Eurogamer reviews are changing

eurogamer.net:

Hey again, Tom here. I'm really excited to announce today that Eurogamer reviews are changing. Here's a bit about how, and the thinking behind why.

In short, Eurogamer is moving to a five-star review rating system, beginning this week.

For years now, I've felt our existing review badges weren't working hard enough for us, or for you. We ended up recommending a lot of games, or not giving a badge at all to many others — which meant readers not acquainted with our odd four-point scale had nothing to go on. We rarely used Avoid, because it always felt a bit mean.

It's been eight years since Eurogamer ditched the 10-point review scale and we're not going back to that — the argument then that it felt broken through overuse of its upper half still stands. At the same time, I strongly believe we need to convey how we feel about games in a more straightforward manner.

Which brings us to five stars. It's universally understood, simple to take in at a glance, and easily shared.

In my blog post a couple of weeks ago, I wrote that I was keen for Eurogamer to look back to its roots where appropriate, as a home for video game coverage that feels fearless and helps drive the conversation. It's a conversation I'm keen for our reviews to stand out in, to match the brilliant writing you've come to expect from our team. There's more about all of that below from reviews editor Chris Tapsell, including detail of a new accessibility options listing I'm also delighted to be adding.

For now, I can't wait for you to see Eurogamer's first starred review with our verdict on Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Join us then.

Hello! If you don't know me, I'm reviews editor, which means I spend most of my time either organising reviews for the big games