How We Actually Review A Game

People ask what our ratings are based on, so here's the honest breakdown. We don't have a spreadsheet with weighted columns — we play, we talk, and we argue until a number feels right.

Every game gets real playtime on at least two devices, one of them deliberately mid-range or old. We note loading times, how fast it crashes if it does, battery drain over a session, and whether the controls fight us. Then we play for fun to see if we actually want to keep going.

The rating reflects the whole experience, not just polish. A rough-looking game with brilliant mechanics can outscore a gorgeous one that bores us. We're upfront when we didn't finish something and why.

Scores sit between 3.8 and 4.9 because we don't bother reviewing games we'd rate lower — if we tried it and hated it, we just move on rather than writing a hit piece.