How we actually test a game before reviewing it

People sometimes ask how long we play before writing. The honest answer is: until we have something real to say. For a short arcade game that might be a couple of hours; for an RPG it's a lot more.

We install on our normal phones, not some perfect test device, because that's how you actually experience a game. Stutters, battery drain and awkward menus all count.

We take notes as we go instead of writing from memory afterwards. Little annoyances add up, and the small stuff is usually what separates a good game from a fine one.

Only after all that does anyone put a rating on it. And the rating is a group conversation, not one person's mood on one day.