Scoring Rubric

How do we evaluate titles at retro game ratings?

Here's the explanation of how we built our ratings system to avoid nostalgia bias, and help you quickly find the games that you want to play next.


Game Basics & Review:

  • Title - Name of the Game
  • System(s) - What system(s) did the game release on?
  • Publisher - Game Publisher (sort and search)
  • Review - Story of our experience with the game and why it was rated as such


Game Ratings Criteria:

  • Best System Version - If it was released on multiple systems, which is best?
  • Visual Style - (Scale) Did the visuals represent the game well at the time of release?
  • Art Longevity - (Scale) How well did the graphics hold up?
  • Story - (Scale) How did the story help shape the game experience?
  • Gameplay - (Scale) What did gameplay bring to the table?
  • Controls - (Scale) How did the controls function?
  • Difficulty - (Scale) How hard is it to finish the game?
  • # of Players - How many players does the game support? (per version)
  • Multiplayer Interactions (Categories)

  1. Cooperative or competitive?
  2. Same screen, split screen, or alternating play?
  3. Is Multiplayer a Hindrance or Help to finishing the game?

  • Nostalgia Rating - (Scale) How does nostalgia affect the experience?
  • Durability Rating - (Scale) How well does the game stand the test of time?
  • Overall Grade - (Scale) After factoring in everything, what is the final rating?
  • Alternate Versions - Are there some different variants of this title? Remakes?
  • Sequels - Did the title have any follow up releases?
  • Good if you like - What types of gamers would enjoy this title?
  • Hashtags - Allows for genre and sub-genre searching

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