oprainfall is dedicated to giving you news, opinions, and reviews of niche games. However, whereas news and opinions are self-explanatory, reviews can be a bit tricky, particularly when trying to use the full scale in an industry where 7 seems like average. So, to be more transparent in our system, we at oprainfall would like to inform you about our Review Scale and Policies.
Policies
No review for a game is done for oprainfall unless the main objective, campaign, or story is completed for the game in question. For games with no ending such as massively multiplayer online role-playing Games, we expect the author to play the game for as long as it takes to provide an accurate review. Reviewers are also encouraged to engage in side quests and multiplayer (if applicable) for the game they review. With this policy, you can be sure that any reviewer for oprainfall will be knowledgeable on nearly all aspects of the game they review.
With regards to both regular reviews and the Retro Review series, reviews are done no later than one month after completing the game. Typically, most reviews will be done sooner than that but may be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. This is done to ensure that the game is still fresh within the reviewer’s mind as they write-up their take on the game.
We promise to give honest feedback about a game and reflect that in our score. If we don’t like a game, we will be honest with you about it.
Every review will contain a short sentence at the end explaining how we obtained a copy. For example, we will let you know if the author bought the copy or if the publisher granted the author a copy for review purposes.
Scoring System
Regular reviews and Retro Reviews currently use a 10-point 5-star rating system. Stars may be split in half, creating scores of x.5. A score of 5.0 is the absolutely best; 0.5 is the absolute worst.
In comparison to a 100-point scale:
5.0 = (10/10) = 100/100
4.5 = (9/10) = 90/100
4.0 = (8/10) = 80/100
3.5 = (7/10) = 70/100
3.0 = (6/10) = 60/100
2.5 = (5/10) = 50/100
2.0 = (4/10) = 40/100
1.5 = (3/10) = 30/100
1.0 = (2/10) = 20/100
0.5 = (1/10) = 10/100
In essence, this is what the scale boils down to:
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Overall |  |
5.0 = Amazing, best in its class
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Overall |   |
2.5 = Average—a couple of glaring flaws; nothing really stands out
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Overall | |
0.5 = Worst—do not buy!
Here’s another way to put it:
5 Stars—A must-own game. As close to perfect as possible. Worth the price of admission, and then some. We cannot recommend this game enough.
4-4.5 Stars—A great game. It has a few flaws but nothing that takes away from the overall experience. Well worth the asking price. We recommend this game for most everyone.
3-3.5 Stars—A good game. The game has some issues but it is still mostly enjoyable. We recommend this game, particularly if you enjoy the genre/franchise.
2-2.5 Stars—An average game. There is some good in the game but nothing really stands out or too many flaws cover up the good. We can only recommend this game to fans of the genre/franchise or when there is a price drop.
1-1.5 Stars—A poor game. The game is playable but has too many glaring flaws to comprehend how it was approved to sell. We cannot recommend this game to anyone other than collectors.
0.5 Star—A bad game. Broken, unfinished, unplayable, unbearable, and unspeakable. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
If you have any questions regarding our review policies, please feel free to contact us.
Thank you for supporting oprainfall.