JRPGirlie’s Review System

Let’s talk about game rating systems. They differ from person to person, company to company, but they all boil down to one defining characteristic: How good is a specific video game?

As a teacher, I have to go with what I know, which is why I’ll be using an A-F rating system for my game reviews (just like in the classroom!) and ranking games on three major tenets that I value: 1) combat and gameplay mechanics; 2) overall story; and 3) vibes.

Vibes?

Yep, vibes. That includes aspects such as character design, game score and soundtrack, and the general sense of “Do I enjoy spending time with this game, or do I hate everything about it?” Don’t think too hard about it; it’s my job to come up with the ratings, and your job to either agree or (more likely) vehemently disagree with my rulings. Each of these three tenets will be rated from an A+ to an F and then averaged together for an overall score, with letter grade equivalents listed below:

A+: 10/10
A: 9/10
B: 8/10
C: 7/10
D: 6/10
F: 5/10

Feels familiar, right? An A+ is phenomenal work; An A through a C is passing, or at least good; and a D or an F is failing, or not so good. Now you may be thinking to yourself, “What if a game is so bad it deserves less than a 5/10?”. Listen, if it’s already at an F, then just like in school, a fail is a fail. There’s no point in pulling a rating down further than necessary when we already know it’s not great.

Now with all of that said, let's get to rating and reviewing. Stay tuned!