The positive reception is undeserved, Metaphor proves that JRPGs receive too much gentle treatment. If Ubisoft had made Metaphor, it would be widely hated for its flaws.
FFVII Rebirth is a far better game than Metaphor Refantazio
- Thread starter Yobo
- Start date
I am a relatively old gamer and grew up in the print media era. Back then, points were awarded for graphics, story, gameplay, technology, scope, etc. and a rating was created from these. At that time, large games were often tested by several editors, who then added an opinion box with a personal rating alongside the official rating. I was once able to do an internship in such an editorial office and take part in a rating conference, where each game was discussed, what rating the editor wanted to give and why. This then resulted in relatively loud discussions, as such games were also played privately by other editors who saw some subjective points differently. In the end there was a compromise or the editor-in-chief determined the final rating. I hardly believe that there are such discussions in today's media, whether IGN, Eurogamer or Gamingbolt.
You notice this when ratings are compared. Since Ys X is coming out soon, I looked at some reviews and some gave it a 9.5, like the predecessor, others a 7 and the predecessor a 9. These reviews rarely contribute to the purchase decision, and that's what reviews were intended for at some point, because as a consumer I can hardly judge the tester/editor or don't know how far the game has been played. It was different with print media, editors usually stayed there for several years and at some point I, as a reader, could judge who had a similar taste in games to me, so if an editor gave it a high rating, it was a safe purchase for me. When I look at the kind of trolls who work at IGN, for example, I don't expect a review that can correctly assess objective criteria, and especially not when it comes to subjective points.
30 years ago, cult games like Populous or Syndicate were also given low 80% ratings, only a few got 90%+. I can only think of Day of the Tentacle that achieved 90%. Today, 90% ratings are handed out like candy, and are hardly anything special. That's probably why many people think that games with 60 or 70% ratings are bad, even though they used to be average titles for genre fans. If you ask me, I'd say something is currently going wrong when it comes to reviews. Metaphor or Rebirth are where games like Half-Life 1 and 2 used to be. I don't think anyone would say that Metaphor or Rebirth are games that people will still be raving about in two decades. In my opinion, I would give Breath of the Wild and Bloodborne such classic qualities and therefore 90+ ratings. Bloodborne is almost 10 years old and is still buzzing around in the minds of many players, which suggests an exceptional game. Most "GOTY" games are better off in the high 80s, in my opinion. Maybe I'm too critical or too old to understand today's rating criteria, if they even exist.
At least many media seem to have largely abandoned clickbait ratings. Some specialists like Xbox Era still give strange ratings and I fell for one of their tests back then, bought an indie game and it wasn't a 10 but rather rubbish, which later reviews confirmed. I can now judge well what I like and don't like, but I still get carried away by the hype and buy a game on day 1 even if I didn't like a demo, like I did with Rebirth. Long text, but the topic is something that has occupied me for almost 10 years. Since YouTube, anyone can publish a game review and since then the quality has continued to decline. Unfortunately, print media has also almost died out, so it is often a good idea to wait 1-2 weeks before buying to read real impressions from players.
OP
OP
They are both JRPGs in the running for GOTY, one has had its flaws picked apart while the other gets the gentle soft touch treatment
Out of curiosity, do you think both games will be among the six slots for TGAs this year, or will they only reserve one slot for a JRPG?
Rebirth for me. Played only demo for metaphor.
I ll ocassionaly play jrpg, if it catches me i stick with it. Rebirth s one of the best games ever. I clocked in around 145h on first playthrough. And i never played original ff7. Jrpgs re not usually my thing.
Stellar combat, visuals, ok story, amazing cast of characters, funny moments, interactions between characters, great semi open world. Sure it has some flaws just like very other game.
Played demo for Metaphor. Insufferable walls of text. Solid combat. Nice characters. Interesting boss fights. Technically its bad. From loading to visuals. Great art style. Would need full game.
I ll ocassionaly play jrpg, if it catches me i stick with it. Rebirth s one of the best games ever. I clocked in around 145h on first playthrough. And i never played original ff7. Jrpgs re not usually my thing.
Stellar combat, visuals, ok story, amazing cast of characters, funny moments, interactions between characters, great semi open world. Sure it has some flaws just like very other game.
Played demo for Metaphor. Insufferable walls of text. Solid combat. Nice characters. Interesting boss fights. Technically its bad. From loading to visuals. Great art style. Would need full game.
FFVIIR hard mode is honestly such a incredible gameplay system, feels like what you imagined the OG to look expect in real time. Metaphor also has wonderful gameplay, big SMT fan so I love the puzzle like nature of bosses and deadly buff/debuff systems. I wouldn't pick one over the other, both of these games are honestly peak JRPG experiences. Saying that as a long time fan of the genre.
They are both immensely fun JRPGs any fan of the genre NEEDS to play. Two GOATs of the genre dropped in a single year, its been insane.
The prologue for atlus games is tooooooooo loooooooooooong and the opening is loaded with cutscenes, filler dialogue and loading screens every few mins
Otherwise the story does have some promise with exploring serious themes which gets mired by weeb shit like dating teachers as students and other creepy stuff
Otherwise the story does have some promise with exploring serious themes which gets mired by weeb shit like dating teachers as students and other creepy stuff