Metascores
Metacritic's scores ("Metascores") are weighted averages—certain publications are given more significance "based on their stature."
Metacritic Games Editor Marc Doyle was interviewed by Keith Stuart of The Guardian to "get a look behind the metascoring process." Stuart wrote "the metascore phenomenon, namely Metacritic and GameRankings, have become an enormously important element of online games journalism over the past few years." Doyle said that because video games are a greater investment of time and money than other forms of entertainment, gamers are much more informed about reviews than film fans or music fans. They would like to know "whether that hotly anticipated title is going to deliver."
The ranging metascores for games, films, television programs and music are:
| Indication | Video games | Films/television/music |
|---|---|---|
| Universal acclaim | 90-100 | 81–100 |
| Generally favorable reviews | 75-89 | 61-80 |
| Mixed or average reviews | 50-74 | 40-60 |
| Generally unfavorable | 20-49 | 20-39 |
| Overwhelming dislike | 0-19 | 0-19 |
Read more about this topic: Metacritic