metacritic.com
It can be hard to keep up with the ever-growing barrage of new media releases in today's hyper-speed world. Plus, for every new release there are hundreds of reviews that pour out from every which way. Whether you're a fan of movies, albums, songs, video games, or television shows, it can be overwhelming to try and stay in the loop and get a sense of what is worth watching, listening to, or playing. However, there are a few resources that can help you make sense of it all.
With so many leisure options available, reviews are more important than ever. However, the internet has a vast expanse of opinions and media review outlets, making it difficult to identify credible reviews from less reliable sources.
Besides, when it comes to interpreting works of art such as music and film, so much of the reaction of people is extremely subjective. How, then, are you ever supposed to figure out which reviewers (or even which websites, for that matter) are most likely to have similar enough taste to you to warrant trust in their opinions?
If you're a fan of movies, TV shows, music, or video games, then you'll want to check out Meta Critic. This site allows users to quickly and easily see how well a project has been critically received.
Meta Critic is an organization that reviews movies and provides critiques from multiple professionals. This organization is especially reliable because it does not provide ratings from one individual.
When a new movie, TV series/season, album, or video game is released, we collect all reputable reviews of that release to be found on the internet and conveniently average them into a score out of 100%. Never before has it been easier to get a quick and trusted overview of the critical success of something.
History
Meta Critic is the passion project of a brother-sister duo, alongside a University of Southern California law school student. Marc Doyle and Julie Doyle Roberts conceived and worked on the site beginning in 1999, but it did not officially launch until January of 2001.
At first, the feedback about the nature of the site was varied. Many people believed that it was too close to a site that already existed, Rotten Tomatoes. However, Doyle, Roberts, and Dietz believed that their site could differentiate itself enough from Rotten Tomatoes in order to make it a worthwhile pursuit.
These three visionaries took the idea of Rotten Tomatoes and added video game, music, and book averages to create Meta Critic. The site has since phased out its book reviews.
Meta Critic was acquired by CNET in 2005 and later acquired by the CBS Corporation in 2011. The site exists as one of the major authorities on media reviews and is frequently cited by entertainment journalists and fans on a daily basis.
Design
This is my first and major issue with Meta Critic - the design is in need of a revamp. Again, this could just be a matter of personal taste, but I don't find the site very easy to navigate or intuitive to scan. There is too much going on, in my opinion, and so the eye has trouble figuring out where to go.
The content on Meta Critic is somewhat organized into boxes, but this organization is clunky, confusing, and overwhelming. There is not much in the way of a streamlined web experience here. The culprit? Meta Critic relies too heavily on text and not enough on user experience. Going through this site is not entirely unlike flipping through the pages of a textbook.
Content
If you like it, you can buy the DVD or Blu-Ray. If you're looking for something specific, such as soundtrack music, than clicking on the corresponding link will take you to an individual composer's page where you can purchase that track or album. Finally, if there's anything else specific you're looking for (such as a critic's review of a certain scene), Meta Critic offers comprehensive search capability so you don't have to wade through pages and pages of data.
Meta Critic is a website that provides averaged scores for different media types. For new releases, they rank them by their score out of 100%. On the home page, these charts are separated by medium. In addition to providing the average scores, Meta Critic also hooks users up with all the necessary means to follow up and dig further on a given project. For example, if someone clicks on a movie title on the home page, it will take them to that movie's page. If someone likes it, they can buy the DVD or Blu-Ray. If someone is looking for something specific (like soundtrack music), than clicking on the corresponding link will take them to an individual composer's page where they can purchase that track or album. Finally, if there is anything else specific users are looking for (such as a critic's review of a certain scene), Meta Critic offers comprehensive search capability so users don't have to wade through pages and pages of data
Here you will be able to provide your own rating of the movie (meaning that you can find both a Meta Score and a User Score for each release), click into links of all referenced professional reviews that went into creating the aggregate score, and read up on all of the movie's details and credits. Meta Critic is truly one of the most useful sources for reading up on films, shows, albums, and games.
Meta critic collects, curates, and editorializes quality content from sources such as their own staff of media pundits and journalists. The site also offers up news on upcoming releases, entertainment reviews, trailers, and more- all in one place. Meta critic could be a great resource for anyone interested in the arts.
Desktop and Mobile Experience
Although the site design is subpar, Meta Critic's desktop and mobile versions suffer from similar issues with their user interface. Additionally, Meta Critic does not have an app available, which would be an improvement in terms of simplicity for users.
Another matter is that there are a fair number of ads on this site, which can make the experience less than desirable. However, given the fact that Meta Critic is completely free, it may be okay to overlook this issue.
Pricing and Plans
I want to stress that Meta Critic is 100% free to use. You don't need to upgrade to get more features, and there are no hidden costs or tricks - this site is completely transparent in its intentions. I highly recommend using Meta Critic as often as you like, without ever worrying about paying for it.
Suggestions that I Have for Meta Critic
One suggestion for Meta Critic is that they consider a full-blown site design overhaul. If the site became less clunky and unnatural to navigate, I think that I would probably visit it once a day. I would even consider making it my home page, as it is such a convenient resource. The unfortunate reality is that all of this great information needs to be marred by subpar user experience.
I hope Meta Critic releases an app in the next year or so. I'm genuinely surprised that they don't have one already - it is 2020 after all? Doesn't everyone have an app?
Conclusion
All in all, Meta Critic is a great site for providing accurate and credible scores of media releases. By using an effective averaging of scores based on the best of the best in media critiques, you can rest assured that the meta scores provided on this site are trustworthy. Plus, Meta Critic does a great job of linking users to all subsequent information, credits, and reviews available on a given release. If you are looking for one of the best sites out there and can stomach subpar site design, look no further. Meta Critic will keep you up-to-date on all of the best (and worst) releases.
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