According to the YouTube channel Did You Know Gaming, the calculation for the Metacritic score of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is deeply flawed, meaning its long-held championship belt and related Guinness records are not legitimate. Released in 1998 by Nintendo, the classic adventure game sits at a near-perfect 99 on the review aggregation site, which launched in 2001 to compile scores from approved publications into a score out of 100.
Metacritic Review Aggregation and Missing Scores
Metacritic compiled a total of 22 then-contemporary reviews for the game from outlets like the early IGN, the Canadian TV show Electric Playground, and Famitsu magazine, which awarded the title a rare perfect score. However, according to Did You Know Gaming, the review aggregator missed scores from several approved publications that were factored in not just other game scores, but other Zeldas. While perfect scores from EGM and GamePro were included, Game Informer and Nintendo Power—the official in-house Nintendo publication that assigned a 95—were left out of the tally entirely.
Inclusion of Non-Numerical Critical Write-Ups
Beyond missing contemporaneous magazine back issues, the analysis took issue with Metacritic’s inclusion of more arguable scores. The site incorporated write-ups that merely called the game perfect without assigning a numerical value, alongside flowery, non-critical retrospectives published well after the initial launch. Recalculating the data without these discrepancies, Did You Know Gaming found that the score should drop from 99 to 98, rounding up from an actual calculated average of 97.6 according to the site’s own rounding protocols.
Did you know?
A single percentage point drop would knock The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time down to the more competitive second place, tying it with Grand Theft Auto IV, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Soulcalibur.
Comparing Historical Scores Against Modern Aggregators
To test whether these historical discrepancies were unique to Nintendo’s title, Did You Know Gaming applied the same fact-checking process to Soulcalibur, another game that launched before Metacritic existed. Investigators found that despite some of the same issues during the aggregation process, the final score for Soulcalibur ultimately remained the same. While Metacritic remains an influential resource for establishing critical consensus, aggregates provide only a loose approximation of truth compared to developing individual taste through trusted critics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What score does The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time have on Metacritic?
The game currently holds a score of 99 on Metacritic, making it one of the highest-rated titles in the database.
Why are critics questioning the Ocarina of Time Metacritic score?
According to research by Did You Know Gaming, the score is based on incomplete data that omitted official publications like Nintendo Power, while including non-numerical reviews and late retrospectives.
What would the score be if recalculated properly?
According to the channel’s recalculation using Metacritic’s own protocols, the score should drop to 98, which accounts for a 97.6 average rounded up.
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