When it comes to reviewing games, every outlet has their own scoring formats and policies; some rate games out of 5, others 10, and some 100. Additionally, some will opt to review games while in early access, whereas others will wait for a final/1.0 release. This page will break down how TMGN approaches video game reviews and scores, as well as answer a few other queries.
It’s important to note that games – much like art – cannot be measured as objectively good or bad, and thus a review is a subjective opinion. When reviewing a game, the objective is to consider what the game sets out to achieve, and whether or not it accomplishes that.
TMGN rates games on a scale of 1 to 10 which roughly correlate to the following descriptions:
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10 – Magnificent
No game is perfect, but games with a 10/10 come as close as possible to that description. These games are destined for a place among the all-time greats; they are true video game royalty.
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9 – Excellent
While they’re not quite in the upper echelon, these games still leave a strong lasting impression, and if there are any drawbacks, they’re usually nit-picks at most. A 9/10 is still an easy game to recommend.
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8 – Great
An 8/10 is a solid experience most of the time. What typically holds these games back is some unrealised potential and/or a slight lack of polish. Overall, games in this category are still worth checking out.
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7 – Good
A 7/10 is considered a good game, but could be better. A 7/10 will typically have the same issues as an 8, but to a greater extent. Playing these games is still mostly time well spent.
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6 – Fine
A 6/10 is a fine game, not good, not bad, just… fine. You’re bound to tread through familiar ground with these games, but bugs and a slight lack of innovation means it can’t set itself apart. These games offer a faint glimpse at what could’ve been.
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5 – Average
Games in this category are considered average. Where a 6/10 at least attempts to stand by itself, a 5 is bland, unoriginal, and in need of some considerable technical polish.
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4 – Poor
4/10: The best of the worst. When it comes to these games, there are plenty of better ways to spend your time. Poor gameplay, execution of ideas and bugs are likely some of the many reasons why these games are considered poor.
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3 – Bad
Everything that a 4/10 doesn’t do, a 3/10 surpasses that by offering even less. There are plenty of better games out there, save yourself the pain and go play those instead.
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2 – Awful
At this stage, it’s an impressive feat to have a game score so poorly. A 2/10 game almost feels like it was made as part of some terrible joke. There’s nothing to see here, move along.
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1 – Garbage
A 1/10 game is exceptional, for all the wrong reasons. With any luck, its immense technical inadequacies will spare you the pain of having to play it for more than 5 minutes before it crashes.
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Questions & Answers
How do you decide what games to review?
It mostly comes down to how well acquainted a reviewer is with a particular genre. For example, if a new strategy game released, but no reviewer has any expertise in that genre, it won’t get reviewed. That doesn’t mean that the game is necessarily bad, it just means that a lack of experience in that field could do the game a disservice. Additionally, it wouldn’t be fair to force a review when a reviewer may not be fond of a specific genre.
Do things like exclusives, review copies, freebies, etc affect review scores?
TLDR: Absolutely not. While we are grateful to receive these things and they’re certainly a privilege, no amount of early access or fancy headphones will influence the review score of any game.
Do you review games in early access?
Generally, games running on non-final code are considered ineligible for review till they reach the 1.0 stage. However, exceptions may be made for games that have been in early access for several months, or perhaps even a year or two. Essentially, if a game with the early access label appears to be feature complete with a reasonable amount of polish, then it shall be considered for review. A good example would be Fortnite, which was in early access for years despite its quality being far better than many non-early access titles.
Can a review score be changed if a game has improved since launch?
In very rare circumstances, yes. In order for this to happen, a game must have undergone a serious improvement to the point where information in the original review is inaccurate. At this point, the game will essentially be re-reviewed. In the event that this happens, the original review will also remain on the site for the sake of posterity.