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A Perfect 10?
#05: Elden Ring scores big
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This week a new copy of Edge magazine found its way into my house. Something that's happened one way or another every single month since I was about ten years old. Far less regular than Edge's monthly appearance, of course, is that of an Edge 10 - a perfect review score.
My favourite instance of this was in issue 66: Christmas 1998. Those lucky enough to have been around then will no doubt remember the endless, agonising wait for Ocarina of Time. I was fourteen at the time, and never before had I looked forward to a game - to anything - as much as that. I pored over every screenshot and scrap of information I could find in the months beforehand, which wasn't easy back in those pre-internet days, by the way.
Surely it could never live up to the hype? To my ridiculous expectations?
Then Edge arrived. It featured Link, sword-in-hand and poised for action on a gorgeous golden cover. The words "Worth its wait in gold" written just below "Legend of Zelda 64". I threw open the pages and headed straight to the score; a 10 - only the third the magazine had ever awarded at the time.
I knew right then that the game would be everything I'd hoped it would be. And it remains my favourite game to this day.
The relevance of review scores is a hot topic these days (isn't everything?), but I still think they have a place. Of course, finding an outlet that you know and trust is important. I may not agree with every Edge review, but I always know where they're coming from, and I understand and respect their reasoning.
In terms of scores, the simple 1-10 scale - and specifically Edge's full use of it - remains my preferred system. To me, a 10 doesn’t have to mean a game is perfect, it means it is something special. A gamechanger. A landmark title in its genre or one that moves the industry forward.
Elden Ring has bugs and issues and problems and many instances of what gamers refer to as "jank". The same can be said of most FromSoftware games, but they remain truly unparalleled experiences despite their flaws, and they have changed the industry in the decade since Demon's Souls first arrived almost completely unnoticed. FromSoftware haven't made a 'perfect' game, but with Bloodborne, a retrospective one for Dark Souls and now Elden Ring, they have made three wholly deserved Edge 10's.
Critic reviews may be having a tough time at the moment, but I still think they have a place. The quality and quantity of games we're being treated to lately is unprecedented, surely a little help deciding between them isn't such a bad thing? Similarly, an Edge 10 may not be quite as exciting to me now as it was when I was fourteen, but it's still a bit of an event, and I can't wait to find out what the next one will be.
Until next time!
NEWS
Nintendo has finally added folders to the Switch home screen. Only they're called 'groups', because Nintendo can never give us exactly what we want, can they.
You can now stream Xbox Game Pass games to Valve's Steam Deck. Well, if you can get hold of one.
The ability to auto-upload PS5 captures to the PlayStation mobile app is now available in the UK.
Microsoft has updated Energy Saver Mode on its Xbox Series consoles to allow for background downloads, and has urged users to switch to it, stating the mode uses about 20 times less power than the default Standby mode.
After Gran Turismo 7 was rendered unplayable due to a botched update, and Polyphony Digital introduced some naughty progression changes, the otherwise excellent racer claimed the lowest Metacritic user score of any Sony game ever.
In response to GT7's grind, a fan has created a script-based exploit to control the game and earn credits automatically.
AMD's FSR 2.0 upscaling tech is coming to Xbox consoles.
Nintendo originally thought Kirby was "too round" for a 3D platformer.
Returnal's free Ascension update is apparently pretty good.
PlayStation head Hermen Hulst discusses why Haven Studios has become the latest addition to Sony's first-party portfolio.
CD PROJEKT RED confirms a new Witcher is in development.
NEW RELEASES:
This week saw the release of Ghostwire Tokyo from Tango Gameworks - the studio founded by Resident Evil 1 and 4 director Shinji Mikami. It launched to mostly positive reviews, and should appeal to those after something a little bit different.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land also arrived this week. It comes recommended by Eurogamer, and seems to have lived up to the promise of its wonderful pre-launch trailers.
(Xbox, Switch) – March 22
(Switch) – March 22
(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC) – March 24
(PS4, PS5) – March 24
(PS5, PC) – March 25
(Switch) – March 25
(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC) – March 25
UPCOMING RELEASES:
(PS5, Xbox Series S/X) – March 29
(Switch) – March 29
(iOS, Android) – March 30
(PC) – March 30
(PlayStation VR) – March 31
(PC) – March 31
(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC) – March 31
(PS4, PS5, PC) – April 1
GAME OF THE WEEK
A randomly selected game each week! Any and all games are eligible for selection regardless of age, platform, popularity, or otherwise.
This week, the honour goes to…
Ori and the Blind Forest (2015)
Impeccably designed, wonderfully animated, and relentlessly pretty, Ori and the Blind Forest is a modern-day Metroidvania of the highest order.
Its beautifully expressive characters and genuinely affecting story ensure it has the heart and soul to match its incredible looks.
RECOMMENDED READS
This week’s recommended articles see Game Informer present an illuminating look inside Nintendo’s phone-in helpdesk with some of the people who were there, and also look at how recent games fared after all releasing so close to each other.
Blake Hester - Games Informer
Millions of calls later, we take a fly-on-the-wall look at what it was like to be a Nintendo gameplay counsellor.
Christopher Dring - Game Informer
It was one of the busiest February and March game release periods in history, and everyone seemed to come out unscathed.
CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS
Shenmue World: Issue 2
By James Brown - campaign ends March 29
An Unofficial Shenmue fan magazine, including Blu-ray disc, Corey Marshall Signed Print, A3 Poster and more!
Uppercut 2022-2023 freelance budget
By Ty Galiz-Rowe - campaign ends March 31
If successful this will pay for a calendar year's worth of freelance pieces and 20 end of year letters.
Handheld Heroes Enamel Pins
By Jessica Waddington - campaign ends March 31
Handheld Heroes Enamel Pins Part 3; A collection of Enamel Pins inspired by handheld games
Sons of Valhalla
By Pixel Chest - campaign ends March 31
Sons of Valhalla is "a 2D base building strategy game with great pixel art, a fast combat system and incredible atmosphere."
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