for some of their games.

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Cajun Chicken - 491 days 16 hours ago

They don't have to be crapilly developed or have a lack of unique art design and over used game mechanics BUT generally have to bring something different to the table that works with a sense of strong narrative and characters.

I miss that era of games that everyone just made games that were pure fun, take Haven, Eve of Extinction, Serious Sam Next Encounter, Earth Defence Force 2017, Alter Echo, Giants Citizen Kabuto, Metal Arms, Messiah, Wild 9 and many, many more.

No-ones allowed to take a risk these days, the technology and the risk of the cost of developing and publishing a game is huge if not received well meaning quite simply, originality is dying and those who try get tarnished in the process by the press and then the public.

We don't currently have those wacky developers like Shiny, Planet Moon, Croteam, Running With Scissors risking making a dent in the mundane world of gaming; fact is. We need those. NOW, anytime soon.

A large percentage of the games now are only good, because nobodies bothering to do anything better and I personally; no offense, blame the 'hardcore' gamer who just likes killing endless lines of people for no apparent reason except make him/her feel better and godlike and refuses to try anything different or condemns it before the games that try to be different are even out.

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