Who am I?

I’m Aikrie, a lifelong gamer focused on story-driven video games. I rank video games using a 5-pillar system to determine how well they actually hold up today - no nostalgia bias. My list only includes story-driven games. Primarily competitive games or primarily MMO’s are excluded. I only rank games I have completed.

Ranking Criteria

I rank things a little differently than what you’re used to. I use certain pillars and benchmarks for placement.

First and foremost, 50 is an average score not a bad score. Scales too often set 70 as that benchmark of average which is not how we rank things in this domain.

  • (90-100) - This ranking is reserved for the best of the best. Anything in this threshold earned it. If a game is in this range means that it hits on all cylinders and that I am confident any person who visits this page will love that game.

  • (70-89) - This range is reserved for games that are absolutely must plays if you’re wanting to explore the genre. Games in this range lack on some RPG elements but absolutely dominate in others. a game boasting this score is something I definitely recommend playing

  • (50-69) - Here is the group of above average games. This range is the most random and can include games that hit no pillars and are just good games or hit a lot of pillars but left a lot of potential on the table.

  • (30-49) - This section is mostly for niche games that aren’t exactly bad but require a specific taste to enjoy the experience. A lot of pioneer games that didn’t age well or games that you have to love the franchise to enjoy sit in this domain.

  • (0-29) - These games are not worth playing for all extents and purposes. I would only recommend to play these games for historical purposes if you’re really into exploring a franchise to its fullest.

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RANKING PILLARS

I rank everything by scoring them across 5 Pillars. These 5 Pillars due the majority of the ranking. After I get the basis, I decide if the game was strong enough or weak enough in certain categories to drive it’s score in either direction.

Characters - How enjoyable are the characters. This could mean character development or overall satisfaction with the characters. It could mean how diverse your options were or how memorable the cast was.

Enjoyability - This is straight forward. How fun was the game to play. Not taking into account the design or the logistics of the game just how enjoyable was the game.

Mechanics - How advanced were the mechanics of the game in reference to its genre. When you’re playing a game how often are you thinking how much cooler it would have been if you could wield magic and use a sword of if you could use a certain special move a character is supposed to have.

Story - How impactful was the story, how many times did you gasp or feel surprised. How often were you on the edge of your seat. Did you get emotional, was the story telling brave.

Progression - How meaningful was advancing in the game. Did you feel like your character was mentally or physically evolving, did you feel like you were accomplishing things.