Hey YTTalk,
Have you ever reviewed a game, but don't think you did it well? Perhaps you thought about reviewing a game before, but you didn't know how to go about it. I've been reviewing games through print, online articles, and videos for over 5 years now and, though I don't consider myself an explicit expert, I wanted to provide the tips that I've learned and strategies I use to help you form a great review that people will take into consideration and value. This will be focused on video game reviews, but you may be able to apply some of these to reviewing other products. Additionally, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Formatting You Review: Plan before you play
When considering getting into reviewing games, you really want to consider what aspects people enjoy about a game and what would make you decide whether or not they are going to purchase it. Too many people call themselves a "reviewer" when they basically give some first impressions (maybe 15-30 mins), and make a call based on that alone which is in no way a valuable review. You want to seem informed, knowledgeable and discuss key points that will help the viewer decide whether or not they want to spend time and money on the game. Keep this format in mind, so when you play the game, these things will be more clear to you.
Here is the format I try to stick to when reviewing:
Viewers want an expert opinion. They deserve a well researched review, not some half-assed garbage of collected opinions someone read on the internet and threw together in narrative. For example, a recent indie game called "Stardew Valley" has been getting a LOT of momentum, however people that played and reviewed the game after 20-30 minutes give it criticism. In this game, a single in game day takes about 20 minutes in real life, and is FAR from a valid time frame to give a review of a game with a complex story and game-play mechanics that develop over time.
This is what I do for my research:
When I do a review, I record my commentary and gameplay separate. This is so I can focus entirely on my commentary and cover all the aspects. I record the gameplay in chunks, covering the various aspects. I'll explain why below:
Here are some various tips I don't think fall into a category.
WeiseGamer has been reviewing video games formally for over five years now via print, online articles, and video reviews. His current outlet is YouTube.com/WeiseGamer where he focuses on reviewing Indie Games specifically. The review series has received consistent praise through likes and comments on the videos themselves, as well as other mediums and is considered by many indie developers and some PR agencies as an expert source to ask questions of when it comes to marketing their games, reviewing their games, and providing feedback for potential changes.
Q & A: Ask questions in thread, I'll try to answer and update this section with them.
Have you ever reviewed a game, but don't think you did it well? Perhaps you thought about reviewing a game before, but you didn't know how to go about it. I've been reviewing games through print, online articles, and videos for over 5 years now and, though I don't consider myself an explicit expert, I wanted to provide the tips that I've learned and strategies I use to help you form a great review that people will take into consideration and value. This will be focused on video game reviews, but you may be able to apply some of these to reviewing other products. Additionally, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Formatting You Review: Plan before you play
When considering getting into reviewing games, you really want to consider what aspects people enjoy about a game and what would make you decide whether or not they are going to purchase it. Too many people call themselves a "reviewer" when they basically give some first impressions (maybe 15-30 mins), and make a call based on that alone which is in no way a valuable review. You want to seem informed, knowledgeable and discuss key points that will help the viewer decide whether or not they want to spend time and money on the game. Keep this format in mind, so when you play the game, these things will be more clear to you.
Here is the format I try to stick to when reviewing:
- Gameplay/Story:
- Theme/Genre - What does this fit into? FPS? Platformer? Adventure?
- General Overview - What does the player do? Objectives? Mission or goal of the game?
- What is the story - A quick synopsis is all that is needed to give a setting and frame of reference.
- Unique elements/mechanics - What makes this game different?
- Summarize - Restate any key notes in this category
- Visuals/Artwork:
- Style/Inspirations - Maybe its very much like another game, movie, or comic?
- Overall Mood/Feeling - Scary/Horror, Kid Oriented, Cell Shading, Retro/Pixel Art, etc.
- Summarize - Restate any key notes in this category
- Audio/Sound:
- Genre/Theme/Mood - Does it sound upbeat, fit the theme of the game?
- Sound Effects - Do they work? Are they present?
- Immersion - Does the sound break immersion, or does it help like in a horror game with jump scares for example.
- Summarize - Restate any key notes in this category
- Replayability/Value:
- Unique mechanics - Restate mechanics that make you come back for more.
- Challenges - Is there a challenge mode to extend gameplay for example?
- Multiplayer - Is it fun, will it make you come back for more?
- Game Mode + type things - Things that allow you to play through again but with a different ending or different mechanics and experience.
- Leaderboards, dailies, achievements - Things to have you compete with friends
- Value versus Price - Will you get enough time out of the game with the price point?
- Summarize - Restate any key notes in this category
- Drawbacks:
- Negative aspects of the game, be respectful and constructive with negative feedback.
- Overall Verdict
- Summarize each category and give a final recommendation
- Provide links to game, price, etc.
Viewers want an expert opinion. They deserve a well researched review, not some half-assed garbage of collected opinions someone read on the internet and threw together in narrative. For example, a recent indie game called "Stardew Valley" has been getting a LOT of momentum, however people that played and reviewed the game after 20-30 minutes give it criticism. In this game, a single in game day takes about 20 minutes in real life, and is FAR from a valid time frame to give a review of a game with a complex story and game-play mechanics that develop over time.
This is what I do for my research:
- Review the Press Kit
- Most games have some kind of press kit. They look like this: Slime Rancher Press Kit
- Features list (a list you should cover in your review and showcase, test yourself, experience so you can speak to it
- About the game, story, etc.
- Release dates, platforms it will be on, pricing if available.
- Images, Videos, Logos, for use in thumbnails and articles
- Most games have some kind of press kit. They look like this: Slime Rancher Press Kit
- Review who the developer is, anything significant or important?
- Who is the developer?
- Going back to Stardew Valley, the game was developed by one guy over 4 years.
- Some reviewers say "Chucklefish" developed the game. Chucklefish is a published, the game was developed by "ConcernedApe"
- Who's on the team?
- A game on kickstarter I recently reviewed is a horror game, with the sound engineer from Outlast, a popular horror game.
- Another game, The Flame in the Flood, has the art director from Bioshock.
- These key elements make your review interesting and add weight to your opinion since you did research.
- Who is the developer?
- In case the press kit doesn't exist or doesn't cover it, know the price, features, platforms, and release date of the game.
- Play the game!
- This is something that may sound surprising, but a lot of people seem to review games based on what they hear, but never play the game.
- Others play the game for maybe 30 minutes, but never touch most of the gameplay so they shouldn't give a review.
- There is no set time you should play a game, but experience enough that you can give a valid opinion. Give the game a chance.
- Personally, I try to put in at least an hour, some games up to 4 hours, to cover the game.
When I do a review, I record my commentary and gameplay separate. This is so I can focus entirely on my commentary and cover all the aspects. I record the gameplay in chunks, covering the various aspects. I'll explain why below:
- One Continuous Commentary Session
- When recording commentary, don't stop if you make a mistake. Keep your train of thought, pause for ease of editing, then continue. You can easily edit the mistake out.
- Record various elements of the game.
- So many people (I did this awhile back) record just a single long session without editing. THIS IS LAZY.
- Record various short clips showcasing various elements of the game such as multiplayer, co-op storys, challenges, unlocks, etc.
- Edit these together in line with your commentary as you discuss these aspects for a great video.
Here are some various tips I don't think fall into a category.
- Don't accept payment for reviews:
- You can disclaim the review all you want that you were paid, but your opinions are your own. This doesn't matter. As soon as you take payment, you are subconsciously going to give a different opinion because you want to have business in the future.
- Be Honest
- Don't lie if the game is terrible. It's hard, but don't lead people to think a game is amazing when it really isn't.
- Be constructive in your negative feedback though, as you want to respect the developer's time and effort. Provide possible solutions if you have them on why certain things don't work for you on the game.
WeiseGamer has been reviewing video games formally for over five years now via print, online articles, and video reviews. His current outlet is YouTube.com/WeiseGamer where he focuses on reviewing Indie Games specifically. The review series has received consistent praise through likes and comments on the videos themselves, as well as other mediums and is considered by many indie developers and some PR agencies as an expert source to ask questions of when it comes to marketing their games, reviewing their games, and providing feedback for potential changes.
Q & A: Ask questions in thread, I'll try to answer and update this section with them.
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