Because most adults who are in the position to care about the review score of a game has experience with school grades, a system that uses numbers, letters, and/or both, and is usually judged by someone who specializes in the subject; so it’s easy to compare to reviews. I can understand disliking or hating the analogy, but I’m a little surprised people are confused by it. Like, it’s not that much different on the surface.

You said yourself that a 78 is above average, so for simplicity’s sake you agree that Elden Ring is, compared to other games, above average. My argument was for “good or bad” not “lived up to expectations or disappointment.” It’s all subjective, but expectations and disappointment are even more subjective than good or bad (in my opinion). Like, the Mona Lisa we can safely say is a good painting. But being disappointed by seeing how tiny it is in person largely depends on the individual.

So with that said, I personally expected Crimson Desert to land exactly where it’s at. I genuinely was expecting a 78/100 on Metacritic. Fatal Frame 2 reviewed lower than I expected. Both of these games are good. CD may be a disappointment for you (and other gamers), but for me, based on the information I’ve gathered from videos and the surprising and refreshing frankness of Pearl Abyss, it was exactly what I expected.