How to write a good review (in my opinion)

[EchoChamber]

First of all, what you thinks doesnt mean ♥♥♥♥. Good now that that is out of the way how should we write our reveiw? Well reviews are either good or bad we will look at how to write both.

Good:
No game is good for every person, somebody will hate the game you love. Accept that and dont get your nickers in a twist when someone disagrees with you.
Dont say "I enjoy" or "it wasnt fun" that is immediately wrong. Write about what the game does well, and what it does poorly. (Trust me I am an Indie developer, every dev recognizes our games have flaws). Write something that will inform a newly interested shopper about the game they are curious about playing. So even if you love games with a heavy grind mention that in your review so that if a reader reads it and they hate grindy games they can know that even though its a positive review... they should stay away.

Bad:
So you didnt like the game. Why are you writing this review? is it becaue it was unfinished? or was it so offensive that you wished to die? are you just trying to start ♥♥♥♥ on the internet? or was it just not a type of game that you dont enjoy.

ex. Peronally I hate point-n-click adventures, but I wont play a telltale game and give it a negative review I understand that they are good games I just dont like the genre. so maybe dont rate a game poorly if its in a genre you dont like or are unfamiliar with.

So think to yourself before writing the review... "why didnt I have fun? Why am I writing this bad review" and then write the review. dont use opinions use undisputable fact. and be prepared that some die-fan is going to hate your guts for downrating their favorite game. This happens dont get buthurt over others stupidity.


But I am curious, what do you all think makes a review good or bad?

[Joki the Disco Bandit]

Stopped when I read your very first sentence. Because you're wrong. Couldn't be more wrong, in fact. You're so wrong that right is just a distant blip on the horizon, rapidly fading behind an enormous cloud of wrong. There's so much wrong that its choked all the life out of poor right, who's left wheezing and gasping on the floor wondering what he did to deserve all of this. If you tried to be more wrong you'd get an error message reading "Additional wrong failed: maximum wrong capacity reached."

That's what I thinks, anyway.

[[{MaDef224}]]

Originally posted by Hotblack Desiato:

Stopped when I read your very first sentence. Because you're wrong. Couldn't be more wrong, in fact. You're so wrong that right is just a distant blip on the horizon, rapidly fading behind an enormous cloud of wrong. There's so much wrong that its choked all the life out of poor right, who's left wheezing and gasping on the floor wondering what he did to deserve all of this. If you tried to be more wrong you'd get an error message reading "Additional wrong failed: maximum wrong capacity reached."

That's what I thinks, anyway.

LOL, gotta agree.

But for the sake of argument, lets say the OP is right, and so given his topic sentence I have 3 questions for him.

1. Why are you reading reviews?
2. Why are you writing reviews?
3. Why are you posting about reviews, couldn't you be doing something more productive, like watching paint dry?

[EchoChamber]

Honestly first of all I really enjoy funny reviews, but from the second they are read the reader gets that they are silly reviews

@Desiato honestly that first line was a joke :) But to maybe restate the thought in a better way. If I am reading a steam review for a sixty dollar game, I want to know about the game not that someone doesnt like the developer, if they didnt have fun I want to know why. I find that very few reviews are actually helpful in any way. I dont expect everyone to write a novel I just think that having some actual detail would be nice.

@ma
1. I read reviews because I am a broke af college student who love video games so when I buy a game I have to be really sure I will like it, cause if I dont. well the next new game is a long time coming.
2. I often dont write reviews becaues I am too positve, I develop games as a career (in training) and so no matter what I see the good in games and tend not to see negatives in a bad light more of just an objectively what-they-did-wrong-and-how-to-do-better kind of view.
3. and I wrote this because I was curious what other people thought about steam reviews

[The Rock God]

Originally posted by Khendon555:

Good:
No game is good for every person, somebody will hate the game you love. Accept that and dont get your nickers in a twist when someone disagrees with you.
Dont say "I enjoy" or "it wasnt fun" that is immediately wrong. Write about what the game does well, and what it does poorly. (Trust me I am an Indie developer, every dev recognizes our games have flaws). Write something that will inform a newly interested shopper about the game they are curious about playing. So even if you love games with a heavy grind mention that in your review so that if a reader reads it and they hate grindy games they can know that even though its a positive review... they should stay away.

You should tell this to the guy who wrote this review:

This is the best game I have ever played, I will trade my first born son for this game

every
single
time

10/10

Who also wrote this one:

This game stole my life and i dont really want it back. This game contains a massive guitar axe dropped from P(l)antera, btw's also has ♥♥♥♥ing Sanata Claus 11/10

Apparently 11/10 is not only a thing, but it's not as good as 10/10.

[EchoChamber]

that was a joke my friend :)

hold on let me put an ammendment on it

[EchoChamber]

This is the best game I have ever played, I will trade my first born son for this game

every
single
time

10/10

(This is a joke)

[EchoChamber]

thanks bud for pointing out my own incorrectness ;)

[cinedine]

So you consider it a good advice to not not recommend games you didn't like unless you can bring undeniable prove that everyone won't like it? Good show, especially with the first sentence. Joke or not.
Coming from a self-proclaimed "indie developer" it smells a lot like you couldn't handle the inevitable negativity towards your game.

[The Rock God]

Originally posted by Khendon555:

This is the best game I have ever played, I will trade my first born son for this game

every
single
time

10/10

(This is a joke)

So now you're saying it's NOT the best game you ever played, and it's NOT 10/10?

[EchoChamber]

sorry I wrote this late at night so let me clarify, honestly I just find a lot of negative reviews that are just like

"SANDBOX GAMES SUCK WHY IS THIS GAME A SANDBOX, GONNA GO PLAY A REAL GAME LIKE COD M8"

and its what I said about telltale I just think, that more evidence is required than "I didnt like the game"

[EchoChamber]

Rock God I appreciate you as a human
You are my favorite commenter :)
and yes if you havent played it already... you should be doing that right now

[Joki the Disco Bandit]

Aha! The plop thickens!

In all seriousness, though, if you don't want to deal with human opinions the last thing you want to look at are the reviews on Steam. Every single one of them requires you to actually.... wait for it... think! And use your own judgment, no matter what words the letters on the page have been arranged into. No "evidence" is required for someone to form an opinion. If you think there is, then I hate to tell you that you're also wrong there. People form opinions on things they've never even seen for themselves, all the time.

[EchoChamber]

Yeah I know :)

Honestly I guess this post was mostly just a 4am dream of a steam where all reviews could be taken at face value as completely useful *sigh*

I appreciate all the feedback though

[Joki the Disco Bandit]

Go back to sleep. It sounds like it was a pleasant dream. :)

[garlic]

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