So, you're reading through a Gamezelot review and you reach the Score at the end. So, you think, "What's this score thing all about?" That's what this article intends to explain.
A review is enough to discuss the good and the bad of a game. But, as most review sites offer, I've also decided to use a scoring system. Note, scores are subjective things that really don't encapsulate the total good/bad of a game. It's a numeric value that someone can see at-a-glance to know if they might like it. However, that said, you should probably read each review fully to find out if a specific game is something you might want to own or play before you jump to the score.
Scoring breakdown
No, the scores aren't broken. This section is intended to discuss what's in the scoring section of a Gamezelot review.
So, here's a typical score:
Score
Sound
Sound describes sound effects and musical elements. Basically, anything where the game makes any audible noises. The scale is from 1 to 10 points. A 10 indicates perfection in sound quality within the game. The minimum score is 1. A 1 indicates poor quality sound or sound effects. Everything in above 1 is better than 1, but not perfect. It is rare to find any Gamezelot game approaching a 10 in sound quality.
Most games overuse samples, audio clips and music. Since games tend to run long (days into weeks), sound can be come very tedious and unlistenable after a while. Game developers need to work on minimizing ear fatigue by producing more dynamic sounds.
Graphics
The graphics category has a minimum point value of 1 and a maximum of 10. This category encompasses anything to do with graphics including texture map quality, 3D mesh quality, graphics motion, fludity and may include controller to graphics synchronization. A 1 encompases such things as low quality graphics, clunky motion, lags, breakup, low res textures and bad 3D models. A 10 would be perfect graphics with perfect motion. A perfect 10 is very rare.
Bugginess
With the expansiveness of today's 3D RPG and Shooter games combined with the complexities of making it all work with licensed technologies, bugs tend to creep in whether developers like it or not. Some developers work hard to remove bugs from games. Others, work hard to get the game out the door at all costs.
So, a 1 indicates major bugs that lock the game up, lose game progress or otherwise cause the gamer time to catch-up with areas that have been played due to a crash. A 10 indicates completion of a game without any lockups, bugs, crashes or other glitchy or problematic behavior.
Controls
The controls score defines how the controller and the game interact. A 1 indicates the game loses sync to the controller, has major lags between the controller and when something appears on the screen or if the game just doesn't respond well enough. A 10 indicates a perfect control system free from lag and provides a completely fluid and seemless control system... this is rare.
Bang-To-Buck
This score indicates how much bang you get for each dollar you spend. A 1 indicates that the gameplay (and other factors) don't warrant a high price for this game. A 10 indicates that this game is worth every buck you spend. This goes hand-in-hand with Play Value.
Play Value
This score is based on a dollar amount. This dollar amount is what the game is actually worth in dollars vs what it cost you to purchase it. While a game may cost you $60 in the store, this value is what this game is actually worth based on game play (time, bugginess, story, controls, etc).
Overall
The overall score is a semi-averaged and semi-subjective numerical value from 1 to 10. A 1 indicates a poor game with little play value and you should probably avoid it. A 10 indicates a perfect game in all aspects including every category above. A game will never get a 10 if any of the sub-categories above are less than perfect.
Subnotes
After some scores, you may see a (subnote) in parentheses. These subnotes are indicators to describe the key reasons how the score was derived. You should refer to the whole review to determine the context of the subnotes.
A review is enough to discuss the good and the bad of a game. But, as most review sites offer, I've also decided to use a scoring system. Note, scores are subjective things that really don't encapsulate the total good/bad of a game. It's a numeric value that someone can see at-a-glance to know if they might like it. However, that said, you should probably read each review fully to find out if a specific game is something you might want to own or play before you jump to the score.
Scoring breakdown
No, the scores aren't broken. This section is intended to discuss what's in the scoring section of a Gamezelot review.
So, here's a typical score:
Score
- Sound: 8/10
- Graphics: 8/10
- Bugginess: 10/10 (Amazingly, no bugs or crashes)
- Controls: 7/10
- Bang-To-Buck: 1/10
- Play Value: $15
- Overall: 8/10 (no special gameplay, story was best part)
Sound
Sound describes sound effects and musical elements. Basically, anything where the game makes any audible noises. The scale is from 1 to 10 points. A 10 indicates perfection in sound quality within the game. The minimum score is 1. A 1 indicates poor quality sound or sound effects. Everything in above 1 is better than 1, but not perfect. It is rare to find any Gamezelot game approaching a 10 in sound quality.
Most games overuse samples, audio clips and music. Since games tend to run long (days into weeks), sound can be come very tedious and unlistenable after a while. Game developers need to work on minimizing ear fatigue by producing more dynamic sounds.
Graphics
The graphics category has a minimum point value of 1 and a maximum of 10. This category encompasses anything to do with graphics including texture map quality, 3D mesh quality, graphics motion, fludity and may include controller to graphics synchronization. A 1 encompases such things as low quality graphics, clunky motion, lags, breakup, low res textures and bad 3D models. A 10 would be perfect graphics with perfect motion. A perfect 10 is very rare.
Bugginess
With the expansiveness of today's 3D RPG and Shooter games combined with the complexities of making it all work with licensed technologies, bugs tend to creep in whether developers like it or not. Some developers work hard to remove bugs from games. Others, work hard to get the game out the door at all costs.
So, a 1 indicates major bugs that lock the game up, lose game progress or otherwise cause the gamer time to catch-up with areas that have been played due to a crash. A 10 indicates completion of a game without any lockups, bugs, crashes or other glitchy or problematic behavior.
Controls
The controls score defines how the controller and the game interact. A 1 indicates the game loses sync to the controller, has major lags between the controller and when something appears on the screen or if the game just doesn't respond well enough. A 10 indicates a perfect control system free from lag and provides a completely fluid and seemless control system... this is rare.
Bang-To-Buck
This score indicates how much bang you get for each dollar you spend. A 1 indicates that the gameplay (and other factors) don't warrant a high price for this game. A 10 indicates that this game is worth every buck you spend. This goes hand-in-hand with Play Value.
Play Value
This score is based on a dollar amount. This dollar amount is what the game is actually worth in dollars vs what it cost you to purchase it. While a game may cost you $60 in the store, this value is what this game is actually worth based on game play (time, bugginess, story, controls, etc).
Overall
The overall score is a semi-averaged and semi-subjective numerical value from 1 to 10. A 1 indicates a poor game with little play value and you should probably avoid it. A 10 indicates a perfect game in all aspects including every category above. A game will never get a 10 if any of the sub-categories above are less than perfect.
Subnotes
After some scores, you may see a (subnote) in parentheses. These subnotes are indicators to describe the key reasons how the score was derived. You should refer to the whole review to determine the context of the subnotes.
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