Forums > Contributor Zone > Review of the Week [June 3 - June 9]: So the world might be mended... So the world might be mended.

Welcome back, O Gamers of Honest Bent. We had great submissions this week, even if only a few. Of course, I'm going to plug my review. This is the first of many NES reviews I'm bringing over here from GameFAQs (all of which I'm deleting from GF and making exclusive here, as well as fully rewriting them from scratch). I'm also planning on hitting some other NES games I haven't covered yet, like Amagon and Faria.

It's been a decent week for gaming. Finished Pushmo on 3DS this week, and continued my playthrough of Titan Quest. Currently in Egypt slicing Jackal- and Crocodile-men the fuck up with my dual-wielder. It's a fun, simple Diablo clone, one that I'll probably review here once I've finished it.

Anyway, our three placers this week are... [drum roll]

THIRD PLACE:
disco's Mario Tennis Open review

Sometimes it only takes one flaw to fell a game, as is the case with the new Mario Tennis title. Disco gives us a great description of the title and tells us how one flaw ruined the whole experience. I also liked that he didn't just mention the multiplayer aspects in passing, and slated the game for its misuse of said multiplayer.


SECOND PLACE:
overdrive's Game of Thrones review

It can be difficult to write a solid 5/10 review, but OD pulls it off effortlessly. Here's very well balanced review with great technical polish. It's also very informative and quite engaging. I like how it had me sold on the game at first. I thought, "Oh man, did OD not realize he gave this game a 5?" Then, like a character in the franchise, he stabs the game in the back. Generic gameplay, lacking enemy variety, little to no use of strategy... all flaws that have plagued many a lackluster RPG. Chalk this one up as another role playing experience I won't be embarking on.

On a side note, I've been referring to this game as Video Game of Thrones.


REVIEW OF THE WEEK:
zippdementia's Max Payne 3 review

Some time ago, a fantastic reviewer by the name of zippdementia promised us a Max Payne 3 review. As a lover of the previous MP games, I looked forward to hearing zipp weigh in on the new one. Every day I came to this site looking for it, and every day it didn't appear. I began to wonder if this was going to be like the Soul Blazer review I've been writing for the last two years ;). One day I showed up and there it stood, and I wasn't at all disappointed. This review may have some small rough areas, but what makes it a great read is zippy d's voice. It reads very easily--it's a long review, but it didn't feel long when I read it. It's very engaging, very passionate, and gives some great descriptions of scenery and action, as well as raises some awesome points. Like disco's review, I'm also grateful that you charged full force into the multiplayer.

And that's that. I have the next two days off, but I'll be spending them with my family. You probably won't see any reviews from me until Wednesday (unless I work on them after hours). Depending on which review I complete first, it'll either be Isolated Warrior, Dragon Power, or Captain Skyhawk. Be there or be square!

The only thing my milkshake brings to the yard is a subpoena.

WTF?

nm, fixed it.

The only thing my milkshake brings to the yard is a subpoena.

Thanks, Joe! That's great that you liked it and the win feels especially good coming from someone who I very much respect as a writer on the site. You have really jumped onto the scene lately with some great reviews of games that really shouldn't be interesting to review.

I wasn't sure how the Max Payne review would go over, as it was coming in late and maybe a little under the radar. So it's very cool to see it get a bit of recognition! I agree some areas of the review are a little rough (a bit like ol' Max himself): I wouldn't mind getting your thoughts on where those areas are. I'll probably go in and fix them, though I'm glad it carried its weight even with that.

Thanks again, Joe, for doing another week of ROTW and I've also been meaning to thank you, for a while now, for being such an active member of the site in these transition days.

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

Thanks for the recognition and kind words. And I think I like Video Game of Thrones better than my twitter-naming of #GameOfThronesGame

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

Hm... Was hoping to place this week, but I know my effort really wasn't as strong as my others, so I'm not too surprised nor that all disappointed.

Congrats to the winners! Nice to see Zipp win one; it's been a while since he has.

[Eating EmP's brain] probably isn't a good idea. I mean... He's British, which means his brain's wired for PAL and your eyes are NTSC. - Will

I enjoyed your review, wolf. I enjoyed all five of the reviews this week, in fact. It as really difficult to decide a top three.

The only thing my milkshake brings to the yard is a subpoena.

Congrats to the winners! Nice to see Zipp win one; it's been a while since he has.

I know; I haven't been putting as many reviews as I once did. Mostly because of time and a lack of energy at the end of the day. I have a review that's been in the works for "Zombies, Run!" for about four months now. I've also got one started for Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil Nemesis, Plants vs Zombies, and... i guess i'm on a zombie kick.

I am playing through all the hitman games in my spare time (I bought the PS2 collection for cheap online) and am planning on reviewing them as I finish. in honor of the new one coming out.

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

I've actually done that for the same reasons myself. And found the series as a whole average with the exception of Blood Money which was fairly good.

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The first game, which was never released on the console, is pretty terrible. It's a great idea marred by terrible controls and dodgy AI. I'm on the second right now, which is incredibly better. Its main issue is that it doesn't give the player enough clues to make them want to try out all the cool stealth stuff and so it becomes preferable to just play it as an action game... which it really sucks at being. It's much easier to control, though, and the AI makes a lot more sense. It is funny how powerful silencers are. I often shoot right past someone's head but because my gun is silenced, they don't even notice. Run too fast while disguised, tho, and they catch me! The rules are ridiculous. I'm also really against stealth games whose main "stealth" element is that you have to friggin' walk everywhere.

The best part about the game is solving the stealth puzzle: figuring out how to complete a mission. Like I said, it's hurt a bit by the fact that one constant solution is "pull out silenced ballers and go to town."

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

I've actually gone through the trouble of finishing most of them with the piano wire only. Like a boss. Was it worth it? No. Just go in and shoot everything that moves.

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I had the exact issue playing Hitman 2. It was fun, but playing most of the missions as stealth was a pain in the ass because of the unpredictable AI. I had no choice but to play most of the game guns a blazin' whenever I get caught.

THANKFULLY, the AI improved considerably with Contracts and Blood Money. I can't even tell you how many times I've replayed Blood Money just to try different methods.

I head spaceshit noises.

At this point, I think I'll just wait for the new one and start there. It looks wondrous, and I have limited patience for less refined stealth titles, anyway. The new one strikes me as the ideal starting point.

"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

Playing through Max Payne 3 and having a great time. Found your review very agreeable zip, and readable despite the length.

Mobius 1, engage...

The new one actually looks like an abomination of everything the Hitman title is supposed to be(similar to the new Splinter Cell), but we'll just have to wait and see.

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@ DE: Good to know someone took the bullet (or in hitman's case, avoided the bullet) for the rest of us. Glad to know it isn't worth it for me to try. I haven't seen enough footage of the new one to tell what direction it's headed in. I'm nervous about it becoming too "Metal Gear" and losing too much of its "Deus Ex."

@ holdthephone: Thanks for reading! Hey, when you finish the game, would you leave a post on my review telling me what your experience was? I'm really interested in seeing how close my experience approximated that of others.

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