How to Write a Review

I wrote up this guide for the Adult Elite Gamers group on Steam (let me know if you meet the criteria and would like an invite!), and wanted to share it with my members here, as well:

REVIEW-WRITING TUTORIAL, PART I

This tutorial will give you some some insight on how to write a successful review. 

First up, some TIPS!

- Avoid blanket statements like "It sucked," or "Great game."  Tell us WHY you feel that way.  For example, "Game crashes frequently," or "Super-addictive because..."

- Use paragraph breaks!  No one wants to read a wall of text with nothing to break it up.  Feena also adds screenshots to her reviews, which not only helps to break up all the text, but also adds extra interest.

- Don't worry about length!  I myself tend to get long-winded with my reviews, and while I enjoy writing them, not everyone enjoys reading that much text!  Short and to-the-point can be just as valuable, so don't feel like you need to write a lot to have a good review!

- If you're going for a long review, break it up into sections with a bolded title. EXAMPLE

To make something bold, use the following tags:
[ b]Your text here[ /b] - Just remove the spaces within the brackets

- DON'T ADD SPOILERS TO YOUR REVIEW, please!  There's nothing worse than reading a review that gives away the entire story and plot twists.  If you absolutely have to add something that's spoiler-ish, use the following tags:
[ spoiler]Your spoiler here[ /spoiler] - As above, review the spaces within the brackets.

EXAMPLE of a review which I felt I needed to add a spoiler to.

Continued in next post...

REVIEW-WRITING TUTORIAL, PART II

Pick a Style!

There are many ways that you can approach review-writing.  Short and sweet, long and detailed, creative, funny and everything in between.  We all have our own style... You just need to find the one that works best for you!

The general format when writing:

1. Intro - Briefly outline what you're about to tell them

2. Body - Tell people what you want to say

3. Conclusion - Review what you just told them and give your final thoughts.

HERE'S a great article on how to write a good paper.

MY chosen style:

I like to start with the game's options first, then go into the game's specifics from there.  I'll make separate paragraphs to cover each aspect of the game, such as:

- Gameplay (how does the game work, what's the goal, how does the game handle?)
- Story
- Sound and graphics
- Extras
- Technical problems (if any)
- Conclusion (Tell how I felt about the game, and what made me feel that way)

Continued...

REVIEW-WRITING TUTORIAL, PART III

Sometimes Less is More

There's no reason that a review has to be long... On the contrary, sometimes a short list of Pros and Cons can be much more helpful than a long, detailed review!

Experiment and find the style that suits you best!

I do my best not to let my dislike of a game color my reviews, instead sticking to the facts, and letting people make up their own minds.  After all, it's usually personal preference, but...

Sometimes you just can't help saying negative things

When a game is so buggy that you can't play it, it's time to whip out that negative and put it to use, but be sure to say WHY you can't stand the game.  Maybe instead of saying "Buggy mess," say what kind of bugs you encountered.  For example, "This game is totally unplayable, crashing every time you do x-move," or "Graphics are so jittery that you can't see what's going on," or "Won't play full-screen, and windowed is too small to see."

EXAMPLE of a well-done negative review, and here's one of MY negative reviews.

In closing, my #1 suggestion to you, dear writers, is to enjoy yourself!  Helping others with your reviews is a wonderful thing, but it's even more wonderful when you enjoy the task to begin with!