Anyone else expecting mediocre reviews?

[Dragonite]

there's been a lot of threads debating this already

anyway i've made the point before, but if games like tf2 and cod4 can be light on content at release and be hailed as some of the greatest multiplayer games of all time, i don't think the lack of content like maps or singleplayer levels will make much of an impact on reviewer's decision to give the game a high score or not. people also forget that games without any attention from critics can succeed on word of mouth alone (kerbal space program, etc) and legitimately good games praised by critics can get absolutely hated by audiences because they think it has an agenda they're shoving down their throat (gone home) or something else really trivial (phil fish maybe being mean and saying goofy things while making fez.) review's have a correlation with a game's success, but not a direct connection.

i think it will get some mixed reviews for sure. the game at a conceptual level is really unorthodox, and the fact it's all about covering the map in ink will probably just be perceived as a gimmick to more jaded critics. however, that won't stop it from getting a strong playerbase, imo. the fact that it's coming out when kids are getting out of school and during a drought of games coming out on the wii u will certainly do it some favors, sales wise

I must admit, you bring up some good points. I think it'll be the kind of game people dismiss until they see their friends playing it.

A few of my friends really weren't interested/hadn't even heard of Splatoon. I insisted they checked out the test fire and they told me it was the best game they ever played! It's certainly going to be interesting to see how the game does, in terms of sales and reviews.

 

[Homer Fanboy]

Honestly, yeah. It won't affect me, but it will probably get 7s from a lot of sites. Kind of short single player, 5 maps at launch, no VC, amiibo locked content, etc. I'm super hyped for this game don't get me wrong, but reviewers will probably take off for that stuff.

 

[get ROWDY]

People are already bashing it for lack of voice chat, which apparently is a big deal?

This never seemed like a game where voice chat was necessary, there was never a point where I watched splatoon and thought I actually wanted voice chat. The games are short, the objective is really simple, and all the maps are decently open and simple. This game doesn't really warrant it tbh.

But screw the reviews, you can't change people, all you can do is learn to ignore it. Plus reviewers are just regular people, and really who cares what they think anyways?

 

[Shiranui]

To be clear, I'm more worried about the game doing well than really caring about reviewers opinions.

 

[Geistbox]

To be clear, I'm more worried about the game doing well than really caring about reviewers opinions.

I don't think you have that much to worry about on that end. In Japan the game currently has 96 preorders/points on Comgnet five days before release which is more than the likes of Pikmin 3 and 3D World had on launch. While preorder rankings aren't the best barometer, the game is bound to sell around 200k in Japan alone within the first two-three weeks which is roughly how much the first shipment is going to be. Breaking at least the half-million barrier worldwide is going to be easy considering how much intense marketing the game is getting. The word of mouth can only allow it to go up afterwards if there's a gem in here.

 

[Mayday]

I agree. I think it's going to be difficult to review because of the low amount of content. It's something they could get away with if they charged $40 instead of $60 for the game. I'm guessing most scores will be in the 7.5-8.5 range

 

[Endymion]

"Can't judge a book by its cover" goes the saying doesn't it? I'm sure it will get a decent rating for its gameplay, and not for it's uh...."advertisement".
Nintendo literally blew it with the squid kid commercial when it comes to first impressions.

 

[Mrwhatzitooya]

Personally, I can't wait to see IGN's review for the game.

7.8/10 - "Too much ink"

 

[Shiranui]

Personally, I can't wait to see IGN's review for the game.

7.8/10 - "Too much ink"

I doubt IGN will ever use that score again.

 

[AEM]

The score doesn't necessarily matter much to me. The Testfires have shown me that I actually thoroughly enjoy playing this game, so that's all I really need to be sold on it.

 

[Kosaki]

The game being "imcomplete" at launch is a legimate issue. I can see the game getting destroyed for that, because for a lot of people replay value will be meh. Add to that you can only play 2 different maps every 4 hours.
For competitive players, it may be a good way to practice and focus on each map at a time. But not everyone has this mindset.

The game will be decent enough only in August, we all know that, group matchmaking and private lobbies are something big to consider.

 

[thefro]

It should be better than mediocre because everything I've read has been very positive. Single player has been better than most of the reviewers expected as well.

It'll probably get dinged by some for the content at launch.

 

[RedML51]

I mean, I get the feeling that reviewers are generally open-minded. Yeah, things like a lack of content and lack of voice chat might affect the game, but everyone seems to agree that the game is really quite fun. It's not like reviewers as a whole are usually hard on Nintendo games; Zeldas regularly get 10s, both the two Super Mario Galaxies are both in the top 3 highest reviewed games on Gamerankings. I wouldn't be surprised if Splatoon did end up getting high reviews.

I hope it does get good reviews, as that can only help it in the long run, but the game should do fine even if it doesn't...

 

[Dragonite]

I just hope reviewers don't try to compare it to the common Shoot 'em ups you find on other consoles and appreciate it for its own uniqueness.

 

[Gideonsmash]

I'm expecting 7-8/10's.

I accidently read 'I'm expecting 7.8/10'

 

[° Moteki]

with all the pros and cons taken into consideration i'd expect a 7. As most already said, anything lower than that either needs a considerably huge explanation as to why or they are probably affiliated with IGN in some way.

 

[RedML51]

I think it'll get at least 8s... it's a fun game!

9s might be optimistic... but it's not impossible.

 

[PrinceOfKoopas]

Maybe they'll update their review scores for when Splatoon's DLC comes out.

 

[Hi_C]

I honestly never really take reviews into that much consideration. I guess I use it to justify things but other than that, if a game looks interesting and fun then I am going to play it. I wouldn't worry about it to be honest, the game already has a pretty big community as is, and the testfire is really gonna help because getting hands on play will sway people for sure.

 

[Lozjam]

Don't think that reviews are the only thing that sells a game as well. Just look at Hyrule Warriors. That game largely got mixed reviews, but it is one of Techmo Koei's most successful games and it sold over 1 million copies. I love HW as well, but the reviews were very, very mixed. I suspect the same will happen with Splatoon on a larger scale, but I think it will be wildly successful despite those bad reviews.