8 Steps To The Perfect Review (How To Write A Good Games Review)

Member Name: DocDan3

Product:	How To Write A Good Games Review
Date:	17/07/09 (127 review reads)
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I am a very passionate gamer and currently own an Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS. I have previously owned the PS2, Gamecube, Gameboy Colour, Gameboy Advance and PSone. I do enjoy writing reviews on games, and would like to give a few tips on what I think makes a good games review.

1 - INTRODUCTION - Give a very brief outline of the game, what it's like and your initial thoughts in the introduction. Also, it can be helpful to describe the box cover and the general look, as well as what's in the box and how helpful the instructions are. This should be a very vague paragraph, because no one wants to hear you go into great detail about the picture of Master Chief on the front of the Halo 3 box.

2 - STORYLINE - Give the reader an account of the story. Every game has a story apart from ones such as racing games, simulations and a few others. You should give the story outline that you pick up from the beginning of the game, but do not give away any spoilers, which will ruin the game for others. By this, I mean don't give away what happens in the end or twists in the story. The story is something that may attract people to a game. A good story will engage the player and a series of games will become popular with a good storyline.

3 - GAMEPLAY - Talk about the general gameplay - what it feels like to play, how enjoyable it is, how hard or easy it is and the features within the game. Don't go into every detail of each race track or battle field, but give an idea of what the game has to offer and what makes it a good or bad game. Link the features of the games to give an overall impression of what it's like. Do you play the game because you enjoy it? Do you play the game to unlock achievements or awards? Be honest with your opinion and give an accurate account of what the game is like to play.

4 - GRAPHICS - Make sure you give an outline of the graphics. Graphics are very important in modern day games and they have severely improved over the years. Some games will have better and more impressive graphics than others. You can talk about the graphics of characters as well as scenery and objects in the game. How realistic are the graphics? Not all games are realistic, but you should tell the reader if the game has respectable graphics or not. You can also talk about cut scenes here and explain whether or not they are smooth and how good the quality is.

5 - SOUND - Sound is something that reviewers often miss out on mentioning. The sound in a game can have a huge effect on the gameplay. Imagine a game with no sound - it would be boring and uninteresting. Sound can have a degree of realism too but also helps to put the player in the atmosphere. Does the game support surround sound? What is the quality of the sound and if there is any music, is it to your liking? In shooting games, you can talk about the sound of the different guns as well as any background sounds that you notice whilst playing. Try to be critical and detailed here as truly good games will have features such as sound worked on to such an extent, that it really helps to put the player in the game. For example, a game may have surround sound with many added extras such as birds whistling, wind blowing or people talking. Does the game give a good sense of distance from sounds?

6 - CONTROLS - Another thing that gamers forget to mention are the controls. Consoles these days have different ways in which the player can control each game. The Nintendo Wii uses motion control, the Nintendo DS uses a touch screen and other consoles use classic controllers. Link the specifics of these controllers and consoles to the controls in the game. Does the game take advantage of the possibilities on the controller or console? Does a game utilise all the buttons on a controller? Also talk about how natural a game feels to play and how accessible the controls are. You should definitely give your opinion on the controls, in terms of how easy they are to learn and maybe how some buttons have certain functions. To feel comfortable playing a game, you must like the controls - you should also mention any options to change controls to suit the gamer.

7 - PRICE & AVAILABILITY - Sometimes, people miss out the price of the game in their review. It's important to state at least one price from one place. However, it is even more useful to give a slight comparison of prices at different places. Prices are usually cheaper online so you can give examples from a few online sites as well as offline in places such as Tesco or Game. How old is the game and when was it released? This may have an effect on its price - as will how far up the charts the game is. You could also say if you can buy the game second hand and how much this will cost as some people may be reluctant to buy it. You could even give a rental price from blockbusters, but going this far isn't necessary!

8 - CONCLUSION - Sum up your review by giving an overview of the game. Try not to bring up anything new that you haven't already mentioned, as it's not the place for that. Give an overall account of the advantages and disadvantages of the game whilst coming to a conclusion on whether it is worth buying or not. Be honest with your opinion as that is what a review is all about. Leave it on a certain note as to whether it's worth buying or not - try not to float between two decisions.

If you follow these 8 steps, I would be more than willing to nominate your review for a crown. I feel these are the key things to mention in any review on a game. Huge detail is not necessary but you should go into some detail on things like gameplay and features within the game as this is more what the reader would want to hear about.

Thanks for reading and I hope this has helped,

Dan ©

Summary: I hope this has some valuable tips and advice for you