How do I make a good review?

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Titanica

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After I vowed to myself that I would try to contribute more to the community, I decided to try making reviews about games that deserve more love.

Unfortunately, I am terrible at making reviews.

When I first started, I was very overwhelmed. How should I format my review? Should I split it up into sections? Do I start a new paragraph for each topic? I tried looking at the Offical GBAtemp Reviews (which are awesome by the way), but I was still confused. Can someone tell me the best way to format a review? Should I discuss the soundtrack or the background behind the game?

Thanks!
 

Issac

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I would suggest that you look at the Official GBAtemp Reviews, just like you already have. Copy the style of one that you like (format, I mean).
Then, discuss the soundtrack if you feel it is necessary. If it's a really good soundtrack: talk about it! "The music is great, because blah blah, especially blah which emphasizes blah".
If it is really bad: talk about it! "The music destroys the mood of the game totally, anime waifu music really doesn't fit Dark Souls".
If it's a music game: talk a LOT about the soundtrack. Obviously.
If the soundtrack is average nor nothing special (neither good or bad): Just mention it. "Nice but forgettable"

The background behind the game is good to include too, but you don't need to delve too deep unless it's important to you. Maybe "Duke Nukem Forever" could use a long background segment because of it's long history. While "New Super Mario Bros. U" might not need a detailed background section.

Anyway:
Check the Official reviews for inspiration.
Make a list of big points you want to talk about.
Remember to find both positive and negative points.
Don't be "THIS IS THE BEST GAME EVUR! 10/10" just because it's your favorite game. Try to judge it fairly.
 

cots

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You need to invest some time into the game you're reviewing. Not just beating it once will suffice. You need to beat it a few times to get a good feel for it. If it's a game like Street Fighter and it's easy to beat then invest time into learning each characters moves so you can rate each character accordingly. Format isn't too important, you can work on the way it looks once you're done collecting notes, writing a rough draft, a second draft and a final draft. I suggest reading a few books on technical writing as they really helped me write reviews; granted I haven't written one in a really long time. Grammar and spelling are important (which I suck at grammar). Don't go looking for positives and negatives. If you use positives and negatives that are usually pointed out in reviews then you aren't getting your own view across. Play the game, form your own opinions and write about them. I hope that helps, it's all I can think of right now.
 

FAST6191

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You may also like https://gbatemp.net/threads/is-usin...rofessional-legitimate-or-trustworthy.496719/ as we had a similar discussion in there.

My usual advice though is write the review that you would want to read. Good spelling, formatting, flow and grammar are all things you can sort easily enough, though still very very important. Obviously don't be a shill/dishonest and try not to be an idiot.
For the former then maybe an example would help.
So you have a fighting game to review. Are you the sort of person that memorises 500 moves, learns their timing and even counts frames and knows hitboxes? If not then don't try to be that guy -- the one that just wants something you can knock about with your mates on before moving onto something else or having as an amusement at a party might not care either and if that is what you want as well...
 

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