Forums > Contributor Zone > Review of the Week Oct 15-21: Doomsday Edition

A light appeared at the end of the tunnel. I'm only a couple of days away from my next week off work, and I'm excite to have even a short time away from my job. Tomorrow, my wife goes in for surgery to have her tonsils removed, so I will also be taking care of her in that time. Still, I won't have to be at the hospital (where I work), so that means more game time, writing and watching horror movies.

I also recently played a bit of the game Aya and the Cubes of Light, a so-called "sleeper" in Wii's defunct WiiWare catalog. So far, my feelings are kinda mixed. It's a fairly engaging game with some challenging puzzles, but its use of motion controls is unnecessary, and its environments are a bit drab.

As for the reviews, in no particular order (except for the placers). Quite a few apocalyptic stories in there:

Dark Eternal offered a review of Drakengard. It's been so long since I played through this sucker. I've been meaning to replay it, and tackle Drakengard 2 while I'm at it. The intro was very well done. It sets up what the game is about without really going into tremendous, painful depth, and gives the reader just the right impression about the game. It's really not a happy one at all. This is a good review. It flows very well and moves from point to point nicely. I almost didn't buy that this was an "above average" (3.5/5) review, because you spend a lot of time knocking the game and not a whole lot of time praising it. However, your point does come through in the end.

A new Shatterhand review appeared, courtesy of Overdrive. This one starts off wonderfully bloggy, calling back to a time when older gamers like myself only received a new game every so often, and sometimes ended up with a poor title. I dodged the Shatterhand bullet as a kid, but I did eventually play the game last decade. What I like most about this review is it details all of the game's features, plus it reminds us that sometimes it's not just faulty mechanics that hamper a product. You provide good support for your thesis, especially the bits that talk about level design or set pieces (and how monotonous they are).

Brian covered Bloodlust Shadowhunter, a game I need to play from my own Steam library. This one gives us a lot of technical information, but readers leave knowing exactly how the game plays. In a way, it's like reading a demo, if that makes sense. There are a few rough edges, but this is still a very good review that's loaded with great details. You also make some great comparisons between BLSH and other games without necessarily holding it to those standards. You don't knock it because it doesn't measure up to Vampire the Masquerade, and that's something we should all keep in mind when using comparisons.

Masters reviewed ZeroRanger, and it was a really great piece. I don't usually think about story when playing a shmup. Hell, I usually skip the cutscenes, if there are any. However, this game apparently had something to deliver, but you didn't want to spoil it. Mission accomplished, as your description of ZeroRanger's narrative keeps its secret pretty well locked away while you discuss it. Your discussion on challenge factor is on point as well, as you describe that the game will kill you, but offers at least some small measure of relief.

Pickhut lets us know that Arcade Archives: The Ninja Warriors isn't so good, but entertains us while he's at it. I loved the first paragraph, and really appreciated reading about the cabinet. Little bits of history and information that people wouldn't otherwise know are terrific inclusions in any review. More than that, you incorporate these features without breaking from your flow, which is wonderful.

Follow_Freeman's review of Super Smash Bros. Melee is an interesting one. The segment that talks about animation and input response is great. I've tried before to put that part of Melee into words, but you handled it with finesse. There's a lot of chatter in this review, but none of it is without purpose. The best part, at least in my opinion, is when you discuss the game's roster and its diversity.


Cpt_Thought_Process tackled Dead Island and got second place, yet another game I've played. I thought it was an okay game. Maybe a tad repetitive, with a weak story. I honestly didn't think its successor was much better, though. But I digress. This is a very good review, it flows wonderfully and gives properly supported points regarding Dead Island's shortcomings. It also explains why a more in-depth story with likable could have made this game more engaging. I can't count the number of horror games I've played that biff it in terms of story elements, but still try to be story-oriented games. Most of them are low budget, indie releases you can purchase for mere dollars, or even cents. Dead Island, despite being a major production, is no different than those.

Wormster Dash also received the Masters treatment for third place. As I've said before, your word choice is absolutely on point. I'm also impressed that you tackled such a minimalist game with such an in-depth review, properly discussing level design (for lack of a better term) and even theme. You make the five minutes play time sound like a million bucks.

EmP delivers the goods with a Wandersong review, and walks home with the trophy. Your discussion on the narrative had me hooks, and you described this seemingly technical game without sounding overly technical. You kept the review colorful and lively, but you also spoke of the late-game portions of the story without giving away any of the plot. I mean, I'm just about ready to buy this title now. (BTW, control + F and search for "in in.") Beautifully done!

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I'm tired and I need to sleep.

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

Thanks for doing RotW, especially when it sounds like real life was kicking your ass. And I appreciate the flattering comments. Good on Gary for another win; I rather liked the review.

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

Thanks for the thoughts, Joe. Nice to hear you enjoyed the review despite the game itself being a disappointment. Sometimes weaving in and out of history tidbits while trying to talk about the actual game can be hit and miss, so I'm glad you liked the flow.

Congrats to EmP for nabbing the RotW spot in a loaded week. Ya'll been hitting hard these past few weeks!

I head spaceshit noises.

Appreciate the notes and the win; busy week, as they all tried to be this month, but at least you didn't have to contend with the Joe-rush next week. I guess I get to do that. Oh dear.

As for Wandersong, you should pick it up. You all should. It has the capability to surprise anyone.

For us. For them. For you.