Anyone who's read my regular series of one-issue reviews knows I'm not generally a big fan of previews. Too much of the time they are too short, too picture-filled or too laudatory to games that are too early along. But all is not lost! Here are some recommendations for making more interesting, more readable previews.

Accentuate the negative
If I could change one thing about previews, it would be the general tone of praise that infuses most of them. There seems to be an unspoken assumption that, before release, every game has the potential to be the greatest thing since silicon was invented. Overwhelmingly, preview writers will talk up the "groundbreaking" new features of a game even if they aren't, in fact, that groundbreaking. By making every upcoming game seem important, they can all seem paradoxically less important.

Even worse is when the preview reads like a straight advertisement for a game. Take this recent quote at the end of a GamePro preview for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune: "It will be one of the best PS3 games of this year." Er, isn't it a little early in both the development cycle and the year to say that? If a publisher wants advertising for their game, make them pay for it – don't just give it to them in your writing for free.

I understand that there are bound to be some rough edges with a preview build that will usually be ironed out by a game's release. But that doesn't mean any potential problems should be ignored in a preview, especially if they're part of the core game design. Readers deserve to get an honest take on how a game is shaping up at an early stage. Even for more cosmetic problems, a writer shouldn't be afraid to point them out and say he hopes they'll be fixed by the retail release.

Of course, this change in tone is a bit unlikely to happen en masse. Previews are a major pillar of most gaming publications, and major magazines and web sites don't want to endanger their access by pissing off publishers. Still, I think writers can serve both the readers and the publishers with a preview that's tough but fair to an early build.

Talk to the developers
Sure, a writer's thoughts on the new game are interesting (if they are his real thoughts, see above) but the best previews get an inside look into the development process through developer interviews. Of course, not every preview writer is going to enjoy this level of access, but when they do, it can really make a preview stand out.

That doesn't mean a preview should let the developer become a marketing mouthpiece. No one cares that producer Jamie Bafus thinks Spider-Man: Friend or Foe will focus on "combat, co-op and collectibles," the only quote in a lengthy GamePro preview of the game. I'd rather the author talked to the developers about the challenges of working with the license, how they hoped to differentiate the game from other similar titles, and so on. Give the reader information that only a developer would be able to provide.

Don't make it too short
A lot of magazine previews are so stuffed with page-filling screenshots (or, often, bullshots) that they have just a paragraph or two of space to actually, you know, talk about the game. Sometimes it's possible to explain what makes a game special in that space, but more often it's just barely enough to cover the basic features and premise. I realize that some games are so early that there's not much to write about them, but perhaps coverage of those games should wait until there is more to say.

Don't pad it
On the other side of the coin, there are some previews that just seem designed primarily to fill space. This is more common online, but also shows up in magazines, usually for the front page feature. These previews usually end up going into extreme details about minutiae that only an obsessive fan would care about. It's a rare game that is interesting enough to deserve more than four pages of coverage before its release. Trim the fat and use the space for something more interesting, such as...

Pointing out new games
Do we really need quick updates on Halo 3 and Super Smash Bros. Brawl every other month? Sure, popular series help sell magazines, but that space and effort could be used to highlight some independent or less publicized games your readers don't yet know about. Don't just focus on the big names... expand your readers' horizons with your previews of indie titles and offbeat fare.

Make me feel it
Don't just throw together a laundry list of features and call it a preview. Make the reader understand what it's like to play the game or see it in motion. Show the reader why this game is interesting without retreating to hyperbole and marketing-speak. Describe the world of the game as if you were a travel writer explaining a hot vacation destination. In short, don't just tell the reader what the game does, but how it does it.

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Media Coverage is an opinion column. The opinions expressed in this column are solely the opinions of the columnist and are not necessarily the opinions of GameDaily.com.