Since the site launched in November 2024, we have aimed to provide the best content for all of our readers, and that includes reviews. It’s important to us that if we’re potentially influencing readers on what to (or not to) buy, we’re as transparent as possible with how we come to the scores and conclusions that we do.

What Does Thumb Wars Review?

The site may be young, but that’s not a reflection of the experience of the team, whether it be news, guides or reviews. Everyone involved at Thumb Wars has worked at different outlets through the years, honing their skills and making sure everything is done properly, rather than just quickly. As such, when we review something, we want to make sure we’re being fair to both the reader and the product in question, whether that’s a game, film, piece of tech, or something more.

The time needed to keep up with every release in gaming and film would be more than any reasonable person (or group of people) would have, so we won’t be able to offer our expert opinions on everything, but we will strive to cover every major release on the primary three consoles (and PC sometimes), as well as major film releases throughout the course of the year. As a little slice of the market ourselves, we’ll also be aiming to give as much time as we can to the indie market in both film and gaming, to pay it forward, so to speak.

How We Review at Thumb Wars

Understanding the process of how someone came to a score/conclusion is perhaps more important than the score itself. Again, with full transparency in mind, we’ll be doing the following for our reviews:

GAME REVIEWS

  • Always aiming to ‘roll credits’ at least once, depending on the size of the game (if it’s a 150-hour behemoth for example), but also the proximity to release/embargo that we receive the code. If it’s not possible for us to roll credits, it’ll be noted.
  • It will be declared in the review itself exactly how long the author of the review spent playing the game, to give the reader an indication of how thorough they were. If it’s a short game and you see 60 hours, that’s likely to be more useful than a long game with four hours, and it’ll help with perspective.
  • The same criteria will be used for all games throughout our reviews, which are detailed below. If, for some reason, this isn’t possible, it will be noted.
  • When reviewing a multiplayer/live-service game, we will play each of the modes equally, and treat them as individual parts of the whole.

FILM & TV REVIEWS

  • With film & TV reviews, it goes without saying that we will watch the full film or show. In instances where we’ve only had access to a limited number of TV show episodes, this will be disclosed in the review.
  • The same criteria will be used for all films/shows throughout our reviews, which are detailed below. If, for some reason, this isn’t possible, it will be noted.

GAMING TECH REVIEWS

  • Gaming tech reviews will include a multitude of items, from headsets, gaming chairs, and controllers to occasionally consoles and PCs.
  • Just like our game reviews, the amount of hours a particular item has been used will be noted in the review itself.
  • The same criteria will be used for all of our tech reviews, which are detailed below. If, for some reason, this isn’t possible, it will be noted.

Whatever the particular product we’re reviewing, it’s guaranteed we will only do so if we feel we have the suitable expertise to do so.

Our Ratings and What They Mean

Here at Thumb Wars, we employ a five-star rating system to show our final thoughts and scores on any particular game/film/TV/gaming tech. On top of this, to allow some nuance, this is then broken down into sections which are also individually scored, resulting in a total score that is indicative of the full review. Below are the breakdowns of each:

GAME REVIEWS

  • Gameplay – The most important aspect of any game, without a doubt. How does it play? Is it intuitive to play? Does it feel stiff? Is the gameplay loop boring, etc?
  • Graphics – How does the game look? This will be more subjective than you’d think, as a remaster may ‘look’ worse than a AAA new release, but it’s still graphically incredible compared to the original.
  • Performance & Optimization – How does the game perform technically? Are there countless loading screens? Does the game crash constantly? Bugs galore? Stuttering, asset pop-in, etc?
  • Audio & Soundtrack – An often overlooked aspect of gaming is the audio, and how it is presented to us whilst playing. It’s an integral part of any experience, and as such, won’t be overlooked here.
  • Narrative – When applicable, narrative will be a deciding factor in a game’s score. Obviously not for multiplayer-only games, but for those where story and world-building is front-and-center, it’s an important metric.

FILM & TV REVIEWS

  • Acting – A bad performance can pull anyone out of a viewing experience.
  • Direction & Cinematography – How does the film look and ‘feel’? Is it a master stroke with direction and shots that add layers to the film/show, or a by-the-numbers piece with no meaning to the set-ups?
  • Audio & Soundtrack – As much a part of the experience as the direction of a piece, and in many cases more so.
  • Narrative – A film or TV show with a poor story is an absolute non-starter, and very little will be able to save it beyond that, hence it being one of the most important parts of any review.

GAMING TECH REVIEWS

The finer points of a gaming tech review will largely depend on the type of tech in question, so it is harder for us to have uniform factors, as what’s important for a headset is non-existent for an SSD, for example. However, with the tech of the same sort, it will be reviewed with the same benchmarks always in mind, which will be present in the reviews themselves.

Will We Ever Change a Score?

Prior to publication, the scores of any given review are liable to change due to a variety of reasons. However, once the review is published and ‘out there’, it will absolutely not be changed no matter the circumstances. We stand by our scores, regardless of whether the readers or those responsible for the media in question agree or disagree.

How Does Thumb Wars Acquire Review Copies?

In the majority of cases, be it film, TV, games, or gaming tech, the company responsible for the item in question will provide pre-release versions of it, not available to the general public. Sometimes, this will be weeks or months before release, but as close to the final product as possible, or merely days (in some cases hours) before.

It is known between ourselves and any third-party entity we choose to work with that a free game code, early film screening, or pre-release headset does not mean we will be giving a favourable review, no more than we will receive or accept any monetary benefits for reviewing the item.

On the rare occasion, we will be provided both travel and hotel expenses for individual trade shows or hands-on events, but this will not affect the review scores, and will always be disclosed if/when it occurs.

Where are the Reviews?

To see all the reviews Thumb Wars has currently released, click HERE.