At TheGameSlayer, the driving force behind reviews is to give our readers a genuine and honest opinion on how that particular game was experienced by our writers – without getting in any way influenced by the scale or hype around the game, the developers and publishers associated with that game, or what other critics and platforms have rated the game.
We also make it a point to have the review written by individuals who are, at the end of the day – both fans and veterans of that genre and type of game that is being reviewed. This, we feel, is important, since it brings the whole context of other games in the genre, the current baseline and expectations for a game within the genre, and the nuance to be able to appreciate fresh and new systems that the game may attempt, or, alternately, if it sticks to playing safe and repeating the ‘template’, so to speak.
We have also put up a detailed explanation of our review scale and what each score stands for. We give each game a rating out of 10, but don’t believe in sticking to a whole number when giving a score. You will also find games that we score as a 6.5, or an 8.5, and so on.
Finally, we encourage anyone who is going through our reviews to give the full article a read-through, since, while we score the games to the best of our abilities and as objectively as possible with the help of the ratings scale below, words, we have found, give better flavour, richness, and context to the score, than just the score itself.
Reviews Rating Scale: What Do We Mean When We Score A Game…
1 – 1.5
Games within this category are games completely without merit. They are often broken, short, uninspired, show a clear lack of aptitude from the developer’s end, and offer zero enjoyment to any demographic.
2 – 2.5
These are games that while playable, and have at least one saving grace, are still genuinely horrible experiences that should be avoided at all costs. These also tend to be very buggy, have poor graphics, narrative, functionality, and have nothing unique that makes them worth playing.
3 – 3.5
These are games that clearly have a lot of money and production value thrown into their production, but ultimately miss the mark completely. This can be a buggy game, a game that sullies the good name of a huge franchise, a game that tries new things that don’t work at all, or a game that is all flash and has no substance. In short, not a worst game of all-time contender, but right on the cusp.
4 – 4.5
These are below-average games that have a few good features but are pulled down by their excess of flaws. Games that have a cool concept but don’t deliver on that promise. Games that have lackluster mechanics, games that are hollow in terms of their overall experience, or games that run out of steam very quickly.
5 – 5.5
These are games that deliver in some areas, while letting you down in others. Games that have peaks and valleys throughout, games that maybe have a standout mechanic that carries everything else, games that offer a cumulative batch of okay aspects, but none remarkable, or games that do just enough to keep you playing to the finish.
6 – 6.5
These are games that rise out from the label of bang average, and have multiple cool features, strong graphics, a serviceable storyline, or a core gameplay loop that offers replayability. It may have one, perhaps two of these things, but rarely more. Games that clearly have a lot going for them, but upon critical analysis simply don’t rank among the standout games within the medium. These are games that can be played when you have exhausted all better options, enjoyable, but not highly recommended.
7 – 7.5
These are the games that we can categorically say are ‘good’ games. These games tend to have a solid base of features with no obvious game-altering issues. These titles tend to offer an experience that will undoubtedly keep the player engaged from start to end. However, what stops this from being rated higher is usually one or two core flaws.
8 – 8.5
These are eminently enjoyable games with no glaring faults. Instead, the game is pulled down by smaller issues and finer details. Things like clunky UI, an average storyline, some out-of-place mechanics, maybe a lack of character depth. These games are titles that have all the parts to succeed, and all these parts marry together very nicely.
9 – 9.5
These games do almost everything that they set out to do, offer a gaming experience that is unlike anything else that has come before, they offer a well-rounded experience on all fronts, and you can say with some assuredness that they will be considered a GOTY contender. They perhaps have some minor issues, but overall, they are stellar examples of what joy gaming can provide.
10
A game with a score of 10 is an undeniable masterpiece – A game that is flawless, timeless, achieves every goal it sets out to do, sets a new standard for the genre and indeed, the industry, and provides an experience that is completely unrivaled by 99.9% of the games in existence.