REVIEW
HOWWEREVIEW
Werevieweachgameonitsownmerits,andtrytomatchit
toa reviewerwho’sa passionateexpertinthefield.Themain
aimofreviewsis tohelpyoumakebuyingdecisions.Tothis
end,we’reselectiveaboutwhatwereview,andtrytofocus
onthenotable,interesting,excitingorsurprising.
DOWNLOADABLECONTENT
DLCmightbenewmissionsfora game,orit mightbea single
newitem.If wethinkyouwanttoknowaboutit,we’llreviewit.
EARLYACCESS
Anyreleasedalpha,beta,orotherwiseunfinishedgamethat
youcancurrentlypayfor.Forthesegames,wewon’tassigna
score,butwewilltellyouwhetherthey’reworthyourtime.
THEY’REBACK
Wheneverthere’sa bargainorre-releaseofa significantgame,
ourexpertwillrevisitit andtellyouwhetherit holdsuptoday.
Withjokes.
TheEditor’sChoiceawardis
granted in addition to the score,
at the discretion of the PC Gamer
staff. It represents exceptional
quality or innovation.
Find out more
http://www.bit.ly/pcgreviewsOUR SCORING
SYSTEM EXPLAINED
00%-09% Broken or offensively bad; absolutely no value.
Example Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
10%-19% We might be able to find one nice thing to say about
it, but still not worth anyone’s time or money.
Example Gettysburg: Armored Warfare
20%-29% Completely falls short of its goals. Very few
redeeming qualities.
Examples Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse
30%-39% An entirely clumsy or derivative effort. There’s
little reason to play this game over a similar, better one.
Examples Trials of the Blood Dragon
40%-49% Flawed and disappointing.
Examples Aliens: Colonial Marines
50%-59% Mediocre. Other games probably do it better, or its
unique qualities aren’t executed well.
Examples Primordia, Homefront: The Revolution
60%-69% There’s something to like here, but it can only be
recommended with major caveats.
Examples No Man’s Sky, Ghost Recon: Wildlands
70%-79% A good game that’s worth playing. We like it.
Examples Prey, NieR: Automata
80%-89% A great game with exceptional moments or
features, and touches of brilliance. We love it.
Examples Overwatch, Night in the Woods
90%-94% A compelling recommendation for most PC
gamers. Important to PC gaming, and likely ahead of its time.
Examples Bayonetta, Dishonored 2
95%-96% Far and away one of the best games we’ve ever
played. We recommend it to the entire world.
Examples Half-Life 2, Kerbal Space Program
97%-100% Advances the human species. Boosts the
immune systems of nearby children and small animals.
All quiet
The great dry spell continues this
month – big budget releases remain
few and far between, with the
handful that were scheduled
already frantically delayed to later in
the year and beyond. But as with last
issue, it certainly doesn’t mean
there’s nothing to read in the
following pages. Far from it. It just
means more space for the small and
the strange – from an episodic indie
darling, to a stark and harrowing
depiction of the rise of the Nazi
party, to a turn-based strategy game
based on a puppet TV show, to an
adventure game portrayed entirely
by that bloke who played Inspector
Lestrade in those Guy Ritchie
Sherlock Holmes movies. PC
gaming is a rich tapestry, and over
the next 28 pages, we’ve taken a
good hard look in the corners,
uncovering hidden gems and the
better-left-buried alike. Oh, and Riot
launched a card game.ROBIN VALENTINE
PRINT EDITOR
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