GUIDELINES FOR GAME REVIEWING

Guidelines for game reviewing
- by Avee

The philosophy behind these guidelines is to maximize the usefulness of reading game reviews for both players and developers. I do not mean that following this philosophy will make your reviews more interesting, but more useful. Hopefully these guidelines will help you review in a way that'll be both helpful to and appreciated by your readers.

At the end of this article are links to some of RMN's game reviews that I personally think concord with the philosophy behind these guidelines.

1) Meaningful reviews are supported by a thorough understanding and experience of the game.
Unless the game you're playing can be completed in 20 minutes, it is pointless to write a review after having played so little. Such a short amount of playtime is most certainly insufficient to experience all that the game has to offer, to witness its full mechanics and to accurately comment on its quality.
Reviewers should first experience a majority of the game's features before writing a review. Otherwise the review will most likely be inaccurate and therefore a waste of time for both the reviewer and the readers. We can't really pinpoint in terms of hours how long we should play a game before reviewing it, because every game's length is different. That is why reading the game's profile/presentation for information on its length, mechanics and features should be a must to any proficient reviewer to help him gauge how far he needs to go into the game in order to experience most of it.

2) Be descriptive of the game's content. Refrain from evaluating it.
Nothing is less accurate then an appreciation or an evaluation. Comments such as the following are useless:

"This game is fun",
"The graphics are really nice",
"The battles require strategy" or
"The amount of work on the atmosphere is impressive"

These subjective evaluations of the game's features give no information at all about what potential players will experience or what developers might consider to improve.
A reviewer should rather describe in detail what he sees and hears during the game. Being descriptive is a good way to avoid some of the bias of subjective evaluation, as well as avoid potential players having wild and unnecessary expectations.
For instance, instead of telling us how good the graphics look, tell us what they look like and what do they depict. Are they clear or messy? Are they blending in the surroundings or are they clashing with them? How well do you feel they contribute to the atmosphere?
The earlier four comments could be improved like this:

"I got hooked up by this game and kept on wanting more. I believe you might too especially if this game's theme and atmosphere appeal to you",
"The background graphics and mapping are rather surrealistic, with upside down furniture on the ceilings and the instant and random shifting of day and night. The graphics therefore strengthen the player's feeling of being lost and vulnerable inside the unfamiliar alternate dimension the hero got thrown into",
"The tactical battle system seems quite innovative. First, you get to move the characters with higher Agility on the battlefield and direct each one of them to attack a nearby opponent or gather Spiritual Energy to cast powerful spells on the next turn. The most interesting part is that when you attack an enemy, every other character that is nearby will team up and participate in the attack. You can therefore devise several strategies as to whether you believe you can charge head-on in full-force or carefully place your party so that enemies will be forced to move into Team Attack range",
"The use of sound effects contributes immensely to the game's eerie atmosphere, as the developer put a lot of emphasis on the surrounding noises in every map. You will hear several creepy sounds when exploring the Forest and Abandoned Shack, such as creaking branches and floors, droplets, crickets, croaking frogs, wind gusts against the windows and the always nerve-racking faint and distant groans. Clever use of the left and right sound position also hints the player as to where to go next and creates a rich surround sound experience when using earphones"

Reviewers should also write spoiler-free summaries of the storyline, character development and major systems' functioning (such as the battle system's) that they experienced during play. Such information will help potential players in knowing what to expect from the game and decide whether or not they want to invest their time playing it.
Being descriptive will also help developers understand how players experienced their game and what they are most likely to remember from it. Therefore developers will be able to know if players' experience is consistent or not with their own views and conveyed intentions.

3) Be constructive and suggest alternatives.
If you are aiming to provide critique to the developers, a review bursting with either hate or praise alone won't make them go forward and improve their game design skills. It is best to point out what feature(s) you think could need to be improved or redesigned and explain why. For instance, suppose that a game's battle system seemed really complicated to understand when you played. Tell the developer about where you struggled and what commands or events were confusing. Suggest alternatives to the problematic feature's design. What could the developer change and how could he do it to make the feature more user-friendly?

4) About personal ratings…
Whether you want to include your own rating scale in your review is up to you. But remember that ratings are highly subjective and never provide useful, constructive suggestions. Don't try to convince readers of a game's quality with simple numbers. Tell them how and why it deserves such a rating, and by all means provide examples and comparisons to other games to support your evaluation. I firmly believe that reviews full of descriptive and constructive comments are sure to promote improvement.

5) What can you talk about…
Here is a non-exhaustive list of what aspects and features of video games you can easily write about and that are commonly discussed in game reviews:
Gameplay: the different systems (battle, puzzle, simulation, etc.), linearity, paths, pace…
Character management: power-ups, level up system, customization options…
Controls: are they easy to use or not, are they all useful…
Story: main plot, objectives, character development, screenplay…
Graphics: backgrounds, mapping, sprites, animation, special effects…
Atmosphere: is there a vibe, a predominant feeling(s) conveyed by the game…
Music: soundtrack, sound effects, voice acting if any…
Interfaces: are they user-friendly or not, what are they used for…
Difficulty: is it well-balanced or not, how is the learning curve…
Replay value: how is replaying the game encouraged, collectibles, unlockable stuff…

Here are links to some of RMN's game reviews that I personally think concord with the philosophy behind these guidelines:

http://rpgmaker.net/games/3100/reviews/1469/ - AFTERMATH VX review by amerkevicius
http://rpgmaker.net/games/1336/reviews/1444/ - The Lost Girls review by Max McGee
http://rpgmaker.net/games/851/reviews/284/ - Crimson Sky review by Darken
http://rpgmaker.net/games/1211/reviews/1505/ - The Odyssey Board Game review by Hoddmimir

- Avee