Community Reviews Feedback, Questions and Discussion Thread [BETA]

[Ghost-Rhayne]

Because you can never have too many opinions when trying to decide on your next game purchase, we here at PSU are banding together to give our gaming brothers and sisters a source of honest opinions on games of yesterday and today.

Welcome! Allow me to give you a quick tour. You are now at the Community Reviews discussion thread. This is the place for all feedback, questions and discussion regarding Community Reviews. Please refrain from creating threads if they aren't intended for review purposes. We have cool place to hang out right here!

The Community Reviews Index thread is where you'll find links to all the submitted reviews in categorised order. You can also see the rank boards to see how far you/others have gone.

Feel free to ask the reviewer questions in their review thread.


Beta. Sounds wierd, but yes this review section is in beta at the moment. You guys are the beta testers and there are things we still need to figure out and tweak. This will be discussed in the aforementioned PSUCRFQ&D thread.

Community Ranks. Those who take the time and effort to submit to our archive will get their review linked here to live on forever before our eyes even when the thread itself has sunk deep into the obscurity of the old and redundant thread cemetery. Not only that, but by such action they will embark on a journey of completely meaningless PSU e-peen wankery as they sink down the Community Review Rank System to the depths of badassness. There is also an SP reward of 500 points awarded automatically when you open your review thread (hence this thread dedicated to discussion).

With the launch of the Community Opinions section, opinion pieces will also count towards your rank.

Below are the tier and rank names, the qualifying amount of reviews/opinion pieces and the name of the first ever member to achieve that rank.

bros of the primordial ooze
single cell organism (1 review/article) - Sir_Scud
plankton (3 reviews/articles) - Lethal_NFS
sea horse (5 reviews/articles) - Lethal_NFS
lil fishy (10 reviews/articles) - Lethal_NFS

Denizens Of The Deep
Deadly Pirahna Swarm (15 reviews/articles) - Lethal_NFS
Mega Stingray (20 reviews/articles)
Cold Killer Whale (25 reviews/articles)
Great White Shark (30 reviews/articles)

MONSTERS OF THE ABYSS
GIANT ENEMY CRAB (40 reviews/articles)
KRAKEN KING (50 reviews/articles)
MEGALADON GHOST (60 reviews/articles)
LEGENDARY LEVIATHAN (75 reviews/articles)

D0LPH1NS OF T3H UND3RW4T3R C4V3
D0LPH1N (100 reviews/articles)


Review Formula & Presentation. For the sake of consistency, we have come up with a basic formula for the reviews. Check for the basic formula. Also, here are a few points to keep in mind:

Reviews don't consist of a sentence or two for each category! Submissions should be well thought out and concise. I won't allow short/lame reviews for the sake of spamming the way to new ranks OK!?

You should have finished the game before you review it.

I will be wearing my PSU editor hat now and then as well, just to make sure everything is neat, tidy and consistent.


Thread title: please name the review thread by the console in [square brackets]followed by the game's title

[PlayStation 3] Assassin's Creed 3
[Wii U] ZombieU

Intro: talk about anything that helps set up your review; the developer, previous games in the series etc etc

Story: talk about (without spoilers!) the narrative of the game, things like quality, pace, character development etc

Gameplay & Controls: talk about the game's mechanics and how well they relate to the controls.

Graphics & Presentation: talk about the graphical fidelity, art direction and performance here. the menus and general presentation come under this section.

Sound: talk about the game's sounds and soundtrack

Multiplayer: talk about the MP aspect of the game if it has one

Conclusion: sum it all up

+ What
+ You
+ Liked

- And
- Didn't
- Like

FINAL SCORE:

1 = Laughable
2 = Terrible
3 = Poor
4 = Substandard
5 = Mediocre
6 = Decent
7 = Good
8 = Great
9 = Fantastic
10 = Legendary

Giving X.5 is possible if you are torn between whole numbers.

That's all there is to it for now. I will be working to continually better this part of the forum so keep tuned!

DLC are another creature that can be reviewed. Just make sure it's for meaty content like an expansion pack or extended single player levels. Not looking for DLC reviews on costume packs. All DLC reviews should be at least 500 words, but only need to cover what they add to the game

When creating a thread title, label it as: [PlayStation 3] Skyrim DLC (Dragonborn)

~Sir_Scud

[radgamer420]

I really like that banner.

[Fijiandoce]

i think they should put headers.

if you read a COD review, you ain't reading it for anything else other than "Multiplayer". it kinda helps the reader a little bit, if they're short for time, or just want something to base a decision off of.

there should also be a minimum and maximum word limit: 800-1000(??)

[Blacksite]

In my opinion, you should move the Community Reviews forum to the Welcome to PSU Forums section as it's one of those 'get the community involved' incentives. General Forums deals with non-gaming related posts.

[DarkVincent07]

I think the general template is fine as something that all reviews need to cover all of those section. But in order to fully
Encourage creativity as well as factor in people's writing styles, it should be generally loose rules.
If its too strict and everyone follows the exact same template things could be boring over time. And image use should be up to the individual as well.

I say as long as we all have the 1-10 scoring system + and - at the end and cover all the bases it should be fine. For creativity's sake. That being said my review I wrote is fairly generic and follows the template exactly, but once we start getting 10,20 reviews that all look the same and just go through the motions, we will have a problem


Via Tapatalk

[brebaz]

I think the general template is fine as something that all reviews need to cover all of those section. But in order to fully
Encourage creativity as well as factor in people's writing styles, it should be generally loose rules.
If its too strict and everyone follows the exact same template things could be boring over time. And image use should be up to the individual as well.

I say as long as we all have the 1-10 scoring system + and - at the end and cover all the bases it should be fine. For creativity's sake. That being said my review I wrote is fairly generic and follows the template exactly, but once we start getting 10,20 reviews that all look the same and just go through the motions, we will have a problem


Via Tapatalk

Just what he said.
If 10 or more reviews look the same the novelty will wear off and it won't be as exciting as it first was and after a while those who review games following a strict guideline will not be as enthusiastic about their reviews as they first were

I think (IMO) that the reviews should be kinda up to the reviewers creativity with a minimum word restriction from 700-1000 minimum cause that would make sure that most reviews are not one or two paragraphs and that's it. We want thorough reviews that covers almost everything there is to cover in a game.

[Sir_Scud]

I think it should be left up to the individual reviewer, if they want to use the headings or not. So far the review I'm working on uses the headings and follows the template, and I would probably keep the headings in. However, for sake of flow, if the reviewer hits all the bases I don't see the problem in not having a header for each section.

I don't think images should be required, but they don't hurt. Once again, should be left up to the reviewer I think. As long as there is a formula present, I don't think it's bad if there is a little bit of difference from review to review.

[Ghost-Rhayne]

In my opinion, you should move the Community Reviews forum to the Welcome to PSU Forums section as it's one of those 'get the community involved' incentives. General Forums deals with non-gaming related posts.

I thought about this, at the time it felt like it should be a long side the design squad forum for some reason. Probably because the offtopic and DS sections feel more community like than the 'Welcome' section, because all that's there is announcements, giveaways and feedback. It's kinda lifeless there, I want the forum to be closer to the creative energy of the DS. All subject to change.

RE the other matter, yeah, we can leave it to the reviewer to decorate their thread as they see fit. So long as the core formula is in tact,it's all good. I do want these reviews and their presentation to reflect the author somehow.

[DeviousOne]

I'm with blacksite when this thing takes off it would bring some life anywhere it is so bringing life to that section would be great. I'm going to start working on some reviews next week I'm excited having done anything like this in years

[Ghost-Rhayne]

I'm with blacksite when this thing takes off it would bring some life anywhere it is so bringing life to that section would be great. I'm going to start working on some reviews next week I'm excited having done anything like this in years

Do we need life in that section though? Giveaways, feedback/issues/bans, announcements...That area, to me, has always felt like a "forum admin" area. I would feel like I'm leaving my baby in some deserted shithole...and I don't like the idea of having it in the same place I have to see infractions and bans...

[DeviousOne]

Do we need life in that section though? Giveaways, feedback/issues/bans, announcements...That area, to me, has always felt like a "forum admin" area. I would feel like I'm leaving my baby in some deserted shithole...and I don't like the idea of having it in the same place I have to see infractions and bans...

Thats a good point I see what your mean. how about having this section under the Other gaming section since we will have reviews for all consoles?

[Ghost-Rhayne]

New rank system!

bros of the primordial ooze
single cell organism (1 review)
plankton (3 reviews)
sea horse (5 reviews)
lil fishy (10 reviews)

Denizens Of The Deep
Deadly Pirahna Swarm (15 reviews)
Super Stingray (20 reviews)
Cold Killer Whale (25 reviews)
Great White Shark (30 reviews)

MONSTERS OF THE ABYSS
GIANT ENEMY CRAB (40 reviews)
KRAKEN KING (50 reviews)
MEGALADON GHOST (60 reviews)
LEGENDARY LEVIATHAN (75 reviews)

D0LPH1NS OF T3H UND3RW4T3R C4V3
D0LPH1N (100 reviews)

[DeviousOne]

Looks good bro!

[DarkVincent07]

I see you've changed the other thread so its gone now, but what are the thread titles of the reviews to be?

[Nintendo DS] Pokemon White Version 2 by DarkVincent07 ??


edit:

okay you've edited the post, i see thats good then. Lol don't need 'by DarkVincent07' when it says who started the thread underneath it, derp

[Soldier 95B]

I prefer uniform when it comes to review layout. Leaving it open, we could see anything from:

Multiplayer
This game rocks. This game rocks. This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.

vs:
mUltiOWNZPLAYER
This game rocks. his game rocks. This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game ocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. his game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks. PWNZ

Just my opinion though.

[radgamer420]

Guys, please...it was just a comical remark. Also,yeah,I am kind of reshuffling where the content is located amongst both threads. This now has all the info and the other will have the ranks and index.

Youre doing a good job Ghost. Keep up the good work.

[Ghost-Rhayne]

Youre doing a good job Ghost. Keep up the good work.

Thanks, I will!

I tidied up the minor misunderstanding over my comment gentlemen. Wanna keep this place rockin'

[Ghost-Rhayne]

I prefer uniform when it comes to review layout. Leaving it open, we could see anything from:

Multiplayer
This game rocks. This game rocks. This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.

vs:
mUltiOWNZPLAYER
This game rocks. his game rocks. This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game ocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. his game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks.This game rocks. This game rocks. PWNZ

Just my opinion though.

Don't worry. I will be keeping an eye on things to make sure nothing gets too eye bleedingly funky.

[Ghost-Rhayne]

Thats a good point I see what your mean. how about having this section under the Other gaming section since we will have reviews for all consoles?

I would like it to feature predominantly in the forums, not be tucked away as a sub forum haha. I think Community Reviews is looking quite content and happy next to its older forum bro, Design Squad HQ...

[brebaz]

I think i'll aim for 30 reviews and after that i'll stop cause i like the Great white shark title!!

[Ghost-Rhayne]

I think i'll aim for 30 reviews and after that i'll stop cause i like the Great white shark title!!

Haha Nice! My target rank can best be summed up in the haiku of an amazing man:

To caves below waves
Prehensile penis ready
The dolphin takes you

[radgamer420]

Thanks, I will! I tidied up the minor misunderstanding over my comment gentlemen. Wanna keep this place rockin'

Thankyou I appreciate that.

[brebaz]

Haha Nice! My target rank can best be summed up in the haiku of an amazing man:

To caves below waves
Prehensile penis ready
The dolphin takes you

Well the Dolphin is overrated. And he's also known as a rapist!!

[Ghost-Rhayne]

Well the Dolphin is overrated. And he's also known as a rapist!!

There was never any proof of that second foundationless allegation! Personally I like Megaladon Ghost. The megaladon was a fucking legend of the sea, a shark the size of a buss.


Megaladon tooth!

[brebaz]

There was never any proof of that second foundationless allegation!

A Rumor is more than enough to ruin a dolphin's reputation!!