|
Our rating system
has been created and optimized with the intent of offering a simple
but informative way of introducing reviews. In addition to our list
of pros, cons, value gauging and more, we use a familiar but modified
scoring system. It's based on a 0.5 (the worst) to 5 (the best) scale,
with each score only differing in increments of 0.5. This method is
significantly different from our previous system, which was replaced
in early 2009. The reason for this change was to place more emphasis
on the article texts themselves, which convey criticism far better
than just a number alone.
While this system may appear to be commonplace, the numeric values
of our scores have a slightly different meaning than what you may
have seen elsewhere. Here's a breakdown of the score ranges and what
they mean:
|
Positive Pick
|
|
Games
within this range are the epitome of excellence and quality.
Our Positive Pick status is an acknowledgement that a game is
nothing short of remarkable, and should not be missed by any
game player, new or old. Games of this caliber are even recommendable
to those who aren't fans of the genre at hand. |
|
Game Positive
|
|
A
game that scores within this range is what we consider to be
good to great. The Game Positive classification indicates that
there may be some issues or annoyances that detract from the
experience, but overall, the game is still fun. Something that
scores on the lower-end here may have more significant issues,
but its strengths outweigh its weaknesses, resulting in a game
that is still enjoyable to play. |
|
Enthusiast Only
|
|
A
game marked as Enthusiast Only is merely average in a quality.
A score within this range indicates that there are significant
problems that can directly affect your experience in a negative
way. Although some redeemable qualities can be found, the issues
within the game make it hard to recommend to anyone but enthusiasts
of a particular series or genre. |
|
Game Negative
|
|
Anything
that scores within this range is not worthy of your time. Games
marked as Game Negative indicate that there are severe gameplay
and/or technical problems that render the experience completely
devoid of enjoyment. Something that scores lower than 1.0 is
especially bad, with issues that often make the game unplayable.
In short, both your time and money could be better spent elsewhere. |
Each review is accompanied by several categories that describe specific
game attributes. What follows is a list of all of them and what they
mean.
|
|
Difficulty is just that: we
measure the challenge of a game and assign it a value based
on our experience with it. There may be times when a difficulty
level may not remain consistent. In such cases, we will inform
you of that as well. |
|
|
Games with low or unstable frame rates can adversely affect
visual performance, causing things to appear slow or choppy
to the human eye. Since a good frame rate is vital to a playable
gaming experience, we let you know as to whether or not there
are any issues with it, as well as how drastic the effects are
on the overall game. |
|
|
Another
important category, value determines whether or not a game is
worth your time and money. We gauge a game's value based on
its length, replayability, cost and distinction from other similar
games on the market. |
|
|
|
|