Bethesda Softworks - TES V in 2010

Asbjoern said:

That is exactly what they are. Accumulated scores give a quantitative measurement of a game's quality. If you accept the competency of the review pool, of course. I accept the competency of the accumulated user scores at Metacritic more than I do the accumulated review scores. In regards to user scores versus user comments then they supplement each other and should be seen in the same, singular context.

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User scores and reviewer scores are two different fruit.

Reviewers, be they smallish internet only writers or "corporate shills" are usually reliable in that they a) review based on their personal preference and b) keep their cards close to their chest until review time. In this they can be a known quantity and you can get a reasonable feel for the industry buzz surrounding a game, whether its obviously poor or a reasonably respected blockbuster.

User review scores aren't worth much at all. They're not a valid statistical sample and the scores are prone to ganking and counter-ganking. In this case, I'd say the NMA effect may have occurred; people so bitter they go out of their way to spill their bile, sometimes in an attempt to find consensus that the game was "bad". Reading the individual comments is probably the best policy, just as I'd do with Newegg or some such site.

To me, scores are just ONE factor among many others.

Discussions like these have become my primary resource of information on a game.

If the fact that a game is heavily discussed at all is an important factor to me.

The more heavy the discussions, the more it is a sign to me to how diverse the opinions and minds are over it.

The folly of user review scores.

guest said:

Have you checked the user reviews at major sites such as Gamespot and Metacritic?
Even console reviews are favorable. I think Bethesda is successful in keeping both some of hardcore fans and more casual gamers happy, at least, which is my impression after browsing some sites.

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Wether user reviews are favorable or bashing doesn't say much.

See Gears of War 2's metacritic page which received over 3400 votes with an average score of 3.2. the game isn't even out yet. Although this particular mishap can be avoided in the future, there is no way to verify if a certain user reviewer has actually played the game or made a verdict based on other previews/reviews.

I'm not a Gears of War fan, it's just not my thing. I don't do online gaming, so even from that perspective I wouldn't be able to give an evenhanded appraisal.

I'm quite tired of Web 2.0. Why does everything article need a comment component. The same goes for online voting systems, it has become the battleground for the haters and the fans.

I miss the Web 1.0 days.

(I realise I am indulging in one of those Web 2.0 comment implementations, but I assure you that I do so very rarely.)

What does this thread (or these forums) have to do with Web 2.0? I don't get it.

Leave room for modders

The only thing I care about is that they support the mod scene, or at least that they don't get in the way. Sure, Bethsoft will come up with a UI that will at least be functional for the average player, but it's likely to make compromises to keep the gameplay on par with the console versions. Among PC gamers, everybody has their own unique preferences, and there's a whole lot more you can do with a mouse and keyboard (and debug commands!) than just a controller. There are plenty of people out there willing to contribute way more than Bethsoft could afford to pay staff programmers to do; hell, just look at all the texture fixes in the Unofficial Patch. If previous TES and Fallout games are any indication, I should have nothing to worry about.

Yeah, lots of the fan generated mission-type content tends to suck but there were a half dozen mods for the interface that I couldn't stand to play Oblivion without, and several more that contributed substantially to the visuals and playability in other ways. So please, make it a great game and then give the rest of us a chance to make it better!

I doubt it will be MMO, but I wouldn't be surprised if they they come up with a content-sharing functionality or maybe even some sort of competitive ladder system. PVP games (gladiator matches maybe?) would be pretty sweet with Oblivion-style magic but the way the gameplay has worked in the past games I just don't see it becoming the next WoW, even if they do incorporate some sort of massively multiplayer component.

Great news , i just hope that this will not take place in the snowy lands of the Nords.
I don't care about UI and textures or critics , i am sure that moders will fix everything .
Also if you like sandbox , single player gaming you will buy new TES because there is no alternative to that.
I don't think that Beth will go online with this , after all there is no competition in SP .

This thread is over a year old… given that we still don't have any substantial news about this title it would seem that the earliest would be a mid to late 2010.

Doh sorry for resurrecting it , i promise never to post again before finishing my morning cafe

bjon045 said:

This thread is over a year old… given that we still don't have any substantial news about this title it would seem that the earliest would be a mid to late 2010.

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More like 2011 imo, given that Bethesda still hasn't even officially announced it yet.

That's good for me, I might actually finish Morrowind and Oblivion by then.

I just hope it's as good as Morrowind. Seriously…take the improvements made with Oblivion and Fallout 3 (and there were many…I'm not comparing F3 to F1 & F2 but to other Bethesda games here so don't bite my face off) and give it a world with as much variety as Morrowind and I'd be happy. I mean sure Oblivion had flaws (many of which were fixed by modders) but my main gripe was the sameness of the world…Morrowind had much more variety and for a game that exploration is a huge part of variety is kinda important to me.

haha I forgot what year this is and thought something new was just announced a couple weeks ago or something

Old news or not, as much as I hated Oblivion and disliked Fallout 3, I'm still looking forward to TES V.

I loved Morrowind, even with its faults and I guess I still have some hope for another good entry in the TES series.

They should bring Ken Rolston back, hire new artists to do the face models, and get some new voice actors (seriously, if I have to listen to Wonder Woman & Friends for a 3rd time I will blow up Bethesda myself*). I mean, just because she's married to the owner of Bethesda and works for nothing doesn't mean she should!




*ok, I won't REALLY blow up anything… and I don't condone violence

I didn't think the voice acting was bad in Morrowind, although there was very little voice acting anyways.

I'm also looking forward to TES V, I'm anxious to see what changes Bethesda makes based on the feedback from Oblivion & FO3.

I'm more looking forward to DA2!

JDR13 said:

I didn't think the voice acting was bad in Morrowind, although there was very little voice acting anyways.

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Well I was speaking of Oblivion and Fallout 3.

I actually liked Morrowind sparse use of voiced dialogue.
And it was decently written, if a little on the dry side.