About

We are just people who like games. We’re not receiving money for our reviews, we’re not being paid by the 9/10. We’re just here to talk about the thing we love – playing a good, solid, video game. We’re not snobs, and we don’t discriminate based on game, preferred gaming device, or genre.

We come from different backgrounds, with different writing styles and different opinions. We’re as diverse as any other group of gamers, and we wish to be open and not afraid to share our opinions and our voices.

We are passionate about what we do and what we play. We love games as much as you do.

We strive to avoid sensationalism or rumors. We’re not looking for inflammatory headlines just so we can get more hits to our website. We want to talk about games, as much as we can, and as honestly as we know how.

How we review

If there’s one thing we (and everyone) are sick of, it’s ratings from 1 to 10. They, along with shady money-type deals, almost always result in games getting no lower than a 7 out of 10. We realize that an at-a-glance review is important, but a 1 to 10 rating system is confusing and cannot capture the true essence of a game.

We’ve opted a system of 1-5 ratings for various categories for a game. A radar chart shows the ratings for each category. The categories we rate are as follows: Graphics/Aesthetics, Gameplay, Story, Fun, Controls, Replay.

Definitions:

  • Graphics/Aesthetics: How well the graphics look and how well they fit the game. Are they polished? Do they make sense? Is the UI refined and beautiful? If the graphics are not realistic, does the style of the graphics match the game?
  • Gameplay: How fluidly the game plays. This is a hard category to nail down and to experience, but when the gameplay is terrible, you definitely know it. Terribly functioning UI, characters that seem like they’re made of molasses, and glitches all dock points from this category.
  • Story: The plot of the game! If there is no plot, such as puzzle games, this category receives a 0 (zero) (as opposed to a 1, which is the worst score it can get). Does the plot make sense? Is it interesting or funny or otherwise compelling?
  • Fun: The most subjective of all categories, fun measures overall enjoyment of the game. Does it make you want to come back for more? Does it keep you engaged? Does it make you feel like you’re actually playing a game, or does it make you feel like you’re doing a chore or reading a book?
  • Controls: Whether the controls are responsive, fluid, and refined. Do the controls make sense, or are they just terrible and illogical? Do they feel right? Are they buggy?
  • Replay: Would you play the game again? Is there value in playing it again? Is the game so good that you just have to give it a replay, or is it that once you beat it, you feel like you’ve done all you want to do? Games where there are many achievements MAY be replayable but maybe not – having post-game content doesn’t give this category an automatic 5 though.

Here is the meaning of our ratings, 1 through 5:

  1. Terrible. Just really really bad. It’s nearly unplayable for whatever reason. It doesn’t feel good to play the game, just frustrating.
  2. Mediocre. It’s maybe playable but not good. Not even average. It’s actually quite bad, but at least it doesn’t make you feel like crying.
  3. Average. It’s comparable to other games of the same genre. There’s nothing outstanding about it but it’s not bad, either. It’s just okay.
  4. Great. It’s quite good. It feels fun. It looks nice. It stands out to you for whatever reason, and it helps the game rise above the rest.
  5. Outstanding. It’s amazing! Maybe one of the best in its class. It’s one of your favorite features, and you love talking about that aspect of it to your friends. It makes the game shine.

In general, though, don’t pay attention to the numbers. That’s why we don’t even display them. Pay attention to the overall visualization of the chart, and to the review itself. That’s the most important part!