I’ve reviewed a couple games on Twin Stick Diaries using a 20 point scale (0-10 with the inclusion of .5’s). One thing I never really touched on though was how I go about reviewing games in terms of “What score does this game get?” So to help you guys understand how I go about reviewing these Twin Stick Games, I am going to explain to you what I believe is a 10/10 video game without writing a book about it.
From what I have learned about playing, writing and designing games, I learned that a video game needs to have one of two things. It needs to be either fun, or it needs to be interesting. A game that is fun, revolves around how you are playing it and how the game progresses with the way you are playing it. The fun doesn’t have to be simple or easy to pick up like a platformer or twin-stick shooter. RTS’s like Civilization and Starcraft are extremely complicated but they are fun because you get a sense of accomplished as you, the player, progress through the game. The graphics and sounds that revolve around the gameplay may enhance the fun, but they don’t need to be exceptionally great for their to be a fun game.
An interesting game is one of the key differentiators between one reviewers’ 10/10 vs. a reviewers 5/10. The interest that comes from the game may be generated from the story, graphics, music and/or the gameplay mechanics. A game’s story may be the driving force of the video game. Point and Click adventures tend to be more story centric. A favorite of mine, To The Moon, would be nothing without its story and if you don’t like this game’s story, than you would probably give this game a low score. The graphics of the game can make it more interesting as well. The retro look is very popular now in the indie scene as well as cel-shading. AAA Studios have been creating realistic look games that have been stunning gamers, especially the pre-rendered cut-scenes Square Soft and Square Enix have been creating for years. Crappy looking games tend to be forgotten or remembered by how bad they are. The music and sound effects can make a game more interesting too, believe it or not. Most horror games use the music to bring in a specific atmosphere as well as enhancing scares with sound cues. Guitar Hero, DDR and Rock Band would be no where without the music as well as the interesting way you control the game. Speaking of gameplay mechanics, Braid utilizes its time mechanic in multiple interesting ways. Braid uses them to solve puzzles which may or may not be fun for players so in some instances, interesting and fun can go hand in hand.
A game that is fun and interesting can create a 9.5 video game but without the final component, which I am calling polish, you will never get a 10/10 game. There is a reason why first party Nintendo games are so well-reviewed and loved. Not only are they fun, but they are nearly glitch free and they control extremely well. Glitches and unpolished gameplay and graphics break player immersion. Games developed by Bethesda (Elder Scrolls and Fallout 3) tend to be glitchy and have poor textures. As fun and interesting as these games are, the lack of polish these games have break player immersion and sometimes the game itself. The lack of polish can also feel like the game is cheating you are you are cheating the challenge.
So what games do I find to be 10/10 games? Well there are very few that I do find to be 10/10 and they may not even be in my top ten list. A 10/10 game should be considered a game you should try, but don’t expect to love it just because of its score. For example, The Legend of Zelda: A Link To the Past is a game I would consider a 10/10 but it is not my favorite Zelda game. However, my favorite game of all time, Paper Mario, is but may not be to someone else. Sadly, I don’t think I’ve played a 10/10 twin stick game but I have no doubt that there will be one soon. They are already fun and tend to be very polished but the interesting factor has yet to push any of them to 10/10.
Can you think of any games that would be 10/10 but weren’t or do you feel that my definition is a little off? Feel free to leave some comments and tell me your favorite games!
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