WoW is getting stale. I hope I get back into the game before I quit!

Anyone have an idea to fix xbox mics? I just bought it and for some reason people complain of static. Even when I turn the mic off, it still is has static...anyone know how to fix this? it's the 3rd new mic i've gotten and it still doesnt work.

Fear the Dark Aura! No longer am I optimistic! Muwahahahaaha!

Actually, Dark just looks cooler than light...so...

yeah...

Anyone here who cares to contact me outside of Newgrounds can through two of my favorite games, World of Warcraft and Call of Duty 4. (Or any other Xbox Live game, like Halo 3 or Guitar Hero 3) So, I'm posting my video game stats and gamertags for all to see.

World of Warcraft
Server: Shattered Hand (US)
Character: Maedis
Class: Warrior, Level 70
Alliance

I also have a level 64 warlock named "Maediis." on the same server and on the same faction.

Call of Duty 4
Name: NJtrooper
Style: Front Lines - I'm good with a sniper too, but give me a shotty and all WILL die
Level: 55, no Prestige (Which is stupid)

I'm also good at Halo 3 and I'm decent at Guitar Hero 3, but I haven't played them as much. Hit me up if you want to party.

Yeah, it happens sometimes. Went around trying to help clean up the portal using links through a forum post, which ended up not being abusive. Next time I'll be more careful.

Ugh, that's what I get for beign a good samaritan. I'll level it up though....

Eventually.

Sad face. In other news, check out my guide on making good reviews! I enjoy making reviews for authors, and because they take so long to write I only have a few. :)

If you are currently looking at my profile there is a chance that you have seen some of my reviews on some of the games here on Newgrounds. I write very detailed reviews because I believe it helps the author look at his strengths and weaknesses from other's opinions so he can work on them. Reviews like this help make Newgrounds a better site because the next time the author submits something it can be of better quality.

Unfortunately, many people write reviews that aren't really helpful. Things like, "OMG U SUK GET OFF MAH INTERNETZ!" do not help the author in any way. Most of the time reviews like these are flagged as useless, and it just makes you look stupid. For that reason I want to try and help people write longer and better reviews. It will make you look smarter, and it'll help the author. Plus, it gives people on Newgrounds something interesting to read.

Below is my format for reviews:

Title: Write what you overall liked or disliked about the submission.

Introduction: Write a summary about the submission. Make it as long as you like, but try not to keep it too long otherwise it gets boring. Depending on your personality and aura you may want to focus on either the good, the bad, or overall what you thought about the author's submission.

The Good: I write this to give the author some positive things about his submission. Basically just list what you enjoyed while watching / playing. Be honest, if there isn't many (or any) good things about his submission TELL HIM. Just don't be rude about it. Again, "OMG NUTHIN WAZ GOOD U SUK!" makes you look stupid. Be polite and nice and you'll find some rewards.

The Bad: This is the part were you get to say what you didn't like about his or her submission. If he plans to make a sequel, he can base off of your review what the majority of players didn't like. People tend to look at more structured and detailed reviews for advice rather than the shorter reviews that are unstructured and contain cursing and idiotic mistakes.

Scoring: Before any person should make a score someone's game, you should look at multiple things. Each point in a score out of ten should stand for something. This all depends on what you look for in a good game. Think about what you like most when you find games and weigh how many points each attribute should give towards a final score. This is what I use:

Orginiality 2 or 3: This is a bigger attribute because if a person makes a game or movie that everyone else has made or is boring it won't be fun to play or watch.

Replay Value: 1 or 2: This is how many times you plan to come back and play the game, or how many times you have came back to play the game. A game can be fun, but sometimes you can play it once and never want to come back to it again.

Graphics 1 or 2: I normally give this a weight of 2. It's pretty simple. Did the graphics rock, or suck? I'm usually lenient on stuff like this because I know that it is hard and time consuming to design flash animations.

Storyline / Realism 1 or 2: This is how a story was told. If it is a ridiculous story that is far-fetched (unintentionally) I would give it a negative 2. If its slightly unrealistic but you can't think of any other way to fix the plot or problem I give it a negative one or no negative at all. If zombies are dropping gold coins out of their mouth so you can buy the shiny lazer gun of doom in the middle of no where, the game should have a minus in my opinion. If a game is realistic, I give it a +2.

Cool Features 2 or 3: If the person added an orginial or cool feature to the game, give them an extra point. If there is more than one cool feature, you may want to give them extra points.

Music 1: If a person added lots of selection, or you really liked their music you should add a point. Not too many though!

Length and Detail 2: If you see that the author put alot of work into a submission, he deserves some extra points. Little details and extras that make the game better are included in this section.

Negatives

Glitches -1 or -2: Minus this from their score depending on how annoying the glitch is or how often it occurs. Multiple glitches should minus multiple points.

Sounds -1 or -2: If the music is REALLY annoying, minus some points. Also, this includes enemys attack sounds or death sounds if your playing a game. If the author made an "epic moment" that sounded stupid (such as THIS IS SPARTA at a wrong moment) I would minus some points.

Annoying Things -1 to -3: This is a big one. If any game pisses you off to a point where you dislike it, you should minus some points. Only give this a -1 to a -3 three, however. Do not give someone a 0 because there was one thing annoying in it.

Uncool Features -1 or -2: If there was something you really hated about the submission, include it here. Let the author know that this feature effected their score.

Storyline -1 or -2: If the storyline was cheesy, minus some points.

Overall: Add up the points. Minus the negatives to that total. And surprise! You have your score! If you find yourself frequently going over the number 10, you need to lower how high you are counting each attribute. If you feel that the number is way to high for a submission, look over your math and how high you scored some things. Also, these attributes are suggestions. Not every one needs to be included in a review. Feel free to add your own or not count up an attribute you think does not matter. Use your own judgement.

Improvements: Write any suggestions you have to help improve the author's weakness. If he works with your strength, and uses his own talent to improve his own strengths he can make a very good flash submission. List the major key things you didn't like and how you feel they can be improved. Removal from the entire submission is a helpful solution, if you cannot find a better way to improve his failed idea.

Suggestions: Suggestions to help improve his own strengths. Pretty simple. Ways that the already cool things in the submission can be made cooler, basically.

Conclusion: Summarize how you felt about the submission. If you gave him a negative review, don't make him have a bad taste in his mouth for you. Show that you are a mature person by thanking him for his work (if he actually put any into it) and give him some positive reinforcement. By doing this, he will not discard your review as being nasty and can take your constructive advice as not an attack, but as someone being helpful.

Tips:

1) Do NOT give out many 10s. Nothing bugs me more when a person gives a 10 to a submission that has flaws. PEOPLE, a TEN out of TEN means you think the submission is PERFECT. Rarely is a submission 100% perfect. Very rarely. In fact, in video games, one of the biggest company reviewers in the United States is IGN. They have yet to give out a 10 to one of their video games ever, and sometimes I doubt they ever will. They see things that need to be improved and they tell you about them. Other game companies give out 10s like candy, when there are flaws within the game.

Don't get me wrong, 10s are okay. Just don't give out alot, it diminishes its value.

2) Be polite. If you're making a negative review because you didn't enjoy someone's submission they may see it as a personal attack if you do not word in carefully. By complimenting them on SOMETHING, they can look at your review and understand that you are being honest about your opinion, not nasty.

3) Do not respond to others reviews. It makes you look like you don't care about the game, and it sometimes makes you look childish. You need to respect other's opinions (no matter how stupid they are).

4) Respect the author. Cursing makes you look stupid. Simple as that. If you look stupid, people will take your review less seriously.

5) Don't make it boring! Make a couple jokes, lighten the mood, eh? Even corny jokes make people smile....

6) Come up with your own style. Think of other attributes you think are important in flash. + or - points depending on how you feel which one is more important.

7) Try not to spell things incorrectly. People who cannot spell do not deserve my attention, is how some people feel. Typos are fine, but spelling "you" "u" isn't. Just makes you look stupid and makes people take your review less seriously.

Whew! Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this or will plan on writing reviews with attributes more in the future I've accomplished my goal. If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions feel free to send me a private message!

Also, if you want any advice on your writing or any recommendations for games to play from me you can hit me up!

-Maedis