01Which games reach the library
Games that players in Canada can start today on at least one mainstream console, computer or handheld. We mix story games and action, games for one and games for a group, family picks and darker stories for adults, and we favour games that sell nothing once you are playing.
02How we play them
Over several evenings, alone and with others, online wherever the game allows it. We look through any store and expansion, try the chat, block and report tools, set up the family settings, check the comfort and accessibility options and time ordinary sessions before we write a word.
03What a score weighs
- Play: controls, depth, fairness and how it feels to improve.
- World: art, sound and whether the place is worth an evening.
- Comfort: accessibility options, readable text, sensible motion and sound.
- Stopping: clear save points, sensible session lengths and how hard it pulls you back.
04From score to meter
One editorial score out of five, in tenths, shown as a meter of ten pips: each pip is half a point and the last one fills by the fraction. The score also sets a band:
- Must-play (from 4.6): Among the best games we have played: worth making time for if the genre is yours at all.
- Highly recommended (from 4.3): Excellent, with a rough edge or two that the review spells out.
- Recommended (from 4.0): Very good for the right player; the review says who that is.
- For fans (below 4.0): Uneven in places, but worth an evening if the genre is yours.
05Pace
Pace describes how a game feels to play, never how good it is:
- Calm: unhurried; nothing chases you.
- Tactical: steady, and it rewards planning before acting.
- Fast: quick reactions and plenty happening at once.
06Session length and save points
Session length is the time we measured for an ordinary sitting: a level, a chapter, a run or a few matches. The save point is the natural moment to stop without losing progress. Neither changes a score; both help plan an evening.
07Breaks
The session settings on our home page add a break reminder every 20, 30 or 45 minutes, as you choose: stand up, look into the distance and drink some water.
08Comfort notes
Flashing light, motion, volume, hand strain and long sessions matter in every genre. Each review notes what we found and which settings help. Always read a game’s own health and safety warnings too.
09Where the facts come from
Platforms, chat options, accounts, expansions and costs come from our own play and are checked against each game’s official pages, which remain the reference for prices and ESRB ratings.
10What we never do
No paid placements, no sponsored scores, no invented facts and no reviews written from trailers or press releases.