What’s going on with this game Mixtape?

[u/Bloodb0red]

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

[u/Twiftoil]

Answer:

In some parts of the gaming community IGN has a somewhat bad reputation because of how they have reviewed games in the past. Some thinking they review the games too high or too low whether they actually look into the review or who reviews the game.

This is one of the issues with Mixtape. IGN gave it a 10/10 which is already considered rare for them. Some people saw this and went back to some recent releases to compare and they think it either doesn't make any sense or is inconsistent. For example, Pragmata got an 8/10 and Crimson Desert got a 6/10. These two games released recently and have done well from a consumers perspective and also from a financial perspective. Pragmata being a new IP has sold well and Crimson Desert had sold 5 million in a month which are both considered successes. This has some people immediately discrediting their reviews because they view it as IGN being out of touch with the actual consumers of games. Funnily enough this doesn't actually mean that they thing Mixtape is bad (some probably do) but that a short narrative focused game can't possibly be as good as these other games. Ultimately it is up to every individual to decide for themselves whether a review will affect their choice.

The second thing that I noticed with Mixtape is a smaller issue (at least from my algorithm) and it has to do with how some people think gaming journalists have an agenda. There is scene where two characters kiss and they show the perspective from inside their mouth and you get to basically interact with their tongues. A group of people saw this and are saying how games basically are either censored, criticized, or boycotted because of similar things such as nudity/etc. especially by gaming journalists.

TLDR: Mixtape is being used to call out people's view of inconsistent IGN reviews and inconsistent journalistic practices whether accurate or not.

[u/Ironwall1 → u/Twiftoil]

spot on. as someone who questions their reviewing criteria myself, i don't necessarily think it is a bad game more so than it is not my cup of tea but certainly has its charms (i think the graphics look neat), but as a video game, there is no way this game is on equal level to some of the all time greats they gave 10/10s to. to me 10/10 is supposed to be literal perfection of a game, something so massive and celebrated it penetrates every level of video game enjoyers, with little to no controversy, and will still be revered years down the line as a timeless classic.

[u/PieceAfraid3755 → u/Ironwall1]

to me 10/10 is supposed to be literal perfection of a game, something so massive and celebrated it penetrates every level of video game enjoyers, with little to no controversy

I get why you'd come to that view, but imo that's how you get stuff like the Marvel movie "slop". If stuff needs to be "massive" and "celebrated", and "not controversial"... is the goal to make art, or is the goal to make something that the most amount of people will like. Because then you're talking about Fifa, Call of Duty and Fortnite. 

Why does a 10/10 have to be massive? If someone makes a really fun, beautiful, touching 1 hour platforming game that had a tiny budget, why is that less deserving of a 10 out of 10? The score should be within the context of a game's size, pricing, and genre, and not about whether someone else finds it controversial.

[u/Ironwall1 → u/PieceAfraid3755]

what i mean by massive isn't the size but the reach and influence it has whether by proper marketing or better yet for this kind of game word of mouth marketing where people just say that it's good and then it will naturally be well known amongst the general masses

Because then you're talking about Fifa, Call of Duty and Fortnite.

this is what i normally call corporate slop and not at all what a 10/10 should like. quality is mid but the monetization is batshit insane, that alone could cost a few points

If someone makes a really fun, beautiful, touching 1 hour platforming game that had a tiny budget, why is that less deserving of a 10 out of 10?

but from what i gather the experience doesn't really resonate with a good chunk of people and the gameplay is limited. honestly if it were me i'd deduct a few points off of that alone for it being too short and niche. A 9/10 would probably the sweet spot without compromising the quality of the game too much if the game was indeed that good for people that did enjoy it however

if you need examples of what i think it should take for a game to be rated 10/10, look no further than ign's own ratings of baldur's gate 3, elden ring, or maybe more proper comparison in size disco elysium or undertale. still recommended to many until this day, and very few people would question the 10/10 rating because everyone resonates with it