GamePro - Rating Scale

Rating Scale

Reviewed games are rated on a scale of 1.0 to 5.0 stars with fractions of 0.50. 5 graphical stars are shown alongside the written review. The number of stars a game has earned is indicated by the number of solid stars (e.g., a game's four-star rating is represented by showing 4 solid stars and one hollow star). No game has ever received less than one star. An Editors' Choice Award is given to a game that earns either 4.5 or 5.0 stars.

In the past, reviewed games were rated under four categories: Graphics, Sound, Control and Fun Factor. The ratings were initially on a scale of 1.0 to 5.0, but a possible 0.5 score was later added. The first game to receive such a score was Battle Arena Toshinden URA for the Sega Saturn. Until about 2000, each score was accentuated with a face (The GamePro Dude) depicting different expressions for different ratings. This cartoon gamer's head wore an exaggerated expression based on the number of stars a game received. Some games that received 5-star ratings subsequently featured the graphical stars with the cartoon head on their retail boxes.