Methodology

Review Process

I gave each game at least 30 minutes of playtime before rendering my judgment. Some genres, including Adventure, Strategy, and RPG, required at least an hour or two of playtime, but every game was given at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted playtime. Any less, and I wouldn't feel I could give a proper evaluation; any more, and I would never finish the project.

Scoring

Each game was graded against five categories:

• Gameplay (x10)
• Level Design (x5)
• Theme (x1)
• Art Style (x2)
• Sound Design (x2)

The number next to each category represents its weighting, acknowledging how much that category affects a game's quality. Gameplay is by far the most important factor, while the Theme of a game (story, characters, setting) is an order of magnitude less important.

Each game was graded against the five categories using a 0 to 5 scale. Only the worst offenders were given a zero while truly exceptional examples were awarded a five. These scores were then multiplied by the corresponding weight and then totaled up to arrive at a final score. It’s possible for a game to earn a score that is any whole number between 0 and 100. No more, no less, and no decimals.