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.

Contents

1) General Information/Procedural Stuff

1.1) Embargoes

1.2) Word Counts

1.3) Assignment Submission Procedure

1.4) Infendo.com Accounts and Blogs

1.5) Conflicts of Interest

1.6) Editorial Policies

2) Payment

3) Scoring

4) Editorial Contacts


1) General Information/Procedural Stuff

1.1) Embargoes

Do not discuss the details of any product you’re reviewing prior to its retail/digital street date. Infendo staff follows strict non-disclosure agreements in order to receive early review copies; any such materials should be treated as strictly confidential, so as not to compromise our integrity or jeopardize our relationship with any publisher or developer.

1.2) Word Counts

When applicable, your word count will be provided via e-mail, and if applicable, it may be broken down by main text, any sidebars, and captions (this will also be specified in your assignment e-mail). If you submit a review that deviates wildly from the assigned word count, it will be returned to you for a re-edit.

1.3) Assignment Submission Procedure

When given an assignment, e-mail the completed writing assignment—in Google Docs format, to eugene@infendo.com. Where applicable, screenshots and other large art assets should be placed in the Google Docs folder.

1.4) Infendo.com Accounts and Blogs

If you have not done so already, please register for a free account on Infendo.com. This allows us to link your Infendo.com bylines to your user page so that readers may connect directly with you to read and comment on anything you write in your blog. We encourage you to blog about anything you review (once the text has gone live), as it fosters good community feedback and reader/writer interaction.

1.5) Conflicts of Interest

You are expected to provide full disclosure in any situation where a conflict of interest may arise. This includes (but is not limited to): having reviewed a game for a competing publication, previous employment at any game publisher within the past six months (whether on a full-time or freelance/consultation basis), or having a close personal (non-working) relationship with an employee of any publisher or developer that is either involved with or develops products that could be considered a competitor to the game you’re covering.

1.6) Editorial Policies

Please be aware that, no matter how sound or well-written your submissions are, we reserve full right to edit them as we see fit. That said, we obviously make every effort to keep our writers’ published work as close to the original submissions as possible, barring quality control and general style consistency. You may be notified of and/or asked to assist with any substantial changes that are deemed necessary (subject to your editor’s discretion). Submitted assignments that require major editing work may be returned to the writer for resubmission.

2) Payment

Any paid advertisements will be paid on a 60% to 40% ratio wherein the author of the paid article is to receive 60% and the owner of Infendo.com (Eugene Allen), will receive 40%.

3) 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.

4) Editorial Contacts

Eugene Allen
eugene@infendo.com