How we actually review a game here

People sometimes ask how we decide what's worth covering and how our scores work. It's less scientific than you might hope and, I think, better for it.

First, someone plays. Not skims — plays, for a few hours at least, on an actual phone. We take notes on the annoying stuff as much as the good stuff, because that's what you'll live with.

Then we argue. A game rarely gets published on one person's take alone. If two of us disagree sharply, that tension usually ends up in the review, because your mileage might vary too.

Scores are the last thing we set, not the first. A number means nothing without the paragraphs around it, so please read those. The rating is just a shorthand for the story we told above it.