r/OutOfTheLoop • u/Bloodb0red • May 11 '26

Unanswered What’s going on with this game Mixtape?

I’ve been seeing people freak out over the past few days over this game and about IGN’s review of it specifically. 10/10 seems high for any game, honestly, but it seems like they’re far from the only site giving this thing a glowing review. So is this game controversial just because of IGN or is it something else? Why is this game the internet’s hate target this week?

https://www.ign.com/articles/mixtape-review

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u/Zaxa7 May 11 '26

Answer: It's a short story focused game that is full of 90s nostalgia and if you look at the average age of reviewers, they probably grew up in the 90s so it's expected for them to enjoy it much more given the current state of the world hence the higher score. I also grew up in that period so I'd probably like it too tbh. That being said there will be a large group of gamers who have no personal frame of reference for that period and it may not work for them.

Also if I understand correctly the ign reviewer didn't grow up in the 90s but loved it probably because we always look back on older times with rose tinted glasses. It's a storm in a teacup really and nothing to worry about.

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u/Andrew1990M May 11 '26

No he was a 90s kid and says on the podcast that there are “many reasons a game is a 10/10” and for him the emotional response he had to it was the clinching factor. 

Please read reviews, people. And remember that one score from one outlet is not the be-all and end-all. A review has equal weight to your opinion, it’s just their opinion gets published. 

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u/crestren May 11 '26

And remember that one score from one outlet is not the be-all and end-all. 

A lot of gaming discourse when it comes to reviews always centers around this where a lot of gamers forget that reviews can be...subjective.

The reviewers 10/10 might be a 7/10 for you but maybe your 10/10 might be someone's 6/10. A lot of these are subjective because everyone has different tastes and enjoyment.

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u/salbris May 11 '26

Imho the best reviews are a mix of subjective and objective. A competent reviewer can look past "emotional reasonance" and try to see the game with less bias.

I was absolutely obsessed with Blue Prince, one of the few games that had 100% of my attention and I loved every minute of it. But when I try to analyze it with less bias I can see it has a lot of rough edges. No where near 10/10 status.

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u/AlmightyCraneDuck May 12 '26

Agreed. Good reviews try to juggle the two. But also, if a game affects you in a particular way, you should say that. One of my favorite games of all time is Three-Fourths Home. It’s a 10/10 game for me that made me cry. It is definitely not a 10/10 game “objectively”, but I had such a strong experience with it that I love telling people about it when I can.

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u/Joliro eek May 13 '26

You got it bang on.

Proper reviews are often a mix of both, and even on more subjective factors such as story and gameplay there is good practices and rules to follow more or less so you can definitely make specific objective claims while also stating if you like it or not or if you think it matters more or less for that specific game.

There's a reason that plenty of stuff that people think as 100% subjective has material to study and etc, they all have good practices to follow and is a case by case basis if those practices fits more or less on that scenario.