HeartbreakRidge
Student Ninja
Karma: +13/-0
Posts: 73
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« on: July 27, 2010, 05:00:18 PM » |
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Now that we're a website full of reviews, articles and opinions, we invite, nay, we beg you to tell us - is there anything you want to see? Reviews of a game, or in a genre, or is there a topic that you're curious to see our take on? It definitely adds a little spice to our writing if we know it's by request, that way we know at least ONE person will be reading it.  As I indicated on today's article, I intend to write a series of articles about the California case at the Supreme Court, and possibly other legal-related news as it comes across the Internet. I also have some ideas popping around in my head about achievements, and my next idea might be about Xbox Live Enforcement and its current shortcomings. Anything burning a path across your synapses? |
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GamerEdie
Student Ninja
Karma: +7/-0
Posts: 85
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« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2010, 11:16:28 PM » |
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Nothing burning here, unless you count Holy Goalie when he pees.
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Maj Malfunction
Student Ninja
Karma: +13/-0
Posts: 96
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« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2010, 04:19:19 AM » |
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I liked your article about the legalities of games and the law etc. Its a nice thing I don't see elsewhere. So that is good stuff.
Some of the other articles and I have trouble putting this tactfully, so I will just spill it, seem pointless. For example, I don't understand why you would review a free game. Its free, grab it, play it, and ditch it if it sucks, play it if its good. The primary reason for the existance of game reviews is to help someone understand if a game is worth the money required to play it. The writing time could be better spent on something that actually would be questionable for its value to a reader. Plus, in the case of an iPhone game, there is already a system at the point of purchase for reviews.
The exception to this would be if you found an outstanding gem and wanted to promote it to someone. It would not take a full article, just a quick hey, this game is great, its free, you should give it a look. I think a more useful tool to the reader would be for a writer to canvas the PSN and XBox live smaller titles, try out the demos, and find the gems that may be worth a closer look. Don't worry about the garbage, just focus on directing your readership to the quality titles they are likely to miss. There are so many games in there that most of us will never see. Do a weekly rundown of must try titles. The advantage to the XBox Live service is you can try them all unlike PSN.
Don't take this to be hurtful, but, these are suggestons I am making to all of the writers if they want to have constructive, informative articles.
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« Last Edit: July 28, 2010, 04:38:00 AM by Maj Malfunction »
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HeartbreakRidge
Student Ninja
Karma: +13/-0
Posts: 73
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« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2010, 05:27:48 AM » |
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I would agree that value is a big criteria for reviews, and for a lot of people that's a big part of their buying choices, but for some (which includes me) it's more a question of whether the game is worth the time. I sometimes look at the ratings on an iTunes game out of curiosity, but even if its free I'd tend to want a little more detail to decide if I should bother, and I rarely get that out of an iTunes 'review.'
I also completely agree that a review has great value when it dips into the sea of noise and finds a signal that might otherwise be lost, and holds it up for consideration and appreciation. I've been thinking I might write an article in the near future about the usefulness of reviews, and you're giving me some ideas, so keep it up.
A regular weekly article about XBLA/Indie games to try (more quick hit suggestions than reviews) has definite merit.
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GamerEdie
Student Ninja
Karma: +7/-0
Posts: 85
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« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2010, 10:40:25 AM » |
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Not hurtful at all. I think I really need this feedback. So, thank you!! I liked your article about the legalities of games and the law etc. Its a nice thing I don't see elsewhere. So that is good stuff.
Some of the other articles and I have trouble putting this tactfully, so I will just spill it, seem pointless. For example, I don't understand why you would review a free game. Its free, grab it, play it, and ditch it if it sucks, play it if its good. The primary reason for the existance of game reviews is to help someone understand if a game is worth the money required to play it. The writing time could be better spent on something that actually would be questionable for its value to a reader. Plus, in the case of an iPhone game, there is already a system at the point of purchase for reviews.
The exception to this would be if you found an outstanding gem and wanted to promote it to someone. It would not take a full article, just a quick hey, this game is great, its free, you should give it a look. I think a more useful tool to the reader would be for a writer to canvas the PSN and XBox live smaller titles, try out the demos, and find the gems that may be worth a closer look. Don't worry about the garbage, just focus on directing your readership to the quality titles they are likely to miss. There are so many games in there that most of us will never see. Do a weekly rundown of must try titles. The advantage to the XBox Live service is you can try them all unlike PSN.
Don't take this to be hurtful, but, these are suggestons I am making to all of the writers if they want to have constructive, informative articles.
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Holy Goalie
N00b Ninja
Karma: +6/-0
Posts: 38
Life is short, save often.
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« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2010, 05:41:56 PM » |
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Free, borrowed, or $100 there is still something that can be talked about with every game.
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Don't make me release the Kraken.  |
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Darn Ragnar
N00b Ninja
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« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2010, 04:30:47 AM » |
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Firstly...Love the new site.
Secondly...If you are doing an ongoing series on legalities of games and the law etc I would love to see something about how different countries have censorship issues. As an Australian any game that would be rated for adults only is refused classification and can not be sold here. I know we are not the only country (Germany comes to mind) that has censership issues.
Finally...Keep up the good work. Enjoying the show and enjoying the site revamp.
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Scuigi
N00b Ninja
Karma: +1/-0
Posts: 24
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« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2010, 07:44:24 PM » |
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Love the volume and variety of new content, and I particularly like the lack of review scores. They force you to read the review without the bias of a number at the beginning like most sites.
As for topics I'd like to see discussed;
I'd like to hear some stories of what I call capturing someone else's nostalgia. Just about everyone has played older games that are highly recommended by other people who played and loved them when they were new. For example, I finally tried Halo 1 about a year ago and while I didn't fall in love with the franchise, it gave me a lot of insight as to why it is what it is in gaming.
Another thing I think about a lot is value. I've seen few things more flexible than the idea of entertainment value, and I frequently struggle with what's "worth it" when it comes to how much a game costs financially versus the time required to see all the content or for the convenience of getting it on a preferred platform. Does cost per hour matter? Is 10 hours of white-knuckling a controller better value than 80 hours of grinding in a Final Fantasy title? I'm interested in what the GH staff has to say on it.
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