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How our Review Scores Work
Welcome to GameSpy's 5-star review system! After long and serious debate involving (we're not making this up) wall charts, we decided that gamers like you were better served by a much more straightforward in-your-face set of shiny gold stars when it came time to decide what games you should consider dumping cash on.
We also wanted a better way to highlight which multiplayer games cut the mustard. Too often sites ignore what could be the best part of a game -- or, often, the only reason to buy it! All GameSpy reviews now call out the quality of the multiplayer game as well as the whole package.
Editors' Choice Award
GameSpy has an Editors' Choice award, which is automatically bestowed on all 4.5-star and 5-star reviews.
What makes an Editors' Choice game? It's a binary cue: it's a flashing beacon that tells our readers you will have fun with this game. This stamp indicates that the majority of gamers will find this game well worth their time and money. If a game gets 4.5 stars or better, it's already there.
What the Stars Mean
5 Stars: Outstanding! An exceptional game that we recommend without reservation. Five-star games are landmark titles that are generally in the running for Game of the Year.
4 to 4.5 Stars: Great! A very memorable game recommended for most gamers. It might have some minor flaws, or it may lack originality, but it's got great gameplay and it's well worth your time.
3.5 Stars: Good. This game is enjoyable, engaging, interesting... Most games are 3.5-star games, fun titles that don't really shine but offer some solid entertainment, especially for fans of the genre. There are problems here, but most gamers will enjoy the title on some level.
2 to 3 Stars: Fair. There are things to like about this game, and it's definitely playable, but it's lacking in key areas and/or has some near-fatal flaws that will ruin the experience for most gamers. Fans of the license or the series might still get some entertainment out of this, but there's not much to recommend.
0.5 to 1.5 Star: Poor. This game is fatally flawed, either technically or from a gameplay standpoint. If you found this game in a $1.99 bargain bin, we'd point out that a McDonalds Happy Meal costs about the same and also comes with a cool toy to play with.
What Are We Looking for When We Review Games?
We call them like we see them. GameSpy has not and will not ever allow a game's review score to be influenced by developers, publishers, or anyone else. GameSpy does business with developers and publishers in many ways -- through the sale of advertising, GameSpy.Net toolkits, and other means. But we adhere to strict standards when it comes to reviews -- we call it the "Church-and-State question." One doesn't influence the other. Period.
It's all about FUN! GameSpy reviewers look at games from several different perspectives -- whether the game has technical brilliance; graphics to die for; an elegant, useful interface; and more. But it all comes back to the fun. Is the game fun to play? That's the single most important criteria when we start scoring.
Money Matters. We know you pay hard-earned cash for your games, and our reviews are here to help you decide whether a game's worth buying or not. A game that might be seriously overpriced at $50 could be a total bargain at $20, which is why a game's overall value factors into our reviews and scores.
We love multiplayer! Besides being the publisher of the site you're reading right now, GameSpy Industries is also the creator of GameSpy Arcade, GameSpy 3D, and Roger Wilco, the best damn multiplayer gaming software in the world. We think multiplayer gaming is important to connected gamers like you. It's one of the things that makes us who we are. In every GameSpy review, we make a point of going over the multiplayer gaming options in great detail.
Of course, a game that offers only a single-player experience won't automatically get a low score. We evaluate each game for what it is. But if you're as into multiplayer as we are, our separate multiplayer score will help you get the most out of our reviews at a glance.
You're in this with us!
Finally, your opinion matters! As a connected gamer, you probably want to see what people in the forums are saying about new games anyways. Every GameSpy review also contains a user ranking as well as links to the forums. Every gamer's opinion counts!
We also wanted a better way to highlight which multiplayer games cut the mustard. Too often sites ignore what could be the best part of a game -- or, often, the only reason to buy it! All GameSpy reviews now call out the quality of the multiplayer game as well as the whole package.
Editors' Choice Award
GameSpy has an Editors' Choice award, which is automatically bestowed on all 4.5-star and 5-star reviews.
What makes an Editors' Choice game? It's a binary cue: it's a flashing beacon that tells our readers you will have fun with this game. This stamp indicates that the majority of gamers will find this game well worth their time and money. If a game gets 4.5 stars or better, it's already there.
What the Stars Mean
5 Stars: Outstanding! An exceptional game that we recommend without reservation. Five-star games are landmark titles that are generally in the running for Game of the Year.
4 to 4.5 Stars: Great! A very memorable game recommended for most gamers. It might have some minor flaws, or it may lack originality, but it's got great gameplay and it's well worth your time.
3.5 Stars: Good. This game is enjoyable, engaging, interesting... Most games are 3.5-star games, fun titles that don't really shine but offer some solid entertainment, especially for fans of the genre. There are problems here, but most gamers will enjoy the title on some level.
2 to 3 Stars: Fair. There are things to like about this game, and it's definitely playable, but it's lacking in key areas and/or has some near-fatal flaws that will ruin the experience for most gamers. Fans of the license or the series might still get some entertainment out of this, but there's not much to recommend.
0.5 to 1.5 Star: Poor. This game is fatally flawed, either technically or from a gameplay standpoint. If you found this game in a $1.99 bargain bin, we'd point out that a McDonalds Happy Meal costs about the same and also comes with a cool toy to play with.
What Are We Looking for When We Review Games?
We call them like we see them. GameSpy has not and will not ever allow a game's review score to be influenced by developers, publishers, or anyone else. GameSpy does business with developers and publishers in many ways -- through the sale of advertising, GameSpy.Net toolkits, and other means. But we adhere to strict standards when it comes to reviews -- we call it the "Church-and-State question." One doesn't influence the other. Period.
It's all about FUN! GameSpy reviewers look at games from several different perspectives -- whether the game has technical brilliance; graphics to die for; an elegant, useful interface; and more. But it all comes back to the fun. Is the game fun to play? That's the single most important criteria when we start scoring.
Money Matters. We know you pay hard-earned cash for your games, and our reviews are here to help you decide whether a game's worth buying or not. A game that might be seriously overpriced at $50 could be a total bargain at $20, which is why a game's overall value factors into our reviews and scores.
We love multiplayer! Besides being the publisher of the site you're reading right now, GameSpy Industries is also the creator of GameSpy Arcade, GameSpy 3D, and Roger Wilco, the best damn multiplayer gaming software in the world. We think multiplayer gaming is important to connected gamers like you. It's one of the things that makes us who we are. In every GameSpy review, we make a point of going over the multiplayer gaming options in great detail.
Of course, a game that offers only a single-player experience won't automatically get a low score. We evaluate each game for what it is. But if you're as into multiplayer as we are, our separate multiplayer score will help you get the most out of our reviews at a glance.
You're in this with us!
Finally, your opinion matters! As a connected gamer, you probably want to see what people in the forums are saying about new games anyways. Every GameSpy review also contains a user ranking as well as links to the forums. Every gamer's opinion counts!
