Forums > Contributor Zone > Official Review of the Week Topic (2010)

This topic is the official topic for the Review of the Week. A calendar of sorts will plot out the available weeks and approved users will be filled into this first post by myself to eliminate any confusion in weeks to come (and to make sure that no one ever has to wonder who is doing a given week).

January

02 - Overdrive
09 - Zipp
16 - Rand
23 - ASchultz
30 - Overdrive

February

06 - Zipp
13 - Rand
20 - ASchultz
27 - Overdrive

March

06 - Zipp
13 - Rand
20 - ASchultz
27 - Overdrive

April

03 - Zipp
10 - Rand
17 - ASchultz
24 - Overdrive

May

01 - Zipp
08 - Rand
15 - ASchultz
22 - Overdrive
29 - Zipp

June

05 - Rand
12 - ASchultz
19 - Overdrive
26 - Zipp

July

03 - Rand
10 - ASchultz
17 - Overdrive
24 - Zipp
31 - Rand

August

07 - ASchultz
14 - Overdrive
21 - Zipp
28 - Rand

September

04 - ASchultz
11 - Overdrive
18 - Zipp
25 - Rand

October

02 - ASchultz
09 - Overdrive
16 - Zipp
23 - Rand
30 -

November

06 - Overdrive
13 - Zipp
20 - Rand
27 - ASchultz

December

04 - Overdrive
11 - Zipp
18 - Rand
25 - ASchultz

Judges in Reserve:
Jerec
WolfQueen001

Names will be filled into the above space as appropriate, and removed, based on comments posted within this thread. If you are up for a given week and cannot cover it for personal reasons, please post in this thread seeking a trade.

Review of the Week should choose three individual reviewers from the preceding week, including reviews from standard users, freelancers and site staff. Weeks run Sunday - Saturday and a review may not be eligible for consideration in two weeks. In the event that fewer than five reviews are posted in a week, those reviews will not be ranked but the person in charge of the topic for that week is encouraged to provide feedback.

When they were written by standard users and are not posted on the site as staff or freelance reviews, picks for Review of the Week will be updated by site staff so that they are "featured" on the site (staff and freelance reviews are ineligible to be featured in order to give proper exposure to user contributions).

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world2

As Zipp suggested in his topic, which has now been locked, let's begin by discussing who plans to retain a RotW slot that had one during 2009. Try to be realistic about what your time will permit. It's not fun for anyone when these topics are weeks late without anyone knowing what to expect, or if the topics put a serious strain on your schedule.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world2

I'm still doing it. RotW needs me!!!

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

Alright, I've filled in your name. Anyone else definitely still involved?

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world2

Well of course I'm in! Thanks for starting an official topic for this.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

If someone is not available from the previous, or more established, RotWers, and someone new is willing to platoon with me, I'd be glad to take every other week in one of the remaining slots.

Though I don't know how the site higher-ups would feel. The downside is that someone could forget their turn. I just don't know if I'd have the time I'd want to dedicate to once a month.

My principal said, 'Emo, Emo, Emo.'
I said 'I'm the one in the middle, you lousy drunk!'
-- Emo Phillips

Randxian is new as well, Aschultz. I think he's on his third ROTW or something. And I'm also sure he'll want back in, but he's gone at the moment.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

I don't want to do it on a regular basis, but I wouldn't mind doing a SPECIAL GUEST ROTW every once in a while. Because I used to do it a lot back on GameFAQs... well, for RotD. Here would be an absolute pleasure, since nearly everything posted is good quality.

Plus, I have mad judging credentials.

I can avoid death by not having a life.

Jerec, would you like to be a special guest for the week Lewis missed in December? That would've been the week of December 26th (so the reviews from the 20th all the way through the 26th). I'd do it myself, but I just did an ROTW and I don't want people to get sick of me.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

All right. I'll get started on that today. Look for it soon!

Edit. There are 4 reviews for that week, and two of them are by ASchultz, which means only one of them gets in... leaving 3 eligible reviews. Quite the unique situation. Jerec requires direction.

I can avoid death by not having a life.

I had that happen once to me, where there were literally three reviews submitted by different contributors in one week. And one of them really wasn't that good. So what I wound up doing was simply naming the RotW and ordering the remaining two, and I acknowledged that the third-place entry only placed because it was such a slow week.

You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it.

Just so there is no confusion, I would like to be a part of the rotation.

I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?

Yeah, as Suskie says, as long as there are four reviews, the ROTW is held. I would pick which of Aschultz's makes the cut and then go ahead and order the remaining three.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

Oh....this is my week. And here I was wasting the sober part of my day by working on my ABC review.

I'll be starting the new year off by duplicating my usual lack of timeliness, it seems.

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

Just wanted to remind people this thread is here. We need more ROTWers. The ROTW is one of the draws of this site. Getting feedback and knowing someone is reading your reviews every week with a critical eye is great incentive for people to keep writing. Help keep it going.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

Well Rand volunteered, so it looks like only one more is needed.

Not sure how to make a sig? While logged into your account, you can edit it and your other public and private information from the Settings page.

I will throw down the gauntlet here.

If nobody offers to take a RotW before the end of Saturday, I'll be Mr. Fourth Week. Pending higher-ups' approval, as I've never done one before.

One note: I'd assumed that the 5th saturday of certain months was for guest RotWers. I don't know if this has been tried or rejected, but I think it's good for people who might want to try once, but due to time constraints etc., don't.

I know that as a competitor it's neat to see as many judges as possible. While the ones that are there have worked well, the guest presenters who come in for a week (due to absence, illness, personal stuff etc.) tend to have an idea/format/process they've been itching to share and the change-up is very cool.

This would, of course, force a major reorder of the current list & may be unworkable for other reasons. But maybe my initial misunderstanding of how the RotW cycle works can add a neat feature.

In a similar vein, maybe we could have other guest RotWers on a waiting list, to give first refusal to, if someone can't go?

My principal said, 'Emo, Emo, Emo.'
I said 'I'm the one in the middle, you lousy drunk!'
-- Emo Phillips

Well, currently Jerec is our "back up" ROTWer. I do like the idea of an occasional "5th saturday" reviewer, as well, but it's really up to Jason who has final say on the lists. Also, if we did that, we'd still need another person and no one has been forthcoming as of yet.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

OK, I'll claim the last spot, if there are no objections.

My principal said, 'Emo, Emo, Emo.'
I said 'I'm the one in the middle, you lousy drunk!'
-- Emo Phillips

Alright, we'll call that good for the official rotation. It wouldn't hurt to have a few others who are open to being backup for this. If you're interested in such a gig, you can post in this thread and be added to that list, though you'd need to be ready to give an answer quickly if called upon. In any event, we're probably good for now. Thanks to everyone who has committed to this and I look forward to seeing the topics that you all produce in the future. If any of you have any questions down the road, this is the thread for them!

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world2

Are there any conventions to use while doing this?

Do people submit and proofread at their own risk? For instance, if reviewer X submits on Tuesday and proofreads Saturday afternoon, is it the RotWer's responsibility to wait for the final proofread? Or is it legitimate for the RotWer to start reading before the end of the week?

I'm asking because I want to give RotW feedback (eg for 4th- and 5th-place writers so as not to clutter the main topic) as soon as possible without delaying the feedback process unnecessarily. I am also considering giving feedback topics, and I am wondering if doing so before Saturday midnight would give unfair advantages to whomever I notify first.

Also, is there any set number of days we should have RotW out by? 1-2 days seems ideal. And how far in advance is it ideal to let people know if we can't complete RotW judging? I don't want too many rules, but a few set general guidelines could give us something to check off on.

My principal said, 'Emo, Emo, Emo.'
I said 'I'm the one in the middle, you lousy drunk!'
-- Emo Phillips

1) The conventions are as follows:
- Only three reviews can place each week (which also means that only three should be mentioned within the review topic, though you are always welcome to post feedback in the individual topics)
- Only one review per person can place
- Only one winner

Aside from that, it's really up to you how you want to format it or pick the winner. Some people like to drama it up, some people get technical, some use line breaks between each review, others put a border around them. Generally it's good manners to link to the review. It takes a little more time but it's nice to advertise for those who placed with an easy link to their work.

2) Proofreading
Once a review is submitted to the site, it's on the site. You have no obligation to hold back from reading it. If someone really wants you to re-read it, they should personally let you know that they have re-edited it. We do wait until Sunday to post the reviews, so that stragglers (and the British) can make it on Saturday night.

3) How many days...?
Generally you'll get a message from me bugging you about not having finished the ROTW if I don't see it by Wednesday after the week you were assigned. Life happens and sometimes people are late, but that's really the cut off date. After that, we call in Jerec.

As for letting us know in advance, it's an ASAYK (As Soon As You Know) thing.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

2) Proofreading
Once a review is submitted to the site, it's on the site. You have no obligation to hold back from reading it. If someone really wants you to re-read it, they should personally let you know that they have re-edited it. We do wait until Sunday to post the reviews, so that stragglers (and the British) can make it on Saturday night.

Not entirely true. When I do the topics, I generally post it around 10PM to 11PM on Saturday night, which is the preferred timeframe that pretty much no one else has ever followed because RotW people have lives or something (the nerve!). The official cutoff for years has always been 9PM local site server time on Saturday night. Waiting until Sunday to post accomplishes nothing, because any reviews posted in the wee hours of Sunday morning are only eligible for the next week, anyway!

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world2

Well that's good to know. Nonetheless, I generally wait until Sunday these days because my brain stops working after 9:00pm. That's video game time.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

Thanks, good to have these questions answered! Most of what's mentioned is about what I expected but there are some neat points I hadn't considered.

My principal said, 'Emo, Emo, Emo.'
I said 'I'm the one in the middle, you lousy drunk!'
-- Emo Phillips