VGLN.com Gaming Review System

VGLN.com uses a 10 point "decimal" system. We rate games on a variety of characteristics from 1 - 10, 1 being poorest, and 10 being the best possible rating.

The VGLN.com review system is a weighted system. This simply means that certain characteristics of a game are rated more or less heavily than others when determining the final score. The breakdown of our system is as follows:

Gameplay: This represents 35% of our score for any particular game. Gameplay is a basic summation of how well a game meshes together. These include details such as playability, control scheme, buggy-ness, and overall fun factor. Any strength or lack in this category can heavily affect the score of a game.

Graphics: Graphics represent 20% of our scoring scheme. Visuals are an important part of most games and are judged on factors such as style, and aesthetic appeal.

Sound: Sound counts for 20% of any score. Sound includes any sound effects, voice, or music used in a game. Sound is judged on quality, style, and appeal.

Presentation: Presentation represents 15% of our scoring scheme. This category includes the overall cinematic setup, and production values of a game.

Replay value: Replay value represents 10% of our scoring scheme. This category represents the basic value of replaying a game after going through it once. Multiplayer orientated games should score much higher in this category than RPGs. To compensate for this, we've reduced the overall value of this category so it won't adversely affect the score of games which naturally are not highly replayable (RPGs, Story driven adventure games, Plot-driven adventure games, Puzzle adventure games) but will help the score of games which are.

Score Summary: Our global score revolves around a 100 point decimal system and takes into account all of the categories described above. Here's a summary of what certain scores imply.

10.0: Given our rating formula, this score is just about impossible to attain as a global score. Any game that does receive this score is a testament to excellent game design and visual art. Not buying it would be a sin.

9.0 - 9.9: A well designed piece of software that may not be perfect but is about as close as you can get.

8.0 - 8.9: A game that is minorly flawed but can still be a must buy especially for those who are fans of the particular genre.

7.0 - 7.9: An above average game that is flawed in a few ways but not enough to detract from its positives.

6.0 - 6.9: A few flaws keep this game from being better. It's probably at its core a well thought out game, but is perhaps lacking slightly in its features and execution.

5.0 - 5.9: Mediocre game at best that is moderately lacking in one or more categories.

4.0 - 4.9: A game that is seriously flawed in more than one category. Not a title that you should be keen on purchasing until you've tried it via demo or rental.

3.0 - 3.9: Well below average game that is lacking many basic fundementals that make a game fun and enjoyable to play.

2.0 - 2.9: Extremely deficient game that deserves nothing more than "bargain bin" status.

1.0 - 1.9: Devoid of nearly any recognizable value. Avoid at all cost.

0.0 - 0.9: As with a score of 10.0, a rating in this range is nearly impossible to attain on our rating system. Any game that scores in this category is a true example of suckiness. Spending your dollar on this title would definitely be a sin.

Hit or Miss System: We have found that when rating a game, sometimes there are times when numbers don't tell the whole story. For example, while the difference between scores of "9" and "3" are easily distinguishable from each other, some readers might wonder what seperates a game with a score of 8.0 from another with a score of 7.0. To better simplify our ratings for our readership, we have added the "hit or miss" barometer with which to judge a game. Each category explained above has an added "hit, miss, or ok" indicator placed besides the score in all of our reviews. Here's an explaination of what each means.

	This means a game did satisfactory in the category. There are little to no flaws.
	The game is flawed in this category. While it may not be horrible, something needs to be fixed.
	The game is severly flawed and "missed" the mark greatly in the given category.

Editor's Choice:

Games that earn an overall global score of 9.0 and above are automatically bestowed an editor's choice award. These are games that have shown tremendous attention to gameplay mechanics and detail. Their overall creation is truly a work of art in software.

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