There are many games coming out or that just released which are a load of fun. They’re fun to read about before they release. To look at screenshots, to be a fan-spaz-monkey over while theorizing about how the game is to be. Who says you can’t use your imagination when you’re an adult, anyway? And obviously,they’re fun to play upon release… most of the time.

The few games I’m keeping my eyes very closely to at the moment are: Hellgate, The Witcher (drools), and Stargate Worlds. Now SG:W is fairly far-off in release, so it has time, but this Halloween I’m going to be having battles with myself on which game I’m going to be spending my casual-gaming time playing.

So until those two release (in a week), I’m going through reading reviews, and I couldn’t help but notice how absolutely much fun one site in particular is to visit and read what is posted. It’s obvious that the guy is having a good time writing, and his reviews are written in a form that is fun for the reader as well. His latest review is about Hellgate London, Bill Roper’s soon-to-be-released game. He also mentions that he’s been, like many of us, sucked into Valve’s Orange Box which has become a substitute for “Real Life” time… that is to say, time away from the computer and the games.

Back to the actual subject at hand: Writing reviews. Part of what I do is read a lot of reviews and they almost always “say” something about the author in general. Were they trying too hard? Were they in a hurry? Is the internal voice talking like a Fox News reporter? Is the person so sucked into the world of fantasy that they want to write something that’s just as fantastically mystifying, but instead fall short because they’re using the actual word “mystify” a thousand times instead of actually describing how the place actually is mystifying.

When someone is writing with amusement, a sarcastic outlook, tongue-in-cheek, or something similar, you can thoroughly tell. It makes it incredibly easy for readers to follow, it’s entertaining, which is always a plus, and it shows how much the writer was enjoying the thing that they are reporting about.

So for those of you out there who are consistently trying to write reviews and it just seems strained and difficult, perhaps try relaxing a bit. Take off the suit-and-tie approach, put on some weird al, if that’s what tickles your funny bone, or if you want to give a good kick of fantasy and mysteriousness, strap a rock under your nose and put on a good sound track with a fantasy setting feel to it, and enjoy what you’re writing. And also - if there are elements to what you’re reporting about that aren’t that great - don’t leave those out. Include them. If a person always gets the “yes man” response, there is no way for them to find the areas which need special attention for improvement. They need the constructive criticism as much as you need to vent about your frustrations.