Indie Game Review Tournament

[NewClassic_v1legacy]

[HEADING=2]Super Review Fighter IV: Indie Game Turbo[/HEADING]​

It's been a while, hasn't it? Thanks to the combined power of the Escapist Staff and NewClassic, it's time for another Review Contest! In honor of the recent Indie Developers Showcase [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/events/ids2010], I welcome you to the Escapist's Indie Game Review Tournament! It's time once again to put your pen where your mouth is[footnote]Please do not choke on your pen.[/footnote], and compete with other reviewers on the Escapist. It doesn't matter whether you're an anonymous source or your post count exceeds 9,000. Everyone's equal in terms of history on the Escapist; it's the writing that determines the winner.

[HEADING=3]ROUND One has begun![/HEADING]
Part One [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.177043.5084941]
Part Two [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.178211-Indie-Game-Review-Contest-Round-ONE-cont]

[HEADING=2]Subject:[/HEADING]
An "indie" game. You can choose one of the ones from the Indie Game Developer Showcase or you can find and choose your own!

[HEADING=2]Rules:[/HEADING]
The rules are simple, each contestant must submit an anonymous review between 800 and 1,000 words. The review must be spoiler-free and sent by private message to [user]NewClassic[/user] no later than 11:59:59 (GMT) on February 20th. Reviews may contain up to two pictures. Captions are not allowed on the pictures. Only one entry is allowed per user. Do not post entries on this thread. Any entries posted here, or whose content reveals the original writer, will be disqualified.

Entries will be judged mainly on content, but formatting, spelling and punctuation will also be a consideration. Pictures will also be taken into account, should you use them, so judicious use of the inline image tag is recommended.

Once the deadline has elapsed, it will be up to the community to decide who the winner is. The catch is the reviews will be listed by a number, not a name. Two reviews will be pit against one another by drawing, and the review with the most votes will move to the next round. All reviews are on a single-elimination basis. At the loss of a round, or the end of the contest, the review writer will be announced.

The prize is a strings-free[footnote]Subject to certain restrictions. See [user]Kuliani[/user] for details.[/footnote] full review published on the site by The Escapist.

[HEADING=2]Frequently Asked Questions:[/HEADING]

Q: Pictures allowed? Reviews judged anonymously? This all so new and frightening!
A: Not really, nilcypher had a similar setup for the Fallout 3 review contest.

Q: If we're not posting reviews here, what's the point of this thread?
A: Ask and answer questions, announce your intent to join the contest, a unified place to read the rules, that kind of thing.

Q: Can I just link a review that I'm hosting on another website?
A: No, because it has to be posted here on the forums to be judged, so it's a really good idea to write it so that's it compatible.

Q: Let's get down to nuts and bolts, why 800-1,000 words?
A: As far as size goes, an average review should be in this neighborhood already. Any shorter and it risks being too brief to really get the review across, any more and it's getting too long for certain readers. It's to challenge the writer, but leave enough room for the reader to get the big picture.

Q: Could I get away with fewer words?
A: Sure.

Q: Could I get away with more words?
A: No.

Q: Oh, go on.
A: Still no.

Q: Do I have to count the words individually?
A: You can if you like, but most word processors will count them up for you. If you don't have a word processor, you can find a rather nifty free one called Open Office [www.openoffice.org].

Q: About these pictures, are there any size limits?
A: Technically no, but if you dump a huge 1680 x 1050 image into your review, it will likely count against you. Keep them a sensible size and everything will be fine.

Q: Are you going to pull any weird tricks?
A: Probably. Its how the review contests have been run previously, so I think it'd be defying convention to do anything different.

Q: Can I promote my review when it's up for a vote?
A: No, since you would be using popularity instead of talent to get votes. Talent wins the contest, not internet-charm!

Q: Can we use old reviews that have already been posted to the Escapist forums, or must they be new reviews?
A: Has to be new. It won't be anonymous if it's identifiable.

Q: Can I change my review after I've sent it?
A: Like last time, you have three days to send in edits. If you post right at the deadline, you won't, so be careful.

Q: I've posted my review in this thread, now what?
A: I'm afraid you're disqualified. Do not post reviews in this thread. That is all.

Good luck, one and all!

 

[Kuliani]

Good luck to all that enter! For those that aren't having very much luck getting their "foot in the door" for being a game reviewer, it's a damn fine chance!

 

[Heart of Darkness]

Question: Can we use old reviews that have already been posted to the Escapist forums, or must they be new reviews?

 

[NewClassic_v1legacy]

Question: Can we use old reviews that have already been posted to the Escapist forums, or must they be new reviews?

Better safe than sorry. If you do, and someone recognizes it or links it to your anonymous review, then you'll be disqualified. For the sake of safety, don't. If you're caught, you'll be disqualified instantly. Avoid the risk, don't. Added to the FAQ.

 

[Heart of Darkness]

Question: Can we use old reviews that have already been posted to the Escapist forums, or must they be new reviews?

Better safe than sorry. If you do, and someone recognizes it or links it to your anonymous review, then you'll be disqualified. For the sake of safety, don't. If you're caught, you'll be disqualified instantly. Avoid the risk, don't. Added to the FAQ.

All right, thank you very much. Now I need to find a new indie game to play...

 

[Lost In The Void]

Oh man I'm so in on this, will we be getting a special subscript like yourself if we win?

 

[scotth266]

Good luck to all that enter! For those that aren't having very much luck getting their "foot in the door" for being a game reviewer, he's a damn fine chance!

He's a damn fine chance indeed

I don't know if I'll participate, because while I enjoy writing reviews, I have a very casual style. Sure, I get my spelling and grammar write riite right most of the time, but I find it hard to resist hyperbole, weird metaphors, the odd swear/profanity, and being generally silly whenever the mood strikes me.

Also, even if I managed to resist being silly for most of the written review, I probably wouldn't be able to resist adding funny captions to my pictures, so I would disqualify myself pretty quickly.

If I could somehow even overcome that urge, I'd still probably want to redo my review to make it sillier and re-post it to the UR section... which somehow I have the funny feeling isn't going to be allowed.

...On the other hand, it's a challenge to write in a new, more professional way. DAMN INDECISIVENESS!

 

[scotth266]

Snip.

Oh, and by "inline image tags" do you mean just the plain ol' [?img][/img] tags? Or do you expect something more spiffy?

 

[NewClassic_v1legacy]

Snip.

http://www.gaijinside.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/professorlayton_narrowweb__300x6420.jpg
Oh, and by "inline image tags" do you mean just the plain ol' [?img][/img] tags? Or do you expect something more spiffy?

There are a couple of ways to do images. The img_inline tags are used a lot here on the user reviews. I use them in nearly everything I do. To use them, the code looks a little like this:

Within the tags, you can control the image by size, add a caption (which is disallowed), and align it. For example, a fully equipped inline tag would look like this:

The result can be seen on the right of this post. Any of the additions in the tag can go in any order. The width and height are in pixels, align can be left, right, or center. To remind everyone, captions are not allowed for this contest. Hopefully that's helped.

EDIT -
Just a reminder to say that this will be chosen by your peers. The most joking, light-hearted, and silly review won second place in the last contest. If you want to go silly, go for it. As long as its an enjoyable read, its got a shot at winning.

 

[pigeon_of_doom]

Glad to see another review contest. I'm definitely in for this, although my dry style seems to ensure I'll be immediately recognisable. And instantly dismissed. And I'm not quite sure where I sit on the knockout competition style, but I'll give it a go regardless. One question though: as one of the incentives appears to be publication on The Escapist, does it have to follow the standard Escapist review format (namely with the Bottom Line and Recommendation sections at the end))?

 

[Zombie_Fish]

Two questions:

1. By 'Indie Game', do you include browser games that can be downloaded to a PC/ Browser games in general? If not then I can find alternatives/ just review one of the games in the Indie Developer Showcase, it's just that the majority of Indie Games I know of and would contemplate reviewing come from browser gaming.

2. This is similar to pigeon_of_doom's question on the topic of the standard Escapist review format, but does our review need to be subjected to the same guidelines as the ones submitted to the community reviews as well (800-1000 words, like you've already mentioned; no spoilers, game must be around for no longer than one year etc.)? Essentially, does our review need to be like the community reviews submitted to the site?

Either way, I may enter if possible. Good luck to all the participants anyway and may the best reviewer win.

 

[NewClassic_v1legacy]

By 'Indie Game', do you include browser games that can be downloaded to a PC/ Browser games in general?

You're quite welcome to use browser-native, browser-or-download, or download-only. So, your choice.

Does our review need to be subjected to the same guidelines as the ones submitted to the community reviews as well (800-1000 words, like you've already mentioned; no spoilers, game must be around for no longer than one year etc.)? Essentially, does our review need to be like the community reviews submitted to the site?

It's not subject to the "no longer than one year" rule. The review for the Escapist to publish will be following those guidelines, but the review for the contest is your free choice, as long as it's an indie game.

 

[thatstheguy]

Does your review have to be posted in the Escapist forums or do we send you the actual review file thingy?

 

[SimuLord]

How "indie" does it have to be? Are we talking like "published on SourceForge or without any kind of mainstream publisher?" indie or something like Mount&Blade that was done by a small studio but published in retail stores?

 

[scotth266]

How exactly is it anonymous when we have to send it via personal message? xD

As in, anonymous to the public (the people voting on which ones are better.)

Also, one more question: does the indie game in question have to not have already been reviewed in a publication of the Escapist (either by the Escapist reviewers or through Community Reviews)? I ask because it seems the nature of the reward is in itself a Community Review, and the policy on those states that you're not supposed to review something that's already been done.

 

[meatloaf231]

This seems like a grand time. Thanks for hosting it, Nuke and Kuliani.

 

[Pimppeter2]

I shall take a stab at this. I've done Two other indie reviews already, and I have been hooked up with another that I planned on reviewing anyways.

As far as this goes, what is the status on posting these reviews after the competition?

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

Sure why not? If I do have the time between shifting countries I might just make a submission so yeah..this is my official declaration of interest.

 

[Pimppeter2]

EDIT: I am pretty silly.