review

Review system suggestion

As I’ve said before, I’m not a huge fan of the 100 percentile ranking system because it leads to a large degree of what I think is false precision and tends even more than most to a skewed number due to peoples experiences with it at highschool with 60-69% being average.

So since it was requested I draw up a rubric to go with my idea here it is – it’s a 1-10 with .5 scales in it. 0 is only used in cases of something being there but being completely broken. Basically if a game isn’t using any audio that should be called out in the review, but you can’t judge the quality of the audio or impact the rest of the score for that. Same with graphics, in the case of something like a CYOA game. However if there is audio and its all killing ears and such

A lot of times, we have issues thinking of worse games because we generally choose to play games that are good and remember those that are good or are notably bad. Thus when thinking in a vaccum a lot of times we forget the games that fill in that 2-4.5 area because of human nature. When reviewing we have to deal with games that do belong there as part of the work and so it should be there.

This is the general idea

0 – A game that doesn’t work and actively harms
1-1.5 – An active embarrassment and subtraction from the video game genre by its existence in this area.
2-4.5 – Bad to mediocre. These games range from being just plain very bad to being a bit below average in this area.
5-5.5 – Average. This is your general genre expectation here.
6-7.5 – Good to Very Good. These games are good entries to their genre but don’t stand out more than that for a particular reason.
8-9.5 – Excellent. In this area a game is particularly notable for its strength in this area and may be in competition for game of the year awards for it.
10 – A classic. A game with a score at 10 in any area has that part stand out as an all-time classic and definitive piece of that.

Overall
0 – This game is an absolute atrocity and a disservice to video games by existing. It is famous for how bad it is. Examples: E.T. the Extra Terrestrial and Custer’s Revenge (from the 80s), Air Control (modern)
1-1.5 – While not necessarily the type of game that will destroy the industry or cement reputations … this game is complete and utter shit and known for it. Example: Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor and Legend of Zelda CDI Games
2-2.5 – Very Bad- We’re now getting into the very bad area of games. These are games that are bad but are not going to taint everything forever. Example: Arcania – Gothic 4,
3-3.5 – This is a BAD game of the general kinda – whether it’s simple mechanics that don’t work well or bad implementation or just several severe (but not computer destroying ) bugs that make it tough to play you can start looking here. Example: Risen 2
4-4.5 – Mediocre - This is a completely uninspired but mostly game. Nothing about it screams awful but none of it comes together in a comprehensive way to make a fine game. Example: Avadon, Risen 3, Eschalon
5-5.5 – Average – this is a standard unassuming title. Your standard release is here. Example: Destiny, King’s Bounty: Dark Side
6-6.5 – Good – This is a solid game on the whole. It is above average whether due to solid mechanics, graphics, audio or mixture of reasons. While not a must buy for everyone, fans of the genre or style should pick it up. Example: Risen, King’s Bounty: Crossworld,
7-7.5 – Very Good – a noted game in the field that should be played by people who enjoy it. It stands out with well-done work in it and has smooth operable mechanics, story, graphics, audio in general to combine for a very nice game. Examples: Endless Legend, Faster than Light, Primordia
8-8.5 – Excellent – This game is in competition for game of the year in its best areas and is an example of excellent work in videogames. Examples: Divinity: Original Sin, Wasteland 2, Dreamfall Chapters, Deux Ex Human Revolution
9-9.5 – Great – This game will be winning game of the year in its top areas and compete for the title over all. It is a game to be marked down and noted as one of the best ones in its genre with only a few flaws stopping it from being an alltime classic. Examples: Planescape Torment, Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, King of Dragon Pass
10 – Classic – While there may still be a couple of flaws as nothing is perfect, this game is without doubt an all-time classic and one of the best video games of all time. Examples: Master of Orion 2, Diablo 2

Here are different things to consider when doing grading.

Gameplay
Gameplay measures how the game plays inside the parameters itself sits and the genre it is in (IE gameplay expectations for a shooter are not the same as turnbased strategy).
Points to consider:
-        Balance
-        Performance
-        Mechanics
-        Bugs

Story/Writing /Characters
This is all the written parts of the game and the characters within it. Some games have minimal story and writing (like many 4x or strategy games) and thus should omit this category.

Points to consider:
-        Pacing
-        Writing Quality
-        Uniqueness of Characters
-        Plotting
-        Narrative


Graphics
Graphics deal with the visual presentation of the game. This has to be compared typically to other games of era and platform as its generally not comparable for a handheld game to match a AAA console one due to system limitations. Additionally the goal of the graphics and how well they work to achieve that should be considered.

Points to consider:
-        Art Style
-        User Interface
-        Immersion

Audio
Audio deals with all sorts of sound effects, music and voice overs. Games should be judged on what they choose to do here – so a game without voice overs doesn’t get marked down for that here (comment on it in the review itself).

Points to Consider
-        Voice Acting
-        Music
-        Sound Effects
-        Variety
-
Multiplayer
This deals with how the game plays in various multiplayer modes. Also consider things like stability, connectivity and how well it plays.

Points:
-        Connectivity
-        Modes of play
-        Stability
-        Support