TheBookNerd
Shared on Tue, 09/15/2009 - 12:12
From my external blog at GamerBrood.com:
NEW RATING SYSTEM
As I mentioned in a post some days ago, things are evolving here at GamerBrood.com. I'm reconsidering the content that I post, trying to focus on my two areas of original interest: reviews and family gaming news/features.
1 (Angry Baby!) = Horrible. Abyssmal. The worst possible score a game could receive. I would not recommend buying, renting, or even borrowing this game from a friend. Just don't waste your time.
2 (Sad Baby...) = Bad. The opposite of good. I would not recommend buying the game. It may be a rental, if you're into that kind of thing. If you can borrow it from a friend, sure.
3 (Content Baby.) = Average. Not horrible, but not outstanding. If you have to buy it, try to catch it on sale. A solid rental. If your friend has the game, consider stealing it from him.
4 (Happy Baby!) = Good. Not quite perfect, but a solid game. For fans of the genre, it's a buy. A must-rent for sure. You should fight your friend over the last copy in the store. Seriously, play this game.
5 (JOYFUL BABY!!!) = Outstanding. As close to perfect as a game can get. A must-buy. If you can find it at your local rental outlet, pick it up and never return it. Even if you have your own copy, you should steal the one your friend has and send it to me.
I'm also revamping how reviews are conducted and written. This includes the actual ratings themselves. In short, they're becoming less complicated. How? Here's a breakdown:
- One, single score for each game on a special, GamerBrood five-point scale. (More on this below.)
- Three categories that contribute to the game's rating, instead of four:
- Presentation - This includes the sensory presentation of the game--graphics, audio, force feedback, etc. It also includes characterization and narrative, which was previously given its own category.
- Gameplay - What the player does in the game, including controls, any other unique interfaces, actual actions and reactions inside the game itself. An alternate term might be "game mechanics."
- Value - Previously there were two categories that determined value: Replay Value and Family Appeal. These two will now be combined into this one category. Also, any other factors that impact the game's value.
- The three categories listed above will not be assigned any numerical rank. Instead, all comments will be qualitative.
- The "Who should...?" segment that appears at the end of each review will still be included. I found that this seemed to be the part of the review that most people liked.
- I will still be reviewing all kinds of games, not just family-oriented games. But the reviews will tend to be "flavored" by the fact that I have three children living in my house. Whereas a single, unmarried twentysomething who works for a major review site may score a game differently, the fact that I am a father and husband will influence my reviews. I can't help it. That's who I am.
With all of those details out of the way, I am very happy to present our new review icon system. As I mentioned, it will be based on a simple, five-point system--1 is the worst score, and 5 is the best. As if that's not enough, we have new graphic representations of these scores...featuring my lovely daughter, Kate. So here you go:
1 (Angry Baby!) = Horrible. Abyssmal. The worst possible score a game could receive. I would not recommend buying, renting, or even borrowing this game from a friend. Just don't waste your time.2 (Sad Baby...) = Bad. The opposite of good. I would not recommend buying the game. It may be a rental, if you're into that kind of thing. If you can borrow it from a friend, sure. 3 (Content Baby.) = Average. Not horrible, but not outstanding. If you have to buy it, try to catch it on sale. A solid rental. If your friend has the game, consider stealing it from him.4 (Happy Baby!) = Good. Not quite perfect, but a solid game. For fans of the genre, it's a buy. A must-rent for sure. You should fight your friend over the last copy in the store. Seriously, play this game.5 (JOYFUL BABY!!!) = Outstanding. As close to perfect as a game can get. A must-buy. If you can find it at your local rental outlet, pick it up and never return it. Even if you have your own copy, you should steal the one your friend has and send it to me.- TheBookNerd's blog
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Comments
Submitted by Criamond on Tue, 09/15/2009 - 12:40
Submitted by Gatsu on Tue, 09/15/2009 - 16:23