Mega Man 9, the retro Mega Man title (recreated exactly as the old NES games were made) coming to WiiWare on October 1st, was reviewed on IGN.com today.

It was well received, with an overall 8.6 score. But the graphics got a 3. A 3!!!!

This is a big problem I have with video game reviews. Yes, 8 bit graphics look "bad" when compared to a modern AAA 3D game... or do they?

Maybe they don't look bad, but look different. Clearly, WiiWare games are capable of much more processor intensive graphics technology. But Mega Man's graphic quality was made as an artistic choice. Shouldn't the game's graphics score be judged on its own merits, instead of stupidly comparing it to, say, Lost Winds?

The main problem with modern video game criticism is that it makes arbitrary standards that have little meaning. Mega Man 9's graphics are beautiful, and hold up well. Those glorious 8 bit sprites should have been judged more fairly.

Read.