So I want to do reviews on Youtube.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Yeah. Unlike Game Dude or certain other irate people, however, I have no intention of ripping off anyone else's shtick. Especially the AVGN.

The real question is, what kind of advice would -you- offer to someone who wants to start doing this?

I may not go ahead with this but I still want to give this a shot. I'm too shy (read: fugly) to go on camera. But I'm still looking into it.

What would you tell a newcomer, outside of the ever important "don't fucking spam every forum known to humanity" bit?

[Flack]

Here's my advice.

01. YouTube is a visual medium, so use it as such. That means showing me your face, game play, game artwork, etc. Entertain me for the length of the video or I'm turning it off.

02. Make it sound professional. Use a shitty USB mic, and I'm turning it off.

03. Do something original. As you said, there's no point in copying someone else's schtick. I just checked YouTube and there are 158 videos titled "Duck Hunt Review". What's the point of being number 159? Come up with an original angle. It doesn't even have to be a kooky character. Maybe you only review flying games, or platform games, or Genesis games, or something else.

Summary: make it interesting, and make it good.

[buzz_n64]

Here's my advice.

01. YouTube is a visual medium, so use it as such. That means showing me your face, game play, game artwork, etc. Entertain me for the length of the video or I'm turning it off.

02. Make it sound professional. Use a shitty USB mic, and I'm turning it off.

03. Do something original. As you said, there's no point in copying someone else's schtick. I just checked YouTube and there are 158 videos titled "Duck Hunt Review". What's the point of being number 159? Come up with an original angle. It doesn't even have to be a kooky character. Maybe you only review flying games, or platform games, or Genesis games, or something else.

Summary: make it interesting, and make it good.

Yup. Coming in at your own angle is the way to go. I did my own angle on youtube with friends called the Ghetto Gamers, and we reviewed mostly obsure games like 3do and cd-i titles. I believe we are the only 3 person reviewer team out there.

Check these out, and I got more. I'm Phillip. The white guy in the videos.


Thunder in Paradise cd-i review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C76qUOgKIdw

Moonwalker genesis review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nshf8L9e24

[vivaeljason]

I'd agree with the sentiment of "carve your own niche." Make sure that whatever you do is fun -- it doesn't have to be side-splittingly hilarious, but it DOES have to be interesting and visually stimulating.

And even if you suck, there's no possible way you can be any worse than the Game Dude so go forth with confidence.

[TheRedEye]

If you have no idea what "angle" to go for I'm kind of wondering what's driving you to want to do this? Usually these things start with an idea.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

I wouldn't agree with the fact that we need to see you personally on the video. I rather like seeing just the video game being reviewed itself and having the reviewer speak in a professional yet comforting voice. Sound knowledgeable, but not overbearing or arrogant. Also, it's good to add some humor, but don't try to be a comedian ;) I do agree with not having a squeaky mic or the crunchy, squishy sounds from moving a camera around too much (I literally HAVE to turn those videos off). Those are my two cents...

[mezrabad]

I think finding a schtick is important but I think you've got to do it for yourself. It certainly isn't for the money or the cheap shots (that are inevitable on youtube). If you've got something to say about a videogame that you feel hasn't been said, or that you can say in a unique and entertaining way, then go for it.

Some schtick ideas:

Insane gamer: start by playing the game and talking intelligently about it, but go off the deep-end during it, like some Edgar Alan Poe protagonist... "So, these space invaders keep getting closer and closer and...can't you fools hear it? It's the beating of their hideous heart!!"

Invasion gamer: have the schtick be that you're breaking into other people's homes and playing their games in their living rooms and they come in while you're in the middle of it and chase you out. "I think the art direction in this particular game was handled nicely, if you look at the sprite frames you can see the attention to detai..." "WHAT THE HELL YOU DOIN IN MY HOUSE!!! I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR STUPID ASS!!!" cue the shaky camera as you dive through the living room window and into a waiting vehicle or something....

Gamer with narcolepsy: you could be talking about the game and then just fall asleep and drool for a little bit, the schtick being marks of famous systems imprinted on your forehead when you wake up. The you could make the whole review a set of edit clips in between moments of falling asleep.... nah, never mind.

(remember, no judging in brainstorming)

Games that you compare to illnesses you'd rather have... this is not only in bad taste but a ripoff of some cartoon (The Critic? I think) but I'm pulling this stuff out of my butt, so, whatever.

Anyway, I'd watch. :)

[Gameguy]

Don't make it sound scripted, that's pretty much why I don't like the Irate Gamer so much. I don't think he's as bad as everyone says, but it's like everyone who's on his reviews(either just him or with guests) all sound like they're reading off a card. As long as it sounds natural it should be good. A lot of reviewers seem to be reading off a script or taking their time to think of something to say, just don't make it sound like that.

[kupomogli]

I've actually been thinking of reviewing the games I own. Starting with some of my favorites. I thought of also just starting with the Final Fantasy series which would actually give me more hits, that way when I did start doing more reviews those ones would get more people to watch them as they were interested in my first reviews. Overrated games first then when more people knew me then I'd start going to the more obscure. I'm sure my games would never be as obscure as most of the hardcore collectors here, but somewhat obscure for atleast well known systems.

However I've yet to do it. I actually did record playing the original Final Fantasy all the way through, thought of a lot of stuff to say and then before writing it down I was going to go through the cutting process. For me I was only going to show video of the game itself as I thought of it and I'm like, well, just sitting in a chair and having myself being pictured would look stupid, but also could take out each version and show each, meaning I would have had to record Origins and then Dawn of Souls.

Anyways. When going through the cutting process it was honestly taking a lot longer than I thought it would take to get various different things and various different areas. I didn't want to just show straight gameplay through the one area, etc. So that's where I quit, deleted it, and then never picked it up again. Another thing is because I really suck with creation software. I was using virtualdub because it's free and it's good for atleast the ones I've used, but it's really time consuming. Windows Movie Maker is good but it seems to have much lower output quality.

Then there's the last thing. I knew what I would say. But then I started thinking of it, and I'm honestly as straight forward as they come. My personality kind of sucks so that's all it would be is a review. The humour wouldn't be there. I'm still going to try later on.

[Kitsune Sniper]

If you have no idea what "angle" to go for I'm kind of wondering what's driving you to want to do this? Usually these things start with an idea.

What drives me is this: I honestly feel that I can do better than a lot of people. I don't intend to become the next big thing. I don't want to become the next big thing. But it kills me to see people who don't do anything but curse at games and claim they suck without actually giving them more than five minutes of gameplay to say "LAWL DIS SUXXORS".

Two people in particular inspired the hell outta me to do this. These two people reviewed games that have been considered by the majority to be godawful, but actually spent the time to explain why they sucked, instead of outright dismissing them:

r2daz's Bad Boys Miami Takedown (PS2) review: Parts 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpKCINVePLs), 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZihZiC7RBDg), 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YASSJQ6dy7w))

TonicBH's Made Man: Confessions of the Family Blood (PC demo) review: Parts 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHN0CuYVhO4), 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRWQ78-ONwQ)

Both reviews made me consider playing the games. In the former's case, I beat the game and actually uploaded the whole runthrough to Youtube. In the latter, I had a chance to get the game for free, so I got it and enjoyed the hell outta it. Both games are obviously flawed but nowhere near as bad as so many reviewers claim.

A lot of reviewers, both amateur and professional, have this attitude towards games. I've never liked that. I won't deny that there's genres that I really hate (I'm lookin' at you, bullet hell shooters) but if I'm going to review something I dislike, I'm going to at least give it a try before outright dismissing it.

I've mentioned on this forum in the past that I hate Terminal Reality for their botched SNK compilations on the PS2. Well, I pulled out SNK Arcade Classics for the PS2 tonight after a year of not touching it to get my bearings straight and realized that not all games are broken, and that I was being very unfair towards the compilation (hey, at least Baseball Stars 2 and that Golf game work!). So while I still dislike Terminal Reality, I can at least say "it does have its good points and I'm enough of a man to admit I was wrong for outright dismissing it."

I haven't read all replies yet, but I'll get to them. I appreciate all the thoughts and advice, really.

[Flippy8490]

Best thing I can tell you is make it look professional. Stray from the cheesy, awful audio, crackly garbage many game reviews on youtube are composed of. As long as it is, as previous posters said, "visually stimulating" and looks like its something official, you should have no problem being successful at reviewing!

[phreakindee]

When I started off doing my Lazy Game Reviews (http://www.youtube.com/user/phreakindee) weekly review show, I wanted to make reviews that I personally would like to watch. Between watching too many online reviews and working in production for local TV shows, I got started with editing, shots and audio by simply doing, so I slowly learned what looks good and what sucks to watch.

I was tired of people not giving a game a chance, overuse of foul language, not really talking about the GAME so much as random tangents or "being angry/cheery", making horrible quality videos with bad sound and overbearing music or cheesy effects, forced humor, scripts, the list goes on.

I tried to simply be myself (which is somewhat lazy and laid-back, overly into PC games) and review things that interested me, without excessive language - I don't mind language but it gets old quick for many people. I also don't try to "advertise" on forums or anything. Honestly, if you like my stuff you'll hopefully tell someone else. I started off doing a few games I hadn't played too much and it sucked. Then I started doing games I enjoyed or were so bad they were enjoyable to some degree and I've hit my sweet spot, judging from the feedback I've gotten in recent months. Mostly I just really enjoy doing it and I think it shows in many of my reviews.

Main points for me:
Don't force anything. Don't try too hard. Try hard not to fall into "YouTube peer pressure" like overdoing shoutouts, announcements, vlogs and subscription statuses - do reviews if you want to do reviews. Don't worry about what people think, but take valid critiques into consideration. Do what you want because YOU want to. Sometimes less is better. Avoid overdone or "obvious" choices for reviews, unless you have a truly unique take. Use a really quick, simple intro/outro. Don't use copyrighted music. Don't copy the AVGN/Irate/Whoever.

[Raedon]

Yeah. Unlike Game Dude or certain other irate people, however, I have no intention of ripping off anyone else's shtick. Especially the AVGN.

The real question is, what kind of advice would -you- offer to someone who wants to start doing this?

I may not go ahead with this but I still want to give this a shot. I'm too shy (read: fugly) to go on camera. But I'm still looking into it.

What would you tell a newcomer, outside of the ever important "don't fucking spam every forum known to humanity" bit?

My degree is in film/video production but you wont find me in front of the camera. I like to be in behind the camera or doing post production. My advice to you is keep it simple and don't do the same thing everyone else is doing.

1) Don't be angry. That slab of shtick is beyond well done.

2) Tripod shots

3) good lighting

4) invest in a good audio recording separate from the camera and sync it later. Nothing I hate more then crackly poor digital camera audio. I suggest Sound Professionals (http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?category=0).

5) Worry about the killer intro AFTER you get a following. Nothing worse then seeing a 'OMFG 3D FX IN YO' FACE' intro that took someone 40 hours to make with a high quality soundtrack in the background then *PHHT* crappy camera audio, low light, shaky camera video that's 9 minutes long.

[Raedon]

The general purpose powered microphones I use for sound recording are oldies but goodies. The SP-SPSM-1 (http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?item=SP-SPSM-1&type=store).

Audio clip (http://www.soundprofessionals.com/MP3files/PRODUCTS/gostudiospsm1guitar.mp3). Voice clip (http://www.soundprofessionals.com/MP3files/PRODUCTS/gostudiospsm1.mp3).

In fact I have two of them because they have these on sale Buy 1 get 2 probably 4 times a year. I use them to gather a very realistic Digital 5.1 track.

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/mas_assets/full/SP-SPSM-1.jpg

I use a mini disc recorder but there are good digital recorders now. Back before 2005 a good digital recorder with line levels you could set cost $600 but now they are around $100. My newest MD recorder cost $30 shipped from Ebay. I only use Sharp MDs because they allow you to manually adjust the level while recording. Still not the way to go these days though ... moving parts break and they haven't made a new MD recorder in 5 years at least.

[OldSchoolGamer]

Be yourself, don't over think it. Let your natural enthusiasm for classic gaming come through. No gimmicks, just be honest and you will be fine. Oh and IF possible, try not to video games by pointing a camera at the screen, I find those annoying at best, IF YOU MUST then use a tripod and center the screen as best and as close as possible. My vids are no means perfect, especially early ones but since then I bought a cheap standalone DVD recorder and I use that to capture games. Many of the positive comments I have gotten were about how my natural love and enthusiasm and excitement comes through and I have never been compared to or called a rip off of AVGN or anyone else. I guess, what I am saying is, do it for love lol!

Good luck! Look me up once you start it, just search for MAXIMUMRD on Youtube.

Oh, as Phreakindee mentioned try to think of what you'd like to see. Like me I try to come up with different things, I try to look at lesser known consoles/computers/games, why should review Sonic or Mario like a million other people? I don't do it for hits, I sincerely do it to put some of the less known items (good or bad) in the spotlight to be unique and hopefully interesting.

[Pezcore343]

I'd have to say if you want to see how to do it right, watch phreakindee's reviews or spida1a's "Turboviews". Both are excellent youtube reviewers, and the Turboviews are entirely without him being on camera, yet still entertaning. Definitely good examples to follow.

[Raedon]

If your looking for something different, check out R.O.B. the robots (http://www.youtube.com/user/8BitROB) channel. Dude is just reviewing common games everyone has already played but is doing it in a way that is original. Low tech but still high quality.

[tubeway]

Masturbatin' Gamer. This concept is self-explanatory. An alternative name would be Masturgamor.

[ryborg]

Remember, it's okay to not be funny! There is absolutely nothing worse than an unfunny doofus who thinks he's hilarious. I'm not saying you personally aren't or can't be funny; just overarching advice to anyone wanting to create videos. You seem to have the knowledge and the desire to make some worthwhile reviews, so I can't wait to see what you come up with.

PS: do the opposite of teh game duderrrr

[Raedon]

Remember, it's okay to not be funny! There is absolutely nothing worse than an unfunny doofus who thinks he's hilarious. I'm not saying you personally aren't or can't be funny; just overarching advice to anyone wanting to create videos.



Trust us. We'll tell you if you suck. That's what we are here for.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Masturbatin' Gamer. This concept is self-explanatory. An alternative name would be Masturgamor.

Uh. No. :P

I'm not looking for "persona" ideas... I don't like them. I'm me, not ... someone else.

As for video equipment, uh, again, not needed, since I'm fugly as hell. I have a decent gaming headset that records really clear audio and I can clear it up after recording it anyway. And I don't intend to spend money I don't have on things I may not use very often. :p


Trust us. We'll tell you if you suck. That's what we are here for.

I've been told I -am- funny, but it's a written sort of humor, actually saying the stuff is a bit more complicated.

And yeah. I don't want to be you-know-who. :p

[InsaneDavid]

You can get decent video by pointing your camera at the TV screen. All my Tomy Tutor game insights were done in that way (http://www.youtube.com/insanedavid). Basically I set aside a day when I could go through the entire cartridge library, one take for each game. I had the system next to me, put the camera on the tripod, pointed the camera at the TV, sat next to the camera (so voice would be consistent), and played the games while I gave information and impressions off the top of my head. Nothing was scripted since I pretty much knew what I was going to be looking at. Same goes for the videos about the system - pointed the camera at the table and did them on the fly.

Those videos I did to document the hardware and games. The other videos I have up are there just to be shared.

[Ed Oscuro]

IMO "shticks" are overdone, just be interesting. Cool catness is just a plus, not really required if your stuff is good enough.

David, I like you, but that is the arghness.

Now, it's not nearly as ambitious as David's video, and the camera cost more (since it's a hybrid), and for the money you'd probably be well on the way to getting a real semi-pro camcorder with far reduced moire and other problems - but I shot this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nFtDcbXSCE) without a tripod. (My friend Herman's comment suggests it also may be worthwhile to be ruthless moderating your comments.)

In addition to Flack's very good hints about what makes for successful videos, I would add:

Cheap camera, expensive camera, whatever + screen (CRT or otherwise) = Hello seasickness! HELLO MOIRE!

IMO there are only two ways to get "good" results for Youtube video where you can set up beforehand (obviously documentary stuff is another kettle of fish altogether) and don't have the full range of pro filmmaking equipment.

All methods are improved by the use of still photos or other artwork where appropriate (think the "game library" segments of Game Center CX) interspersed with the footage.

Don't forget to run your footage through some software if you have more than one "take" of video. But, as my fountain movie above suggests, videos you can do in one take are rarely very interesting (and rarely free from issues; I made like 20 attempts to narrate a video outside in the cold recently and ended up just using the third - don't look as it's not uploaded yet), and I don't think any of us is Alfred Hitchcock.

All methods are also vastly improved if you remember to focus! Plus, setting the focus once and leaving the camera stationary eliminates out-of-focus shots!

After that, the two ways of making good, affordable YT videos:

1.) Use good lighting and a decent cam on a stable surface (a pile of boxes, books, whatever, and pan) or on a tripod, even a tabletop is better than nothing + microphone for face shots, static stuff, whatever. Even the most surehanded camcorder operator's footage makes you feel like a sailor about to pitch over the boardwalk unless you've got a steadicam (which actually can be done with some pipes for $20 or less (http://steadycam.org/) but that introduces other problems like focusing on the fly).

and

Record your game video to a capture card or something similar (some people use a DVR, would be a great option for more current consoles)

OR

2.) Obviously, if you don't have a capture card or DVR and you need the convenience of a camcorder (it certainly helps things) then you just do what I said above for your game footage. If possible get good lighting and play with your camera's exposure settings (if available) to get the screen in good focus. Please don't handhold the camcorder while looking at or playing a game. Pile some socks (carefully) on top of the pile of boxes and books you made earlier and use that to angle in to your footage, if required.

3.) Actually, I lied - if you're a good player and are demonstrating playing technique, video straight out of MAME is often good enough. I watch these straightforward game videos. I'm with Flack, they don't bring me back to the channel unless the player has a lot of them, but these are very useful and nobody should slag people for just uploading them.

[InsaneDavid]

David, I like you, but that is the arghness.

LOL It should also be obvious that I just use a video mode on a digital camera. I can always go back and do it at higher res another day but honestly it's not my thing.

[lazyhoboguy]

I have kind of thought of maybe doing reviews myself. But I dont really have the time or think my opinions would be interesting enough for me to go through the effort lol. Right now I just upload gameplay videos. If I ever did do reviews I would probably not show myself on camera and would just talk through the gameplay or something.

[Jehusephat]

Do a "Soviet Russia" review. Pick a different game every week, and have the characters in the game review you or something in your life. I'd like to see a video in which Ryu Hayabusa interrogates you in a series of Ninja Gaiden-esque cutscenes. I want to see Simon Belmont retrieve your laundry from your apparently labyrinthine basement. Have Dr. Mario psychoanalyze you. Take a trip to the beach with Master Higgins. Have... uh... that guy from Kabuki Quantum Fighter help you choose a new hairstyle. Have Shingen, Genghis Khan, and all of the other rulers from those annoying KOEI games give you tips on how to deal with your overly complicated life. I can't think of a video in which that has been done... or maybe I just didn't look hard enough.

[bcks007]

I actually like Bad Boys: Miami Takedown, alot. :D:o

[phreakindee]

Do a "Soviet Russia" review. Pick a different game every week, and have the characters in the game review you or something in your life. I'd like to see a video in which Ryu Hayabusa interrogates you in a series of Ninja Gaiden-esque cutscenes. I want to see Simon Belmont retrieve your laundry from your apparently labyrinthine basement. Have Dr. Mario psychoanalyze you. Take a trip to the beach with Master Higgins. Have... uh... that guy from Kabuki Quantum Fighter help you choose a new hairstyle. Have Shingen, Genghis Khan, and all of the other rulers from those annoying KOEI games give you tips on how to deal with your overly complicated life. I can't think of a video in which that has been done... or maybe I just didn't look hard enough.

Well that's an idea... I wouldn't watch it, but it's an idea. Personally I find the idea of such things in what is to be called a "review" extremely distracting and in fact unprofessional to put it nicely. If you want to do that, don't call it a review. At all.

[Fuyukaze]

1.dont worry about doing things like others are doing so much as doing it how YOU want to

2.dont play the game while your trying to describe it. keep it simple by showing footage of the gameplay and then give an opinion. if you want, follow it up with more footage.

3.know what you want to say before you say it. nothing sounds more stupid then someone who constantly uses words like uh.

4.also, try not to repeat the same words over and over. We already know your doing it so we dont need every other word to be I. The word "and" is also a horrible way to start a sentance. Basicly try to expand the vocabulary you use in your review. If it requires posting a script behind the camera to guide you along should your review be lengthy, use it!

5.have fun doing it. dont force yourself to do it either. make a back stock of them before you post your first also. the reasons are you'll be able to see your shortfalls as you progress and you'll also be able to take time off once you do start posting them should you need to. nothing sucks more then burning yourself out when your 20 reviews in because suddenly it all feels like work.

6.dont pick games you hate just to review something. remember, this is your show so you make the calls. if you only want to review ds games, then ds games it is. there's always going to be someone to review something so just do what tickles your fancy.

7.good reviews of your vids or bad, your always going to get feedback you dont realy need. dont freak, it's youtube after all. if you've not noticed by now the place is choke full of ass hats with the mindset of a 4 year old and the charm of a 90 year old porn star.

my final thing to add is dont worry about how you look. there's crap loads of ugly people on the internet. sight unseen i cant imagine you to be half as ugly as over half of my own family. maybe dress wicked in a tux or a buisness suit when you do the reviews. or a giant chicken costume. or as wesker and mess with tune's head. reguardless, once you get the ball rolling your not going to worry over how you look so much as what's next to play.

good luck

[GameBoyGeek]

Just be your self man. Try not to rip anyone else's style or their shtick you will be fine :D

[Kitsune Sniper]

Do a "Soviet Russia" review. Pick a different game every week, and have the characters in the game review you or something in your life. I'd like to see a video in which Ryu Hayabusa interrogates you in a series of Ninja Gaiden-esque cutscenes. I want to see Simon Belmont retrieve your laundry from your apparently labyrinthine basement. Have Dr. Mario psychoanalyze you. Take a trip to the beach with Master Higgins. Have... uh... that guy from Kabuki Quantum Fighter help you choose a new hairstyle. Have Shingen, Genghis Khan, and all of the other rulers from those annoying KOEI games give you tips on how to deal with your overly complicated life. I can't think of a video in which that has been done... or maybe I just didn't look hard enough.

Okay, I'd never do this... But that's a damn fine good idea for a comedy show.

[vintagegamecrazy]

I'd guess the best advice to give you is make it as kid friendly as possible. I don't mean childish or immature, just something that won't offend anyone, don't use profanity to get your point across just review a game and have fun doing it and make it fun to watch. Profanity is a crutch if you ask me.

[Raedon]

I'd guess the best advice to give you is make it as kid friendly as possible. I don't mean childish or immature, just something that won't offend anyone, don't use profanity to get your point across just review a game and have fun doing it and make it fun to watch. Profanity is a crutch if you ask me.

I don't think Kitume Sniper can do kid friendly videos. He's one cynical bastard. http://www.bakabt.com/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif

[Kitsune Sniper]

I don't think Kitume Sniper can do kid friendly videos. He's one cynical bastard. http://www.bakabt.com/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif

Uh...

What? O_o Cynical? Me?

[Flack]

This thread is really making me want to do some video reviews, although the video production part is too much work and I know I won't do more than three.

[Ed Oscuro]

LOL It should also be obvious that I just use a video mode on a digital camera. I can always go back and do it at higher res another day but honestly it's not my thing.
Well, so do I! I have used the 720p (30 FPS) mode on my Canon T1i / 500D here and there. I guess yours is like the video mode on the old Sony F707 I've used which is either a 640x480 or 320x240 mode (one of those).

I don't get as much of the "jello" effect when I move my camera around by hand, but I get enough of it for it to be a problem. Mainly, the lack of a steadicam ( http://steadycam.org/ ) really kills the ability to move around and now annoy people (but the video is still quite watchable due to the high resolution and sharpness). But there are ways to kind of compensate. In the case of your video, though, you probably should have just plopped it on a pile of stuff and used it that way. Again, the lack of exposure control on a cheap digital camera's video mode means you want very good lighting.

It works great in a pinch, and the microphone is basically omnidirectional which is less a problem than it might seem (just be careful to damp noises, also you hear every last thing you're doing with the lens or the camera, as the solid body transfers noises right to the microphone, not as bad as putting your ear to a wooden table, but the same idea.

[kupomogli]

This thread is really making me want to do some video reviews, although the video production part is too much work and I know I won't do more than three.

*Superman music plays.* This is a job for Mike Matei.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

i think the number 1 turn off for me is when a video is presented in way that screams amateur, like hearing you move around, squeaky chairs, shitty mics, coughing, shit like that. i guess its a bit of proffesionalism that im looking for, at least as far as presentation.


i couldnt care less about seeing the persons face or not, but obviously a clear speaking voice and a bit of humor would be nice. a relaxed, yet proffesional environment is what i'd be looking for, worst thing u can do is try to force a joke and not let it flow naturally, the viewer can always tell, and the desparation in your tone would probably be the biggest factor in making me walk away from you.


apart from that, i guess just find your niche, maybe review obscure games that no one else is covering, or focus everything on a particular system or genre, anything to make u stand out, thats basically it i guess *shrugs*



........oh yea.....and black jokes, make sure u spout off a string of black jokes. everyone loves racism, and black jokes are a perfect ice breaker, what better way to follow a gunstar heroes reviews than out of context n bombs and disparaging remarks made on sidney pottier? no better way, thats what. good luck buddy, god speed

[skaar]

Show lots of footage of the game and research some facts users might not know about it. Figure out your formatting/layout and script BEFORE you start shooting and try to stick to it.

Myself I want to see what the game plays like and sounds like more than anything.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I'm still trying to figure out why Raedon thinks I'm cynical.

So I'm going along with this, and the thing I've noticed that's a pain in the ass is actually getting footage. No wonder so many Youtube reviewers just talk while showing random footage captures. This is hard. :p

[Ed Oscuro]

Show lots of footage of the game and research some facts users might not know about it.
But you can go overboard with footage (I don't want to watch anybody play a game straight through for 10 minutes unless they are a Deceased Crab) and facts as well. I recently tried demonstrating some footage through an unusual lens and I realized that I'd basically end up reading a script. Sure, it'd be putting everything in one place, but it'd also be simply overwhelming.

I mean, just look at my posts. I try to be encyclopedic in them, but who really reads all the way through them?

A decent place to look for one model of gameplay review is at GameSpot's video reviews. Compare those with the written reviews. You stuff the written portion full of text as the companion to your video piece where the flash and other stuff sticks.

[Raedon]

If you can, don't review games and play them badly. It seems most NES reviewers suck at games in general. There was once a guy who did play threws of games while talking. He wasn't the best but he could get threw NES games with a few lives and 10 minutes while talking about them.

I hardly ever see anyone playing games well its just, "look ... its freak'n Q'bert on the NES and these fuckers are after you. I got to the 4th stage once. blah blah"

[Raedon]

I'm still trying to figure out why Raedon thinks I'm cynical.



cynical was a poor choice of words. You're sarcastic.

[Kitsune Sniper]

If you can, don't review games and play them badly. It seems most NES reviewers suck at games in general. There was once a guy who did play threws of games while talking. He wasn't the best but he could get threw NES games with a few lives and 10 minutes while talking about them.

I hardly ever see anyone playing games well its just, "look ... its freak'n Q'bert on the NES and these fuckers are after you. I got to the 4th stage once. blah blah"

My cardinal rule is this:
If I can't play the game well then don't bother reviewing it.

Exceptions apply; for example, if I talk about a game in my collection (which is... rather big) that is unfortunately really bad. My involvement in MobyGames has left me with knowledge of some really bad ports; one of them is the DOS CGA version of Street Fighter, which I bought in a bundle pack along with Cabal (a TRULY excellent game considering the limitations of the time!) and Side Arms (a really weird port that I can't get to run right and which has some weird controller mapping). Just check out these graphics!

http://i50.tinypic.com/2rep9ja.png

The game is so old I can't figure out the correct cycle speed to get it to run fine in DOSBox. o_O Point being, if the game is so hard I can't handle it, I may talk about it, but I'll explain the problems I had with the game and let people make their own choice regarding the game. If the game is so badly programmed that it's nigh unplayable, then that's another thing altogether. I won't slam it, but at least I'll show video of it and tell people about it (so it might not be a real review, just a demonstration of the game.)

Like I said before, I don't want to go "LAWL DIS GAME SUXXX" just for the hell of it, I want to explain WHY the game sucks and show you too.

(And no, I won't be playing nothing but bad games. :P)

And thanks for clarifying the cynical comment. Yes, I'm a sarcastic bastich and I'm damn proud of it, thank you. :)

[Raedon]

Just check out these graphics!

http://i50.tinypic.com/2rep9ja.png

The game is so old I can't figure out the correct cycle speed to get it to run fine in DOSBox.

Holy crap! I gotta see that in motion! That's just hideously ludicrous while still being topical with SF4 being the #1 fighter around atm.

Who's Retsu? :?

[Kitsune Sniper]

Holy crap! I gotta see that in motion! That's just hideously ludicrous while still being topical with SF4 being the #1 fighter around atm.

Who's Retsu? :?

Japanese monk, first enemy in the Japan stage in Street Fighter 1.

He never showed up in later games.

[phreakindee]

SF for the PC is a horrible game to say the least, bought a boxed copy recently for less than a dollar. I'd love to see a review, I have yet to really get myself to play it enough to make my own!

[Gameguy]

This is why I like spunkeez, he made a parody of bad reviewers. Most of his videos aren't like that, but his parody stood out for me.

How not to make a review: Episode 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOKcAndmud8

[tubeway]

Well, so do I! I have used the 720p (30 FPS) mode on my Canon T1i / 500D here and there.

I shoot with that same model of Canon. *brofist*

[kupomogli]

I'm still trying to figure out why Raedon thinks I'm cynical.

So I'm going along with this, and the thing I've noticed that's a pain in the ass is actually getting footage. No wonder so many Youtube reviewers just talk while showing random footage captures. This is hard. :p

Why not play through the entire game. Record every bit of what you play. Then cut from there. That way you have an entire games worth to cut out and use as reference. Sure it'd take longer, but I'd say it would give you more to choose from.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Why not play through the entire game. Record every bit of what you play. Then cut from there. That way you have an entire games worth to cut out and use as reference. Sure it'd take longer, but I'd say it would give you more to choose from.

That's what I'm doing.

I have about 10 GB of footage (two hours) and I'm not done yet. -.-

[Kitsune Sniper]

It's been a month, do I have anything to show for it?

... not really. :p I've got the footage, but I haven't written anything yet.

Recent events surrounding my favorite internet hangout have kinda forced me to give this a shot again. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to listen to a demo reading of me reciting the intro to a possible review? Just to get pointers on pronunciation, volume, and accent. I have a weird way of speaking, and my English accent isn't perfect.

[kupomogli]

I'll listen as long as you don't mind a harsh critic. Since you haven't done anything to really compare against then it's not going to be like me ranting about how great AVGNs reviews used to be and that his quality has become a lot worse. Though AVGN's last few recent reviews have actually been getting very good, almost as good and sometimes as good as his older reviews were.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Uh, it's not the actual review, just me reading some test scripts. :p

I don't want to be compared to anyone. All I'm asking is for pronunciation / accent help at the moment. You bringing up the first person I want to be compared to the least isn't helping. :|

[kupomogli]

No. I'm saying that since you haven't did any reviews, it won't be like you've done a bunch of good reviews and then like you're trying to rush others out quickly just to get another review out there.

I used James as an example because aside from his recent good reviews, he was in a stretch where it seems he was just doing quick boring and generic reviews without putting as much effort in as he does normally. Just to get his required weekly review so he can get paid.

[Jorpho]

I was wondering if anyone would be willing to listen to a demo reading of me reciting the intro to a possible review? Just to get pointers on pronunciation, volume, and accent. I have a weird way of speaking, and my English accent isn't perfect.Oh sure, I'm good.

A weird way of speaking can be very ingratiating. I suspect Ashens or Yahtzee would have achieved quite the same levels of notoriety without their accents - which is not to say that an accent alone will carry a review.

[elvis8atari]

Don't try and be an angry gamer..

Don't curse and yell at games

[Richter Belmount]

Random good idea , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQmXPNcPtRc do can crushes in your review.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Right, so.

http://www.mediafire.com/?fd2qugfi2na

I recorded this last night. I think my voice came out a little soft. :( I didn't do improv, which some people used to say that I was decent at - again, this is just a test.

And it has no cursing.

[Jorpho]

Your voice is terrible and you should change it immediately! Just kidding. More than anything it reminds me of the soothing, level tones of an electronic voice synthesizer, actually.

I would be inclined to suggest getting one of those little fuzzy things for your microphone. Yahtzee has also mentioned in the past that he edits his recordings to take out breathing and unnecessary pauses; perhaps you would like to attempt the same?

[Kitsune Sniper]

Your voice is terrible and you should change it immediately! Just kidding. More than anything it reminds me of the soothing, level tones of an electronic voice synthesizer, actually.

I would be inclined to suggest getting one of those little fuzzy things for your microphone. Yahtzee has also mentioned in the past that he edits his recordings to take out breathing and unnecessary pauses; perhaps you would like to attempt the same?

I already have a fuzzy thing on my microphone... I use a headset. This. (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106069) It's a great headset, the headphones are awesome and the mic is very clear.

I could always do what Tay Zonday does and breathe away from the mic. XP I will edit the audio eventually, but like I said, this is just me messing around first.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Well, just so people aren't expecting the biggest thing ever... I've decided not to do this.

Why?

Because I sounded almost as stupid as the Game Dude. The more I listened to my recordings, the more I realized I hate my voice. The biggest issue I noticed is that I simply -cannot- do a proper voice because I have to wear a headset, and I can't listen to myself talking. I can't modulate my voice when I have the headset on.

I'm sorry for bumping this thread again, but considering all the help and advice everyone gave me, I felt it was the least I could do. :\

[Ed Oscuro]

Yo I hate my voice and people are like "oh godddgddgd I came to your voice 23 times in as many seconds"

So give it a try? Ehh, do what you love. If you don't like voice you could just do some text-over. Most of the game videos I see actually have no voice; they're just gameplay demos.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Maybe I just can't speak in English. I thought my accent didn't suck, but I make George Lopez sound like President Obama.

My Spanish voice is fine, but as soon as I start to talk in English, I lose it.

[kupomogli]

You can't speak English very well? Your sentences look fine here. The, sentences, look, better, written, than, many, of, Zoltor's, with, commas, everywhere(obvious exaggeration.)

I'd have thought you would speak English fine by the way you type.

[Kitsune Sniper]

You'd think the same of Stephen Hawking if you only knew him from his written works and didn't know he was paraplegic. (And no, I'm not comparing myself to him.)

There's quite a difference between being... good with written words and being good at spoken word. A lot of comedians are good at what they do because they have a decent writer backing them up. I think I'm decent at writing, but I lack the skills to pull off the punchlines. I'm just not funny or even vaguely interesting when I talk. And my accent is friggin' atrocious - at least when I have this stupid headset on.

(Why the hell did I type Richard Hawking?)

[Ed Oscuro]

So script your stuff a bit if you don't feel comfortable wingin' it.

[Kitsune Sniper]

So script your stuff a bit if you don't feel comfortable wingin' it.

I did.

I ended up with a 16 minute voice track. :p

[Flack]

To get my podcast to sound halfway decent I both script parts and edit the crap out of it. With audio editing it's pretty easy to pull all those "ummms" and "uhhhs" out from in between sentences. With video editing it's a little tougher to do smoothly, so scripting things out and making words come out smoothly helps with that.

Also I think it's a prerequisite to hate your voice when you start doing this stuff. God knows I do. Mine's downright awful. The thing is, your listeners will accept it or not and will listen or not. Nothing you can do about that.

I think going from audio to video greatly increases the amount of time needed to put out a good product. When I record an hour long podcast, I start with about an hour or so of writing and research. Then I record for an hour. Then I immediately edit for about 90 minutes, listening to the entire thing and cutting out all the crappy parts and whatever. When I'm doing the podcast I might say a part two or three times to get it right, and then when editing I cut the bad takes out. Then when I'm all done I listen to the whole thing again. So for a 1 hour podcast that's 4 hours worth of work. For video I can see a 1 hour show taking twice that length of time, easily.

Also (and I may be repeating myself now) a cheap headset is going to give you crappy audio. I bought a couple of USB mic/headsets for $25 each and people complained about the quality right off the bat. I now do mine with a pro-quality mic ($100) and run through a small mixing board. Overkill? Probably, but I had the stuff lying around and the difference in quality was immediately noticeable. I still need to pic up a good mic for doing video stuff. Do people usually use wired mics for that? (Like for the small ones that attach to people's shirts ...) Do they come with a 50' wire or something?

[Ed Oscuro]

As Flack said, don't think that every last detail needs to be crammed in. Be ruthless with your material, that way only the best stuff gets in. It's like writing a poem. You wouldn't recite a single poem for five minutes, and you don't need to go over the Youtube limit. If you want to say that much stuff, then you ought to trying writing some essays instead. There's places for each approach.

[thom_m]

The more I listened to my recordings, the more I realized I hate my voice.

Seems like the file is not up anymore, so I couldn't listen to it. But I do have one thing to say: you'll ALWAYS hate your recorded voice when you first hear it, and for some time after that, until you get used to it. I've been through that, and it's only a matter of time, really.

As far as I know, your recorded voice is different from when you hear yourself speaking because, when you talk, your voice will ressonate through your inner ear bones from the inside too, altering the way it'll sound to everybody else (if I'm horribly wrong about this, someone please correct me).

Therefore, hearing your "real" voice will always be shocking to some degree. But you get used to it, and eventualy see how it somehow matches your self-heard voice. Take some time, listen to the recording again and again, find the voice you know inside that new one you're getting from the speakers, and it'll be fine. I hope I helped somehow. :)

[Kitsune Sniper]

Well, I read these replies and decided to test out the mic again, but not while wearing the headset. And guess what? My voice really -was- different. It was much easier to understand. I don't know why, but having my ears covered up really does affect my voice to some degree.

So now I need to find an external microphone or something. This thing ain't cutting it. I did buy another microphone to try and do some Let's Play videos... I just don't know where that is.

[Jorpho]

Y'know, you might be able to get Entirely Adequate sound quality by speaking into the earpieces of a good pair of headphones. Seriously.

[Nescollector]

I'd guess the best advice to give you is make it as kid friendly as possible. I don't mean childish or immature, just something that won't offend anyone, don't use profanity to get your point across just review a game and have fun doing it and make it fun to watch. Profanity is a crutch if you ask me.

I would have to agree about profanity, it's an instant turn off for allot of people and is unnecessary.

[NayusDante]

Your voice won't matter so much if the actual video content is entertaining to watch. Yahtzee uses MS Paint for all of his pictures, which comprise the entirety of his reviews, but I haven't seen the technique used with actual footage. If you can put together some funny comic-strip illustrations like that to use between actual gameplay, it would make it original and interesting. Come up with a simple set of generic characters that you can use to illustrate different points you want to make, and give it a uniform look from video to video.

You don't have to go on camera at all, you just need to have some original visual content to go with the game footage.