Sequels and Spoilers

How to handle spoilers of the first title while reviewing the second.

By jerec · February 4, 2017

So, when you review a game in a series with an ongoing continuity, particularly a series which is very heavy on story, how would you go about talking about the first game, and potentially spoiling it.

In my example, it's Steins;Gate 0. I'm finding I can't even talk about the premise of this game without spoiling massive end-game events from the first game. Sure, I could assume that people reading a review for the second game in a series have played the first. But I feel like on this site, people will read it anyway (especially if they have to for Review of the Week purposes).

I could include a spoiler warning in the review, or try not to reveal anything too specific. This is going to be an interesting challenge for me.

Comments 5

Nightfire Feb 4, 2017

I dunno if there's any way around it, particularly in story-based games. I think these types of spoilers are more forgivable if you're reviewing a sequel as long as you aren't spoiling anything beyond the initial premise.

After all, if somebody doesn't want things spoiled, they can always choose not to read it. They know they're reading a review for a sequel going into it. :|

dementedhut Feb 4, 2017

If you feel it won't disrupt the flow of the review, then I guess a spoiler warning isn't so bad. I don't think I've been, or remember being, in a situation where I had to review a series with massive spoilers that connect the games. I guess if this were me, I would mention things from the previous game if the review calls for it, though of course, keeping spoilers light or vague with the current game.

jerec Blogger Feb 4, 2017

Yeah, obviously I don't want to spoil much of the current game beyond the first hour or so. But I'm finding it's impossible to say anything at all without massively spoiling the previous game.

overdrive Staff Feb 12, 2017

Since I'm currently typing my review for the first Mass Effect and am a good ways into the second, that's something I'm thinking about now. I think certain aspects such as Shepard won against Saren and is off to handle bigger threats are probably apparent, but I'll guess that I'll be intentionally vague, such as "After handling all the threats facing that opposed him in the first game, Shepard immediately gets killed to open the second...only to be brought back by fancy technological shit and sent back out to continue fighting the good fight!" or something like that before focusing more on the gameplay alterations.

jerec Blogger Feb 12, 2017

You can probably be vague with ME2. The start of ME2 is enough of a hook that you probably don't need to mention what happened at the end of the first game.