Reviewing and You

So you've decided to put down the controller for a while and want to sit at your keyboard typing away at your own personal opinion of a game? Well, that's great. You're deciding to write a game review. Game reviews are an emerging activity for many video game enthusiasts, but you'll no doubt need to try and make your review legit, descriptive, and convincing to get your mileage in the expansive review community. Here's a few tips to take into consideration when it comes to writing a review.

 

1. Separate your ideas into groups. Now some professional reviewers say that separating your ideas into groups with titles is a bad idea. It really isn't; it's just used as a training crutch. If you're having trouble defining your different idea groups, by all means, label your paragraphs with things like "Graphics," "Gameplay," or "Replay Value." After you've become comfortable with separating your ideas into groups, you'll be able to eliminate the headings and use transitions between paragraphs. This is pretty advanced and can be a bit staggering at times, but it takes a bit of time to really be able to define your different paragraphs and use transitions to continue.

 

2. Don't work linearly. This means that you shouldn't simply write a review from start to finish. This usually makes it difficult to follow and place your ideas. Instead, think of the big picture. Express the pros and cons of a review either written in your review or separately. Then, set your paragraphs up. If you start your graphics paragraph and decide to move to your audio paragraph, by all means, take a break. Usually linear writing leads to sloppiness: writing about the same topic continuously will cause the quality to slowly decrease. Work on each paragraph in spurts to keep yourself interested: it will make for a better review.

 

3. Be specific. This has been said many, many times before, but many new reviewers usually forget this above all things. Don't just say that something is good or bad; say why. If the graphics are ugly, make an example. Say something like "This level's graphics are bad; the trees are indistinguishable and the sky looks painted on." If the graphics are good, say why. Does it change the gameplay?

 

4. Be descriptive. Colorful language is something that adds persuasion and conviction to your review. If something is good, describe it. Words like "frantic," "visceral," and "expansive" are just a few of the many, many words that can make your review strong and convincing. These words don't just sound cool; they also help your review follow Tip #3, and specify why the game aspect is good. Feel free to find words that fuel your conviction in your review; they definitely help.

 

5. Don't sacrifice the facts for humor. Now I've seen funny reviews , but many new reviewers try to act silly with a wacky comparison or something like that, all the while ignoring the factual and most important information in the review. Don't do that. Once the facts are together and the overall review is concise, by all means, insert a clever metaphor or comparison. It definitely spices up a review, but never at the expense of the facts.

 

6. Summation helps. This is another big dispute from the review pros, but you'll notice many big-name review sites follow this. The concept of wrapping up the most important aspects of the game whether at the start or end is important for those who don't want a long review to read. This makes it easy to know what's good and what's bad about a game. Add a list of pros and cons to not only make your review accessible, but also to guide your paragraphs.

 

There is no one right way to write a review, but there are many wrong ways. Hopefully these tips will help make your reviews even better, and good reviews means the better for all gamers. Happy gaming and reviewing!