I tend to rate things lower than most people from what I have observed. I'd say the reason for this is because of specific details and criteria I use to score my games. So this is where I'll clarify what my perspective is like:

I score games based on whether or not they are overall genuinely good from my current understanding compared to everything else I can ever remember experiencing. If that criteria seems to be met I'll give it a 7 out of 10 and from there I try to determine what aspects contribute to it being better or worse if it is. I make this list for myself so I can try to recognize what games are the most "important" to experience if you intend to finish what the game has to offer. (Meaning that things that I find to be successfully unique will find a high spot on my list.)

Here is the list of how I do individual scores:

• 4s are games that did something(s) significantly wrong but maybe has other elements that save it from falling lower.
• 5s are the games that I look back on, sigh, and say "I've played something better." I don't really like it or hate it necessarily.
• 6s are for games that fall short from being truly good or memorable overall in my experience, but were still interesting or fun in enough ways for me to like.
• 7s I went over already, these I feel were worth my time but they aren't something I'd recommend unless I know they are really up your alley.
• 8s are recommendation level, these are the games that stand out to me and I''d tell people they should probably go out of their way to experience them.
• 9s are something I would give a high recommendation to experience if you want the best there is (from what I understand anyway).
• 10s are only given to something that overwhelms me with how amazing it is according to what I currently understand.

Below are some things to keep in mind when looking at my list:

• The gameplay and the content are the most crucial aspects that determines how good a game is unless it has minimal gameplay for some reason.
• I base my scoring mostly on the primary/main mode of the game. If there are other modes that I feel matter enough; I will include them in my calculations.
• If a game has story or narrative going on it can raise or lower the score depending on how important to the experience it seemed.
• Unless the game is a music oriented game; music only augments the experience and is not a primary factor of how good the game is. I still love good music.
• I don't rate multiplayer experiences because other players become a big factor to enjoyment and there is too much variance in what they can impact.
• I include the post game content as part of my score if it made the experience better overall. Sometimes they are just an unnecessary chore.
• Most of the time; if a game doesn't strike me as something I would want to revisit for any reason in the future it likely isn't a 7 for me.
• I don't care if it is an older game; as long as it is either entertaining or compelling in some king of way, it still has an equal chance to be scored highly.
• I don't care about how good it was during it's time, only about how it delivers it's experience today and how it compares to everything currently.
• Quality > quantity, shorter games with more focused content on average will more likely be higher rated because I rate based on the experience overall.
• I try to see games from multiple angles to see if something has more value than what I initially thought. I usually try to find other people's perspectives.
• I might change my mind on how good something was later down the line if I think it was better or worse than what I scored it for.
• If at all possible, I am looking for games that give the appearance of being timeless or are truly memorable/exceptional experiences.

Not sure if notes can be viewed publicly on this site, but I definitely write notes for what I think about each game I play. Either way, if you want my thoughts on a game I have completed; feel free to ask.

Lastly, if you disagree with anything I say or how I score my list feel free to communicate with me about it. I'd love to see a different perspective on why someone might enjoy or despise something in case I missed an angle that was actually important to truly understand the overall experience the game offered. If I am currently not planning to play a game that you think I should check out; let me know! I might not be interested in spending my time on everything but I don't mind expanding my "to do list".