@walbo: That's probably why I wrote this in my review: "The excellent core combat is again bracketed by the same pre-battle stealth introduced in Mutant Year Zero."
@gab8: Your Breath of Fire analogy is weird and makes no sense. No professional reviewer thinks "this game's an 8.5 but I'll write the review as if it's a 10." I think Disco Elysium is a 10. I wrote the review to explain why I think it's a 10. Gamespot's editors supported my argument, so it scored a 10.
Yes, other GS editors played the game. So the decision to award a 10 (or indeed any score) is based both on a relationship of trust between the reviewer and the editing team and on the judgement of the editors who had also played the game.
If those editors hadn't also thought the game worthy of a 10, or if they felt I had not been able to support that score in my review, the game would not have scored a 10.
Second, how I woke up that day has no bearing on the review I wrote. (But since you brought it up, I woke up that day like a goddamn superstar.)
Gamespot takes its reviews, and the scores it gives them, very seriously. When we submit reviews they go through an editing process during which multiple GS editors read the copy and offer feedback. The reviewer then rewrites the review to add clarifications or more details, depending on the feedback.
When I submitted my first draft of this review I told my editor it was a 10. The subsequent editing process took two days, during which the various GS editors who looked at it pushed me to elaborate on almost every point I made and to dig deeper into what makes Disco Elysium so special. These editors didn't write a second review or an alternative opinion, but they believed in my review and we collaborated until the text of the review supported the score we felt the game warranted.
@Abdulrahman1981: Do you mean the Nanomonster? It's a tough boss. During the first phase you should get up close and deflect its attacks then get your hits in when it is staggered. During the second phase you should coax it to charge you near a wall then get your hits in when it is staggered. Destroy the nano clusters it shoots into the floor otherwise it will use them to heal.
@ac3r213: Hello, I am the person who wrote this review. Thanks for your feedback.
I would like to address two points you made. You said "Giving this game 8 out of 10 is a tragedy." I disagree. 8 out of 10 is perfectly reasonable score for The Surge 2.
You also said "more like a 4 out of 10." Again, I disagree. It is an 8 out of 10.
There's always tension when exploring a new area because enemies can kill you quickly. The parkland I mentioned in the review is a bit spooky and a late-game event adds to this atmosphere.
I found parrying easier here than in Sekiro, but harder than Dark Souls 1. Some enemies have attacks that are difficult to read. The implant that displays visual aids for parrying is really useful but not essential.
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