Updated since July 29, 2022
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- General
- Content
- Q: What’s up with the whole “EYE _____” scale? Isn’t the 10-star rating informative enough?
- Q: Why are Full View reviews filled with so much excessive, redundant information?
- Q: I’ve noticed that this website tends to focus on Japanese works, animation, and other similar subjects. Why not call it “Anime Eye” or something?
General
Q: What are the goals of this website?
A: Please refer to the “Website Insight” page for a more detailed explanation. But if you want a more personal response, it’s three-fold:
- I want to express my interests and passions on a more public platform
- I want to explore whether this kind of work is something I can see myself doing long-term in a professional environment
- I want to experiment and determine whether certain activities or areas are something I want to pursue further
In other words, this website is somewhat of a playground for me to discover what I really want to do in life. For that reason, I don’t expect myself to uphold this website AFTER college, but we’ll see about that.
Q: Why is the theme of this website based on sight, eyes, glasses, and all that stuff?
A: There isn’t a deep reason for this (and I’m not an optometrist), just purely an inside joke on my “critical eye” on video games and other types of media. Although I don’t consider myself experienced with media analysis (at least not yet), sight is perhaps the most relevant sense for the things I want to talk about.
Q: What can we expect from this website in the future?
A: A lot of what I have planned actually goes beyond the website itself. For instance, here are a few possibilities that I want to pursue:
- Visual reviews, gameplay showcases, and skits via YouTube
- Extended chats about video games and life with media via podcasts
- Recent, relevant game or variety streams via Twitch or YouTube
- Conducting weekly check-ins and discussions for an online Game Club
These are obviously lofty goals and would take quite some time and planning.
As for the website itself, the aesthetics and web design should be improved every season or so. Continuous and conscious efforts to improve the website is something of a focus for this project. Still, I would rather keep this site low maintenance for the time being and have it shape into my schedule and schooling unobtrusively. However, that does not mean I shouldn’t pursue ambitious ideas. Hopefully in a year or two, the website isn’t always about reviews and there will be more analytical articles.
Q: If I have another question or concern, where can I contact you?
A: Head over to the “Contact” page! I’m open to a variety of questions about myself, the website, and other things (within reason).
Content
Q: What’s up with the whole “EYE _____” scale? Isn’t the 10-star rating informative enough?
A: This is perhaps a somewhat confusing decision. Let’s break it down:
The EYE scale is my personal scale, with five possible tiers: “Eye Hate”, “Eye Dislike”, “Eye Kinda Like”, “Eye Like”, “Eye Love”. This is applied to each work without influence from the 10-star scale; which is to say, these verdicts are more personal opinion than critical, objective analysis. Hence…
The 10-star scale is the critical scale, moreorless similar to any other website there is. This is the scale that determines the “worth” of the work, especially in relation to other works and the general consensus on what makes a “good” experience.
Which means there could be a 9-star reviewed game that only has an “Eye Kinda Like” rating (or, a 7-star reviewed game that has an “Eye Love” rating). The reason for this is simply to show that a game doesn’t need to be perfect in order to be loved (or a game that is objectively perfect might not be loved).
I feel like this is a good compromise to temper the numbers-war regarding review scores; after all, I’m making reviews so people will know whether or not they would want to experience a certain work. Most discussions surrounding a reviewer’s score, to me, seems unproductive and takes away from the joy of entertainment.
Q: Why are Full View reviews filled with so much excessive, redundant information?
A: On the forefront, the Full View template allows me to have some direction when reviewing video games. But in general, I always feel like some reviews overlook the specifics and neglect aspects that I wished would be addressed directly. Full View intends to be the “one-stop” review that fits the needs of anyone, hence category-based organization.
Want to know about gameplay, but leave the story a surprise? Then read the “Gameplay” section and be on your way. Already familiar with a game, but still on the fence about purchasing it? Then read the “Price” and “Situation” sections for some advice. Want a detailed breakdown of the game? Then go ahead and read the entire review.
Of course, this does result in some issues. Narrative-based reviews contextualize the reviewer’s impressions of the game; Full View, in this regard, can feel somewhat sterile and in-the-air. For instance, a Visual Novel game usually does not need focus on the “Gameplay” category as much as the “Writing” category—creating somewhat redundant paragraphs to read. Different games have different priorities, so I hope that later Full View reviews eventually shape themselves in accordance with the game in review.
Q: I’ve noticed that this website tends to focus on Japanese works, animation, and other similar subjects. Why not call it “Anime Eye” or something?
A: Although the entertainment I experienced as a child was mostly one-faced, I have made it my own mission to open my mind to the many diverse works of this creative world. And it certainly is still a challenge. It’s no surprise that I’m more comfortable writing about the things I like—which includes a lot of Japanese works. But in line with my intentions for this website, I hope the broadness of a name like Critical Eye prevents confining myself to reviewing and discussing only one part of our world.
CRITICAL EYE 