How we actually test a game before writing

We get asked how long we play before a review goes up. The honest answer is: until we have something real to say. Usually that's several sessions across a few days.

The first session is just impressions — how it loads, how it feels in the hand, whether the controls fight me. If a game annoys me in that first sit-down, that goes straight into notes.

Then we push into the middle stretch, where most games reveal whether they have staying power or start repeating. That's often where the rating settles. A great opening doesn't save a hollow middle.

Finally someone else on the team plays it too, so a review isn't just one person's mood on a bad Tuesday. Only then does it go live.