WarCraft 3: Reforged Bags Lowest Metacritic Score From Review Bombing
There's no pleasing everyone and that's particularly true in the entertainment industry. It's true for movies and TV shows and definitely for games. Sometimes, however, a game bombs so spectacularly that there are not enough words for it. So, instead, it gets the lowest possible user rating on Metacritic, despite WarCraft III: Reforged pedigree of being "remastered" from one of the most popular Blizzard games of all time.
Although only third in succession, WarCraft III became the line's lasting legacy, giving birth not only to countless mods but also spinoff games, a so-so film, the longest running MMO in the West, and, perhaps most importantly, the mod that gave birth to Dota. Or DotA, as it was known back then. Activision Blizzard naturally wanted to ride on that legacy and, in a time of retro revivals, remakes, and remasters, promised to take the original game to the present with its Reforged release.
The game has been out for only a few days and it may already be Blizzard's biggest blunder. To be fair, Reforged did seem to deliver some of the remastered visuals and assets promised two years ago but it was still a far cry from what Blizzard dangled in front of the crowd. It also came with bugs that, at least for now, seem to have dropped some of the original's more social features like clans and ladders.
Making matters worse is that Reforged practically killed off "Classic", meaning there is no way, at least officially and legally, to play WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos and Frozen Throne in all their old school glory, warts and all. You'll have to settle for the new Reforged remaster, including new warts and all.
It's probably no wonder why frustrated gamers bombed the Metacritic site to express their "overwhelming dislike" for this "reimagning" of a great classic. Users, of course, are not able to submit "pro" critic reviews so they have to settle for scores and user reviews. By giving WarCraft III: Reforged the lowest score possible on Metacritic, however, they have definitely gotten everyone's attention, maybe even Blizzard's.