Reviews Imports Medals

Reviewing Process
Story

Every title, even sports and racing titles, have a story to tell. When we play through a new story, we primarily look at the originality, the believability, and depth to which it goes. Outside of these three core areas, we also try to determine how interesting a story will be for the average gamer.		 Value

We believe that replay value is synonymous with longevity. A title’s true value can only be determined by the length of time you enjoy playing it. To that end, this section includes a look at length, bonus content, online play, multiplayer support, and continued interest. We also take note of the title's retail price to further evaluate how much bang you get for your buck.
Graphics

While most might assume that this section is fairly straightforward, there is actually much more at play here than meets the eye. How a game looks to the naked eye, while very superficial, is essential. However, the technical aspect of what you are seeing is equally important. While many gamers may not care about textures, pixel count, draw distance, bump-mapping, etc., because it is at play, we will be discussing it.		 Sound

Sound is vital to any game because it is the fastest pathway to an emotional response. Background music, sound effects, and voice acting all work together to draw gamers deeper into the experience. We will also address the use of synthesized vs. performed sounds as well as a host of different facets of a games audio presentation.
Gameplay

How a game plays is probably the most critical area for any title. There are so many different variables to consider under this category. Because each genre applies different game mechanics, we generally try to judge titles based on their fit within any particular genre. We want to make sure that the game mechanics work smoothly, the camera provides easy viewing of the play field, an artificial-intelligence responds appropriately to the gamer, and most of all, that chosen methods of play actually deliver an enjoyable experience. Unlike other sections, successful or broken gameplay elements will weigh heavily on the final score.		 Controls

When playing a game for the first time, the largest obstacle between gamers and satisfaction they desire is the learning curve. Many times, this curve can be minimized. In addition, being constantly aware of the controls only distracts from the title itself. These are the types of things we consider here. This section is not designed to describe button layout (though we may discuss the effectiveness of the layout).
Rating System
Project COE grades games on a 10.0 score with 0.0 being the lowest score and 10.0 being the highest. Each point represents a different broad quality category with smaller increments within each division.
10.0 - Masterpiece
Titles that earn a 10 change the way we look at videogames as a whole. They are the best of the best titles available and shouldn't be missed by anyone for any reason.
9.0 - 9.9 Excellent
A game in this category meets a high standard of quality, enjoyment, and polish. Any problems are very minor in nature and barely detract from the overall product. Project COE highly recommends any title with this score to all gamers.
8.0 - 8.9 Great
Games which receive this score usually suffer minor setbacks which prevent them from a higher score. In general, these slight errors will not diminish its overall draw. Project COE highly recommends most titles within this range.
7.0 - 7.9 Good
Because the majority of titles available across all platforms are capable of reaching this score, Project COE joins with the majority of the gaming industry in setting this range as our average score. Titles with this score usually have flaws of some description or lack in overall polish.
6.0 - 6.9 Decent
Titles within our decent category tend to be games that should be rented before bought. Significant problems may be present which could impede overall gameplay. These titles will most likely not be satisfying to gamers outside of its specific genre.
5.0 - 5.9 Subpar
While 5.0 does represent the mathematical average of our scoring system, because developers are capable of achieving vastly more, we simply cannot recommend titles in this range. Some gameplay mechanics may be broken, graphics might be buggy, and any number of other problems may be present. Only dedicated fans will be able to overlook the shortcomings.
4.0 - 4.9 Poor
Generally, games that receive this score were severely rushed through development. The problems most likely impede gameplay progression or were damaged as early as their core concept creation. Project COE recommends that you overlook these games unless you are willing to proceed at your own risk.
3.0 - 3.9 Awful
With few redeeming qualities, these titles will be far more frustration than they are worth.
2.0 - 2.9 Terrible
Besides being a complete waste of time and funding, titles of this woefully low score boast no positives; most likely will not work, and lag harshly behind current titles.
0.0 - 1.9 Why-Bother?
As rare as our perfect score will be, we can only hope that games falling in this category will be just as rare. Why bother? We don’t think you should.
Imports

Most people would argue (quite effectively) that gaming began in Japan. But even though it has spread around the entire face of the world, there are hundreds of titles that never make it outside of Japan. Because of this, import gamers seem to be on the rise. Armed with these games and a Japanese dictionary, many gamers are finding a completely new realm of gaming.

As importing increases so has the need for import reviews. Recognizing this fact, Project COE has made imports a priority. Not only do we review titles that have no hope of making it to the Western world, but we also review titles before they are translated to suite other countries to give gamers a heads-up of games rushing in from Japan.

The first thing that the reader needs to be made aware of is the fact that Japanese imports do not contain an ESRB rating. The Japanese use a different rating system altogether called CERO. CERO works almost exactly like the North America ESRB. The CERO rating used to depict age groups directly on the box art however it has evolved and now resembles our very own ESRB rating system. The categories work as such A = All Ages, B = 12+, C = 15+, D = 17+ and Z = 18+.

In general, we approach these play tests in the same way that we approach all other reviews. We still grade the titles on our 10-point scale, but only focus on the four most important sections: gameplay, control, graphics and sound. Aside from these categories we have implemented a Japanese comprehension grading system, whereby a title is given a rating associated with the level of Japanese required to play the title. Even though these titles are developed for Japanese players, many of them do not necessarily require extensive knowledge of the language in order to be enjoyed. As titles get more complex, which is the case with traditional adventure and action games, importers will need a basic level of Japanese in order to progress smoothly through the game. RPGs of course, score the highest and often times require a moderate, if not advanced understanding of the language. Our comprehension system combined with our scores; reflect the core of the import play test. Ultimately, our goal is to help gamers decide which titles to import.

Import play tests are COE's best features and we take them very seriously. Our current system is set to aid importers by distinguishing games and shinning the spotlight on those titles that not only score high in the four main categories, but require little to no Japanese knowledge. Needless to say, as we grow our import guidelines will shape along with us. If you have questions or comments about our system, please forward them to us.


While number scores are sufficient, we wanted to go the extra mile to create an award system for the games we review. Our wide range of medals shine the spotlight on what we believe to be the great, or some cases not so great games currently available in the market.