Topic: New idea for NWR Reviews...

[ShyGuy]

thatguy is on to something....

People were mad that Super Swing Golf was rated a Jiffy Pop.

I know it's no Orville Redenbacher like Twilight Princess, but there weren't that many unpopped kernels at the bottom of the bag

[UncleBob]

As this topic goes on, I'm moving away from the idea of getting rid of the score completely and floating more toward the idea of scoring games with something that actually *means* something.  And numbers just don't do that...  The meaning of "5" varies.  Greatly.  (Hell, if I tell you I'd rank a game at "5", what does that mean to you?) The meaning of "average" doesn't so much.

[Ceric]

I rank it a specialty Popcorn like Cheddar Cheese. lol Maybe we should do popcorn ranking.

[wandering]

If I ran a video games website, I'd have games scored with the following:



I suppose it's basically a more colorful and less awesome Mr. Face.

 

[UncleBob]

I like!

[Caliban]

I don't think the problem lies on the scores.
I think that the NWR staff should acquire more reviewers.
The current reviewers are still really good at what they do, but what has been messing around with them is that there are alot more games to review for the Wii (and DS) than there was for the GC, and some of them might be feeling forced to review certain games just because they are on the "to review list", and then there's staff that have really busy lives, there's staff that has recently left NWR, podcasts, why in all of common sense would a launch title be reviewed 5 months later.

ACQUIRE MORE STAFF!

[ShyGuy]

Was that you putting in a job application Caliban?

[that Baby guy]

I couldn't find a copy of this game anywhere, so I am forced to rate it Secret Pop.

[Bloodworth]

Quote
why in all of common sense would a launch title be reviewed 5 months later.

Not that it should happen, but there have always been reviews that fall through the cracks.  I reviewed Zoids VS III six months late because the first sight of it paralyzed me with fear.  

[S-U-P-E-R]

I remember, when the site was brand new, there already a bit of debate on whether or not to include number scores. I could go either way, I guess. I don't really like doing the the breakdown of graphics/controls/lastability/etc scores individually, since certain categories are completely irrelevant to some games, and I have my doubts that people care that much about them. I love having a little summary at the bottom, though. tl;dr

I'd also like to rate games with a series of unlabeled green bars, and the final grade in the form of a fruit.

[Shift Key]

Quote
Originally posted by: S-U-P-E-R
I'd also like to rate games with a series of unlabeled green bars, and the final grade in the form of a fruit.

So mango = best, right? Hell, lets get an NWR fruit review going.

[mottsc]

On catching up with this thread and reading elsewhere, it seems like the main problem with numbers in reviews is context. NWR has many reviewers and they can't be consistent with one another. I would like to see more than one reviewer review a given game but that's not practical in general. I think context would be greatly aided if in a side box, maybe near the review score it listed other games (with links to the reviews) that the reviewer gave similar scores to (+/- 0.5 for a 1 point range).

That way the reader can quickly determine whether the reviewer's scale is in line with their own and investigate what causes the differences.

[Caliban]

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Originally posted by: ShyGuy
Was that you putting in a job application Caliban?

Hell no. I've got the time, but I lack the writing skills that equal of the NWR staff.

Quote
Originally posted by: Bloodworth
Not that it should happen, but there have always been reviews that fall through the cracks.

It shouldn't, but then again this is an amateur site, so I guess we are lucky to get reviews.

[oohhboy]

Quote
Originally posted by: mottsc
On catching up with this thread and reading elsewhere, it seems like the main problem with numbers in reviews is context. NWR has many reviewers and they can't be consistent with one another. I would like to see more than one reviewer review a given game but that's not practical in general. I think context would be greatly aided if in a side box, maybe near the review score it listed other games (with links to the reviews) that the reviewer gave similar scores to (+/- 0.5 for a 1 point range).

That way the reader can quickly determine whether the reviewer's scale is in line with their own and investigate what causes the differences.

The second page usually gives all the context needed for the score. Besides, The score should only be taken at face value to point where the review is going or is at. Analyising inidividual review scores that closely is a bad idea. It the same as trying to determind a trend from a single point of data.

[mottsc]

I just mean it as a way to quickly figure out whether this reviewer is right for you or how to take them relative to your own experience based on the other games reviewed.

[Hostile Creation]

My review of this thread:

The discussion is subpar, and there's a little bit of unnecessary whining going on between GP and Pap.  The jokes aren't frequent or funny enough; SUPER's snippet about fruit was alright, but we're not seeing top-notch AAA NWR quality here.  Obviously a rushed project.

Graphics: 7
The avatars and text are on par with the rest of the NWR forums, and I really liked wandering's colorful scale.  A nice touch.  However, I'm not seeing enough humorous screenshot macros or Infernal Monkey comics.  No sexy True ads, either.

Sound: 4
There's no sound obviously, but the usual character banter we hear at NWR just isn't at its best in this thread.  It has its moments, but for the most part the sound is below average.

Control: 8
Using the Firefox controller, I had no difficulty scrolling up and down, clicking on links, or typing this review.  There are some flaws, and it doesn't compare to what might be possible with the freeform movement of the Wii, but the controls are perfectly acceptable.

Gameplay: 5
I don't feel like much is getting accomplished, but unlike /b/ and other more interesting threads on NWR, it lacks the humor or banter components to make up for it.  The thread mostly felt like a drawn out collectathon with a rushed development.

Lastability: 2
I don't think I'll be revisiting this thread.  One play-through was enough for me.

[Jonnyboy117]

When we first planned out the review format in early 2001 (before GBA came out in Japan, which provided our first opportunity for reviews), I said in staff meetings that I preferred to write reviews without scores.  That's how I did it on my old site, the Nformant.  But I was a new guy and didn't hold much clout, so other people outvoted me.  Over time, I have learned to deal with scores.  I still don't like them, but they are a necessary evil.  My goal is to handle them in the fairest possible way and to do my best to make sure that they seem logical and sensible when compared to the text portion of the review.  I personally don't write any scores until the rest of the review is complete, and I generally spend less than 1% of the overall review time/effort on formulating scores.  I spend a little more checking to make sure they make sense given what I've said about the game, and then I'm finished.  So basically, if all you read from my reviews are the scores, you're getting a tiny fraction of the effort I put into that review, which I take as an insult.  I'd rather you didn't click on the review in the first place if you're not going to give it anymore attention than that.  Scores are just data to be entered into a database.  A review should be a work of art unto itself.

[ShyGuy]

Quote
Originally posted by: Jonnyboy117So basically, if all you read from my reviews are the scores, you're getting a tiny fraction of the effort I put into that review, which I take as an insult.  I'd rather you didn't click on the review in the first place if you're not going to give it anymore attention than that.  Scores are just data to be entered into a database.  A review should be a work of art unto itself.

Well, that settles it. NWR is not my place to come for game reviews.