In the same way that public game companies announce their financial sales numbers every three months, the Quality Index (Qi) publishes its own quarterly figures.
But instead of assaulting your ears and eyes with talk of operating profit, ROI, and monetisation (brrrr), this here Quality Index quarterly round-up ranks the top 20 best-reviewed iOS and Android games that were released during the period October 1st - December 31st, 2013.
Simple as that.
As for the reviews themselves, the iPhone, iPad, and Android Quality Indexes boast over 650,000 (in total) of them from the world's leading online sources, including 148Apps, Slide To Play, Pocket Gamer, and AppSpy.
6 is the magic number
During the fourth quarter of 2013, iPhone gamers saw the usual mixture of sequels, originals, and polished conversions on the App Store.
But one trend in particular stood out: the focus on story.
Standing proudly at #2 in the iPhone Qi games chart for Q4 is Simogo's DEVICE 6.
Here, the Swedish dev turns the whole concept of a gamebook on its head - quite literally, in fact.
Not far behind that is Sorcery! 2, in which inkle swiftly follows up the success of the first game with more from Steve Jackson's seminal fantasy adventure series. Again, the narrative is front and centre in this one.
With Papa Sangre II, meanwhile, Somethin' Else creates a rich universe through sound rather than written words or images.
Stunning audio design, some nifty accelerometer controls, and Sean Bean are all part of another riveting yarn.
Qi's Top 20 iPhone games of Q4 2013
Surprise! The iPad Qi games chart for Q4 2013 features many of the same names as the aforementioned iPhone chart. As ever, though, there are a few noteworthy differences.
In this quarter, we were witness to some amazing iPad-only games, led by Drive on Moscow: War in the Snow at #3.
It represents yet more strategic genius from Shenandoah, with the bulletproof Battle of the Bulge engine successfully transported to deepest Russia.
Speaking of iPad-only hardcore strategy games, the similarly themed Panzer Corps rumbled into the Q4 chart at #9. Tanks a lot.
Stepping away from matters militaristic and into the realms of the fantastical, The Room 2 was the follow-up to Fireproof's ingeniously intricate locked-box puzzler.
It's everything a sequel should be - inherently familiar yet bigger and more ambitious. It justifiably sits at #5 on the quarterly leaderboard.
Qi's Top 20 iPad games of Q4 2013
The true stars of Q4 2013 have to be those games that not only made an appearance on the iPhone and iPad charts, but also on the Android equivalent.
We picked out three in particular that appeared on all three charts, starting with Reaper. Hexage's novel twist on the action-RPG proudly tops the Android chart after a strong iOS showing.
Meanwhile, Rayman Fiesta Run should win some kind of unofficial award for being the most consistent game of Q4.
Ubisoft's vibrant platformer took the #6 and #8 positions on the iPhone and iPad charts, respectively, then finished in sixth spot on the Android rundown.
Finally, let's raise a glass to Fiz: Brewery Management Game, whose maker quenched the gaming thirst of Android, iPhone, and iPad gamers alike in Q4.
Cheers to developer Bit By Bit, whose business-management game ended up in ninth place in the end-of-quarter 'droid round-up.
Qi's Top 20 Android games of Q4 2013
Methodology #1
To qualify for a Quality Index rating, a game must have received three or more reviews from the 75+ sites that feed into the Quality Indexes's databases.
Methodology #2
In the event of a 'tie', titles are separated in the first instance by number of reviews - the higher the total, the better.
Should the number of reviews also be identical, the Quality Index rating comes back into play. For while we only display the average score to one decimal place, the list is generated to further significant figures.
You can always keep up to date with the hottest-reviewed iOS and Android games at the iPhone Quality Index, iPad Quality Index, and the Android Quality Index.
