Revisit tutorials, re-read in-game manuals or bestiaries, etc.ġ0 - Easy to start playing after extended breaks. Would need to start over from the beginning. This rating has little to do with the "fun" of the game but more the longevity in a collection if you like to play portions at a time off and on.ġ - Challenging or impossible to start playing this game after extended breaks. Not only considered as the learning curve to begin the game but also the ability to re-remember elements of the game if you were to stop playing for extended periods of time. There are never any timed elements, forced-scroll levels, no real-time elements, etc.
Much like watching a movie.ġ0 - Full autonomy. The game is "on rails" and the player is along for the ride. Including the ability to pause - as (P vs NP - yeah, I'm a nerd).ġ - Basically no autonomy. The ability for the player to choose the pace of the game and gameplay. The sound effects and NPC quips are fine. Either NPC voice acting is fine or I find it annoying.īad - I find too much of the sound experience to be annoying and likely play with little or no audio enabled. Either the music is fine or I find it annoying. I am not a fan of pixel art and usually give low ratings for those. This value would expect to lower over time as increases in technology would render older games more graphically outdated. The quality of the graphics compared to other games at the time of the writing of this review.
Flashy boss battles, eye candy, bullet hell w/ cool orbs, etc. The level of "wow" presented to the player using graphical effects compared to other games at the time of the writing of this review. Too difficult to read text, art styles aren't cohesive, the music doesn't match the visual presentation, etc. A muddled color palette to communicate confusion or sadness would be considered highly rated here despite being uncomfortable to experience.ġ - A total mess. This category isn't meant to consider the quality of the art (beauty is in the eye of the beholder) but rather if the entire package feels like it goes together correctly and has the correct accessibility options. Music/Score, HUD elements, UI/UX, ease of experience, intuitiveness, difficulty settings, subtitles, etc. The overall cohesiveness of the presentation and ability to play the game. Either poor game design or I am not the target audience.ġ0 - Epitome of "fun" in video gaming relative to other games at the time of writing this review. Am I getting better, progressing a quest, increasing stats, getting better gear, etc)? Is this too difficult?ġ - No fun. Do I feel like a badass while playing this game? Do I feel in control? Do I feel like my actions are meaningful? Do I feel productive while playing (e.g. Perhaps the most subjective category but generally answering a few questions leads me to the rating. To provide a level of perspective to the ratings provided and to be fair to the developers and publishers because my rating holds little value if I am not the target demographic. Do I typically enjoy these types of games? Yes, no, or maybe/not sure.