Last month, James and Elena talked about how they scored their reviews. This month, Paula and Yvonne talk about reviews, scores but also about how they can effect the number of views we get on any game review. Because sometimes you’d expect a game to get a fair number of views from our audience and they end up going mostly unnoticed. And sometimes a game review we didn’t expect is a huge hit!
So, let’s start with the basics.
Like versus Numbers
Paula: well first of all, I have to say I like our scoring system, rating games towards our like-meter. (James and Elena already explained in greater detail in this Q&A)
I’m not keen on a straight number score, such as on a scale of 5 or 10, I think our system is fair and easy to understand for both reviewer and reader.
Yvonne: needless to say, as I thought up this system, I like it over numbered scores too. I chose it because I’ve always found it most important how a game makes you feel. I mean, a game can be a triple A title with all the works, but if it doesn’t do anything for me, I still wouldn’t pick it up.
What Do You Look Out For In a Game?
Paula: When I’m reviewing a game I’m checking off quite a few things in my head, things like: – Do the game mechanics and controls work well?
– Is there a good tutorial or isn’t it needed?
– Does the game flow nicely, is there a storyline and how good is that?
– Is it multiplayer or single-player, can you play online or play multiplayer?
– How are the graphics, designs and soundtrack?
Yvonne: Strange thing is that I don’t specifically look at these factors at all. For me, the feeling while playing the game is enough to rate it on. You could say that’s a combination of all the elements you mention Paula. Thing is, I hardly ever find the soundtrack a reason to rate it high or low. The graphics though are a different influence: they make or break the game for me. I’m not into retro graphics, give me a detailed, smooth and colourful view of my gameplay and I’m happy.
Paula: well, yeah, I know what you mean. When I’m playing a game for a review, I usually know how I feel about the game during the first few play sessions. How the story is, the controls, how it keeps you engaged, preforms on the Nintendo Switch etc.
So, Let’s Put a Rating on It!
Two Thumbs Up
Paula: If it’s a game I have really liked and thoroughly enjoyed playing I know the score in my head before I start writing the review. It’s a Two Thumbs Up scores for games that are the best of the best, I’ve given out a few of those over the years. I also find for me personally these are the easiest reviews to write as it’s flowing.
Yvonne: Agreed, when I’m super enthusiastic about a game and it’s heading towards our highest praise, I find myself typing away. Sort of trying to convince readers that this is a must buy!
I Like It a Lot or I Like It
Paula: The I Like it A Lot score I would use when the game has a decent storyline, graphics, sound and controls. But there could be something in the game that knocks it down from the top spot of Two Thumbs Up. For instance, maybe the controls aren’t just as perfect or they don’t preform or feel as intuitive as they should. Or the game is slow to load between levels. It could be just one thing in the game that prevents it being a top scoring game. Maybe I feel the price point of the game on the Switch compared to other systems it to high or there isn’t enough playtime in the game to justify a high price point.
Yvonne: I Like It a Lot to me is close to Two Thumbs Up. It’s a matter of not feeling as fanatic for the game as I do for the best of the best, then I give an I Like It a Lot. Can be anything really knocking it off its throne!
Paula: And then, if there are too many niggles to ignore, it’s usually a score of I like it for those games. Again I would have this score in my head as I’m writing the review, so I know what my conclusion is going to be.
Yvonne: I give an I Like It when I feel it’s a nice game, but it doesn’t have me chomping at the bit to go on and play it. But at the same time, I know there will be many people who enjoy just this kind of game.
I’m Not Sure
Paula: I have games that while I’m playing them I’m not too sure if I like the game or not. Or when I can’t quite put my finger on what is it about the game that is putting me off. The controls could be off, the story is okay but not wonderful, bad translation, and so on. In those cases when there are quite a few things not right with the game, I usually haven’t decided the score before I even start writing the review. And sometimes I can have written the review and still not decided which way the score will go. Other than I do know it’s not getting a two thumbs up or an I like it a lot score. In a case like that it usually ends up being a score of I’m Not Sure.
Yvonne: You know, I hate giving an I’m Not Sure. In my book, that can only happen if the game is very buggy, or is priced way too high for what if offers. Only then I can’t imagine anyone liking a game, so then this rating is given.
I don’t like it
Paula: I don’t give out the I Don’t Like score too often. We use this score for games that have no redeeming qualities at all. Games that shouldn’t have been released as they need more work done on them. The story is threadbare, the controls are atrocious, the sort of game you wouldn’t want anyone to waste their hard-earned cash on.
It takes me a lot longer to write a review for a game I don’t like. And I have to be careful the review is not full of sarcastic mumblings from me, that’s okay as that is what editing it for. However the biggest hurdle to overcome is I also have to force myself to play the game for long enough so I can write about it and that’s another indication I don’t like the game.
Yvonne: Ah, so there we agree! If I feel like wading through mud just having to play the game that is a sure sign of a bad rating. Indeed, people need to be warned not to spend money on them. I do feel though that we haven’t had too many of these bad games in the past, maybe because we tend to select the games we ask for codes for!
And as to the sarcasm…yep, that’s what editing is for lol!
Reviews and Views
Paula: While I’m reviewing a game I don’t read anyone else’s review that may have been published before we do, say if the game is out on another system and has already been reviewed. I like my reviews to be my thoughts on the game I’m reviewing and not influenced by someone else’s thoughts.
After a review has been published I have been known to read what other writers have said about the game I’ve just written a review for. It’s interesting to see everyone’s different views about a game you have written about. Most of the time their thoughts echo my thoughts and other times they can be as different as night and day.
Yvonne: I must admit that sometimes I do look at other reviews. But only when I’m tending towards Not Sure. By the time I’m writing about the game I tend to wonder if I’m wrong in not feeling it for the game. So then I read on the internet to see if I have a point in my criticism. You see, as I hate giving bad scorings I want to be sure.
Paula: Sometimes I feel certain sites are a little to overcritical in their reviews, or too harsh. There was one particular game we had been following on Kickstarter and it was released on the Switch. Yvonne was reviewing the game and I was playing the same game, intending to write some guides for it.
The game was buggy and would sometimes crash, but we felt overall with a good storyline etc, and with a developer who was on the ball with updates the game would be fixed ASAP! Yvonne and I discussed the review and the eventual score of “I Like It A Lot”.
Yvonne: Oh yes, I remember that! Summer in Mara right? I had funded it on Kickstarter so we were lucky to both have a code for it!
Paula: Yes, that’s the one. Upon the release of the game, we found a review on another site, one of the big sites actually, that was totally and utterly different from the review for the same game on LadiesGamers. That in itself is fine as they are allowed to disagree as everyone has different opinions.
Yvonne: Yes, that’s totally fine as it often helps us getting more views on our reviews. We have noticed that sometimes reviews do exceptionally well in views, and others…not so much. It might be logical that reviews for AAA games, that are reviewed by all major websites, don’t get as many views. I mean, people can read about the game just anywhere. But when opinions differ on the internet, I think gamers thinking of buying the game tend to read reviews that are for or are against the game.
Paula: True, but in this case it was the way the review was written. They heartlessly ripped the game apart and found no redeeming qualities in it at all. Nor did they give any thought to the game being updated at a later date to fix said problems. Guess they hated the game, but it goes to show that all game reviewers have a different approach to how they compile a review.
Yvonne: Can I be totally frank? I think it was because the person reviewing the game wasn’t into the simulation game genre at all. And you know my motto: people write better reviews when they actually like the genre!