The purpose of any review site is to give buyers the information they need to make informed decisions when buying games for themselves or their family. Part of that service is to take care that review metrics are fair, consistent, and applicable to any game that comes along.

The short version is this: If we give a game a score of B or better, it's a good game that you should consider buying. If we give a game a score of A or better, we consider this game a must-buy for all Wii owners who enjoy that genre of video game. If it's below B, read the review and consider renting it to see for yourself if you like it. If it appears that we don't give that many low review scores, it is because we only have so much time to review games and so we tend to gravitate towards games that have already been suggested to be worth our while.

However, we will always entertain taking requests for reviews. If you would like to request a review, click here to contact us and request a game to be reviewed and we'll get to it as soon as we can.

We use 0 to 10 scales -- translated to letter grades -- for the following criteria:

• Graphics performance
• Gameplay
• Control scheme
• Presentation
• Audio
• Value for the money
• Bonus points for multiplayer potential, including on-line

Here are explanations of each of these categories:

• Gameplay: The play's the thing. The story, plot, and activities you accomplish during the course of the game. Am I interested in what I'm doing? Are my interactions with the game sharp and intuitive? How is the writing? How fun is this game? Games like Super Mario Galaxy and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess top this metric.
  
  
• Control scheme: How well do the controls work, and how does the developer take advantage of the Wii's capabilities? Let's face it, the control scheme is the one giant edge that the Wii has over its competition in this generation, so we should examine it closely. Games approaching excellence in this category include Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros's Treasure, Madden NFL 09, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, but we're sure the best is yet to come.
  
  
• Graphics performance: We think that games should be visually inspiring as well as fit for the purpose of the game. There are two basic realities of games on the Wii: Graphic performance is not going to meet the standards frequently met by the HD next-gen systems (i.e. XBox 360, PS3), but we do expect graphics that are appropriate for the purpose. Super Mario Galaxy, The Conduit, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption are the standards against which all other titles are compared in this category.
  
  
• Presentation: How does all the stuff around the core gameplay stack up? Are the menus point-and-click? Can you find your way around? Can you stop, start, and restart gameplay? Is it easy to save your game, and reload it later? Are there any extras, reward systems, downloadable content? Check Metroid Prime 3: Corruption for a great example.
  
  
• Audio: How well does the game use sound to drive everything? Music, sound effects, and voice acting all figure into this experience. The Guitar Hero games and deBlob exemplify the roles of sound and music.
  
  
• Value for the money: Is a game one-and-done, or are you itching to play it over and over again? Or maybe it's just a huge game that will take you weeks or months to complete. Or maybe it fits its purchase price just right. Look to Okami, MLB 2K8, and Wii Fit on the high price end, or Mercury Madness Revolution, Elebits, and Zack and Wiki for perfect budget purchases.
  
  
• Bonus points for multiplayer potential: Games can draw you into your bedroom, playing solitary in the middle of the night, like the negative gamer stereotype, or it can be spirited head to head competition, or it can bring whole families together. It's always more challenging to go up against something other than a computer AI routine. With broadband Internet in most homes these days, there's no reason to go partnerless when you have a whole world at your fingertips, so on-line play is important as well. Rather than penalize one-player games, we've decided to reward good multiplayer games.  Nothing brings people together better than Mario Kart Wii, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, and Guitar Hero 5, but we're hoping more is coming in the future.

We hope this gives you what you need to get the most out of your Wii. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, e-mail us and let us know what's on your mind.