i think we should halves into the rating system, cuz really, when theres two games that are both 8's some of them (like twilight princess) i feel deserve to be separated from other worse 8 rated games, so i think we should have 8.5, 9.5, 7.5, etc. to separate the better 8's from the others for example

A decimal system would certainly be welcome.

If it were up to me (and thankfully it's not) I'd vote to get rid of the ratings system entirely. That way people would actually have to read the reveiw, and use the opinion of the reviewer, instead of a number, to decide if the game is for them.

Also another thing, a reveiw is the reveiwer's opinion, not yours. You might feel like Twilight Princess is better than so-and-so title, but if the reveiwers don't share your opinion, than adding more numbers isn't going to make things any better will it? Because prehaps the reveiwer thought TP was a lower ranking 8, and let's say a game you thought wasn't even deserving of an 8, they might consider a high 8. Again, your problems aren't fixed by doubling the system.

Finally, why do you really care? A reviewer's word isn't law, it's just their opinion.If you want to premote a game that a reveiwer didn't quite like as much, than you should spread the word yourself! Just tell people that you disagree and point out some positive facts about it. Or better yet, write your own reveiw showing your opinions. Sure, it might not be featured on some big site, but when a person is really on the fence about a game, any opinion can help sway their descicion.

That said, I don't think Twilight Princess is a game worth flipping out about. An 8 is still considered a great game, just short of superb. The thing that is leaving me scratching my head is not "Why did it get that score?" but instead "Why did it take so dang long to get this game reveiwed?"

I would love to see the ratings jettisoned, but that seems unlikely to happen. Adding decimals, ugh. I'd really rather have a variable rating system without a foundation, so I'd rate Twilight Princess 25/40 wolf-heads, for example. It would make the grousing more entertaining!

Count me in for removing the ratings, too. If you want any kind of "at a glance" indicator, give the page a green color theme if the game is ultimately a recommended play, yellow if the feelings are mixed, and red if the game doesn't come recommended.

Beyond that, as Buster mentioned, it sure would be nice if people just read the review and came to their own conclusions, rather than bowing down to digits as though they're the Word of God themselves. (And much like the Word of God, people often get mad when they disagree. )

Actually, I'm quite content with the current ratings system. I can elaborate further when I'm finished work lol!

I like the "traffic light" system Chickie Brutie suggests, though I suspect everything would end up being yellow!

I give this topic a score of 9.2

I give it a red light and 5/32 tadpoles.

Just remember: whatever it is, there needs to be a number seven in there somewhere or you'll confuse ol' Corbs.

Oh, and how about a snazzy /30 system, where you score games out of ten for gameplay and aesthetics, and out of five for enjoyment and extra content? That idea could catch on.

Actually this could be bad lol then corbie would be able to give 7.7's lol

Btw guys i didnt say the decimals should be complicated fractions. I just said they should be .5's only, not .1, .2, .3, etc. Just ratings that are either a whole number or a whole number and a half...

I think reader reviews should be averaged and displayed alongside the "official" review. This feature used to be on VC-Reviews - please bring it back.

No more reader reviews. We want to keep reader input to a minimum.

Ya that is a great idea, have more opinions and then allow us to give it our own ratings, and then there can be an average user rating and stuff like that, very nifty idea

There will be a revolution > We have to keep the peace in this democracy, lets not have anarchy arise XD

This is not a democracy. Never was.

To clarify, I just meant reader scores, not full reviews. We will have them back!

Or else, we revolt right edwin!

I don't like the color system Chicken spoke of. Nintendo Power already uses it for their coverage of VC and WiiWare, and it's horrible! I'd prefer either no scores, or the 10-point system, with the former being more preferred. How come Play magazine is the only professional media source I know of that doesn't use scores anymore? It's a great idea, and one that others should adapt.

As far as reading the reviews to judge content goes, that's a tricky thing. I read the review of Twilight Princess, and within the context of the review, it doesn't even SOUND like an eight. But I guess that's because of what I value in a game. His nitpicks mean nothing to me.

welll personally i think giving things a percentage grade makes them sound a lot cooler. dont you think? compare 8.5 out of 10 to 85% out of 100%!!! craziness!