Forums > Contributor Zone > RotW // 4th March – 10th June // The Return of the Generic Tagline Edition

[insert generic introduction here again]

Jason needs that intro. As Joe not long pointed out, I like to bag on the whole “let’s talk about meeeeeee!” line of reviewing (despite being probably the worst offender for it, aside from Rob), but that intro does a very vital job. The biggest question posed about Hello Kitty Kruisers is why the hell are you talking about Hello Kitty Kruisers. The curious collector angle is acceptable to me.

I then learn more than I’ve ever wanted to about a Hello Kitty game. Jason’s review is well written, concise and descriptive, offering plenty of valid examples for people to compare. Game choice has kneecapped here, because it could more or less less be summed up as a mediocre Mario Kart clone. And we could have probably inferred that from the game’s title alone.

Freeman: There’s some weird tone issues going on here. The intro feels stuffy, almost like the start of a wikipedia article, then the next few paragraphs become over-loose with all the warlock talk and the sprechen de Japanese and being biiiiig fans. There’s nothing wrong with either tone;i t’s just a bit jarring when placed right next to each other.

It’s an odd structure. As usual, you have great game choice, but the review does start to get a bit listy. You roll out a music paragraph, a combat section, a gameplay summary. Everything seems to be packed in little compartments rather than discussed as a whole.



THIRD Ghouls N Ghosts [GEN] by Joe

Based on the last RotW I did, I’m going to make a new backhanded award. This review will be known as the Golden Joe™ and it will be awarded to the writer most committed to mentioning the full title of the game they are reviewing as much as humanly possible. This week’s winner of the Golden Joe™ is Joe! Take a bow, buddy!

Still this is a good review that almost feels overwritten in places because of the detail you delve into. I think it’s an easy trap we all fall into when going back to older reviews and trying to update them; I’m certainly guilty of it. But it was a good review and, more importantly, mirrors my view of being one of the few ‘easy’ entries of the series. By direct comparison with some of the other, at least….

SECOND Dauntless [PC] by Zydrate

It’s the return of the uncentered screenshots!

This is one of your better reviews, i think. You keep your conversational tone, but still retains enough focus that you’re not rambling off in different directions. I liked the point about it being a Monster Hunter even though you’ve put little time into Monster Hunter because it rings correct; I’ve not played a minute of that series, and I can see what this game would like to be.

It wasn’t a short review, but it never felt long. The relaxed tone meant that information was conveyed naturally without feeling listy; topics bled into each other organically. Good work; I’ll fix those screens for you as a reward.

WIN The Silver Case [PS4] Pickhut

Pick takes us on a weird ride at the start of his weird Suda51 kick with a game I’ve never actually heard of. Silver Case sounds odd (Suda51 confirmed) and picks puts a lot of work into deliving into what makes it so weird and how it does and doesn’t work. He manages to bring some order to the chaos which isn’t always easy, talking about overlapping cosmetic medias or bizzare writing habits, or really doubling down on the eccentricities of its cast. It sells all this as an interesting alternative, and clever sets this argument around how the parts of the game made obligatory by the fact that is is a game hurt it the most. The game sounds like a pain to navigate while, at the same time, sounds so different and experimental that a certain kind of player might willing hurt themselves to check it out.

I think the argument that makes up the thrust of this review is well made, especially considering how it’s a difficult thesis to explain, based around an oddity of a video game. It’s biggest pitfall was that it does run overlong and there’s certainly a few places where you start to repeat yourself a bit. It makes complaining about Suda’s lack of editor kind of funny, at least.

For us. For them. For you.

Thanks for the RotW, EmP! I was going into unfamiliar territory with this choice for a review, so it's nice to hear someone enjoyed reading it. I was doing one too many reviews of similar action games this year, so I decided to do something different to see if I can approach a review in a different way.

I do agree with it being long and having repeats here and there. The irony of the editor line wasn't lost on me. The game has A LOT of things to mention, and I may have overdone it in some places. I may have done the same thing with another review I'm about to submit in a few days...

Congrats to Zydrate and Joe on their places, and again, everyone else for providing interesting content for that week!

I head spaceshit noises.

I wonder if the centering screwed me out of first place.

Also I had a proper editing run through that review and the guy helped me fix a lot of syntax and redundancies that seem to plague my review. Also I noticed on my own that I had the word "vital" in there like seven times and I cut it down to three. Stuff like that I just need a second pair of eyes, y'know?

Hopefully in the future I'll keep that habit of getting a second set of eyes on my stuff and I'll likely place more often when my reviews come around.

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Good week, as usual. As for my review, I don't always try to appeal to everyone or go the easy route in my reviews, even when I throw in concise and effective tonal transitions such as the last line in the intro paragraph (a paragraph which serves to put the reader in a mindset of comparing a fan-made work to an original as well as demonstrating the absurd and largely unprecedented nature of such works). The outlandish nature of the topic is eased for the reader by a comfortably familiar structure of introducing gameplay facets in the order one might notice them, crafting a reading experience much like a discovery of the game itself. I hope my unique writing style of this review didn't dissuade anyone from trying out this oddity of a gem! And there's an even better sequel, which you all can look forward to hearing me share in the future!

D'oh! Blasted Golden Joe Award, mumble mumble...

But hey, I now present you with the, uh, Silver Joe Award for posting ROTW way late! Yeah, take that! (But seriously, thank you for getting this topic out)

Well, at least I placed, and it was an honor to be beaten by Zydrate and Pickhut. Keep up the good work!

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