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    The Punished BacklogThe Punished Backlog
    Home»About The Punished Backlog»Our Grading Scale

    Our Grading Scale

    Reviewing games isn’t easy. Articulating one’s thoughts about what’s good and bad about a particular experience is exceedingly challenging in an industry where numbers and scores are so heavily scrutinized.

    The following scale is meant to help streamline this process. By being upfront with how we critique games, we hope to help maintain transparency with and establish consistency for our viewership.

    We award games a single score on a 100 point scale from 0.1 to 10 (in other words, to the nearest tenth). This allows for a range of flexibility and specificity not found on 5 star or 10 point scales. The criteria for where a particular game lands on this scale is determined as follows:

    10: Masterful. Pushes the boundaries of what games are capable of. A must play for any type of gamer.

    9.0-9.9: Incredible. A game that transcends its genre to make for a truly compelling experience. The vast majority of gamers should enjoy playing it.

    8.0-8.9: Great. A genuinely solid game. Does numerous things very well, but is ultimately held back from being considered phenomenal. Fans of the genre should really enjoy it.

    7.0-7.9: Good. A game that, despite its flaws, is a worthwhile experience. While not everyone will find it equally appealing, it has merit and deserves consideration.

    6.0-6.9: Average. A middle-of-the-road work that, while not bad, is also not good. The tipping point of our scale between worthwhile ventures and not-so-worthwhile ones.

    5.0-5.9: Below Average. A game that is heavily flawed. Fans of the genre might be willing to overlook key problems and enjoy their time spent. Otherwise, you’re probably better off playing something else.

    4.0-4.9: Bad. There are plenty of better games out there that are worth your time before this. While the rare gamer may derive pleasure from playing this, the overwhelming majority should stay away.

    3.0-3.9: Terrible. Actively bad from start to finish. There’s little to no merit in playing something like this. Nobody outside of crazed fans and family of the developer would ever consider picking this up.

    2.0-2.9: Abysmal. A broken mess. A shell of a game that might have had potential sometime way back during development, but lost all of it by the time the product hit store shelves.

    0.1-1.9: Horrific. If there was ever any effort put into this abomination, it’s impossible to see. Not even worthy of being called a video game. If you’re playing this, chances are you’re quite aware of how awful it is.

    Through this scale, we commit ourselves to covering games both honestly and comprehensively.


    If you are a game developer or publisher who would like us to cover one of your games, contact us!

     

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    It’s a simple ask, @pokemon. . . . . . . #pokem It’s a simple ask, @pokemon. 
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    Our predictions for tomorrow’s #NintendoDirect b Our predictions for tomorrow’s #NintendoDirect by @davidmsilbert.
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    Xbox and PC Game Pass are two of the best video ga Xbox and PC Game Pass are two of the best video game subscription services available on the market, and perhaps the best deal in gaming, full stop. We love Game Pass because it allows great games from small independent studios to receive the attention and recognition they may not otherwise get. To honor the crème of the crop, we'll be routinely updating the following list with our picks for the 10 best indie games on Game Pass (presented in alphabetical order, read the full article at the link in our bio): 

#TheArtfulEscape @theartfulescape
#BoyfriendDungeon by @realkitfoxgames
#Firewatch by @camposantoproductions
#TheForgottenCity by @modern.storyteller
#GenesisNoir @genesisnoir
#Hades by @supergiantgames
#OuterWilds by Mobius Digital Games with @Annapurnainteractive
#Spiritfarer by @thunderlotus
#WhatRemainsofEdithFinch by Giant Sparrow
#YesYourGrace by @brave_at_night
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www.punishedbacklog.com with reviews written by Amanda Tien (@amandajotien), David Silbert (@davidmsilbert), and Sam Martinelli
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#indiegames #Indies #gaming #gamer #gamers #videogames #instagaming #gamepass #xbox #xboxgamer #xboxgamepass
    @davidmsilbert’s “favorite things” list incl @davidmsilbert’s “favorite things” list includes #Breach, #Arcane, #DojaCat, #QueerEye, and 5 games including a #GOTY that may surprise you. ✨ Link in bio! ✨
Games:
- The DLC for #finalfantasyviiremake #ff7 @finalfantasyvii 
- #enderlilies by @adglobemtl 
- #chicory #chicoryacolorfultale by @thebanov w/ @finjico 
- #haloinfinite @halo 
- #deltarune #deltarunechapter2 by @fox_toby 
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#videogame #videogames #gamer #gaming #instagaming #goty #indiegames #blackgamer
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