Your Review And You: Welcome To The Section!

Introduction

A lot of people love to share their opinions on their favorite/most hated games on the Escapist, so it's not so surprising that a lot of people would be interested in sharing their opinions here in the User Review section. Well, as a decently seasoned reviewer, I've made this thread in order to help coax new users into the section, and help them avoid most of the early pitfalls inherent in writing reviews.

Bit of a disclaimer here: when I wrote this, I wrote it from my perspective: that of a game reviewer. However, you can review anything you want to here on the Escapist: one user even reviewed a brick! Music, movies, manga: anything you can write something up for is a viable choice here. Also, if someone has already reviewed what you wanted to, take heart! As long as you don't plagiarize, your review is still welcome. Age of the material you've chosen to write on is also a non-issue: I've reviewed a game from 1990, and I know that other users have gone further back than that in search of games to to share here.

This article has three five main sections that cover the important parts of writing a review here on the Escapist forums: Spelling and Grammar, Formatting, Images, Objectivity, and basic things to include/mention in your reviews. There will also be a Misc. section for anything that doesn't fit in the others.

Spelling and Grammar: the twin foundations of a good review.

First off, let's cover the most important part of writing a review: spelling and grammar! If the reader feels that your review is lacking in either of these, you'll find it rapidly drawing criticism. Grammar and spelling issues also detract attention from what you want the reader to focus on most: your opinions on parts of the game.

So what do you do to avoid these simple mistakes? Well, there are three steps you can go through to fix as many errors as possible.

First off, if you have Microsoft Word (or any other writing program), copy/paste your review into it, and run whatever spell-check programs it may have. This will allow you to scout out the little spelling issues your review may have, and also iron out some of the lower-level grammar problems. If you don't have a program like Word, some Internet toolbars include spell-check functions that you can use! However, there are a few things to be wary of when using such programs. Word has a awful time of recognizing words misspelled as other words. For instance, if you spelled "soap" as "spit" Word would not be likely to detect the issue. Word also has a VERY bad time with recognizing some grammar mistakes.

So what to do to detect these issues? To be honest, there's only one thing to do: proofread twice at LEAST. This is one of the most important parts of writing a review: if you don't proofread your work, it WILL suffer as a result. Even pro writers proofread their works frequently, and with good reason, as it's a fundamental of the writing process. Something that might help you to do this to look at one sentence at a time, instead of reading a entire paragraph. This can be a daunting task (especially when you've written a long review) but take heart: your work will be better off for all the work put into it, and the more you proofread, the easier it becomes for you to realize your own common mistakes. For instance, I typically double-check the spelling of small words and triple-check for disconnected sentences, as these are both problems that plague me. Just don't get complacent: remember, this isn't a race, you have all the time in the world to check over your writing.

There's one final step you can take to iron out mistakes. You see, sometimes even proofreading your own work won't help you to notice everything. Paid writers get around this via editors: people who are insanely talented with spotting mistakes in writing. However, you likely don't have a professional editor, so what do you do? Well, you find a substitute editor: your family, friends, neighbors, anyone willing to read over your review. I gave my reviews to people in my dorm for this exact purpose. You'll find that the average Joe can be very good at picking up the little things you would have missed otherwise.

Formatting: Keeping others from thinking OMG WALL O TEXT

This section is mostly about the effective use of paragraphs. A common mistake when writing reviews early on is writing blocks of text. This is unappealing to the eye and discouraging to the reader. You see, while people will be willing to read a long review, it helps a ton when it's broken up into smaller, more digestible chunks. This basically comes down to how you space your paragraphs. If you put them too far apart, the review seems like a block of text. Too close together, and the reader will think the review is disjointed and fragmented. Neither of these is a good thing, obviously.

To give you some basic tips, a paragraph should consist of four(long) to five(average) sentences at LEAST, and eight to nine sentences(including short ones) at most. This is called the optimal length: a good guideline to how long your paragraphs should be. However, there are times when it's ok to step outside the optimal length: occasionally a good one-liner by itself can add a nice touch to a review. It's just that you have to make sure that the review continues to flow well, or it'll feel out-of-place.

Another important thing to consider is what the paragraphs will focus on. Sometimes, you'll find yourself writing a rambling mess of a paragraph that changes subjects frequently. This is a major no-no most of the time. To prevent this, it's good to think a bit before writing about the general layout of the review: which paragraphs will focus on what, and the order that you'll place them in.

Images and you: How to use them to their upmost effectiveness.

What!? We can include images!?!?

If that was your first thought upon reading the header for this section, prepare to be amazed. Through the use of BB code, one may include images in any review/ordinary forum post! This power is a great tool in developing a nice-looking review. However, just like Spider-Man's powers, this one comes with responsibility. There are some general rules to follow, and even more importantly, there are tricks you'll need to know in order to maximize the effectiveness of your image use. The following are several things to think about whilst posting images:

1) Does it fall within general Escapist guidelines? More specifically, is it a appropriate image?

This isn't much of a issue on these forums thankfully, but it's worth a mention. Common sense should dictate whether or not the answer is yes. However, when the answer is debatable, it's better to err on the side of caution. For instance, when I reviewed the manga Aki-Sora, I found that most of it was... well... it was porn. So instead of posting a image of the manga itself, I decided to post a picture of the word CENSORED within a spoiler tag for dramatic effect.

2) Does it have a tag on it?

As you can see in the image above, certain images are tagged to show that they belong to certain websites. You might want to avoid including such images, as seeing a logo attached to a image can detract from the impact of it significantly. That isn't to say it's not allowed: it's just something to consider when searching for good images to include.

3) Formatting!

Another thing to note is formatting. You see, there are still several ways you can improve your image use! For instance, the Escapist automatically sticks images on the left side of the page. But this isn't very good for some smaller images that aren't very wide. The proper thing to do in this situation is to use formatting code. My personal favorite is center: which is achieved by typing [ center] [ /center] without the spaces. An example is right here:

Center, along with italics or bold text, can also be used to add captions to your pictures, as demonstrated above. Just make sure to stick an extra line between picture and caption, or people might miss it!

There are other ways to format your images besides center though: just take a look at some of NewClassic's or Say Anything's reviews in order to see some of the more fancy-looking ones, like right and left alignments (with captions included in a box).

Objectivity, and how it can affect your work.

This section will focus on one thing alone: objectivity. This can by far be the hardest part of writing a review for some, especially when the game is really good or bad in their eyes. Negative reviews without objectivity tend to turn into rants, and positive reviews without objectivity can feel almost like advertisements in disguise. While both of these can still be well-written, most of the time it's not what people want to see in the review section. Rants are accepted some of the time, provided you give clear reasons for your hatred of the material you reviewed, but overwhelmingly positive reviews can make the reader feel as if you're worshipping the game rather than reviewing it. So what does one do to avoid both of these potentially sticky situations?

Well, in order to avoid writing overly negative reviews, the first thing to do is to take a break every once in a while when writing. This helps a lot when making negative reviews: it allows you to focus instead of getting all hateful and ranting. Something that helps me is listening to some music while writing, something that's very mellow. Keep in mind that while the game you're reviewing is bad in your eyes, there is probably some good point to it somewhere, right? Mention these points, as it makes you appear as a fair person in the reader's eyes. The most important part of writing negative reviews though is to ALWAYS back up your opinions with examples or evidence. Sure, you could just say "The story sucks!", but isn't it far better to give a reason to why? Here's an example:

In order to avoid making overly positive reviews, there's a really simple process. All you need to do is put yourself in the right mindset! You see, while the game you liked was probably really good, you need to force yourself to think about what was bad. The proper way to go about this can be summed up with two questions: "What could have made this game better than it already was? What drags it down, keeping it from being even more awesome?" This allows you to maintain your positive focus in your writing, yet point out the flaws that the game has. Failing to note the negatives of what you're reviewing (and there WILL be negatives) will result in your review feeling more like a fan-made recommendation than a honest review, so try to keep this in mind at all times.

Back to the Basics....

If you're stuck on what to write about, fret not: here are some simple pointers that you'll want to take note of in order to write the best review possible. These are more for the videogame reviewers out there, but you can probably adapt the general principle of this section to other mediums.

First up, you should mention the storyline, characters, and dialouge (assuming there is some). People will want to know who you play as, along with the backstory. Don't go into too much detail though: if there's too much to discuss, give the readers a cliffnotes version. Oh, and if there are Navis, MENTION THEM. Nothing ruins an experience like bad/cheesy/evil voice acting.

Secondly, mention the art, music, and feel of the game. Is it a cartoony steampunk game, with over-the-top violence and techno music, or a serious fantasy game with an orchestral score and depressing overtones? People will want to know these things, and if you can provide them with images from the game, it gives them something to help visualize what you're describing. Also tell them about any relevant themes or motifs. Is this game about growing up, taking revenge, finding love? Or is it just mindless fun, with no real focus?

Third, mention the game mechanics, and how the whole thing plays. Is it broken, buggy, or balanced? Is playing a certain way easier? Are the controls precise, and easy to learn? Is the difficulty too high? Are certain systems flawed? What could have been done to fix these issues? If nothing else, be sure to write a lot about this part. The gameplay is duh a huge part of any game, and therefore will make or break it most of the time. For example: if a fighting game has laggy controls, abusive AI, or unbalanced characters, it quickly becomes more of a chore to beat than it is fun. Also, even if a game is part of a well-established franchise, don't assume that the reader already knows about the mechanics: explain them! Otherwise your review will only be interesting for fans of said franchise, giving your work limited appeal.

Lastly, tell the reader the most important part: is it fun? How much would you pay for it? Will it appeal only to certain groups of people? The entirety of your review is leading up to this part: it will be your conclusion, wrapping the whole package up with an air of finality, so make sure it counts. A weak conclusion can cripple even the best of reviews, so be sure that it has some sparkle.

All the other Stuff: The Miscellaneous Section!

This section is mainly to cram in all the stuff that I didn't think belonged in the other sections, but is still quite important! So, without further ado:

1) Spoilers!

2) Thesauruses!

Using the same words over and over again will cause your writing to lack energy. This means that you're going to have to replace words with other words frequently. If you're at a loss for words to substitute, just Google thesaurus: you'll find a load of websites ready and willing to help you out.

3) Videos!

Through the use of even MORE BB code, you can also include Youtube videos on your review. This of course is another privilege that must be respected. If you do decide to post a video review or video supplement here on the Escapist, remember to follow the guidelines with regard to content.

Here's how to post videos(from Youtube):

Step One: Get the url of the page that the video is on. Here's an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZWhwyiwPWY
Step Two: Erase everything before the equals sign, leaving only the random mishmash of numbers/letters/symbols at the end: this is the identifier. For my example, this leaves -ZWhwyiwPWY as the identifier.
Step Three: The BB code tags for Youtube videos is [/youtube=identifier] without the backslash. This is my example in all it's glory:

As to how to make videos, well, that depends.

If anyone has any more/better advice in this department, I'd be more than willing to include it.

4) More writing tips!

If you want some more tips and tricks on how to improve on your writing, there's a thread for you: NewClassic's Writing Theory! You'll find anything you need to know about writing right there.

However, if there's one thing you should be especially careful about when writing reviews, it's the dreaded run-on sentences. These, along with their counterpart (the sentence fragment) can destroy the flow of the review in a matter of moments. So when performing your proofreading checks, set a special one aside to sweep for these!

5) Wars!

That's right. WARS. They're scary, inhospitable things. Well, except here on the Escapist that is! You see, there's a ongoing thread called the Review Wars: it's a competition of reviews where a topic is chosen, and Escapians participate as both judges and competitors in a battle of writing. I'd advise that you get a few reviews under your belt before participating though: just because it's being held on the Escapist doesn't mean that this war is all fun and games. For more info, you can check the thread out right here.

6) Guest Reviews!

This is the highest tier of reviewing here on the Escapist: something to take on only when you have a lot of experience under your belt, and feel totally confident in your writing. I haven't written any of these myself (due to ongoing bouts of cowardice, the tendency to write a LOT, and the fact that I don't review recent stuff most of the time), so unfortunately I don't have much advice to offer you if taking something like that on is your ultimate goal. All I can suggest is that you check out the official thread on the matter, and read through all of it (as things have changed quite a bit since the opening post).

7) Titles!

The title of your review will arguably be the most important part. You see, the title is what grabs the reader: it's what gets people to read your review in the first place.

There are two important things about the title: it has to say what you're reviewing, and it has to be to-the-point. If you make the title "I, user name here, review Capcom Vs. Marvel 2, which is pretty interesting and stuff", that's way too long. A better title would be something like "User Name Here reviews: Capcom Vs. Marvel 2."

Remember though: it helps to have a unique title to spearhead your review. If your title looks just like everyone else's, it won't recieve any attention. It's up to you to come up with a title style that fits your style of review: so good luck.

8) Comment, goshdarnit!

This one is more of a personal gripe than anything else, but I'd like to finally get this off of my chest. When you read a review here in this section, leave your thoughts on how good it was, or any errors you spotted, on the bottom! Most of the time, the people that post here are looking for a good dose of constructive criticism, or at least a little praise for a job well done. It's frustrating to put a lot of effort into writing, get 300-something views, and have only thirteen people tell you what they thought of your piece. Don't jush read and dash: tell the writer your opinions on his work.

Of course, the opposite also applies! If the reviewer doesn't take the time to respond to the criticism, after a while people might become apathetic about posting on reviews. Also, if you are a reviewer: comment on other people's reviews! You should know what it feels like to have your work sit with only a few comments, after all. It's hardly a pleasant feeling.

Editor's Notes:

If I see a single TL;DR that isn't sarcastic as a response to this, I will lose it. Permanently.

But to be positive: YEEEES! That took a LONG time to write. Thanks to all those who helped this thread reach creation: you know who you are.

I've also omitted my normal collection of links to my reviews in the EN: I want this looking professional. I threw out some really good pictures that I had planned for the same reason. Oh, you cruel self-editing! Why do you claim my jokes for the sake of making this stay consistently boring educational?

If you have suggestions, questions, or just want to blab about how this was the longest thing you've not read all day, throw a comment down.

OMG WALL O TEXT

Also, thanks for the guidelines. If I ever write a review, I will refer back to this.

And thus the seven commandments were cast into e-stone as scotth266 stood upon the holy interweb mountain.

TL;DR

...I think I can get away with that...

This is a fantastic guide for anyone looking to post a review; great work.

TL;DR

This is actually good! Best thing I read on the escapist Third best thing I read on the escapist. But it could have used pictures...and music. And I'm just filling this so you can actually read...

I wanted another Prototype/inFAMOUS review.

Not really no....also page the mods so they can sticky this!

oliveira8:
TL;DR

But it could have used pictures...and music.

....also page the mods so they can sticky this!

Read the editor's notes, mate :D

I left out the pictures because I didn't know if people would find them relevant in a guidelines thread. If enough people ask, I'll put them back in.

Also, how the hey do you ask for something like that? That's something that's a mystery to me.

D_987:
TL;DR

...I think I can get away with that...

This is a fantastic guide for anyone looking to post a review; great work.

Yes, yes you can. Glad you thought it was good.

scotth266:
2) Thesauruses!

Using the same words over and over again will cause your writing to lack energy. This means that you're going to have to replace words with other words frequently. If you're at a loss for words to substitute, just Google thesaurus: you'll find a load of websites ready and willing to help you out.

Or if you're using Word, let me share with you one of my favourite tricks:

Just right-click over the word in question, hover over synonyms, and take your pick.
(By the way, the word in question was "Stout")

Maet:

scotth266:
2) Thesauruses!

Or if you're using Word, let me share with you one of my favourite tricks:

SNIP!

That works too :D

I don't use Word much (save to correct my spelling mistakes), so I forgot all about that neat little feature. Thanks!

scotth266:

oliveira8:
TL;DR

But it could have used pictures...and music.

....also page the mods so they can sticky this!

Read the editor's notes, mate :D

I left out the pictures because I didn't know if people would find them relevant in a guidelines thread. If enough people ask, I'll put them back in.

Also, how the hey do you ask for something like that? That's something that's a mystery to me.

Why don't you PM one? Like spinwhiz or Susan Arendt. And ask pretty please?

This is quite possibly one of the most essential threads I've seen since I joined The Escapist community. You put a lot of work into this, my friend, and it shows. I'm bookmarking this until it becomes stickied - which I know it will. Kudos to you, good sir, KUDOS!

EDIT: What'd I tell ya? Congrats on your first sticky, Scott!

Oh yea, this is filled with as much awesome as i thought it would be. This is better than the rough drafts you showed me a few weeks ago. Well done indeed. This has been much needed for some time now.

Brilliant Review! Oh wait...

As Lord Krunk esquire, I demand that this thread be stickied!

In other news, I think I've started an 'And You' trend...

EDIT And God said 'let there be light'...

Lord Krunk:
Brilliant Review! Oh wait...

As Lord Krunk esquire, I demand that this thread be stickied!

In other news, I think I've started an 'And You' trend...

...I'm totally jumping on that bandwagon. Expect to see an "'And You' Threads And You" thread pop up in the near future.

Kidding, of course.

Zounds! This has been stuck!

To quote myself on Twitter: this is satisfaction. It's the electric blanket of the soul.

scotth266:
Zounds! This has been stuck!

To quote myself on Twitter: this is satisfaction. It's the electric blanket of the soul.

Very nice job my friend! You have now joined the And You gang!

Quite a nice sort of guide here. Covers pretty all the basics and definitely makes a good read for the aspiring reviewer.

I would contest you on some points though. On images, those "tags" are sometimes referred to as watermarks, and really, I can't see the problem with them. It's hard to find good pictures sometimes, especially for console games. If you've the option between two that are identical bar the watermark then sure, go for the unmarked one. But otherwise I would fret. It's also good to keep in mind that on the PC you can usually take screenshots of your own and then host them on Photobucket or something similar.

I'd say a similar thing about spoilers. You can get away with a few and if whatever you're reviewing is terrible and you doubt people would really mind it being spoiled anyway then you can get away with it. Same deal if it's established history like World War 2. Don't worry too much, and if you really think it's going to rally angry masses, slap a big ol' spoiler warning up the top to keep them happy.

Finally the comments you get are really only going to be as good as the ones you give. Pleases and thankyous go a long way, as does sticking around to answer questions.

Still, great work. Now hurry up and do Frontlines: Fuel of War! (please) ;D

Novajam:
Snip!

Non-watermarked images are a lot easier to find these days... but I see your point. I was just trying to say that people prefer unmarked ones if they are available.

As for the comments bit, I think that I'm one of the more active members that lurks the User Reviews section. If I read something, odds are I've left a comment; I don't comment on EVERYTHING of course, but I do my best. I also leave a request for people to comment at the bottom of my reviews, and bookmark my reviews so I can respond to new comments when they pop up, but it's all for naught most of the time. People just like to read and dash most of the time.

As for Frontlines: I'll get to it, though right now I'm sort of focused on console games. Be patient :D

Great stuff OP. I'm never quite sure what to make of your reviews usually for some reason, but I completely agree with your sentiments here, and am very glad that people like you are prepared to make an effort like this to help out newcomers (not sure if I still count as one).

Quite like the look of Maet's thesaurus trick (quite annoyed I hadn't worked that one out myself).

Just a thought as well, what is the point of spoilers in reviews? If you are setting out to provide some kind of consumer advice, then it should go without saying that you shouldn't write a review that assumes readers have already experienced or don't care about these vital plot points. I've never seen them add anything meaningful to a review (that is actually a review and not an in-depth analysis).

pigeon_of_doom:

Just a thought as well, what is the point of spoilers in reviews? If you are setting out to provide some kind of consumer advice, then it should go without saying that you shouldn't write a review that assumes readers have already experienced or don't care about these vital plot points. I've never seen them add anything meaningful to a review (that is actually a review and not an in-depth analysis).

Check my Braid review: in that case, I used spoilers to hide details of two infuriating puzzles, in case some people wanted to try solving them first. Besides, sometimes people have already played the game and want to see the reviewer's opinions on all facets of the game (including plot), or the reviewer puts in such details for people that won't play the game but still want some info on why the plot is good/bad. It's a practice that I frown upon, but understand.

I'll be updating this sometime soon: there were one or two minor things that came to my attention recently.

What a great guide, I can't believe I missed this. I'm glad it's been stickied now. Good job Scott!

Lord Krunk:
In other news, I think I've started an 'And You' trend...

That would be Willy. I named mine in the same fashion simply out of satirical pleasure. ^__^

Thanks for the tips, scotty! My review series will definitely improve now. Thing is, once its over im not sure what Im gonna do review-wise...

Very good tips. I'm thinking about some reviews in the future, and this could help out in making them a lot.

I've got a little something to add: People need to quit making their titles so ridiculously long. Titles like "My Extremely Long Name Reviews This Game" are not neccessary, we can see your freaking name just a little bit to the right. An appropriate title would be "Game Name", or possibly "Game Name [Console]", but not something like "I'd like to take a moment to bring you people of the Escapist my well-written view point of Team Fortress 2." Some of these titles are almost as long as the reviews themselves.

scotth266:
snip

My word, you've been stickied!
I'm assuming it was done recently, because I saw it down below recently.

I've been thinking about putting together a review, and I will definately keep these tips in mind.

berethond:
My word, you've been stickied!
I'm assuming it was done recently, because I saw it down below recently.

I've been thinking about putting together a review, and I will definately keep these tips in mind.

Huh? I suppose that depends on your definition of "recently": this was stuck on June 19.

Still, glad to know that you'll find it useful.

Say Anything:
Some of these titles are almost as long as the reviews themselves.

Good point. I'll edit something into the OP about proper titles sometime under the Misc. Section. A good title does make a huge difference...

Ashbax:
Thanks for the tips, scotty! My review series will definitely improve now. Thing is, once its over im not sure what Im gonna do review-wise...

Zombie_Fish:
Very good tips. I'm thinking about some reviews in the future, and this could help out in making them a lot.

AverageJoe:
What a great guide, I can't believe I missed this. I'm glad it's been stickied now. Good job Scott!

Thanks! Hopefully you all find it useful.

scotth266:

berethond:
My word, you've been stickied!
I'm assuming it was done recently, because I saw it down below recently.

I've been thinking about putting together a review, and I will definately keep these tips in mind.

Huh? I suppose that depends on your definition of "recently": this was stuck on June 19.

Still, glad to know that you'll find it useful.

Hmmmmmm
I guess I'm just insane. Completely insane.

I reveiwed a brick once!

Very useful. Here I was about to post a review, luckily this was stickied.

Say Anything:
I've got a little something to add: People need to quit making their titles so ridiculously long. Titles like "My Extremely Long Name Reviews This Game" are not neccessary, we can see your freaking name just a little bit to the right. An appropriate title would be "Game Name", or possibly "Game Name [Console]", but not something like "I'd like to take a moment to bring you people of the Escapist my well-written view point of Team Fortress 2." Some of these titles are almost as long as the reviews themselves.

You'll be delighted to know that I got off my rear and stuck in a section for titles, at long last.

I was considering writing a review, thanks for this, I'll remember it.

Anarchemitis:
I reveiwed a brick once!

Read it, loved it, sent it in an email, thanks for that hehe.

I might be up for some reviewing, il be sure to read all the tips and notes before i do, thanks for all the info here.

Can someone suggest something that has not yet been reviewed?
Id love to do a video game but i dont want to repeat threads

Malicious:

Can someone suggest something that has not yet been reviewed?
Id love to do a video game but i dont want to repeat threads

[Insert video game made by Firaxis or Maxis here] is a good choice.

Malicious:

Can someone suggest something that has not yet been reviewed?
Id love to do a video game but i dont want to repeat threads

Don't worry about that: unless the game has recently been GLUTTED with reviews (examples include the Prototype/InFamous rush) nobody will mind if you review something that's been done already.