Philosophy of a Quick Look

What do you think is the definition of a Quick Look? Compared to a "Let's Play" or Review or anything else.

To me it is best summed up in Jeff's quote "It's a video game" and every game is just a game, and the best way to show what it is, is to simply play it. Reviews have been taken too far and the way Giant Bomb does it is perfect. Reviews are a fine line to walk where the Giant Bomb crew have put a lot of thought into the core ideas behind the way they tackle those, which took place a while ago now and was based on their years of experience.

Quick Looks are about playing the game because the fans of Giant Bomb aren't stupid and can figure out for themselves what is going on. They don't need to be told what to think.

What does a Quick Look mean to you? The format and all other things. Please share fellow bombadiers! :D

Quick Looks are another name for video previews. Except these are made by the GB crew instead of being promotional material approved by PR...

According to Jeff a quick look is basically throwing a game in and giving it a shot. They do not require a significant amount of pre-planning, or studying to make sure they are showing it in the right perspective. They are not trying to review a game or trying to convince you of its worthiness. Its just throw the disk in and hit record.

Edit: I guess that means the philosophy of a quick look is to preview a game with the least amount of effort possible.

The way I see it the idea behind QL is "instead of trying to explain what this game is, I'll just show it to you". It's pretty much "a picture is worth a thousand words" taken literally. It's not trying to sell the game or anything like that, just give you an idea of what the game is.

1. It should be >1 hour usually

2. You shouldn't practice a lot before you play (this is the major difference between other video previews)

3. Don't take yourself or the game seriously, just have fun

4. Ideally has at least two people talking in the video, for multi-perspectives

Quick Looks are comparable to sitting on a couch next to a friend while they play a game. The Giant Bomb crew are personalities we all get to know and trust by listening to their podcasts and videos every week. Their value goes beyond formal review scores.

Quick Looks are an honest look at a game from the perspective of a new player. In a Quick Look, the host will simply play the game and one or more people will observe. The game should be presented as it is with no cut aways or editing of any kind (except for password input, I guess). Quick Looks require two or more people because a single person cannot carry an entire quick look. (Though Patrick is close sometimes and his Worth Playing series is a good format for a single person.) The group cannot be marketers of any kind, if they are present this is a QLEX instead. The Quick Look should be as long as is necessary to showcase the game. Keep in mind that not all games are suitable for Quick Looks.

Since Quick Looks are a performance of sorts so it is best to keep in mind that there is an audience watching. Ensure subtitles are on and that both the game and the players can be heard. Speak whenever necessary. Entertain the audience through unusual antics in the game (the Vinny Method), sick jokes (the Jeff method), or even just playing normally (the Brad method). Through less intense moments of the game, ask questions about the game's mechanics, or just chat. Keep the mood up, and keep things interesting so that it's fun to watch. Always check out the singleplayer and multiplayer modes. Always state the name of the game, pricing, and availability. Lastly, the host and co-hosts should introduce themselves at the beginning and the Quick Look host should thank the co-hosts for their time at the end.

That is what I would define as a Quick Look. Might be missing some stuff, but oh well.

Quick Looks are performance art.

The Bombcast is where the most significant information gets communicated.

I take it literally, its just a quick look at a game.

A no bullshit showcasing of a game that is likely representative of the way the average consumer would stumble through it. Multiple people are present to provide other potential perspectives, help if the driver gets stuck, and/or for entertainment purposes.

A 1 hour video of the game to show you what it will actually be like when you play it without any cut aways or glossing over gameplay points that gets done with advertisments.

I expect Let's Plays to be a long form view of the game. The player should be playing almost the whole game or in the case of the dozens of LPs of the various rogue-like-like games like Binding of Isaac or Spelunky they should be making epic runs. Kinda like Cosmo Wright and Zelda, or Phil Kollar playing Star Trek, whether its a good or bad game, they should be playing start to finish and doing running commentary on top of the game. Northern Lion's epic Isaac runs are amazing LPs of that game, 600+ episodes that show the evolution of his skill and understanding of the game. Someone like Total Biscuit (IMO) does a combination of LPs and QLs. He has long running segments of Terraria, but also one-offs of games like Risk of Rain or BF4 multiplay. Its the difference between Vinnie playing Dark Souls and the DS Quick Look.

I expect QLs to show game features and curated segments from the game, no spoilers. Jeff and the crew have professional sense of ethics, so I trust that they aren't doing an extended advertisements for the game because the game devs are their friends. Most LPers derive some sort of living from Youtube and Twitch, so who knows if this is true. If the Giantbomb guys stopped doing QLs tomorrow I know they would have jobs as proper reviewers and video guys at any site.

I treat the Quick Looks as reviews, as I get to see the game and its gameplay. The guys provide some awesome commentary, while describing what the game is generally about. Taking it all in, I can then make my own judgement on if I'd purchase it or not. Having said that, there are some QL's that I watch because they seem like they'd be hilarious (cricket anyone?).

Let's Plays involve the guys taking us through a game in its entirety. So it provides us with a window into how any of the GB crew might play through a game we've enjoyed.

1. Put game on TV

2. Begin Play

3. See how broken it is

4. Laugh

5. Post to interweb

Quick Looks are better than reviews.

I always thought it would be cool if the person who hadn't played the game before took over control, in order to get the perspective of a person just jumping in.

When the guys explain they've never played a game it usually means it will be terrible but I'd like to see every game done this way. The second person can still provide the background and basics like they usually do.

They may not make it very far in but at least it would be the experience you as payer at home would get from a normal purchase. If this occurs, it would probably say more about the design choices if the players are immediately stuck.

Quick Looks are appetizers, Let's Play/Endurance Run is the entrée, Unprofessional Friday is dessert

I know quite a few quick looks changed my opinion and made me buy games.

It's basically the same as buying a game and thinking its really awesome (or really bad) and wanting to show your friends. It can be fun, or informative, or scary.

I don't mind that they usually skip tutorials, because we all know tutorials are kind of boring generally and we want to see the meat of the game. I also kind of want to see them make fun of games, but I get why that's not the point.

I really like when they make fun of games (or at least have fun with the game in some way), even if the game isn't really a bad game. Vinny is generally the one to quick look like that.

There is no wrong way to quick look, really, except maybe demoing the game which is boring.