What's in a Review?
What’s in a review? As you would expect, everyone is different, so reviews are subjective to personal taste. This is how we score games here at What’s It Like. Each category has the same overall weight to the final score, out of 100, to help gamers know what games might suit them best. We love getting your feedback on our reviews. Good, Bad, or Indifferent, your opinion helps shape future content and allows us to adjust things (just like this scoring system) to help make What’s It Like the gaming hub we want it to be.
Do Developers Pay You to Review Games?
No. I have been fortunate to receive some review copies which has helped me get more content out, but this honestly doesn’t affect final scoring (Evident in the Guns and Spurs 2 Review.) If I do receive a review copy, I say so in the review.
How is the overall Art Style? Can the player easily distinguish items and the environment? Are the graphics sharp and do they work well with the game style? Does the game engine do a good job of drawing the player into the world?
How does the game run? Are there bugs that break immersion? How does the overall experience feel? If the game is online, is the player able to play uninterrupted? Are there severe stutter or texture pop-ins that ruin immersion?
How fun is the game? Does it do a good job of keeping the player engaged? It the gameplay loop fun and addictive? Does the game want to keep players returning to it? Is there a narrative? If so does it engage the player?
Is there a lot to do in the game? Have the mechanics of the game been well implemented and thought out? Are there Accessibility options? Does the game feature online modes? DLC? How long is the game?
How much value for money is the player getting? This is determined by all the previous categories weighed up against the Price Point.
What do the numbers mean?
What do the numbers mean? This guide helps gamers understand what our scores mean when we award them.
90-100
Exceptional
The cream of the crop. A great game worthy of your time and money. Considered an essential purchase.
80-89
Outstanding
An amazing experience that’s well worth playing. Usually only minor issues holding it back from greatness.
70-79
Great
A great game that might just need a patch or two to get it up to scratch. Core fundamentals are there, just needs a little polish.
60-69
Good
A good game that might be the victim of some odd mechanics that don’t quite work, but is still fun to play.
50-59
Okay
Might be one for the fans, or perhaps the sum of its part just don’t quite mesh. Might be worth playing on sale?
41-50
Needs Work
Not a very good game, but could be saved with some major updates. Best to hold off on these until it’s patches or heavily discounted.
31-40
Bad
Unfortunately the game just isn’t fun. This could be due to broken mechanics, or just core gameplay not being enjoyable. Most likely can’t be patched so one for the die hard fans.
21-30
Terrible
Not a good game at all and it’s not going to get fixed. Core mechanics are broken, or it’s a flipped asset game with no thought or fun. Not worth the purchase.
11-20
Awful
An insult to gamers. The game is broken beyond repair, not fun, or simply not as advertised. Do not purchase.
0-10
Unplayable
Avoid at all costs, this shouldn’t have even been approved for listing or sale. Simply a scam designed to take your money.