Forums > Contributor Zone > RotW: 06/01/07 - 06/07/07

I'm filling in this week for pup, who as you might have read has moved on from his staff position here on the site. Until his place in the RotW rotation is filled, you will see guest faces (like mine).

This week, there were 10 reviews to go through, many of them quite excellent (and none of them poor, certainly). That's a lot of great writing to sort through, but below you'll find my picks for my three favorites, with commentary.

As usual, staff reviews are excluded from the list of reviews and I'm only commenting on one review from any individual. If you submitted multiple pieces and I referenced one, know that it's the one I liked best. And now, without further ado...

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Second Runner-Up: Metal Storm (NES) by dagoss

The battle for the third-place finish this week was brutal, but finally it came down to two possible candidates. I ultimately went with dagoss (sorry, woodhouse) because the review focused slightly more on details not pertaining directly to plot (woodhouse dallied there a bit longer than felt right to me), and because the writing throughout was just so darn cool! The introduction on the one hand feels a little bit bloated, yet I wouldn't recommend cutting any of it because it so perfectly sums up many gamers who consider themself experts of the 8-bit era. This review is a bit of a call to action. "Try this game you thought wasn't worth your time," it seems to say, and then it tells exactly why you'll want to. Moving from that introduction to the reference of standing on the ceiling and firing bullets downward to hit an enemy above was the right move. That just sounds so bizarre and the rest of the review is spent establishing just why it's a breath of fresh air and executed wonderfully. The end result is that I want to play the game more than ever and I want to see more reviews that are similarly insightful from dagoss.

First Runner-Up: Metroid (NES) by Felix_Arabia

The introduction to this review worked perfectly and was the start of one of Felix's best reviews to date. My hackles always rise just a little bit when I see someone bashing a game I like--and I do like Metroid--but this review took a balanced and persuasive approach as it told me just why Felix didn't much care for the time he spent in the 8-bit corridors of Brinstar. His introduction set the scene perfectly and then he followed through with excellent descriptions of a game that slowly leeched his enjoyment away. I think what I liked best was how he made the game sound suitably cool in all the right places, then showed why that wound up not particularly mattering in the grand scheme of things. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging what a game you don't like does right, especially if you then demonstrate so effectively why it doesn't save the day. Felix did that very well here. On most other weeks, it would have been enough to get him the win. This time around, though, that instead went to someone else.

Review of the Week: Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) by drella

There were a lot of fine reviews this week, but after reading through them all, I could tell that the most they could hope to do is fight it out for second and third place. In my mind, this review for Super Mario Bros. 3 was the undisputed leader. I've read a lot of stuff about various Nintendo-developed titles over the years, but I can't remember the last time a review so perfectly nailed what it's like to play those games, to revel in the feeling of being a Mario fan when his games are at their best. I've already gushed about this review elsewhere so I'll shut up now, but let it be known that this just became (in my opinion) the definitive review of one of my favorite games. Stellar.

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I'm not sure who is up to bat next week, but I hope that you'll give him as much great material to agonize over as you did this week. Good job, and keep those excellent submissions coming!

"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

NES dominated week it looks like.

Thanks!

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Thanks for the mention and congrats to Drella for his fine win. This truly was a magnificent week and I hope that the subsequent weeks are just as good. Though he wasn't mentioned elsewhere in this topic, I want to give props to BigCj34 for writing a really good Sonic review. Great job from everyone all around.

I don't have to boost my review resume because I have a real resume.

Full credit to everyone, although it would be nice to break onto the podium one day, there's no questioning these winners!

There three types of people in this world: those who can count, and those who can't.

The best suggestion I can offer for any of you looking to break into the top three is to write and submit something new each week. Not only will you improve with the practice--though some of you are doing quite well already--but you also have that hope that one week not as many people will submit and you'll sneak in that way. ;-)

I remember back in the old days when RotD was a fierce competition over on GameFAQs, I tried several times for the crown before I finally got it. I was starting to get impatience but it really drove me to produce some of my best work at the time. Regular contests like this do a person good and I hope that all of you looking to improve will take advantage of RotW and the education (and motivation) it can provide!

Anyway, it's like I said. This was a great week. It truly was. I was startled by the sheer quality of many of the submissions through and through. If we could have more weeks like this one, I would be ecstatic.

"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

The NES was the winner this week. She earned it!

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