How we actually decide a score

Readers ask how we land on a number like 4.4, so here's the honest answer: it's a judgment, not a formula. We don't add up columns of points.

What we do is play the thing properly, note where it delighted us and where it annoyed us, and then argue about it. A score is basically the compressed version of that argument. Two of us might disagree by half a point, and that's fine — it reflects that games are subjective.

We try to score within genre, too. A cozy exploration game and a deep strategy game shouldn't be measured with the same ruler, so a 4.5 in one doesn't mean the same thing as a 4.5 in another.

Treat our numbers as a starting point, not a verdict carved in stone. The words in the review always matter more than the digit at the top.