In the heart of the games industry, covering this majestic form of entertainment is what we consider an honor. Gaming is one of the biggest forms of interactive media where people do not merely look at the screen but to be involved in its wonderful adventures.
Providing criticism is difficult. We have to be passionate in every form of writing that we publish and that includes video game reviews. Being passionate can mean that “bias” will linger in every bit of word that the reviewers write. Bias, by definition, means that it’s a personal opinion of an individual on a certain thing regardless of others’ opinions.
There is nothing ‘unbiased’ about a review. Every word laid out in the form of writing with an opinion is already bias itself. That does not entirely mean that it is a bad thing. Providing criticism, based on preference and expertise of a certain genre from a person, gives bias a good sense of direction. There will be criticism on aspects of a certain game that it is, in fact, unenjoyable and frustrating. Not everyone might agree to it but once there are solid points clearly made by the person behind the screen, then that surely gives the ‘biased’ criticism more meaning.
In Sirus Gaming, we encourage our expert writers to be informative in our reviews. It is of our best interest to help our fellow gamers in making the right decision of purchasing a product and provide an insightful piece that would help studios improve on their games.
We put the community first before publishers. As we are given access to video games early by publishers/developers to timely publish an article that would help our readers make the right decisions, we are not, in any way, bound with any form of compensation that would force us to give a “good” score.
If the game is, unfortunately, riddled with bugs, glaring plot holes, and uninspired writing, then we give out a score that fits that definition.
In an event where we are given access to a highly anticipated video game on or after embargo lifts by the publisher or developer, we will simply decline the code and would rather purchase the game like everyone else instead.
Furthermore, if publishers/developers will not consider us with any review copies due to unknown circumstances or because of a bad rating that our writers gave, we will still purchase the game and put a review out for our readers. Publishers do not hold us back from putting out a review that would be listed on OpenCritic, and hopefully someday, on Metacritic.
Below are our scores and its definition:
10: Masterpiece – When a title gets a grand number, it’s a video-game worth spending your whole life in.
9: Excellent – Almost perfect if not for the nitty-gritty. If it’s quite there but not enough to push the boundaries, it’s still an awesome game.
8: Great – When the issues of a game are rolled and stomped by its greatness, then it’s something to invest on if you have some spare.
7: Good – We tell you, it’s a good game! It’s not average! It might have some problems here and there, but you have to admit it is a “Good” game.
6: Justified – You better have to choose if it’s worth spending your spare cash, because it might not be the game for you and it might be for others.
5: Average – We want to emphasize that 5 will always be the “average” number, not 7. So by far, it’s 50% great and it’s also 50% bad.
4: Below Average – You’ll be left out with a “meh” after finishing the game. What game did we just play?
3: Bad – It’s playable, but the game does have a lot of setbacks. The dialogue and sound are just horrible, or it might be plagued with bad mechanics.
2: Torment – The game gave you more horrors in your real-life experience than in your nightmares.
1: H.I.V. (Hair Is Vanishing) – You’ve spent more time pulling your own hair and scratching your scalp when you’re playing.
0: Earth Died – It is not playable at all!
If you want to visit our old testament, here it is:
2015 Score Guideline:
10: All-Time-Fave – I have nothing to say more but you’ll miss your gaming life if you don’t have this game.
9: Awesome! – It’s a must-have game and can secure a spot in your collection.
8: Worth It! – It’s highly recommended. It’s your bang-for-the-buck game! There are elements that outweigh the bad parts.
7: Good – A recommended game, it’s missing a few things but it’s a fun experience for players.
6: Justified – The game is a good buy depending on your preferences of what a “good buy” is.
5: Mediocre – It’s a kind of game that makes you ponder on what-could-have-been.
4: It’s Okay? – A game where you had fun but in the end you still had a comment of “meh”.
3: Bad – The game is just really bad. Simple.
2: Torment – The game gave you more horrors in your real-life experience than in your nightmares.
1: H.I.V. (Hair Is Vanishing) – You’ve spent more time pulling your own hair and scratching your scalp when you’re playing.
0: Earth Died – This is a game where you just want to burn every disc.
If you have any questions or concerns about our reviews, feel free to email me lexuzze.tablante [at] sirusgaming.com.