Do you like writing video games review? Why/why not

S

steveold

Guerilla Warrior
Joined
Nov 7, 2001
Posts
1,732
Just curious. If you do enjoy writing reviews, what is your "format/style" usually? Serious? Funny? Writing on experience or on technical merit, what?

I do. I usually rarely go in-depth as I rather save those parts and make someone really want to play the game for themselves... besides I rather write about my personal experience on the game and share that with the readers instead of rehashing what everyone has already explained.

My enjoyment of writing video game reviews can be credited to EGM in the mid 90s. Their reviews sparked me and gave me that passion to share with fellow gamers my thoughts on a certain video game.
 
aria

aria

Former Moderator
Joined
Dec 4, 1977
Posts
39,546
Why!

I love it, it's fun to go into the details of a game:
- framing it in the context of the time it came out,
- its particular history,
- and then taking a look at it in today's standards as to whether a person can still enjoy it.

- Then again, sometimes I just like to write something that is more stylized that substantive (like my Super-Spy or Minisan reviews). you take bigger risks in those kinds of reviews. people either like'em or hate'em. But in the end they can be satifying.

IMO, over the years of writing for NG and more so on for other reasons, I've found the most effective writing comes when you sort of let yourself go and get into putting down your true feelings and emotions (framed into context, of course) rather than trying to solve a checklist. You can always give your work a context look-over once you complete your first draft.
 
Loopz

Loopz

Formerly Punjab,
Joined
Aug 16, 2001
Posts
12,871
Writing reviews is definitely fun. Thinking of this while playing a game actually forces me to be more contemplative about what it is I'm experiencing rather than just playing. I guess you could say it's a way of stopping and smelling the roses rather than just speeding on by and taking what you're playing for granted.

I don't have any Neo games there aren't reviews for, so I haven't been real motivated to write more lately. Right now I'm kinda obsessed with the idea of getting back into school so I can do something more productive, rather than remaining a retail whore the rest of my life.
 
mog

mog

Bead Banger
Joined
Jun 5, 2002
Posts
1,497
I only write tiny reviews for the sole purpose of mocking the swill that is EBworld.com user reviews.

On a related note, I think DriftKingEX writes user reviews for them as evinced below

HEY WAZ UP ANOUTHER.....
review from the viper!! this time up we go shiobi well this game is a ninja gaiden copyer plus ninja gaidens i way better cause it looks like the grafix from doa3 well this game is good not greatz but ill do if u have ps2 ha haha xbox is way better!!!! anyways this game has some good features like wallin on walls and all of that sort of thing u would like it if youre a fan of the origan i would know this before the game comes out so ....... trust me rent it first thats what i do if it sucks then o well i typed this for nothing .... i dont think it will though hope fully all though its for ps2 so i relly dont know..........no promisses ok rent it find out about it <hr></blockquote>
Click to expand...
 
Loopz

Loopz

Formerly Punjab,
Joined
Aug 16, 2001
Posts
12,871
I only write tiny reviews for the sole purpose of mocking the swill that is EBworld.com user reviews.
On a related note, I think DriftKingEX writes user reviews for them as evinced below


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HEY WAZ UP ANOUTHER.....
review from the viper!! this time up we go shiobi well this game is a ninja gaiden copyer plus ninja gaidens i way better cause it looks like the grafix from doa3 well this game is good not greatz but ill do if u have ps2 ha haha xbox is way better!!!! anyways this game has some good features like wallin on walls and all of that sort of thing u would like it if youre a fan of the origan i would know this before the game comes out so ....... trust me rent it first thats what i do if it sucks then o well i typed this for nothing .... i dont think it will though hope fully all though its for ps2 so i relly dont know..........no promisses ok rent it find out about it
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<hr></blockquote>

ROFL...that's damn funny shit Mog.
Click to expand...
 
evil wasabi

evil wasabi

The Jongmaster
25 Year Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2000
Posts
60,434
I write reviews hoping they get noticed and I'll get a job.
 
aria

aria

Former Moderator
Joined
Dec 4, 1977
Posts
39,546
Originally posted by bemanisuperstar:
<strong>I write reviews hoping they get noticed and I'll get a job.</strong><hr></blockquote>

It may be a better idea to send a few of them to publications, since they usually don't just go surfing for talent.
Click to expand...
 
B

Blaine

Hinako's Cook
Joined
Jul 16, 2001
Posts
3,113
I really dig writing reviews because the games I usually write about get no press.

Why? I have no idea. Maybe they're too weird or fringe, but damn it that's where some of the best stuff comes from!

A bad game sometimes gets much more attention than a good game.

I like to write reviews for good games that don't get a chance.

How do I write it? I wing it. I wing everything.
 
evil wasabi

evil wasabi

The Jongmaster
25 Year Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2000
Posts
60,434
Originally posted by Bobak:
<strong>

It may be a better idea to send a few of them to publications, since they usually don't just go surfing for talent.</strong><hr></blockquote>

true for now I'm just honing my skills. Maybe I'll Luck out.
Click to expand...
 
S

s7cbassplayer

Guest
Originally posted by mog:
<strong>I only write tiny reviews for the sole purpose of mocking the swill that is EBworld.com user reviews.

On a related note, I think DriftKingEX writes user reviews for them as evinced below

</strong><hr></blockquote>

Wow, that Drift guy sounds like a loser. He needs to learn a bit of grammar here and there. Fun stuff man <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[LOL]" />
Click to expand...
 
C

candycab

Vice's Love Slave
Joined
May 3, 2002
Posts
2,167
Damn you guys are weird ?

But since I like to read them , carry on gentile men.

let me add that the reviews I have read over at Kazuyas site are some of the best ,and most informative I have read to date.

Bobaks reviews here are also quite good.
[ November 19, 2002: Message edited by: candycab ]

[ November 19, 2002: Message edited by: candycab ]</p>
 
Takumaji

Takumaji

Krautmin
Staff member
Joined
Jul 24, 2001
Posts
20,470
In the early days where I mostly read bluntly made local gaming mags I didn't know that reviews and reviewers actually can be entertaining and fun apart from being informative and in-depth.

It were Zapp!64's cool reviewers and highly legible, unbiased reviews which raised my interest in writing my own. I still rate this mag and its makers as the peak of all gaming mags before or after, but that's prolly just me...

Anyway, my reviews are purely based on my own experiences with a game. I usually don't write reviews before finishing the game at least twice, depending on the genre (that's why you barely see any RPG reviews from me... :) ). I try to write short, readable sentences, but mostly I can't fight the urge to go in-depth about tiny aspects of a game, something which annoys the hell out of some ppl who read my rants. I'm working on this... it's possible, but this indeed is the art of writing, transporting information packed in short paragraphs without going into too much detail, but also without skipping vital parts.

For me, a good review has to cover all aspects. I want to know details about the gameplay, as well as sound & graphics, screen shots are obligatory.

The most important thing for me is a good mixture of subjective impressions and objective information. This was the core of Zapp!'s reviews back then; they had a review layout with a text box containing unbiased game info, surrounded by three or four boxes with the impressions of all the reviewers, all that on one or two pages.

Finally, scores can be useful, but I wouldn't want my reviews to be focussed on them.
 
SonGohan

SonGohan

Made of Wood
20 Year Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2001
Posts
23,659
I've only written a few reviews, and I thought they were fun to do. I don't like the fact that it takes me hours to write something that takes a person 2 minutes to read :(
 
aria

aria

Former Moderator
Joined
Dec 4, 1977
Posts
39,546
Originally posted by SonGohan:
<strong>I don't like the fact that it takes me hours to write something that takes a person 2 minutes to read :( </strong><hr></blockquote>

Well, if they remember those 2 minutes for 2+ years, then you've made an impact!

I can still remember some of my favorite reviews from VG&CE back in 1990
Click to expand...
 
mog

mog

Bead Banger
Joined
Jun 5, 2002
Posts
1,497
Originally posted by Loopz:
<strong>

ROFL...that's damn funny shit Mog.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I usually just read user reviews to kill time waiting for SomethingAwful to get updated. It usually holds me over :D
Click to expand...
 
S

steveold

Guerilla Warrior
Joined
Nov 7, 2001
Posts
1,732
Originally posted by Bobak:
<strong>

Well, if they remember those 2 minutes for 2+ years, then you've made an impact!

I can still remember some of my favorite reviews from VG&CE back in 1990</strong><hr></blockquote>

Perfectly said! A good review goes a long way, and I remember a-many EGM reviews.

A good review is a precious thing in this industry IMO.
Click to expand...
 
Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate

No Longer Yung, No Longer Raoul,
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2002
Posts
10,704
I love to write reviews, but then i also like to write. My review style is funny since I feel that if you get too serious in a review it can get boaring(one of the reason's i stopped reading PSM)

I also like to base it off of my personal experiance to either show you that a)this game is the shit or b)I need to seek professional help.

I was gonna say more but Loopz pretty much said it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top