How we actually decide on a score

People ask why one game gets a 4.4 and another a 4.6 like there's a formula. There isn't, and I want to be honest about that.

We play until we've formed an opinion, then talk it through as a team. The number at the end is a rough summary of that conversation, not a spreadsheet output. A 4.4 means 'really good with a clear flaw'; a 4.6 means 'excellent, minor nitpicks.'

We weight how a game feels over how many features it lists. A tightly designed one-trick arcade like Big Bass Drop can outscore a bloated title that does everything poorly, because doing one thing well is harder than it looks.

So read the words, not just the digits. The paragraphs tell you whether the game is for you far better than a number ever could.