Good afternoon from Blast Games! I wanted to let everyone know that we have made a change to our scoring system–no longer will games be scored on a 0 to 10 scale, as we have decided on a few things about that system.

First, not everyone seems to be in agreement about what number constitutes a good or bad grade. That goes for both readers and writers, as we all have our own personal idea or cutoff for what means what, even with a specific system in place. Second, how do you consistently determine why one game is 0.3 better or worse than another game? Does it actually matter? The text of a review should be your true guide for a game’s worth, but it’s also nice to have a score there so you can put it into some context. Some people enjoy that very much, and it may mean a lot to more than others, so we didn’t want to do away with scoring entirely.

Letters work better than numbers, in our minds. We will end up using the entire scale now, instead of focusing more on the 5-10 range, which seemed to happen pretty often. I think this will better serve both our writers and you, our readers, as there will be more consistency in our grades. You all went to school, you know what the differences between A, B, C, D and F are, even when we throw in plus and minus options.

Just in case though, we’ll spell it out. A’s are obviously the cream of the crop–these are some of the best games you’ll play all year. Those who are in the A+ range are more likely, in our minds, to matter outside of the year of their release–these are your most memorable titles, and your most likely game of the year candidates.

B’s are games that you should definitely own, because you’ll enjoy them, but they are more easily forgettable than A’s, and may not be the same thrilling or unique (and well-done) experience. Maybe they are lacking in polish, or are a new entry to a series that needs some work but has a lot of promise.

C’s are closer to your average games. These are not must own like most B’s and A’s, but are something gamers should experience if they have the time, money, or desire. They are definitely playable, but lacking in some area or another in a way that keeps them from being higher rated.

D’s are games where there may be some good ideas tucked away, or an interesting concept or mechanic that’s worth checking out, but you’re not going to want to touch them until they hit the bargain bin or your local video game rental store. This is the kind of game that you either avoid, or pick up only when you have exhausted all other resources and need to play a game. Playable, but not necessarily what we would call a good time. Many, many gamers, unless they go through a few games a month, are never going to play these games, and should focus their money and attention on better titles.

F’s are broken, or devoid of interesting ideas or worthwhile gameplay. These are titles to avoid. There’s not much to say about them other than that if you play them, and it’s not for reviewing purposes, then you’re probably a masochist.

We’ll be rolling out reviews this afternoon with the new scoring system in place–it’s part of the reason we’ve been quiet during the holidays, as we wanted to get it up and running for you and figure out what improvements we can make.

About The Author

Marc Normandin was gaming editor of Blast from 2008 to mid-2010. You can reach him via e-mail at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @Marc_Normandin

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