First Impressions: (11 out of 15)
I'm kind of mixed on my first impression of your forum. I find your forum easy to navigate, which is a good thing. One thing that can drive guests away is if they can't find their way around your forum. But I find that your forum doesn't stand out from the others in the same niche` like it should. You will see as you read further into the review that I have provided.
Site Structure: (14 out of 15)
You seem to have the forum laid out well. The first thing you come across are member introductions along with news and special announcements. That way can visit new members and read any special news about the forum as you first come in. I also appreciate that you have an area where members can express their opinions and make any suggestions that they may have. I think it is a fun idea to have an area for contests and giveaways. The "Game Room", the main section of your forum, I appreciate that you have different areas to discuss different types of video games. That gives everyone to discuss the type of video games that interests them the most. Some people may like first person shooter while others may like RPGS. In "Power Off" you have an area for general chat and another area for tech talk. I wasn't sure why you had that separated until I realized that you have a video game forum. People who are interested in video games may be interested in other technology but the other tech may not always go hand in hand with video games.
Design Quality: (13 out of 15)
I like the fact that the "theme" you're using goes along with the niche` of your forum. The "theme" is also very easy on the eyes, not hard to read at all. Even the favicon gives you an indication of the niche`. I think the "New Posts" and the "Forum Statisics" should be first and foremost as far as helping to show off your forum. It will help make your forum look more active and show off that aspect. I would move them forward to the very top so that is the first thing that guests and members see.
Originality: (7 out of 15)
This is the hard part. I've seen lots of video game forums so separating yourself from the others in your niche` will be the hardest part about your forum. I know you've just opened the forum today but if you want to grow your forum and make yourself stand out from the rest, then you're going to have make some changes. Maybe you can do something in your "Contests & Giveaways" that will help set yourself apart from the others. Also, I know some video game forums have had tournaments and things of that nature but something that would be fun would be to have some fun games to actually play there on the forum.
Overall Mark: (45 out of 60)
I know you've just opened your forum to the public this morning and you are working on getting your forum off the ground. I think you've gotten off to a good start here but in order to be able to continue that, you'll need to help your forum stand out from the crowd. Do that and I think you'll go far. I wish you the best in the future, both for you and your forum.
