Insert Rating System List Here
Yes, another one of these. But I ought to make it as a list rather than crowd my profile description to a needless degree. As with any of these long-winded justifications for why Skub's better than Other Skub, there's always exceptional games/media which don't neatly fit into any of these ten ranks. Always read my review, when available, if you're confused about the rating or how I can praise/drop-kick something similar to another I've got opposite feelings on.
For all ratings: I often factor historic/cultural importance into my opinions on most games. It's just very difficult for me to separate my intellectual enjoyment of media from any intrinsic fun. And that's before counting any genre biases I have, which I'll need to summarize in another list. The highest-quality arcade shooter with basically no known history or impact behind it struggles to keep up with a moderately solid but much more relevant or fascinating one, disregarding sheer popularity.
WRT unrated games/logs, it's often hard to pass judgment on whether I should even slap stars on something I feel I haven't played enough of. I say that as someone who's fine rating an arcade game I've only gotten a few minutes into, or an RPG I know takes tens of hours but has offered its core game/story loop much earlier. I'm going to try and keep unrated games/logs reserved for when I abandon something very early and have no strong feelings on it, good or bad.
For all ratings: I often factor historic/cultural importance into my opinions on most games. It's just very difficult for me to separate my intellectual enjoyment of media from any intrinsic fun. And that's before counting any genre biases I have, which I'll need to summarize in another list. The highest-quality arcade shooter with basically no known history or impact behind it struggles to keep up with a moderately solid but much more relevant or fascinating one, disregarding sheer popularity.
WRT unrated games/logs, it's often hard to pass judgment on whether I should even slap stars on something I feel I haven't played enough of. I say that as someone who's fine rating an arcade game I've only gotten a few minutes into, or an RPG I know takes tens of hours but has offered its core game/story loop much earlier. I'm going to try and keep unrated games/logs reserved for when I abandon something very early and have no strong feelings on it, good or bad.
10 Games
| 0.5 | From Abominable to Nothingburger
It takes a special, very undesirable game to hit bottom for me. Usually there's an utter dearth of meaningful interactions, presentation, etc. even if that occasionally makes for fun memes and critique. Then there's works like Custer's Revenge which, while interesting, contribute more to the heat death of the universe than they should. Sometimes, though, I play a game that's so devoid of anything that I wonder if it's even worth rating. Gotta get those credits, I suppose?
It takes a special, very undesirable game to hit bottom for me. Usually there's an utter dearth of meaningful interactions, presentation, etc. even if that occasionally makes for fun memes and critique. Then there's works like Custer's Revenge which, while interesting, contribute more to the heat death of the universe than they should. Sometimes, though, I play a game that's so devoid of anything that I wonder if it's even worth rating. Gotta get those credits, I suppose?
| 1.0 | Abysmal, Best Avoided
Maybe these aren't the utter worst I've tried, but they're frighteningly close. Luckily I haven't played a lot of these yet, nor do I hope to. But something like Sonic Blast, with its eye-searing graphics and melted slag imitation of much better platformers, fits this perfectly. And while these may not be as heinous or straight-up broken as the lowest tier, they're often quite close. Pokemon Play It! showcases all of that, plus it's an infuriating waste of potential typical for most works in this rank.
Maybe these aren't the utter worst I've tried, but they're frighteningly close. Luckily I haven't played a lot of these yet, nor do I hope to. But something like Sonic Blast, with its eye-searing graphics and melted slag imitation of much better platformers, fits this perfectly. And while these may not be as heinous or straight-up broken as the lowest tier, they're often quite close. Pokemon Play It! showcases all of that, plus it's an infuriating waste of potential typical for most works in this rank.
| 1.5 | Straight-Up Bad
We're starting to reach games I might consider playing again, assuming I had an infinite lifespan. There's often one or two good, maybe just interesting things present here to keep my interest. For example, the original Community Chest WAD has a few decent maps for a Doom fan/modder like me to enjoy, even if the rest pulls it way down. Less compartmentalized games hitting 1.5 have it worse, but hey, we're getting closer to solid controls, tolerable gamefeel, etc.
We're starting to reach games I might consider playing again, assuming I had an infinite lifespan. There's often one or two good, maybe just interesting things present here to keep my interest. For example, the original Community Chest WAD has a few decent maps for a Doom fan/modder like me to enjoy, even if the rest pulls it way down. Less compartmentalized games hitting 1.5 have it worse, but hey, we're getting closer to solid controls, tolerable gamefeel, etc.
| 2.0 | Subpar, Tolerable But Usually Disappointing
Anyone looking in my games ratings might see a bunch of older arcade faire brushing up against newer, more complex games. This tends to be where simplistic but sometimes fun stuff ends up. And while something like Virtua Fighter 2 on Mega Drive's got its moments, there's just a whole bunch of passive or acute flaws holding it back. At this stage, I'm seeing anything from more developer passion, to production values somewhat keeping up with times/trends, to failed experiments that still offer something that could bring me back later.
Anyone looking in my games ratings might see a bunch of older arcade faire brushing up against newer, more complex games. This tends to be where simplistic but sometimes fun stuff ends up. And while something like Virtua Fighter 2 on Mega Drive's got its moments, there's just a whole bunch of passive or acute flaws holding it back. At this stage, I'm seeing anything from more developer passion, to production values somewhat keeping up with times/trends, to failed experiments that still offer something that could bring me back later.
| 2.5 | Shaky/Borderline, or How to Be Decent
Ratings purgatory, and often where I slot games which ran the gamut from good to bad to indescribably off-putting and/or compelling. Gunman's Proof is my best example, a very flawed but very fun Zelda-meets-Gauntlet experience which left me with much to ponder. Maybe a game lands here because it just doesn't have much going on despite the quality, though. The average 1st year game dev's Tetris recreation would count.
Ratings purgatory, and often where I slot games which ran the gamut from good to bad to indescribably off-putting and/or compelling. Gunman's Proof is my best example, a very flawed but very fun Zelda-meets-Gauntlet experience which left me with much to ponder. Maybe a game lands here because it just doesn't have much going on despite the quality, though. The average 1st year game dev's Tetris recreation would count.
6
| 3.0 | Solid, Respectable Ludopera
My ratings start to skyrocket around this point, at least for games I used to play or which have weathered time and my aging expectations. Any of these could be a good night's play, some faults or missed opportunities aside. We're still not at anything I'll write glowing remarks on, but at least I can enjoy and recommend most of these games w/o reservations. Tritorn, for instance, may just be a polished, sideways Hydlide, but it succeeds at its basic goals and deserves appreciation.
My ratings start to skyrocket around this point, at least for games I used to play or which have weathered time and my aging expectations. Any of these could be a good night's play, some faults or missed opportunities aside. We're still not at anything I'll write glowing remarks on, but at least I can enjoy and recommend most of these games w/o reservations. Tritorn, for instance, may just be a polished, sideways Hydlide, but it succeeds at its basic goals and deserves appreciation.
| 3.5 | Good™
At this point, I'm finding not just mostly positive things in these games, but elements I love and which aren't brought down by adjacent problems. Something like ModNation Racers might be hard to play now, but the core systems, replayability, and larger community (or what remains) makes it all worthwhile. Most recent genre titles I tend to play land here or higher, given the industry's advances in player-first design and quality-of-life.
At this point, I'm finding not just mostly positive things in these games, but elements I love and which aren't brought down by adjacent problems. Something like ModNation Racers might be hard to play now, but the core systems, replayability, and larger community (or what remains) makes it all worthwhile. Most recent genre titles I tend to play land here or higher, given the industry's advances in player-first design and quality-of-life.
| 4.0 | Great, Very Good, Excellent Appealing Stuff
I don't know if I've just been lucky with this being my largest ratings tier, or if I should review my own standards. Regardless, I can confidently recommend any game here, even ones from the most niche genres or historic periods. Spacewar! is a good example, being both incredibly simple at the outset and surprisingly complex & balanced for skilled players. Either I'm talking about something with holistic quality, or the game in question does a few things so well (that you'll constantly interact with) that it rises up here.
I don't know if I've just been lucky with this being my largest ratings tier, or if I should review my own standards. Regardless, I can confidently recommend any game here, even ones from the most niche genres or historic periods. Spacewar! is a good example, being both incredibly simple at the outset and surprisingly complex & balanced for skilled players. Either I'm talking about something with holistic quality, or the game in question does a few things so well (that you'll constantly interact with) that it rises up here.
9
| 4.5 | Superb, from Near-masterpieces to Uncompromising Experiences
Talk about that drop-off, coming from all those 4.0s. Something has to really impress, immerse, or just suck me in for ages to get up here. Only the best of the best classics survive this far (ex. Star Raiders), while something like Cuphead has that mix of high quality and appealing genre choice. My genre biases tend to influence how I rate my favorites, or anything above just good to excellent. On the flipside, historic interest often saves many of the earlier, much worse stuff I've tried from the lowest ranks.
Talk about that drop-off, coming from all those 4.0s. Something has to really impress, immerse, or just suck me in for ages to get up here. Only the best of the best classics survive this far (ex. Star Raiders), while something like Cuphead has that mix of high quality and appealing genre choice. My genre biases tend to influence how I rate my favorites, or anything above just good to excellent. On the flipside, historic interest often saves many of the earlier, much worse stuff I've tried from the lowest ranks.
| 5.0 | The Incredible All-Timers of Pantheon Place
Rather self-explanatory, but I'll add that a couple meme-y choices might get in here if I'm feeling sinister. (WtP Home-Run Derby used to be an offender!) These are simply the best and/or most interesting pieces of interactive media I've tried, from obscure masterpieces to canonical classics revered today. Panzer Dragoon Saga's somehow been both of those, and I bet I'll run into other examples over time. Sometimes I'll put the culmination of a series here if that's how highly I rank the whole run of games, too.
Rather self-explanatory, but I'll add that a couple meme-y choices might get in here if I'm feeling sinister. (WtP Home-Run Derby used to be an offender!) These are simply the best and/or most interesting pieces of interactive media I've tried, from obscure masterpieces to canonical classics revered today. Panzer Dragoon Saga's somehow been both of those, and I bet I'll run into other examples over time. Sometimes I'll put the culmination of a series here if that's how highly I rank the whole run of games, too.