Forums > Contributor Zone > RotW: Aug. 13-19 -- Jason comments on reviews and ranks his favorite three

There were 10 reviews this week, counting a holdover from Overdrive (who would never forgive me if I forgot him). That's a fair bit to cover, and literally TWICE as many as Rob had last week. So let's get right down to it...

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Here are the reviews that didn't place in the top three this week, in order from oldest to newest:

Chronus Arc (Android) by overdrive

Overdrive found a Kemco game he genuinely likes, without much in the way of qualifiers. That makes the review immediately semi-interesting to those of us who have been following the "Kemco Khallenge," but someone who pops in to read just the one review might be a bit confused. Fortunately, it's a strong review overall that draws on Rob's experience completing way more Kemco games than most sane mortals have even touched, and that should make it useful and entertaining for everyone.

Lust for Darkness (PC) by JoeTheDestroyer

For me, this review sort of followed the same path as the game it was outlining, which is a strength in terms of doing the game justice(?), but which meant I was able to determine fairly early on that the game and I will never find ourselves in close company. Joe does a good job describing a game I have virtually no desire to play, not because it's terrible but because it is mediocre and uses erotic content--which I'm not opposed to seeing in games--as an ineffective crutch. It's a good review, though somehow it gave off a slightly rote vibe.

Postal 2 (PC) by darketernal

This game's recent appearance on GOG.com makes now the perfect time for a fresh take on Postal 2, the most famous in the absurdly over-the-top franchise that HonestGamers folks have written about for years now (though some of that prior content has disappeared). The review expertly covers the game, making the most of some of its comical(?) content while also raising valid concerns (too many load times and the generally repetitive nature of play). By the end, the score seems quite fair, based on what was described. I enjoyed this review quite a bit.

IRO HERO (PC) by Masters

In case anyone wonders, we don't often hear back from developers or publishers after we review their stuff, aside from a quick and generic "Thanks" if I shoot them an email with a link they request. This review inspired a developer to remark that it was good to see his game reviewed by someone who gets what he was going for. He liked the review a lot, and so did I, because Marc is good at cutting through the empty words some people might devote to shooter games. He focused on what really matters, and shows how this game mostly delivers that. It's definitely recommended reading.

Monster Hunter: World (PC) by Zydrate

This review contained good information and some opinions that were fun to read, but it could have benefitted from a bit more focus. There was a lot to cover, and a review's overall length is always a concern because readers tend to have short attention spans. The frequent comparisons to Undaunted weren't helpful, either, because this individual review doesn't use them to any significant benefit and I would have to go read another review to get a better idea what practical purpose those mentions might have served. Also, Monster Hunter hasn't been exclusive to just handhelds. It was on PS2 before (or around the same time) it originally hit PSP, and there was a Wii version I played extensively that also was later brought to Wii U. Still, as I noted, there were some good bits here and the complaints about some of the hassle involved in doing anything--specifically, the gripes with the hub world and activities necessary to craft armor or prepare for fights or quest with friends--definitely rang true.

AH-3 Thunderstrike (Sega CD) by pickhut

The last line of this review perfectly sums up the text that preceded it: "Quantity did this game no favors." That's the review's central point, and it is made persuasively. I also liked the bits pointing out how the Sega CD failed, and how this game avoided typical flaws of that specific hardware only to succumb to the flaws of the overall medium. It was a quality review for a game that lacked much in the way of quality. Thank you for letting me know I can safely skip this one!

Life is Strange (PC) by Follow_Freeman

I got to to the end of this review with no question as to why you would award it a half-star out of five stars. You hated the game. Passionately. You found the characters cardboardy and cringe-y, and didn't like that your choices couldn't amount to much or (in rare cases) led to outcomes you didn't find appropriate. This felt like a very personal review, an exorcism of sorts. But it didn't feel like a especially convincing piece of criticism. It felt more like you had an ax to grind. As such, I consider it a bit of a misfire. It's too over-the-top with its disdain for the game being reviewed and that affects your credibility a bit. Ironically, I think it would have worked better--and been more convincing--if you cited fewer examples of ways the game failed and spent more time developing them. Oh, and it also would have been nice if you didn't spoil how the game ends. If someone reaches the end of your review and hasn't been convinced to avoid the game like the plague, the lack of some sort of spoiler tag is an unfortunate disservice.

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Third Place: 720° (NES) by JoeTheDestroyer

I love a good retro review, and that's what Joe provided with this look at one of the video game medium's earliest takes on skateboarding. More specifically, it's an NES port of that game. There was a lot of basic, competent writing to like here, as Joe is good at what he does. There also was a terrific section where he takes advantage of the game's reliance on bees to raise the stakes for the player. Developers did stuff like that back then (see the gator in Toobin'), but while sometimes it works (see again the gator in Toobin'), sometimes it comes off as absurd. So Joe's little mini-rant was a lot of fun, and he knew when to cutt it off and return to the more conventional discussion. A fun read!

Runner Up: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (32X) by Masters

I love when lines like this sneak there way into a review: "Every movement is exaggerated and reminds me of how characters move when they're trying to tiptoe quietly in old cartoons. Imagine if your avatar was always doing that." In a few words, Masters has painted a mental picture that lets me clearly picture the stumble this game makes, almost as clearly as if I had played the game myself. The opening bit comparing it to other games released during its time was also quite adept, leading me to like this review the most of the two reviews Masters contributed this week.

Review of the Week: Hustle (Arcade) by Midcore

This is another fascinating look at the early history of the medium, with Hustle used as a jumping off point. Some reviews that take this approach spend so much time exploring history that they forget to review the game at hand, but this review moves from strength to strength. It explains what players then and now should find in the game, and gives it proper context within history so that modern readers can better understand what the big deal was even if they weren't born when the game first arrived (and as I'm only 39, I fall into that category). Hustle isn't a game I cared about when I started reading, but now I appreciate it a lot more and that counts for a lot. Terrific stuff!

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Thanks to all who contributed and made this such a memorable week of great reviews. Sometimes, it's easy to lose track of the fact that whether one places or not in the typical week, contributions here still rank among the best reviews on the web. Given the variety of games covered this week and others, I believe it's also the case that some games are getting better written treatment than they have in years. That's something to be proud of, and I appreciate all of you who participated. I hope you all believe (as I do) that we're doing something special here, and I hope some of what I said in my mini-critiques proves helpful to you as you focus on efforts to improve. Have a great day, and thanks again!

"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 didn't fully comprehend how many reviews were up this week until after I submitted my review! That new, front-page structure threw me for a loop. I like it, but I need to get used to it. Thanks for the comments and compliments, Venter! Glad you enjoyed the review and the central theme I was driving at.

Also, congrats to Midcore for nabbing the RotW in a busy week, and for everyone else for making it engaging!

I head spaceshit noises.

Kudos, Jason, on getting such a thorough RotW out so fast. The team has been killing it lately. Also, thanks for the love.

I actually liked my Iro review better out of the two, so it's always interesting to see what others think in these situations.

I didn't read most of the reviews this week, but I did read Rob's and liked it and said as much in the topic I made for him (I think), and I have to give props to Pick, whose review I thought was great.

Congrats to Midcore and Joe, obviously.

I don't have to prove I'm refined - that's what makes me refined!

Didn't expect a proper placement. Always fun to have but I couldn't find anyone to give it a proper editing run. I reread it a couple times and fixed some of my usual syntax hiccups but couldn't find anyone timely to do a line by line review of it. Alas!

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Great job putting this out so quickly! I'm sorry to hear my experimental approach rubbed you the wrong away; always stings to hear one's credibility in doubt, especially since I go so far out of my way to provide citations and make my points perfectly clear to anyone paying attention. I suppose the only way to be widely considered credible is to go with the flow, but when you would prefer a fresh perspective that is well-articulated and cited, you can count on me! Oh, and thank you for mentioning that spoiler; I believe I made perfectly clear why investing the time I did into the game could be unwise, but your point inspired me to simply incorporate a link to a discussion of the ending, promoting more good content and allowing the inquisitive to learn even more.

As for the other reviews, I don't think there was a bad one in the bunch. I got some good reasons to keep saving up for a PC to play some hits, some good chuckles, and other great one from Midcore, who is easily a strong contender for "Best User with a Gordon Freeman Profile Pic" award and unquestionably the winner of the "King of Arcade History Reviews" award.

A song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RqzFkV2K4g
Film reviews: https://letterboxd.com/Follow_Freeman/

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This is both impressively timely and detailed. Thank you for that. I agree that my Lust for Darkness was a rote affair. I kinda felt that as I was subbing it. Thanks for placement on my 720 review, though. I haven't played Toobin', but I wouldn't mind giving it a check sometime soon.

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

A good week had by all. I'll just be over here, smug that I dodged the Lust for Darkness bullet.

For us. For them. For you.

I'm starting to have that rote feeling creep into everything now. And I guess that's what I get for accepting all sorts of weak sauce indie game assignments, and forcing up coverage for the Alpha thingie.

I don't have to prove I'm refined - that's what makes me refined!