How we actually test a game before reviewing it

People sometimes ask if we really play everything. We do, and it's more work than it sounds. Here's roughly how it goes.

First, install and first hour. We note how big the download is, how the game runs cold, and whether the opening respects a newcomer. A confusing first ten minutes tells you a lot.

Then comes the grind check. We push past the honeymoon phase to see if the loop holds up or starts nagging you to come back. Racing games get tested on different tracks; strategy games get a couple of tough maps.

We also test on old hardware. Marek's drawer of ancient phones exists for exactly this. If a game chugs on a three-year-old device, that goes in the review, because plenty of readers aren't playing on the latest flagship.

Only after all that does someone sit down to write. The score is agreed between at least two of us, and if we disagree, the review says so.