Forums > Contributor Zone > RotW: Feb. 25 - Mar. 3, 2019 -- [Whimsical title goes here]

There were 9 reviews this week, but lucky me only had to read 7 of them because I wrote the other 2 and they aren't eligible this week. Tremble in fear of their might as you go up against them next week! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha!

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Here are my comments on the reviews that didn't place in the top three...

Metroid (NES) by CptRetroBlue

This review often reads more like a reminisce than it does a review, but you included some nice details and pointed to the acknowledged highlights of the series. I think if you want it to work more as a standard review, you might want to do more to give meaning to those memories, so that someone who hasn't played the game might have a better sense of how the game fits together. You do a great job of capturing its atmosphere, but someone who hasn't played the game might feel the slightest bit lost. Still, it's nice to see your work growing more ambitious and effective.

Dungeons of Chaos (PC) by Brian

Dungeons of Chaos sounds like an interesting game that might appeal to me despite its simplicity, as I like Ultima IV quite a lot. Well, I liked the simplified NES version, anyway. Your review was at times difficult to follow, but I got the gist of things and can imagine myself at some point playing the game now after knowing nothing about it before reading your review. Thanks for alerting me to its existence!

Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon (Arcade) by CptRetroBlue

This review isn't as polished or detailed as your Mega Man X4 piece, and there were places where you had the opportunity to include some meaningful discussion but did not. Consider this sentence: "You will find yourself surrounded by an enormous amount of enemies who do not hesitate on attacking relentlessly and boss fights can be pretty unforgiving as well." You're telling there, not showing. That's fine, but telling usually should be followed by showing. For instance, you might have described how a particular boss fight was relentless, or the way a mob of enemies typically aproaches. That's the sort of thing that could help push a review to the next level.

Botanicula (PC) by JoeTheDestroyer

I really liked this review when I came across it in The Production Room, and I still do. It's a beautifully written piece and, had you not submitted your review for Bayou Billy, this one definitely would have earned the highest marks out of anything you contributed. Which review did I like more? I ultimately went with Billy, because I felt like you did more with less, but really either submission is fantastic. Way to be your own toughest competition!

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And here are the week's top three picks...

Third Place: Mega Man X4 (PlayStation) by CptRetroBlue

This review was more cleanly written than your Metroid one, I felt, and flowed more easily from point to point while presenting discussion in a way that will benefit readers who may not have played the game. However, you still want to watch for the odd sentence-level issue, such as this one: "While these themes are what separate the dynamic duo, they both can dash and hang on walls momentarily, which can be a difference between being safe or galling into a pit full of lethal spikes." That should be "falling into a pit..." Anyway, it's a strong review of a great game. Good job!

Runner Up:
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove! (PC) by EmP

This review was immediately in contention for its tagline alone. It loses some points for the odd grammatical issue, though, including this sentence: "There third outgoing made an attempt to go back, but it’s Back in the Groove that commits hard to this mindset." I think you mean "Their third outing made..." but I'm not sure. Anyway, you did a good job on the review. It was a bit risky to spend so much time describing the original game, but worth it because then you could reveal how similar the newest installment is to that old title you liked so much. Also, it was a generally fun read that I enjoyed.

Review of the Week: The Adventures of Bayou Billy (NES) by JoeTheDestroyer

The third-to-last paragraph, when coupled with everything else in the review up to that point, is the best bit of writing I read this week and that's enough to win the review top honors. You did a fantastic job of outlining what it feels like to play this game, providing both skillful summary and smart criticism and mixing them with effective nostalgia that didn't run on for too long. It's terrific stuff!

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Thanks as always to everyone for your contributions. This has been an amazing year so far, and I'm grateful to each of you for keeping the good stuff coming!

"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

Holdover review by me: forgotten, abandoned, unloved. Life is depression.

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

Sorry, Rob! EmP didn't remind me about that when he prodded me to hurry up and post the topic, so I feel like technically this is all his fault.

"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

Thank you very much for the win! I'm glad you liked both reviews. There was a lot more I wanted to say right now, but my brain is kinda jelly at the moment. Congrats to CRB and EmP for placing as well.

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

Jason, since Emp always blames me when I forget him, I can accept you blaming him for this.

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

Good work everyone and congrats to winners.

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I feel like I'm almost at the point where I can string words together again.

Good win, others. Small hurrah me. Typos bad for soul.

Guess not.

For us. For them. For you.