There’s no true way to measure a game’s efficacy or value with a simple numerical value, but it sure helps to give an idea of the reviewer’s assessment. Too often, sites forget that they have ten numbers to play with, and so here are our review scores explained. You’ll find no outside influence amongst our game reviews, just fair, honest opinion.
A Few Notes On Our Reviews Process:
- We will always endeavour to complete the main narrative section of a game before posting a review and see that non-linear elements are assessed with due diligence.
- We will look to approach every game we review with the same high standards of critical appraisal.
- We do take pricing and value into consideration, alongside precedent and context.
- The majority of our reviews are made possible by either promotional code from developers/publisher or personal purchases. We will always give notice whenever material has been issued by a completely separate party (eg. retailers)
- We do not score episodic titles unless they can be purchased separately as standalone games, or at the reviewer’s discretion. A score will be assigned to the entire season once complete.
- We do not, and will not, ever charge a subject money for a review.
- We have not, and will not, ever accept money for a review.
If you have any further questions or would like to submit something for review, please contact us at admin[at]digitaloutburst[dot]net.
DO’s Game Rankings:
10 – ASTOUNDING: As close to gaming perfection as possible. The rarest of rare, these should be games that not only look, feel and play better than 99.9% of everything else out there, but bring something new to the table, pushing gaming itself forward. These are fundamentally must-own titles for anyone with an interest in gaming, regardless of genre, with the highest quality in terms of design, gameplay and vision.
A masterclass in execution and innovation. These are never handed out lightly. Ever. These are the games that define generations.
9 – EXCELLENT: Only the exceptional need apply here. There might be one or two slight blemishes, but overall games that score a 9 are genre-leaders: must-have titles with perhaps the odd imperfection. You won’t be wasting a single penny in buying a game that scores this high. A few games of this calibre will make it worth spending hundreds on a console or powerful enough PC. Killer apps, indeed.
8 – GREAT: Great games typically provide competent production values with a degree of innovation, personality and soul that’s sometimes absent in titles that score lower. Or even just exceptional raw value on top of competent execution. There’ll usually be a little something to stop games like these from reaching the very top – innovative but slightly flawed, fun but not groundbreaking – however you can buy games that score 8/10 with confidence.
7 – GOOD: Some sites seem to think that the halfway point between 1-10 is 7. This is not the case. It should be noted that 7 is not just a perfectly respectable score, it’s a good score. A 7 is not an indication of failure, nor is it the mark of a bad, poor or even average game. These are titles that can be considered very worthwhile, but maybe come with a caveat. Frequently the domain of the well-made-if-rather-conventional brigade.
6 – CAPABLE: The key thing to remember here is always try before you buy. There willl likely be some rather glaring flaws or perhaps a distinct lack of imagination, but games that earn a 6 will generally be very capable indeed and probably still provide a good deal of fun to genre fans.
5 – AVERAGE: Average games are exactly that. Neither good nor bad, some clever ideas have probably been marred by patchy execution, or strong mechanics let down by a lack of scope, new ideas or ambition. Often reserved for the completely unremarkable, the realm of the apathetic, you’ll also find games here whose good and bad qualities basically cancel one another out.
4 – POOR: There’s something wrong here. Games that attain a 4 might not be unplayable, but they will generally tend towards shameless mediocrity and a visible lack of development. Here we’ll probably find rushed film tie-ins, skeletal games prepped for further monetisation, and copycat shovelware, devoid of charm, with only the hint of the trend it attempted to plagiarise saving it from damnation. That said, a sudden drop in price might just shift the balance enough to warrant a purchase, if only for padding one’s Gamerscore / trophy list.
3 – BAD: Undeniably bad. Games that get a 3 or under actively alienate and push away the gamer with their faults. It’s here that you’ll start getting glaring technical issues that prevent you from getting even a sniff of enjoyment from the game. Even the most rabid of fanboys would have trouble defending games that fall into this zone.
2 – OFFENSIVE: If someone gave you one of these games you’d hit them. These are the games that should really come with health warnings and temporary TV/controller insurance. These are games so offensively bad that you’d buy one from a bargain bin just to blow it up in a microwave with a banger. If games like these walked, you’d punch them in the balls.
1 – RUN!: Almost as rare as a 10, someone has clearly worked really hard to ensure that this sucks more than a Dyson hoover. The world is a little bit worse because games that score a 1 exist. Unfathomably, insultingly awful, you might need brain surgery to remove all traces of the memory that you ever played this. Wars have been initiated for less.
Remember, if you disagree with a rating that we’ve issued to a game or if you fervently agree as well, don’t be afraid to argue your point in the comments box for the relevant game!