Infendo Review Crew Handbook

Rev. 1.00 (2018-09-02)

Please follow the guidelines in this handbook when writing and submitting game reviews for Infendo.com. Make sure to read through all the writing guidelines, as well as the style and template instructions for the specific publication you’re working with.

Scoring

We score games using a five star/10 point scale (½ star to 5 star scale). Please remember that 2 ½ stars is the average score. We repeat, 2 ½ stars is the average score. We employ our scale to its full extent.

Games scoring 3 ½ stars or above are titles that we recommend as worthwhile purchases, while games scoring lower than 2 are unabashed wastes of times. We tend to think of the half-star tilts as emotional gut-reactions; for all intents and purposes, 4 stars is technically the same as 4 ½ stars , but it’s a convenient way of communicating which way you’re leaning when you’re somewhat on the fence about a game’s score. Expansion packs and annual sequels (such as EA’s Madden NFL franchise) generally have a ceiling of 4 stars unless they accomplish something extremely innovative or groundbreaking for the series.

Your score should always match your text; you should try to decide on a score first and then write your text to reflect it. Price is an issue as well; try to keep the game’s value in mind, relative to its price tag, when scoring (although your score should not completely revolve around the price). When in doubt, always remember that 2 ½ is the average score. If you have any questions or confusion about our scoring system, please contact your editor.

Games receiving scores of 4 ½ and above receive extra praise so when scoring a game in these ranges, step back and ask yourself, does this game deserve this score? Likewise, 1 star-scoring games are worthy of only the worst of the worst.

Score Definitions

5 stars: Excellent. Genre benchmarks—universally recommended.

4  stars Great. Almost excellent but with enough annoyances to keep it from the top.

3 stars: Good. Enjoyable throughout, with minor flaws.

2 ½ stars: Average. Status quo. Only genre enthusiasts need apply.

2 stars  Bad. Significant bugs or fundamental design issues.

1 star: Terrible. Never should have been made.

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