How we actually decide on a rating

People sometimes ask why we don't just hand out tens for games we clearly enjoyed. The honest answer is that a rating only means something if it can also be low.

Every score here comes from playing the meaningful part of a game, not the first hour. We weigh a few things: how the core loop holds up over time, whether progression stays interesting, how the controls feel, and whether the game respects your time. Story matters heavily for RPGs and adventures; feel matters more for racers and arcades.

We deliberately keep the team small so the scale stays consistent. A 4.4 from us should mean roughly the same thing whether it's an arcade dash like Big Rush Luck or a cozy sim. When two editors disagree, we talk it out and the write-up explains the tension rather than hiding it.

No game is paid to score higher. If we can't stand behind a number in writing, it doesn't go up.