THE PIXEL EMPIRE | ABOUT
Games come and go. Most have their five minutes in the sun, before being passed over in favour of the next big thing. And that's if they're lucky; some get overlooked entirely in the melee of releases. But whether a game is as mainstream as they come or utterly obscure (or anything in-between for that matter), The Pixel Empire not only aims to revisit and cover such titles in detail, but to encourage readers to share their experiences and memories.
We're a retrospective review site, and strongly believe that every game deserves coverage its own context - that's why the year of release is plastered all over the site's reviews. Like classic movies, pioneering games may not have aged favourably in some respects due to the speed at which technology has advanced, but whilst the likes of Tomb Raider and Resident Evil may not look a million dollars now, they (and many more like them), were in their own time very special games and should be remembered as such.
WRITING & SCORING PHILOSOPHY
So while we'll feature plenty of contemporary reviews as well, TPE isn't concerned with chasing rumours or regurgitating sound-bites. The chief benefit of reviewing retrospectively is that we're not impacted by the usual pressures of standard reviewing practices. For one, we don't set deadlines - this means our writers will never judge a Final Fantasy, a Fallout or a GTA based on only a day and two of play. We play each game for as long as it requires to form a full and accurate personal opinion. Secondly, reviewing retrospectively means less likelihood of being swayed by hype. We're unbiased, and if something isn't up to scratch, we'll say it.
Scoring is one area that we're really focusing on getting right. A game that does everything competently but nothing well should not automatically inherit an 8/10 (as frequently occurs throughout the net) - here such a title is more likely to garner a 5 or a 6. This is positive use of a grading system. It is not intended to punish such games, as after all, a ten-point system should reflect that middling games deserve middling scores. A 7/10 should be considered 'predominantly good' not 'predominantly disappointing'. Unlike the majority of affiliated game sites who tend to cover the biggest, most visible games, we're just as likely to sample games from the bargain bins as we are high-production retail releases, and therefore our scoring system is used in a fairer, more complete manner.
We also know that our opinions aren't always right. Well, they are in the sense that we've put the necessary time into researching, playtesting and articulating our thoughts on each title. But judgement is a subjective thing; different experiences bring different perspectives, and you'll often see a second opinion accompanying our main reviews, so you get a more rounded view of what to expect.
In time, we hope the site will act as a modest gaming archive; giving as many titles as possible their moment in the limelight. It could be argued that there's a shortage of written material on games right up to the early 2000s. In time, we'll give some of these games a life beyond the confines GamesMaster and Mean Machines magazines. Hopefully, the site will remind you of a game you loved in your youth, or whet your appetite for one that had passed you by.
- Tom Clare, Editor
Note: All reviews are used with permission and accreditation. All reviews and second opinions represent the views solely of the writer/s credited.
*REVIEWS AND THE PIXEL ARCHIVE*
We review European games, unless otherwise stated. Import coverages are indicated on review banners, or with an asterisk next to the game's Review Archive listing.
We display a release date, publisher and developer to match the specific version of a game we're reviewing. If you're seeing our Mass Effect review and wondering why the release date is given as 2012 when the game launched in November 2007, it is because the review concerns the PlayStation 3 edition, released in December 2012. This is to be as accurate as possible, contextually, to the versions we're covering.
Second opinions: to avoid confusion, we don't encourage multiple "long-form" reviews of the same game. It would be confusing and unhelpful for the reader to find a 6/10, 8/10 and 4/10 for similar versions of the same game. However, second opinions offer an opportunity for an alternative take, and sometimes for a corresponding version - such as an Xbox second op to complement a GameCube review.
The "same" game may however be reviewed twice in the event of distinct alternative versions. We can't justify an entire, separate review of a game simply because it runs better/poorer on one format than another. The NES version of Alien 3 is tangibly different from the 16-bit releases, so would justify its own review. The same is true of Crash of the Titans: whilst Xbox 360, PS2 and PSP used broadly the same 3D platformer build (and thus would come under one review & second op), the Game Boy Advance version is an identifiably different piece of software, a 2D platformer, and thus would warrant a coverage of its own.
We review European games, unless otherwise stated. Import coverages are indicated on review banners, or with an asterisk next to the game's Review Archive listing.
We display a release date, publisher and developer to match the specific version of a game we're reviewing. If you're seeing our Mass Effect review and wondering why the release date is given as 2012 when the game launched in November 2007, it is because the review concerns the PlayStation 3 edition, released in December 2012. This is to be as accurate as possible, contextually, to the versions we're covering.
Second opinions: to avoid confusion, we don't encourage multiple "long-form" reviews of the same game. It would be confusing and unhelpful for the reader to find a 6/10, 8/10 and 4/10 for similar versions of the same game. However, second opinions offer an opportunity for an alternative take, and sometimes for a corresponding version - such as an Xbox second op to complement a GameCube review.
The "same" game may however be reviewed twice in the event of distinct alternative versions. We can't justify an entire, separate review of a game simply because it runs better/poorer on one format than another. The NES version of Alien 3 is tangibly different from the 16-bit releases, so would justify its own review. The same is true of Crash of the Titans: whilst Xbox 360, PS2 and PSP used broadly the same 3D platformer build (and thus would come under one review & second op), the Game Boy Advance version is an identifiably different piece of software, a 2D platformer, and thus would warrant a coverage of its own.
SCORING:
1-3 out of 10 - Really bad, avoid at all costs.
4-5 out of 10 - Cheap, significantly flawed or just roundly mediocre - one for aficionados only.
6 out of 10 - Solid games that suffer either a few key faults or fail to distinguish themselves amongst better competition.
7 out of 10 - Superior, accomplished games that offer more than your average equivalent in their given genre.
8 out of 10 - Excellent, high-class titles that offer a quality experience with few blemishes.
9 or 10 out of 10 - Must-buy territory. These titles tend to be groundbreaking, outstanding to play, or both.
...And finally a quick guide to the short-form names we use for different systems:
1-3 out of 10 - Really bad, avoid at all costs.
4-5 out of 10 - Cheap, significantly flawed or just roundly mediocre - one for aficionados only.
6 out of 10 - Solid games that suffer either a few key faults or fail to distinguish themselves amongst better competition.
7 out of 10 - Superior, accomplished games that offer more than your average equivalent in their given genre.
8 out of 10 - Excellent, high-class titles that offer a quality experience with few blemishes.
9 or 10 out of 10 - Must-buy territory. These titles tend to be groundbreaking, outstanding to play, or both.
...And finally a quick guide to the short-form names we use for different systems:
Sony formats:
PS - PlayStation; PSone PS2 - PlayStation 2 PS3 - PlayStation 3 PS4 - PlayStation 4 PS5 - PlayStation 5 PSP - PlayStation Portable VITA - PlayStation Vita Nintendo formats: GB / GBC - Game Boy / Color GBA - Game Boy Advance DS - DS / DSi 3DS - 3DS / 2DS NES - Nintendo Entertainment System SNES - Super Nintendo N64 - Nintendo 64 GC - GameCube WII - Wii WIIU - Wii U SWI - Switch Sinclair formats: ZX81 - ZX81 SPC - ZX Spectrum SNXT - ZX Spectrum Next Amstrad formats: CPC - CPC GX4K - GX4000 Commodore formats: VIC - Commodore VIC-20 C64 - Commodore 64 AMI / AGA / CD32 - Amiga / AGA / Amiga CD32 BBCM - BBC Micro |
SEGA formats:
SMS - Master System SMD - Mega Drive; Genesis SCD - Mega-CD; SEGA CD 32X - 32X GG - Game Gear SAT - Saturn DC - Dreamcast Microsoft formats: XBOX - Xbox X360 - Xbox 360 XONE - Xbox One XSX - Xbox Series X Atari formats: 2600 - Atari 2600 7800 - Atari 7800 ST - Atari ST JAG - Jaguar LYNX - Lynx PC - PC & MS-DOS NEC formats: PCE - PC Engine; Turbografx-16 / CD / SuperGrafx PCFX - PC-FX SNK formats: NEO / NGCD - Neo Geo / CD NGP / NGPC - Neo Geo Pocket / Color Bandai formats: WS / WSC - Wonderswan / Color Panasonic formats: 3DO - 3DO Interactive Multiplayer Timlex formats: MGDK - Mega Duck; Cougar Boy Watara formats: SV - Supervision |