Eurogamer Gives ARC Raiders 2/5 Over AI Voices, Dropping Metacritic Score from 94 to 84

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Embark Studios’ launch of ARC Raiders, a new extraction shooter capitalizing on the popular PvPvE style, generated a lot of excitement. Thankfully, the game lived up to the hype. Players are largely pleased with the gameplay, design, and features, with some even calling it a standout title.

ARC Raiders initially received good reviews from critics and websites. However, a recent review from Eurogamer, giving the game a low 2/5 (40%), significantly lowered its overall score. The review strongly criticized the game’s use of AI-generated voices.

So, why is this review important, and what can we learn from all this?

That one review caused a huge reaction in the gaming community, and understandably so. Players believe the game is excellent and that the review unfairly criticized it over a small detail.

However, many gamers and critics are expressing concerns about the use of AI-generated content in games.

Let’s Talk About the Review

Eurogamer’s review starts off well, highlighting fun combat with robot enemies, challenging escape sequences, and a welcoming multiplayer community. The review particularly appreciated the positive player interactions – something rare in competitive games – and noted how players actively discourage negativity. However, the review’s tone soon shifts.

The main issue the reviewer had was with Embark Studios’ ongoing use of AI-generated voices, which they saw as a significant negative.

Similar to Embark’s earlier game, The Finals, Arc Raiders shows thoughtful design. However, like The Finals, this strong design is somewhat hidden by the game’s reliance on artificial intelligence. Arc Raiders uses AI to create realistic character movements and generates spoken dialogue from recordings of actual actors.

After this review was published, the critic score for ARC Raiders dropped from around 94/100 to 88/100 – and sometimes even lower, depending on the site. Currently, the score stands at 84.

Does the use of AI-generated voices in a game significantly impact its overall quality and score? Or is it a minor detail that doesn’t really matter?

Honestly, when I think about a game review, I care way more about how the game feels to play – did it grab me, did I enjoy it? – than all the fancy tech that went into making it. It’s about the experience, not the engine!

When you rate a game in your review, focus on how good the finished game is, not whether the way it was made aligns with your own beliefs.

— Mikey (@itdobemikey) November 10, 2025

What Other Critics Have to Say About Arc Raiders?

We don’t need critics to tell us how well the game is doing, and it seems like ARC Raiders has been well-received by players so far.

The critical response is even more surprising. Looking at Metacritic, Eurogamer is the sole publication to give the game a negative review, scoring it a 40.

ARC Raiders has received a mixed reception, with two reviews scoring 60 out of 100. However, it also boasts 36 overwhelmingly positive reviews, all scoring 100, from sources like Game Rant, IGN France, and Pocket Tactics.

It’s odd because Eurogamer Germany, which is part of the same Eurogamer network but focuses on a different audience, gave ARC Raiders a perfect score of 100 on Metacritic.

On social media, the entire gaming community has erupted:

I was really surprised to see ARC Raiders get a 2/5 from Eurogamer – and all because of the AI-generated voices! It actually dropped their Metacritic score from a fantastic 94 to 88. Look, I understand some people aren’t fans of AI voices, but to knock the game’s score down that much? It feels like they’re completely overlooking everything the game does well, and penalizing it for… well, honestly, just that one thing.

— ARC Radar (@ARCRaidersNews) November 10, 2025

Even well-known figures are weighing in, and they all agree: this review is overly critical.

It’s incredibly shortsighted to reduce a game’s score simply because you discovered it incorporates AI. It’s one of the most illogical things I’ve come across in a long time.

— xQc (@xQc) November 11, 2025

Why This Is Such a Big Deal

Review scores for ARC Raiders have noticeably dropped on sites like Metacritic, moving from the mid-90s to the high 80s, which can affect how people see the game, what news headlines say, and whether or not they decide to buy it. Many players, however, believe the game successfully achieves what it sets out to do in terms of gameplay.

Honestly, the shooting feels really good – precise and satisfying. Every fight is pretty nerve-wracking in the best way, and I found myself really getting into the level design. I did notice some issues with the voice acting, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker and didn’t ruin the game for me.

This situation reflects a larger debate within the game industry about using artificial intelligence. Embark Studios recently revealed they used AI to create voices for some in-game text, like item names and location announcements. While it’s rare for companies to be so open about using AI, the negative reaction shows just how divided gamers are on the topic.

When a review seems overly harsh, it can create distrust within the community. Even if the score decrease is technically correct, how it looks is important. Players may see it as unfair, damaging their confidence in the review process and the website providing it.

How AI Impacts the Gaming Industry

Look, I get why people are upset about games using AI voices – it can really pull you out of the experience or even make the game run poorly. But honestly, if everything else is great – the way the game plays, how it looks, and the awesome community around it – I think it’s a bit harsh to punish the whole game just because of the voice acting. It feels like an overreaction when the core experience is so good.

When evaluating this product, keep in mind the impact of the voices. If they are severely flawed and ruin the experience, a significant score reduction is justified. However, if they simply don’t sound natural, a smaller adjustment would be sufficient.

Most players of ARC Raiders don’t see the AI voices as a major problem. While some notice it, reviews generally agree that the game is still fun and exciting thanks to its thrilling gameplay and overall quality.

Essentially, although the reviewer can penalize submissions using AI-generated voices, many people are debating whether a 40-point deduction out of 100 is a fair penalty.

Embark Studios, the game development studio in question, has responded to the recent controversy, but hasn’t officially disputed the review’s findings.

The developers have explained that the AI voices were meant to be a minor addition, not a central part of the game, and the core gameplay experience hasn’t changed. This careful approach appears to be a way of allowing players to share their thoughts without getting into an argument with critics.

Final Word

Okay, let’s be real, ARC Raiders isn’t perfect – no game is! But honestly, it feels so fresh. It really does something different with the whole experience, and that’s super exciting to see. It’s not just another one of the same old things, and I’m really enjoying that.

The real difficulties aren’t with the games themselves, but with how they’re reviewed. There’s often a lot of subjective feedback, and increasingly, decisions seem to be based more on how a game was made rather than how fun it actually is to play.

Is that fair? You tell me.

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2025-11-11 15:40