J. Y. Song

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CSAURAGEUL@csaurageul·4h

the elite human capital at youtube will tell you not to use an adblocker while an ad is playing what the fuck are we doing here

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·4h

@GloryboundStory

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Tyler F.M.@GloryboundStory·5h

Definitely not crashing out because I recorded a full reading of chapter 1 that just didnt save for some reason...

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·6h

@lofi_lover0930 That’s also a good measure as well. That stuff sticks with you more from a game

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GamesLover with a Preference@lofi_lover0930·8h

@Critical_Scribe Yeah my thoughts exactly and hey, story is separate from good dialogue & writing I know games with bad stories but has great dialogue which I really enjoy seeing my character interact in fun way, just the communication itself and body language That to me weighs more than story

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe

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GamesLover with a Preference@lofi_lover0930·9h

It's one of the main reasons why I don't listen to any reviews when I decide which games I want to play Reviews always give a BIG focus to score a game based on the story GAMEPLAY is king to me, I can play a game with a bad story but with great fun gameplay not vice versa

This feels like a fair score. Controversially, even as a writer, I’m starting to think that we are weighing storytelling TOO much in objective scoring in video games. Unless your game is wholly about its narrative (Life is Strange, Dispatch, Firewatch, that sort of thing) then at most I will weigh the story as like 2 points out of the total 10 it can earn, if that makes any sense. Gameplay remains king in these evaluations, with performance and visuals coming in second. You can have an outstanding game with a poor story, but if your gameplay and performance suck, then most people aren’t gonna get through your story no matter how good it is. We also have to keep in mind the vision that the game was pushing for in these evaluations. How well something is hitting its goals matters a lot in objective evaluation. Given how little they talked about the story, I don’t think them telling some complex narrative was on the list. Would it have been nice? Definitely. Subjectively? Most of the time I place writing at the top, obviously. Most of my favorite games are absolutely 6/10 experiences objectively but have 10/10 narratives that keep me enthralled. In the case of Crimson Desert? I called it having a poor story the moment I saw it was made by a Korean dev. Some thought I was jumping the gun, but nah, I have enough experience with Korean writing in games (outside of their gachas, which are entirely different beasts for some reason >.>) to know what to expect. What I want out of it is a game that forces me to think and do crazy things, which I think I’ll get. I will of course reserve full judgement until I play it myself, but from the general discourse and reviews I’ve seen this feels close to what I’ll probably grade it objectively.

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·8h

@lofi_lover0930 Exactly! Would I like a great story? No doubt, but the actual game should feel good and be fun to play. Otherwise it feels like it’s failing to be a game when it could have been something else.

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GamesLover with a Preference@lofi_lover0930·8h

@Critical_Scribe It is the craziest thing for me to witness that gameplay becomes a "good to have thing" while story takes center stage It does not sit right with me because it's gameplay I play games for I love a good story but I don't prioritize it

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·12h

Funny, because a lot of the reviews I’ve seen say that the systems are actually in depth, it just does a poor job of explaining them. That’s where I will knock points off for sure, because intuitive design is an objective measure. Zelda’s storytelling in previous games makes sense, the most recent outing actually don’t make much sense, especially in Tears of the Kingdom where everyone appears to have forgot what happened in Breath of the Wild. That is not good storytelling.

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Lacerda 🎮@dellacerd4·12h

It’s not that story alone makes or breaks a game, but it needs to make sense within the world. That’s the bare minimum. Zelda isn’t 10/10 in storytelling, but its characters and lore are consistent and fit the world. Same with Souls games, the story is subtle but it still works within the experience. The issue with Crimson Desert, based on most reviews, is that the story feels disconnected and unengaging, like you’re just doing random tasks with no real purpose. Even if everything else was great, that would still hold it back. And from what we’ve seen, it also has issues with pacing, repetition and QoL. So it’s not just the story, it’s that it doesn’t seem to fully deliver in any area.

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A mediocre plot and bland writing can't hold back one of the most ambitious games ever made. Stunning graphics, great gameplay, and excellent music carry you through hundreds of hours of systems-based fun. It somehow lives up to all the hype, with some rough edges in tow. playday.one/2026/03/18/cri…

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·23h

This feels like a fair score. Controversially, even as a writer, I’m starting to think that we are weighing storytelling TOO much in objective scoring in video games. Unless your game is wholly about its narrative (Life is Strange, Dispatch, Firewatch, that sort of thing) then at most I will weigh the story as like 2 points out of the total 10 it can earn, if that makes any sense. Gameplay remains king in these evaluations, with performance and visuals coming in second. You can have an outstanding game with a poor story, but if your gameplay and performance suck, then most people aren’t gonna get through your story no matter how good it is. We also have to keep in mind the vision that the game was pushing for in these evaluations. How well something is hitting its goals matters a lot in objective evaluation. Given how little they talked about the story, I don’t think them telling some complex narrative was on the list. Would it have been nice? Definitely. Subjectively? Most of the time I place writing at the top, obviously. Most of my favorite games are absolutely 6/10 experiences objectively but have 10/10 narratives that keep me enthralled. In the case of Crimson Desert? I called it having a poor story the moment I saw it was made by a Korean dev. Some thought I was jumping the gun, but nah, I have enough experience with Korean writing in games (outside of their gachas, which are entirely different beasts for some reason >.>) to know what to expect. What I want out of it is a game that forces me to think and do crazy things, which I think I’ll get. I will of course reserve full judgement until I play it myself, but from the general discourse and reviews I’ve seen this feels close to what I’ll probably grade it objectively.

DayOne@PlayDay_One

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·13h

@baundiesel I do write, books, where writing has more objective weight. I even said I weigh it far more subjectively in my personal enjoyment of the game, but I suppose you didn’t read that part.

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baun@baundiesel·13h

@Critical_Scribe Not to mention a supposed writer claiming your rating would be "objective". Please, don't write, go do something else you'll be better at.

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·13h

Because nothing progresses in a purely subjective scale. “Well I personally liked it” is now a shield that devs and publishers hide behind to prevent themselves from responding to feedback. If you’re a professional reviewer, I’m going to expect you to hold professional standards.

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baun@baundiesel·13h

@Critical_Scribe The fuck is a "fair score"? One you agree with? Let people have their own opinions and preferences. If one reviewer wants to weigh story heavily in their review that's fine. Who in the world are you to be the judge and jury of what other reviewers are allowed to do? Weird shit.

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·13h

If a weak story and characters can stop the entire experience from feeling good then Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild should have lower scores. Across the board. They don’t get a pass because they’re Zelda games. This is why story should be weighed by this metric. I already said subjectively story holds much more sway with me, but objectively the game must be measure by how well it’s executing what it intends to do. I’m literally saying 8.5 is a fair score to put this game at, I’m not even saying this game is perfect.

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Lacerda 🎮@dellacerd4·13h

Giving story ‘2/10’ doesn’t make it objective, it just locks in your personal bias. You’re deciding beforehand how much it can matter. And even in gameplay-focused games, context and motivation shape the experience. A weak story doesn’t just stop a game from being a masterpiece, it can hurt the whole thing. The weighting itself is subjective, so the ‘objective vs subjective’ split doesn’t really hold up.

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·13h

@Magnus_9_IOI That’s why I place it as only getting 2 out of the 10 points in a score. That’s the different between an 8/10 and 10/10, a great game and a masterpiece.

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Mag🍀@Magnus_9_IOI·13h

@Critical_Scribe I agree on the story aspect. But, it's become a major reason why some people play games. That said, games like Elden Ring has proven that the story doesn't need to be the reason you continue playing.

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·13h

Now you’re obfuscating the definition of what a story is. Not to mention your version of that metric almost requires zero standards at all. Minecraft would have amazing storytelling from your definition of it and that is certainly not true. Also, Zelda doesn’t get a pass just because it’s been around for a long time, and that’s coming from someone who’s played most of the games and rushed to get each of them as they come out. It was clear that their storytelling became secondary as an objective with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

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The Critical Thinker@shinakira00·13h

@Critical_Scribe Zelda has existed for decades, the story and lore over those years is why ppl gravitate to it. Story is the most important element of any game. In something like chess, the pieces tell a story. What does the knight do...queen...pawn. Story is not just fetch quests or cinematics

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·13h

I’m valuing it exactly as it should be in how it should be weighed objectively. 2 points out of 10 means that an amazing story is the difference between an 8/10 game and a 10/10. That’s the difference between a great game and a masterpiece. You’re more likely to have a great game by not focusing on the story compared to focusing on the story alone. If games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom can get 9/10s then that is solely due to their gameplay and presentation because the writing in those games is threadbare and muddled.

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The Critical Thinker@shinakira00·14h

@Critical_Scribe Sounds like you are undervaluing it. Stories are an intrinsic part of the human experience. Gaming is just another medium to tell stories, even something as simple as Mario, rescuing the princess as thin as it is, is partly why ppl played it. It's still the hero's journey.

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·14h

No, you can call recent Pokemon games 6/10s due to poor execution of their mechanics due to be mind numbingly easy, shoddy performance, visually messy designs, and poor writing. At the same time, if you like Pokemon and like a certain mechanic it adds to the PvP dynamic you can subjectively like it as a 8/10 game based on how much you just enjoy it. These two things can be true, and it’s a better way to hold devs and publishers to task.

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Meandering Mystic@mean_mystic·14h

@Critical_Scribe I think we shouldn’t try because it’s inherently not going to work. Especially with how vague the ambitions of a game can be. Pokémon clearly sets out to make cheap games that can live on the brand alone. Clearly, they succeed with what they intend to do there.

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·14h

2 points out of ten is the difference between a game getting an 8/10 and a 10/10 That’s the difference between a great game and a masterpiece. That’s still important, but it’s stops subjective bias from overshadowing how the rest of the game is. That is far from irrelevant and I have zero idea how you came to that conclusion, ESPECIALLY when I said I subjectively place storytelling way higher on that list.

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Lacerda 🎮@dellacerd4·14h

I disagree with a few points here. First, there’s no such thing as truly ‘objective’ scoring in games. The moment you decide story is worth 2/10 and gameplay is ‘king’, you’re already applying a subjective framework. Second, downplaying storytelling like that doesn’t really hold up, especially for action-adventure or RPG-leaning games. Even if the focus isn’t purely narrative, context, motivation and worldbuilding are what give meaning to the gameplay loop. Without that, you’re just repeating mechanics with no real engagement. Also, saying you expected a poor story just because it’s made by a Korean dev is a pretty weak argument. That’s not criticism of the game, that’s a bias. There are plenty of examples across the industry where writing quality varies regardless of region. And about the ‘vision’ point, sure, games should be evaluated based on what they aim to do. But that doesn’t mean they’re immune to criticism in areas they underdeliver. If the experience feels empty or repetitive without a strong narrative or progression hook, that’s still a valid flaw. Gameplay matters a lot, but treating story as almost irrelevant ignores how these elements work together. The best games usually succeed because they balance both, not because they sacrifice one entirely.

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·14h

Just because it’s difficult to do doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to do it and settle for our currently very flawed system. Objectivity should be defined as “how well is this thing doing what it intends” I’m not going to say Doom is objectively bad for not having farming sim elements, but I will say it’s objectively great for how it implements its gunplay and movement for a visceral, heart pounding experience. Also performance is definitely something we can all be pretty objective about. If your game runs awfully then that’s major points docked.

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Meandering Mystic@mean_mystic·14h

@Critical_Scribe Yes, but how do you do that? Like I completely agree I’d love if we could have an objective score but I just cannot see a way to do that. That’s not going to be just as biased as a non-biased review. Because humans are biased.

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·14h

@thysss50227967 Scenario design is absolutely important over just pure storytelling. If your game is 80% cutscenes and meh on the gameplay side then I don’t care how good the story is some serious points need to be docked

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blitz0311.bsky.social@thysss50227967·14h

I think engaging scenarios that facilitate entertaining storytelling and great gameplay are more important that pure narrative quality. I quite enjoy ff13s story but the way the games story is told absolutely breaks it's gameplay for a good third of the runtime

This feels like a fair score. Controversially, even as a writer, I’m starting to think that we are weighing storytelling TOO much in objective scoring in video games. Unless your game is wholly about its narrative (Life is Strange, Dispatch, Firewatch, that sort of thing) then at most I will weigh the story as like 2 points out of the total 10 it can earn, if that makes any sense. Gameplay remains king in these evaluations, with performance and visuals coming in second. You can have an outstanding game with a poor story, but if your gameplay and performance suck, then most people aren’t gonna get through your story no matter how good it is. We also have to keep in mind the vision that the game was pushing for in these evaluations. How well something is hitting its goals matters a lot in objective evaluation. Given how little they talked about the story, I don’t think them telling some complex narrative was on the list. Would it have been nice? Definitely. Subjectively? Most of the time I place writing at the top, obviously. Most of my favorite games are absolutely 6/10 experiences objectively but have 10/10 narratives that keep me enthralled. In the case of Crimson Desert? I called it having a poor story the moment I saw it was made by a Korean dev. Some thought I was jumping the gun, but nah, I have enough experience with Korean writing in games (outside of their gachas, which are entirely different beasts for some reason >.>) to know what to expect. What I want out of it is a game that forces me to think and do crazy things, which I think I’ll get. I will of course reserve full judgement until I play it myself, but from the general discourse and reviews I’ve seen this feels close to what I’ll probably grade it objectively.

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·14h

Nah, having an objective score holds devs to task and eliminates them trying to obfuscate scores with anything other than making a better game. The subjective score is where the reviewer and reader connect on that emotional level and would give those who are interested a personal cause to try something out. Being honest and transparent there is the best way to progress criticism.

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Meandering Mystic@mean_mystic·14h

@Critical_Scribe I think that’s a horrible idea quite frankly. I think there is no real grading rubric you can use to objectively give a review. You can try to remove personal opinion, but that’s losing battle especially since the core argument is that games should be fun

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·14h

@Abruek1 …but I didn’t say that. I said at most it should be attributed to 2 points out of the total 10. That’s the difference between a great game and a masterpiece. It’s still important, but not overly weighted.

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Abruek@Abruek1·14h

@Critical_Scribe Yeah, but the game is still being given an 8.5 considering a bad/lack of story. People are arguing that since the game isn't story-centric that you can't even attribute story to the rating at all, which is wrong imo

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·14h

Which is why people should separate scores into Objective and Subjective ones. You can subjectively like a game to a 10/10 that is objectively 6/10. I do it all the time. I still would consider those games as not the best made. I cherish them deeply regardless. This would also be great for gamers who resonate with certain reviewers. “Oh well he says he likes it despite the flaws so it may still be for me” is much more honestly than “OMG HE GAVE IT A 10, GOTY!!!” I recognize that reviews are opinions, but we need to hold standards so we can be clear in where games need to improve to meet their intended visions.

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Meandering Mystic@mean_mystic·14h

@Critical_Scribe Is that why people generally prefer opencritic? I wouldn’t entirely say that these scores are just how well does a game do what it is intending to do. I think it’s also partly how much you enjoy it and stuff but some of that is definitely important.

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J. Y. Song@Critical_Scribe·14h

Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom tell disjointed, murky stories with dull characters due to their lack of focus and screen time. I didn’t care much at all about the narrative of those games aside from maybe a few moments, and Zelda games have been an integral part of my life since my childhood. Those games shouldn’t get a pass because they’re Zelda games. If anyone else does what they did they wouldn’t be slathered with 9-10/10s like they did. That’s not ok, at all. Again, I weigh it as 2 out of the possible 10 points it can earn. It’s the different between a great game and a masterpiece, but it doesn’t define the entire experience and shouldn’t be weighed that way. Is it very possible to write in a way that is to the detriment of the game? Yes, but that’s more from scenario design limiting your options.

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Nazani@NazaniOfficial·14h

@Critical_Scribe

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