Hey guys, I decided to make a thread to call attention to one of our major features here, the Game Database. I'll probably bump it from time to time to let everyone know about new hot games that have been added that you can add to your collections or rate.

First, let me explain a few things about rating games and adding them to your collection. Everyone (yes, even you -1ers!) can rate games and add them to your collection. This is a pretty simple process. Go up to the menu above and select GAMES -> Game Database, or just CLICK HERE. You will see a list of titles you can browse, and you can also search for specific titles with the search feature at the top, and even add games you can't find with the little bar at the top right above the search functionality that says "Submit a Game (keywords)". To add a game to your collection you check the box under "Owned" next to the game, and to rate it you select a number under "You" (you can add without rating and vice versa, if you want to). You can do one game or a whole page at a time, and when you are ready to submit your collection and ratings updates, click the "CLICK TO UPDATE THIS PAGE OF YOUR COLLECTION AND RATINGS" bar that can be found at either the top or bottom. Simple!

You can also rate games and add them to your collection from the individual game pages that you access when you click on any game from the main game page. For instance, if you were on the Mario Party 6 page there is a box in the top right where you can add it to your collection or rate it and click the "PUSH" button to update.

Now, let me explain something about writing game reviews. Again, everyone (yes, even you -1ers!) can write reviews for the site. This is a pretty simple process. Like before, go up to the menu above and select GAMES -> Game Database (or just CLICK HERE. Select the game you want to review (you can use the search at the top to find games quickly) and click on it. Near the top right of the page for that individual game you will see "Add a review" with a little plus next to it. Click the plus, write your review, choose a score (or not, if you don't like scoring reviews) and submit. Easy as pie!

And don't worry about not being formal enough, or sticking to a specific review format, or whatever. As long as you can write a paragraph or two and put your thoughts into a semi-coherent form, everything is good. Also, reviews of older games are totally acceptable, for instance I recently posted a WarioWare: Twisted! review of mine that I wrote like 6 years ago or whatever.

Alright, that's all I have for now. Use the features guys!

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@Zero

True, but that kind of makes user scores junk, IMO. Meaningless.

And regardless of "what most people do", it's always a good idea to explain your scoring system. It's pretty annoying to think that people don't really know what a 7/10 I give when I write a review here means.

Pandareus and I are proponents of order, and Zero and Simba are the agents of chaos!

I guess it goes both ways. I mean, scores and reviews are NEVER going to be consistent, especially in a user-based site like this where anyone can score games and write reviews. I suppose I've always kind of thought of that as the default fact of the matter, and only worry about keeping internal consistency between my own scores and reviews. Putting labels on this stuff on a site that is kind of anything goes per user in my eyes is trying to force order into an essentially chaotic system.

But the more honest truth is we kind of set things up without thinking about it in too much detail. I'm not opposed to putting up some guidelines, but I wonder how much it would matter? Personally I know that to me 7 is "ok" and if you tell me 5 is "ok" I'm still never going to be able to give a 5 to a game I had some liking for. I just can't do it, a 5 out of 10 is mediocre/trash to me.

This thread is probably kind of useless now that the game database has more of a spotlight in the site as a whole. But still, I think...

More people need to rate Resident Evil 4!!!

It kind of got a few low reviews early on and fell onto page 2 and I don't think most people even saw it in the database. It's slowly climbing its way back up, but it has a bunch less reviews than would be expected for a game of this magnitude.

Your mom is a 7.

@Zero

9.2'd

@Simbabbad How about I ban anyone who gave it under a 9?

...and also anyone who gave Super Mario Galaxy 2 under a 9?

@warerare Gah, you people were supposed to knock the score UP!

@warerare

Just pulling your leg, 9.5'd

Haha, whats going on here?:

Kururin Paradise

I added Rogue Trooper: Quartz Zone Massacre for Wii sometime within the last month or so. I bought it recently, but I haven't opened it yet. I think someone here at least has played it, right? I recall someone here discussing it back when it was still a European exclusive.

@Simbabbad

From a gameplay perspective they're identical. The only difference between the first two and the last is Mike Tyson himself.

I sense another debate of 'collection' vs. 'score'. I'd probably come down on the score side, since I'm not anal about collecting stuff. Is it possible to have separate entries that share the same score?

@Mr_Mustache
WTF, Chozoman!! How could anyone dislike Kururin Paradise??

@Simbabbad

They are two different SKUs, however. Different titles, and a different skin for the end boss.

@Pandareus

I would rate the Mr. Dream version lower. In fact, I had a chance of purchasing it before brand new when it re-released, and held out to find a used copy of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! instead. Its like...Hydrox.

(What the heck!? Hydrox was around first?! Alright, its KINDA like Hydrox...)

What is this non-sense talk of merging skus? If the distinction in skus has already been made, then it defeats the purpose of their existence to merge them.

I've done my part. I've rated every game in my collection for Wii and DS that I have finished (I own many that I haven't rated, but I can't make an honest opinion until I've finished it), and I've added and rated every Wii and DS game that I own that isn't in there somewhere.

Uhh, I feel like a moron. I've always thought that writing up a review was only given to those with elite status. Now that I know how to do it I may partake!

I know certain people preferred Tyson and other people preferred Mr. Dream. They're not the same game!!! I mean, they are in the one sense, but they aren't in the other.

@Simbabbad Oh hey, neat new stuff on the front page. Curious though, as long as you already have the code for the various lists, it can display a random list as default but is there an easy way to let someone on the front page choose which top 10 list to view? It'd be cleaner than someone getting curious and having to refresh a bunch of times until they found the list they wanted to see.

Like erm, I just did a bunch of times.