How do I properly review a game?

[Sora de Eclaune]

Topic title. I was thinking of reviewing a few games I've played, but I don't know how exactly to do so properly.

...I didn't know where to put this topic, either.

 

[Mangofett]

Good starting point:

http://gbatemp.net/t292367-guide-to-writing-guides

 

[Nathan Drake]

A few tips after reading quite a few reviews:

- Remain unbiased. The reader doesn't care if it's your favorite game ever. They don't just want to hear all about the good. When there are bad things about the game, go into them in just as much detail as the good.

- Score realistically. Compare it to other titles around its time (ie: Don't compare an SNES game to a PS3 game), and don't go overboard with your opinion within the score (you know, the first tip).

- Add in a little commentary about your impressions, but as always, don't go overboard. Nobody wants to read a review that is nearly all commentary. I personally read reviews to get a good idea about the game in question, and somebody only relating their personal experience rather than thoughts about the game itself are a huge turn off.

- Always complete the game you are reviewing to an extent where you have a feel for the extras as well as the main story. I've read a few reviews (non-professional of course) where the reviewer hadn't even finished the game, yet thought they were entitled to review it. No thanks.

 

[Schlupi]

Everything depends on your writing style.

I can't tell you how to write; I can give tips tough.

One important thing is you need to convey your feelings about the game, while trying not to be too biased. It's important to give readers an idea of what the game is, how it plays, how it feels, how it impacts you, etc.

You also want to try and include some screens of the game. Giving readers visual is VERY. IMPORTANT.

You want to use proper grammar, punctuation, etc. to make it professional looking... remember that there is never too much polish on writing. Proofreading and spell checking are VITAL to being taken seriously.

I can post more, if you like.

 

[Sora de Eclaune]

- Always complete the game you are reviewing to an extent where you have a feel for the extras as well as the main story. I've read a few reviews (non-professional of course) where the reviewer hadn't even finished the game, yet thought they were entitled to review it. No thanks.

Oh... Uh... Then I'm not entitled to review any games I wanted to review. The only games I've finished are a handful of rhythm games, two or three puzzle games, and Ocarina of Time. None of these games are games I wish to review.

I guess I'll have to wait about five years then come back. Because it took me all of 17 years just to get that far with games I've finished.

 

[Deleted_171835]

Well, for starters you'll need to format your review.
I usually format it as so
Introduction

Gameplay

Graphics

Music

Replay Value

Other

Conclusion

Each in different paragraphs[/p]
There is no need to name each section. A simple introductory sentence works fine (e.g, The graphics of this game as opposed to a title saying Gameplay).

Proper grammar is a must. Do remember to add pictures of the game just so the reader does not get bored and intimidated by a giant wall of text. It's also helpful to add a caption under the image just in case the reader doesn't understand what you're getting at.

As for the game completion thing that Nathan Drake said, there's no need to 100% the game. As long as you have completed enough of the game (the main story) that you have a feel for how the game is, you can review it.

 

[Schlupi]

I personally don't think you have to beat EVERY game you want to review. However, you DO need to play enough of it to know what you're talking about.

It's just better if you have played it all the way through and taken in everything it has to offer.

FYI, I didn't finish the ENTIRE Bomberman 5 Story; I didn't have to. The multiplayer is what I was focusing on (since it's the central selling point of the game).

 

[Nathan Drake]

I personally don't think you have to beat EVERY game you want to review. However, you DO need to play enough of it to know what you're talking about.

It's just better if you have played it all the way through and taken in everything it has to offer.

FYI, I didn't finish the ENTIRE Bomberman 5 Story; I didn't have to. The multiplayer is what I was focusing on (since it's the central selling point of the game).

You played enough of the Bomberman 5 story though to know exactly what it was, and how each level played out. In a game like Bomberman, the differences per level weren't huge, but definitely enough to keep people going. Regardless, like you said, Bomberman games are all about the multiplayer.

@OP: I'm not saying beat the games, but also don't just make it to the 50% point and consider it good enough. If later into the game, it all falls to shit gameplay wise, the reader is going to want to know. Game reviewers who are professional always have to complete the game first if it is a game with any kind of followable story that can be beaten in reasonable time (I assume the likes of Elite Beat Agents and games like that don't need any 100%, as that game is hard as hell). I'm picky with my reviews though. They are either just good enough, fantastic, or they suck. There is never anything that falls outside of those categories from everything I've read (soooo many reviews).

 

[Slyakin]

Along with the other tips given, be sure to not drag out the review. I've seen some wonderful reviews on the internet that were just ruined by the simple fact that they were around 6-7 pages long. Blech. Humor also helps make the review more friendly to the reader, and makes it more likely that the reader will finish the review.

 

[Sora de Eclaune]

Where would I post reviews, then?

 

[Nathan Drake]

There is a user reviews section. Utilize it. :3

 

[Sora de Eclaune]

There is a user reviews section. Utilize it. :3

I totally forgot about that!

Now are there any secret bbcode things I should be utilizing?

 

[Schlupi]

Along with the other tips given, be sure to not drag out the review. I've seen some wonderful reviews on the internet that were just ruined by the simple fact that they were around 6-7 pages long. Blech. Humor also helps make the review more friendly to the reader, and makes it more likely that the reader will finish the review.

THIS. He speaks wise words!

also, another thing I missed... COLOURFUL LANGUAGE (in the good way). As in, variety. Do NOT use the same words over and over; even if you have to whip out the Thesaurus DO IT. Expand your vocabulary and try using new words, learning their context. To capture readers' attention you need to spice it up a little.

When you are PRO AS FUCK better at it, you can just think of clevar sentences with fancy wording right off the top of your head.

When you are making a post, look at the BB Code hints. you want to use things like "Center" for pictures, "Paragraphs" for your words, "italic + center" for captions of pictures. Things like that. Try Quoting a review from me, FAST6191, or somebody else to see what each code looks like.

PS: EVEN I can't alwasy get the BB Code right. >_>

@ SS: I don't FULLY agree with that; it is definitely nice to have an outline; but you shouldn't constrict yourself to not talking about somethings together. Sometimes it's also good to compare and contrast how the music and sound effect compliment the visuals, etc.

 

[Deleted_171835]

@ SS: I don't FULLY agree with that; it is definitely nice to have an outline; but you shouldn't constrict yourself to not talking about somethings together. Sometimes it's also good to compare and contrast how the music and sound effect compliment the visuals, etc.
I do agree with you. It's perfectly okay to compare multiple things within one paragraph as long as they aren't two completely different things (graphics and replay value - there may be exceptions). Although within a paragraph, it's proper to be discussing one thing, the main idea rather than branching out into many different topics.

As for having more variety in your word-choice, I agree with you. A sentence such as "The music sounds good" certainly does not have as much impact as a sentence such as, "The music sounds wonderful". I do feel that there are a few exceptions, though. There are certain words that when used in a sentence incorrectly, make it seem like you don't know how to word sentences properly. Don't use a thesaurus and pick out any old word just because it sounds complicated. Doing that is a sure way to annoy the reader. Use words that fit in with the sentence. A word such as mountainous does not fit in with a sentence about how the music sounds nor does it assist in making the review easy to read.

I'll elaborate a bit more on the formatting, below.

Pictures

[center][img]insert url here.png[/img]
[i]explain and elaborate on the picture here[/i][/center] 

Example:
[center][img]http://pix.gbatemp.net/171835/minccino_dex.png[/img]
[i]One of the new Pokémon in the Unova region[/i][/center]

In a review, it's helpful to provide background information to the reader so that they know how much of the game you completed. The formatting for that is as shown below. Feel free to add more to it as needed for the game you're reviewing.

Background Info

[p= ][b]Time Elapsed:[/b] 28:24 // insert the amount of time you played the game (if it shows)
[b]Started Game:[/b] March 6th, 2011 // insert date here
[b]Pokedex:[/b] 131[/p] // any other info added as needed

At the end of the review, you can add any disclaimers (paid to do the review, review sample, date reviewed, etc.). That can be formatted as shown below.

Disclaimers, etc.
CODE

This review was written for DSDatabase and GBAtemp only. If you see it posted anywhere else, please notify me immediately. I haven't finished every post-story quest, yet. I've finished enough of the game (entire single player campaign) to get a good enough feel of the game to review it. This review will be updated once the Global Link is open (March 30th, 2011).​

Some of this post may be hard to understand due to my wording. Do bear with me as I wrote this while I had a slight headache.

 

[Ikki]

It depends on what kind of review you want to do.
If you want to do a "professional" review to help people, the main thing is to be objective.