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Our First Review! (Patreon)

Published:
2016-04-01 09:21:50
Imported:
2021-08

Content

Just like riding a bike. Thanks to all of you we're back reviewing games, starting with Quantum Break - written by Mike Huber, edited and voiced by Brandon Jones. We've also moved to a new scoring system, which is going to take some time to get used to. What do you think?

Files

Quantum Break - Easy Allies Review

High stakes narrative and engrossing combat propel Quantum Break to greatness. Our ratings: 5 Stars - Masterful, 4 Stars - Excellent, 3 Stars - Recommended, 2 Stars - Lacking, 1 Star - Poor Support us through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EasyAllies Merchandise: http://shop.spreadshirt.com/easyallies https://www.twitch.tv/easyallies https://twitter.com/EasyAllies

Comments

Anonymous

DIMENSIONAL RIFTS.

Anonymous

Reviews is back!

Estaban

I'm on a blackout til my copy arrives. Side note - removing Alan wake bonus for Kameo (screw you amazon) is unfair

Adam Mullany

Excellent review, really looking forward to playing this - I prefer the 5/5 scoring system too, it's just easier. Great first review chaps! 👍

Anonymous

Moved to a new.... <cutoff>

Anonymous

Congratulations, Allies!

Anonymous

Love the review- that scoring system is going to be tough though considering it'll be difficult to give something a 9.5 or a 9.6 and be able to tell the difference at a glance. I think I prefer the numbers honestly.

Anonymous

Excellent, it's like you guys never left!

Anonymous

Feels good to be home :)

Anonymous

So good and I only have a ps4. My recommendation is to have some sort of cutout or statue of this game in the garage just like lightning to commemorate this momentous occasion! Once again, it is so good to have you guys back!

Anonymous

I honestly don't care for the minutia of the decimal place in numerical scoring cause where do you draw the line and resist trying to quantify to the nth degree. I think I'll come to really enjoy the star scoring. Simple, effective, and it works better to generalize instead of really narrow down to some thoroughly arbitrary number.

Anonymous

Wow... Great review. Thanks so much. Love the footage, VO, audio quality, and score reveal method. The 5 star scoring system is just easier to comprehend. It's a great barometer at a passing glance, but it's inherent simplicity helps force the viewer to hear the finer details of the critique. A more granular scoring system seems to raise more eyebrows. Representing a subjective opinion in a simpler scoring system is more palatable.

Anonymous

The review is great however I am strongly opposed to the star system. Please go back to the hundred point scale that you used to use at GT. A 8.8, 9.0, and 9.3 are very different scores. And what about when a game is almost perfect you can't give it a perfect score but 9.8 isn't an option either

Anonymous

Love the new rating system! Great review guys.

Anonymous

Congrats on the review Huber! I am extremely happy about the new scoring system, as it is preferable to a 10 point system imo. Everything below a 5 in that system is equivalent in my eyes (i.e. Not worth playing).This will be the first review for what should be an incredible run for the Allies. Bring on the Dark Souls 3 review!!!

Anonymous

Just as awesome as your reviews always have been. Great production quality. I like that you're using a five point scale for scoring, even though it turned out to be a ten point scale in practice. Either way, 100 points are absolutely not necessary.

Anonymous

Good to see reviews back. I dont want to be a stickler for details, but shouldnt the score animation come from left to right, filling up the stars ?(my eyes got confused for a bit). Like the 5 star system. Makes sorting games easier in the future.... When there is a website....hopefully....plz? ^_^

Anonymous

Works perfect with stars and half stars. Funny thing is, when I think about it, I still prefer the numbering system - from a purely pleasure oriented view. It's satisfying to be able to compare each game with the others down to the decimal and it give something to talk about exactly because something can get a 9.2 and another game a 9.3. And that creates discussion. Even if just within your own mind. Which is enormously satisfying in this silly almost candy crush like constant reward sort of way. But when it comes down to it - the numbers system doesn't really make any sense. I'm fine with stars. And especially the very subtle way it fades in at the end.

Anonymous

Awesome review! Excellent work and me too like the 5/5 score system. So happy u guys are back with shows and now reviews! (:

Anonymous

Also - these review are hands down the best in the business. Production, sound, script, narration everything. When GT shut down I started looking for alternatives. Nothing even comes close.

Anonymous

Wooh! Cheers to this! Missed these reviews as well.

Anonymous

STARS! Was Nemesis chasing you, and you thought; good idea?

Anonymous

I wonder how divisive this star rating system will be. But sign me up for liking it. It could potentially force people to listen/watch the review as opposed to fixate on the score (ex. 7.8). Also, I feel like a game can be a 5 star game without the added pressure of being "perfect." bloodborne, for example? A 5 star game... But not a 10 on your old scale (sorry, Ian). Let the review dictate how "perfect" the game is, not the score. Oh, and this game looks fantastic.

LiquidEnder

Yeahhhhhhh Brandon voicing, Hber bringing the hype. Gotta say, I do get where you guys are going with the star system, but no 7.8s is a bit troublesome :(

Anonymous

Excellent. I've been looking forward to this game. Side note: can Ben please confirm whether or not they have coasters in Iowa?

Anonymous

was just giving up on the game after reading other sites reviews - now no way im passing on it !

Anonymous

also - love the star system !

Anonymous

It's great to see you back doing reviews. I personally preferred the hundred point scale.

Anonymous
>>1584405

While I agree, I like to listen to ACG for a more comprehensive review. Check him out as well.

Anonymous

Great review, so glad you are still doing these

Anonymous

Before I watch does it contain any major spoilers I'm guessing no, just wanna make sure?

Anonymous

So is it a 9?

Anonymous

Woo! Reviews are back! While personally I would like to see review scores just go away completely so people actually have to listen to /read the points being made instead of fixating on "WHY IS THIS GAME AN 8.2 WHEN YOU GAVE THAT ONE 8.3!?".

Anonymous

awesome!, not just saying that, the reveal of the score is a nice touch!

Anonymous

I am really keen to pick up this game.

Anonymous

Nice to hear Brandon again; these reviews tell me far more than a lot of other ones out there (shout out to Michael Huber). How many wars were fought to come up with the review scale?!

Anonymous

awesome review! quantum break looks great. glad to see the 5 star system and fully approve of half stars :)

Anonymous

My only recommendation, especially given some confusion and so on, is to put the textual interpretation of that star rating (based on the wording you put up in the description on the side of YouTube) in the video as well when you display the final score. Otherwise you're going to get people interpreting 3 stars as 60% and thinking it's garbage when by your own scale a 3 is "Recommended". Otherwise I'm on board with the less granular rating.

Anonymous

Great review! Don't know what it is, but your reviews were always much more entertaining and informative than anything else on the web. Glad to see that hasn't changed. I'm not sure about the star system. It's going to take some time getting used to.

Anonymous

Great review, no complaints about the scoring system here...just glad to have them back, best in the biz.

Anonymous

Nice review! As for the scoring system, I preferred the old one.

Anonymous

Great to hear Brandon back reading reviews, but Huber should have done the whole thing in his Sam Lake voice

Anonymous

Don't like the star system but great job with the rest

Anonymous

I love you guys and this is a great review, BUT I really really really don't like the stars. Please go back to a 1 - 10 point system. It's just easier to compare the point score to other website's scores. I mean, I don't need a 8,1 and stuff like that, just 10, 9, 8, 7 and so on, but I just don't like the stars. The problem is, if I tell anyone, "Hey man, that game got 4 and a half stars on EZA" noone will know what that means. But if I say "It got an 8" everyone will know. Just my opinion.

Anonymous
>>1584378

These differences are highly subjective and can be completely disregarded compared to personal taste. I'm generally not a friend of attaching numbers to 'amount of enjoyment'. That might only be my opinion, if course.

Anonymous

It truly was a wonder hearing those lovely Jonesian pipes once again voicing game reviews. Good job, guys!

Anonymous

Great review, excited for the game, prefer the old scoring system though, I find a 5 star scale too vague, perhaps you could keep it but add something extra?

Anonymous
>>1584442

Yeah for sure, but unfortunately its expected by too many fans and viewers.

Anonymous

Glad to see that reviews are just as polished and as informative as before. Huber should be proud to have written the first for EZA.

Anonymous

looks like the division 2.0

Anonymous

Love the review style 5/5

Anonymous

love ittttt! A little more information would be nice 1star = masochism, 2star = passable etc etc :)

Anonymous

Not a fan of the star-rating either. And didnt the first review on GT, Cod, get like a 99/100 score too?

Anonymous

Great review, glad to have them back!!!

Anonymous

Oh man, the best short-form video reviews in the business are back! Great review Huber, and awesome editing / VO Brandon! Also, LOVE that you've moved to a 5 star system. I just wonder if it allows more than one game ever to get 5 stars? : )

Anonymous

It's so good to have Jones doing a voice over for a review again <3

Anonymous

Good review, great to see you guys doing them again. But seriously don't follow the trend of the star system. It is what EVERYONE is doing now, and it's still compared to a 10 or 100 point scale. I also think you can't accurately convey particular feelings about a game on such a smaller scale. If you wanna stand out from the crowd, maybe go back to the 10 point system and maybe implement a bit at the end saying who the game is for, why you should play the game and also why you shouldn't play the game. It gives people a better perspective on what you guys think.

Anonymous

Discussing the rating system can wait. Just wanna say it's great to have you back! Really missed your opinions on the newest games! No other outlet can match it.

Anonymous

Loved the review, loved having reviews back, don't mind the scoring system but would definitely prefer the old version. A score of 4 and a half stars could mean anything from 8.1 to 9.9, and I'm just not feeling that as that is a huge range.

Anonymous

Soooooo good to have you back reviewing games. I don't care about the rating system, als your text is the most important part.

Anonymous

Is this for real!!? How I miss that VO and the in depth reviews. Best reviews in the biz!

Max Jahner

Can confirm coasters in Idaho. Review was great, as always, and I'm... Indifferent to stars versus 10.0 scale? Swimming in 3 1/2 stars isn't nearly as catchy though.

Anonymous

I don't mind the star system, but in one hand, I don't see the point in using it if you don't stick to its abstract nature. If you allow half stars and that nonsense then it's like using a 0 to 10 rating system with each half star being a numerical increment, which is really pointless and feels like using the old rating system disguised under a coat of paint. If you just use 0 to 5 stars respecting the scale of «5 Stars - Masterful, 4 Stars - Excellent, 3 Stars - Recommended, 2 Stars - Lacking, 1 Star - Poor» you wrote in the video description not only will you be truly faithful to the new system, but it will be a true real change from the old rating format. Really guys, don't use half stars. On the other hand, as some other patrons suggest, the star rating system is a trend far too extended and adopting it feels kind of compliant and unoriginal. Would've been bolder if you just sticked with the GT old format with the new Allies presentation. In conclusion, use stars embracing the system or don't use it at all. Go big or go home, boys!

Anonymous

Listening to your awesome voice again feels good, Brandon!

Anonymous

Very good review, but I prefer the old rating system. Welcome back!

Anonymous

Love the review! Huber did a really good job, so nice to have you back. But tend to agree with everyone here 5 stars is such a cope out and is a very "me too" approach. Sometimes that . 1 really gives a nugget of truth which is really refreshing, we can tell when you love a game but it has a few problems to your reactions on stream, respect the audience we recognize HYPE! Metacritic will still aggregate your score it's not beating the system. You have my support whatever you decide to do.

Anonymous

SO good that these are back! Great review Mike! My first reaction was that I wanted the 0,0 - 10,0 rating system back but maybe that's just because we're so used to it. Doesn't REALLY matter though. Such a good review

Anonymous

When you move a character in a 1st /3rd person shooter you use WASD on PC. That's a convention, it's easy for players, it's intuitive. If you map the buttons differently you cause inconvenience. Reviews are translated into a 100 point scale. That's a convention. It's convenient. Your 5 star (10 point) rating just causes inconvenience, because people will need to translate it (to something around a 90 in this case). Of course you avoid discussions whether it's a 9.1 or 8.9, but really it doesn't do anything else. Now people will start to argue whether it deserves half a star more or less. You haven't solved anything, you just made it more obscure. Review scores are not evil. They are good, they are universally accepted. In the sea of games they allow me to make a quick judgement whether a game is worth taking a closer look at. I don't have time to analyse at every single game that is released. And everybody who plays games to some extend knows that the number in itself is meaningless. A 9.9 of an MMO is still irrelevant to me, since I am not interested in that genre. A 7.0 in a shooter might make it interesting. Maybe the feedback will make you reconsider. If you were serious you would have to remove the rating entirely (Metacritic would then determine one for you). If you want to stick to conventions you would return to the old scale. This here is a bit of everything and nothing. I personally don't like it. Otherwise great review, BTW!

Anonymous

thank you!

Anonymous

Love the review, the stars are fine, i'll just miss Te 7.8

Anonymous

The best VO in the biz is back!

Anonymous

Think I prefer the ten scale just because of the already established context of a '7' or like a '9'. In the gaming community these are things you have to do a wierd mind scoring conversion to think hmm 4.5 ~ 9. So now I'm thinking oh, is this game a '9' in our shared zeitgeist or is it actually a 8.8 that it's close but note quite. Anyway great review regardless!

Anonymous

Good to have your reviews back. I like the new rating system and would like to suggest that the Star is accompanied with a word, "recommended" for example.

Anonymous

Great review! Although I must admit I really favored numbers, even if on a simple 10 digit scale. But I doubt you guys would change it even if we all agreed. You probably thought long and hard about this and came to the conclusion that it would be easier giving a game 2 stars instead of a score of 4...Still: Not hearing Brandon's voice tell me a score is making me feel empty :(. Will definitely keep watching and enjoying though!

Anonymous

Nice review, feels good to see so many firsts from the EZA! But I do not feel the rating system. I watched the review and than all of a sudden I get the 4,5 Star rating, so this translates to 8.5-8.9 score in GT terms. The difference is to small and I think it would be better if you either stop using a common rating system at all or at least get rid of the "halfstars". For me, and I believe I talk for some other patrons, the vibe you get during a review already tells you if the game will be; a must play, a recommendation for fans of the genre, something worth the money, a game worth picking up for a discount, not worth anybodies time and so on. You know were I am getting with this, I already knew that I would be interested in playing the game before I saw the stars. The stars did nothing to change my mind. The overall reason I watch your reviews is not the rating at the end but your opinion about it.

Anonymous

People seem to be against the rating system change, or at best indifferent to it. Very few people in favor of it. Perhaps it would help us be charmed if we heard you explain the motives in the next podcast...?

Anonymous

I do prefer the old 9.000 - 15 ? or was it 20(bloodborne)? time tested review system. but for real, I already miss those decimal points. I'm so glad your wonderful reviews are back. I couldn't help but hear Huber saying "You play as JACK JOYCE."

Tygre

I really hope you guys switch to a true 5 star scale. Moving to a 10 point scale is a big step up from the ridiculousness of a 100 point scale (tell me the difference between a 7.8 and a 7.9, I dare you), but it's still too granular.

Anonymous

Finally I can exhale!

Anonymous

Glad to see reviews back, not sure about the stars though, tbh. I've been going back and forth about this for years now, and I still cant really decide what I think works best. I'd love for you to discuss the topic on the next podcast.

Anonymous

I like the new rating system and that it summarises the quality of a game, as with movies. I'm especially happy that there is some depth to it to with half stars, as websites such as empireonline.com suffer imo when elaborating on the score and it's variety between games. Most of all, it's the content and evaluation of the review that matters and quite frankly this is what i was looking forward to the most and this is where you excell. If anyone knows about approaching reviews (and review systems), it's you guys. And over time (from GT), you've always streamlined and hone it done. I think this is the next best evolution to it. Goodbye 7.8!

Anonymous

Really don't like the star scale you guys are using but great review!

Anonymous

I would have been fine if you guys didn't score at all to be honest. However I do think the half star scale is a little pointless, you might as well have just gone for 1-10 review scale if you want to use half stars. But as I said I’m happy anyway, I listen to the review more than the score. Great to have you back and great to see the product quality is just as good.

Anonymous

I'm actually for and not against the new rating system. It is irritating that people see games that get 7 as bad games. Suprisingly lowering the scale makes it a lot easier. 1-2 are flawed games that are not that great. 3 is a good game which flaws can put some people off. 4s are very good games that are definately worth considering. 5 - soulsborne games :P

Anonymous

HOLD ON APRIL FOOLS? 7.8

Anonymous

The review was great. The rating system is fine. Would love some insight into how you guys decided that was the way to go as I'm sure there was heavy debate leading up to it.

Andrew Chalmers

Really neat effect with the score reveal. Nice work guys.

Anonymous
>>1584377

Had a look at the ACG review. He talks a bit too much about graphics and sound for my taste and also likes his own wit a little too much, but it was a good and informative review. Thanks for that.

Anonymous

Great review, maybe buying an XBoxOne for that game....Review System is good too. I think having a Five Star System is forcing the Watcher to listen more to the reasons itself, which is good for the reviewer and all the effort he put in.

Anonymous

Good to see reviews from you guys again. Also, the new rating system is good, but I would like to see a few word summary in addition to the stars, like "great game, decent show" (for example for this Quantum Break review)

Anonymous

It's like you never left. So happy.

Anonymous

Reviews are back!!

Anonymous

You guys didn't miss a beat with this review, excellent job. The 5 star rating system is also a good choice I think, more solid then the decimal points

Vincent

PERFECT.

Anonymous

Great first review. Looks like I'll be getting Quantum Break soon :)

Anonymous

INTO MY EARS!

Anonymous

Great to have a trustable review for games again. Great job

Anonymous

The writing of Huber combined with Brandon's voice over. Oh how you've been missed!

Anonymous

This is why I'm a Patron. Thank You!

Anonymous

Great first review ! No problem at all with the new rating system. :)

Anonymous

Excellent!

Anonymous

Great review! One suggeston: maybe animate the stars filling in at the end, I almost didn't realize I was looking at the score.

Anonymous

Huber, great review, and it lined up with my own review. But can we ditch the 5 star system and go back to a score out of 10? The reason being that the 5 star system tends to result in a lot of 2/5s and 3/5s. There just isn't a lot of wiggle room. There could be a huge difference in quality between two 3/5 games. Are we the only one who thinks like this? What do the rest of the Allies think?

Anonymous

Amazing review. I also preferred the number system, but am totally okay with the star system. Whatever. I am just so damn happy to see the review. Man, it is so satisfying!

Anonymous

No, no, no. Please go back to the number system. It's far too vague to use a star system. With basic mathematics each star represents 2 points out of 10, so a five star game can be anything from 8.1-10, with a 4 star game being 6.1-8??? The writing and voice over is as always fantastic but please reconsider the score system.

Anonymous

Great review Huber. This is the first review that I have watched since Bloodborne was given a 10 post-launch by Ian. I am going to say that I also wish it was a 100 point system, but keeping the 10 point system is not going to affect whether I watch your reviews or not

Anonymous
>>1585017

I see your point but the 10 point system is broken too (everything is between 7-10). But more importantly, a review is just someones opinion. It will always be subjective. The score is something for fanboys to argue over, the video (or text on some sites) is where the real information is. I loved the GT reviews because I tended to agree with their opinions and their arguments were well reasoned.

Anonymous

Really happy with this so good to have it back, star rating i feel may be hard to do once you do a few more games, as your always being thinking that game was a 4 star and this is way better but we cant give it 5 that sort of thing lol.

Anonymous
>>1585048

There are half stars, though... So yeah, it doesn't work out that way.

Anonymous

Love the review. I don't mind the star system (the score is really just a guide anyway), the only downside is that there will never be another 7.8....

Anonymous
>>1584789

Good thinking. A few pros and cons bullets would be nice.

Anonymous

I am so glad that your Reviews are back, good Job Huber and Jones. I am Not sure about your new Ranking System but maybe its better. And for me its Quantum Break Day One!

Anonymous
>>1584399

Actually not a bad idea. Like the suspense of seeing how far it will fill up as it goes along :)

Anonymous

I enjoyed it :) Would have preferred a report card style score system ranging from "An Easy A" to "A Hard F"!

Anonymous

I haven't seen a game review since GT went down. This is an oasis in the desert.

Anonymous

Everything is right in the world

Anonymous

Is a half star (0.5/5) on the board or is this an 8/9? 'Cause outta nine is a cool scoring system.

Anonymous

Classy review

Anonymous

Finally. perfect.

Anonymous

The best reviews in town are back again, huzzah! I don't mind either rating scale as long as there is some kind of score. I'd love to have the time to be able to play every game but unfortunately it's not a reality so some kind of way to help prioritize is always appreciated. Not a huge fan of no-score systems like Kotaku. Also, really appreciate that you guys usually include the approximate length of the reviewed game in hours. It's very helpful to people like me who try and play as many new games as possible. Just my two-cents :)

Anonymous
>>1585175

Whenever I see a 5-star rating systems it always reminds me of PSNs user review system which 'never' fall below 4/5.

Anonymous

I have missed this. So. Much.

Anonymous

Nice review. Reminds me of inFAMOUS Second Son. In a good way. I am a bit disappointed that you guys haven't posted something today about Defy Media buying Easy Allies and how happy all of you are to be rejoining the Defy team. I'm laughing at my own joke.

Anonymous

Nice to hear Jonesy's voice back into a review!!!

Devon Kopec

I love the "out of 5" scoring system

Anonymous

Just want to commend you guys on the new review system, love the out of 5 review. Also the editing and the logo, just insanely cool, i love what you guys are doing. This actually makes Easy Allies seem more established than GT ever was haha

Anonymous

I prefer the 10 point system, but I'm just super happy reviews are back

Brandon K Gann

Hey everybody. While I have no interest in Quantum Break, I watched the review for two reasons: 1. Its the first Easy Allies review, I mean come on. And 2. I was curious about the "new scoring system." I have no qualms about it just curious as to the change. Was it because "new venture so new system" or were you guys tired of the ten point scale? Either way, the review was well done and I look forward to many more. Great job Mr. Huber and Mr. Jones.

Anonymous

Nice Job!

Anonymous

Great review! Don't be shy to make them longer though lol, I used to appreciate the proper in-depth reviews you guys used to do, especially for the AAA titles, but this was still a much better review than what I find nowadays with IGN and others; then again, I guess there probably isn't much else to say about the game? I can't know that for sure since I obviously haven't played it yet. The star system is great! Quick suggestion, which is somewhat implemented already, but when you give the actual rating in the end of the video, it'd be cool if you just highlight the best and worst aspects of the game in 1-2 sentences. That way, we can sort of have a better understanding of the rating that was given. I say this because I remember GT reviews and how a particular game would be greatly praised, but then get less than an 8.5, or vice versa. Anyway, awesome work guys!

Anonymous

Hey guys! Just a suggestion. What if you changed the color of the stars when the score reveals itself. It's kind of hard to see at first. Since it blends in with the rest of the the Red Font. Maybe Yellow or something that stands out? Thanks for the Review!

Anonymous
>>1585358

no dude, the 5 star system has a beautiful aesthetic and fits the format well. I really liked the transition to the title card and the reveal. Something tells me that was a Hinck contribution

Anonymous

YES! 5 point scale makes so much more sense. I never understood why people rate out of 10 when 1 - 6 is pretty much means the same thing.

Anonymous

Great review! Just like old times. I also always liked the 5-star system more than the 10 point numeric system. It's a better generalization of the quality of the game that can be more pin-point.

Anonymous

I like the stars, overall. 0.0-10.0 scale made some sense when you guys were breaking down by subcategory and averaging, but as you shifted away from that it was probably too granular - what's the difference between an 8.4 and an 8.7 to most people? So the current scale works great. 10 points is enough to compare things if you're willing to use them, but presenting it in a more abstract form instead of showing us a number makes it less about the math and more about the message. Your reviews are something to be watched, not fast-forwarded through to get to a number, and THAT is where we should be seeing whether a game gets our time or not. A simple rating system at the end is sufficient. My only doubt is that this only works well if you're willing to use the whole scale, which requires recalibrating. Maybe that means 2 (or 2/5) is the new 7, because there are probably a lot of those out there. So, overall, I give it a 3.9...

Anonymous

★★★★☆

Anonymous

Star rating is fine. I probably opens things up a bit. I think you can use 5 stars, while you couldn't use 10/10. I could even see you guys handing out 1 or 2 stars to a game as well (cooking mama 6?). But I worry that it will make the rating feel more mushy, with lots of middling 3.5 to 4.5 scores. This system only gives you three positions between 7 and 9 (which is most games) and only one position for 9-10.

Anonymous

Great first review for Easy Allies. :D I was really down when GT was shutdown, but it seems to be the best thing that could happen. The crew, the friends you are, it shows everytime you stream/are on youtube. It is just so much fun. Thank you to all Easy Allies. :)

Anonymous

Great review. I think the star rating is a solid rating system. Opens up the entire spectrum rather than having most games fall in the 6-10 range of a 10 point scale.

Dallon Taylor

I like the star system much more than the number system. Stars have a lot more wiggle room than numbers, so the interpretation is more up to you

Anonymous
>>1585422

I agree that the stars could probably use a bit more contrast as well. I'll take it any way I can get it though. Best reviews in the biz ranging from the writing to the editing and great VO. So great to have you guys back. :)

coolmedina117

That Brandon review voice I love it

Anonymous

I was very much on the fence with this one. I loved Alan Wake but this game had a rough production cycle... I guess Alan Wake did as well. After this I will definitely be picking it up. Can't wait to play.

Anonymous

Aaaaand this is why I pay monthly, awesome review guys

Anonymous

Great review, wasn't too excited about this game but I might get it now. Great job Huber and Jones!

Anonymous

Heard two "Jack Joyce" in a 6 minutes video, so I think you're ok. I like the 5-star rating system, but I wish Brandon Jones would announce the score at the end as well! "Four and a half stars... out of five."

Anonymous

Great review, I'm loving the star rating system but the only thing missing is Jones at the end announcing the score!

Anonymous

Congrats on your first review guys!!

Anonymous

Great review. Liking the new star rating system too.

Anonymous

Awesome review :) Thank you guys!

Anonymous

Meant to also say, the game looks like a mix of Infamous and Uncharted.

Anonymous

Love the review. Feels just like a nice warm cup of cocoa on a cold winters day :) Just out of curiosity though: Why the change to a star-rating system opposed to the traditional 100-point scale?

Anonymous

Love the first review! Great writing and VO as always. I like the new scoring system but I would really love a video breaking down the general editorial standards for what each star and half-star ideally should mean (Cup of Jones perhaps?). Not necessarily hard lines that can't be crossed, but general guidelines for reviews would be great to know. It would give you guys an opportunity to distinguish your reviews from other outlets and use the whole range of stars (instead of just relying on the 3-5 range). Keep up the amazing work!

Anonymous

I wasn't going to give this game a try, but now I might get it on pc.

Anonymous

Loving this return to form, definitely been missing these reviews in my life. To everyone wanting an explanation for the star system, it's in the youtube description, "Our ratings: 5 Stars - Masterful, 4 Stars - Excellent, 3 Stars - Recommended, 2 Stars - Lacking, 1 Star - Poor". I like this move to qualitative ratings because reviews are really just professionally published opinions. A star rating like this is just a summation of the reviewer's feelings about the game rather than a finely graduated demarcation of where exactly the game lands in the grand scheme of "Best Game".

Anonymous

Big fan of the new rating system! Much better than the old 100 point scale from before, though I will miss the 7.8 score we've all grown to love. Also swimming in 7s.

Anonymous

Great review! Awesome that I can finally get my reviews from a source that I trust again. I DONT like the star rating system. The 10 point scale gave a very clear picture of what a game was and wasn't. What is a star? So this game is 4.5 stars.... Is that a 9.5? 9.9? 8.1? 8.4? 8.7? There's a fairly big difference between the lines. If you're going to stick with rating games (and you should) you may as well use one that people know and love. If you're hooked on stars for whatever reason then maybe it can change to a 10 star system so that we at least hone the score value a bit. Just my 2cents.

Anonymous

If you are going to a 5 point scale with 0.5 as an option just make it a 10 point scale and be done with it. :)

Anonymous

Enjoyed the review! I pre-ordered Quantum Break blindly based on the ads which I never do! I'm glad that it appears to be a great game. Great to hear Brandon's voice again!

Anonymous

Glad to have your reviews back! They've been sorely missed. Wow seems like a lot of people aren't a fan of the new rating system. I don't mind so much, but a possible compromise could be going with a 7 star rating system to give a little more room for clarity and interpretation. Also I don't think anyone else in the biz is doing it. The review is in the writing, not the rating.

Olivier

Love the new rating system. Bloodborne and Witcher 3 are clearly 5 stars

Anonymous

I can see why the star system works better with games because I mean, in the case of Bloodborne vs The Witcher, they were both 5 stars and this system would work better.... BUT, as "The Bosman" once said in his show, people love rankings. They love to see the list of the most popular movies and games, humans are like that and I can see exactly why. Even though I can clearly see why a 5-star system is way better to fairly review games, as a human I still miss the numbers, sad but true, it's our nature to choose winners and losers, including me. I support the 5-star system but I also miss the numeric one.... having said that, I loved the review. I missed them so much! Thanks guys for coming back!

Anonymous

While I love the old rating system don't cater to our tastes. Do what you believe is right and we will follow. I'm just glad you're back at it, missed that rich Jone's voice dissecting the details.

Anonymous

I like the new review system. I do hope that some games (when they deserve it) will get 5 of out 5 stars and that getting that score will not become as elusive as getting a 10 used to be. For me a 5 star score doesn't mean it is a perfect game, like you could argue a 10 does, but just that the game is everything the reviewer hoped it would be. Big difference. Regardless, definitely keep the new system!

Anonymous

no more 7.8...this is a bittersweetday

Anonymous

Huber loves hype, and Huber loves to hype. Highest score I've seen the game get. Really confused in a game with 3 recognizable leads the live action stuff seems to be about some other white guy? Hectic

Anonymous

Big fan of the move to a star system myself.

Anonymous

Thanks guys, I missed your reviews very much. Hate the new scoring system, tho.

Anonymous

Great review, Huber, perfectly edited, Brandon. I'll miss "its a ten" or "7.8" a lot though...

Anonymous

Funny, the little things you miss. This is so great. I like the star system but I think I miss the number system purely for nostalgic reasons. The star system is simpler so maybe people won't get so upset over a 7.8.

Anonymous

Great review, and I like the new rating system. I'm actually considering buying an Xbox One for this game because I'm a big fan of Max Payne and Alan Wake. The combat looks so stylish, and I know it's going to be fun.

Anonymous

I mean I guess. The review system is not new. There is a lot lost from not being able to give a more precise score. Conformity does allow EZA to be better measured up with other gaming sites. I am happy with it. Quantum Break does not pull me in. EZA did a great job with their first review.

Anonymous

When I first clicked on this review, I knew it would be fantastic! Good job Huber and Jones! Just like old times! You guys are hands-down the best, most honest, open-minded reviewers in the biz. I liked when Brandon used to announce the score at the end too "4.5 stars...... Out of 5" On a more sour note, I THINK I was a bigger fan of the old 100 point scale. The 5-star system doesn't seem to take it as seriously. It takes a lot of the pressure off. Not that I want to put unnecessary pressure on the crew, but the 100 point scale is just classic. Not to mention with the .5 option for stars, the 5 star system is just a 10-point scale.(Quantum Break is a 9, no more, no less) But who knows!? Maybe after a few more reviews, the 5-star method will grow on me! Looking forward to the next one. Thanks guys

Anonymous

Love the review! Great to have these back! But I miss the 10/100 point scale. Stars are ok, but don't really say much about a game. I think if you're not going to have a 10 point scale or something completely different or bit more unique than you might as well not have a score to go along with the review.

EmergencyPoncho

I think I like the simplified 5 star system. Let the audience decide for themselves if a game is between a full star and a half star. Having scores like an "8.7" feel a bit arbitrary to me. Keep up the great work, team!

Anonymous

The best reviews in the biz are back :) I missed you guys :D

Anonymous

Can you add a bonus category specifically for 7.8? I'm being serious.

Anonymous

Nice review, damn that awesome voice is back! I guess the new star system good, will take some getting used to like you say. Although my personal opinion is that the colors you use make the stars kinda blend or not stand out. Maybe if you have white background, or if you have the both words 'final score' in white, will make the red stars stand out, but for now they kinda blend with the word 'final'. Or have 'final score' in red and white stars, or have 'final score' in white and have red stars. Think white stars will pop out more with a black background. I'll shut up now.

Anonymous

Nice! I don't mind the stars, but it's hard to believe this game is a 4.5. So, assuming 5 stars doesn't necessarily equal a perfect game, this is just THAT good of a game I guess. I think there was something about the granularity of the 100 point system that made it more accurate/believable to me, but maybe I just need to break it in. I watched a lot of GT reviews, but in general I'm not the type of person that let's review scores color my own opinions. I suppose that's a consideration in this single measly comment :)

Anonymous

It is so refreshing to watch a review from y'all where the comment section is not plagued by complaints about the damn video player. Bravo, Huber and Brandon, it's great to have your reviews back.

Anonymous

Oh - also: I don't remember the writers and VO getting credited in the reviews at GT. I always recognized Brandon's voice, but for the other guys who didn't have their own show at GT, I didn't even know how they contributed. I wonder if that was a corporate decision or what, but I think it's absolutely refreshing to know who's behind the words. Nice job! Keep the dream alive.

Anonymous

I'm cool with the new review system

Anonymous

I think the new scoring system is fine. I concern myself with what's actually being said over arbitrary numbers that may not necessarily show accurate representation so it didn't matter to me what you guys decided to go with. On Quantum Break though the decision to model characters after well known actors and the live action stuff kill the game for me.

Anonymous

I'm not really sure what to think about the star system... I was left feeling uncertain about the score. To me the stars showed that this game is near perfect, but i didn't get that sense from the review. I also don't care for 8.7, 9.0 and 9.3 system because the difference almost means nothing to me. To be honest, I would need to see more game reviews to understand the star system more, or at least hear your thoughts on why you chose it.

Anonymous

I am really happy that reviews are back, no one does video reviews like you guys! I do not like the 5 star system however, my opinion is that a 10 point scale (I assume you are only going to break down to half a star) doesn't give enough detail. 100 is a bit too much, 20 is perfect. I would love to see it change to a 10 point system broken into half points. This allows 9.5s to be handed out to truly excellent games whilst maintaining the elusive 10 for the perfect ones.

Anonymous

I personally like the new scoring system. Also like that you are unsure of the score until the final transition wipe. Great review!

Danni-H4

I dig the new system, however I'd like the return of ratings: story (if available), gameplay, etc.

Anonymous

Im confused about the scoring system ? I you are doing half stars any way why not just do 1-10 without .5s ?

Anonymous

Has there ever been a rating system where they score categories such as level design, gameplay and story of the game to get an overall view of how it is?

Anonymous

It's great to have the reviews up and running, however I'm not sure that the star rating system is granular enough to rate a game accurately as half a star equals 10% which means that if a game is above 9/10 it has to score 10, which I believe will cause game scores to be held back a little. Apart from that I'll give you five stars for the great effort that you guys have put into the last couple of weeks. Keep it up, it's great to have you back!

ConeZone

Gotta be honest, not digging the stars. :(

Anonymous

Tears of joy.

Anonymous

I think the star system is a step up from the previous 2sqrt(e^pi)/10 system. But honestly, I don't think you need to grade the games at all. The review speaks for itself. Metacritic drives traffic, sure, but you're not on it and you have Patreon.

Anonymous

why change the rating system?? that was like your trademark!

Anonymous
>>1587062

The early GT reviews broke them into sections like that, culminating in an aggregated final score. I liked that system a lot because it was always abundantly clear why a game deserved a specific score. I remember that sort of breakdown sold me on a game I dismissed (Alpha Protocol) where story and choice were interesting, but gameplay was "meh."

Anonymous

Wow, you all have no idea how good it is to have your reviews back. The only opinion I trust. Great job with this one and I cannot wait for more. The dark ages of my life when your voice was absent are finally over.

Anonymous

I literally haven't watched a review since Firewatch on GT. Hearing the first words come out from Jones is bliss.

Anonymous

Are pateron videos youtube embeds? I.e. Are we affecting those view counts here?

Anonymous
>>1587167

I agree. The last line "...is a must play game" speaks for itself.

Anonymous

The Feels of having trailers back! What a great game to start out with as well!

Anonymous

So good to have the reviews back! If i'm honest though I'd prefer you go with a system similar to Eurogamer with ratings like avoid, recommend or essential (or none of these for a game that's good for specific audiences). Rating games on a scale of five stars or x/10 doesn't always make it easy to understand great for everyone or just for me or the reviewer, especially if there is no context as to what makes it 4.5 stars or 2 stars, etc. that all reviewers adhere to. It would seem that the script of your videos does enough to tell viewers if a game is good, ok, great or not worth playing.

Anonymous

I miss the numbers. They're more specific.

Anonymous

I missed that soothing voice! And i like the star system. I like all kinds of games so i find it kind of pointless having really specific scores, like theres any difference between 8.5 and 8.7. I just need to know if a game is amazing, really good, ok, or total crap, and i think the 5 star system suits that pretty well. The only problem i have with the stars is that they dont "pop" enough. I would add some firework or explosions or lazers or something to brighten them up a bit!

Anonymous

Like I said earlier, great review. Hope both XBO and PC users enjoy the game

Anonymous

Great review. I like the scoring system but I usually put more stock into what the reviewer actually says than the final score so it could quite frankly be whatever system and I'd probably think it was OK.

Anonymous

frankly I'm just happy you're doing reviews again. Any scoring system is but a distraction from the beauty of your narrative and the wondrous voice of Brandon Jones.

Anonymous
>>1587566

They did put the legend in video info box on youtube, but they could probably make that clearer. 3 is recommend, 4 is excellent, 5 is masterful. 2 is lacking, 1 is poor. That strikes me as a decent way to calibrate if they really stick to it

Anonymous

I'm more of a fan of a 5-point scale, it invites less comparison between games. But I'll take a 10 point scale over a 100 point scale. Thanks for the review!

Anonymous

Hm, after thinking a while about it I'd prefer a scale from 0-10 (with .5s inbetween) to the star rating as it's more nuanced. There are always games that are better than an 8 but at the same time don't deserve a 9 yet, so it'd be good to have something inbetween. As stupid as it sounds but if I ignore the review and only look at the score at least for me there's a certain difference between a 7.5 (interesting for fans of the genre, for everyone else might be worth checking out) and an 8.4 (must buy for fans, lots of other people will dig it too). In your case both would get an 8 which doesn't reflect the facts properly in my opinion.

Anonymous

I like the ***stars**!... there's too much politics around numbers these days ;) ... nice review! 7.8

EasyAllies
>>1586795

At GT there were bylines in the reviews for the last three years or so, but yeah for the longest time no one was credited. -Blood

Anonymous

I don't mind the stars at all. It's the content of your reviews that I do mind. Happy to have them back.

Anonymous

So happy you guys are doing reviews again. :D Though I'd like to echo what a lot of people have said: I'd prefer number ratings as opposed to stars. And even if you really want to stick to stars, there should be a much more impactful method to display it with some motion graphics. I would even help out on that aspect for free if needed. The content itself is gold, as always!

Anonymous

Nice review. I also like the stars rating, kind of reflective of how true film critics review films. Speaking of which, I'd like to see you review films maybe sometime Huber.

Anonymous

It gave me goosebumps, welcome back guys.

Anonymous

I don't mind the stars as I don't really think the number at the end of the review is that important. Personally, I like what Kotaku does. It could be something simple like "Worth it", "Not Worth it", "Wait for discounts" or something along those lines. I was worried you guys would change the structure of the review, but I'm glad that wasn't the case. So happy to hear Brandon's voice on a review again.

Anonymous

I really like the star rating system! I feel like a lot of the time people get too hung up on numbers, when really what is most important is the actual content of the review. Great work guys, and welcome back!

Anonymous

Awesome first review review guys! I dont really mind what scoring system you use, just that you'll be able to keep doing reviews!

Anonymous

I like the 5 star scale. It reminds me of the Adam Sessler reviews on x-play. Awesome first review by the way guys, and keep them coming. You guys' reviews will be the only review i care about.

Anonymous

I love the style and the 5 star rating is excellent! Keep it up guys:')

Anonymous

I would always close the browser window before the score on the GT reviews. Scoring systems seem so arbitrary and unnecessary. Most of the nasty comments towards the review would usually focus on those numbers, and that never made sense to me. The content of the review is enough to inform me about what you guys thought of the game. However, I understand the need for some kind of metric, and I feel like the star system is a nice compromise. Great to have these back.

Anonymous

In a perfect world video game reviews would have no scores, but I greatly prefer the star system to the points. So happy to be watching these again!

Anonymous

I hadn't been following this game much, but watching this review has convinced me that I need to look into this game and probably will buy it, looks good.

Anonymous

I didn't realize how much I missed these reviews until I watched this one. Welcome back.

Anonymous

Remember when we had proper scores? It was easy, it was beautiful. Tremendous. Tremendous scores. But now? All gone. All gone. Terrible. All those great scores? Shipped to China... or Mexico. Terrible. It's terrible. It really is. Make a deal to bring them back again. Bring back proper scores! It's going to be so great! It's going to be so great, you will feel tired of feeling great. Come on! Make reviews great again!

Anonymous

finally reviews are back! tired of going to other websites that aren't nearly good as EZA crew

Anonymous

I'm a big fan of the 5 star system, and with the editorial context, it is only made stronger. Great job!

Anonymous

Good stuff!

Anonymous

Very glad to have reviews back!! Everything felt and sounded familiar. I think I am a fan of the star system but can't quite decide yet. Either way, good review Huber and Brandon as always. The game looks better than i thought it would be, but ultimately i didn't really see any interesting or particularly unique time bending going on, just a bunch of slomo explosions and bullets. Looks a lot like infamous to be honest but less varied. Not a system seller - but a solid, fun looking game definitely.

Anonymous

I like the stars. Might be cool if the stars fill in / count upward at the end of the review? Would add a bit of suspense

Anonymous

Great to have you guys back and great review

Anonymous

So amazing to have you guys doing reviews again. No one else comes close to you guys. Hearing your voice again I'd amazing brandon. Well done dudes. As far as people saying they should go back to numbers. the stars are numbers. 4.5/5. No?! 5 stars makes it an out of 5 system. It's less hassle because it's always .5 increments so people can't argue over scores of 98 and stuff like that so I think this system is perfect. X

Anonymous

Please go back to the 100 point scale, I've seen far too many publications switch to the 5 star system and I, and many other, hate it.

Anonymous

Fantastic! You guys are are back in form.

Anonymous

Wonderful review! Very nicely written. I don't know about the star-system though. You guys probably had a big debate about that. I would love to hear about this discussion in-depth in a podcast or maybe in the LOVE AND RESPECT section of the weekly podcast. I don't think that there's a perfect system, but hearing about the deliberation would be nice.

Anonymous

The review itself is just as good as they were at GT, but personally, I think it'd be better to do a 20 point scale (0.0-0.5-1.0...9.5-10.0). Stars seem too restrictive of a score.

Anonymous

awesome to have your reviews back, not a fan of the stars though

Anonymous

i like the stars, because its harder for people to get pissed off. what might be even better would be a 3 star system, pretty much thumbs up or down or okay. Then you can break it down into 1.5 almost okay and 2.5 would be good but not great etc. If you wanted to say something is fantastic maybe have easy allies approved/guarantee stamp or go more individual ben moore approved/ hubers hype stamp of approval/ bosmans #makeitright

Anonymous

Fantastic review! Well written and voiced! Also love the points system at the end - I see any points based score as a bonus anyway, the main meat is the written review. So a five star system is perfect! Can't wait for more!

Anonymous

I'm surprised with the score. Listening to the review, you seemed to enjoy it, but had a number of flaws. Sounded like an 7.8-8.3, but than 4.5 stars pops up (9 out 10). Still wish it was a 100 point scale.

Gan Khef

Hey. I'll take a 5 star system, combined with a robust review , over a 100 point system with a overly massaged or nit-picky script any day. As long as the reviews are sufficiently long I have no complaints. =)

Anonymous

I wonder what kind of score it would have gotten if the FMVs were actually comparable to modern television, or the campaign wasn't so short, or it had a multiplayer mode, or there was much more variety to the enemies and environments, or it ran at a proper resolution. I guess six stars out of five, right? Is it possible, therefore, that you have considerably overrated this game?

Anonymous
>>1604898

I never found that to be the case with their older reviews, so this just seems like an inferior system as a whole.

Anonymous

Brandon Jones is the voice of game reviews. Also I finally figured out how hard it is to do voice over. Never thought I could mispronounce a word at the end of 100 word paragraph so many freaking times. So keeping doing Gods work Jones.