Game Reviews - most of them aren't reviews

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GH should up the minimum word requirement to post a review. The only more pathetic "reviews" I've seen than here are at Alawar.

That is all.

Posted on Mon Jan 02 23:32:02 PST 2012

What are you looking for?
Is it a reveiw that tell you what the game is about?
Are you looking for a review that includes all of the solutions?

Posted on Tue Jan 03 09:10:07 PST 2012

I'm quite irritated by reviews that say 'This game was rubbish', and don't bother to explain themselves. Just as bad are people that say 'Great, I loved it!' or 'Brilliant game!' - tells me absolutely nothing I need to know about whether I'd like it or not, what sort of game it is, what are the puzzles like, what are the HO scenes like, etc.

Suki

Posted on Tue Jan 03 09:41:28 PST 2012

granny59da wrote: What are you looking for?
Is it a reveiw that tell you what the game is about?
Are you looking for a review that includes all of the solutions?

What SilverSuki said.

Posted on Tue Jan 03 13:06:53 PST 2012

I agrre those kind of responses do not really do any good.
I have never written a reveiw.
If I had I would tell everyone not to play Luxor 2 of Temple of Tanagram unless they have fast fingers and a good memory.

Posted on Tue Jan 03 14:28:08 PST 2012

Hi everyone,

This is very good feedback and I thank you for taking time to relay it.

I have encouraged some reviewers to resubmit their reviews and offer more detail about why they liked or disliked a game. Ultimately, though, I'm obliged to publish a review so long as it meets the minimum character count and it does not speak only to technical issues such as "This game wouldn't open for me..." etc.

And I'll gladly take up the question of raising the minimum character count. Oddly enough we receive complaints from time to time about the minimum character count already in place for game reviews!

granny59da: I look forward to receiving your first game review!

Thank you,

Bill

Posted on Tue Jan 03 14:48:20 PST 2012

I have on occasion submitted detailed reviews to games. However I never read reviews. To me what's the point. When a game comes out, I do the trial hour and form my own opinion as to wether it is purchase worthy.
1000 people could all say it's the best game ever but if I don't like it no one else will influence me to buy it. I have never given a review at GH.

Posted on Tue Jan 03 15:48:31 PST 2012

wbeal wrote: Hi everyone,

This is very good feedback and I thank you for taking time to relay it.

I have encouraged some reviewers to resubmit their reviews and offer more detail about why they liked or disliked a game. Ultimately, though, I'm obliged to publish a review so long as it meets the minimum character count and it does not speak only to technical issues such as "This game wouldn't open for me..." etc.

And I'll gladly take up the question of raising the minimum character count. Oddly enough we receive complaints from time to time about the minimum character count already in place for game reviews!

granny59da: I look forward to receiving your first game review!

Thank you,

Bill

Bill, GH customers have been griping about the character limit for the entire 2 yrs. I have been here and to date nothing has changed . I had to shorten this because I overused.

Posted on Tue Jan 03 15:53:29 PST 2012

Poppa, the minimum character count on game reviews and the maximum character limit for a Forum post are two different issues and I don't want to take this thread off topic to revisit the latter.

I'm very interested in what our customers like or dislike about our Ratings and Reviews program and I encourage further discussion on the topic.

Thanks,
Bill

Posted on Tue Jan 03 16:52:08 PST 2012

Poppa wrote: I have on occasion submitted detailed reviews to games. However I never read reviews. To me what's the point. When a game comes out, I do the trial hour and form my own opinion as to wether it is purchase worthy.
1000 people could all say it's the best game ever but if I don't like it no one else will influence me to buy it. I have never given a review at GH.

Poppa, for several years I had measured service which really limited the number of games I could download. I found the "real" reviews helpful because they at least gave me an idea what the game was about (spoken by real people, although I realize the developers get their word in there too), giving me some kind of feel whether I might like it. Frankly, even with unmeasured service, unless I'm particularly waiting for a game or know about it from other sources, I wait for the reviews.

Posted on Tue Jan 03 19:01:25 PST 2012

wbeal wrote: . . .
I'm very interested in what our customers like or dislike about our Ratings and Reviews program and I encourage further discussion on the topic.

Thanks,
Bill

FYI Bill, the cover Review data (number of reviews, average stars) does not update right away when the reviews are posted.

Posted on Tue Jan 03 19:47:08 PST 2012

I agree that reviews should have a minimum # of words.
Likewise, I agree that reviews saying, "game is rubbish" or "loved it" without providing details as to Why? are not useful (IMO).
I do very much like the reviews template/setup, except I wish it had another checkbox: namely, whether the review is based on demo -or- full game.

Posted on Tue Jan 03 19:54:50 PST 2012

wbeal wrote: Hi everyone,
. . .

And I'll gladly take up the question of raising the minimum character count. Oddly enough we receive complaints from time to time about the minimum character count already in place for game reviews!
. . .

Bill

Likely, the people who complain about the minimum word count are the people who make 'This game was rubbish', 'Great, I loved it!' or 'Brilliant game!' reviews (quoting SilverSuki). Not useful.

When you tally the reviews by reviewer, you include helpful votes feedback data. You should also include the number of unhelpful reviews. Maybe ppl don't know their reviews are crappy.

Posted on Tue Jan 03 21:06:59 PST 2012

I won't be writing any reveiws soon. The games I like to play probably won;t be around anymore since the developer go bought out.
I would love to see a Super Granny 7.

Posted on Tue Jan 03 22:50:32 PST 2012

Thank you, yusef and Janie42, for your additional comments. Much appreciated!

Indeed we are aware of the issue where the number of reviews and average rating does not update right away on all displays for a particular game. In some cases the feed to a particular page of our site needs a daily refresh to supply new data. We're looking at ways to resolve the issue.

Agreed about adding the tally of 'unhelpful' votes to a reviewer's summary. I'll see how soon that feature can be added.

Now I'll quote part of yusef's reply to Poppa: "I found the 'real' reviews helpful because they at least gave me an idea what the game was about (spoken by real people, although I realize the developers get their word in there too), giving me some kind of feel whether I might like it."

(Note that I have emboldened a phrase that is particularly important to us.)

While processing new game reviews I take great care to ensure that we do not post any reviews from a game developer or publisher without disclosing the person's relationship to that game. Even then we limit those instances to situations where a developer or publisher can clarify a point that has been made about a game or offer tips on strategy for a particularly challenging game.

Similar to the GameHouse Forums, there is a Report inappropriate content link below each posted review. Flagging a review suspected of being from an 'insider' will alert me to the situation (although I'm pretty good at identifying them) so I can research and determine whether or not it should be removed.

I hope that helps...thanks again for your feedback!

Bill

Posted on Wed Jan 04 12:10:57 PST 2012

wbeal wrote: . . .
Now I'll quote part of yusef's reply to Poppa: "I found the 'real' reviews helpful because they at least gave me an idea what the game was about (spoken by real people, although I realize the developers get their word in there too), giving me some kind of feel whether I might like it."

(Note that I have emboldened a phrase that is particularly important to us.)

. . .
Bill

I'm so impressed with your writing ability, Bill. You actually changed the quotes around "real" to be correct within your quote, and you used the word "emboldened." I've noticed before what a good writer you are but just haven't said anything. No, I'm not buttering you up.

As to the topic of the bolded words, I have to fess up that I've seen only a few reviews that looked suspect, one recently, but I don't know if I want to try to find it. Vacation is over. If I come across it, I'll email it to you. However, you have the ISPs and you know the game people, so I'll trust your judgment. Sorry to make a quick (and probably false) accusation. I just didn't want to look too gullible, believing everything I read as the real thing.

That said, thank you for paying attention to this thread.

Posted on Wed Jan 04 20:12:30 PST 2012

I've been monkeying around with the Reviews. It appears we can vote on our own reviews--multiple times?

Posted on Thu Jan 05 19:25:20 PST 2012

Hi Yusef,

I see I have to start writing reviews. Because my time is short, I didn't in the past. My first review I have placed in the game Margrave - The Curse of the Severed Heart. I was writing that one once in the welcome of this game and you liked it and made me aware of writing reviews.
The stars are easy to vote. Now comes the hard part.
This game is as challenging as the gamer wants it to be.
It can be relaxed or fast paced, as you choose your own speed, by playing it.
It can be clicky (by clicking on all sorts of objects and items) or thinky (by not clicking on everything you come across), as you wish.
So my vote was by all 3 ~ in the middle and it didn't felt right, because it is both.

Cheers
Lagoona

Posted on Thu Jan 05 19:47:57 PST 2012

Hi Granny59 and Jannie42,

I have placed my - in the past written message - into the game review of Margrave - The Curse of the Severed Heart. You might look into it and let me know if this is the way you like the reviews should be written, thanks!

@ SilverSuki,

I read your review after posting out mine. You have written a very good review. I know now the next time I have to incorporate also the beautiful graphic part and artwork. In this game I should have mentioned also the uniqueness of the puzzles and the different items by the HO parts. I definitively have to shorten the review as well.

@ Poppa,
This review is written very general and is not just based on how much I like this specific game. Read it and see for yourself.

Cheers
Lagoona

Posted on Thu Jan 05 19:52:54 PST 2012

Lagoona, You are informed about so many games. I hope you DO start writing reviews. It would be a great service to many people because I'm sure your reviews would be very good indeed.

Posted on Thu Jan 05 20:28:17 PST 2012

Hi Yusef,

Thank you for the compliment.

I try doing that, in moment there will not be too many, because I still have visitors from Switzerland and I am very busy.

Cheers
Lagoona

Posted on Fri Jan 06 05:39:20 PST 2012

One of the first things I do before downloading a game is to read the reviews posted for that game. I've found that doing so gives me a better idea of what to expect. I know that my judgement of a particular game may not be the same as the reviewer, but the group of reviews, as a whole, often will provide information I can't get any other way. For example, when reviews mention that the game was unexpectedly short, I may reconsider my decision to purchase it. I do try to write reviews when possible on games which have left an impression on me, either good or bad. When writing reviews, I try to simply express my experience with the game for the benefit of others who are considering purchasing it. I also think that consumer opinions may be important to people in the industry.

Posted on Fri Jan 06 20:47:32 PST 2012

You guys are missing the point. These are games. There is only so much to say even in the best of reviews and then what? We're not talking Shakespeare here. Once a couple of half decent reviews are posted, there is only so much to add. How many times do you really want to read the HO's were too easy to find ? Or the lead character was funny? BUT what is just as important is HOW MANY PEOPLE LIKE IT OR HATE IT.
If there are only 2 reviews that say a game is great, even if they are specific in describing the game, that’s still not as convincing as 35 positive reviews even if some of them just say "the game was fantastic"
Maybe you could try something like the apple app reviews where you can leave a comment or just a rating of 1 - 5 stars. Sometimes you just want to give a vote of support (or a thumbs down) to the developer to encourage further games of a particular kind and give gamehouse some feedback

Posted on Tue Jan 10 15:47:37 PST 2012

cjvp wrote: You guys are missing the point. These are games. There is only so much to say even in the best of reviews and then what? We're not talking Shakespeare here. Once a couple of half decent reviews are posted, there is only so much to add. How many times do you really want to read the HO's were too easy to find ? Or the lead character was funny? BUT what is just as important is HOW MANY PEOPLE LIKE IT OR HATE IT.
If there are only 2 reviews that say a game is great, even if they are specific in describing the game, that’s still not as convincing as 35 positive reviews even if some of them just say "the game was fantastic"
Maybe you could try something like the apple app reviews where you can leave a comment or just a rating of 1 - 5 stars. Sometimes you just want to give a vote of support (or a thumbs down) to the developer to encourage further games of a particular kind and give gamehouse some feedback

Of everybody who has posted on this thread, you used the most words.

Posted on Tue Jan 10 17:45:44 PST 2012

@yousef

And so?? As usual you totally missed the point... Would be happy to use a star rating system instead of comments but didn't think I could convey it telepathically. And heaven knows you have to spell things out for some on this forum... so first you complain reviews are too short and now too long?

Posted on Fri Jan 13 14:03:17 PST 2012

cjvp, you're the one who has missed the point. No-one was saying reviews need to be LONG, but simply that it would be helpful if reviewers tried to be as INFORMATIVE as possible. Overly-simple reviews do not tell me whether the puzzles are skippable, whether the emphasis of the game is on HO scenes rather than puzzle-solving, or whether the second game in a series has solved the bugs of the first - or retained the most enjoyable aspects of gameplay. Your criticism of yusef seems to have completely missed the point that she and many of the rest of us were making.

You're entitled to your own opinion on the subject, but it would have been perfectly possible to state it without actually having a go at other posters just because your view differs from theirs.

Suki

Posted on Fri Jan 13 17:45:02 PST 2012

cjvp wrote: @yousef

And so?? As usual you totally missed the point... Would be happy to use a star rating system instead of comments but didn't think I could convey it telepathically. And heaven knows you have to spell things out for some on this forum... so first you complain reviews are too short and now too long?

My purpose wasn't to offend. My purpose was to merely point out that a champion of few words used the most words to express it.

And no, I don't believe I missed the point as I was the one who made the point in the OP. If you believe I missed your point, that's another thing, but I did not miss my own point. Furthermore, I fail to understand the "as usual" part of your first statement. No matter.

As far as your previous post saying we all are missing the point, well, perhaps we express various opinions, but I didn't notice anyone oblivious to the topic.

Posted on Fri Jan 13 20:03:26 PST 2012

I'm not a champion of short posts, I'm just not irritated or put off by them as some are. My own reviews have been neither particularly short or long. And I do think brief reviews have their place. And yes, you do miss the point. These are casual games. Why should there be a minimum of words required to review them?

Honestly, some games here are pretty much summed up by the words "rubbish" or "fun".

Posted on Thu Jan 19 17:39:47 PST 2012