My approach is to eliminate bias by focusing on specific categories of the games I review, and then at the end add up the score. A lot of people seem to write a review and then attach a score at the end and list out a couple pros/cons of the game. I want to show you specifically why I give a game a certain score.

A few more things before I get started that demonstrate the unique quality of my reviews. First off I only review games I beat (and often don’t review until I beat all the bonus stuff too). Secondly I review games based on comparison of other games released around the same time. This means that a game released 20 years ago could still beat a game released today because it pushed the system it was on harder than the new one pushes its modern system (for example).

Lastly I want to point out, as you will see below, that story is THE MOST important aspect of a game for me. If games focus either mostly or entirely on multiplayer (Call of Duty, Mario kart, etc) then they probably won’t get a very high score. If the game is really fun despite its low score, I usually give that game an (*) symbol. A lot of people seem to disagree with this method and that’s fine (my reviews probably aren’t for you). I just know that there are some story obsessed people out there who want a story no matter what kind of game they are playing so this review is for you people!

Here is how I review games:

Review Standards for Videogames: Out of 100 points

Originality: Does this game have a unique feel, one that totally copies off of something in the past, or somewhere in between? /20

Graphics: How does this game look in proportion to the time it was released? /10

Art Style: Is the art style truly impressive and unique, or is it a game that only focused on pixels, p quality, and frame rate? /15

Story: The most important part of a game for me. /30

Game Interface: Annoying or not? /5

Controls easy and fluid or difficult and rigid? /5

Is it fun? /15

Originality: The overall story and gameplay mechanics are nothing new, but the combination of such a wide variety of different gameplay styles, graphics, art styles, references, and just the unique vibe of this game being the only game I’ve ever played like this make this a pretty darn original game. I personally think every gamer should play this game to know what us older gamers went through and to appreciate where gaming is now. Still, you could clearly tell this had a strong Zelda/final fantasy style to it and didn’t really focus on other games nearly as much.

17/20

Graphics: Intentionally bad at first (that’s great!) but where it ends up is nothing mind blowing. The HD point in the game isn’t anything stunning (expected since it’s not a triple AAA game).

5/10

Art Style: Nothing revolutionary whatsoever. I did, however, like the combination of a realistic background and a cartoony foreground in many areas.

8/15

Story: Is it weird that this story reminded me of a (WAAAAYYYY) dumbed down version of Super Paper Mario story? Not in terms of plotline, just in terms of the feeling the story invoked in me. I actually felt bad for the villain at the end, and I enjoyed talking to every person in this game (their comments were amusing to me). However there were quite a few questions left after beating the game (sequel?).

17/30

Game Interface: Everything is out of the way from the display EXCEPT for the semi annoying notifications that pop up at the bottom occasionally during battles, blocking me from seeing certain important things.

4/5

Controls easy and fluid or difficult and rigid? A pain in the butt for most of the game, but that’s kind of the point so for THIS GAME ALONE (so far out of 25+) will I exempt it from a deduction.

5/5

Is it fun? Most of the game is fun, but it does get annoying with how many times random battles occur when you’re just trying to get to the amulets. I don’t really like to use guides/walkthrough videos, but in this game I did because I didn’t just want to walk around trying to find things while dealing with 50 battles.

11/15

Total: 67/100

Game Reviews:

1. Batman Arkham City Armored Edition - 100
2. Zelda Skyward Sword-98
3. Zelda Minish Cap – 92
4. Zelda Oracle of Ages - 91
5. Zelda Twilight Princess - 90

T6.Guildwars 2 – 89

T6.Mario and Luigi: Dream Team - 89

T8. Pokémon X - 88

T8 Kid Icarus Uprising – 88

T8 Darksiders 2 - 88

T8 Fire Emblem Awakening - 88

12. Mario and Luigi: Bowsers Inside Story – 86

13. Animal Crossing New Leaf - 84

T14. Paper Mario Sticker Star – 83

T14. Zelda: A Link Between Worlds-83

1. Zelda: A Link to the Past – 78

T17. Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D – 74

T17. Rome: Total War-74

1. Super Mario 3d land – 72
2. Red Alert 3 - 70
3. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze* - 68
4. Evoland - 67
5. New Super Mario Bros. U - 66
6. New Super Mario Bros.Wii – 57 *
7. Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition – 53*
8. Kirby Squeak Squad – 43

Bark bark! Woof!

*starts chewing a bone*

I got it for real cheap during last summer steam sale I believe. It's a game that everyone should play at least once!