The review embargo is now officially up for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions of Aliens: Colonial Marines. The game has scored a disappointing 49 on online review aggregator Metacritic. Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the only positive review of the game, stating that it’s a wonderful homage to the Aliens franchise. Eurogamer gave the game a damming 30 and said that it’s a generic effort coasting on borrowed iconography. The game launches on Wii U in North America next month.
Online review aggregation site Metacritic has compared the 2012 releases from the major games publishers. Nintendo were second in 2011, but slipped to fourth in 2012. Electronic Arts who were previously in fourth position have risen to first and are followed behind by Microsoft. Sony have taken the third pace, and Nintendo are now sitting in fourth. The average Metascore for Nintendo is 71.2. The best original title on Nintendo platforms during 2012 was the brilliant Xenoblade Chronicles. You can read the findings here.
Thanks, Nick
The Wii U was released on November 18th, 2012, in North America, and, obviously, there weren’t many video games released this year for the new console, compared to the existing PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Based on Metacritic, with a Metascore of an 87 out of 100, the best reviewed Wii U game of 2012 is BioWare’s port, Mass Effect 3: Special Edition.
The first Nintendo-published game on the website’s list of the best reviewed Wii U games of the year is New Super Mario Bros. U, with a Metascore of an 84 out of 100.
Here are the top 10 reviewed Wii U games of 2012, according to Metacritic:
Based on 14 critics, Ubisoft’s Wii U-exclusive game, ZombiU, currently holds a 72/100 on Metacritic. Eurogamer praised the game for ‘taking a new path,’ and awarded it with a 9/10. Although Destructoid said ZombiU is awkward, ugly and often nonsensical, it awarded the game with an 8/10.
Greg Miller, the executive editor of IGN PlayStation, said ZombiU‘s controls are ‘clunky, melee combat is annoying, and the game doesn’t look good,’ and gave it a 6.3/10. GameSpot said ZombiU has an ‘uninteresting world and dull combat,’ and gave the game a 4.5/10 – its lowest score yet.
ZombiU can be purchased in North America via the Nintendo eShop for Wii U and/or at retail.
The reviews have started coming tumbling in for both Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros U. Nintendo Land currently has a Metacritic rating of 81. Games Radar states that Nintendo Land is a great introduction to the Wii U, even if it lacks the longevity of Wii Sports. New Super Mario Bros U has a slightly higher Metacritic score of 89. EGM says Super Mario Bros. U’s multiplayer modes, insane platforming, and beautiful HD graphics offer more than enough to provide hours of fun for gamers of all stripes. Keep an eye on Metacritic as more scores come in for both games.
Several publications have got their hands on the long-awaited New Super Mario Bros 2 for the Nintendo 3DS and the reviews seem to be a mixed bag. As previously reported Famitsu gave the game the highest score with a near-perfect 36/40. Other publications such as CVG and 3D Juegos awarded the game a solid 8/10. New Super Mario Bros 2 currently has an 81 score on Metacritic.
EA has announced that the company wants to have 90 plus Metacritic scores for all its games that it produces in the future. EA’s senior VP of global eCommerce, David DeMartini says that the company has set the bar set extremely high for both its games, and its services.
“EA is in a really interesting place. We have this bar that is set so high, so that whether it is any of our games or services, we want to be 90 plus Metacritic at everything.”
EEDAR analyst Geoffrey Zatkin has shared some interesting facts and figures with Destructoid regarding Metacritic and video game sales. According to Zatkin average review score floats around the 68-71 out of 100 range, but the games rated in that range rarely sell more than 100,000 copies. Here’s a few more insights that you may find interesting:
Metacritic has published its best games of the year list 2011 and it shows that the Wii received the lowest average review score out of the three current generation consoles. It should be noted however that the Wii had fewer games released for it compared to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Here’s the list of best reviewed games on any platform during 2011:
| Title / Platform | Genre | Metascore | Users | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Batman: Arkham City PS3 | Action-Adventure | 96 | 8.1 |
| 2 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 360 | Action-RPG | 96 | 8.5 |
| 3 | Portal 2 PC | Puzzle/Shooter | 95 | 8.4 |
| 4 | Portal 2 360 | Puzzle/Shooter | 95 | 8.1 |
| 5 | Portal 2 PS3 | Puzzle/Shooter | 95 | 8.0 |
| 6 | Batman: Arkham City 360 | Action-Adventure | 94 | 8.4 |
| 7 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D 3DS | Action-Adventure | 94 | 8.5 |
| 8 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PC | Action-RPG | 94 | 8.3 |
| 9 | Mass Effect 2 PS3 | Action-RPG | 94 | 8.2 |
| 10 | Minecraft PC | Sandbox/RPG | 93 | 7.1 |
The twenty most consistent game development studios have been revealed, with Nintendo unsurprisingly coming out third.
GameQuarry.com have devised a in-depth study which looks at the most consistent game developers from around the world. The results compromised of 1,742 development studios and due-fully took into account the developers Metacritic scores across the board.
