Basically, the system works on the average of five categories: Graphics, Music, Story, Gameplay, and Bias. Each category will be give a score ranging from "0" to "10" with "0" being the lowest possible score and "10" being the highest. After each group has been scored, the whole lot will be averaged together and a final score will be given. Again, the lowest score possible for he final score will be "0" and the highest possible will be "10."

        Now, in I'm going to explain how I rate each of the five categories.

Graphics: Did you try to use custom graphics in your game, or all they the standard junkies that come packaged with rm2k? Have you done anything truly breathtaking? The way to receive a high score on graphics is to put in as much effort as you possibly can. If you have all custom graphics that look like crap, you'll still receive a decent score since you at least tried. If you have some of the best rips in the world, you'll also get a good score. Games that don't put much effort into this, such as a game that uses the standard graphics (a lot, you can use a few of the standards) that come with rm2k will not do well.

Music: Music is a little different than graphics. For the musical rating, I take into consideration several things. First of all, does your music fit with the scene your game is trying to portray? If so, then that'll help the score. Next, is your music written well? If you're using music mucker to create something truly annoying, you can rest assured you grade will falter. If you have something that fits into your game and sounds pretty good, I'll be sure to give you a better score. Finally, did you try to do something original with the music, or did you just rip off Squaresoft? Originality usually means a game will be better (not always). If you use Squaresoft music and implement it well, however, you're score will not be lowered.

Gameplay: Gameplay scores basically rest on multiple factors. Did you make some custom systems? These aren't incredibly important, but they certainly can help your overall score. If you did make custom systems, are they manageable and do they make sense? If your custom systems are too hard to interface with, you'll definitely loose some points. Is the game way too hard, or is it way too easy? If there is no possible way to beat your game, you won't fare too well my friend. If I can breeze through your game by pressing a few buttons, then you won't score well in this area either. Balance is the key. Finally, are your mini-games creative? Having some fun, creative mini-games will help your score.

Story: I think about several things for the story too. How well done is the story? To score well here, you should have an entertaining story that makes sense. Are there too many plot holes? If you have a large amount of plot holes in your story, then you'll lose points. I should be able to understand what is going on without consulting you, the author of the game. Finally, how creative is your story? Did you just rehash a Squaresoft game, or did you try to make something original? Your story needs to be creative. Using clichs is fine, so long as you used them creatively and tried to be original.

Bias: This is the last and final part of the review. The Bias is the place where I can alter your score's average a little by throwing in a high or low number here. If I really liked your game, but I had to give it a low score in some areas, you can rest assured that I'll bring your final grade up a little in the bias area. Usually, I won't use this area to ruin your score or anything. It's just my final opinion concerning the game.

        And now, some of my final thoughts. That's the standard I'll be judging games by. Any of the other staff members are welcome to use this same standard if they so choose. I'll be sure to update this page if there are any changes.

If you'd like me to review your game, or if you have any questions please e-mail me by clicking here. If that doesn't work, here's the address: bookieharris@hotmail.com