The GameBoomers
Adventure Review Guidelines
(from 1-1-2010; revised 1-03-2012)
A+: No game is perfect, but as close as a game can come to being an instant classic. You find yourself taking an unplanned vacation from work just to keep playing the game.
A: Excellent, a game most GameBoomers would enjoy, though lacking that quality of "sparkle" that qualifies a game as an instant classic. All aspects are top-notch or very close to it, and the game will be enjoyed by GameBoomers who favor all different styles and subgenres. This is the kind of game you want to play for days.
A-: Highly recommended, provides an excellent experience, though not as consistent as an "A" game. You find much to admire, but the game has a fault or two that bring the experience down slightly.
B+: Highly recommended, but with a significant problem or two of which players should be aware beforehand. A game that would have been brilliant if the developers had done more beta testing, or a game that excels in its atmosphere and gameplay but suffers from (for example) overly long, poorly written dialogs. Most GameBoomers will enjoy the game; its many positive aspects far outweigh the negative.
B: Good enough to enjoy for the majority of gameplay, but with a handful of clumsy moments or noticeable problems. GameBoomers will enjoy this game if they like the game's particular style (for instance, first person or third person perspective, inventory or mechanical puzzles, many dialogs or few dialogs, etc.).
B-: The game has some good aspects and some negative aspects, but the good does outweigh the bad. Recommended for those who will enjoy its good points. Those who know they will be annoyed by its negative aspects should stay away. Consistent enough gameplay that most GameBoomers will be able to complete it.
C+: The kind of game that many GameBoomers will enjoy at the beginning, but might not be able to finish. Or a game that players will enjoy initially, but that is extremely short. Small problems add up to an experience that can become tiresome, or one of the game's puzzles is so impossibly difficult or glitchy that few people will get by it. For instance -- it's innovative, but quite glitchy, or it's a sequel in a well-established series that seriously drops the ball, but fans will probably enjoy it anyway.
C: Playable, adequate, with enjoyable moments, but with serious problems that weigh heavily against those enjoyable moments. Perhaps the game is incredibly short, or in places, the game feels "broken." Or the type of game you don't finish, or if you do finish, your chief memory of the game will always be its hair-pulling frustrations or poor production values.
C-: Inferior quality overall, but with one or two surprisingly engaging or unusual aspects. Playable by hardcore GameBoomers who don't mind being very patient with the game's faults in order to appreciate what it does well.
D: Buggy and a real pain to complete, or gameplay so inadequate as to be extremely disappointing. Little in the game engages the gamer or lifts the gameplay to the point where you could forgive the game's obvious problems.
F: Unplayable or virtually impossible to complete even if you can bring yourself to try. Full of glitches and/or dead ends. Many accepted game norms have been broken, and not in a good way.
|
Numerical
grade equivalents |
|
A+
|
99 to 100 |
|
A |
95 to 98 |
|
A- |
91 to 94 |
|
B+ |
87 to 90 |
|
B |
77 to 86 |
|
B- |
67 to 76 |
|
C+ |
60 to 66
|
|
C |
55 to 59 |
|
C- |
50 to 54
|
|
D |
Below 50 |
|
F |
Below 30 |
Disclaimer A: Our
guidelines define what each grade means, although we recognize that
letter and number grades have different meanings within different
cultures.
The numerical
ranges reflect the reality that the majority of games are neither
outstanding nor terrible, and that games also don't tend to be
distributed in equal increments over the grading curve.
Most games that justify a commercial release should achieve at least a B
or B-; therefore those grades cover a wider numerical range.
Disclaimer B:
Some reviews are based on review copies supplied by adventure game
developers or publishers -- this is a standard practice in the gaming
industry. Other reviews are based on copies purchased privately by
GameBoomers or by the reviewers.
copyright© 2012
GameBoomers
Group
