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Nintendo really likes Metacritic

takriel

Member
Brian Asshat.


Gaming journalists want to be taken seriously then they release shit blog style articles.

I am not saying that information used at a shareholder meeting would be brilliant gaming journalism. But this fly by Facebook style commentary crap is not the way to report what happened.

Pretty much my opinion, as well.
 

Frodo

Member
Well, to be fair, bragging about Metacritic scores when your sales are in the dumps is pretty dumb too.

You know what is dumb?

When you have a investors meeting and there will be loads of questions as why your product isn't performing as well as they expected it would be. You know it isn't because of the quality of the software, because... well, because you have a aggregating review score website telling you that the software had mostly very positive reviews, and then you decide not to show it because some kids on the Internet won't approve.
 

FryHole

Member
Well, to be fair, bragging about Metacritic scores when your sales are in the dumps is pretty dumb too.

Underling: Sir, our console sales are terrible.
CEO Phediuk: Well for god's sake don't tell anyone we've got a large number of highly rated games available, that will surely only make matters worse.
 
I mean look at this:

http://kotaku.com/nintendo-really-l...m_source=Kotaku_Twitter&utm_medium=Socialflow

These aren't comments, btw. These are one-liners in what seems to be a very amateurish and non-professionally written news report article. Jeez!

I know, I know, this topic has been talked about a lot, but seriously? That's how you write news articles nowadays? Did I miss something?
Haha, most of those comments mirror my thoughts about the actual article, and even I feel like I'm expressing my thoughts more maturely.
 

John Harker

Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
Anyone remember over a year ago when I mentioned Nintendo was going to start to double down on accolades? Your start to see it a lot more in their PR and media?

All over eShop, website, investor meetings... Well I'll be.
 

Bgamer90

Banned
Underling: Sir, our console sales are terrible.
CEO Phediuk: Well for god's sake don't tell anyone we've got a large number of highly rated games available, that will surely only make matters worse.

Exactly. I don't understand how Nintendo doing this is a bad thing.
 

crinale

Member
You know what is dumb?

When you have a investors meeting and there will be loads of questions as why your product isn't performing as well as they expected it would be. You know it isn't because of the quality of the software, because... well, because you have a aggregating review score website telling you that the software had mostly very positive reviews, and then you decide not to show it because some kids on the Internet won't approve.

I donno but if I'm an investor and the company tells me how awesome their products are and still sell like crap then I'd think that there are some serious issues within company management.
 

Derpyduck

Banned
He's mocking Nintendo more than MC, and mocking them for something that every publisher does. Nintendo DOES have several titles of very high quality this generation, especially compared to the competition, so why wouldn't Iwata make a point of it to Nintendo's shareholders?

Iwata deflecting from the real issues that he himself caused with his own horrendous business decisions doesn't surprise me at all.
 

Servbot24

Banned
Anyone remember over a year ago when I mentioned Nintendo was going to start to double down on accolades? Your start to see it a lot more in their PR and media?

Littered on eShop, website, investor meetings... Well I'll be.

Yeah man we totally remember your post from over a year ago, we all bookmarked it and said "Harker's prediction can never be!"
 
I don't understand this at all.

Companies have been bragging about review scores and positive quotes from reviews for a long time.

Is it bad this time around simply because it's Metacritic? I don't get it.

I say good for Nintendo. They should brag about their ratings. I was rocked with "look at the review scores of Uncharted and LBP and so on.." Being an Xbox fan and all. Exclusive scores were all the rage last gen. Now this gen since scores aren't as high as we'd all think... well.. at least I've been surprised so far this gen... but it seems like now people are against review scores and it's about sales.

Imagine that.
 

casiopao

Member
If Nintendo games are so good, why the bad sales? Either billions of gamers are stupid, or Nintendo games really aren't so good and the scores are wrong. In a world where the media thrives on console warrior clicks and smartwatch games can be "5/5", I wonder which one is it is...

Example:

Crossy Road: 9/10
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Crossy+Road/review.asp?c=62685

ALBW: 8/10
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/3DS/The+Legend+of+Zelda:+A+Link+Between+Worlds/review.asp?c=55176

Nintendo, and Nintendo only people, need to ask themselves: is Crossy Road really better than ALBW? Or are they being measured by different sticks?

ALBW sell 2.51 mill though March 31 2014. Who knows how much they sell now.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/sales/software/3ds.html
 
Natureboy's patented "A 10 for a Nintendo game is an 8 for a Sony game" shtick. Forged in the pits of GameFAQs and tempered through various Gaf bans. Perhaps today it takes foot at last in the minds of the masses.

Finding the root of the problem is critical if you want to change something. How do you explain high metacritic scores and high publicity with low sales? Or are you just here to criticize from the safety of having no position?
 
Finding the root of the problem is critical if you want to change something. How do you explain high metacritic scores and high publicity with low sales? Or are you just here to criticize from the safety of having no position?
Hardware sales. That's why iphone games sell more than anything- a lot of people have iPhones.
 

Ridley327

Member
Finding the root of the problem is critical if you want to change something. How do you explain high metacritic scores and high publicity with low sales? Or are you just here to criticize from the safety of having no position?

By the situation of Nintendo making hardware so fundamentally unwanted that it's dragging software sales with it? I mean, it's exactly the problem with the Vita.
 

Delt31

Member
why would Nintendo NOT do this? Game ratings matter people get over it. Metacritic is a great way to see what's going on in the industry. again get over it. Sites that drop review scores are not helping anyone.
 
Finding the root of the problem is critical if you want to change something. How do you explain high metacritic scores and high publicity with low sales? Or are you just here to criticize from the safety of having no position?

High publicity? The main problem with the Wii U (and to a certain extent the 3DS) is that they have no publicity.

Over 2 years later, there are still tons of people who don't know that the Wii U is actually a "new" console.
 
Well, to be fair, bragging about Metacritic scores when your sales are in the dumps is pretty dumb too.

Yeah, Iwata should wear a shopping bag over his head while crying on his knees instead, that would be the far more sensible thing to do while he is talking to his investors.
 

SykoTech

Member
Understandable as it's probably one of the few positive things they can highlight for investors at the moment. Nice for them.

I personally think Metacritic is garbage though. Very pleased to see more and more game sites these days bailing out from it.
 
I know it's been said, but I don't understand what the problem is with pointing out to your investors that you're better reviewed than your competitors. The only issue I have is with the article, which aside from being written in a very unprofessional and juvenile way, directs readers to learn why Metacritic is just bad mkay to other articles in the site which consist of nothing but platitudes and reasons that have little to do with consumer interests (namely, company practices of assigning bonuses, etc. based on it).

This just reeks of a anti-Metacritic agenda, and the knee-jerk reactions in this thread might be better served with a bit of reflection on whether or not Metacritic is the ultimate evil indeed, or rather just a tool that can be used and misused like any other.
 
I really don't have a strong opinion about this. Their games review well, let em flex. As long as it doesn't turn into this:
cover.jpg
 
By the situation of Nintendo making hardware so fundamentally unwanted that it's dragging software sales with it? I mean, it's exactly the problem with the Vita.

I agree completely. I think people (including developers) classify Nintendo as separate from Playstation and Xbox, just as we classify iphone games differently. Why? Because the hardware and thus game possibilities are so different. Many people won't respect a Nintendo platform until they reenter the hardcore arena. I really hope their next gen platform they embrace the core again. Old school Nintendo fans like me will always buy one, but we're a dieing breed. They have to let go of the nostalgia+gimmicks crutch and make hardware that core devs and gamers all want to use.
 
Like it or not, Metacritic is a metric in the industry. People are always looking at a way to quantify quality, and Metacritic serves as the best way for doing so. I see nothing wrong with them using it. Maybe they shouldn't use the user scores though, since metacritic is extremely troll-infested for the other two consoles.
 

B.O.O.M

Member
well I mean..they gotta brag/make use of something given the occasion. Gotta do what you gotta do. Nothing wrong with that
 

Ridley327

Member
I really don't have a strong opinion about this. Their games review well, let em flex. As long as it doesn't turn into this:

They've been putting stickers on their games for more prestigious awards, like SM3DW calling out its AIAS win, but that's about the extent of it.
 

JoeM86

Member
Iwata deflecting from the real issues that he himself caused with his own horrendous business decisions doesn't surprise me at all.

Not really deflecting when he brings those points up elsewhere. Don't pick and choose one part of the entire meeting and claim it as representative of his entire plan/attitude/statement.
 
Negative reactions to Nintendo PR baffles me.

Like when Reggie will say something like "I think Wii U will do well this holiday season and we'd love to have third parties on board" and half of GAF shits on him for it.

Like he's the president of Nintendo, what do you think he's going to say? "Our products suck, don't buy them!" If their games are getting good reviews they're going to promote them in such a manner or have none of you seen any post-release movie trailer ever.
 
If I was in Nintendo's position, I would like to let people know that despite the public reception of the Wii U, it released more high quality games last year than anyone.
 

Ridley327

Member
If I was in Nintendo's position, I would like to let people know that despite the public reception of the Wii U, it released more high quality games last year than anyone.

NOA did do that with the pic that was posted earlier in the thread, so they're aware of the asset that can be.
 

BY2K

Membero Americo
If Nintendo games are so good, why the bad sales? Either billions of gamers are stupid, or Nintendo games really aren't so good and the scores are wrong. In a world where the media thrives on console warrior clicks and smartwatch games can be "5/5", I wonder which one is it is...

Example:

Crossy Road: 9/10
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Crossy+Road/review.asp?c=62685

ALBW: 8/10
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/3DS/The+Legend+of+Zelda:+A+Link+Between+Worlds/review.asp?c=55176

Nintendo, and Nintendo only people, need to ask themselves: is Crossy Road really better than ALBW? Or are they being measured by different sticks?

WTF is this?
 

Schnozberry

Member
Negative reactions to Nintendo PR baffles me.

Like when Reggie will say something like "I think Wii U will do well this holiday season and we'd love to have third parties on board" and half of GAF shits on him for it.

Like he's the president of Nintendo, what do you think he's going to say? "Our products suck, don't buy them!" If their games are getting good reviews they're going to promote them in such a manner or have none of you seen any post-release movie trailer ever.

From now on, Nintendo should only use random drive-by internet forum shitposts on their promotional materials.
 

Bert409

Member
Good for them, current gen Nintendo has been incredible so far. They were always second/third priority to me in the GC/Wii eras, whereas these days I'm pretty content with just sticking with Wii U/3DS most of the time. It really feels like classic Nintendo is back when it comes to software, and they need to let everyone know it.
 
The lack of third party support helped them out here.

Not really. 3DS has plenty of 3rd party support that's very much appreciated and helps sell the system but is, more often than not, still rated lower than anything Nintendo produces themselves. On the WiiU side, save for maybe something like GTAV, nobody has been producing much on PS3 or 360 (read: titles that could actually be on the WiiU) in the last 2 years that would've outshined the shit out of what Nintendo was producing or commissioning. You could say desperation leads to over-celebration, but I don't think that's what's happening since first party 3DS titles also rate highly, where no such drought desperation exists.
 

TI82

Banned
Good for them, current gen Nintendo has been incredible so far. They were always second/third priority to me in the GC/Wii eras, whereas these days I'm pretty content with just sticking with Wii U/3DS most of the time. It really feels like classic Nintendo is back when it comes to software, and they need to let everyone know it.

As a big Nintendo fan during the NES to GameCube I highly disagree.
 
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