Reviews: Review: Forza Horizon 4

Here we go

I appreciate adding b-roll footage to these now, because it helps to see what they're talking about.

But at the same time, I kind of feel like maybe this just turns it in to a weaker version of a Quicklook? And I'm seriously questioning who's going to be watching an hour-long video review that is, for lack of a better term, half-disconnected rambling over gameplay footage?

At least with a Quicklook it's live commentary and reactions to what is currently happening. These keep live commentary but now the gameplay footage is only vaguely relevant to the topic at hand.

To me, a review is concise and informative. There are people out there putting out reviews that are like, five sentences and a score. Heck, that's basically what the "GiantBomb Gaming Minute" bumpers were that Jeff was doing for the radio arm of CBS.

I just don't know if this is what I want from this kind of review. There are definitely long video reviews out there on the internet, but those are typically very deep, analysis-focused things that borderline on dissertations. Usually they function to uncover a deeper truth about a game. This is just a conversation, and kind of a repeat of conversations also had in other videos and other podcasts.

Consider me luke warm on this idea. I want more video reviews from GiantBomb, but I don't think I want them like this.

These new form reviews are great. I like how it goes from Quick Look to podcast to the review, you can see the opinions develop. The conversational aspect makes it more accessible.

@blazehedgehog: This is just a conversation, and kind of a repeat of conversations also had in other videos and other podcasts

I get the feeling that is kind of the reason for this.

If I recall correctly, around the time of The Crew 2 release, they talked about doing something, so that people who want to know more about a game do not have to watch one or two videos and skip around in two or three podcasts to get the guys' opinion.

These review videos seem to be the result of that. If you consume almost every piece of content on here, there will not be much or any new information.

Yeah, if you listen to the bombcast this is just more fleshed out. If you watch the QL this is just less visual.

I don't really get the new review format. It used to be about being concise, punchy, a sense of finality and that's totally gone with this format so for people that don't listen to the bombcast it seems useful I guess. However I feel like the bombast is still the leading platform for a large percentage of people so it seems redundant as well but whatever.

Do what you want, it's just something I'm gonna skip most of the time because it seems so far to be a lot of rehashing of the things said in other places but just in a really really long format.

The whole thing screams of "less production-heavy way to do something"

I'm glad they brought back video reviews. It's so natural like they never stopped.

@jeff If you want to stream a UWP app to Mixer on PC the easiest way is to use the Windows DVR feature. It's really not bad at all. I use it as my video capture solution rather than Shadowplay.

“How long were you in there?”

“Too long. Your story needs editing.”

Forza is not my bag, but I am always for deep dive reviews especially if the staff is passionate about a game.

With GB doing more multimedia comment (written review, video and podcast discussion), I'm still hopeful that a future site redesign can allow all the comments to live in one connected place.

This format is great. I wish I had the attention span to read reviews, but I don't. This is the perfect blend of depth and catering to modern psychologies.

You don't have the attention span to spend 5 minutes reading a review, but you do have the attention span to watch a 51 minute video? That doesn't make much sense.

That'd be something. Or incorporate the audio review together on the same page as the written one.

Shouldn't be impossible, I think. :3

@kalesh: Well reading a review requires you giving 100% of your attention to the act of reading, whereas listening to this video review is something you can do in the background while doing something else. It makes complete sense, really. That said, I don't personally have an issue with reading a review.

why the fuck is this 50% volume then anything else on the website

I installed the demo to see how it ran on my computer and gave the controller to my 8 year old son during the dirtbike race in the tutorial. He fell way behind and the slow motion triggered when he was weaving between trees and the dirtbikes weren't even visible at that point.. Kinda funny actually.

I like this format