I’d say he gave it a very objective rating.
The story is trash but every other aspect is average to great.
Joe’s always let graphics have more of an effect on his opinion than I would but, overall, when detaching yourself from the disappointing story, it does seem to have merits.
If you are doing your job as a game reviewer, you should be considering every element.
It is a video game. The gameplay and visual presentation are pretty big aspects to ignore because the story is bad.
Honestly, people shouldn’t focus so much an arbitrary number and actually listen to the information provided.