1's, 9's, Everything in Between, and the Elusive 10 out of 10

My biggest fear with game reviews is that I will be misunderstood. To someone a 7 could mean, "This game is worth picking up, but it won't be the best game I've ever played." While to others, a 7 implies that there are many 8's and 9's I could be playing, so why even bother. This is something I really want to clear up for those of you making decisions based off my ratings.

Let's stick with the previous example of a 7(I like this one because it is often the number that gives me the most trouble in reviews.) Most people wouldn't bother with a game lower than a 7, and most people agree on games given 9's. But with 8's and 7's especially, there seems to be a little bit of grey area. Personally, I've always felt this was an issue with ratings so because of this I've introduced some word association(listed below).

Game Review Scale

10-perfect
9-almost perfect
8-above average
7-slightly above average
6-average
5-slightly below average
4-mediocre
3-below average
2-disgrace
1-atrocious

Regardless, things can still be confusing.

Generally, I try to make my reviews as objective as possible. I don't give numbers just because I enjoyed aspects of the game. Some things in a game have to subjectively appeal to me in order for me to enjoy it. For example, if I were reviewing a game that had a combat system was well made, even if I didn't enjoy it I would still give it a good rating for the most part. God of War comes to mind. The games are very polished and well made, but I'm not personally a fan of linear exploration neither am I a fan of quicktime event bosses. So when it comes to 7's and 8's, my suggestion would be give the game a try if it sounds like something you would like. Chances are you'll enjoy it. But if I give something lower than a 6 and you still decide you want to play it, don't say I didn't warn you.

Another issue I want to talk about is giving games a 10. Lots of popular magazine and internet reviewers give out perfect scores all the time. I haven't done this yet, not only because I haven't reviewed a game I felt worthy of it but I'm also a little afraid of the implications giving a 10 would cause. One implication being that as soon as a game earns a perfect 10, where is the room for improvement? I can't think of a single game that can't be improved upon. Although, part of me thinks it is possible for a game to earn a 10 in my eyes. There's actually one game that comes to mind I've considered giving a 10 to already. And because of this, I've held off on reviewing it thus far. It's probably my favorite game of all time, and most people I know who've played it share similar feelings(although maybe not to this extent). Maybe I'll do it for my blog's 1 year anniversary or something cool like that, because I'm going to need a lot more time before I decide what score it truly deserves. But don't worry, I'm actually in the middle of writing several reviews, as well as closing in on finishing a few more games I plan to review. I've just got a little catch up to do.