How to Remain Neutral in Review Writing January 20, 2008
Posted by mitchfrizzell in Awesome, Random Info, Reviews.4 comments
We’ve all been there at one time or another. You’re either asked to write a review, or you’re just doing it on your own, and for one reason or another you feel you can’t write a neutral review. Well, I’ve written a number of reviews, and I’ve compiled three tips to help you out in the reviewing process.
1. There is no such thing as absolute neutrality. Yes, that’s right. It is almost impossible to have zero biases on any one subject. No matter what you’re reviewing there’s always something that influences your review. Even if you’re so very perfect and you can put your personal likes and dislikes away for the remainder of the review, there’s always one major thing that shows: Did I like the product or not?
It’s impossible to remove that question from a review. But, at the same time, isn’t that what a review is all about? Sharing a personal opinion? Or is it about stating the facts, and not so much what I got out of the product? There’s a huge difference there, but would it be a true review without an opinion? Does John Doe want to know how much I enjoyed the product, or does he want to know the quality of the product? That’s the fine line you need to walk when writing, and every once in a while you’ll have to cross over one side or the other to complete your review.
2. Think about your product before you purchase it. If you’re buying a product with the intention of reviewing it, take a second to think about your preferences. No one wants to read a review of a Star Wars product written by someone who hates Star Wars (unless, of course they agree with the reviewer). If you don’t like a subject: don’t buy the product! It might seem like common sense, but I can’t tell you how many reviews for Star Wars products saying “I hate Star Wars, and this is really bad.” However, at the same time, people don’t want to read a positive review for a crap product just because you like the subject. If Super Bombad Racing was a mediocre game, get over your love for the subject and state the facts!
3. Do not compare! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read a review for any product, and the whole review is about how the product compares to another. If you glance at a few Cell Phone reviews, you’ll get what I mean. Some mobile phone reviews are very long (up to 6 or 7 pages, some times), and the whole review is just a comparison. These reviews are great, but only if you have experience with, or own the other product. If you don’t, then there’s no reason to read that review.
If you’re writing a review, keep the comparisons to a minimum. If you don’t, then the review turns into a review of the second product, and the first product is either left aside or insanely influenced by your opinion of the other. If you don’t believe me, check my Ultimate Spider-Man review. You’ll see how I tried, but couldn’t get the comparison of that game and Spider-Man 2 out of my review. To put a long story short, read over your finished review and take out any comparisons. Then, add a small note at the end of the review, something like: Ultimate Spider-Man was a [insert opinion here] game, but you might want to check out Spider-Man 2 first. Or something similar.
Well, that’s it for now, enjoy these tips, and try to stay neutral (I’ll try to, too).
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008 (DS) Trailer January 16, 2008
Posted by mitchfrizzell in DS, Video Games.add a comment
Here is the trailer to the newest addition to my DS collection. This game is unique in that it doesn’t follow the staple rules of the wrestling genre. Instead of directly controlling your character, you simply select his moves from a large choice (in real time). There are light, medium and heavy attacks. Each one beats out the previous (like rock, paper, scissors), and there are a large number of attacks including simple punches, rope moves, turnbuckle moves, grapples, throws, submissions, reversals and finishers. To add to all the fun there are also many unlockable hardcore items and allies to help you out when you’re down. This game is really fun and extremely addicting. Watch the trailer and look out for more info on this awesome game.
Drawn to Life (DS) Review January 7, 2008
Posted by mitchfrizzell in DS, Reviews, Video Games.add a comment
Drawn to life puts you in the shoes of the god-like “Creator”. In the game, the locals (Raposas) have left you, their “god” and doing so has enveloped their village in darkness, forcing many of them to leave. Your role in the game is to create a hero from a mannequin and control him to defeat the darkness and bring back the lost Raposas. It might sound like a run-of-the-mill game, but there’s huge difference that sets it apart from other games in its genre. Read on to find out more.
DtL features pretty good 2d SNES, kinda old school style graphics. If you know me, then you’ll know that I love that style. The best part about the graphics is the “Drawn” in the title. You get to draw not only your main character, but also many, many items in game (usable or not). These items range from platforms to levers to small key items to a huge observatory. Yes, you actually draw them on the touch screen (more on this a little later). So, depending on your artistic skill, player-drawn graphics can range from really bad to really great (theoretically, you can make them as good as the predrawn graphics). One of the best things about the graphics is the On-screen-display: there hardly is one! Instead of having a health meter, your mannequin instead loses parts as he is injured. This really adds more to the idea that he’s just a “drawing” and not a real person.
The audio is also nice, but I found the enjoyable little voice clips to be few and far in between. The soundtrack is great, and I didn’t find myself getting annoyed at any one song.
The gameplay is split up into three different sections: the isometric, Zelda style (minus the action) in the town; the 2d platforming action; and the actual drawing part. The first entails you running around and doing various easy tasks; the second is similar to any other platforming game with the exception of different powers for each world. The third part is really the meat of the game, and truly its purpose. You’re presented with a small little area in which you draw any number of things. For most drawings, you are given a template with which to guide yourself. You are also given the staple tools to make your creation (a small and large brush, the paint bucket, an undo tool, some stamps (like funny glasses, etc.) and a few others). Once you’re done with the drawing, you are returned to either of the other two sections of the game to witness your creation.
All in all, DtL is like an artist’s version of a New Super Mario Bros. and Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime love child. Although it is not a rehash of either of the above games, it does bring them to mind. I thoroughly enjoyed the game, even if it was a little short. The only real complaint I had was that you need some artistic talent to play through the game (which I do not have). If you’re looking for something a little different from the staple platformers, you’ll want to look into DtL.
Note: I would like to personally thank Team M80 for sending over this review copy. It is highly appreciated.
Why the Break and The Resolutions January 2, 2008
Posted by mitchfrizzell in Awesome, Random Info.add a comment
Like the title implies, I took a small break from the site. Not for thinking things over, or anything sissy thing like that. It’s just that I’ve been insanely busy lately. It got to the point that with Church, studying for web programming and doing the job I was at the middle/end of December, I was busy literally from 7am to around 10pm. Now that it’s all over, I have a little more free time to play some new games, work on web developing and writing posts like these. Anyways, here are my 2008 resolutions (some are really more just goals), besides a few I didn’t feel like putting on the Internet. (more…)
