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News Articles

By Shimbo
Published: August 1, 2008, 5:00 am
Updated: August 27, 2008, 8:28 pm
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As you already know, AllConsoleGamers.com is a new all-console gaming community. At the moment, this community lacks its own Reviews System (which is under construction). Therefore it makes it harder for Registered USers to submit written content in the same format. Therefore we've created a guide below to show you what the format of reviews should be. Remember, write truthful yet entertaining reviews. Make sure you make a footnote of links and resources for Editors to look at.

Lets Cover The Basics

Of course, you need to include some basic information about the game you are reviewing. These facts will help players find the game – or avoid it, based on your recommendations and experience with the game.

Make sure you include the following information in the Description area before your actual Review:

• Official Title/Name of the Game - This may vary by region; include all.
• Platform(s) - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox, Playstation 2, Gamecube, Nintendo DS, PC, Internet/Online, etc.
• Publisher(s) - Include official publisher website. Sometimes there may be two.
  
• Developer(s) - Include official developer website. Sometimes there may be two.
  
• Genre(s) - FPS, RPG, MMORPG, Survival Horror, Action Adventure, Puzzle, etc.
  
• ESRB Rating - M ("Mature"), T ("Teen"), E ("Everyone"), etc.
  
• Official Game Site - Include the official game website or an official page dedicated to the game.
  

Tell Us About The Game

Give the readers reading your review a little information about the game. Does it fall into a neatly defined genre or does it cross genres? If so, which ones? Indicate whether the game is based on a license such as a sports team or a movie (e.g. FIFA 2009, The Matrix Online, Iron Man, etc.). Also, if the game has a backstory, you might want to provide a brief synopsis of the plot. Is it a multi-player game? If so, it is useful to indicate how many players it can support! (e.g. Single Player, Co-Op, Multi-Player. If the game is Multi-Player write the number of players it can support (e.g. Multiplayer (16)). See "Evaluating The Game" below.

Evaluaing The Game

Think about all the other things you would want to know if you were considering buying the game. First, did you think it was a good game or a bad one? But, don't just say it was good or bad; explain the reasoning behind your evaluation. Consider breaking your review down into categories since some parts of that game may be great while other parts are lacking. Some useful categories to consider in your review include:

• Plot - What is the story about? Be brief and don't spoil the game.
  
• Gameplay - Overall, how good is the gameplay?
  
• Controls - How is the default controls layout? It is "perfect" or does it feel ackward?
  
• Graphics - How do the gaphics in the game look compared to the same game on a different platform?
  
• Sound - How good or bad is the overall sound of the game? Include the voice-overs, music, and sounds.
  
• Replay Value - Would you want to keep playing this game after you beat it?
  

o Difficulty level: Was the game too hard or too easy? Did it offer variable difficulty levels so that players could adjust the play to their own skill levels?
o Different modes of play: Are there different ways to play the game? For example, a racing game may have a simulation mode as well as an arcade mode. It may also have a team manager mode where you can configure your car and make decisions about your racing team's strategies.
o Fun factor: Was the game fun? Games are all supposed to be fun, but we all know some are and some aren't.
o Replayability: Is it a game you want to keep going back to or did you have enough of it after a few hours? If it had a goal and you met the goal/finished the game, is there any reason to go back and try again (for example a different mode or things you can only do once you have finished?)
o Depth/length of game: Does the game seem very small and finite or do the worlds seem to go on forever? Do you keep discovering new things as you explore or are you feeling like you've been there and done that by the second hour you play?
o Game Controls and Physics: Does the lead character/vehicle/weapon feel responsive? Does it operate the way you would expect? If it is a simulation, are the physics of the world realistic?
* Graphics: Are the graphics lifelike or cartoony? Photorealistic or stylized? Whatever the style, is the game visually appealing?
* Audio: How are the sound effects and music? Audio can make or break a game by enhancing an experience or irritating the heck out of you.
* Movie sequences: Are there introductory or between scene movie sequences? Do they tell part of the story or seem gratuitous? Do they look and sound good? Can you pass through them or are you held hostage watching the intro for the hundredth time?
* Instructions/manuals: While the instructions are not critical for many games, some like simulations need detailed manuals to make the experience complete. Note whether the instructions were helpful to your gaming experience.

Summary

Consider ending your review with a summary of your evaluation and recommendations. Should people run right out and buy this game for themselves, or is it just worth a weekend rental? Even worse, do you think the game should be renamed "landfill?" You tell us. You're the reviewer.

Formatting Your Content

Never used our website before? You can, of course, just enter plain text, but you may want to add some formatting in order to give your review a little more punch. Check out this guide to WYSIWYG hints in order to help you get started with formating your AllConsolegamers video game review.

Formatting Examples for WYSIWYG (website) and BBCode (forum)

• Website Review
• Forum Review Example

What The Heck is WYSIWYG?

WYSIWYG stands for "What You See is What You Get". It is a powerful tool we use to format our website content. Click here to learn more about the AllConsoleGamers WYSIWYG editors.

• Try your WYSIWYG skills in our Sandbox!

Some game reviews may be posted in the community forums. These reviews will lose most of its WYSIWYG formatting and will use BBcode instead. An Editor will make sure the formatting for the forum is corrent (this is usually done automatically by our CMS). Click here to learn more about BBcode.

Resources

The files below are examples of what a "good" review should look like for the AllConsoleGamers website. You can view and copy and paste the content or you can download the files in a text format (.txt).

Reviews Formating Template for WYSIWYG Editor
Reviews Formating for BBCode Editor

Please Note: I am going to be "cleaning up" this article soon. Please look for the updated version (check dates!)

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