Forums > Contributor Zone > October Horror Contest RESULTS!

We only had five reviews to work through, but they were good. I had to spend time thinking about them while typing up my opinions and had to think a bit more than normal while coming up with my scores. I enjoyed reading all of these reviews and am glad to put a judging hat back on for the first time in what, a couple years, I guess. They definitely were better than the low-budget horror films I was watching Sunday night instead of doing my judging then. I mean, Killjoy? What the… That movie was bad on so many levels and only good in the aspect that the dudes hanging out smoking blunts and drinking cheap booze acted a lot like slacker dudes hanging out all day to get buzzed up would. That was only about 5 minutes of the 75-minute runtime, though. Probably less, actually.


SOMA by Suskie:

OD -- This is a good review of one of those games that has an intriguing premise, but overall, doesn't quite meet up to its promise. For my reasoning behind that, we just have to go beneath your final screenshot. You'd painted this game as being this "gradual dread" deal where you're expected to think about your actions and then…boom, let's throw in those "Amnesia-style" scares with monsters and stuff, along with a couple other flaws. I can see why this would feel a bit out-of-place (even if, as you said a sort-of necessity to avoid being a "walking simulator", which to my mind, would be worse). You really did a good job of moving from point to point, intriguing a reader with the premise, mentioning that some aspects might not have worked as well as possible, but then bringing back the intrigue with a strong finale. Strong writing that covers the bases is always good. I guess I'm sounding a bit vague with my praise, but that's because I haven't played Amnesia or many/any of the games which have followed its lead. You did a good job explaining what that entails, but you know, with some things, no matter how good one writes about it, that's still no substitute for actual experiencing it and with anything dealing with horror/fright, I think that is magnified. Of course, there is the "NOT HALLOWEEN/SCARY ENOUGH" demerits that have always been the basis of themed contests, often to my rage when I find out things such as how my Japanese ROM translation game doesn't meet a judge's view of an actual obscure game. Still, a very successful review. 91/100

WQ -- While not really “horror” in the traditional sense, Suskie does a great job explaining just what makes this game so foreboding and meaningful. By drawing attention to some of the most pertinent moralistic questions humanity has asked itself over the centuries, readers easily get an understanding of why this game resonated so well with him. Impeccable writing with brilliant descriptions immerse us in the very dystopian environment the developers of SOMA presumably wished to portray. What makes the game even more appealing is the fact that the questions it seeks to answer might not actually be so far off in our future. Read this article, if you haven’t heard of this already, and you’ll understand just why the concepts behind this game are so truly terrifying.

SCORE: 95

TOTAL: 186


Five Nights at Freddy’s by Robotic_Attack:

WQ -- Five Nights at Freddy’s is one of those games that I have heard about routinely on the Internet (and elsewhere) about how creepy it can get. It’s one I’ve wanted to try for a while but just haven’t gotten around to it. That being said, you do a good job explaining just what it is that makes this game so eerie. Having access only to five control options can make players feel limited in their ability to control a situation, even if they have everything they need, which would only add to the scare factor. Unfortunately, however, the review suffers a bit from too much excess. While telling us everything that either did or didn’t appeal to you about the game is an admirable trait, it may not always be necessary, especially when some factors aren’t as important. Doing this can detract from the overall message or tone of the review, leading readers to get distracted. Granted, I’ll be the first to tell you that this isn’t easy to do, and I have struggled with this sort of thing myself (and still do), so don’t feel discouraged.

Some other things to note, some paragraphs would have been better broken up, or sentences pared down to shorten the length of the paragraphs. Also, examples like this: “Why things like the doors and lights are run by a battery, I'm not sure...,” unfortunately distract more than anything because they interrupt the flow of what you’re trying to present.

The last thing I’m going to point out about this has to do with your conclusion. Readers should get the point of your score without you explicitly telling us your rationale. Reading your review, I knew why you gave it the score you did because you explained it quite thoroughly in the preceding paragraphs.

I know I said a lot here, but only because I’m trying to give you some pointers. You did a good job describing exactly what makes the game work for you, and I do come away with a similar sense of dread that I assume one would feel actually playing it. All you really need is a little fine-tuning.

SCORE: 65

OD -- This is a game I've heard people mention a lot, but never really looked into to see what it is. Very intriguing in a way. You start out strong with your talk about jump scares (as a horror movie fan, I agree -- the problem is lazy, derivative filmmakers who recycle them to the point they lose impact. A good filmmaker can keep them fresh instead of yet another "OH NO!!! Oh..wait, it's just the cat. Heh heh heh, guess I can relax n..GYAEHHHHHHHHHHH" episode). You also did a really good job of explaining the nuts and bolts of the game, which is great for someone like me who never has really looked into it. This also seems to be a definite scary game, so bonuses for that. On the other hand, I'd say the conclusion is sort of redundant. You explained two paragraphs above why the difficulty at the end was a bit of a turnoff and then essentially brought all that back up, slightly rephrased, to say that's why you're taking another point off your intended score. I'd also say that some tightening would be helpful, as well. After reading this, I get where Jason is coming from when he edits my staff reviews and consistently is saying things like "I worked on eliminating repetitive phrasing and improving transitions" EVERY SINGLE TIME. I'd also add that while you really went into detail explaining how you play the game, you really could have used some of that detail in your next-to-last paragraph, where you mention the story. From reading the review, I gathered this is a simple, yet tough, horror game with a minimal "excuse plot". And then you say that a friend says the story is the best part, but you have to look for it. Man, I just think when you say something like that, you need to give some sort of reasoning. Like, trying to avoid any legit spoilers, but maybe giving a hint or two as to what these clippings said or a vague idea of this intriguing background. 78/100

TOTAL: 143


BloodNet by EmP:

OD -- Oh, wow, lol. Now this is a game which is a definite horror-themed game, but man, the horror seems to be at least as much derived in trying to play it than anything that actually happens. To be a nitpicking judge, I'd be a bit critical of how you opened up with a couple paragraphs that just blast how much this game sucks. It's the sort of thing that makes me think the game is hot trash and hit "back", only to realize I'm judging it for a contest and, therefore, really should read the entire thing to get the full story. When you get past that and describe the game, though, this is a great example of a "good ambition, bad skill" offering where things sound really interesting and promising, but fall apart due to all sorts of problems. The sort of problems that got ironed out (for the most part) as time progressed, but here, seem to have ruined a game with potential. As is, though, it seems to be a near-unplayable mess and you do a great job of illustrating many, many failings. As I said, though, a lot of that stuff, such as how you can unknowingly kill important people and lose without ever realizing what you did wrong, does lose a bit of impact considering this game was already bashed beyond redemption before you even mention anything concerning what it is about. Still, that's only one flaw and the rest is pretty golden. 88/100

WQ -- The review kicks off with a bit of a slow start, but quickly works up into something fairly entertaining. EmP wastes few words in hitting some of his most important points, and does so in his usual sarcastically humorous way. We definitely get a sense of just how confused this game seems to be simply by the vocabulary and sentence structure this review uses. It’s interesting to note that most of the discussion involves the main character’s vampirism, which leads to my impression (perhaps erroneously) that not much of the game even bothers to hint upon its advertised sci-fi elements, with the exception of the goofy Internet depiction.

On a sort of side note, these pictures are terrible. I don’t think it’s you – it’s got ot be just the game – but I don’t think I’ve seen such a pixelly game since some of the character models in (bless it) Legend of Dragoon. Haha.

SCORE: 85

TOTAL: 173


Dropsy by DE

WQ -- DE presents us with a game that doesn’t truly qualify as horror by any means, but features a protagonist that could easily show up in our nightmares if we weren’t so busy feeling sorry for him. He does a good job explaining what makes Dropsy work – and what doesn’t work – while simultaneously describing the world in which he lives in and the people with whom he has to deal with. The review, however, does suffer from overly complex sentences, some of which contain words or structure that doesn’t lend to the review as a whole. The fast travel tangent when describing the map is kind of jarring as well and perhaps could have been handled better or eliminated entirely. Otherwise, DE has done a solid job getting his point across, and I do feel quite sorry for the poor simpleton whose only goal in life seems to involve gaining a bit of affection. It’s just a shame some of the mechanics of the game don’t work too well.

SCORE: 70

OD -- This isn't horror! Unless you're talking about the horror of being forced into an outcast role by an uncaring society, forced to belittle yourself solely to earn the minimal amount of acceptance to make life remotely bearable. Reviews of which generally use comments such as "it might not be fun, but it's a very important game", which then leads me to believe said reviewer might be a personal friend/acquaintance with the designer and all-too-willing to bestow unwarranted praise on their efforts regardless of whether doing so is actually professional in any way. Anyway, while not a horror review, it is a nice one that does a fine job of explaining the premise of this game and how it works. You did a really good job of showing just how it works as an adventure by giving an example of how getting a hug from one person may involve getting something from someone else, whom you also need to help and so on. Your issues also were reasonable. I hate games with large areas which don't allow fast travel and, when you're playing an adventure game, knowing what your objective is kind of is an important thing, so having to go off crude speech bubble drawings is sort of a detriment to that. You made this seem like an overall charming little game, highlighted by your "So, is it good or bad?" paragraph. It's not horror, but it's a fun read that I enjoyed. And I enjoyed your opening. Clowns are a standard horror device, so mentioning that and then contrasting it with how Dropsy actually is was a nice touch. Overall, a very solid read. 88/100

TOTAL: 158


Parasite Eve by holdthephone:

OD -- You actually picked a game I'm familiar with and have played/know about! 120/100 You win!!!!

Oh…apparently other judges, contestants, random passers-by are saying that wasn't a particularly professional judging job and I should actually read the review and comment on it. Fine… I remember when I reviewed it and used this sort-of forced "Bill-n-Ted"-style dialogue, except for parts where I abandoned it more-or-less to talk about the game's nuts-and-bolts. Fun times. Taught me a lot about how it isn't really a good idea to use a gimmick unless your willing to permeate everything with it. You avoided that sort of thing. Smart. I really liked your third paragraph, talking about how its the holidays in NYC, but everything is desolate. That does a great job of setting up the scenario. I also really agree with your main premise that its brevity is a big positive because some aspects of this game are really bloated, but never get too unbearable due to this. I know I never got so into the weapon-modding to get a gun like the one you described, but I had no problems with the vast majority of the game (not counting the post-game Chrysler Tower -- my strategy started to fall apart with one of its tougher bosses). I think you did a great job of summing this game up. It's flawed, but it's short, moves quickly and lets its story take you where it does, making things so exhilarating that you don't really grasp the flaws until you're reflecting upon it or starting it again. I do have one qualm, though. I've played and reviewed this game, so I gathered where you were coming from with what you said. Someone without my background with the game might get confused, though. They'd be saying stuff like, "Item management and customization are overdone? It's an easy game? You can make crazy overpowered weapons to really make it easy? Locked doors and slow movement? AND IT GOT A 4/5?!?!?" I think you could have maybe gone into more detail on the stuff that makes the game work, as this review does at times read like, "It's got a lot of flaws, but it's short, so they won't bug ya too much!!!" as opposed to a real recommendation. Still, I liked this one. 85/100

WQ -- Parasite Eve is yet another game I have been wanting to play for a while. Holdthephone provides an engaging and informative review that showcase the game’s strengths and weaknesses, as any good review should do. I enjoyed the energized descriptions of Eve’s character mechanics and effects on the world and other creatures around her. In fact, I would have liked to see a description of at least one of these creations, but perhaps the monstrous creations were so grotesque (and pixelated, it sounds like) that finding words to describe them would have been impossible. Or, perhaps you felt like leaving an air of mystery surrounding some of the neatest features of the game, which is fine. The criticisms you levy against the game are well written, and even though you spend a lot of time in them, you also manage to downplay them somewhat, though I will admit that for me, they still make me a bit hesitant to check the game out any time soon. That being said, I am left with a desire to find out just what lies in store for the brief horror title, so I guess I can say that I feel fairly mixed.

SCORE: 80

TOTAL: 165


FINAL SCORES:

Suskie - 186
EmP - 173
Holdthephone - 165
DE - 158
Robotic_Attack - 143

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

Thanks for the in-depth reviews of reviews ya'll. Brings back memories ='(

And yeah OD I have no idea how to use a 5 star scale.

Mobius 1, engage...

Har! I won the horror tournament with a review that states, in the first line, that the game I'm talking about isn't horror! (It is horror, of course. I was just making a point!)

Thanks for everyone involved in this -- I know the site's not what it used to be, but contests like this every once in a while feel very invigorating and I hope everyone else feels the same way.

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

Just read the critique, thank you for the feedback!

Thank you wise judge squad and congrats to Suskie for stealing my horror review coming up trumps. I don't think we'll ever get back to being able to throw one of these out every month with twenty plus entries again, but it's something I'll try to dust off somewhat more regularly.

Until next time!

For us. For them. For you.

Thanks for your opinions. And no, I did not know anyone that made the game, thankfully. Though to be honest, in retrospect it probably deserved a star less than what I gave it.

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Sorry for being a lazy no-show. I almost had a review of Until Dawn done, but then I went away for Halloween to a house with no internet. It rained all weekend too. In fact, it was a bit like Until Dawn. Sort of.

"fuck yeah oblivion" - Jihad

Where you given multiple life choices to affect outcomes that all ended up with the exact same consequence anyway?

For us. For them. For you.

Nah. Hayden Panettiere wasn't there in a wet towel either.

"fuck yeah oblivion" - Jihad