Red ratings indicate works that I cannot recommend; for the most part, they’re not worth the investment.
Yellow ratings are used when I have trouble deciding whether to recommend a work or not.
Green ratings are for highly recommended works that you should definitely check out.

• 1/10 – Abysmal: Inexcusable. You would derive more enjoyment from staring at a wall for several hours.
  
• 2/10 – Terrible: It may have a saving grace or two, but you should avoid it at all costs.
  
• 3/10 – Poor: You will never see it in any serious list regarding the worst of the worst, but it’s still not recommended.
  
• 4/10 – Mediocre: There are interesting things about this work, but you’re probably better off skipping it.
  
• 5/10 – Average: Has about as many good ideas as it does bad. Whether it’s worth trying or not is up to you.
  
• 6/10 – Okay: An above-average experience that falls short in many ways. Consider this grade an honorable mention.
  
• 7/10 – Good: This is something you need to try out when you get the chance.
  
• 8/10 – Great: A solid experience that deserves a permanent place in your collection.
  
• 9/10 – Superb: A masterpiece. I point to these works when discussing the highlights of a given decade.
  
• 10/10 – Transcendent: An unforgettable experience that I cannot recommend highly enough.
  

General scoring rules:

1. You will only ever see one 10/10 per franchise/director.
2. Historical significance may be acknowledged, but will have minimal impact on final judgements.
3. Works released in installments will not be reviewed until they have all been officially released.
4. The highest score a fan work can get is an 8/10.

Scoring rules exclusive to games:

1. Porting issues may be mentioned, but will not factor into judgements.
2. A game must have an ending to be considered for a review.
3. Unless it expands upon the game’s primary campaign, downloadable content (DLC) will not factor into my judgements.
4. A remake must provide a substantially different experience from the original in order to warrant a separate review.
5. Unless stated otherwise, reskins do not count as separate games, and therefore share the same grade.

Scoring rules exclusive to films:

1. A film must have a narrative to be considered for a review.

Penalization:

Any work that makes a severe enough mistake will be penalized. If a work is penalized, it is incapable of ever getting a passing grade. The highest grade a penalized work can receive is a 5/10. Severe enough errors will result in the work failing outright. Works are subject to penalization if one or more of the following scenarios occur.

• The work in question has a terrible ending.
• The work ends with a last-minute sequel hook and seven years pass with no evidence that a sequel is being produced. An exception may be made for games focused primarily (if not, exclusively) on gameplay.
• An episodic work ends prematurely with no resolution and seven years pass with no evidence that the next installment is being produced.
• A game features microtransactions as the primary crux of its design. This specific penalization will always result in a failing grade.