Our Scoring Policy

 

We score our games on a scale of 1 – 10, with 1 being the lowest score possible and 10 the highest. All games are provided by publisher or developer for review purposes, but we’ll indicate this at the bottom of a review.

We treat all games as equal prior to a review, and score games fairly based on what they are, and not what they are competing against. A humble indie title will receive the same attention and the same critique, and be scored on the same scale as a blockbuster triple-A release.

Our reviewers will at all times be objective, and we review games on an individual basis: what it is, rather than what it could or should be.

Our scoring policy is as follows:

1 – DIABOLICAL. An absolute travesty and a crime against video games. This title will have no redeeming qualities whatsoever and doesn’t deserve to be seen by anyone, let alone played. If we’ve score it 1/10, it’s pretty much unplayable and should be avoided like a ticking briefcase.

2 – TERRIBLE. A step up from “diabolical”, but a minor one. A 2/10 will have at best one or two positive features that, alongside its catalogue of disappointments, just aren’t enough to render it playable.

3 – BAD. Ugly, lazy, and unpleasant, if we’ve scored a game so low then it has serious issues. A 3/10 game will suffer from a combination of uninspired, lacklustre design, unfixed bugs and poor presentation.

4 – POOR. Games tagged 4/10 will be playable, perhaps even enjoyable, but will be let down by a slew of negative elements that undermine their quality and value. Best avoided by any but hardcore genre fans.

5 – AVERAGE. The epitome of a 50/50 game, this title will be unspectacular but inoffensive, charmless but amiable. We aren’t condemning a game by scoring it a 5, but we certainly aren’t championing it, either.

6 – DECENT. A 6/10 indicates that, while this game could be much better, it still has a fair amount to offer the player. It might be an interesting title sabotaged by its own ambition, or a game denied greater praise by some questionable design choices. Don’t avoid it outright, but approach it with caution.

7 – GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

8 – VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

9 – SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

10 – INCREDIBLE. This is the pinnacle of our scoring spectrum, reserved for games that truly affect us, that capture our imagination so completely that they affect the standard by which we measure future games. 10/10 is not a declaration of perfection, but an assurance that the game in question is of amazingly high quality and has exceeded our expectations.