Scores are something objective whereas verbage on the lines of "it's a good game" is subjective. Anyone would understand that a score of 8/10 or 9/10 means it's a great game no matter what the frame of reference whereas a "good game" could be 6/10 or maybe 8/10. Scores help in making the reviews, which are opinions anyway be it movies or games, objective and a score does help folks get an idea whether the game is worth buying or not at a glance.
If I've spent a lot of time weighing up the relative pros and cons, and written a detailed explaination of what I thought, the last thing I really want is people deciding to buy the game "at a glance" based on a score, which is open to their own interpretation, and then blaming me if they don't like it. A score gives it a degree of officialness that opinions have no place carrying.
It does, however, allow people in the comments to argue that although it was a 7, it read more like an 8. Or suggest that the publisher paid for the 9, when the game was clearly an 8. Which makes those people's lives worth living I guess.
My favourite review of all time about one of my games was a UK magazine who scored each different aspect with numbers, including the brilliant:
"Graphics: Pushes the DS to its absolute technical limits - 7/10".
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Scores are something objective whereas verbage on the lines of "it's a good game" is subjective.
I don't agree at all with this: subjective means influenced by your own personal opinion, objective means something unbiased and fair-minded. If a journo's personal taste influences the write-up it will affect the number you stick at the bottom in exactly the same ways, but without the context.
Example:
I hate eggs and review an omelette. In the review I explain that I hate eggs, so if you, like me, hate eggs, you probably won't like it either.
I review an omelette, and give it 2/10.
So long as you understand the context, a subjective opinion becomes objective.
. The runouts, absence of fielding radar and superhuman fielding is the only glitch they could come up but it does not justify this kind of score. It deserves 7.5 at least. Screw you IGN.
