The Video Game Critic's Explanation of Icons
Last modified 2008/7/19.
In 2007 I began incorporating icons into my reviews to spice things up a bit. Some of the icons are for quick-reference, some indicate qualities of interest, and some are just for fun.
These two icons are "awards" given by the site. Obviously these are very subjective!
 ET Award for critical flop |
 Arthur Award for extreme difficulty |
This set of icons describes the general nature of certain games.
 Scary |
 Contains violence and gore |
| Frightening |
 Ideal for three or more players |
| Terrifying |
 Based on a TV show |
 Based on a film |
 Suitable for young children |
 Imported |
 Home brew or Hack |
 Expensive |
 Controversial |
These icons are used for certain systems that support multiple media formats, incuding the Turbo Duo and Atari XEGS.
 CD format (for multi-format systems) |
 5.25" floppy disk format |
Categorizing games is tricky business, but I like the idea of icons for these specialized genres.
 Role-playing game |
|
 Puzzle game | |
 Musical game | |
I think it's important to point out what games support special controllers,
as they can sometimes have a dramatic effect on gameplay quality.
 Works with steering wheel controller |
 Uses light-gun controller |
 Works with trak-ball controller |
 Supports voice module/microphone |
 Uses a joystick controller |
 Uses a paddle controller |
 Supports keyboard | |
If you'd been reading my reviews for any period of time, you know I prefer to play games "in season".
If there's snow outside, I want to play snow games. If it's hot, I was to play water games.
I use these icons to indicate which games are ideal to play during certain times of the year.
 Winter Seasonal Fun |  Spring Seasonal Fun |
 Summer Seasonal Fun |  Autumn Seasonal Fun |
 Contains Christmas themes | |
There are certain things I really like to see in my video games, and some of these are reflected in the icons below. I add these just for the fun of it.
 May contain sharks! |  May contain monkeys! |
 May contain dragons! |  May contain graveyards! |
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