We peer reviewers are the gatekeepers for Xbox Live Community Games and as such we should try to make sure that XBLCG is populated with games that are as free of error as possible.
Do I have to review/pass a game?
No. This is a volunteer position nothing is mandatory. However its good for other games and for the community if you do your part.
Can I fail games that suck (suck may vary by person)?
No... you may only fail a game for the defined reasons. If you don't like a game then simply ignore it and review something else. There is no obligation to review games you don't like or don't feel should be on the service. There's ALWAYS some good games out there to review and if people review games they like and ignored the rest then maybe the developers of the sucky games will get the message.
How can I pass games that don't crash but have problems?
Use the check box 'Code Defects - Crashes Make Game Unplayable'. If you read the help text for that item (blue question mark - obvious isn't it!)
What are game defects?
Every game submitted to the XNA Creators Club Online Web site needs to be free of errors, annoying slowdowns, crashes, hangs, or other problems that would frustrate or confuse a player. Any one of these problems is a defect.
So not supporting controllers, hanging, appearing to hang, safe area issues where you can't see stuff, games that have bugs meaning they don't end properly etc can all be covered under this check mark.
Which 'FAIL' reason should I choose?
Its important for everyone to be consistent when they fail an application. The system looks for fails of the same TYPE when it decides to fail a game. Most of the checkboxes are non controversial and obvious however there's some vague ones. Here is the community suggestions for when to use them:
- Unsuitable for Xbox live:
- Videos player apps
- Bad trials/free games
- Leaderboard/Achievements
- Overtly sexual in nature (though you can also check strong sexual content too)
- Language Issues: Bad translations, innapropriate languages, mixes languages
- Unauthorized content is for IP issues - trademarks in name, stolen art/graphics etc
- Code Defects - Crashes Make Content Unplayable - everything else thats not covered by its own checkbox.
Jim Perry - Microsoft XNA MVP
If people spent a minute
searching the forums and reading
the FAQs before posting I'd be out of a job.
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