Before you play any online game, you must read through at least a few reviews on reputable websites. This way, you can get a feel for what a game brings to the table.
This should also give you sufficient information about whether a game is for you. After all, a game that might be great for one person may not necessarily be an enjoyable game for somebody else.
On this page, we’re going to look at some of the things you should be looking out for when reading online game reviews. We’re going to be looking at things from the perspective of online slot machines and other gambling games. However, there might be some overlap with your typical video games too, albeit not much.
We’re also going to assume that you’re reading your online reviews at reputable websites. If a website isn’t reputable, skip it. This leads us neatly to our first point:
What Should You Look Out for in Online Game Reviews?
Check the Review Website
Finding a reputable review site is vital when looking at reviews – for example, you can be assured that the JohnSlots review of Rainbow Riches Pick ‘n’ Mix at https://www.johnslots.com/en/slots/rainbow-riches-pick-n-mix/ is very reliable due to their trusted experience within the industry.
Reviews for games should never be overly gushing. As much as people don’t like to believe this, there is no such thing as a perfect online game. There never has been and never will be. A good review website will go into the pros and cons of a game. It’ll give you an in-depth understanding of what a game brings to the table.
If a website just tells you to check out a game without giving any sort of justification about why the game might be suitable for you, use a different website. There are far too many fake reviews out there nowadays.
It isn’t just overly positive reviews you should be keeping an eye out for, either. While they are not as common in the gambling game review world, there are fake negative reviews too. If a website is overly negative about games, without providing specific reasons, it is pretty safe to ignore what the platform is saying.
Where the Game is Available?
Not every online casino will have every game ever produced. Online casinos will curate their game offerings according to what their customers want, the contracts they have with game providers, and which games they want to offer without making their websites seem overly crowded.
If you want to play a specific online casino game, make sure that you read through casino game reviews. They’ll let you know some of the best places to play those games. If you’re lucky, you might even get to enjoy a bonus or two just for using a particular review website.
The Pros and Cons of a Game
This is the main reason why you should be reading online game reviews and the first thing you should be looking out for. You want an idea of what a game brings to the table.
By reading through the pros of an online casino game, you should get a solid idea about whether a game is for you or not. These reviews will also let you know the cons of a game (remember, no game is perfect), and if any of the cons are a dealbreaker, then you know that you can skip that game.
Remember – one person’s con is another person’s positive, hence why it is ever so important that you read through everything that a decent online game review has to say. You’ll very quickly learn about why the game may or may not be the ideal game for you to play.
Minimum and Maximum Bets
This is where we start getting into the specific stuff that an online casino game has to offer. All games have minimum and maximum bets you can make. For the most part, people are rarely going to hit the maximum bet. You probably aren’t going to be splashing hundreds of dollars per spin on a slot machine, roulette wheel or a hand of blackjack.
If you are, then you probably already know how to do your research into choosing the right games. However, there is a solid chance that you’re a lower-stakes gambler and you want to know which games are suited to your low-rolling. For example, you might want to choose a game that is a couple of pence per spin.
They are harder to find nowadays (since most slots seem to start at 10p per spin). However, if you read through enough reviews, you’ll come across a few games where you can gamble for as little as 1p to 5p, which is a bargain. Although, of course, you can’t expect to win much when you’re gambling so little per spin.
How the Game Works?
A good review, particularly an online slot machine review, will give you an idea of the nuances of the game. If you’ve been playing online slot machines for a while, then you’ll know that slots are becoming ever more complex.
Sometimes you might need a bit of a guide to tell you what to do, and quite honestly, some of the help guides we’ve seen built into slot machines are not all that helpful.
A well-written review will tell you about each specific feature, what you can expect when certain things happen in a game etc. All of these details will help you to form an opinion on whether a game is right for you.
Return to Player (RTP)
It is a legal requirement for online games to list the RTP or at least the house edge for a game. However, this information can sometimes be a bit hidden.
Reviews will let you know what the RTP is. Obviously, the higher the RTP, the better. This is more important with slot machines since RTP can vary quite significantly from game to game.
Variance of Slot Machines
Variance indicates how frequently a game pays out, as well as the size of the reward. For example, a low-variance slot machine will pay out frequently, but wins will be low.
A high variance slot will be the opposite. Variance is something that slot machines will never list, and you need to have a solid understanding of how a slot machine operates to know how to work it out. This is where online game reviews can come in handy.
Check Whether the Game is Worth Playing
Of course, the most important thing you can find out from online game reviews is whether a game is worth playing. Again, this is why you should find a trustworthy online game review website. If a platform tells you a game is worth trying, then it might be worth checking out, even if only once to see whether it gels with you.
