UFG – Changing For the Better!

Here at UFG, we’re always trying to improve the quality of our work as gaming journalists. Whether we’re learning about new gaming conventions or re-familiarizing ourselves with the history of our favorite pastime, we make sure to put forth our best efforts when reporting about this industry. Another way we’ve done this is by reevaluating how we operate  our site and reflecting on our weaknesses. Recently, our time of self-reflection was focused on how we score the games we receive for review.

Outside of providing essential information about how good or bad we felt a game was, we also provided a score based on five categories. Most of which can be found in other publications; gameplay, graphics, sound, and replay value are rated factors most would deem important. However, UFG also included a “What’s New” category. Originally, the aim was to give credit to developers that tried to do something different within their game’s genre. Over time though I’ve…we’ve realized that it’s really tough to rate a category like this fairly. The last thing we wanted to do was score a game down because it isn’t 100% new (as if anyone was able to do such a thing) or to tear down a developer for sticking to what works. Rather, the goal was to give kudos to those who we felt took more risks, even if their game wasn’t as successful as they’d hoped

So what does all this mean for your reviews? Going forward there won’t be a “What’s New” factor when evaluating a game’s worth to potential buyers…at least when it comes to scoring said game. When we score games, we’ll do so based solely on gameplay, graphics, sound, and replay value only. The “What’s New” category will still be addressed, but as an “Honorable Mention” that would follow the scores of certain games. Basically, it will be an extra blurb that will summarize how a developer tried to push the envelope; a PS, of sorts, at the end of a review. This way we can still comment on developers that we feel aren’t just make generic shooter number 5, without needlessly demoting the score of a game that doesn’t reinvent the wheel.

United Front Gaming is dedicated to providing gamers with the best in gaming coverage. And though we may be a long way from what you may consider “best”, we’ll certainly strive to be just that!