really illuminating

about point 3

Since a videogame can be considered A piece of Art (digital Art, of course) it is pointless trying tu represent it by a number, Art is subjective by definition. A number is only useful tu summarize an opinion and have to be taken for what it is, just a number.

Compared to other game industry magazine across Europe, Edge gives a very low priority to scores & numbers, just a small indication at the end of the article while others share space and time in metrics on graphic, longevity, soundtrack, karma, and so on.

Rarely I agree with Edge scores, but what I appreciate in Edge is the professional and journalistic cut in an editorial world that is crowded by enthusiastic amateurs (expecially in my country, Italy)

"Is ‘sequelitis’, as some people argue, a sign of creative timidity?"
It seems something more than timidity, I'd rather call it lack of inspiration.
Just look at some of the most promising titles of 2009:

• Forza Motorsport 3
• Street Fighter 4
• Final Fantasy 13
• Resident Evil 5
• GTA 4: TLAD
• The Sims 3
• Mafia 2
• StarCraft 2
• Gran Turismo 5
• Killzone 2
• Uncharted 2
• God of War 3

A number in the title can be a key of success, but I think the world of digital imagination should provide more imagination.