Attempt a new style

Couple of inspirations for this one. The changes to GF's review system - to me anyway - gave new meaning to the differentiation between shorter and longer reviews. A specific purpose to each, perhaps. Since I have this problem with making my reviews far too detailed (and stale as a result) it was nice to try for the quick go for once. At this point I'm letting go of the need to describe everything that stands out in a game, even of the need to hit all the "mandatories" and discuss graphics, story, gameplay, controls, et cetera...basically, sectioned review disguised as an essay. Letting go. Just writing what comes to mind immediately, wrapping it up in 800 words or so, and if I missed anything, tough. If it didn't come to mind it probably wasn't that vital to present my opinion anyway, and a quick review is meant to be one among many anyway.

Second inspiration, recently finished two Phoenix Wright games and I was asked to talk about them in a mini-review topic on a secret board. Did that, and the point here is that it didn't feel like I was reviewing. Not the big thing I tend to make it in my mind, just telling a few specific other users about the games I played and what I thought of it. It was less forced.

Result? Shortly after posting I was recommended to submit 'em, and I thought, what the heck. 2nd review needed a little bit of work as it hinged on reading the first review too (after all, two consecutive posts in the topic). Added one paragraph with basic info that I figured it needed to stand on its own. Resisted urge to pad it out further, on submission they both went. GF accepted them. Submitted to HG. HG accepted them.

Be interesting to see what kind of feedback they draw, but more importantly, I feel good about these two. Been a while since I was really satisfied with one of my reviews - let alone two.

Peter Butter

Starting out as a small time reviewer and FAQ author on GameFAQs, my writing has been even more tilted toward the old school than my gaming. I enjoy games of many eras, but I always found it more compelling to write for something that hasn't been done extensively already, which often ruled out the more modern games I played as I tend to run at least a couple of years behind the facts. My Honestgamers catalogue was initially just copying over much of my old GameFAQs work, and then for a time dual submitting to both sites. But over 2015 I posted my first HG exclusives, with hopefully more to follow.

Comments 6

honestgamer Staff Sep 11, 2007

I approved your Phoenix Wright reviews here, and read all the way through both of them. I found them informative and interesting, and I have to agree that they were some of the best reviews I can recall reading from you. Good going!

MartinG Sep 11, 2007

I saw both reviews in the What's New page, and I read the first one! It was informative and to the point (although I wouldn't have said it was short, necessarily). The game, on the other hand... I'm not sure I want to play it :/

sashanan Blogger Sep 12, 2007

Short by my standards, anyhow :P I guess that's how it goes - ask me to write a review and it becomes a mammoth, ask me to write a short review and it'll merely be medium length. They're both just shy of being a 'full' review on GameFAQs (needs 800 words, these come in around 700).

jerec Sep 14, 2007

What your Phoneix reviews need are some examples. Everything seems to be described or explained on a very general level only. I know nothing about the story other than it's the best aspect of the game. I would have liked to know what makes the cases convoluted, or why the graphics work quite nicely.

It's things like these. Statements aren't backed up with examples from the game, and a lot of the language is fairly neutral (or at least, lacks the punch required to sell the game). The reviews are both okay.

If you'd never played Monkey Island before, and someone you didn't know told you the game was funny, would you take his word for it, or would you ask "What makes it funny?" Same goes for this. What makes this game's story good? Your review tells me what I'd do, playing this, but I'm not sure after reading this if it's a game I should bother buying or not.

sashanan Blogger Sep 14, 2007

So basically, what we're looking at here is erring in the other direction - rather than flooding the reader with too much text, I whet your appetite but didn't fill your belly? (My worst analogies are inevitably on Fridays.)

Pretty much, yeah.