I wanted to start off by giving an overview of how I plan to review the games I play. More for myself to reference, so I can do my best to remain consistent in the things I talk about.
However, games are a subjective piece of media. So I can only do so much to remain 100% consistent in reviews, as my thoughts, opinions, and taste will likely change over time.
While I may sing the praises of a game, someone else could be hoping for its immediate downfall. This does not mean I am correct, and the other person is wrong, or vice versa. It only means we have differing tastes.
My goal with my reviews is to explain the things I like about a game, as well as don’t like about a game, and give it my personal score. If someone finds that their tastes align with mine, hopefully they will continue to read my reviews to see what I have to say.
When it comes to most things in games, I believe that it is subjective to the player. Some gamers might want the constant action and PvP of CoD, while others may want to sit back and deliver packages in Death Stranding. Because of this, all of my reviews will focus on my personal taste in games. If I love a specific game mechanic, I will say that I loved it, and do my best to remain subjective about it.
I also believe that there are some things that are objective facts in games. Glitches, bugs, crashes, lag, or any number of issues that can plaque a game are all objectively negative traits that can happen in a game. I want to bring attention to these as well, assuming I personally experience them myself.
I also want to ensure that I have put a good chunk of time into a game before reviewing it. I see it so often, where a reviewer gets paid to write a review early for a game, even though they barely played it for 2 hours. My goal is to always put a significant amount of time, or even finish the game, prior to writing a review.
Because of my desire to put in significant hours into a game prior to reviewing, I likely won’t be reviewing any new games right when they release. I find the practice disingenuous to begin with, so it may take time to have everything how I want it to be.
As far as ratings go, I think the best way to rate a game is with a 1-5 scale.
1 meaning the absolute worst experience, that is riddled with bugs and game crashes, while the game itself also isn’t fun.
2 would indicate that the core gameplay is bland and/or cookie cutter, and doesn’t bring anything new or engaging to the table. It can be fun, but needs something to spice it up.
3 is a good game. It may not be the most out of the box experience, but everything is fun, and engaging. It’s something that is worth the time and money spent playing.
4 is a great game, everything seems to come together in such an amazing way. It’s a game that should be played ASAP.
5 is reserved for the best of the best. very few games can get a perfect score, and that’s how it should be. This is a game that takes my breathe away and hits all the right notes, all the time.
To reiterate, this would all be extremely subjective to me. So, my 5/5 could be your 1/5, or any combination of numbers. That’s okay, everyone is allowed to have a different opinion when it comes to media.
Tottery's Game Reviews 