It would have to be decided on a case by case basis and that won't make most people happy. IM and IMVE are obviously the same game. SM and SMVE have totally different modes, code, graphics, etc. The only major pro vs LE/Premium game difference that I can think of is GoT. Otherwise, most versions are close enough to the same, though I admit that this is a highly subjective matter. hence the inability to easily fix it.

The ratings are more important to newcomers to the hobby. I recall before knowing about Pinside, I spent a lot of time on IPDB reviewing ratings and themes looking for ideas for a couple of used machines to buy, in light of not having many available to me on location. At the time I didn't know about shallow Sega software, Data East speaker hum, B/W dominance as a positive and rating mafia as a negative, etc. Good luck to Robin and crew figuring this one out.