Forums > Contributor Zone > Review of the Week January 7 - 13: Invasion of the Venter

I usually write these a certain way, and I'm eschewing that method now because I have a state of emergency on my hands. Thirteen reviews dropped in to say hi, seven of which belong to Mr. Venter. Without further ado:

Smash Bros. Ultimate - Honestgamer
It felt this review took some time to get warmed up. The early phases were well written, to be sure, but didn't seem to pull me in as much as the rest of the article. One thing I especially like about this review, though: it's a quickly paced take on a game that has a lot of small, moving parts to analyze. It's tough to give a quick, concise review of a deepish game, but you pulled it off.


Mentori Puzzle - Honestgamer
Your description of the game's plot elements are perfect. You didn't spoil anything, and you seemed to indicate it was a mixed bag without saying that outright. As this is a puzzle game, the bits about the mechanics are soundly written, but pretty technical. Readers will know what to expect when jumping into this game, that's what's important.


Trybit Logic - Honestgamer
As with Mentori, the Trybit review is understandably technical. This one required more detail, though, and you rose to the occasion there. I think I would have trouble describing this game myself, but you did a terrific job outlining its mechanics and its rules.


Mark of the Ninja Remastered - Honestgamer
I've only played the first level of this game, and it seems like Rush 'N Attack: Ex-Partriot, except not crap. One thing that's important in this review is that you indicate that you're not into stealth games. That should tell anyone who's been on the fence regarding this game that they might be interested in it after all. I also liked your vivid descriptions of the game's events and levels, plus the all around snappiness of the article itself.



Momodora: Reverie Under Moonlight - Honestgamer
I feel like I'm repeating myself here. This is a very good review that, again, flows nicely. There isn't much I can add to this critique that isn't already in the others (although this one and Mark of the Ninja are definitely less technical), except that the introduction was stellar.


Clock Simulator - Honestgamer
Only complaint: the first sentence has an extra "to me" in it. Other than that, it was informative and quite humorous at times.


Now that Jason's reviews are done, it's time for the other half.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mariner
I remember playing this game as a kid and having a love/hate relationship with it. Nowadays it's just a hate relationship. I played it back then because that's what you did with NES games, even the bad ones. Some people love this game and find it underrated. Others despise it. You waste no time in stating where you stand. This review walks us through the campaign, dishing the game's blatant flaws along the way. I like that there was some research included, where you talked about how professional players took so much time to get through the underwater segment. That's not just personal support, but actual frickin' data. The paragraph after that felt a little excessive, though. Otherwise, this is a fantastic review.


Pixel Ripped 1989 - Pickhut
This one flowed excellently and kept me very engaged. The scenes you described captured perfectly what was right about the game, and the flaws you found are well supported. I can't really find any fault in this review, but the discussion became less interesting as you entered parts of the game where there was less stellar content on offer. That's not a criticism of you or the review, though. Such is the case with many middling games...


Street Smart - CptRetroBlue
I feel you on this one. What you described reminds me of my experience with the SNES version of Pit-Fighter. Although I think you more or less covered all of your bases on this review, and gave us a rather humorous take and a decent bash, I feel like there could be more to say about the game. Maybe not a tremendous amount, but another paragraph or two.


Double Dragon - CptRetroBlue
I think this is of my favorite reviews from you. It's quick, snappy and to the point. It gives us all we need to know about how Double Dragon plays on Atari 2600, and why the game doesn't work as well as it should. I would harp about needing to go more in depth, but that's not really a worry with Atari 2600 games. You did good here.


The Simpsons: Road Rage - CptRetroBlue
I lied. I think this is my favorite review from you. It's fairly tightened up and flows nicely. You cover pretty much all of the bases you need to, dishing out appropriate information without sounding too monotone. Also: "Lisa gets to drive an electric car. Figures." I laughed at that. Nicely done!


THIRD PLACE
Shadow Squadron - EmP
You really have a way with words. This game doesn't sounds all that magnificent or interesting, but you managed to talk it up quite skillfully. Where I would probably have turned out a fairly rote article with this game, you came up with lively descriptions of gameplay and found some decent positives. You sound every bit an expert in the field, too, which gives a lot of weight to your words.


SECOND PLACE
NAIRI: Tower of Shirin - Honestgamer
Man, terrific flow with this review. This is not to say that any of your other reviews flowed well, but this one seemed to do so especially well. Each point led into the other, and I was hooked from the start. You brought up some great points, and supported them with good descriptions without spoiling too much of the campaign. I definitely felt your pain by the end, as I've encountered plenty of games that started solid but fizzled out. So this piece is relatable in addition to being a great read.


REVIEW OF THE WEEK
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - Overdrive
This review absolutely oozed passion, and covered about everything an OOT piece should. You dove into the mechanics and campaign structure excellently and without overlong, dry explanations. You talked about the port's key differences, and especially noted their advantages over the previous title. This was a long review, but it didn't feel like it was because of your nice, casual tone. Excellent work!

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That's a wrap.

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

Thanks for the topic, Joe, and for your thoughtful comments on rather a lot of my reviews all at once! I've fixed the error you found in my Clock Simulator opening, which I didn't find myself despite going over that sentence probably three or four times. Then again, I did write the review in a bit of a hurry. I spent a lot more time honing every other contribution, so I guess it showed.

Congrats to all who placed on this week I made as difficult for everyone else as possible, and a reluctant congratulations in particular to overdrive, who only contributed one review like some sort of normal person and still managed to walk away with the win!

"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

Yeah, I get what you mean. Once the concept and positives were exhausted, it was hard squeezing much out of the game after the negatives, especially one that didn't have much content to begin with. Made it hard to actually describe the great moments at all, since the game was so short; I didn't want to give away its highlights. Thanks for liking the review!

Congrats to OD for nabbing RotW for that week. It's weird to think this all happened last week... felt like two weeks ago to me. I guess all that venter content made me think that!

I head spaceshit noises.

Congrats on the win, OD! I liked the review and said as much in the topic I made for it. ;) I read all the reviews this week, in fact, and gave most of them love.

Venter must be thrilled, not only because of his second place finish, but because the site is killing it in terms of content. Well over 20 reviews by a bunch of writers and we're just past the halfway mark of the month.

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

WOO-HOO!!! GUESS WHO IS HAPPY!!!!

Thanks for the comments and praise and glorious victory. Like I said in response to Marc on that thread he started about this review, it was one that took a while to grind through, so I'm glad things turned out that well.

Now, it's time to pull a Jerec and not submit anything else this year so I can say I was unbeatable in 2019! Or finish the one I'm working on and hand it off to Jason for approval and all that jazz and try to be an active champion, defeating all comers with stunning regularity, week after week, making it so that when someone finally beats me (July, October, sometime), it REALLY means something to them and their loved ones.

This post is gonna age really well when I have a 15-review stretch of "honorable mentions" and "not really worth mentionings" over the next 6-7 months.

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

I'll take it -- thanks for wading through all the Jason-ing. Congrats to both him and Oddy, who is half right. This will be his only win of the year, but not through lack of trying.

I already made the Jerec joke, So unoriginal.

For us. For them. For you.

That's because I'm saving all the original material for my reviews in order to be a dominant force this year. Can't be wasting the good stuff on message board talk!

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

Sorry OD, it only counts if you win the first RotW of the year.

I can avoid death by not having a life.

It was the first I was involved with!!!

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