Friends often ask me, is there an objective standard for evaluating games? To be honest, the rating itself is a subjective and objective task. My own habit is to dismantle it from the four dimensions of graphics, gameplay, monetization, and social interaction, and then draw conclusions based on the actual experience when I get started. Today I would like to take this opportunity to use the New Year version of "Hot Blood Street Basket" that I have been playing recently as an example to talk about how I judge whether a game is worthy of high scores.
Let's talk about the picture first. The more gorgeous the picture, the better, but it depends on whether the style and subject matter match. The street hip-hop style of Hot Blood Street Basket, the character modeling and scene color matching are quite exciting. The New Year version also adds elements such as red lanterns and fireworks, and the overall atmosphere is in place. The skin and special effects don't have that plastic feel, and the hand feedback is relatively solid. I gave it a score of 8 for the picture, which is not top-notch, but it is above average in the same category and looks comfortable.
Let's talk about gameplay, this is the highlight. The core of the game is a 3V3 street basketball confrontation. The upper limit of operations is quite high. Combinations, pick-and-rolls, and rebound opportunities all require practice. What surprises me most about this Chinese New Year version is the new casual mode. Once random airdrop props and stealth brawl elements are added, the whole rhythm becomes joyful. You are dribbling, and a prop box suddenly appears under your feet. Picking it up can interfere with your opponent and add buffs to your teammates. This uncertainty brings extra fun. Competition and entertainment are both balanced, and the switching is not rigid, so both new and old players can find their own way of playing. I am willing to give it 8.5 points in terms of gameplay, and its playability is higher than previously evaluated.
In terms of money, I must emphasize that "Hot Blood Street Basketball" is a free download game. The main payment points in the game are character unlocking, skins and some development materials, but to be honest, you can save up the main lineup without spending money. The New Year event gave away a lot of gift bags and jersey redemption coupons. The new player Liang Tian can also slowly unlock it through missions and get fragments. There is no compulsive feeling that you can't play at all without recharging. But there is one thing to say, although the skin attribute bonus is not high, you still have to spend some money to collect all the good-looking appearances. For a WeChat player like me, this speed is acceptable, with a score of 7.5. It's not a scam, but it's not a living Buddha either.
The social dimension is the soul of street basketball games. Basic functions such as black voice, on-field quick messages, and post-game interactive emoticons are all completed. More importantly, the matching mechanism is well optimized, and there are very few situations where you are tortured by a boss to the point of doubting your life. In the New Year guessing activity, you can also "split the money" with your friends, which can increase the stickiness of interaction between players. I give it 8 points for the social dimension. I can feel that the production team wants to run a long-term community.
Taken together, the Chinese New Year version of Hot Blood Street Basket maintains a relatively balanced level in terms of graphics, gameplay, monetization, and social interaction, with no obvious shortcomings. The innovation of the casual mode has brought some freshness to veteran players. If I have to define its personality, it is one of those works that "doesn't look amazing at first sight, but will surprise you once you get started." In the end, my overall score was 8 points. It's worth playing, and it's worth keeping on your phone for a good year. 🏀
Okay, the above is just my personal rating perspective. What do you think is the most important criterion for a good game? Welcome to chat in the comment area, see you in the comment area. 🧧