Champions League Round of 16 Preview Part 2

Yesterday I was really bad at my predictions getting all four matches wrong. I hope that my predictions for today's matches are significantly better.

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Chelsea versus Juventus

This is do or die for Chelsea, anything less than a win will spell doom for the West London side. I expect Juventus to play tight defensively and absorb Chelsea's pressure. I am hoping for goals and I do expect Chelsea to take control of the match. If Juventus can hold off Chelsea from the score-sheet, then you have to give them full control heading back to Turin, but again, I see Chelsea breaking a goal. The one interesting fact will be if Juventus can steal a goal.

Prediction: Chelsea 1 Juventus 0

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Villareal v Panathinaikos

This match-up is very similar to yesterday's Atletico v Porto, two sides people don't follow too extensively but should be an interesting match. Considering how yesterday those two sides drew, you would expect similar results here, but in my eyes I see it differently. Villareal are a better side playing a better league and I think that will equal domination. The only problems is that Panathinaikos knows this as well and will play ultra defensive and hope to leave with a draw. If the Greek side takes chances, then I see this being a high scoring affair, if they don't then expect a single goal.

Prediction: Villareal 1 Panathinaikos 0

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Sporting Lisbon versus Bayern Munchen

Bayern are struggling; since the new year they have not done well domestically so will that result in poor form in Europe. I doubt that will be the case, and Bayern on paper are the better team no questions asked. Sporting know that if they can score and not give up a goal will mean a lot heading to Munich. Realistically though, Bayern know that a single away goal tonight wins them the series. I do not expect Bayern to sit back and relax and they will attack with a lot of power.

Prediction: Sporting Lisbon 1 Bayern Munchen 2

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Real Madrid v Liverpool

This series means a lot to Real Madrid. They have not gotten past this round in a very long time and this match-up is not going to be easy even with questions surrounding Liverpool. I do really like Real Madrid in this match up but I fear another draw between two evenly matched sides. The home field advantage will help Real Madrid in this leg, but they will need to win by two goals to head to Anfield with comfort. Real Madrid can score two goals easily, but can they prevent Liverpool from scoring? The interesting aspect here is how will Liverpool line-up. If they go with a 4-5-1 or a 5-4-1 styled formation, then take a draw, but if they they play 4-4-2, expect a goal fest for both sides.

Prediction: Real Madrid 2 Liverpool 1

Hopefully today i will be a bit better, but thanks to the joys of the sport, I will not be surprised if I go again 0-4.

Champions League Round of 16 Preview

Here is my Part 1 preview and predictions for the first Knockout Round of the Champions League

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Inter Milan versus Manchester United

This is going to be a great match between two of the best sides in Europe including two of the greatest coaches ever with The Special One and Sir Alex. Considering this leg is in Milan, you have to lean more towards Inter not only for that but for the fact that Man United's Nemanja Vidic will be out of this game. Rio Ferdinand is a good player, but he will not be able to plug the middle of the pitch on his own. Thankfully for Edwin Van der Saar whose shutout streak is over, there won't be any pressure on him, but I do expect Zlatan to pester him with shots. This game will have goals and goals will be scored by both sides. The question is will Inter travel to Manchester with a one or two goal lead. They will need a two goal lead to feel comfortable.

My Prediction: Inter Milan 2 Manchester United 1

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Arsenal versus AS Roma

I really like this match-up not only because both are well respected but both sides have a lot to prove here. Arsenal will be lucky to finish in the top 3 in England and even fourth place is currently out of reach. If they want to finally achieve something in terms of quality hardware, this is their best shot outside of the FA Cup. At the same time, AS Roma is in the same situation and would love nothing more than to reach the final in May at home. For this first leg, I expect a hard and gritty contest which will probably end in a goal-less draw. If Arsenal can manage a 2 goal lead, then expect them to advance, but if they give up a goal, then I feel them being a write off in the return leg.

My Prediction: Arsenal 0 AS Roma 0

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Olympique Lyonnais v FC Barcelona

I wonder how the Lyon side felt over the weekend when they saw La Liga leaders lose to the 20th placed team in Spain? I wonder if that sudden confident booster will result in anything. Both sides are attacking squads and Lyon need to score at home and confortably to have any chance of upsetting the Catalan giants. In my opinion even with the minor set-back for Barca, they are the better squad top-to-bottom. This will be another game with goals, but unfortunately for Lyon, those goals will against them.

My Prediction: Lyon 1 FC Barcelona 3

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Atletico Madrid v FC Porto

Both sides must be really glad to have drawn each other since both would be heavy underdogs in any other match-up. Both sides have a lot to prove and considering how even these sides are this is a pick'em game. In this leg I would have to lean towards Atletico for the home support but that doesn't mean that they will run away with this match. Expect yet another tight affair and do not be surprised if at the final whistle nothing has been accomplished. In my eyes though, I do expect at least one goal in the end.

My Prediction: Atletico Madrid 1 FC Porto 0

Part 2 with the rest of the match-ups will be posted tomorrow.

Reviews and Reviewers

I am still new in the Professional reviews scene. I have only been writing reviews for the Canadian Gaming Site Game Focus since last September; during my time there I have written plenty of reviews for numerous games. As a free-lance reviewer, the games I get are usually not exactly Triple A titles. If you head over to my Reviews Blog (Tasty Games), you will see on top of my personal reviews, a list of games I have reviewed for the web-site.

The list is quite extensive, with a bit of everything. For the most part, I most of my reviews for the site have been for Sports games. From what I gathered, outside of the Main Editor of the site, I am the only one with a huge love of sports games, so I was asked to write them. Of all my reviews, the only one I specifically asked to review was Chrono Trigger DS and only because I had never played and completed the two previous editions and wanted the opportunity to do so. I was fair on the review, giving it my highest score at the site, but be sure, I was not giving it props because of nostalgic, in fact, I had to buy the game myself and was not compensated for the review...no money hat here. Other than my Chrono Trigger DS review, the only other game that was posted on the site that would be considered 'Triple A' or 'important' was my review for Guitar Hero World Tour. In both cases, I was not supplied by the publishers a copy of the game so everything came out of my pocket.

Outside of Chrono Trigger, every other review was either specifically asked by the Site's Editor to review or was part of a list of games that were offered and I selected; sometimes I would get the review I wanted, but in other cases I would review a game that I probably would not have paid for. Most of the time, I knew absolutely nothing about the game going into the review, especially recent reviews I did for Cuboid and Soldner-X.

WIn my opinion, when a reviewer is reviewing a game, they should be going into the game with the process of writing the review with little to no knowledge of the game.

I am not saying the Review should know nothing about the subject matter, that would be unfair, but the reviewer's opinion of said game should not be influenced prior to playing the game. With every game I reviewed, I did go online to get some details about the game if I didn't know much about it. For some cases, getting information is easy, other times it is difficult. I would try my hardest to avoid reading other reviews sticking to only searching for plot summaries in order to understand the type of game I am about to play. If a reviewer knows a lot (or a significant amount) about a game, I feel it too strongly influences his score both positively and negatively.

If a reviewer already has an impression on the game, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to give a fair assessment of the game because in both situations they already have an idea what to give the game. For example, if a reviewer already has questions regarding a certain game mechanic and feels it won't work, unless they put the effort into giving it a chance, they will automatically claim that it is something that does not fit the game. The reverse is true, if the reviewer has strong positive feelings towards a game or series, they may also be willing to ignore any faults the game has because they want to give the game a score they personally feel is worthy for it.

Do not get me wrong, this is not always the case, but it definitely separates professional Critics to 'amateurs'. Professionals know how to separate each product and only compare them in the right light. Mostreviewers on majority of gaming sites know how to view a game on it's own. Yes, they will make references to similar games in the genre or if applicable, a previous game of a series. They will take the game at face value and score it accordingly. Amateurs, or 'fanboys' will not look at the grand scheme and only focus on their own love or hate and remark on it accordingly.

Professional reviewers also know when it is time to properly critique a game or product. When an 'amateur' plays a game, they will only play it for a certain amount of time before determining their love or hate of a game. An 'amateur' can essentially make their decision on a game within the first 5-10 minutes of a game when in most cases, these games can last anywhere from 10-100 hours (give or take). In today's society, where value is key, Developers know that in order to appeal to the masses they must do two things: 1) get your attention the moment you start playing and 2) keep that focus for the entire length of the game.

If there is a reviewer who only plays a fraction of a game, then they are not playing the game correctly. If they determine a game is good or bad in that first hour, chances are they haven't even bothered to play the game or they might not even be playing it correctly. In cases like this, their Senior Editor may question if the reviewer has even bothered to play the game and those who read the review might feel the same way. You can always tell the difference between a quick-write up and a detailed review by the omission of details and key facts. We've all seen those types of reviews and gamers are not afraid to post on forums about this.

Because I am labeled as a Freelance Reviewer, chances are, unless the paid staff at the site are too swamped with reviews, I will not be reviewing a triple 'A' title. Yes, it is a bit disappointing to always be stuck with the 'lesser' games, but it's not always the case that those will be bad games. It's quite often that the games people don't know too much about actually end up being some of the more surprisingly good games. Of the reviews I did for Game Focus so far, the game that surprised me the most was Time Hollow, a point and click adventure game. It was a game that was given to me by my Editor which I had no knowledge of. I did go online to get some information, but at the time, details were sparse outside of some tidbits from the Japanese release of the game. I knew nothing of the story, but the time I spent completing the game were quite good. I was fair to the game and gave it the score I felt it strongly deserved and would not be afraid to recommend it to DS owners.

If you are a person looking into getting into the Gaming Press, the first tip I need to give you is to open your gaming palette. Unless you are running your own site, anywhere you review is going to start you with reviewing lesser known games before you'll get the opportunity to review those big titles. Also, do not be afraid to review any game that is offered to you. You need your practice and playing all sorts of games will give you a deeper appreciation of gaming as a whole. If you reject offers, not only will you limit your ability to grow as a writer, but the posibility of your Editor giving you a game you really want will be less likely.

Lastly, if you're under the impression that becoming a reviewer is your key to getting free games, you're in it for the wrong reason. As I stated above, I wrote two reviews for the site on games I paid for out of my pocket and in order to save time, if it was possible, I actually went out and rented the game ahead of time in order to get the review on the site (timing is something I hope to write about on a future blog).