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[Editorial] WildStar: Gauging the Critical Reception
BillMurphy
Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565
I think it’s safe to say that Carbine’s WildStar will not be as divisive of a game as Elder Scrolls Online has been. But earlier this week, I and some other team members here at MMORPG were trying to guess just where the game would land in terms of critical acclaim. We were pretty evenly divided into two camps. One side believes that WildStar will sit in the 80s because, despite its old-hat questing, it’s still a very fun and polished game hitting all of the check-list areas of what a theme park MMO should have. The other side of the argument thinks that Carbine’s freshman game will fall somewhere in the mid-70s due to backlash that other recent MMO releases have been receiving. Let’s dig a bit deeper into both sides of the discussion.
Read the rest of Bill Murphy's WildStar: Gauging the Critical Reception
Everyone will agree... the Chua rule.
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
Comments
I think it'll end up a little on the fence, around the score of 80, because it does do both things (re-invents the wheel but is on the same wheel as many other games)
I hope it'll end up higher because I'd like it to be an engaging game that lasts me more than the free month, time will tell though!
I am one of those people who tends to preorder based on hype, for the purposes of your demographics!
Bill, i couldn't agree more with this write up, and your feelings about numbered scores. Just to give you an example of how lower than 80 is seen as bad, go look at The Last of Us's review from Gamespot. Well written IMO, and the video was simply short. But the fact that GS gave it 8 out of 10 was unacceptable for TLoU fanboys. The idea of their "game of the generation" getting anything lower than a 9 was impossible, while next to the 8 score was spelled "Good". Good, as in, it's a good game and you should probably buy it. I really would love it if mmorpg.com, and other sites, did away with scores, but yeah, players love to discuss them.
As for Wildstar, i'm always more interested in the user score on Metacritic. I'm used to the idea of official scores being somewhat.... "iffy". Even now, ESO having 72 average is pretty shocking to me since it's AAA well known IP. So, i think around 70-80 official, maybe 80+, but the "samey" traditional mmorpg will hurt it.
BTW, Bill, will you be the one reviewing Wildstar, or will it be somebody else? Thanks if you get around to answer this.
Using the ol' 1-10 scale I rate a game like a rate a chic...
I won't go out with a girl below a 7...
This game is a soft 6 despite having a good personality, I don't want to have to gnaw off my arm in the morning to get away.
What are your other Hobbies?
Gaming is Dirt Cheap compared to this...
Im more in the 80s crowd as far as generic reviews go, because it appears the game does what it does well. i mean look at FFXIV-ARR and GW2(its a themepark don't let advertising fool you) both have over 80-90 scores on most review sites. it also seems like the more niche games like tsw or eso have the scores in the 70s.
as for mmorpg.com's score.....well that depends on how much money ncsoft shells out and which shrill of an editor draws the straw doesn't it?
I would be shocked if WildStar was under an 80. That would be ridiculous. The question of "Why not WoW," is simple to answer. Because WoW is old. WildStar is literally WoW in space because many of the artist were actually WoW artists and they gave it the exact same visual feel. It's a Theme park just like WoW. But where WoW is old and getting stale, WildStar is new and quirky. If WoW is what you like, I honestly feel you would like WildStar more because it's almost more WoW than WoW while simultaneously being something new and different.
Its renewing of the same game design shouldn't be a strike against it. It is fun. It is clean, polished and good. Anything less than 80-85 would be an insult to what they made.
All that and I still won't be playing it. I never liked WoW, I'm not a big fan of theme park and I don't want to sub, or else have to treat the game like a job to avoid subbing.
I would go with mid 80's. It doesn't change the concepts of MMO's, but neither did ff14arr or rift and its somewhere around that ballpark. Its only if it has a bad launch that could make it land in the 70's.
It will be interesting to know how this game gets reviewed, will it be the standard focus about combat, quest, story and fluff from a singleplayer perspective (the swtor review) or will we have sites that actually focuses on the MMO parts and review the group content, PvP and particularly the elder game.
I personally hate how MMO's constantly gets reviewed like they are singleplayer game, because no matter how you put it, themeparks provide mediocre singleplayer gaming.
It is a slightly more niche game than the last few MMOs that have released in the last few years (read: it's less casual, you need to actually pay attention). But having played 1-50 in the beta. I'd put this game as a solid 83/100. Some things aren't perfect, but they are improving. The polish is great and climbs with every patch, and the overall 'feel' of the game makes me want to log in and play, unlike the other MMOs of late which feel much more of a chore overall.
It's different than what we're used to, and in this case different will be good.
I really don't get the Elder Scrolls love, I just don't understand it... To me it is just another SWTOR.
However, Wildstar is trying to do something actually different. I hope it pays off, I'm tired of the same ol same ol with every game that comes out.
Good I hate it when people eat at the keyboard, hearing it on comms is disgusting. It is like being around a crowd of virtual chimps at a zoo i.e no manners or respect for others or their equipment.
I can just imagine the crumbs and fat lumps of cheese these inbreds have lodged in their keyboard, trying to get mom or wife to clean up after them... And a crane to get them into a bath.
Nice write up, its interesting that you folks at mmorpg.com already think its a 70+. Good sign.
Wildster might be the last MMO I buy, assuming the beta does not convince me not too. If this game disappoints I'm done with MMOs until a drastic change in philosophy is made by the developers and producers of these games.
Positive point for Wildstar is that its not pretending to be something its not.
Its straightforward themepark wow clone that improves on the formula.
So if you are down with that , you are going to like it.
If you are against themepark you will know not to buy it.
Which is quite opposite from false advertizing some recent MMOs presented. Either deliberately or acidentally trying to be many things , wearing many hats , and failing at all.
Scores on advertising sites like this are invariably inflated and meaningless; thus, paying attention to them is foolish. It's gotten to the point that even written reviews are carefully worded to gloss over problems in a game -- yea, even to gloss over major bugs -- so it is debatable whether or not game-players should bother to read them.
The only solution is to wait a few months after release before deciding to buy; sift through the weeping and gnashing of teeth from the suckers who bought a game early and the shills and fanbois singing a game's praises. Check all the different site's forums, especially those sites that aren't funded by advertising revenue... you know, the so-called "haters' sites". Eventually the truth will come out.
If everyone did this, of course, nobody would ever buy any games at release, everyone waiting for someone else to be the sucker, and advertising sites like MMORPG.com would go out of business since nobody would be paying attention to their reviews and scores anymore.
"Poof!" There go the advertising dollars...
EDIT: Typo
My prediction is 7.5-8 metascore.
As to mmorpg.com: Every frequent reader knows what score the game will hit at least on this site. And you know it, too.
"I have my own thoughts, but since I’ll be reviewing the game in June, I’d like to hold onto them for now." Oh, you will be reviewing the game? Why am i not surprised? But since you told us in advance that you will review it, it's almost like you spoiled the score already.
Please let someone who can actually review a game do so and not a happy go lucky gamer unable to see any flaws through his rose-tinted glasses.
First off, I dont think the reviewer scores on metacritic are all that relevant. To me, at least, what matters is the user score. Game reviewers are known to sometimes get paid to give a certain rating, and are also also at times out of touch with the general gaming community.
For example, Wildstar is a lot like WoW, yes, and to a professional reviewer, who's had to play every MMO under the sun, I can see that being a MAJOR turnoff. But to someone who has only played one, or even no MMO before in his life it wouldnt matter one bit. The vast majority of gamers fall in this category of having played one, maybe two MMO's at most.
Yet many reviewers base their scores on how THEY experience the game, not on how their audience might experience it, resulting in an emphasis on originality and new designs that average gamers may not neccecarily care about.
The user score, to me, is often a more accurate guestimate of how good a game is, and some games have wildly diffrent reviewer and user metacritic scores that I feel shows wether or not a game is as hot as reviewers say, or not.
As for the Metacritic user score:
That really depends on wether the game is functional or not. As of open beta, its an amazing game but it just plain doesnt work. Bugs are rampant and server crashes even moreso - That something as basic as server functionality doesnt work in this late stage is worrying.
The recent addition of freaking in-game advertisements is like pouring salt into an open wound.
I think if the game releases as it is now, it can expect anywhere between a 7 to as low as a 4. Few things are worse then a game that simply doesnt work, especially when you pay a monthly fee.
Assuming they DO fix it: I'm going to gues an 8 or 8.5
Currently Playing: ESO and FFXIV
Have played: You name it
If you mention rose tinted glasses, you better be referring to Mitch Hedberg.
THIS so much ! I hate when some fark head is eating my dam ear. To add to list, singing ( shut up, you suck) , loud ass tv , kids, some horrid music people seemed to think everyone wants to hear and pretty much everything other then whats going on in the game.
@Writer
This is why we can't have nice things. Here's a game that is feature complete, has a personality, and a very responsive dev team, and we're questioning whether it'll be a 7/10? Seriously? What does an 8/10 or 9/10 look like to you? It's so exhausting hearing the tired old argument of "This game plays like WoW!". That's the genre. Quests are the genre. So are dungeons, raids, and towns. The constant insistence of making every game a sandbox is so futile and it's destroying the chances for some great games. This is like arguing every 3rd person shooter should be FPS but then complaining it's a Doom clone. I'd go so far to say that every new FPS is more of a clone to other FPS games than Wildstar is to WoW. Fundamental combat mechanics, interfaces, and player systems are different. Yet, if a game is too different people complain. People complained that Guild Wars 2 didn't have content. You want a game without quests - that's what it looks like. Bleak, huh? You want a game without raids at launch, reference the last 8 years of failed cash grabs. Here comes a game that actually offers the things people have been asking for and now we're we don't want it? There's no pleasing people is there?
In all fairness, if you were the one who said "Must have TS" then it's kinda your own fault, lol.
IMO, Reviews are becoming less and less useful. I think that reviews were most relevant when we didn't have things like the Internet. Now, you've seen so much of the game before it's released that you should have a good idea if you want to play it or not. So, unfortunately, the purpose of the reviews now shifts to how many people hated it versus how many loved it. Even more pointless, though, are fan reviews. There is almost never anything intelligent or logical. It's like digging through piles of crap in hopes that there might be a diamond ring in one. It's just not worth the effort.
Everyone always harps on critics, but at least they have some sort of template for what they are grading against. It boils down to this little thing called consistency. Even with that, though, people have, generally, already formed an opinion before the review comes out so too little, too late.
Crazkanuk
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Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
Demonicron - 90 Death Knight - Emerald Dream - US
Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
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Well I don't assume to speak for others but personally I'm tired of quest hubs and end game raiding. It's why games like AA and ESO are so fun because it's a different take on end game from the tired old grind grind grind raid raid raid formula. As I said earlier in the thread, WS is a solid game, but it doesn't bring anything new or "wow" factor to the table for me after a few months playing the beta.
Either way I'm looking forward to playing it at release with the wife, but I highly doubt the game will get an 8/10. Only time will tell, and I may very well be wrong.
Currently Playing: ESO and FFXIV
Have played: You name it
If you mention rose tinted glasses, you better be referring to Mitch Hedberg.
The remake of Psycho wasn't a big success and so I would expect that the remake of WoW, even updated for a new audience won't either. Especially as a sub game.
Remakes tend to suck.
if it had dungeons like WOW from level 15 the whole time I would have been interested.
I will not buy rather do the quest grind of ESO the game looks and plays better.
nobody criticises wildstar cause there is no interest in it.