Zonk's Journal: Review Guidelines

I've noticed some folks wondering what my standards are, so I decided to post a short piece on what I do and take into account when I review a game.

Reviewing:
When I review a game, I first obtain it. For console games, I've switched entirely to GameFly, with a few notable exceptions. Titles like Katamari and Burnout are going to get play even after their reviews are done, so I went out and bought those. PC Games, unfortunately, have to be purchased out of my own pocket in order for me to review them. While I do have contacts with some development houses, for the most part Slashdot is far enough off of their radar so as to not be worth giving us many hookups.

I play a game for a minimum of five hours before I feel comfortable reviewing it. Some games, like MMORPG and RPGs, take longer to get to the meat of the matter and end up getting reviewed later than I would like as a result. Almost all games I've played so far, I've had the chance to play for more than five hours. That time-span is usually spread out over two or three days, giving me the chance to ponder what I like and don't like about the game in between.

Grading:
The score I assign to a game, from 1 to 10, is based primarily on how much I feel this game appeals to three groups.

1.) Target audience - Is the genre fan going to like this?
2.) Hardcore Gamer - The the general gaming enthusiast (me) going to like this?
3.) Casual Gamer - Is the average person off the street going to like this? (Does it appeal to my wife?)

I also consider the following elements:
Gameplay, Graphics, Sound, Design, Fun

I haven't given out many 1-5 scores as of yet, but 1-5 indicates that I'm very dissapointed in the game. The lower the score, the suckier it is.

6 is the bare minimum of acceptability. It's a game that runs with a minimum of crashing, but it's not very fun.

7 is "average". It does the things it does and probably is going to please the genre fan.

8 is "okay". It's got a little more personality to it and is likely to appeal to the hardcore.

9 is "good". Not only will it appeal to the hardcore, but it's lots of fun, or innovative, or pretty, or something.

10 is "exceptional". It's not only fun, pretty, and innovative, but it will appeal to the casual gamer as well.

I hope that clears things up a little. Feel free to email me if you have any comments or questions.