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[Late Stage Marxist]

I look back on Vice City's scores and think they're a bit silly. The game was basically an upgrade to GTA III instead of a full sequel. The story (mafia!) and setting (a city!) were pretty much the same too.

Rockstar have yet to make a Mafia-centric GTA. GTA3/VC involve the protagonist running from the mob, not much else. Fido and Tommy V are more lone ranger types..

 

[Socreges]

Might as well ask how an FPS, let's call it Halo, got away with a perfect score when it's also technically flawed (ie obvious framerate issues). How, how did it happen?!

To be fair, he said "the technical flaws of" with consideration that GTA:SA is particularly buggy.

Not that I'd put enough weight into that to knock the game down. Even with experiencing significant bugs and having to repeat about a dozen missions in total. *remembers frustration* Hmm... no, I still wouldn't. Too fun.

 

[Kiriku]

To be fair, he said "the technical flaws of" with consideration that GTA:SA is particularly buggy.

Not that I'd put enough weight into that to knock the game down. Even with experiencing significant bugs and having to repeat about a dozen missions in total. *remembers frustration* Hmm... no, I still wouldn't. Too fun.

Fair enough, but I still consider unstable framerate to be a technical flaw as well, especially since it affects the gameplay (although not as severe as bugs, but still).

 

[Deg]

Rockstar have yet to make a Mafia-centric GTA. GTA3/VC involve the protagonist running from the mob, not much else. Fido and Tommy V are more lone ranger types..

EA will I doubt it will be as big as GTA.

 

[psycho_snake]

I may be the only one, but I think that GTA games are the most overrated games ever. I've not played SA, but I'm not gonna buy it because I just think it will be the same as the last two.

Halo 2 deserved its score. The game deserves a 10 just because of the first video released.

MGS3 should have got a higher score, but I'm only saying that cause the MGS series my favourite one.

 

[dark10x]

Shit yeah, just saw those scores. The next two weeks are the real f*cking deal!

I'm thrilled with that MGS3 score as well...

I swear I remember a post on the EGM message board from a couple EGM staffers saying how disappointed they were in the demoe and that if the final game didn't show some major improvements, it would see a lower score.

I'm sure that "some guy" was just bullshitting us for some reason, but was the length of Prime 2 mentioned in the review?

Boooo at the lower Outrun 2 scores, though.

Might as well ask how an FPS, let's call it Halo, got away with a perfect score when it's also technically flawed (ie obvious framerate issues). How, how did it happen?!

Come on, Kiriku, while Halo 2 has framerate issues here and there, it is a rock solid 30 fps for the most part. Not only that, it is one of the best looking games to hit any console and is polished as hell in most other aspects. GTA:SA is one of the most unpolished games I've ever played (in some aspects). It looks like garbage and runs even worse.

In this case, they felt that the content of SA was good enough that the visual flaws could be overlooked.

Rockstar have yet to make a Mafia-centric GTA. GTA3/VC involve the protagonist running from the mob, not much else. Fido and Tommy V are more lone ranger types..

They don't need to. There is no way they could match the incredible tale told in Mafia. If only the games could unite. The awesome on foot gameplay and story telling of Mafia combined with the solid city design and additional related mechanics of GTA.

 

[king zell]

so MKDD > MP2 = MGS3

 

[COCKLES]

Thoroughly deserving of it's accolades. GO BUNGIE! GO XBOX! HERE WE COME XENON!

 

[Kiriku]

Come on, Kiriku, while Halo 2 has framerate issues here and there, it is a rock solid 30 fps for the most part. Not only that, it is one of the best looking games to hit any console and is polished as hell in most other aspects. GTA:SA is one of the most unpolished games I've ever played (in some aspects). It looks like garbage and runs even worse.

In this case, they felt that the content of SA was good enough that the visual flaws could be overlooked.

Notice how I said "Halo", not "Halo 2". Halo got a perfect score as well, and I'm not judging the framerate in Halo 2 simply because I have yet to play it. Nice to hear Halo 2 is a rock-solid 30 fps though. A step in the right direction.

 

[6.8]

Two perfect games in a month!

 

[dark10x]

Notice how I said "Halo", not "Halo 2". Halo got a perfect score as well, and I'm not judging the framerate in Halo 2 simply because I have yet to play it. Nice to hear Halo 2 is a rock-solid 30 fps though. A step in the right direction.

Ah, well Halo was still pretty solid ya know. The difference between the framerate in SA and Halo is like night and day. Halo is like 60 fps in comparison to SA. SA runs soooooo badly. Finding pockets of 30 fps is rare in SA. At least Halo only drops frames in heavy combat situations. SA drops frames when you stare at the back of a badly textures wall...

 

[Tritroid]

GTA:SA 10,10,10 (GOTM)
Halo 2 10,10,10 (GOTM)

 

[sprsk]

so...uh...how you guys enjoying the ds so far.

 

[pilonv1]

 

[Kiriku]

Ah, well Halo was still pretty solid ya know. The difference between the framerate in SA and Halo is like night and day. Halo is like 60 fps in comparison to SA. SA runs soooooo badly. Finding pockets of 30 fps is rare in SA. At least Halo only drops frames in heavy combat situations. SA drops frames when you stare at the back of a badly textures wall...

My point still stands. Halo is also a "technically flawed" game because of the not-so perfect framerate, and it still recieved a perfect score. "Pretty solid", alright, that's vague enough to fit with my opinion too.

Concerning framerate, I think it's especially important because Halo is an FPS, a genre that I personally think gains a lot from a high, stable framerate. From that point of view, 60 fps is preferable and something you should aim for while making an FPS. And besides, aren't heavy combat situations just the kind of situations where you need a good framerate (apart from sniping)?

But let's get back to my main intentions here...my point was to ultimately show that even if a game is flawed, it can still recieve a perfect score if the rest of the game is so good the flaws become insignificant. That's why I can understand people giving Halo or GTA:SA perfect scores despite flaws.

 

[CrimsonSkies]

"To be fair, he said "the technical flaws of" with consideration that GTA:SA is particularly buggy."

Hey i'm playing and enjoying GTA:SA. I Just don't understand how it's getting virtually perfect scores across the review spectrum. It does have problems that drag it down in my eyes that are beyond frame hiccups. Forgive me for questioning the review process. I wouldn't want to express an opinion on a message board that didn't go lock step with the majority. Oh snap!

 

[PhatSaqs]

Aww man. With all the posts I thought the scores were more controversial. GAF disappoints me .

 

[pilonv1]

I may be the only one, but I think that GTA games are the most overrated games ever. I've not played SA, but I'm not gonna buy it because I just think it will be the same as the last two.

Halo 2 deserved its score. The game deserves a 10 just because of the first video released.

MGS3 should have got a higher score, but I'm only saying that cause the MGS series my favourite one.

Games I've never played are boring! Games I like deserve high scores! Watching a video = playing a game! I love self fulfilling prophecies!

 

[Speevy]

*yawn*

I've never seen 10's so liberally handed out in the history of printed gaming media. It's not just EGM either.

Here's the thought process.

"Okay boys, we have 4 games here, and everyone is going to want to know which one is better. Since the Gamecube is irrelevant in the console market and Metroid Prime 2 doesn't contain mediocre free-roaming graphics or online play, we can put MP2 on the bottom. Metal Gear Solid 3 is next. They really put a lot of work into that story. It took me twice as long to figure out what was going on, so that's next. Okay, finally we have the two star games for the two biggest consoles. One is a first person shooter that takes everything we loved about the first game, multiplies it by 100, and puts that online. We love those Halo tournaments, and we're to busy playing to complain. 10. And finally, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas really is just...big. Like Morrowind or something. And it has better graphics than Morrowind, so...yeah, there's enough fun in here to warrant a 10."

 

[dark10x]

My point still stands. Halo is also a "technically flawed" game because of the not-so perfect framerate, and it still recieved a perfect score. "Pretty solid", alright, that's vague enough to fit with my opinion too.

Concerning framerate, I think it's especially important because Halo is an FPS, a genre that I personally think gains a lot from a high, stable framerate. From that point of view, 60 fps is preferable and something you should aim for while making an FPS. And besides, aren't heavy combat situations just the kind of situations where you need a good framerate (apart from sniping)?

But let's get back to my main intentions here...my point was to ultimately show that even if a game is flawed, it can still recieve a perfect score if the rest of the game is so good the flaws become insignificant. That's why I can understand people giving Halo or GTA:SA perfect scores despite flaws.

You are too black and white on the issue. They are both technically flawed, but GTA:SA is MUCH MUCH more so (it is also a 2004 game).

 

[AssMan]

We forgot one important aspect to all of this............T3H SALES!!1

 

[Kiriku]

You are too black and white on the issue. They are both technically flawed, but GTA:SA is MUCH MUCH more so (it is also a 2004 game).

Did I ever say Halo is as flawed as GTA:SA? No. I said it was technically flawed and yet it still recieved a perfect score. And I said how I can understand that, but it's still flawed.

 

[SantaC]

Am I completely wrong or is there really people complaining about a 9, 9, 10 score?

That's not the problem. Problem is that this score was only enough to be tied for 4th game. Plus that metroid is a big franchise game. Nintendo fans get the shaft again. I thought I finally could gloat some too, beating some other high profile games, but no

 

[DarienA]

Six pages of people bitching about scores...

Just another normal day in the hood...

 

[sonycowboy]

What are the other games that EGM has awarded 'all-tens' scores to?

What else?

AFAIK,

1. Metal Gear Solid (PS1)
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
3. Soul Calibur (DC)
4. Grand Turismo 2 (PS1)
5. Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 (PS1,DC)
6. The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask (N64)
7. Grand Turismo 3 A-Spec (PS2)
8. HALO (XB)
9. Grand Theft Auto : Vice City (PS2)
10. Metroid Prime (GC)
11. HALO 2 (XB)
12. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)

Hells yeah. The 5 best games of the year are looking to be Halo 2, GTA SA, MGS3, Ninja Gaiden, and ESPN NFL 2K5. One great year for games!

You're clearly forgetting Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal.

 

[Zilch]

*yawn*

I've never seen 10's so liberally handed out in the history of printed gaming media. It's not just EGM either.

Here's the thought process.

"Okay boys, we have 4 games here, and everyone is going to want to know which one is better. Since the Gamecube is irrelevant in the console market and Metroid Prime 2 doesn't contain mediocre free-roaming graphics or online play, we can put MP2 on the bottom. Metal Gear Solid 3 is next. They really put a lot of work into that story. It took me twice as long to figure out what was going on, so that's next. Okay, finally we have the two star games for the two biggest consoles. One is a first person shooter that takes everything we loved about the first game, multiplies it by 100, and puts that online. We love those Halo tournaments, and we're to busy playing to complain. 10. And finally, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas really is just...big. Like Morrowind or something. And it has better graphics than Morrowind, so...yeah, there's enough fun in here to warrant a 10."

You've got to be delusional to honestly think stuff like this. Shut up shut up shut up shut up.

Good God.

 

[DarienA]

<insert usual call for people to simply enjoy the high rated games as games that stand head and toe above the mass amount of drek available for each platform>

as long as i'm not the rip torn character from freddy got fingered, i think i'll be OK.

Well what about the Rip Torn character from Beastmaster?

 

[Lord Error]

Wow. I guess I can breathe a sight of relief seeing that MGS3 is the real f'n deal even for people who probably are not superfans of the game like myself, and who I expected to nitpick it to hell after some reviewers admitted they'd score MGS2 less if they'd review it today. 95% baby!!! Now make my damn camo designs available for download dammit!

Oh, and I'm happy for Halo 2 and GTA:SA scores, but noone really feared those would underperform anyways.

 

[Solid]

That's not the problem. Problem is that this score was only enough to be tied for 4th game. Plus that metroid is a big franchise game. Nintendo fans get the shaft again. I thought I finally could gloat some too, beating some other high profile games, but no

 

[SantaC]

All hope to Zelda I guess. Oh, and I am getting Baten Kaitos anyway.

 

[evilromero]

What did PoP get?

So Halo 2 DOES live up to the hype? A bit ironic the only place it didn't get a 10 was OXM :lol
Seems GTA: SA and Halo 2 are in a different league compared to the other games this generation.

Eh, not really. Remember, this is still EGM's opinion. I thought the original Metroid Prime was lightyears better than either Vice City or San Andreas, but many see it the other way around. I had to force myself to get through the dull mission in VC (and now SA) just to see the game develop. Halo is the same thing. I have friends who spent the same amount of time on 6-player Halo as I did and they still don't really like the game. So nothing is in a different league, just opinions. If I were to rate GTA: SA it certainly wouldn't have received such a high score.

 

[PhatSaqs]

That's not the problem. Problem is that this score was only enough to be tied for 4th game. Plus that metroid is a big franchise game. Nintendo fans get the shaft again. I thought I finally could gloat some too, beating some other high profile games, but no

 

[evilromero]

You're clearly forgetting Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal.

8.7

 

[SolidSnakex]

*yawn*

I've never seen 10's so liberally handed out in the history of printed gaming media. It's not just EGM either.

Here's the thought process.

"Okay boys, we have 4 games here, and everyone is going to want to know which one is better. Since the Gamecube is irrelevant in the console market and Metroid Prime 2 doesn't contain mediocre free-roaming graphics or online play, we can put MP2 on the bottom. Metal Gear Solid 3 is next. They really put a lot of work into that story. It took me twice as long to figure out what was going on, so that's next. Okay, finally we have the two star games for the two biggest consoles. One is a first person shooter that takes everything we loved about the first game, multiplies it by 100, and puts that online. We love those Halo tournaments, and we're to busy playing to complain. 10. And finally, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas really is just...big. Like Morrowind or something. And it has better graphics than Morrowind, so...yeah, there's enough fun in here to warrant a 10."

You'd think they'd just handed MP2 something like 5's and or 6's with that type of reaction.

 

[Brofist]

*yawn*

I've never seen 10's so liberally handed out in the history of printed gaming media. It's not just EGM either.

Here's the thought process.

"Okay boys, we have 4 games here, and everyone is going to want to know which one is better. Since the Gamecube is irrelevant in the console market and Metroid Prime 2 doesn't contain mediocre free-roaming graphics or online play, we can put MP2 on the bottom. Metal Gear Solid 3 is next. They really put a lot of work into that story. It took me twice as long to figure out what was going on, so that's next. Okay, finally we have the two star games for the two biggest consoles. One is a first person shooter that takes everything we loved about the first game, multiplies it by 100, and puts that online. We love those Halo tournaments, and we're to busy playing to complain. 10. And finally, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas really is just...big. Like Morrowind or something. And it has better graphics than Morrowind, so...yeah, there's enough fun in here to warrant a 10."

You should spend more time playing your GC, and less coming up with these moronic theories.

 

[Nameless]

In retrospect Vice City seemed more of an expansion pack to GTAIII, where as San Andreas "Feels" more like a true and complete sequel. I would also have given MP the GOTY nod in 2002, but honestly, Echos doesn't seem to make that huge the "step up" that the other 3 sequels have made --especially GTA and Halo.

 

[Lord Error]

As for the tech faults = no 10s, I disagree. There's hardly a game that doesn't have any technical faults. I also agree that by that logic, Halo shouldn't have scored 10s either - although it has better framerate than GTA games, the last level alone makes it quite imperfect, there are some massive framedrops there, that go down to probably 1-2FPS even, depending on which route you choose. I'm not saying that has spoiled the enjoyment, but that does make it technically "imperfect".

 

[SantaC]

So tell me skip (or any other EGM editor). What are the positive things with Metroid Prime 2? Did it do something better than the first? Music, walljump, bosses? It got a high score so it must have alot of positive things to say. You listed the negatives, I want to hear some good things.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

I have to say. nbots; lay low. Fucking wait for the gamespot/ign scores before going on damage control because there's no damage to control. ridiculous.

nuff. :runs to read halo impressions thread:

 

[SantaC]

I have to say. nbots; lay low. Fucking wait for the gamespot/ign scores before going on damage control because there's no damage to control. ridiculous.

nuff. :runs to read halo impressions thread:

I want that tag of yours.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

In retrospect Vice City seemed more of an expansion pack to GTAIII, where as San Andreas "Feels" more like a true and complete sequel. I would also have given MP the GOTY nod in 2002, but honestly, Echos doesn't seem to make that huge the "step up" that the other 3 sequels have made --especially GTA and Halo.

a) have you played it.

b) have you played it.

 

[evilromero]

How can anyone not like those Metroid scores? A 10? Sounds damn good to me. And I know I'll be playing this game way more than Halo 2, GTA: SA or MGS3, simply based of past interations of the same series. I'm so fucking pumped for Prime 2 right now. Only another week and a half.

 

[Deku Tree]

I loved Prime and I expect to love Echoes. But I expect more less than perfect scores for Echoes. The first time around alot of people overlooked the controls because they accepted Nintendo's reasoning that it wouldn't fit the gameplay. But this time around, all that forumite hate for the controls is going to weight heavily on every reviewers mind and no doubt lower the scores across the board.

But I accept this and will love or hate Echoes regardless of the reviews.

 

[Code_Link]

They're Fake.

 

[dark10x]

They're Fake.

No, I don't think so.

 

[DJ Demon J]

Wow, look at those Fight Club scores!! :lol From the OXM demo I knew the game was bad, but I didn't think it was that big of a turd! :lol

 

[SantaC]

I loved Prime and I expect to love Echoes. But I expect more less than perfect scores for Echoes. The first time around alot of people overlooked the controls because they accepted Nintendo's reasoning that it wouldn't fit the gameplay. But this time around, all that forumite hate for the controls is going to weight heavily on every reviewers mind and no doubt lower the scores across the board.

But I accept this and will love or hate Echoes regardless of the reviews.

Correct besides that some metroid trolls shouldn't have an effect on someone else opinion.

 

[tralfazz]

AFAIK,

1. Metal Gear Solid (PS1)
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
3. Soul Calibur (DC)
4. Grand Turismo 2 (PS1)
5. Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 (PS1,DC)
6. The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask (N64)
7. Grand Turismo 3 A-Spec (PS2)
8. HALO (XB)
9. Grand Theft Auto : Vice City (PS2)
10. Metroid Prime (GC)
11. HALO 2 (XB)
12. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)



I am sure people have had 6+ pages of arguments over the games 1-10 listed but in hindsight they are all considered iconic, cultural games far above the rest of the field. Time will tell if #'s 11 and 12 get there but history indicates they will.

This is extremely entertaining. To this day I don't understand the fanboy wars. We're talking about games not a holy war. Does anybody REALLY think because their game got a lower score it is less of a game for everyone in the world. And why don't people argue like this with Colas? It's opinion people, just enjoy the games you like. Word of mouth works a hell of a lot better than reviews.

 

[Redbeard]

This is extremely entertaining. To this day I don't understand the fanboy wars. We're talking about games not a holy war. Does anybody REALLY think because their game got a lower score it is less of a game for everyone in the world. And why don't people argue like this with Colas? It's opinion people, just enjoy the games you like. Word of mouth works a hell of a lot better than reviews.

Noone scores Colas. If someone did, people would be there to argue.

 

[tralfazz]

Noone scores Colas. If someone did, people would be there to argue.

It's my experience that everybody scores everything. People have a need to declare a winner.