Final Fantasy XIII 360 reviewing higher than PS3 version

CVG: The Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII currently has a slightly higher average review score on Metacritic than the PS3 game.

[thereapersson]

Only in today's excessively ass-backwards gaming world, where DVD is considered a relevant gaming medium amongst a plethora of HD options, would a massively, technically inferior 360 version of a multiplatform game score higher than its PS3 counterpart.

I want to know how nearly every technical comparison of this game has been found to show the PS3 version unanimously proclaimed as the version to buy -- and the technically superior version at that -- yet it scores LOWER?

*scratches head*

edit @ below:

What makes GameRankings and MetaCritic so different?

[moegooner88]

GameRankings:
83.74% (PS3)
81.30% (360)
All low score reviews are posted under the PS3 version only in metacritic.

[Darkeyes]

Metacritic is f*cked up... How come there is no EDGE review for the 360 version? Is EDGE only a PS3 reviewing mag (Which would be really ironic since they always rape PS3 games with stupid scores)? Not only have the reviewers not taken into consideration the flaws of the 360 version, but even meta hasn't updated so many reviews... I mean PS3 has like nearly 40 reviews and 360 has 20? when was the last multiplat game that showed so many reviews missing on 1 side?

And people say PS3 fbs whine about bias journalism, do you want more proof!!!??

[snaz27]

does anyone know who puts the reviews on meta? is it the reviewer themselves or does meta sort all that out? for instance look at the edge review, they reviewed the 360 version (they said they looked at the ps3 version or something) yet it was posted only on the ps3 side?? so did edge put it on the ps3 side or did meta? anyway its pretty clear from meta that 360 is the superior version, just like ME2 360 version is superior to the PC version! (according to meta) really it is a farce... i think the best thing to do is just ignore all these places in the future, at the end of the day we know the truth right? so lets just say f**k em and carry on... we got so much to look forward to this year, its gonna be a great one! (cant wait for GT5).

[RedDragan]

Xbox only mags and Xbox only sites are easily impressed. They haven't seen many AAA games yet, so when it comes along, which is rare, they score higher.

PS3 mags and PS3 only sites will mark lower because it is what they have come to expect from a AAA game that is released periodically now on the Sony console.

The multiplat mags and multiplat sites, review on a Standard Def TV, meaning that both version look essentially the same. So it is no wonder they give the same score.

[nix]

welcome to biased journalism. even a chameleon will be ashamed of today's gaming journalists!

FFXIII: Metacritic

360: 83 (21 reviews)
PS3: 82 (43 reviews)

Bayonetta: Metacritic

360: 90 (85 reviews)
PS3: 86 (53 reviews)

long live gaming journalism!!!

[Kain81]

and for all the persons that disagree with that...here is my Message
for ya

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Hakimy]

that's why I always said that you people should not care much about metacritic.I only use it to read what others reviewers said about a certain game.people should not take metacritic this serious and final fantasy 13 is an example.in ff13 case,the ps3 has 43 reviews and the xbox360 has 21 reviews.the ps3 has its own ps3 only sites and the xbox360 has its own xbox360 only sites so obviously the scores will be different.people should only read reviews from other sites like ign,gamespot,1up etc... and they will notice that all of them said that if you have the chance then buy the ps3 version.it's your fault if you only use metacritic as a factor to determine which version to buy.besides,I have a feeling that many people who can reach metacritic can reach ign,gamespot,1up,etc... as well ;)

[The Killer]

racism against non american company who is competing with an american company!!!

maybe because MS is also helping the FBI and CIA to their law breaking acts?

and we know that the most powerful media is the western/american specifically!! so they would promote anything which is american against a non american!!

and who ever deny that is a fool!! why u think 360 strong foothold is in USA?

and also this is the only sound reason i can think of why media are like this!!

any way, we can always assume media favors 360 PERIOD!! with that in mind we can see the reviews in a better way for ps3!!

when they say a ps3 game is 9/10 then we can assume they mean 10/10 or 9.5/10 etc!!

to prove my point just check these sites where they are from or who supports them or who owns them!!

[na2ru1]

We know it and 360 fanboys know it. To me that's all that matters.

It's pointless now to moan about this so-called conspiracy that 360 fans quickly like to point it out as. It's a never ending fuss. I have stopped commenting daily now since PS3 has fully engraved its place in the market. Therefore, none of the "conspiracy" jargon can stop it. simplez

Just proves that with a little bit of common sense, who the nervous ones really are.

[Syronicus]

This has been going on since the release of the PS3. Meta and those that are allowed to write articles submitted into meta are all bias to a degree. Some worse than others and it is a known fact that if games like this are multiplatform, the Xbox only sites will be giving the games higher scores for the title than the PS only sites. PS only sites have come to appreciate better games and if a game does not meet the benchmarks of say, Uncharted 2, Killzone 2 or even the upcoming GOWIII, they will score lower. But since the Xbox boys have lesser games to compare to they typically score these kinds of games a couple points higher because their expectations are lower. it's just a simple fact of life.

[Pika-pie]

I was wondering when someone was going to report on this. For some reason I though that gaming sites are not that stupid.

The reason why the 360 meta is a higher average is because they contain reviews from different sites.

[Jinxstar]

Heres how you gotta look at it. When compared to the PS3 line up how does FF13 stack up. Now compare it to the 360 line up... When compared to the 360 line up it's not bad but when compare the the PS3 line up it's pretty poor... So it scores higher on the 360 even though it's the inferior version... Make sense?

[DelbertGrady]

It's actually,

FFXIII: Metacritic

360: 83 (43 reviews)
PS3: 82 (21 reviews)

Look again.

[ikkokucrisis]

This site posts reviews that they like, hide the ones that they don't.

[mastiffchild]

Soda-we all know which version is the better one and the sad fact is that sites like Edge and Teletext have skewed the look of the metacritic by reviewing ONLLY the PS3 version and doing so with very low scores.

You would HAVE to ask the individual sites why they did this(it's not normal practise I assume)on this occasion but it isn't about conspiracies or fanboys but about a sad effect which leaves Metacritic making the weaker version out to be the stronger and misleading gamers-that's the issue and whether it's caused by editors being sly or not there should be something done about it. Certainly, this is the opposite of what happened with Bayonetta and the fact it's telling lies to people who might be checking out which one to get is unforgivable in my eyes as that's what Meta is really useful for when used correctly. It looks really dodgy whether it is or not.

[nix]

EDIT: @SODA!!! SORRY I WAS RIGHT!!!

360: 83 (21 reviews)
PS3: 82 (43 reviews)

YOU GOT IT ALL MIXED UP.

[Rumor Monger]

t's actually,

FFXIII: Metacritic

360: 83 (21 reviews)
PS3: 82 (43 reviews)

Look again.

[Aaroncls7]

With each important release the video game journalism industry decays more and more; biased reviews, sellout companies, famboyism denial and corrupt editors exchanging integrity for a few bucks.

For better or worse, as a billion dollar market this industry is prone to corruption and manipulation just like any other.

Information is a very powerful tool and we as gamers are a very naive community; anyone doubts that when millions of dollars are invested there won't be x amount of bribes going around to secure success?

It is all business, be it honest or not, we are stuck within...

[Kain81]

you are wrong you should look again
here
PS3 : http://www.metacritic.com/g...

360 : http://www.metacritic.com/g...

[snaz27]

even soda the big 360 fanboy knows there is bias in the media lmao... i noticed the review ammounts were a little outdated too but it was rather pathetic to pull him up on it seen as it didnt effect the meta score, if it did effect the score id say fair play...

EDIT: ha ha ha i didnt even notice he had them round the wrong way pmsl, thats hilarious! telling people to "look again" but getting it wrong yourself lol. wow soda concentrate next time your calling someone out lol.

[evrfighter]

even I'm not stupid enough to say the 360 version is better than the ps3 version

however I've seen the 360 version. I don't get what the fuss is about. Final Fantasy fans won't care which platform they play it on. The only people who do care are living in the past still thinking that the ps3 is the

Best TecH EvAR!!11!!1

seriously the differences are minor. 576p and 720p both look like crap to me. lol

[Kazu0 Hirai]

Of course it scores higher on the Xbox 360. All multiplatform games are better on the 360. Not being a fanboy, just stating a fact. Read any review of any multiplatform game. Especially Bayonetta.

[Syronicus]

How does that foot taste bud?

[DaTruth]

Look what they're doing to Toyota! Obviously the "Buy America Act" has more provisions than we originally thought. A concentrated propaganda campaign to hurt all non-American products happens to be one of them!

Nice edit Soda. Should have just deleted it and wrote my bad.

[rockleex]

Because it had THREE times the amount of discs!

More = better

:P

[R2D2]

They took our jobs
They took er jerbs
Derka derka doo..

Quit being a drama queen and enjoy the d@m game already.

[callahan09]

Metacritic has numerous lower-than-the-average scores only posted under the PS3 version, and if you look at the individual scores, only 2 sites scored the two games differently, and both gave the PS3 version the higher score:

3DJuegos: Ps3 = 85, 360 = 84
IGN UK: PS3 = 83, 360 = 80

[paradigmfellow]

He is using statistics to futher an agenda or just cause a fanboy storm. Look at the amount of reviews for both. They are not the same so therefore there is no scientific backing to these claims

[PtRoLLFacE]

this game is joke

[raztad]

The very same fact the inferior version outscore the superior shows the system (metacritic) is fundamentally flawed and shouldnt be trusted.

Meta is not only one to be blamed though. It's clear many reviewers with agenda has been hiding the dirty stuff. What I find a little funny is that if you wacth gametrailer comparison they manage to make both versions to look identical, now 1024x576 is the new 720p.

[thereapersson]

It worked for Halo 3 (the resolution); apparently, it works for FFXIII as well.

/facepalm

But, let's keep moving forward into the HD gener... oh wait, my bad. We're not supposed to enjoy HD content this generation, until MS declares it viable as a Digital Distribution format. Who needs Blu-Ray again?

[pixelsword]

"Oh boy, it looks like Soda got learned!
How does that foot taste bud?"

like foot soda?

lol!

[boodybandit]

the gaming media showed their true colors this past week.
Now no one can deny how skewed they are.

[dabri5]

Its a very simple explanation. The reviews for the 360 version are very slow coming out since people got them way after PS3 version. This is why there is almost double the PS3 reviews in meta instead of the same. Give it a few weeks and let all the reviews come in. It will even out and I can almost promise you the PS3 avg score will be higher.

Looking over some other comments. It seems people are under the impression that there are some biased sites that only reviewed the PS3 version and gave it low scores just to skew data on sites like meta critic? ......REALLY? I mean....come on. Is the president really a socialist spy from another country sent to kill the US economy too? Guys, this is a well known fact and has been stated by major sites like IGN. The review copies for the PS3 version came in long before the review copies for the 360 version. There will be a delay between most sites PS3 review and their 360 review because of this.It is no conspiracy against SONY.

[raztad]

@above

That might be true but what's the point then. FFXIII was released already. People using meta score to make their minds could have been deceived to think FFXIII xbox is the better option.

[sikbeta]

This an ACE Now, every time an xboy-fanboy come in here to talk about "da bettar multiplatz version" I'll show HOW BIAS The "Gaming Media" can BE, from now on better those site start to do the Same Crap they are doing with this Game for x360 and that's creating a BIG WALL of LIES and Pretend that BOTH Versions Are EQUAL [WTF!]

Wanna know what's Worst Thing, some fanboys are Happy with this [Double-WTF!] Some xbox-dude was discusing with me about this crap and at the end he said something like, "haha, media favour [US]" so even if the difference are So Big the guy is glad cuz reviewers are COVERING this crap with Gigantic LIES [Triple-WTF!], Just Unbelievable...

[edgeofblade]

Wow. Just wow.

People will come up with the most outrageous justifications for even the smallest of margins. It doesn't matter either way. Recognize it's not the media that's biased, it's you.

Either way, I'm disappointed with the game. Horribly linear. Run forward, get in fight, mash auto-battle, run forward, get in fight, mash auto-battle, heal. No way I'm wading through this junk for 15 hours before it gets to real gameplay. It's a bit cliche to call it an "interactive movie", but that's what it is so far.

The graphics or how many disks it's on couldn't be more irrelevant when gameplay so thoroughly takes a backseat to story telling. I'm trading this in, post-haste.

[StanLee]

This is ridiculous and I expected better from CVG. I'm not even going to bother to explain why it's stupid. I can already see the fanboys have their dunce caps on.

[Timesplitter14]

There really is no justice. This is infuriating.

INFURIATING

[-Alpha]

For all the reviews to come in for both consoles but that truly is screwed up. I look particularly at Gamespot that awarded both games an 8.5, and I don't even think they pointed out the differences.

[pixelsword]

They may have gotten the 360 version late or not, I don't really know; but why would they hold-up the PS3 version one whole year just to not deliver the 360 version at the same time?

I'm curious if anyone can answer that.

[stridershoge]

Its obvious why its getting a higher rating, Xbox sites and magazines are rating it higher than the Playstation magazines and sites.

[vhero]

This is because the 360 fan sites are either giving it a golden score or none at all. Its all about who reviews the game. the big multi reviewers are avoiding the 360 version to not get caught up in the whole thing and thats massively swaying the scores.

[eagle21]

And people still think metacritic can't be FIXED. :)

360 is the coward of the gaming industry. :)

[KingME]

You are so right, I also read about that. Also there has always been a conspiracy between the martians and the napkins making union to ensure the xbox 360 products get rated higher than PS3 products regardless to which one is better. Doing this keeps the stars aligned and aids in keeping Mars red hot due to stardust falling to it's surface because of the aforesaid aligned stars.

The fact the most of that PS3 fanboys just whiny sore losers that are in complete denial has nothing to do with it. The is definitely and conspiracy with Microsoft, the Martians, and the Napkins making union trying to rule the world as a dominate TRAID!

Yeah, that's it.

It' only a matter of time before this story gets pulled because of the whining and reporting.

Edit: One more thing, having more reviews actually prevent lower scores from hurting as much. Having fewer reviews make lower scores have a bigger impact. It's simple math.

[Greywulf]

You guys always loved to pretend its a tin-foil hat conspiracy. But uhm, you look kinda silly at this point when the PS3 version of this game is meta'd lower, has Lower scores that aren't making it over to the 360 version, and as always.. is a point or two higher than the Ps3 version.

Please, I'd love to see you respond in a mature way, instead of pretending its the ps3 fans & their conspiracy theory again. This is a fact right now. The media didn't review the 360 version separately(metacritic sites), no points were deducted for visual flaws(as ps3 versions are always deducted).

I'd love to see you man up on this one.

Its clear right now that the PS3 version shouldn't be scoring lower. But, it is. If the PS3Tards always claim this is what happens, and like clockwork.. it happens, how is this just bitzhin`?

[CimmerianDrake]

then why are you here? obviously console gaming is beneath you in every way, so why own any (you claim you do) and why post here?

[GameGambits]

I've been pointing this out since the game released. Even though every review mentions the PS3 version is better...NO ONE dares give the 360 one a lower score. No site is doing it.

Yet you look at Bayonetta and every single placed that reviewed it gave 2 different reviews of the game with different scores on the 2 platforms.

There is a BIG difference between FF13 on PS3 and 360. One isn't running HD for god sakes. That ALONE should be a .5 to a 1.0 mark off from the PS3 version that DOES have HD.

This was the defining game for me personally that really made me 100% no longer trust ANY site about reviews. From now on I'll just stick to the previews and the trusted word of people on Neogaf, because this was the final nail in the coffin of game journalism. The first nail was a guy named Hiphopgamer for anyone taking notes.

R.I.P Game Journalism 3/9/2010

[NeoBasch]

I'll agree. I hate MetaCritic as much as the next person, but if you think they are burying reviews just contact them explaining they missed one. Then they'll have to add it. Of course, you need to make sure it comes from a source they accept: you can find a listing under the link 'What is a Metascore?' on the left-hand side of the gaming section. I can tell you for a fact that the editor will listen. A recent example would be Eurogamer Portugal's review of God of War III. They must have forgot to include their perfect score, so I reminded them, and voila.

Though I dislike Metacritic's system, I try to help them out once in a while so that they are a tiny bit more reliable. Now, as for those wondering why the scores are dramatically different when we all know the PS3 version is superior, it probably has something due to the effect of their weighting system. This is precisely why I hate Metacritic. What they'll do is evaluate a source based on three criteria: how long they've been around, how often they review games, and the quality of their journalism. Unfortunately, they do not apply this to an individual writer, but, instead, apply it to the whole publication as if all the writers satisfy those exact same criteria, which is obviously not true. For example, in the case of FFXIII. They put a hefty weight on EDGE (a gaming magazine which I detest, but let's not get into that), meaning that 5/10, could have three times the weight let's say a relatively new and inexperienced site such as PlayStation Universe has.

In my opinion, this practice is unprofessional. Not only do you show selective treatment, but you have no idea whether or not the individual staff satisfies those requirements. EDGE hires a lot of freelancers. Some of these freelancers have had lots of experience, while others have had barely any. This can go for their main staff as well. Sometimes they'll hire a complete "newb." Other sites like IGN I'm sure have buckets of weight too, just because of how long they've been around.

GameRankings plays it a bit more safe. They don't weigh in particular source (at least, to my knowledge). They just calculate the average. However, they fail to include most sources. Sometimes they'll even list them but fail to include them by placing double asterisks next to the site's name, meaning they acknowledge the source but won't add them to the average. Both are a bit shady.

GameStats evaluates much in the same vein as GameRankings. However, they go one up by calculating the final average by adding the press score average and the users' average and then dividing by two. This gives you a bit more of an idea as to the universal consensus. Unfortunately, they don't list every site either.

In my opinion the best sources for aggregates are N4G, GameFly, and GameFAQs. N4G because they weight nothing and include everything, GameFly because it incorporates thousands of user scores with realistic expectations, and GameFAQs because of their user reviews and user aggregates. I'll look at the aggregates, read a couple of the articles/reviews for a particular title, and compare it to other games in the genre that I like. This often gives me a better idea of whether or not to buy a game than Metacritic or GameRankings.

Sorry for the long post, but I thought some of you would like to know what exactly is going on. Also, give the sites I mentioned above a quick look see. I think you'll appreciate what they have to offer.

[blue7xx7]

Well if you notice it's because there are more websites/magazines that reviewed the PS3 version than the xbox 360 specifically PlayStation websites like psm3magazineuk gave it a 70 and a few other PlayStation magazines/websites as well.

[pegger24]

will it ever end? I cannot wait until a month from now when NO ONE cares about Final fantasy XIII reviews

[DatNJDom81]

Ive gotten disagrees, lost bubbles, got my comment deleted, but I guess thats wat happens now adays when u speak the truth. Ill say it one more time. THE MEDIA WANTS PS3 TO FAIL!!! THEY ARE BIASED AGAINST PS3! Dont pay attention to any of them. If this story doesn't open your eyes about whats going on, then I dont know wat will. Its they typical media crap. They want the American company to beat the big bad Japanese company. Thats all.

[arny]

what does everyone have against DVD, pc uses it and playes games at 2560p, although the future of console gaming is Bluray still there is nothing bad about dvd other than disk swapping

[2cents]

thats some crazy sh1t right there.

The world is going mad I tell you... MAD!

[soxfan2005]

Keep those "media bias" conspiracy theories coming - it only makes you look more and more foolish.

Conspiracy theories are for weak-minded people who don't want to believe the obvious truth, so they need to make up UNPROVABLE theories to make themselves feel better.

[Nevers]

... oh ... you mean kinda the same bias the Japanese have against our "round-eye games".

Just saying the boat floats both ways on that double edged sword, mgm.

[menoyou]

weve known the media is biased against ps3 for a long time now, some people like to pretend its not true even though proof is always coming up.

[Gamerbee]

The 360 version has only bin reviewed by 22 critics. & PS3 like 46. I smell bias journalism on Metacritic.

[Shepherd 214]

Your an idiot, thats about all i can say. You dont even know what AAA really means, and your ignorance is as bad as your spelling. You should not be qualified to interact with small children, and you should not be given free reign of the First Amendment.

[FangBlade]

biased journalism at its finest.

[Hideo_Kojima]

I always argued that metacritic was as unbiased as it gets but obviously when they say they use a weight average of all the reviews they meant weight to the favor of 360.

Pathetic and they clearly got caught out here.

[RamiHixxy]

hmm we all know whats going on their..

3 DISKS FTWW!!!

[moeqawama]

This is proof of the hypocrisy that exists among most of the gaming sites and magazines. It's amazing how bad they reviewed the PS3 Bayonetta compared to the xbox version (granted, the PS3 version was the inferior one), yet the xbox final fantasy is scoring higher when it is known, proved, and accepted that it is the inferior version of the two. How shameful

[RadientFlux]

Not really proof of hypocrisy but more on the stupidity of using Metacritic for an overall score.

[Agent Smith]

.

[justlikeme]

It's all a conspiracy - just like Michael Jackson said.

[Meryl]

this is precisely why we can't trust the media or reviewer's recently, if an exclusive was better on x360, they would make sure the ps3 version scored lower, now that we have a superior version of the game they mark it lower anyway, in what way is that fair??

[sa_nick]

I think everyone is totally misinterpretting what this means. If the xbox version is legitimately scoring higher it isn't because its superior to the PS3 version, its just because the Xbox reviews like it more than the PS3 ones (and so they should considering all the mediocre exclusives xbox has)

[Bathyj]

You're correct, there are lots of XBox only sites reviewing the game and probably helping to up the average.

The thing that sucks but is the sites that are reviewing both versions and giving it the same score, when clearly the games are not equal.

[mastiffchild]

Or, more pertinently some sites like Edge and TT have given it 5/10 on PS3 and not reviewed the poorer 360 version AT ALL! It's wrong because it's telling gamers with no time to read around that a weaker product is the stronger. What you said has an effect but the sites doing what I pointed out are REALLY out of line and should be called out on it. WWhy is this so different from Bayonetta? I managed to play that on PS3 with very few issues(some slowdown and a few longer loads and that was it-now patched anyway IIRC)yet it was marked down as inferior by a lot of sites who haven't done the same with FF13 in the other direction. It looks a bit bad and, also, why on earth would 360 only sites feel their inferior version actually SHOULD be scoring higher than the PS3 one in PS3 mags/sites? Makes me wonder about a directive of some kind being handed to them and that would be an awful thing is true-I have no explanation of it, though, and put next to DF's moaning about a shoddy port makes even less sense.

[RadientFlux]

mediocre exclusives xbox... sorry couldn't hear you over the excellence that is Mass Effect 2

[TheGrimReaper]

ah u mean ME2...
1080p and above 60fps average? No?
Sorry, thought u meant the PC version of the game running on my system.
PC is a platform too.

[RadientFlux]

@TheGrimReaper : Whoopi-do you can play the game on PC, good for you. Personally I don't care what console/PC you play it on, it doesn't effect my enjoyment of the game.

[TheGrimReaper]

I wouldn't have posted it but you tried to tell us Mass Effect is exclusive to xbox...
But I'll admit that my comment was a bit too harsh. I did not want to offend you.
Happy gaming! :)

Edit: I don't know why you are getting disagrees but I agreed to your last comment. Platforms doesn't matter, it is all about the games.

[FuckinUsername]

I don't really care tbh.. Never been a fan of final fantasy. Nice for it to be on one disk and all that jazz.. but i'm still unphased by this.

Bring on god of war anyway

[redsquad]

Says it all really, doesn't it?
I think I'll be turning the internet "off" when it comes to gaming news from now on and just buying a platform-specific mag. All I need to know is what's coming out & when, as I sure as hell know I won't get anything even remotely resembling unbiased reviews online now. Anyone who thinks it isn't happening has their head right up there in the highest of clouds - The evidence is there in front of us, laid bare to see if you choose to be receptive to it.

God, I'm sick of cutting through the lies (and the fools falling for it) that I feel like I'm climbing up a mountain of treacle.

[thereapersson]

Treacle

[redsquad]

I would have said 'syrup', but I like that too much to use it in a negative way.

[CrippleH]

43 vs 21 reviews. Of course it's going to be that way. The more review you have the higher the chance of points dropping. Now Uncharted 2 and Mass Effect 2 that's quality games right there. Uncharted 2 have 105 reviews and Mass Effect 2 have about 96 and both have a meta of 96 that's hard to do with that amount of reviews.

[thereapersson]

It's how come the reviews for the 360 version aren't posted, whereas PS3 counterpart reviews are. And as Darkeyes stated a few comments up, why is EDGE's 360 review mysteriously absent? They sure were quick to post both versions when Bayonetta was released...

[redsquad]

Well that's the point. FFXIII is multiplatform, so the ammount of reviews should be the same - If not, then the game is not being reviewed seperately, which is ALSO the point.

[snaz27]

however, could you explain this to me... on meta ME2 has 96 for 360, out of 96 reviews only 1 rated it below 90... yet the superior PC version has a meta of 94, from 52 reviews and it has 8 reviews under 90... what is going on there? the only explanations i can think of is either reviewers inflate the 360 scores out of bias or they just have lower standards... can you think of any other possible reasons? PS3 games always gets put through the mill and nitpicked! so for me the fact that U2 got a meta of 96 is truely astonishing, whereas ME2 getting 96 is expected because like i said either reviewers inflate their scores for 360 or they have lower standards. now im not saying ME2 is a bad game by any means, but up there with U2? Hmmmmmm.

[Antan]

Dreadful article! One version has many more reviews. Game journalism has really gotten worse down the years. C+VG have been atrocious for a number of years now. They are very slow with articles, and even then they link to other sites! V.poor...."4/10 See Me".

[c64days]

Or reducing the xbox 360 version a points from the same reason? I THINK NOT.

But it did not stop them to reduce points to the ps3 on it's hardware flows, like slow loading speeds, on other games!!!

Don't you think the fact that a game come in a single disk it's and advantage deserve a higher score? Not mentioning the fact it runs on 1080P, twice the resolution of the xbox version with a better FPS, and an uncompressed CGI.

It's just another example of the biased journalism at it's best.

Let me refer you to the HipHopGamerShow video regarding this issue.

[RedDragan]

So does this mean Xbox magazines and Xbox websites are easier to impress, you know, because they don't get many AAA games.

This sort of thing is run of the mill on the Playstation brand, so it is not as likely to make them say "Wow, this is best game so far."

The 360 journo's would break their keyboards in excitment if they ever got to review Heavy Rain, Gran Turismo 5, The Last Guardian, Motorstorm, Ratchet and Clank, Resistance and God Of War 3!

I bet they will rate Halo: Reach 95% in the graphics department when the review that game, if only they knew what was on the other side of the fence because the grass in Playstation land really is much greener!

[Snake Raiser]

It's up over the PS3 version by 1 point out of 100. Who approved this? If I can't report this story for being lame I don't know what you can report for being lame.

[Noble Spartan]

Oh well first Sony lose a major exclusive, Now Xbox 360 got a superior and higher rated version......

Square Enix seems like are giving more RPGS to Xbox 360 also.

[CernaML]

"Now Xbox 360 got a superior"

Hahahahaha

[Comet]

Makes you want to speculate about the liability for other 360 games

[Corrwin]

Despite the fact it's inferior on 360, there will be more kneejerk "OMGS FF ON 360!".

If anybody thinks review scores are accurate and not at all subjective are kidding themselves.

I'm just sad that whilst the industry is quick to point out inferior PS3 ports (Ghostbusters, Beyonetta), it takes a "oh well it's still pretty good!" attitude for 360 ports.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

MS must have paid em (rolls eyes)

[zootang]

I'm sure a few people would like to hear your explanation for this?

[snaz27]

yes i would love to hear it! please jason 360 enlitighten us? i thought you said to me before the more reviews the better the score? you know that was your reason for why ME2 360 has a better average than the PC version! remember? so how come this is not true here? lmao... ill be waiting........

[mastiffchild]

No Jason, I'm as sure as you that that didn't happen-why would it need to anyhow?

What you cannot deny , however, is the glaring difference between the way the English language media has treated FF13 and how it dealt with Bayonetta only a month or so back. don't you even think it deserves thinking about when the net result is a Meta score that misleads gamers or is that OK by you as long as it's in favour of a weaker 360 version?

You have top ask the sites who, firstly, docked Bayo PS3 and didn't for FF13 on 360 and then ask Edge and Co why they felt it faire to hand out a 5/10 to the PS3 version while not even posting a 360 review at all! If you don't thionk magazines and sites changing their review set up for one game and going against all they did previously is a little sus then I fear you're being very naive.

I don't believe there's cheques being handed out over this but there's something a little odd and beyond the usual(and understandable)need for sites with a predominantly 360 readership to pander a little to them. When they're not acting in the way they did last time and the time before that questions need to be asked and even more so when gamers are, basically, being shown a false view of what went on with the port of FF13 to 360. It's also a little odd that 360 only sites would mark their inferior version higher than PS3 only sites have marked their superior version isn't it? Why would that happen? No, no money changing hands but definitely some very strange goings on that I cannot explain with the normal, natural leaning towards the console of choice of your biggest readership faction/console manufacturer from your hemisphere/country.

Had the game been treated like Ghostbusters or Bayonetta or TOB then no one would be batting an eye over this but because so many sites seem to be behaving in strange ways questions need to be asked.

[snaz27]

anyway dude its actually worse than you say, the edge did review the 360 version! infact its the only version they reviewed! they said on a side note that they had looked at the ps3 version or something similar... its just they posted the 360 review in the PS3 section and NOT the 360 section... when its the 360 they reviewed! now get your head around that one!!! lmao... im glad your not like all the other people though saying there is no bias, or at the very least something very fishy going on, ive tried to get people to admit the later and they just wont lol, saying im just looking for a conspiracy etc etc or im a sony loyalist lmao... i mean come on how blind you gotta be? (not you i mean them)

[DaTruth]

MS did pay for ads on their sites and in their magazines. Probably a lot more ads than Sony!

[lonix]

Don't we?

[kerrak]

No doubt 360 version offers you more:

-more disks
-more loading times
-more jaggies
-more audio compression
-more cgi-video compression
-more marketing

It's the better version no matter how you spin it!

[snaz27]

you forgot to add more light too, thats why the 360 has a lack of shadows! they added more light to the 360 game lmao... now you mention all the other extras ill defo be getting the 360 version! lol

[Valkyre]

Hahaha +bubbles man EPIC POST :D

[sweettooth]

FFXIII=FLOP

[BubbleSystemSuck]

About 3millions on Anmerica and Europe shipped in one day is FLop?

Ok

[stonecold1]

makes sure they get there check books out in time to make sure 360 dosent get any negative feed back and how worse the 360 version is if the ps3 version was in 360 suition the media would be over sony and the media is biasis towards the ps3 then the media look like a bunch of xbots

[LordStig]

C@#K did u suck this time MS?

[ikral]

M$ has convinced me. Now i´m officially not buying an Xbox.

[RohanLee]

I'm currently loving the game, got past the dam non leveling part.

and i am enjoying the game loads!

cant we just forget about scores and enjoy games again?

[Grown Folks Talk]

apparently not.

[George Sears]

So many people butthurt over some lame ass numbers. Just get the game for whichever console and stop crying. There is no such thing as gaming journalism. I can't believe it has taken this long for people to realize it.

Take this article for instance. All its intentions is to piss the fanboys from there beloved plastic toys.

[JD_Shadow]

What about the people who will use these skewed numbers to determine which version to get, only to find out that they were mislead when they get home with the game? What do we say to THEM? What about those who don't really know how the gaming media has treated the PS3 this gen because of whatever it is (take your pick. It's a different imaginary reason brought up every day).

And these are EXPENSIVE "plastic toys". We want to make sure we get our money's worth, and we want to make sure that these companies know that we WILL buy the other "plastic toy" if they piss us off enough.

EDIT@KeiserSosay4788 below: You're not seriously asking that, are you? Have you NOT read any of the arguments that DO bring up Bayonetta? If you did, you would've already had your answer NUMEROUS times.

[Jdoki]

I know there are a significant number of fans that are compaining purely because one version or game is rated lower than another.

But there is a bigger question here about the credibility and consistency of gaming journalism. To a certain degree we have to accept that media outlets will be bought off or biased. That's just the harsh reality.

But as a gamer I am actually interested in the industry / market, and seeing it grow and mature in a relevent and well respected entertainment industry. - Significantly biased media does not help the industry in the long term.

There's also the question of honesty on the side of metacritic, publishers and developers. EDGE ran an article a little while ago stating that some publishers pay bonuses to developers based on metacritic ratings. But if those ratings are so easily influenced then potentially people could be losing hard earned pay.

[George Sears]

Darkpower you are one of the people that know which one is better. Why does it bother you if someone would want or choose a different version anyways. My cousin has a 360 and bought it for FFXIII because the console was cheaper at the time. He probably already bought it already. If I would had told him that the PS3 version was better would it had mad a difference on his purchase?

Of course not, he had the thing for two years now. He doesn't really care about this plastic toy wars as well. If you are a fan of the series and have both consoles then I'm pretty sure you will get it on the PS3 because you are in the know how of things. If casuals get it for the 360 then who cares. They are casuals, posers to the gaming world.

[KeiserSosay4788]

Why do people constantly bring bayonetta into this? The differences were far more apparent with that game than ff13. I had bayonetta on ps3 and my brother got it for his xbox and it was a huge difference in loading times and even half the fps at some points whereas with ff13 only has a real difference in resolution. I'm sorry but bayonetta was a joke and a complete letdown. Let's see how many 360 owners really care about a difference in res and stop comparing a difference in res to a multi game with half the fps please...

[Mr_Luke]

Since the PS3 version is superior, why some number would change this fact? I'd say that PS3 owners are getting mad for nothing... i mean, only someone stupid and fanboy with both the consoles would buy the 360 version ONLY because scored more on Metacritic (not talking about controllers or ppl who has only the 360, i'm talking about who buys the 360 version only because of that score).
Once again... sadness...

[bjornbear]

journalism is totally unbiased right?

quite simple...if you disagree with me, you don't see what's going on =P

then again, people keep forgetting PS3 got the import reviews...360 didn't =P and those import reviews really hurt the version

they shouldn't include those in meta critic =(

[nephalti]

screw metacritic. buy the game and enjoy it.

[peeps]

lol at metacritic only including edges 5/10 review for the ps3 version and not 360... and they wonder why the ps3 version has a lower metacritic

[snaz27]

take a look at how many below 80 scores the ps3 version has, then see if they are on the 360 side! lol nope... i reckon meta just dont want the 360 side to drop below 80 meta, which with these below 80 scores it no doubt would... pathetic really aint it.

[Nicholas Cage]

the media is biased as hell...i mean literally! look at the differances! ( . ) ( . ) final fantasy for ps3 runs at 1080p 720p. the 360 version runs at 576p! what in the living hell is going on with the critics?! also the ps3 version comes with final fantasy x1v beta...(pretty sure) and in 1 disk...its insane, the only logical explanation i can come up with is 1. their biased 2.unusual set of circumstances involving the reviewers who probably love rpg's too damn much (360 version) and decided to forget about the obvious defects because 360 has never had a great rpg. other than that, i want every last person on god's green earth to understand the facts, not the biased reviews.

[Jihaad_cpt]

American "journos" at their best. American's aren't renounned for honesty, they are best known for selling of the "American way" BS

[spinbot_lv1]

all this praise and favor of the gaming media for microsoft is really irritating all the gamers.it's incredible how they are so blind to don't understand that gamers are not stupid sheep and they have already lost credibility.they are just falling into the abyss.

[PLAYSTATIONGENRATION]

Still don't belie that the media is bias towards the ps3..

/Sarcasm

They hate the ps3

[IHateYouFanboys]

maybe theyre reviewing it as a GAME, not a MOVIE and are basing the reviews on GAMEPLAY more than purely graphics? cause apart from the graphics, the versions are identical.

[jazzking2001]

is it really news worthy to write a news bout a difference in 1 point and the games have different amounts of reviews to them so you cant really compare the too anyway

[BubbleSystemSuck]

Lol, what a stupid "NEWS"...

How many PS3 an how many 360 reviews are?

Metacritic is an average LOL!!!!

360 can make 10 in one metacritic review and get 100%

[PS360_37]

who the f*ck cares...you guys need to chill out about this. Its metacritic for god sakes. They aren't even mainly video games.

If you want some counter proof:

If you look on the GOW3 rating, you notice that the 1UP score is 100. If you actually look at their review, you will see that they gave GOW3 an A instead of their highest A+. So there is no way that 100 is an A if A+ is the highest rating. IF they were so biased, would you expect to see something like that? The answer is No

Stop being big cry babies.

[galmi]

you guys are all so funny, like microsoft n sony care 'bout this...as long as you buying, they are happy

[slypstream]

...have been for about three years now and i have to say i agree with a lot of what people are saying here. It no longer matters about equal representation of every platform. What matters is the amount of money sites can make from devs and publishers for posting this game or that game with a varying scores. It's all about money now. Which really sucks cause this industry used to be amazing and you used to be able to trust people when they said something about a game.

For the current topic if you remove the graphic equation then yes the version are identical. However, you have to look at the whole package and frankly anyone to say that the 360 version is either identical or superior to the PS3 version graphically on an HD television needs to have their eyes checked. Having said that if these sites are reviewing it on SDTV then yes I can see them saying there's no difference between the two. Because on a regular television they are the same.

It pains me to see biased journalism when it is our job to deliver the most accurate relevant information to the consumers.

[bunfighterii]

I don't think a review, which is essentially a critique in the same way a movie review is a critique, has the same standards, as say, investigative journalism.

But your right. In the case of the big name websites/companies that 'review' games its opinions for hire. The word of IGN, Gamespot, GT and other big sites means less and less to me now after buying a series of games that were reviewed highly by these sites but turned out to be lacklustre at best- or blatant lies about them.

[slypstream]

It is sad that it has become more "opinions for hire" than a true representation of critiquing the form of entertainment. It's one thing i always try to do when i am reviewing balancing and weighing in what has come before in either the series or the genre and analyzing from there. Cause point blank as i said it is my job to give you all of the information you need to make an educated guess about the game and whether you want to buy it or not. If you wanted to hear the dribble marketing speeches publishers want these big sites to spew out.

[bunfighterii]

I was always a bit sceptical of these 'bias' claims but I mean come on.... this is really starting to show a pattern.

One thing though, If the gaming media is 'biased' agains the PS3, why the hell is it? I mean, I can't fathom the idea that so many people in an industry target a single product and go after it like that. It's just so... weird.

If only the same amount of effort went into something constructive...

[slypstream]

the "bias" isn't really towards the system only when it comes to profile software on multiplatform. You can generally look at several of the high profile games and they swing anywhere from harsh to just outright belligerent. It's not always been so clear cut but lately it has been obvious.

This isn't the first example of bias (it's been going on since the Sega Genesis/Super Nintendo days) and it won't be the last example of it either.

[gumgum99]

By One Percent?!!

http://www.motifake.com/ima...

[theoboley]

Is anyone really surprised at this? I'm sure that none of these reviewers have done a side by side comparison of the game together and done a review solely on that.

The ps3 has been getting raped by reviewers bias since it's launch. Why should this be any different, I mean really...

[no_more_trolling]

what a bunch of crybabies

[Lirky]

Square-enix will see this as their oppritunity to make an announcement to make ffxiii versus multiplatform. Sadly this will happen.

[rmedtx888]

lol, we know what's going on...

[gamingisnotacrime]

the only reason to skip the ps3 version is not having a ps3 to begin with

[CobraKai]

If it wasn't for the sub HD graphics and compressed video, the swapping of discs,.... you know what, there really is no chance of me getting it on 360

[deividpaulo]

just another xboxfanboy article...nobody care about it, and everybody knows the true...

BTW..here in Brazil you can find the "pirate version" of the FFXIII for Xbox360...the people was playing one week before the official launch!...

I think the S-E dont care about the money!!

[divideby0]

just proves to you the internet is full of fools and liers when it comes to rating games..
I own all the consoles and I also buy the better version of the game for multiplat. titles.
I would be a complete idiot for buying the 360 version, it pales compared to the PS3 version in cutscences and audio....

AND anyone who was on PSN and LIVE....my PSN bud list had ~ 8 playing FF and I had 2 on my Live list...if you checked yours I bet it was the same

[no_more_trolling]

idiot

[divideby0]

^ what did you PSN and Live list tell you last night ?
or do you not have both services and just got to go with one of them

[labwarrior]

I wonder if i made the right choice ? Anyone got both versions ?

[slypstream]

I have played both and like I said in a post before hand if you are playing on an HDTV then yes you made the right choice due to the higher resolution. If you are playing on a SDTV then it really doesn't make that big of a difference. Ultimately it's the right choice because you bought it for the system you wanted to play it on.

[Harry190]

as many registered reviews for the PS3 version...seems logical. Have to say Tim Ingham (author) was trying to boost traffic a little bit here.

[Delive]

So the media and many gamers resented them. Since then, they have answered most of the criticism. Lower price? done. Solid, reliable online play? done. AAA games? Try game of the year. Advertising? Kevin Butler. I think its time to reevaluate Sony and release the grudge. Stop making bad ports and giving biased reviews.

[themyk]

well i mean it makes sense.

xbox has three discs
ps3 only has one.

advantage xbox obviously.

[DigitalAnalog]

M$ didn't need to pay-off these guys. If you look around for people like Bungie right here, you'll notice the Xbox360 is their "pride-and-joy"; "the underdog"; "the one that will beat against the odds". There's already a full-backing of fanboyism in the media and this meta ranking shows.

Surprising in 2010 where supposedly THE BEST of the PS3 exclusives and moments to shine are getting hammered and butchered by the media. GOWIII, though epic as it was does not have a score justified by it's content. Final Fantasy XIII (a well-known superior PORT from the PS3) is now being even and worst, believed to be downgraded thanks to the metaratings across the board. And if you're looking by the logic of the fanboys here, the SCORE do matter regardless of content.

I won't be surprised if 360 takes home most of the awards this year.

-End statement

[Whitefox789]

I think I'll trust the user review scores on this one.

[Captain Tuttle]

Man, does this thread deliver!

[The Wood]

i mean so many people in here crying about crybabies and not one of them with an explanation...deflect muc'hery

[kraze07]

The gaming media is just like that Glen Beck guy. They're always putting their own two cents on the unreliable news they present to the world.

[Gun_Senshi]

now i go back to playing the inferior version of ME2 on PC.

Really? ME2 on PC is vastly superior to X360 version and yet Metacritic rate ME2 on X360 higher!

[moneygun2]

The PS3 has 40+ reviews attached to it, while the 360 has only 21. Why is that? How can that be? To this who knows! But its pretty easy to decipher why the 360 has a 1 (lol) point better average. I think that can speak volumes about articles like this and the people who write them.

[Treyb3yond]

That these reviewers are indeed as biased as hell, even towards a slightly better version.

Pathetic, I never take notice of the games media, they're a joke.

[slypstream]

Not all of us are a joke, most of us truly feel that there needs to be a change or rather to equally represent the media that we all know and love. I remember a time when integrity and truth actually meant something. I have been in the business for about 4 years now and I pride myself on delivering the most accurate information to the consumer.

[The Simple Truth]

That why they settle for a gimped machine and game.

[midgetsanx]

Don't you guys realize a few of the media outlets only review the PS3 Version and vice versa? Its not a conspiracy. It is expected because of the mixed reviews FFXIII is getting. Some really like it and others don't.

+ Why the hell is CVG reporting this? "Lets report every damn thing we see on Meta Critic!"

[asyouburn]

that magic number. . . 576p. i'm actually suprised that people who bought this on 360 are cool with that. i remember back when Ghost busters came out, on ps3 wasnt it 576p? and everyone killed it in the comments. now its "ok".

[Midgard228]

i never trusted meta, mostly only gamerankings.

and people say they arent fanboys lol.

[Noc]

Y'all need to take grade 2 mathematics again.

As COUNTLESS people in this thread have already pointed out, it's MATH.

Unless the numerator (top number) is greater than the denominator (bottom number) consistently, than an average will consistently DECREASE.

Out of 21 reviews (360) vs. 40 some odd (PS3), if the reviews are not accounted for, than OF COURSE the score will be averaged down lower.

I have a PS3 and I don't necessarily consider this some conspiracy theory garbage. Yes I find the media is unnecessarily critical about PS3 exclusives vs. 360 exclusives, but that's primarily because the media are uninformed and feed the masses. All they know is that Sony was thumping its chest too hard in 2004 and got thoroughly whacked by MS in 2006/2007 UP TO 2008 or so.

That's all they're working with right now. It's not media bias. It's f'ing IGNORANCE. There's a difference.

As the title suggests, blame METACRITIC for doing a piss poor job of accumulating relevant reviews. Some sites will only do ONE review, and place it in BOTH "sections" of their website. Some places like EDGE might not have a 360/PS3 specific "section" (I don't know I don't bother visiting sites I don't read often). Don't send hatemail to ignorant news editors, or post about BS conspiracy theories. If you want to "fix" this, send hate mail to metacritic or go here http://www.metacritic.com/a... and let them know.

Sh*t...media conspiracy theories FTMFL...

[Biggest]

I'm with you, dude! Blame the website that adds numbers. Not the people that give the numbers. It's like my punk ass teachers. They messed up my grades with all their adding and dividing. So what that I got the answers wrong. My grades were bad because the teacher put the numbers together.

[moneygun2]

FTMFL what does this mean? An angry exspression,
FU*KING THROW MY FU*KING LIGHTSABER?

[Colonel-Killzone]

This article just prove that the gaming future in terms of review looks very cloudy because this is just dumb on so many levels 360 version higher then ps3 wow ok now pigs can fly ok im going outside to ride a flying pig call me when reality comes knocking on the door for gaming.

[stuntman_mike]

its because there are about 3 reviews of FF on 360 with top mark, whilst there are about 20 reviews of the PS3 version with varying degrees of scores.

fact is everyone knows the PS3 one is better.

[ImmortalLegend]

I don't understand how people let reviews determine if the game is good or not. There's been plenty of games that I've loved and didn't get the best reviews (Shadowrun). Also, there's been games that have gotten great reviews and I didn't like them so much (GTA IV). While these reviews may give you a little insight, at the end of the day you are going to have to find out the facts yourself.

[DigitalAnalog]

You're just risking it. Heck, I might've almost bought Rogue Warrior if I had not seen the extremely poor reviews. We need them as references not some blind favourtism here. Going by this logic, JRPG's would sooner die in the west due to near mediocre or sub-good reviews. I've YET to see one with a AAA status.

-End statement

[Omega Zues]

and after seeing all this people still trust reviews...

LOL

Theres a reason why every day review sites grow more desperate. Its because fans continuously leave after the piles of bull@#$! they try to give us. Remember when EGM went down. You would expect tears and cries...nope people were GLAD it went down and couldnt be happier.

Trust me, theres quite a few review sites people wouldnt mind going down. Actually, almost all of them. Well mostly the ones with fun bucks pouring out of their pockets.

[dkgshiz]

So that explains it.

[Hell-Reaver]

for every other multiplat game there is always 2 different scores from the same reviews, if there is in fact noticeable differences, usually the ps3 being lower.

Yet with this game, even though the world knows the 360 version is inferior, every site scores them identical. Now why is that? I think it's bullshit, ppl just don't want to accept the fact that PS3 is hitting it's stride and the xbox fellas are beginning to realize they are in for one hell of a fight.

the worldwide sales say it, ps3 is catching up fast, only 6mil difference now. I remember when it was 12 not that long ago.

[kyzer1978]

Use your heads people. A higher average doesn't mean there are reviewers rating the 360 version higher than the PS3 version. GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEADS PEOPLE. Is it so hard to just understand that???

[Biggest]

Sarcasm, right? LOL

[SuperStrokey1123]

No, hes saying that the reviews of the 360 version are done by people who didnt review the ps3 version as well.

[etebitan]

I kinda understand what ur saying... but what people complains about is how come if a multiplat is better on 360 than on ps3 reviewers also deduct points from the ps3 version AND POINT IT OUT(ps3 version has screan tearing, awfull AA, etc) but when things are diferent, like this case in which the ps3 version is better, the sites just dont mention it and dont deduct points from the game, look at gamespot, or ign... thats just awful man... Whats happening to the media??

[RagTagBnd445]

I know this is a little off topic, but has Bungie been banned? I find it supernatural that he has not commented on an article like this.

[RagTagBnd445]

You can't really compare scores across platforms, because each platforms got their exclusive magazines, which seems to want their games getting the best rating possible without being too biased. And as I've seen more 360 magazines than PS3 that explains it all.

[knightdarkbox]

lol @ ps3fanboys whining here..

i love this ;)

[insomnium]

there really is nothing else you could say even if you wanted to. There always has to be a way to come out on top right?

In the event that every single reasonable reason is blown out the window let's take the high road and pretend gaming isn't that important at all and laugh at all the others taking it seriously enough to feel offended by the wrongs of MS or who ever (usually it's MS).

You can always pretend that people arguing about gaming are kids since gaming is only for children right? You don't have to lower yourself to the same level you sinply just laugh at them for being the kids/fanboys they are. Way to go sir!

I wish someone would have the energy to follow these clowns to every thread they enter and remind them about these things every time they wish to talk serious (when it suits them).

[SacredWizard]

TeamXBox just gave it a 5/10. lol

[dooge]

All that 360 disk swapping brought back feelings of nostalgia.

1996 says hello.

[SuperStrokey1123]

Well bias is possible but did we ever actually consider if the companies were only sent one copy of the game? Like if the reviewers got the ps3 version and not the 360 version they shouldnt be attributing the results towards the 360. Given it should be lower but without actually seeing it they shouldnt.

We should wait for more reviews. I find it odd that reviewers do not have to specify which version they are reviewing to get on metacritic.

[badbond1]

The American console (white) is inferior to the Japanese (black) console. No way around it. The simple truth. Now, let's see if you can make a come back after AAA titles - UC2, Demons souls, and GOWIII! Not this year my friend. Better be on your hands and knees praying that Halo saves u! LMAO!

The media got blasted thinking the crapbox was going to be better. Ha. Think again. It already had its heart set out on being the better format, but fell flat on its azz when the truth came out about which one had the superior graphics!

Note : Heavy Rain is not for the immature. It is a fantastic drama/suspenseful game. MAG is not for everyone. Yakuza 3 is not for everyone. But do you see where I am going. So much versatility! The 360 cannot compare to the juggernaut of quality exclusives coming out. Better do your self a favor and get the system that only can do everything!

Sorry to sound like a fanboy but Microsoft is playing you like a prostitute! Continue to pay for xbox live , rrod, dvd-9, $100 wireless router (friend at work says she will not buy one because of the price), and clunky controllers! Put it your mouth, put in your mouth!

[F4k]

Everybody knows that de PS3 version it's technically superior that downgraded 360 version...

Rest it's only bullshit!

[Dellis]

PAYOLA M$

[sarshelyam]

...and it would still be better than the higher rated 360 version. I'm sorry but this simply proves that reviews are worthless. The PS3 version has been proven the version with a higher fidelity and a lack of compression so there's absolutely no reason other than biased Xbox sites are deliberately scoring their reviews higher.

I'll be interested to see the sales data to prove that the higher scored version (360), is selling abysmally compared to the PS3!

[tudors]

http://reviews.teamxbox.com...

[xXSilentXx]

Microsofts is giving mebsite's money to give an higher score for the 360 review.

[Justin_bristoe]

i'm ashamed that this is coming from american reviewers.it's shameful how terrible this great industry is becoming because a crappy american console that the american gaming industry is trying to trick ppl into buying.it's effing sick.

[A7XEric]

If you were to only look at the scores from sites who review both versions, then you won't see this discrepancy. But for example, if all of the Playstaion magazines/websites review the game in the 8 range, and all of the Xbox magazines/websites review the game in the 9 range, those scores are going to be factored in and the 360 version will seemingly be the better one, even if it isn't the case.

So quit throwing around terms like bias and such making yourself look ignorant. Unless IGN or some site who reviews both versions of the game give the 360 version a higher score, there's no reason to keep b!tching and making yourself look like a toolbag for not knowing how sites like metacritic and gamerankings work.

[CARRIERHASARRIVED]

It's a good thing I do research on games that interest me MYSELF.

Everyone should do themselves a favor and research a game for a minute or two on their own instead of jumping on Metacritic or some other big gaming site.

I also agree with the American media heavily supporting and near-boycotting the Japanese machine. Suddenly, there's allll this american money flowing through the games industry and the sooner they choke out anyone else from capitalizing on any of it, the better for them.

I guess you could compare this to Western gaming machines not doing well in japan, but that's a matter of them basically making up their mind, not being interested I suppose (is there even a clear reason for it?). Over in NA though, it's just one big effort to outhype the non-american product, while the media constantly slams the idea into your head that non-american is NOT the way to go (despite Japanese consoles doing great in NA for years, what else could have changed everyone's mind so fast?). This was especially true during the earlier days of this generation. I thought it had dissipated for the most part, but I guess there are some really damaged people out there doing these reviews so obviously it's still a problem.

Well, anyways I thought I'd put my two cents in. Everyone else seems to have something to say, and I like having discussions about my favorite past-time (who doesn't :D).

Oh, one more thing. In the Best Buy near my home, I noticed something that almost caused my jaw to drop. There was a half palette with 360's on one side, and PS3's on the other. On the PS3 side it was just the standard $299.99 slim console, on the 360 side there was like ODST box bundles.

The thing I didn't mention, but totally surprised me was that someone had covered the PS3 side in FF13 360 PAMPHLETS! YES, 360 FF13 PAMPHLETS SCATTERED ALL OVER THE PS3 DISPLAY! Hahaha!

[etebitan]

thats just sad... plain sad...

[keysy420]

if these sites want respect and to be visited they need to correct there sh1t cause ive already cut out like 3 sites

[AnotherGamerUser]

To buy this on the ps3 over the 360- ONE disc vs 3...

[ALFAxD_CENTAURO]

720p vs 576p.

[BrianC6234]

There's only one reason for this. The sites that review both versions are saying they're the same so they both get the same score. And 360 sites must be rating it higher than PS3 sites are. Like the HipHopGamer said, it's BS to give them the same score. If you give the PS3 version a 9.0 the 360 version should get an 8.5. The graphics aren't as good on the 360. The big sites seem to have no problem rating PS3 ports lower than the 360 version so do the same on this game.

[Claudinho69]

oh well let the idiots be bias on the worst system..

[Darksyko]

I don't believe this for a second. I have a 360 and have scene most of the reviews for the ps3 got higher than 360 most of the time.

[My_Outer_Heaven]

When I saw this I instantly thought..

What a load of BS!

Go watch http://www.gametrailers.com...

Talks about how much better XIII is on PS3!

[JeepGamer]

Bashing on the PS3 is like smoking, it became a bad habit for gaming web sites and they're finding it hard to quit. I can absolutely promise you that if the situation were reversed and the PS3 version was the slightly inferior version the reviews would show for it.

After literally years of trying to decry Sony and the PS3 as a failure a lot of these people are finding the taste of crow is not to their liking.

[iPad]

the media are 360 fanboys

[ALFAxD_CENTAURO]

''Final Fantasy XIII 360 reviewing higher than PS3 version''

In America.

[Homicide]

The 360 version has fewer reviews. That's why. Next!

[JeepGamer]

It also doesn't help when the 360 fanboys over at Edge give the PS3 version the lowest score out of any site so far and then don't even bother with the 360 version.

[Brixxer600]

I'm only about 4 hours into this but i already have discounted pretty much what every reviewer has said anyway , this game has had a bashing in review terms and IMO it's unjustified , i think this game is excellent and am looking forward to playing through to the end.

I have it on PS3

[SamFisher]

Why doesn't everyone spend less time arguing which system it is better on and more time playing and enjoying the game.....

[Dorwrath]

Review sites didn't get the 360 version till late so review scores I guess will come in later. That was posted here on N4G to, surprised you lot don't remember.

As for like Edge Magazine not putting their score on 360. Well the review was done only on the PS3. They didn't test the 360 version presumably because they didn't have their 360 copy at the time.

You go on about bias journalism, but you are ok with bad journalism. How is putting a review score on a site for a game you haven't review good.

[Alucard_420]

it says on gamespot that most reviewers gave the PS3 version higher ratings so i cant agree to this

http://www.gamespot.com/ps3...

http://www.gamespot.com/xbo...

so this is flamebait trying its best

[BLADE_X8]

Please...if anything, the game was "dumbed-down" for the 360. The Japan version of FF got insane love, but somehow, this version is getting sub par reviews. (At least Versus is only on the PS3, so that game will return the franchise back to respectability.)

I know Square Enix wants to get paid, but is your reputation and stree cred (In fact, world-wide cred!) worth Microsoft's pieces of silver? Let's be real about this: You guys/ladies are not living off Romin Noodles!

[Enjoi915111]

look at them cry AHAHAHAH

ff13 = meh

ill wait for ffvs

[dorron]

Oh come on! Everybody knows PS3 version looks better...

Those reviews are clearly biased.

[Fade_Walker]

It’s because the 360 version wasn’t released in Japan. So the PS3 gets more reviews and some of them were an 8 and lower so that brought down the average.

[batman2million]

To all the Sony fanboys here:

YOU MAD!

[tigertron]

Hopefully the average Joe Public will discover that the PS3 is the superior version and buy that if they have the option. If you only have a 360 and want to buy FFXIII, don't let it put you off, it'll still play the same, just with sub HD and 3 discs.

Unfortunatly, media bias has always existed and it'll probably stay that way for a while.

[air1]

lmfao at all the butt hurt sony fanatics..

"micro payed for it" thats like the rule of thumb with you ppl!

[TehSuperCell]

Wow everyone hates Metacritic now. lol.
Everyone praised Metacritic for the score on UC2.
The media isnt biased... you are.

[Thoreau]

all of this will be water under the bridge.....if you want to experience the second half of the FF13 series, you can only experience both on the ps3.

[BuckyBarnes]

7.4 on the 360

8.5 on the ps3

That shows how people are liking their copy. Nuff said. Take your 3 disc version, I have 1 that doesnt need to change midway through the game. Thats all I care about.

[SnukaTheMan]

leap year is another 30 years...then you wont be able to play your ps3...

[Insane087]

stop being such little fannys and go play it who really cares about the score? if you play every game based on reviews alone you need shooting.

[sofocado]

so now resolution make games better? So lets go back then. GTA IV on the Xbox 360 has higher resolution. It got the same score on both console 98. We all know that the resolution of the ingame for the Xbox 360 is lower because lazy developers. It was a rush port. If higher resolution makes a game better then yes FF XIII on the PS3 is better, but also GTA IV is better on the Xbox 360.

[authentic24]

GTA IV was a mess anyway. Also I think it was a trade off with GTA. The PS3 version had more vivid color. The 360 version wasn't as blurry as the ps3 version. Yes I bought both of em. I thought the MP would be really good from the reviews I read, and I had friends on ps3 and 360.

Will never follow that Hype train again. lol

[authentic24]

This is the 2nd time CVG has posted this story. The 1st time the PS3 Version had 20 reviews on metacritic and the 360 version had 4.

This time the PS3 version has 43 and the 360 version has 21. You cannot compare the averages at all. it's not metacritic that's biased, it's the author of this article who posted it twice in order to get a rise out of people. Twice...... How do you fall for the same thing twice?

My goodness. Note: I'm not even buying Final Fantasy XIII because I believe it was gimped the moment Sony lost exclusivity. So I'll wait for Versus, in which the producer said in game gameplay looks exactly like CG and it has towns.

But yeah stop being fooled and do the research, and if you see that CVG is biased don't visit their site.

[unknownhero1123]

you can't listen to the media anymore because they are usually biased. so called "journalists" use thier opinions instead of facts to review games. Edge is a major culprit of this biased journalism. my advice to everyone is to rent the games and judge for yourself.

[Silber]

This Game is only 75 % for me...

[NateDPG]

Simply ridiculous, shame on Microsoft, shame on gamers that support this crooked company

[SnukaTheMan]

Those things work....

[SnukaTheMan]

goes to show you that no matter how much propaganda is thrown out about a console version.....the critical response makes up for it...I am enjoying final fantasy 13....I thought the non-linear would kill the game but the story is interesting and graphics are breath taking.

[PietroDimeglio]

576p or 720p hmmmm

Clearly 576p is better and it has more discs so it has to be.
Bloody ridiculous.

[karlowma]

If they are reviewing the game seperately on each system, then would it not spell victory for the PS3 to have a lower review score? Assuming a review is scored relative to other games on the platform, would a lower PS3 score not indicate that in general, the titles on PS3 are of a higher quality? That's what I get out of it, but I'm not a fanboy.

360 RULEZZZZzzz.

Short version: The games are not scored against each other. Thx for the non-news.

[TheDesperadoKING]

No one is denying that the Xbox version is inferior in EVERY SINGLE WAY and has ZERO REDEEMING QUALITIES (except Digital Foundry, who thought the port would be easy and the Xbox version would not be inferior a few months ago. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL SCREW YOU DF, YOU'RE WRONG LIKE YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN AND YOUR PRECIOUS XBOX IS INSSSSSSAAAAAAANELY INFERIOR TO PS3!!! AHAHAHAHAHA! Suck it!

[memphis2]

wow really??!!! look at how many reviews that ff13 got for the ps3 version. 46 CRITICALLY REVIEWED AND 337 USER VOTES.

360 VERSION 22 CRITICALLY REVIEWED AND 45 USER VOTES

as we can see that is why ff13 on ps3 is one point less due to have the triple amount of reviews over the 360!!!

[Xander756]

How the heck did this pass duplicate story reports? I wrote the exact same story except before: http://n4g.com/NewsPending-...

[bviperz]

to those who want to point out, "duh, the PS3 has more critical reviews, that's why, duh", both games released on the same day, why don't they have roughly the same amount of reviews? Shouldn't there be more 360 reviews? Look at BFBC 2, the 360 has 45 reviews and the PS3 has 33 reviews on Metacritic. Am I agreeing with the 'conspiracy theory'? No, but you have to admit that now that the PS3 is widely known (and widely discussed) to have the edge in a multi-plat game, Metacritic doesn't reflect so. Got to wonder about that.

[Mr Remz]

I'm pretty sure microsoft made sure that it would score higer and that less people would review it or just give it the same score as the PS3 version. If some of you people are still so gullible to believe microsoft doesn't send checks toward game sites to favor them then you live in a dream world!!!

[gtafan]

I think Microsoft owns allot of the websites or companies that are on Metacritic. Therefore having the advantage over Sony. It's slandering at it's finest.

[devilSPAWN1977]

how 360 has less reviews than the PS3. Once they catch up to, or if they had as many people who cared about the 360 version, then the scores would be similar or the 360 would have a slightly lower score

[Hitman0769]

Final Fantasy XIII is not the same on Xbox 360 as it is on PlayStation 3 by a long shot. In fact Square Enix even told the world themselves that it was a completely different, technically inferior edition of the game that was created from the ground up for Xbox 360 only after the PlayStation 3 edition had already been completed. Your other examples were fine, and I’m not trying to say anything about disc swapping issues, but there is a huge difference between FF13 on PS3 and 360 and there will be on RAGE engine games as well.

One of the very first games that was graphically downgraded for the Xbox 360 was Fracture. You can look that up if you don’t believe me. Back then it was even an issue to fit games on DVD but that was only because of the graphics. Final Fantasy XIII had to be completely remade from scratch so there is a lot that potentially could have been changed beyond simply the graphics. Some reports are suggesting though, that the graphics on the Xbox 360 version of the game only rate 540p native cinematic as well as in-game graphics, while on the PlayStation 3 the cinematics appear to be raw 1080p and gameplay is clearly a high 720p or possibly slightly more.

[angelrebirth]

Look at the user score

http://www.metacritic.com/g...

http://www.metacritic.com/g...

Metacritic is just a fanboy site