Tag: Metacritic

  • Sega Tops Metacritic While Nintendo and EA Miss Top 20 List

    Sega Tops Metacritic While Nintendo and EA Miss Top 20 List

    Key Takeaways

    1. Metacritic’s rankings for 2024 evaluate game publishers based solely on critic scores, excluding retail sales and user reviews.
    2. Fulqrum Publishing ranked 37th with 219.1 points, while Electronic Arts and Nintendo fell to 23rd and 22nd, respectively, after strong performances in previous years.
    3. Nintendo’s major titles, including The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, scored lower than usual, potentially due to a strategic wait for the upcoming Switch 2.
    4. Ubisoft improved its ranking from 23rd to 18th, and Take-Two Interactive rose significantly from 25th to 12th.
    5. The top five publishers for 2024 are Focus Entertainment, Sony, Aksys Games, Capcom, and Sega, with Sega achieving its third top ranking, aided by successful titles like Metaphor: ReFantazio.

    Metacritic has released its list showcasing the leading game publishers for titles launched in 2024. The platform applied a unique points system to evaluate the publishers, relying solely on scores from critics’ reviews. Games that were rated as “great” (scoring 90 or above with at least seven reviews) received an extra five points. Notably, retail sales and user reviews were not part of this specific ranking. The list encompasses various hardware platforms, but mobile games were left out. This marks Metacritic’s 15th annual review, featuring major players like Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, who have been recognized in previous years.

    Rankings Overview

    At the forefront of the rankings (refer to the table below), Fulqrum Publishing sits in 37th place with 219.1 points. Atari is positioned at 31st, while Bandai Namco takes the 27th spot, and Konami follows in 25th place. However, two big names fell short this year. Electronic Arts landed in 23rd, and Nintendo, which had a strong performance in the past and ranked sixth last year, now finds itself in 22nd. Electronic Arts’ top-rated game this year was The Sims 4: Life & Death (PC, scored 86), but Madden NFL 25 (PS5, 70) and NHL 25 (PS5, 66) didn’t receive as much praise, with user ratings of just 3.1 and 3.0, respectively.

    Surprising Performance

    It wasn’t only Electronic Arts facing a disappointing outcome in 2024; Nintendo also experienced unexpected stagnation. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Switch) performed decently with a score of 88, but The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Switch) “only” reached 85. Typically, most Zelda titles score above 90, with Ocarina of Time (N64, 1988) achieving an impressive 99 (3DS version available on Amazon). This could be attributed to Nintendo taking a more gradual approach in 2024. The anticipated release of the Switch 2, along with its major titles this year, is expected to elevate Nintendo’s position in the next year’s rankings.

    Other Notable Changes

    Ubisoft has shown improvement, moving up from 23rd to 18th place, while former two-time champions Take-Two Interactive made significant strides from 25th to 12th. The top five publishers, ranked from lowest to highest, are Focus Entertainment, Sony, Aksys Games, Capcom, and Sega. Sega, which was ninth in the previous rankings, owes its rise to titles like Metaphor: ReFantazio (PS5, 94), Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance (PS5, 87), and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (PS5, 89). Sega has previously won in 2016 and 2021, making it the first publisher to top the rankings three times, as noted by the site.

    Metacritic

    Teaser image (edited): Metacritic & Sega

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  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Developer Reacts to Bad Review

    Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Developer Reacts to Bad Review

    In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2), gamers once again take on the role of Henry, steering his journey through the medieval landscape of Bohemia. This RPG is a vast, engaging sandbox that is packed with realistic features—Henry needs to eat, sleep, and keep his equipment in good shape, among other tasks. Enhancing the strengths from its 2018 predecessor, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, this sequel continues to enchant its loyal fanbase. The standard edition can be found on Steam for $59.99, while the Gold Edition is available for $79.99.

    Impressive Reception

    Just one day post-launch, KCD2 has received 4,790 reviews on Steam, with an impressive 92% of them being favorable. On Metacritic, the game boasts a Metascore of 88, although a user score wasn’t available at the time of this writing.

    A Step Forward

    When compared to its earlier version, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which currently has a Metascore of 76, KCD2 marks a notable improvement. However, lead developer Daniel Vávra expresses some discontent. Out of 53 Metacritic reviews, four are labeled as “Mixed,” meaning they scored below 60. One review that particularly annoys Vávra is from GamesHub’s Jam Walker, who rated the game 50 out of 100, explaining:

    “Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a game that bluntly requires you to engage with it on its own terms, which I do find somewhat commendable. Yet, I found it to be a tedious grind to interact with, where everything felt excessively exaggerated. There’s a captivating sandbox hidden within, but excavating through the layers of annoyance was just too much for me most of the time.”

    Commitment to Realism

    The adverse review likely arises from KCD2’s dedication to realism—a key feature that many fans love but that also requires significant effort. Activities such as weapon forging or alchemy must be conducted manually, which can take a lot of time but also deepens the player’s immersion.

    Metacritic holds a significant place in the gaming world, with a game’s Metascore often viewed as a benchmark of its quality, and negative reviews can sway potential buyers. Nevertheless, the GamesHub critique is unlikely to greatly affect KCD2’s success, given that the majority of reviews are in the 80 to 100 range.

    Developer’s Disappointment

    Vávra’s frustration stems from KCD2 not reaching the esteemed 90-point threshold—a level typically reserved for elite games. He conveyed his disappointment in a post on X:

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