 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
Most Popular
Video Games
Powered By PriceGrabber
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
 NOTE: The following score guidelines applied to GameSpy's 100-point rating system, which was used on the site until late 2003. An explanation of this system is provided below for reference. For details on the current five-star system, visit our current ratings explanation page. Joe Gamer out there has only a few dollars to spend and an ocean of game titles to choose from. How's he going to separate the wheat from the chaff? The chumps from the champs? How's he going to know which games will keep his eyes glued to the screen ... and which ones will make him wish he could tear his eyes out of his skull? The SpyGuy's got your back, Joe Gamer. We know there's only so many green paper bullets in that wallet, and that you need to get the most bang for your buckage. Tell Me, Does It Suck or What? We know we're not perfect, but we think we've devised a solid plan with reliable standards so Joe Gamer doesn't have to rely only on the screenshots and marketing-speak found on the back of the game box. Here's a brief look at our review principles to help you better understand us when we say that Game A is the one to buy, why Game B should only purchased if it's on sale, and why Game C should be striken from our collective memories, Never to be Spoken of Again. 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 the Fun Factor. Is the game fun to play? 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? Joe Gamer wants maximum fun and minimum fuss. We're striving to give him that information with every review we publish. Multiplayer is important. 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 Joe Gamer -- millions of Arcade users agree. So, 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, or one that isn't available for multiplayer gaming via Arcade or 3D, doesn't automatically receive a low score. The latter is simply unethical. The former doesn't help Joe Gamer in the bang-for-the-buck department -- there are some kick-ass single-player-only games out there. But when it comes to multiplayer gaming, we have high standards. The Scores 95+ = Best of the Best Games that receive a score of 95 or above on a scale of 1-100 are the absolute cream of the crop. All the thumbs are way, way up for this game. This game represents a groundbreaking achievement on several levels. Only a very few games reach this category. Examples:
Games in this category are amazing experiences. You'll find several candidates for Game of the Year awards among the group. Examples:
These are solid titles offering great gameplay, and will like collect more than a few awards at the end of the year. They are just shy of being truly awesome, but we heartily recommend them to everyone.
In this category, you'll find a wealth of solid games that won't disappoint. Titles in this category do just about everything really well, and are often quite innovative in their presentation.
Games in the 70s are good games, don't get us wrong. But they probably needed a little bit more time in the oven before coming to the table. If you enjoyed parts of a game but constantly found yourself saying, "if only they'd done x, y, z…" there's a good chance it belongs in this category. Alternately, a die-hard fan of the genre might find a lot to like here.
Here's where we separate the "good" from the "so-so." Games in this category have obvious flaws or limited gameplay options. The games aren't bad, per se, but we are unable to give them stronger recommendations.
Poor. There's no other word for it -- a combination of factors leads us to report that these are just poorly developed and/or conceived. We wouldn't recommend these to our friends, so we don't recommend them to Joe Gamer.
If these games were in a $1.99 cent 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.
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
• home • send feedback • send news • corporate • jobs • developers • advertise • legal stuff © 1996-2004 GameSpy Industries. |
|