N-Philes

When we revealed and detailed the new layout some weeks ago, we touched on the fact that the review system was going to change to follow the trend of trying to make the site easier on readers, different from other sites, and all-around better. What little was glossed over then likely didn't leave readers with a full understanding of how things are going to work, so here we are again to rectify that.

Rather than BS-ing our way through a review, passing off our assessment of a game's value as a highly-calculated number score accurate to a hundredth of a degree, we're cutting right to what you need to know: whether or not the game is worth your time. We take the eight categories we think are most essential to the quality of a game, and decide if the game succeeds or fails in each department. It's not shown in some flashy graph in the review itself, but behind the scenes this is what we base our judgement on:

Gameplay - Quite simply, is the game fun?

Graphics - Do they contribute to the game's immersion?

Control - Is the control natural and responsive?

Sound - Does it help create atmosphere or take gamers out of the experience?

Replayability - Does the game have enough to offer to keep gameplay fresh?

Originality - How does the game stack up against others in its genre, or, in the case of sequels, against its predecessors?

Polish - Is the game's presentation clean and polished or rushed and sloppy?

Wild Card - Different games have different attributes, and this category makes sure that the grade is somewhat personalized. For instance, Phoenix Wright might get a point for story whereas Electroplankton might fail to get a point because of the inability to record the music you make.

One point is awarded for every category the game succeeds in, and then it's up to the reviewer to decide what the final score will be. Typically it'd break down in groups of two – seeing as there are four final grades and eight categories – but because some games have a special undefinable trait that makes them better (or worse) than the sum of their parts, writers have some degree of sway when determining what the final grade is, using the eight-point system as a guideline. Obviously the review itself will give you insight into where the game succeeds and fails, but the overall comments after the score will really let you know what really makes or breaks the game. As for the scores...

You may have noticed the new N-Philes logo: an EKG-like blip that forms a somewhat discernible "N". Take that as the beginning of a theme, one followed up by the new system of reviews. From 0-3 beats, our new system gives you an idea of how much life a game has, broken down to four basic scores:



Well that's that, hopefully if things aren't clear by now then they will be once you see the reviews in action. Most of the confusing parts are on our end, and arguably this makes game reviews harder on us. But hey, if it means N-Philes reviews aren't just another random number on the internet, if it makes reading the reviews more interesting and makes it easier for you to get a good idea of what a game offers, then it's worth it. Let this crazy experiment begin.

 

Check out the Animal Crossing Wild World review, the first game reviewed under this new system.