Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

IGN VS Metacritic

Compare IGN VS Metacritic and see what are their differences

IGN logo IGN

IGN is your #1 destination for all video game news, expert reviews, and walkthroughs.

Metacritic logo Metacritic

Metacritic aggregates music, game, tv, and movie reviews from the leading critics. Only Metacritic.com uses METASCORES, which let you know at a glance how each item was reviewed.
  • IGN Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21
  • Metacritic Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-23

IGN features and specs

  • Comprehensive Content
    IGN offers a wide range of content including news, reviews, previews, and guides for video games, movies, TV shows, and comics, providing a one-stop destination for entertainment enthusiasts.
  • Expert Opinions
    IGN features reviews and commentary from experienced and knowledgeable staff, helping audiences make informed decisions about entertainment products.
  • Interactive Community
    The website hosts a vibrant community of users through its forums and comment sections, where fans can engage in discussions and share opinions.
  • Multimedia Content
    With podcasts, videos, and live streams, IGN provides diverse ways for users to engage with content beyond traditional articles.
  • Frequent Updates
    IGN regularly updates its content, ensuring that readers stay informed about the latest developments in the entertainment industry.

Possible disadvantages of IGN

  • Perceived Bias
    Some users perceive occasional bias in reviews and features, which might lead to skepticism about the objectivity of some content.
  • Advertisement Overload
    The website contains numerous advertisements, which can interfere with the user experience and distract from the content.
  • Content Overlap
    With so many topics covered, some users may find the depth of engagement on niche topics lacking compared to sites that focus exclusively on specific areas.
  • Mixed Content Quality
    While many pieces are well-researched and insightful, there is an inconsistency in the quality of content, with some being criticized for superficial analysis.
  • High Volume of Sponsored Content
    The presence of sponsored content can sometimes blur the line between editorial independence and promotional materials.

Metacritic features and specs

  • Aggregated Scores
    Metacritic aggregates scores from multiple critics and users, providing an overall perspective on the quality of a game, movie, or album.
  • Critic Reviews
    It offers a consolidated view of professional critic reviews, making it easy to see the general sentiment among industry experts.
  • User Reviews
    Users can leave their own reviews and scores, adding a diverse range of opinions to the aggregated score.
  • Easy Comparison
    The website allows for direct comparison between critic scores and user scores, providing a well-rounded view of the received media.
  • Comprehensive Database
    Metacritic maintains a large database that includes movies, games, TV shows, and music albums, making it a versatile tool for consumers.

Possible disadvantages of Metacritic

  • Review Bombing
    User scores can be manipulated through coordinated mass reviews, commonly known as 'review bombing,' which can skew the overall score.
  • Not Always Representative
    The aggregated score might not reflect nuanced opinions and could oversimplify the critical reception.
  • Limited Context
    Metacritic scores sometimes lack context or detailed reasons behind the ratings, leading to possible misinterpretation.
  • Bias Towards Popular Media
    More popular games, movies, and albums are likely to get a larger number of reviews, potentially overshadowing niche or indie titles.
  • Critic Selection
    The choice of critics included in the aggregation can sometimes be controversial, as it might not represent a completely balanced view.

Analysis of Metacritic

Overall verdict

  • Metacritic is generally considered a valuable resource for those seeking aggregated reviews, as it offers a concise overview of critical reception. The site's scoring system can simplify the decision-making process for users. However, some critics believe that Metacritic's weighted average and lack of transparency in the scoring system might not always accurately reflect the diverse opinions out there.

Why this product is good

  • Metacritic is a review aggregation website that compiles reviews for video games, movies, music, and TV shows from critics and users. It provides an overall score or 'Metascore' to give a general idea of how a particular piece of media is perceived by critics. This can be useful for getting a quick sense of critical consensus and discovering whether something might be worth your time.

Recommended for

    Metacritic is recommended for individuals who want a quick, consolidated view of critical opinions on new video games, movies, music albums, and TV shows. It's especially useful for those who enjoy exploring a variety of critic perspectives before making decisions on what media to engage with.

IGN videos

No IGN videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Metacritic videos

Metacritic Reviews - Celeste

More videos:

  • Review - Metacritic Reviews - Hollow Knight
  • Review - I HATE METACRITIC

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to IGN and Metacritic)
Game Reviews
53 53%
47% 47
Movie Reviews
25 25%
75% 75
Movies
0 0%
100% 100
Games
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using IGN and Metacritic. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare IGN and Metacritic

IGN Reviews

We have no reviews of IGN yet.
Be the first one to post

Metacritic Reviews

Best Sites For Rating Movies: 6 Top Movie Review Websites
Metacritic is distinguished by its methodology of aggregating reviews. Unlike other sites that simply calculate an average, Metacritic assigns a weight to each critic’s review based on their prominence and track record, offering a more nuanced overall score.
IMDb Alternatives
Metacritic is a website which can be used for reviewing a movie, TV show, or video game. The reviews are based on a Metacritic scorecard in which the range of scores lies between 1 and 100. You can find movies from different streaming web suites No film files are available on this platform. No apps and pop−ups can be seen while streaming a movie.

Social recommendations and mentions

IGN might be a bit more popular than Metacritic. We know about 25 links to it since March 2021 and only 18 links to Metacritic. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

IGN mentions (25)

  • Moving as though I am over encumbered?
    I recently downloaded Skyrim on my PC after playing it for a long time on the Switch, so I have been messing around with cheats as of late since I'm able to use them now. I used a carry weight cheat so I would stop getting overencumbered, but for some reason despite me having a carry weight now of over 1600 pounds, I'm moving really slow and I cannot run? I've increased my stamina to over 2000 thinking that was... Source: over 1 year ago
  • Wallpaper from ign.com (2008)
    Sorry, I don't have the exact link, but it should still be on ign.com still there's still lots of other Frutiger Aero like wallpapers on there still to this day from when they were posted. I've seen wallpapers from as old as 2001 still up on their site, so I'd imagine this one is still up. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • A month ago this sub hated D3, now the top posts want more D3
    It's unbelievably idiotic and arbitrary. I'm a senior mod for ign.com and the vast majority of what we remove daily are users who are slinging shit at one another over the consoles they prefer, the FPS they prefer, the MMO they prefer. Such a waste of time and energy. And the YouTube/Twitch livestreams; just an absolute deluge of toxicity and vitriol -- Xbox fanboys spamming the Sony stream with nonsense; Sony... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Game websites
    IGN (Video Game News, Reviews, and Walkthroughs - IGN): IGN is a popular gaming website known for its comprehensive coverage of video game news, reviews, previews, and features. It covers a wide range of platforms and genres, making it a go-to source for many gamers. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Does Infinite Wig C exist?
    Ign.com says that it exists and it Aim assist/Auto Block assist. "(Unsure on the exact unlocking. You have to Beat Metal Gear Ray 4th time, and at least once on Revengeance difficulty)". Source: about 2 years ago
View more

Metacritic mentions (18)

  • What Happened to this Once Great Site?
    It's Thursday night. I'm considering going to see 'Five Nights at Freddies' but not if it has bad reviews. I go to metacritic.com and it's not in the first row. Not in any of the rows on this horrendous website design. What the actual fuck? Source: over 1 year ago
  • Any games out there
    Go to metacritic.com and search for highest rated for your platform. With a request that broad that's your best option. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • What console should I get?
    Go to metacritic.com look at the PS5 and Xbox lists of "best games" do a count of the top 20 for each system and see what system has more games you want to play. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is there a place that tracks/reports on all new MP game releases?
    Metacritic may be what you're looking for. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Reviews are currently plummeting.
    I think we should always question corporations and whether something is a fluff piece, but I find metacritic.com's critical review scores to be extremely realistic and helpful. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing IGN and Metacritic, you can also consider the following products

GameSpot - GameSpot is the world's leading source for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PS Vita, Wii, PC, 3DS, and DS video game news, reviews, previews, trailers, walkthroughs, and more.

IMDb - Internet Movie Database

Kotaku - Kotaku is the definitive digital hub for video game news, reviews, cheats, design, and...

Simkl - Simkl is a TV, anime, and movie tracker that keeps a history of all the shows and movies you watch in one, central location. It’s a mobile app, a website, Google Chrome extension to keep track of everything you watch and integrates with many TV apps

Polygon - Polygon is a video gaming website being operated by the Vox Media.

Letterboxd - Letterboxd is a social site for sharing your taste in film, now in public beta.