We’re nearing the tail end of March 2025, which means the first quarter of this year, and plenty of video games releases, are now behind us.This means, of course, that we’re going to start seeing Best Games of the Year So Far roundups, inevitably bringing review score discourse back to the ring for yet another round. Hooray…
Every Game Has Scored The Same
The thing is, a lot of the year’s biggest releases so far have averaged about the same collective response from reviewers and players alike. A couple have been outliers – on the low end is Lost Records: Bloom & Rage at 77 on OpenCritic (a perfectly respectable score, and a game I quite liked), while Split Fiction, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, and Monster Hunter Wilds are on the high end at around 90.
But the vast majority of releases: Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Avowed, and Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land (god, that’s a mouthful) have all averaged an 81, apart from the last one, which settled in at 80. That’s just the major releases, by the way – the majority of games released this year have been in the 70-80 range as well.
If you’re looking to review score averages to help you pick out the best games of the year, you’re pretty much out of luck. So, may I recommend actually reading a review instead of just looking at the score for once?
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Review Scores Don’t Tell You Anything
By all accounts, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a perfectly serviceable game. Interestingly, when you compare the highest scoring reviews with the lowest, they often say very similar things in the reviews themselves. The enemy AI is a little fussy. The story is decent, but not amazing, and takes a while to get going. The rendering of historical Japan is astonishingly beautiful, as are the way the seasons change. The upgrade systems are dreary and repetitive.
Yet the scores attached to these reviews can vary from a perfect score to a middling five or six out of ten. What gives? Well, as I’ve said before, review scores don’t matter. Like, at all. The way these scores are handed out can vary wildly from site to site, let alone from reviewer to reviewer.
At TheGamer, for example, we only give perfect scores to games that are generation-defining. I’ve given middling scores to games that I really enjoyed and that sat with me for months, even years after I played them. A lot of sites don’t do this.
And broadly, review scores are inflated across the industry for a number of reasons. Flawed but enjoyable games are given 80s instead of the lower scores (60 to 70) that they would be getting if the scales weren’t so skewed. This isn’t likely to change any time soon – players see a game that scores under 75 and instantly decide it’s not worth playing. Without an industry-wide resolution to standardise the way reviews are scored, there’s no way to fix this. Every game is an 80, unless it’s incredible or awful.
A lot of indies suffer disproportionately from this as they’re reviewed by fewer outlets, which can drag their score down.
That’s why many sites are moving away from scores altogether. In a perfect world, none of us would have to attach an arbitrary score to a full review because people would read the text and decide for themselves if a game is worth playing or not. Criticism would have value in its own right.
Anyway, read our Assassin’s Creed Shadows review here. Remember: the score doesn’t matter.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Experience an epic historical action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal shinobi Assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos. Switch seamlessly between two unlikely allies as you discover their common destiny. Master complementary playstyles, create your shinobi league, customize your hideout, and usher in a new era for Japan.
• Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
• Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles. As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies. As Yasuke, strike your foes with lethal precision and power. Unlock new skills, gear, and progression independently for each character.
• Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
• Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.