emperorreview-blog

[emperorreview-blog]

An Introduction and Some Thoughts

Hail, Subjects! It is I, your lord, your ruler, EmperorSai, long may I reign. I have gathered you all here today in order to edify you on the subject of the 1-10 scale. This respected tool of reviewers has for too long been wielded like a club, instead of the artisan’s implement that it should be. Your ignorance ends today.

There is no meaning in a 1-10 score without context. A recent IGN review of Prey gave the game a 4/10, after consistently praising the game, due to a game breaking bug. A patch to fix the bug was quickly shipped the next day. Maybe the reviewer knew that such a shocking score would motivate Bethesda to make the fix quickly, or maybe they really were just that disappointed with the bug. Regardless, scores cannot be relied upon as an objective evaluation of a title’s quality.

However, numbers are loads of fun, as I’m sure every student knows. Therefore, though I need not explain myself, I have deigned to delineate how my personal grading system works.

Aesthetics (0-2 points): The art style of the game. This refers to the overall cohesion and quality of the title. Do all the objects follow the same style? Is the art consistent? Does it come together in an aesthetically pleasing image?

Gameplay (0-3 points): How satisfying the game is to play. Games do not have to be fun, but they do have to be compelling. This segment is important, but also extremely subjective. Walking Simulator games, whose purpose is mainly to tell a story, don’t always have the most interesting of mechanics. However, the gameplay should still tie into the story and be used to pull the player in. Does the gameplay add to or detract from the story(Ludonarrative dissonance anyone?)? Does the gameplay feel good in a vacuum? Does the game control well? Are the core mechanics of the game interesting enough to keep the player coming back?

Story (0-2 Points): The quality of the story. Most genres of games have a story to explain where you are and why you do what you do. They don’t need to be extensive, but they must be interesting. Take, for example, DOOM 2016. The story was simple, but it made the player feel like a complete badass. On the flip side of the coin, there are games like Mass Effect that put a large emphasis on the story and world building. This category includes the lore of the game. Does the story make me want to continue playing? Are the characters sufficiently motivated? Does the world feel real or like a flimsy pretense?

Technical Quality (0-1 Point): The parts under the hood. Nothing special here. These issues may spill into affecting the Gameplay category depending on the nature and severity of any potential issues. Does the game run smoothly? Is the settings menu complete? How buggy is the game?

Other (0-2 Points): This is whatever I say it is. The je ne sais quoi that takes a game from good to great. All the little things that can’t be accounted for in the other categories. Maybe the quality of the voice acting is fantastic. Perhaps the UI is superb. Whatever deserves special mention and attention goes here.

Example Mini Review: Enter the Gungeon

Enter the Gungeon is the child of a romance between a twin stick shoot'em-up and a roguelite.

Aesthetic: 2 Points. Boasting an adorable gun and bullet based pixel theme, this game is adorable to look at. Very thematic, and a pleasure to see. As long as you don’t mind the constant barrages of bullets.

Gameplay: 2 Points. As a roguelite, trial and failure is the name of the game. At the beginning of the game, players will select a character before diving deep into the Gungeon. Gameplay is smooth, with several mechanics to avoid the bevy of bullets that will be flying your way. Unlocking new guns and items throughout your journey is a satisfying experience. The largest caveat is the nature of procedural generation. Sometimes the layout and drops leave you fighting bosses with your beginning weapons. Uncommon, but it does happen.

Story: 1 Point. The story of Enter the Gungeon is very much in the background, and it’s kind of a shame that it is. What few crumbs have been scattered throughout tease a very fun and chaotic universe. Instead you are trapped with the thin stories of the playable characters and some NPC’s throughout the levels.

Technical Quality: 1 Point. The game runs smoothly on my standard desktop. It even runs fairly well on a 2-year old work laptop. There can be some framerate drops if you have an older machine and there are loads of bullets flying around (Tip: There will be). The vast majority of users should have no problem running this title.

Other: 1 Point. I hope you like puns. I love puns. This game is chock-full of as many puns as it could hold. Even the name is a play on Gun and Dungeon. If puns and cheesy jokes aren’t your thing, I suggest running for the hills.

Total Score: 7/10. A very fun game to pass a couple hours at a time with. Don’t go in expecting to be blown away by anything special, but don’t hesitate to play. One of the best roguelites on the market.

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A 7/10 is a good score for a game. It’s fairly above average. Tells you that the game is probably worth picking up for $15-20. But does it really? If you don’t read the context of the review, the score has no true meaning beyond I thought it was an above average title. If a person dislikes pixel art, dungeon crawlers, or puns, they won’t have a good time. Review and score must be taken holistically to benefit the reader.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, love letters, or business propositions, feel free to send me a message.