Analysis: MW3 Review Bombers



How many people are review-bombing MW3 and Battlefield 3 on Metacritic? An IGN reader decided to find out.

 

On November 9, Sledgehammer Games' General Manager Glen Schofield jumped on Twitter and asked Call of Duty fans to help raise Modern Warfare 3's incredibly low user rating on Metacritic, saying, "It's suspiciously low. Be honest but help if u agree." He later deleted this tweet, but the point had been made.


After some investigation, I found that Schofield may have been on to something. Nearly 15% of Metacritic user reviews for both Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 were obvious trolling attempts. I only counted the ones very obviously scoring one game super-high, and another super-low, so that's an absolute minimum number.

As of this Monday, the critic aggregate scores for Modern Warfare 3 on Metacritic were 89 on Xbox 360, 88 on PlayStation 3, 81 on PC and 65 on DS on a 100 point scale. Their respective user scores (on a 10.0 scale) were 3.2 on 360, 2.8 on PS3, 1.9 on PC and 0.7 on DS.

On Monday I spent the evening trudging through over 1,500 written reviews of Modern Warfare 3 for PlayStation 3, reading each and every one of them. I tallied up the reviews of gamers who had written and scored both games.

Many users showed fairness, and gave similar scores to both games. What I had a hard time believing was that one game deserved a 9 or 10 review and the other deserved a 0 or 1, especially given that the critics' aggregate scores for Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 are 88 and 86.
The trolls had reared their ugly, ugly heads, and I decided to call bluff on the reviewers giving one title a 7 or above and the other a 4 or below.

Out of 1,508 reviews, 43 reviewers scoring both games leaned heavily in favor of Modern Warfare 3, giving it a score between 7 and 10 and Battlefield a score between 0 and 4. This means about 12.2% of Battlefield 3's 350 reviews are the result of what presents itself as wrongful trolling.

199 reviewers went the other way, meaning 13.3% of all Modern Warfare 3's reviews were trash-talked specifically from Battlefield fans. This number essentially equals out, though it's impossible to verify how many users only reviewed one game or the other specifically for score-dropping purposes and who had legitimate complaints against either game that had nothing to do with their opinion on the other.

Among the hundreds of zeroes and ones on Modern Warfare's review list, about 30 people admitted to either never playing Modern Warfare 3 or playing it for less than an hour. Another half dozen reviews were copy-pasted, character for character and typo for typo, from other users.

Dozens who didn't review both games (and thus weren't counted among Battlefield's 199 fanboys) said they were only scoring Modern Warfare 3 so low for reasons like spite for Glen Schofield's tweet, a dislike of Activision's business practices and so on. On the other hand, a similar amount of reviewers openly stated they created an account just to counter the zero scores that they believe Modern Warfare 3 doesn't deserve.

If gamers are sick of Call of Duty's formula or its success, or are trolling to stamp it out in favor of their other favorite games, it wouldn't be the first time Metacritic has been bombarded with scathing user reviews. In past incidents, it has found user accounts that have been created outside their terms and conditions and deleted them and their scores.

The problem lies with the long-term effects of those numbers and how they discredit a valuable system which should help gamers make informed decisions.



This article was submitted for publication by an IGN reader.


 Video// Youtube
Article,photographs and video taken entirely from the web http://uk.games.ign.com/

The Top 25 PlayStation 3 Games



We rank the best games of Sony's console
 
It's time to decide the greatest PlayStation 3 games of all time. For more than a year, we've left the IGN list of the Top 25 PlayStation 3 games speak for itself, but the games industry is not a static place. New must-haves come out, sequels best originals, and games that were once masterpieces show their age. With that in mind, we set out to update our ever-changing list of PS3 hits.


Below, you'll find the 25 games we think you need to play to see the best of the best on Sony's current console. This year, we've removed downloadable games as there's a standalone Top 25 PlayStation Network games list.So, take a gander and let us know what your top 25 PS3 games are in the comments below.

9-LittleBigPlanet 2

Released January 18, 2011


The original LittleBigPlanet introduced the PlayStation community to the idea of creating content and sharing it with the world. LittleBigPlanet 2 blew the doors off that idea. No longer were players limited to only being able to create levels. Now, you could create games, races, cutscenes, and movies. On top of that, LittleBigPlanet 2 kept the Sackboy platforming and collecting everyone knew and loved. It even brought over the million levels created in the original game. That number has only been added to since launch, and new DLC always keeps this title fresh.

8-Batman: Arkham Asylum

Released


Comic book video games don't have a great track record, so when Batman: Arkham Asylum got announced, nerds like us held our breath and hoped for the best. Luckily, the folks at developer Rocksteady turned out to be some huge Dark Knight fans and delivered the best comic book game in years. From its excellent voice acting, stunning graphics and awesome Bat-gadgets, Batman: Arkham Asylum was a game that every comic book fan could pop in and get lost in. And most importantly, it was a blast to play. Also, you could say "I am Batman" and mean it.

7-Infamous 2

Released June 7, 2011


Following-up on a game like the original Infamous isn't necessarily easy, but developer Sucker Punch was up to the challenge. The first game showed us Cole MacGrath, a bike messenger-turned-superhero who was endowed with extraordinary electrical powers. Infamous 2 changes pace by introducing a new city and new powers, but the sandbox mechanics remained the same, as did the action-heavy combat that makes Infamous 2 so fun. The city the game takes place in, the New Orleans-inspired New Marais, is one of the coolest locales any video game has ever been set in and is a true testament to the power of the PlayStation 3

6-Red Dead Redemption

Released May 18, 2010


Between games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Manhunt, Rockstar Games started to put itself in a sort of hole. By releasing the epically-good Red Dead Redemption, however, Rockstar managed to show the world that it's capable of far more than just blood, guts, gore and sex. Don't get me wrong – Red Dead Redemption has all of that in spades – but it also has deep characters, a great story, and a totally unique western setting that sits in stark comparison to the modern cities of the GTA franchise. Red Dead Redemption is a truly deep game that's worthy of your attention, especially if you have scores of hours to sink into a single title.

5-Heavy Rain

Released February 23, 2010


Developer Quantic Dream is known for pushing boundaries in games, and that's exactly what Heavy Rain did. Packing a crazy motion/quicktime control scheme, Heavy Rain had you switching between four characters who were all tied up in the kidnappings and murders perpetrated by the Origami Killer. Packing 22 ending movies, your choices mattered and directly influenced what happened in the story. Let the kidnapped kid die, let your characters die, never solve the mystery -- all of these outcomes were possible and made for some excellent replay value. Quantic Dream called Heavy Rain "interactive drama," and we have to agree

4-Portal 2

Released April 19, 2011


Some might complain that it's too early for Portal 2 to make our list -- it's only been out a few months as of this list's creation -- but they can shut up. Portal 2 is awesome. Once again, players are a test subject in the halls of Aperture Science and need to use a portal gun to solve crazy puzzles. And as awesome as the portal puzzles are -- you shoot once to make an entrance and once to make a connected exit -- it was the story of this game that really turned heads. Clever writing, interesting twists, comedy, and robot characters you couldn't help but love and loathe. Toss in multiplayer that could connect with PC players, and you have one hell of a game. That's why Portal 2 smokes so many on our list.

3-Fallout 3

Released October 28, 2008


Do you like the idea of spending hundreds of hours on a single game? Do you like RPGs and shooters? Then you'll be absolutely thrilled with Fallout 3 from Bethesda, a game that mixes all of those elements together into one of the most stunning gaming experiences in recent memory. Fallout 3 tells the story of The Wastelander, a nameless hero (or villain) who is unleashed from his nuclear fallout shelter into an uncertain, alien world. Fallout 3 is all about exploration and choice, which is why the game takes so long to complete, and why it also has inherent replay value that brings the term "bang for your buck" to nearly unparalleled heights.

2-Mass Effect 2

Released January 18, 2011


When you think of space adventures, you probably think of Star Wars. And rightfully so. But BioWare's Mass Effect saga is an epic space adventure in its own right, one that tells a stunningly realistic story set in a futuristic, science fiction-heavy galaxy. Mass Effect 2 continues the story of Commander Shepard, a human who wields incredible influence in a galaxy full of hostile aliens. So much influence, in fact, that a private corporation revives Shepard after he (or she) dies and sets him (or her) off on a choice-laden adventure. Everything about Mass Effect 2 reeks of the highest quality, from its aesthetics to its gameplay. Jetting around the stars has never even remotely been as fun or satisfying.

1-And here it is, ladies and gentlemen. The No. 1 PlayStation 3 game. Have you figured out what it is? Click play to get the full scoop, and then check out the game's original review.




Video// Youtube
Article,photographs and video taken entirely from the web http://uk.ps3.ign.com/