I would confidently say that if a video game got a pretty average score from the critics, it would mean that the average consumer would reassess the game and most likely it would not translate into a sale.

For top tier games like your Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, anything Mario, very little effort is made on the part of the retailer to complete a sale. Consumers already know the name of the title and the rich game history behind it. Initial reviews for the game would also be good no doubt so the battle is already half won.

Not convinced? I’d like to share a few games that didn’t do so well in the eyes of the gaming publications but were somewhat well received by the consumers who despite the average or poor review scores took the plunge to try the game.

Gaming is a cheap hobby but it’s not exactly that cheap. Certainly, it’s not at the point where if a game sucks you can just toss it aside (remember the days of the PS1 and PS2?). Gaming review scores certainly make or break and shape a consumer’s purchase.

Here’s how the review scores for 3 games that didn’t do the best in terms of review scores. With so many games to play, people usually look at anything that has a high score and pass the rest.

The taller the bar, the better the score.

You notice in all of the 3 game examples, critically, all games got a lower score compared to the user review scores. One could claim that fans of the game usually push the score of the game upwards than it really deserves. But, in order to counter this claim, I took review scores from 3 different sources and the picture that I noticed for user reviews is that the opinions are actually much more balanced and varied for the game.

In almost all cases, reviews for a game hit the net before the game arrives in store. So, it gives consumers plenty of time to digest the review. So what happens when a game is panned and gets a less than ideal score?

The truth hits home. And hard.

A poorly reviewed game is destined to remain on the shelf for a very long time. Contrary to popular belief, retailers (at least for us) have no means of sending back that lemon to the supplier. I would believe it would be the same for them as well. That’s why you get all those ‘forced bundles’ that comes with a console.

So why do retailers/suppliers have to take these games if they already knew that the review isn’t good. Preorders. In all cases, we rely on gut feeling to judge if a game would be good. We share the same pool of information as the consumer, so your gut feel is as good as ours. If a title was initially thought to be good and turns out less than ideal there’s no going back as the order has already been made.

So, even if you “vote with your wallet” it would be a little too late, a copy of the game is already in the store or is enroute via plane/ship – And with a review score hanging over it.

Don’t get me started on how game reviewers are “paid” to post a positive score.

Let me hear your thoughts!

All data was obtained from Metacritic, Amazon & Gamefaqs. The average is used to calculate the final score for user reviews among the 3 sites. Critic reviews are taken from Metacritic. Preorder numbers are obtained from our own store records.

Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com

Source: Online Education

Once again Mario owns, no surprise there. If you to build brand loyalty at an early age, a game like Mario is the way to go.