Game Rating Guide
Overall Rating
This is effectively like a weighted average of the five different categories.
Althought one could probably come up with a complex function to
calculate this given the ratings of the other five categories, I'm lazy and
instead do this by feel. This is basically how strongly I feel about the game
and how glad I am to have it in my collection.
|
80-100%
|
An overall great game and one that you will not feel sorry to have.
Those games scoring towards the upper end of the spectrum (95-100%)
are games that if you don't have them, you need to sell whatever you
need to pull together the dough required to purchase it. These games
remind you why you play games in the first place. Games towards the
other end (closer to 80%) are games that you will still have a blast
playing, but probably aren't going to redefine how you look at gaming.
|
|
|
|
60-79%
|
Here's the mixed bag of the bunch. Some of the games that fall into
the yellow category probably have some flaws somewhere that are noticable.
However, some of the higher yellow games are ones that I would still
recommend to have in your collection. Lower scoring games would probably
be fun if you're a fan of the genre, but a casual gamer may find it dissapointing.
|
|
|
|
0-59%
|
Hopefully the stop-light-red means that I don't have to explain these too
much. These games suck no matter where they land. DO NOT BUY THESE GAMES!
The only reason why you should have any of these games are if you got them
for a gift and couldn't return them. Avoid these like psychology classes.
|
Gameplay
This is a measure of how enjoyable the gaming experience was. It encompasses
how well the controls are done, how fair the enemy AI is, etc. This also
covers and how satisfying the game was to play.
|
Controls are super tight and you actually feel satisfied after playing this game.
|
|
|
|
Controls are very good. Player doesn't feel cumbersome and the computer is fair but still challenging.
|
|
|
|
This is still acceptable gameplay at this level although there are probably some obvious flaws.
|
|
|
|
This is probably a game that is difficult to play due to either imprecise control or cheap enemy AI.
|
|
|
|
Controls like Simon Belmont in the original Castlevania. You'll probably have a more frustrating than enjoyable experience.
|
Graphics
This category covers how visually appealing and or advanced the graphics in this game are.
Of course, these are measured relative to other games during the same time period.
|
|
With games like these, its hard to tell if you're playing a game or watching a
movie. In some situation, it may mean the the cell shading or alternative
graphics are particularly stylee.
|
|
|
|
|
Definitely one of the cutting edge graphics games. This is on the top of its game, but may not be the most innovative.
|
|
|
|
|
Fair, mediocre graphics that are passable, but nothing notable.
|
|
|
|
|
You should probably steer clear of these games. In a day and age
where next gen systems are pushing the limits of graphics, these games aren't.
|
|
|
|
|
Remember Colecovision? Monocolor graphics with pixels bigger than the TV screen?
If you don't remember, play this game for a quick reminder.
|
Audio
Sound quality is evaluated here. Mostly, this evaluates the games sound track rather
than the sound effects. However, it takes a combination of great musical score and
also sound effects to obtain the coveted 5 star rating.
|
|
Scores like these are reserved for games with a fully orchestrated soundtrack
and remarkable sound effects. Most Final Fantasy games get this score every time.
|
|
|
|
|
Very good music. Catchy stuff that you could listen to at work or school.
|
|
|
|
|
About your standard game music. Something to keep you entertained while you're playing, but nothing you'd remember.
|
|
|
|
|
These games take a major step backwards from where the sound should be in other comparable games.
|
|
|
|
|
Probably better played with mute on.
|
Presentation
How well the actual gaming experience is presented to the player is rated here.
This can include cool box art, promotions with the game, good save features,
and useful menu interfaces. This is the polish that makes some games so great
and other so very, very bad.
|
|
This game is polished more than a sliver plate at Tiffany's. This is a
game that could have been out the door months ago but the development
team kept it to apply all the finishing touches for a truely impressive package.
|
|
|
|
|
This is the kind of game that you would try and show your parents
to see if they like it. It makes use of all the features that the
system has built in and then a little more.
|
|
|
|
|
Average rating. The game might be missing a save function or something
moderate like that. Not a polished game, but not a smudged one either.
|
|
|
|
|
There are big problems with this game. You can tell that the developer
was rushing to push this out the door to make a cheap buck.
|
|
|
|
|
Save feature?! We don't need no stinkin' save feature.
|
Replayability
Is this game destinied to be a classic which your kids will be able to
enjoy 30 years from now? More importantly, how long are you going to be
playing it before it starts to sit in your collection, untouched.
This evaluates how many games within the game there are and if you
can feasibly play it more than once without losing interest.
|
|
I bought this game 5 years ago and its still in the
machine because I play it every day! Games like these have
serious replay value, kind of like getting 500 miles per gallon
on the family station wagon.
|
|
|
|
|
There are probably more secrets and things to unlock in this
game that you'll spend more time doing it all than you did
playing it though the first time.
|
|
|
|
|
This game might unlock a picture gallery once you beat it,
but no really cool features that will beg you to play it a
second time.
|
|
|
|
|
If you beat the game 5 times in a row, the only thing that happens is
the color of the title screen changes.
|
|
|
|
|
You'll probably never unlock the cool stuff in this game because it's
probably sitting the trash.
|
Price Paid
This denotes how much we paid to acquire this game for the collection. This
is the price before tax or shipping and handling. If the game was bought
used, it will say so in parenthesis.
Purchase Date
This is the date that the item was acquired into the collection.
Release Date
This is the date that the game was release to retail in the US market.
Condition
A game is deemed complete if and only if it is in working order and
contains the game, instruction booklet, and case. If one of these
items are missing, it will say so. For example, if it says, missing
booklet, this means that we only have the game and the case.
Extra Content
If this link exists, you can click it to view other information
about the game such as pictures, codes, FAQs, etc.
|
|
