Our Philosophy
What follows are the guidelines we internally use to prepare GameSpot editors for their review assignments. GameSpot editors are expected to know, understand, and abide by the following principles. In turn, we invite you to consider them for yourself to better understand how we approach producing our content.
We Cater to the Discriminating Game Player
Our reviews are written with the prospective customer in mind--someone who's naturally interested in playing a new game and has a limited amount of time and money to spend. Our editors approach each review strictly from that perspective. In turn, our reviews are not intended to validate or support the beliefs of hardcore fans, nor are they intended to provide feedback to developers or publishers about how a given game could have been improved. Our reviews are only designed to tell you, the game player, to what extent a game is worth your while.
We Consider Games On Their Own Merits
First and foremost, our reviews are an assessment of one particular game at a time. We approach each review assignment without assuming anything about the quality of the game, irrespective of prerelease preview coverage, the history of any previous games in the series, any perceptions about the developer's or publisher's track records, and so forth. That is, every game we review gets a fair shake, and is treated with the same level of care and attention with which we approach every review assignment.
We Take Time and Originality Into Account
We judge more critically as time goes by, because our expectations as game players are constantly increasing. When we review a game, we consider it at the exact point in time at which the evaluation is taking place (generally, the week of a game's release) and compare it to what we believe to be the current standards of quality at that time. In general, GameSpot does not favor highly derivative games, which mostly recycle elements from other, previous games. Instead, we appreciate original concepts and ideas that are executed well. This also means that each time an excellent game is released, it becomes incrementally more difficult for another game to be as good in the grand scheme of things.
We Do Not Inflate Our Scores
As the quality of gaming experiences naturally improves over time, we do not simply rate new games higher, even if they're technically better. Instead, we adjust our expectations and continually recalibrate our numeric rating scale accordingly. What this means in practice is that a high score awarded today by GameSpot is worth more than if we awarded the same score yesterday. In other words, a game that earns a high score today is probably superior in overall quality to a game that earned the same score on our scale several years ago.
We Rate Games According to the Current Standards of Their Platforms and Genres
Every gaming platform is different, especially in terms of its technical features. However, we believe high-quality gaming experiences are possible on all the gaming platforms that we cover. So we review games against the standards of their respective platforms by implicitly comparing them to other games on that same platform and, to a lesser extent, to other games in that genre. As a result, our ratings of games on different platforms are not intended to be directly compared to one another. However, relative comparisons do apply, so a game that scores poorly is a poor game by any standards, while a game that scores extremely high is an outstanding game by any standards.
We Acknowledge That New Games Do Not Exist In a Vacuum
Each game we review exists in a competitive environment. That is, a game always has direct or indirect competition from other, possibly very similar games, which causes the game in question to be held to a higher standard. In other words, while technical merits are generally particular to a specific gaming platform, we believe that certain collective, universal standards also exist. GameSpot editors are expected to be familiar with current games on all platforms, in order to maintain an acute sense of global standards for gaming at all times.
We Consider Multiplatform Games Comparatively But Also for Each Platform
Games come out for multiple platforms all the time. When GameSpot reviews a game that's on multiple platforms, you'll often see references to other versions of the same game on a different platform. We do this to give context to our reviews for the sake of game players with access to or interest in multiple game systems. GameSpot reserves the right to reuse review text for multiplatform games, especially if the game has the same exact features on different platforms.
We Own Up To Our Errors
We have the highest standards when it comes to the accuracy and validity of our reviews, and will never knowingly make factual assertions that are not completely correct. However, in the event that the facts stated in one of our reviews are refuted, we swiftly investigate the claims. Consequently, we reserve the right to amend our reviews after they are published. Any time we substantively modify the facts of a review, we will acknowledge the changes in an editor's note at the end of the review.
The People Who Write GameSpot's Reviews Are All Different
We do our best to make each of our reviews live up to our standards and fit well in the context of all our other reviews. However, we take pride in the diversity and collective expertise of our editorial staff. Each individual who writes for GameSpot offers a different perspective and writing **** and we encourage each editor to bring his or her own experiences to bear with each new assignment. We only assign reviews to individuals that are naturally interested in the given ****of game. For example, we will never assign someone to review a sports game if he or she isn't personally interested in and knowledgeable about the real-world sport the game is simulating. But it's not just about personal preferences, either. GameSpot's reviews all go through a rigorous screening process by our reviews team, so you can rest assured that we collectively stand behind and support the statements made in each new review we publish.
The Bottom Line
We believe games are meant to be enjoyed, and our reviews seek to express what it is about a given game that is or isn't particularly enjoyable, entertaining, fun, amusing, interesting, memorable--any and all of these things, and more. Our philosophy is that if we succeed at reviewing each game on its own merits, against the standards of the point in time at which it was evaluated, then overall consistency of our ratings should naturally result. Ultimately, we believe that each of our reviews should be useful and engaging to you as a prospective player.
Frequently Asked Questions About GameSpot Reviews
"When should I expect to see a particular game reviewed on GameSpot?"
We review most games on or around the day on which they ship to retail channels. However, in some cases, we need extra time. This can be for a variety of different reasons, such as to extensively test multiplayer features under realistic gameplay conditions, or because we were not given access to final review code from a game's publisher and needed to purchase the game at retail to begin our testing. We appreciate your patience in these instances, but our stance on review timeliness is simple: We do not rush reviews. The timeliness of our coverage is extremely important to us, but a review is never rushed at the expense of its accuracy. Our editors are always given extra time on assignments should they require it.
"With all the new game systems coming out, what do you expect from next-generation games and consoles? How do you define standards for something that you haven't experienced before?"
We expect next-generation games and game systems to be reasonably better than current-generation games. When we approach coverage of a new system, we expect that system to exceed current technical standards of quality, but also to provide us with compelling gameplay experiences that are at least as exciting as what we could be playing on older systems. In other words, we have high expectations for next-generation systems. As a result, if a game is released for both current and next-generation platforms, and the next-generation version is not markedly better than other versions, you can expect that version to receive a lower rating than others.
"How do you decide who gets to review a particular game?"
We assign reviews to editors best equipped to handle the review assignment. This generally means that the editor in question has a natural interest in the genre and subject matter of the game, yet has no inherent bias concerning it. Additionally, our policy is to never assign a review of a game to an editor who has extensively previewed the game. Just as our audience tends to have no previous, direct exposure to a given game before purchasing it, so too do we select editors who can approach the given game review assignment with a fresh perspective and an open mind. Furthermore, reviewing games for GameSpot is an insular process, during which we do not consort with representatives from the given game's publisher or developer. If the reviewer has an urgent question that is preventing him or her from completing the assignment, an intermediary--a senior editor who is not the reviewer--may contact the game's publisher for assistance. Our intention is for our reviewers to experience each given game as would a customer who just bought the game from a store.
"How come some of your scores are so much lower than those of other publications I've seen? Are you all just jaded or something?"
On the contrary, we love games so much that we hold them to a higher standard. All of our editors were once avid consumers who relied on gaming publications to inform them about what to buy next. However, each of us has been burned at one time or another--we've each bought a highly rated game only to find that what we paid for wasn't nearly as good as what we read about. As a result, our commitment to our readers is to provide them with unflinchingly honest and thorough appraisals of games. Sometimes the truth hurts, especially when you've been eagerly awaiting a given game for months or even longer, but we think you'll appreciate our candor in the long run.
"I've seen a lot of advertisements on your site from specific game companies. Does advertising affect your editorial mission in any way, shape, or form?"
Absolutely, positively not. Never in GameSpot's history has money changed hands with regard to a review, nor have we ever altered our verdict about any game due to advertiser pressure. We accept advertising from game publishers so that we can continue to provide you with free, high-quality services. However, GameSpot's business model is founded on the concept that if we provide our users with consistently trustworthy content, then they will visit us often and in great numbers. It is this large, dedicated audience that advertisers wish to speak to. We have operated on these principles for years and will continue to do so.
"How do you decide which games get video reviews? How come you don't make video reviews for every game?"
We produce as many video reviews as possible, but the nature of the format makes them more resource-intensive to create than our written reviews. Furthermore, we believe that certain games do not lend themselves particularly well to our video review format. Generally speaking, we produce video reviews for all games for which we have evidence to prove our audience is excited to see in action, but we also leave discretionary room for video reviews of games that our editors feel strongly about. The goal of our video reviews is to complement our written reviews, providing you with a more personal take from an editor who's played the game extensively.
"Sometimes you review games before they're even out in stores. Does that mean you review games before they're finished?"
No, absolutely not. In the interest of providing purely accurate information, GameSpot only reviews final code, which means that we will not evaluate a product until we have access to the same version you could purchase from a store. While we do base some of our reviews on "gold master" versions of games, which are sent to us by publishers expressly for review purposes (only without the finished retail packaging), the game content itself is identical to what's being sold.
"I've seen exclusive first reviews in some other publications. How come I never see these on GameSpot?"
You never see exclusive reviews on GameSpot because we never ask for them, nor would we accept them. We believe that to barter with reviews is to invite a potential conflict of editorial interest. Therefore, our relationship with our audience is far too important to be risked for the sake of just being the first to tell you how a high-profile game turned out. In fact, we actively discourage game publishers from doling out exclusive reviews to anybody.
"What is the average rating on GameSpot?"
The average rating on GameSpot lies between a high 6 and a low 7, which is fully in line with what we believe is the fairly good quality of the average game on store shelves. Because we do not strictly grade on a curve, we have not set 5.0 as our average rating. We believe the high end of our rating scale (the 8 and 9 range) works suitably well to distinguish truly outstanding games from all the others. However, most games really aren't bad.
"How do you review persistent-world games, which are constantly evolving? Do you reevaluate them at a later point in time?"
We evaluate persistent-world games by playing them extensively for a number of days or weeks around the time of their releases. We typically invest approximately 30 hours' worth of playing time before committing to our evaluations. While this does not necessarily allow us to cover the long-term prospects of a given persistent-world game, the truth is that we do not know what the future holds for any such games, and thus, we evaluate them at that immediate point in time based on what we feel is a lengthy amount of play. We do not currently reevaluate games as they evolve, though when retail expansion packs are released for games, we use our reviews of those products as a chance to reevaluate the core game and to describe how it has changed over time.
"You gave a game in a genre that I don't like a very high score. I tried it and I still don't like it. What gives?"
While it's true that, to some extent, the higher scores in our range speak to a game's ability to appeal to casual or non-fans of a specific genre, your own personal likes and dislikes will always play a major role in how you perceive a game's quality. If we give an RPG a 9.5, but you hate every other RPG you've ever played, you might still want to approach with caution. Similarly, if you're a huge RPG fan that can look past a game's flaws, RPGs that score in the 5 or 6-range might still appeal to you. In either case, we recommend you write a reader review for this game, to add your take on this game to GameSpot's collection of viewpoints.
"How come only one person reviews a game for GameSpot? Why don't you have multiple reviewers providing different takes?"
We feel that to provide multiple GameSpot reviews of a given game would be an unnecessary use of our resources, and that it would be confusing to our audience. Because we do our best to assign each review to a highly qualified individual--who, in turn, takes a considerable amount of time to extensively play the game and then write a detailed review that covers the game from all different angles--what we would end up with if we assigned multiple reviewers to a game is a lot of very similar reviews. We do offer our readers a chance to chime in about games they feel strongly about with our player-reviews section. Furthermore, we conveniently provide links to reviews from other publications if you wish to see what other people are saying about a game.
"Do you immediately post reviews as soon as they're written?"
No, certainly not. Though each of our reviews is credited to a single author, the reality is that our reviews are processed extensively before they are posted. They are fact-checked by GameSpot's reviews department, and they are carefully screened by our copyediting department to ensure compliance with current, commonly accepted written standards. In short, we do not post reviews until we are completely confident in them.
"Do you always finish games before reviewing them?"
The straight answer is no, not necessarily. The main reason is that not all games are capable of being finished, which would make a policy of finishing all games before reviewing them impossible to enforce. For example, sports games and massively multiplayer online role-playing games have no definite conclusion. Likewise, many multiplayer-focused games cannot be finished but must be played extensively before they can be honestly evaluated. Our rule is that we play games extensively before committing to our full reviews. On average, this translates into at least 10 hours' worth of play, though some games demand much more than that, and some require less.
"Wait, reviews are just opinions. Right?"
Actually, we don't think so. We make no excuses for our verdicts about games and believe our reviews stand for themselves. While our reviews, of course, do contain an element of subjectivity to them, we see the process of reviewing games as one that primarily involves the reporting of facts. To an extent, we naturally color these facts based on our own experiences of having spent much time playing other games in the past, but we make every effort to look at every game on its own merits, and we describe each game in the most factual terms possible. To this end, in the rare event that one of our reviews contains a factual inaccuracy, we will correct the inaccuracy and will acknowledge it in an editor's note that's appended to the end of the review.
"How can you possibly assign a numeric rating to a game? Shouldn't your reviews speak for themselves?"
Along with our review summaries, our ratings provide our audience with an at-a-glance assessment of a game's relative quality. Some people have neither the time nor the inclination to read our full reviews, and we respect that. Also, some people want a shorter assessment, which is why our review summaries tend to contain all the key points of the evaluation. We take great caution in administering our ratings, because we know a rating scale needs to be relatively consistent to be valuable.