As we enter a new year, it’s time for a new look, and finally, being able to secure the domain name we wanted way back in 2017 has paved the way for that transition.
As of 24 January 2024, Bluntly Honest Reviews (bluntlyhonestreviews.com) has rebranded as Honest Video Game Reviews (honestvideogamereviews.com).
It has the same great advertising-free content and honest opinions about old and new video games. Like always, we will not be bought by publishers nor swayed by public opinion. The truth is the truth, and we will continue to live by that maxim.
So join us as we head towards our 7th birthday, as the journey has only just begun.
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Honest Video Game Reviews (formerly Bluntly Honest Reviews) was created to offer gamers and developers an unbiased source of coverage for new and existing titles; we have supplied the gaming community with unbiased coverage of PC and Console games since 2017 and will continue to do so for many years to come.
Honest Video Game Reviews does not take sides in the war between publishers/developers and the gaming community. As a result, both sides have sometimes accused us of being hostile or biased when that could not be further from the truth.
If a game is good, it’s a good game; the fact that the developer may have voted for George Bush Snr, Barrack Obama or Donald Trump doesn’t affect the quality of a game, and adversely, just because a company is small or beloved by the gaming community, it doesn’t mean their titles are perfect, and they can do no wrong.
I will call out poor behaviour/inferior products regardless of how other publications/communities feel about it; the truth is the truth and should not be swayed or influenced by peer or corporate pressure.
My only concern is offering readers true and honest facts about every title and allowing them to decide for themselves if they wish to play it.
As of June 2020, Honest Video Game Reviews rates games on a scale of 1 to 10.
1/10: Titles with this rating are either dead or mismanaged by the developer/publisher.
2-4/10: Titles with this rating have some small redemptive value but are not recommended, as we feel they aren’t worth playing for the average gamer.
5-6/10: Titles with this rating are mediocre/average, and the average gamer “will get their money’s worth”; however, they are far from perfect and often suffer from long-term or serious flaws, such as unaddressed performance issues, Pay-2-Win monetisation or in the case of single-player titles poor AI or narrative content.
7-8/10: Titles with this rating are good games worth playing; while there may be a few skeletons in the closet, the average gamer will enjoy these titles.
9/10: Titles with this rating are near perfect and suffer only minor flaws; the average gamer will love these titles.
10/10: Titles with this rating are genre-defining and essentially unmissable; while they are not 100% perfect, they come close, and the average gamer both loves and recommends these titles to others.
We review almost every genre/platform of video games with a few exceptions.
Honest Video Game Reviews will accept keys that grant access to DLC or in-game bonuses such as skins and season pass content; however, to be honest and transparent with our readers, this will be disclosed in the review so as not to mislead our audience into believing we “liked the game so much we bought X or Y”.
Honest Video Game Reviews covers titles rated M for mature; however, we will not provide coverage for titles with nothing to offer other than mature content.
For example, we would cover Heavy Rain but not Happy Guy; while both titles contain nudity/sexual content, the former is a well-respected single-player narrative title, while the latter is thinly disguised softcore pornography held together by match 3 mechanics.
The same applies to violence; while we will happily cover Call of Duty, Battlefield, Hitman and even Doom, all of which are established titles that offer high production values and gameplay mechanics, we would not cover a title such as Hatred, which actively encourages players to kill innocents, and offers little gameplay beyond killing innocent people in increasingly horrific ways.
I find sponsored content distasteful and never have and never will allow it on Honest Video Game Reviews; while I am not saying it is illegal nor even calling those that engage in sponsored content unethical, I would be unethical if I were to engage in it, as I believe it actively encourages content creators to cover a title more favourably than they otherwise would have.
Honest Video Game Reviews is unmonetised as of 2024, and we have no plans to introduce advertising of any kind in the foreseeable future.
When possible, Honest Video Game Reviews will cover new releases within 72 hours of release; however, this is contingent on several factors, such as the length and genre of the game.
For lengthy titles, I require access to early access press copies to ensure day one coverage; these press keys will only be accepted on the condition that the developer/publisher understands the content of my review will be honest and not always favourable.
For online multiplayer titles, I monitor the population and performance of the title over a 3-7 day period before giving my initial review and update it accordingly with every major/seasonal update.
For all other titles, I will strive to cover them in a timely manner; however, I would rather review a title 1 month after launch and give an honest and detailed review than rush out a day-one review that regurgitates what other reviewers have said about a title.
From time to time, we will purge outdated content, such as coverage of beta releases or technical tests, to ensure visitors can easily find the latest content about any particular game.
In addition to this, older content that does not meet our current editorial guidelines is occasionally rewritten to ensure uniform formatting across the entire site.
Honest Video Game Reviews covers early access titles similarly to full releases, but we take into account that it is “not yet finished” and that performance will improve in time.
That said, we reserve the right to warn readers if we feel a title is unlikely to fulfil all its promises. We will not recommend titles where we feel the developers have oversold the product or their capabilities.
I make it no secret that I am a follower of Jesus Christ; please don’t misunderstand me; this is not just another way of saying “I go to Church” or “I am a Christian”.
I base my entire life around the truth revealed by Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and part of that lifestyle requires me to be honest. Jesus himself states the importance of being honest when he says in John 8:44,
Whenever that liar speaks, he speaks according to his own nature, because he’s a liar and the father of liars. - John 8:44
I do not lie or cover titles dishonestly because to do so would be to actively engage in deceiving others, and as a follower of Jesus Christ, that is something I cannot and will not do.
For developers who wish us to review your game, please get in touch with [email protected] with details about your title.
Accepting a key is not a guarantee we will review the title.
We maintain the right to refuse to cover a title if we feel the title violates our content guidelines or would not be suitable or interesting for our audience.
We do not accept physical media or promotional items.
