Here is a breakdown of my rating system. The first part scores overall quality.

10 – Masterpiece

9 – Fantastic

8 – Great

7 – Good

6 – Above Average

5 – Average

4 – Below Average

3 – Bad

2 – Terrible

1 – Garbage

A 10 is something reserved only for the best of the best. A 10 does not mean that the game is perfect, as every game has some flaws or shortcomings. It simply means that the game excels in all areas, and the few problems the game does have ultimately do not negatively affect the experience as a whole.

A 9 is usually a game that falls just shy of being a 10. This is the kind of game that also excels in every area, but the few flaws it has do ultimately drag the experience down a little bit. In generally, the difference between a 9 and 10 can be quite small, and games that receive either of these ratings are games that are a must play in my opinion.

An 8 or a 7 is a game that does what it does very well, but doesn’t do it quite as well as a game worth a 9 or 10, and may also have some more major problems. However, a game rated a 7 or 8 is still absolutely worth checking out.

When we get into the 4, 5, or 6 ratings, things get a little more complicated. These are typically the games that either don’t do what they do that well, or else are marred by significant issues. However, they also do have redeeming qualities, and shouldn’t be dismissed automatically. Whether these types of games are worth checking out ultimately comes down to the person’s personal preferences. If the person enjoys the genre or franchise that the game belongs to, they will probably like the game. But if they don’t, then they’re probably better off skipping the game.

Finally, a game that gets a 3 or lower is a game that I think should be avoided at all costs.

Please note, if I give a game a 4 or higher, that means I think that it has at least some merits. There are some people who seem to think that anything lower than an 8 is a death rating, but this is simply ridiculous. 10 is the best, 1 is the worst. In between those two numbers there is a whole spectrum, one which I intend to use.

In addition to the traditional scoring system to rate overall quality, I also have a second scoring system to rate how well a game holds up. The rating is out of 4.

4 – Holds up perfectly

3 – Holds up well

2 – Holds up okay

1- Holds up badly