Part 2: Review Evaluation.

I have looked at four different game reviews and the conventions they involve. Many elements were repeated throughout the ones I looked at but varied depending on the media format. When looking at the print reviews I noticed certain elements were repeated in all of them like all the text was laid out in columns. I think this is so it’s easy to read. Also all the print reviews featured big bald headings and often the colour of the heading would match the colour scheme throughout the review, I think this is to make it more appealing and eye catching. As well as these elements I found many more that were repeated in all of them. They all had a list of likes and dislikes and a personal opinion on the game. The reviews also contained information on what platform the game can be played on.

The reviews I looked at did differ depending on the media format for instance the online review I looked at was someone actually playing the game and using voice over to review it. The voice over was very informal and chatty compared to the print reviews I looked at. The language used was completely different and more laid back. Where as the language in the print articles were formal and not so chatty. Although some conventions are different I did notice some similarities to the print reviews like he included his personal opinion on the game and also the star rating and platform information.

The print reviews I looked at where written in 3^rd person however the YouTube review was in 1^st person. I think this is because the YouTube review was done personally by a gamer at home, where as the print reviews were articles in a magazine.

All the reviews I looked at were structured well. They all started with a brief explanation of the game, they then go into more information about the gameplay. They then go on to talk about the genre of the game and anything else you need to know. The articles then have a personal opinion on the game and a list of likes and dislikes.

The audience is addressed in a formal way using gaming jargon to attract the right audience.

The YouTube review was very subjective he did not mention other people’s views on the game however the print reviews reviewed the game as a whole with many opinions as well as a personal overview. The layout of the print articles was in columns so it’s clear and easy to read with some bits of important information in boxes round the side to make it easy to find. The articles also contained many images of the game in action to make it more appealing and less boring to look at. Including images on the article also gives the audience some sort of idea about the gameplay before they purchase the product.

The articles I have studied all also seem to have a colour scheme matching headings, subheadings, standfirsts, borders and back rounds. I noticed the colours normally match the genre of the game for instance the review for ‘I am alive’ used green matching the genre and attracting a target audience of boys.

Overall I realized reviews as a whole are useful when it comes to deciding whether to purchase the game, however I think YouTube reviews are more effective because they show elements of the game being played.