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Narrative
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"A 3DFX card can play Quake in 640x480 resolution at 60 frames per second, that's a fact. Quake has 89 points' worth of game in it, that's a subjective opinion."
-Niko Nirvi, Finnish games journalist and professional critic.
The stir created in the video game community when a high-profile game receives an unexpectedly high or low score from a major reviewer, especially when it significantly differs from the general consensus. Especially jarring because professional video game reviewers tend to give out very similar scores.
Whether or not this stir is justified is up for debate. On the one hand, a reviewer shouldn't just automatically go along with the crowd, even for nigh-universally-loved games. On the other, sometimes you get the feeling that they're doing it intentionally to create controversy and attract attention. After all, professional game reviewers aren't exactly entirely trustworthy.
Sometimes you get the feeling that Eight Point Eight situations are simply the fans are making a mountain out of a molehill. It's worth noting that reviews tend to be published a day or two before the game is actually released, meaning that many people are decrying the score awarded to a game they haven't yet played themselves. Such is the behavior of a console or series fanboy. Naturally caused by the fact that many gamers believe that Reviews Are The Gospel.
Often, the score may be controversial because it adversely affects the game's overall average score on review compendium sites such as Game RankingsExamples:
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