“Skulls and Bones is actually an AAAARRR game because pirates”

My favourite sentence

Wait until a Japanese studio shows up with an S-tier game.

Interesting article.

I love how they are not directly taking the piss out of the quote, but going out of their way to show how there’s a vastly different meaning behind what he’s saying in opposition to what he intended.

You know, in layterms, he doesn’t fucking know the words that come out of his mouth.

Damn. And here I am still looking for my A game.

Fuck everything, we’re doing 5 A’s!

Can someone explain to me how we got here? We were the pioneers of video game ratings in this industry. Having a game rated as a “A tier" was the mark of ultimate quality. Then, out of nowhere, someone else introduces a game with a DOUBLE “A” rating. Did that intimidate us? Absolutely not. Because we came back with something even more groundbreaking – a rating system that includes a THREE “A”’s. But what happened next? Just listen—I’ll tell you what happened. The competition jumped straight to four "A"s. Now here we are, looking foolish with our outdated system, no matter how cutting-edge it seemed at the time. Suddenly, we’re the underdogs. Well, no more. We’re jumping to five "A"s. That’s right, four "A"s and an additional level of excellence.

Sure, we could have followed the natural progression and moved to four "A"s, just like our competitors. That would be the logical step, right? After all, three "A"s were quite effective, and four is the next sequential number. So, why not play it safe? Why not just add some minor enhancements and call it a day? Because we’re in the business of innovation, that’s why!

You think adding a fifth “A” is madness? It might well be. But I couldn’t care less. From this moment on, we’re the trailblazers in the video game rating game. Are four "A"s the peak of gaming excellence? Not by a long shot. A game with five "A"s is the new pinnacle.

What’s not clicking here? If two "A"s are good and three "A"s are better, it’s obvious that five "A"s would set a new standard for gaming excellence. You get me? We didn’t climb to the top of this industry by sticking to the status quo. We got here by daring to be different. And this, my friends, is our biggest gamble yet.

Here’s the memo from the Development team. Someone put it in the break room: I want to use it as a coaster. They don’t tell us what to innovate—we tell them. And I’m telling them to push beyond the four “A” boundary. I don’t care how they do it. Make the criteria for the fifth “A” so stringent it’s almost unattainable. Let’s redefine what it means to achieve gaming excellence. I don’t care if they have to overhaul the entire rating system, just make it happen!

You’re thinking too small, stuck in the “safe zone” of video game ratings. Break free. Let’s do this. This is our chance to redefine what gaming excellence means. Let’s dream bigger. All we need to do is believe that a five “A” rating is possible, and it will become a reality. If you’re not with us, you’re against us. And if you’re part of this decision-making process, then you’re either with us, or you’re holding us back. If taking risks means I stand alone, then I’m more than happy to bask in the glory when our five “A” rating system becomes the new gold standard in gaming.

People doubted the feasibility of moving beyond three "A"s. “It’s too complex,” they argued. “It’ll be too difficult to implement,” they said. Well, we proved them wrong. And now, someone out there is saying, “Five 'A’s? That’s lunacy!” Perhaps they’d be more comfortable in a less ambitious setting, fussing over trivial updates. Not us, though!

Maybe I’m out of line. Maybe we should just coast along, content with being followers. Not a chance! The day we settle for mediocrity is the day I leave this industry, and that’s not happening on my watch!

The market? We define the market. All it takes is to introduce our new system with a bit of flair. It’s as simple as saying, “Playing a game rated with anything less than five 'A’s is like accepting mediocrity.” Or, “Experience unparalleled excellence with our five ‘A’ rated games.” Imagine the buzz it’ll create.

I know what you’re thinking: “What will people say?” Forget about them. When you’re leading the pack, you’re bound to be a topic of conversation. That’s the price of innovation. And we will continue to lead, now and always, amen—five "A"s, by all that’s holy in gaming.

Hold on. I’ve just had a groundbreaking idea. Get ready for this: Add an exclusive recommendation alongside the fifth “A”. That’s right. Five "A"s, plus an endorsement that sets it apart. You heard me—an added layer of distinction. It’s a whole new era in video game ratings. Don’t question it. Just get on board, because we’re pushing the boundaries like never before, and I’m ready to lead the charge.

Because ‘AAAAAAAAAAAAA’ is what I scream while running away from anything that gets announced to be a GaaS game.

Then Serious Sam is an AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa game.

I didn’t know about this game. I love pirate stuff. The boats and aesthetics of that era, the natural environments of the Caribbean, the relevant sociopolitical developments at the time, and of course the stories and mythologies… but Skull and Bones fails to interest me even the slightest bit.

It appears to be an arcade game where you just press keys to move your ship around, shoot at things until their health bar depletes, and go around playing minigames to collect loot/resources. I don’t know anything about the story content but I’m willing to bet there’s at best some passably written character arc but nothing resembling a deep commentary on the relevant issues of that time (nor our time).

I’m almost laughably far from being a representative of the average gamer but the number of 'A’s assigned to titles (so far) hasn’t been indicative of quality as I perceive it. Budget and effort is mostly orthogonal to the artistic and creative value of a work.