Video Game Ratings Reference

Here I’ll describe the buckets that I put games into for how much I enjoyed them.

There are eight in total, numbered 0 to 7, which is unconventional, but I feel that is just the optimal number of buckets. Most video game reviewers that apply ratings to the games usually use a 10-point scale but don’t utilize the lower end anyway.

0

These are worst games of all time. They are unique in how offensively bad they are.

Equivalent to 0-39 on Metacritic (2nd percentile and below), e.g. Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing (2003).

1

These are horrible games.

Equivalent to 40-54 on Metacritic (2nd to 10th percentile), e.g. Duke Nukem Forever (2011).

2

These are bad games.

Equivalent to 55-66 on Metacritic (10th to 30th percentile), e.g. APB: Reloaded (2011).

3

These are mediocre games. Below average to average.

Equivalent to 66-72 on Metacritic (30th to 50th percentile), e.g. Gratuitous Space Battles (2009).

4

These are decent games. Average to above average.

Equivalent to 73-78 on Metacritic (50th to 70th percentile), e.g. Heavy Rain (2010).

5

These are good games.

Equivalent to 79-83 on Metacritic (70th to 90th percentile), e.g. Life is Strange (2015).

6

These games are excellent games.

Equivalent to 84-89 on Metacritic (90th to 98th percentile), e.g. Left 4 Dead 2 (2009).

7

These are the best games of all time. That doesn’t mean they’re perfect. However, they are paragons of challenging and rewarding gameplay and/or immersive and interesting game worlds.

Equivalent to 90-100 on Metacritic (98th percentile and up), e.g. Mass Effect 2 (2012).