Sony was hoping for 7s with Knack, and that's just not good enough

Is aiming for a 7 really the best thinking with which to approach one of your new console’s launch games? And not just any launch game. Perhaps unfortunately, Knack was the world’s first look at PS4 gaming back at the console’s February reveal. Whether intended to be a central player of the machine’s launch roster or not, that kind of treatment heaps a certain implicit expectation upon a game.

If you start with low expectations, you guarantee lesser results. And just as importantly, you give yourself no excuses if things go wrong. Whatever the logistical complications of developing a launch game, if you’re only aiming for a 7, then a 7 is the best you can expect.

[SynGamer]

5-10 years ago 7's were solid. Not amazing, but still good. I don't understand how gaming journalists have shifted the spectrum from 7's being good to 9's or higher, and anything less is terrible?

For a game like Knack, 7's are a good aim. It's a game that not everyone is going to enjoy, but others will eat up. If "7" is good but not great, that seems reasonable, especially for a new franchise.

[Godmars290]

What worse are games which get 1/10 when they don't have technical issues, and usually 1/10 was reserved for sever technical issues.

And then there's COD: a game which typically comes with bugs to one degree or another, but it often gets 10/10s from various sites - who then later join in on complaining about the bugs.

[sincitysir1]

I am honestly enjoying the crap outta this game. Isn't perfect but definitely fun. The co op is awesome with the girlfriend.

[morganfell]

@sin - found myself spending more time with this than Killzone, BF4, AC4, or Resogun. Its addictive as hell and the fight system at first seems simple, but that is the deception. Timing is a must. Fantastic title.

[TomShoe]

Fanboys ruined Knack.

It's sickening.

[Godmars290]

@TomShoe:
"Fanboys ruined Knack."

That's only true if it doesn't sell well and there are retrospective reviews with higher scores.

Regardless it will likely show up on PS+.

[guitarded77]

@ TomShoe

What do you mean by that? Just curious, I don't want to read into it.

On Topic: Just played a bit of Knack, and it's not a 10, but it's not crap either. It could be a lot better, but it was a new IP made for launch. I'm not justifying its shortcomings, but I also wasn't expecting the next big AAA platformer to reinvent platformers. People who went in with inflated expectations may be let down, but I don't think there is any kind of consensus for this game... the reviews are all over the place.

[MRMagoo123]

I dont get this whole rating system now days, if the worst games are 5 what are the 4,3,2 and 1 games, When i was playing games on my megadrive games that got 5 where classed as average, games that where 7 where def worth getting. Also to add another point who trusts any reviews now days when games like COD get 10, i dont hate COD but 10 lol.

IMO all reviews should be completely without scores, not As or Bs or 5 out of 5s, it should go like this.

(Insert game title here)

Description of game, along with personal experiences playing through the game.

Pros

Cons

If you liked (insert game here) then you will like this.

And thats all they need, the numbers added after just drive a lot of ppl away from making their own mind up.

As much as i love sony this is not in defense of them but in hate of the way scores are done now days be it ps4,wiiu or xbone.

[Boody-Bandit]

Serious question.
Who gives a damn about reviews other than those that want to use it as ammo?

Some of the most addictive and entertaining games I have played the last several years where rated in the 7 / 70's. I have played quite a few so called blockbusters I thought were MEH / been there done that.

I never fall for the hype of the media and do my own research. Most of these guys are agenda driven bias puppets. Trying to out do one another with sensationalism, extremely doom and gloom / negativity or hyperbole over drive.

Trying to sift through the cesspool of the gaming media to find a gem is getting harder and harder to do. Now I just go by developer interview videos or demos of the games and decide for myself.

I honestly can't remember the last review I read all the way through. Their a waste of time for me and nothing but a marketing tool for publishers.

[4Sh0w]

SynGamer I totally disagree, especially when sony's biggest most used PR line is they are focused on games first and foremost. So not only should your lineup prove this but of course the quality of the both your full retail exclusive games themselves should *attempt* to demonstrate that vision.

Again sure a 7 is NOT terrible but its about the mentality we're talking about here. Let's say Knack was a very ambitious new IP that tried some huge gameplay ideas, scope, or features and perhaps the game didn't nail it, failed to deliver on promises, or it just has a lot of technical flaws based on lofty goals, etc which is why it then got 6's or 7's, then that would be far more understandable because it lays the groundwork for where we are heading and what next gen POTENTIAL is. Knack however looks like and even the creator hinted at beforehand which now Yoshida comments basicly speaks to it wasn't a great effort. Knack just didn't do well because it was lacking even honestly compared to some of the originality and gameplay of the best ps2 platformers, aside from graphics of course.

[SynGamer]

Just so I understand first...you're saying a 7 is terrible? My exact argument was that -10 years ago gaming journalists would give games 6's and 7's and it wouldn't be doom and gloom. It simply meant there was fun to be had, but the games weren't amazing. Now, if a game gets a 7, it's terrible, which I don't agree with.

[4Sh0w]

huh? I specifically said a 7 is NOT terrible.

lol, I even capitalized it for emphasis in both my posts.

Read what I said again for better understanding this time.

[SynGamer]

My apologies. I'm not saying you edited your comment (it doesn't say edited) but I definitely don't recall seeing a capitalized "NOT" when i first read your comment, hence why I asked :) My bad :D

[4Sh0w]

SynGamer no I did however edit in the part about Yoshida's comments, but no worries apology accepted.

[iamnsuperman]

I think 7 is a good aim as the way publications review these types of games is just wrong. A lot of publications took it for a game for us to pick up and not a game you pick up for your children and play with them (it has been the one thing Sony has said about who this game is for). I wasn't surprised by the review scores. Cerny said him self the game was created because he realised there was nothing for that age band in the launch titles. These types of games always get marked down because no-one takes into account who it is for as the reviewers review it as if they are going to buy it for themselves.

Sure there are a few games that transcend demographics but that shouldn't be a reason to mark a game down when it doesn't. Just praise the ones that do

[cl1983]

I think the issue really relies on the games who forget that 7 is a respectable score. When you have a 1-10 scale 1 is trash 5 is ok 7 is good and 10 is the best thing in the world, with no issues. Yes some reviewers you question because of the it's the block buster of the year and has issues, and those reviews should be questioned.

[Silver360]

Very few gamers want to buy a game that scores a 7. Everyone wants to play the "BEST" games around. Sometime people need to realize that what a game reviewer likes and what you like can be different.

[QuickdrawMcgraw]

To me 5-6.5 rentable,7-8.5 rent for sure,maybe buy,9-10 must buy.But that's just me.

[morganfell]

If enough people tell me this, then I do it, and if enough people tell me this over here then I do it, but if enough people tell me something else then I definitely do that. See how that sounds?

[Knushwood Butt]

I can't remember the last time I let a review influence the purchase of a game.

I don't have particularly high hopes for Knack, so I'll be satisfied with a decent experience.

Plus, I'll be getting it, 'free', with my JPN launch bundle anyway.

[3-4-5]

7 is still good and playable. Some of my greatest gaming memories came from playing games that are 6/10 or 7/10.

I just didn't know the score at the time so I just played to have fun and tried to enjoy the game for what it is.

[tkato]

C'mon from day one you could see Knack is a tech demo that grew out of control, I doubt their aim was anything but to show the number of particles and effects you can create with the hardware.

[Godmars290]

I think its a PS1/PS2 era game which uses "modern" PS4 tech. Its a small foot in a large shoe.

[L0Lcano]

Aiming for a 7 is ridiculous. Any developer that goes in with the frame of mind of producing a "decent enough" game should question themselves. The fact that Mark Cerny, chief architect for ps4 was heavily involved worries me as well but the ps4 does appear to be a very well thought out machine

[MysticStrummer]

"Aiming for a 7 is ridiculous. Any developer that goes in with the frame of mind of producing a "decent enough" game should question themselves."

I agree with this whole heartedly.

"The fact that Mark Cerny, chief architect for ps4 was heavily involved worries me"

I think Cerny spent a lot more time on PS4 than he did Knack. Knack looks fun, but very simple. There's nothing wrong with that if you want your console to appeal to a wide range of people, but "hardcore" gamers will scoff. It honestly is probably a tech demo that evolved into a game, but it will be interesting to see what Cerny does with PS4 when the game has his full attention. The man does have a track record.

"the ps4 does appear to be a very well thought out machine"

It was designed with heavy developer input and Sony is known as a hardware company, so I definitely agree.

[-Gespenst-]

7 is a good score. Review standards have gone out the window in recent years as games have gotten more corporate and media saturated.

Nevertheless, it is a bit weird that they marketed the eff out of this game to be the second coming of Crash Bandicoot. It's a bit insulting to those who put their confidence in the game - secretly Sony thought it was mediocre (by todays review standards which they're probably aware of, i.e. 7 = mediocre), but they tricked us into thinking it would be amazing.

To me, the game looks and always has looked like a 5/10 so I'm uneffected. Woeful art direction; cringey, broad pixar look as well as a broad, shallow pixar-esque story, uninteresting gameplay, bland and unimaginative environments. Count me out.

[The_Villager]

I thought the PS4 was meant to be "the gamer's console"? If that's the case then why did they chose to use Knack as one of the PS4's flagship titles if they knew it wasn't a good game?

Aiming for a 7 just makes you look like a mediocre game company.

What they should have done was put R&C and GT6 into the launch line-up instead.

[OrangePowerz]

Getting low scores doesn`t mean it`s not a good game. Alpha Protocol has a metacritic score of 64 and I enjoyed the game a lot despite of some of the shortcomings it had and the bugs. I had a lot more fun with that game than I had with GTA 4 that`s at 98

It tries to be an old school game in the vein of Crash Bandicoot and something that`s also more family friendly. And those things the game does, now if reviewers like that kind of experience is a different topic.

[badkolo]

then you shouldn't use thaT GAME FOR A LAUNCH EXCLUSIVE, they should had better games for launch , at least one system seller

[OrangePowerz]

They should have delayed a finished game?

Many of their studios still released games this year supporting the PS3. And I'm glad they did that instead of turning of PS3 support years ago and leaving us with only multiplatform games to squeeze in one or two more launch games.

[ExitToExisT]

Well i still wouldn't play the game if it scored 10 everywhere.

[Hicken]

It obviously wasn't for you, then.

[ruefrak]

First of all, there's a difference between what "Sony" was hoping for and what Shuhei Yoshida was expecting the game to get. Mr. Yoshida said that based on the kind of game it was that it wasn't going to score tremendously high. Nothing wrong with that.

The thing is, the more people see this game, the more positive comments I see about it. Sony's decision to add in game streaming to every PS4 means that these games are no longer hidden from the masses and nobody needs to take a reviewers word for whether a game is good or not. Now you can just go to Twitch or Ustream and check it out for yourself. I've got a feeling this is going to be a bigger deal for games in the years to come than the difference between 720 and 1080p.

[Bennibop]

I think knack is a very solid 7, I have played it completed it and enjoyed it but I am not going to play through it over and over again say like uncharted. It's easy to pick up and play and the kids are really enjoying it. Personally I feel it plays like crash bandicoot but with a new skin and before any one comments crash bandicoot is brilliant when it was reviewed at the time crash was rated between 7-8 and it seems people have forgotten that.

[GentlemenRUs]

Again... It's what the END-USER likes about the game.

No need to let reviews judge you around...

[OrangePowerz]

Why is not goo enough? It`s not designed to be a huge bombastic AAA title or something like that. It`s a an old school game that is more aimed at the younger audience or people who like to play games like Crash Bandicoot. The general gaming culture has moved passed games like this so I didn`t expect high scores for the game. I might still get it at launch here in Europe for the reason of what it is.

[Death]

When I ever do anything I always shoot for mediocre as a goal.

[Hicken]

You excel at that. Just wanted you to know.

[Death]

Don't worry buddy, with a little more work you'll get there someday too.

[MRMagoo123]

well you did well in proving that with that comment.

7 is not mediocre tho 7 is better than average. It is 7.7 on metacritic so its pretty much an 8 so not even close to average which is the definition of mediocre.

[Death]

You might want to sit down before you read this. http://www.metacritic.com/g...

[Flutterby]

@death

I'm guessing they are talking about kill zone. And looking at that meta critic page it's pretty much a 6 so that's even above average considering average is 5 nice try tho, at least you prove how merdiocre you are.

[Death]

You guys are killing me.

The story I commented on is about Knack. You guys might be talking about Killzone, why I have no idea. For the record, here is Killzone's Meta http://www.metacritic.com/g...

The 10 point grading scale hasn't changed in decades.

90-100 A (Excellent)
80-89 B (Very Good)
70-79 C (Average)
60-69 D (Needs Improvement)
50-59 F (Failure)

When you convert to GPA it's like this:

90-100 4 points
80-89 3 points
70-79 2 points
60-69 1 point
59 and under no points.

Get a 2.0 GPA and you are as average as it gets.

Thankfully reviews are subjective and a game that scores in the 50's can be good if you like it. Killzone typically scores much better than what the meta on Shodow has so far. If you are a fan of the series I am sure you will enjoy it and that is all that matters.

Going back to the topic at hand, according to Sony they created Knack in the hopes it would receive average ratings which are 7's. That makes no sense to me since you would think all devs shoot for 10's when they create something. I know the fans hope for 10's which is why it doesn't make sense to me that Sony wouldn't do the same.

[Statix]

Are people too stupid to realize that 7/10 translates into "Good" by most review sites?

[smokeyjoekenobi]

Which is fine, but actively aiming for average is utterly bizarre! Like they didn't want to bother making a really good, must-play game.

[LetoAtreides82]

This is a filler game to give their studios more time to work on the more important PS4 games.

[Flutterby]

No one was aiming for average , since when is 7 average? I would think considering the way scores at schools in America are made such as D being a pass lmfao (low standards?)that would make a game that was a 3.5 average going by that standard. Kinda odd how 7 all of a sudden is average when not too long ago 5 was a game worth trying.

[ExPresident]

Streams I've been watching have praised the game and how they don't get the review scores. I'm looking forward to playing it and making my own decision. To many people put to much stock in the opinions of internet users who call themselves journalists. Gaming journalism is weak as hell yet people put value in their opinion when it suits them. Play it, form your own opinion.

[XishikiX]

It's an approach you have to use when you're set with constraints. Like budget, time, scope, requirement for good graphics, features, deadlines, etc.

Every industry uses it. Yes, you would like to make a 10/10 product every time. But that exists in a vacuum, and not in reality.

But sometimes, having a working product that is less than ideal at the right time is more important than having a better product at a different time. The PS4 launch needed exclusive games. So a game that would get in the 7-8 range was desired and planned. Ofcourse sometimes developers collect lightning in a bottle and can overachieve. The same applies in reverse as well.

[smokeyjoekenobi]

I'm curious though, how does one go about making a game that hits the 7-8 mark? It's like you're saying someone didn't want them to or didn't expect them to hit certain targets, which seems a fairly counter-productive way to make games! I'm inferring from your comment that someone, presumably sony, wanted the to deliver inferior product to meet deadline, which for me is a very sad state of affairs indeed!

[pyramidshead]

Lots of people seem to be enjoying it anyway, some even questioning why the review scores were so low. Will be picking this up and wacking it straight on hard mode.

[GraveLord]

Can't expected all games to be 10/10s.
Not all games can have sky high production values. Not all games need them.

[Clarence]

I played the game today, it's not bad, but it's not good either. It might be fun for a 5yr old, but it definitely was not that fun to me.

The good thing is that at least Sony has launch titles for all ages.

[swishersweets20031]

for the type of game it is i say its a 7. fun for all ages.

[Gamer666]

Whatever happened to quality is job #1 for Sony? DriveClub delayed because they wanted to polish it... Why not Knack?

Scoring 7's is not what I would be looking for in a game release.

[feraldrgn]

7 is NOT a bad score.
But it's not a perfect one either.

I'm sure I heard somewhere that Cerny created this game as a bridge for beginner & mobile gamers to get onto the console.
I don't think he had the Killzone players in mind.

[Jagsrock]

Come on guys aiming for 7 is just insulting. So what if its a "kids" game who says that means the bar should be lowered. Skylanders is a kids game but its not just ok it goes all out. Mario games are "for everyone" dont see them just going for 7. Rayman is for kids yet it is a Top tier platformer. Its kinda disheartening to hear that they were shooting for 70s especially with the way they revealed and built the game up as one of their feature launch titles.

[Sadist3]

For those that can actually do math, 7 out of 10 is actually good. 5 is average, and anything under that is bad. Simple math, shouldn't be too hard for you people.