How To Write A Review

I've been getting a lot of reviews, which is great. It's nice to see that so many fans care about this site and Kirby enough to dedicate the time and effort to writing a review. Sadly, very few of these submitted pieces actually get posted. The problem is that most of them are not even reviews. They are just information on the ability. The reviews are suppose to provide insight on why an individual prefers an ability, taking the good and the bad, critisizing it, and developing, well, a review.

Another point considered is the ability reviewed versus the quality it obtains. I know it is a harsh judgement, but if it on a Super Star ability, I'll expect a lot on it since those powers had a lot of meat to them. however, the 64 or Animal Friend combinations will probably be allowed to slide with a little bit less. They are less popular, less involved abilities. This doesn't mean that garbage will be waved on in, but size will certainly be weighed less.

What To Do: Think about a movie review. The film critic doesn't just tell you word for word what happened in the movie. They analyze the plot, the setting, the camera work, acting, etc. That's what a review is suppose to be. What it should not be is a description of what the power does itself. Yes, that is pretty important to include, but these elements must then be dissected as to their worth.

Give It Flavor: These are not entries into the Kirbypedia, so don't write them in a strict, encyclopedic, factual manner. Spice things up if you want to. Use jokes, poke some fun, use colorful writing. If people wanted to know what the ability did, they would just look it up in one of the many on-line catalogues. You are writing why they should use it or avoid it, and you want them to read your review. Keep it interesting.

Repeat Offenders: I've been asked if you can write more than one review. The answer is of course! You can write a review for every ability. However, to prevent flooding, every time you write a review, I'll be expecting your game to step up a notch. Each one should be better than the last, even if just a little. Cleaner, more informative, more enthralling, and more insightful.

What Not To Do: There's no need to include anything from the TV show. I nor anyone should care what his hat looked like or how it came onto him. I mean, you can include that, but feel no obligation. These are suppose to reflect the abilities' use in the games and critically analyze their worth. The series ... has nothing to do with that. On that note, phrasing the reviews as "____ Kirby" is also more of a "What?" factor from the show.

Also, try to refrain from listing the techniques of an ability in the Super Star fashion of [Direction] + [Button] = [Technique]. I set a bad precident by including this in the first review with Backdrop, but that was solely because Backdrop had variation without a pause screen to detail all of its uses. Plus, I wanted to tap into the wrestling moves that it involved for some background. In an article, listing the parts really kills momentum of a read. I would suggest avoiding it.

In closing, read Ramphy's Hi-Jump Review for a great example of how they should look. That's right, his name stays on top until I get a better one.

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