Forums > Contributor Zone > RotW: April 22-28 -- Three come in, but only one wins REDUX

Thank you for visiting this RotW topic. Sadly, there were only two review submissions this week, so it looks like there's not enough content to justify a-- oh? What's that? Overdrive has a review from last week that is in the running and that gives us a total of the mandatory three reviews? Well, that makes him the hero! On with the discussion...

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Third Place: Bonds of the Skies (Android) by overdrive

This review has a flaw that infects many Kemco Khallenge reviews, in that it takes a long time to warm to its topic. The point--finally made in the third paragraph--that the game is from Hit-Point but doesn't reflect the team's growing expertise because it was originallyd eveloped a number of years ago, is a solid one and a great way to segue into the usual detailed discussion of the game's plot and mechanics. The review just took a little too long to hit its stride, which doomed it to a third-place finish in a week when the two other reviews in contention both represented some of the finest work their authors have contributed in months. What that means in a nutshell: this is another great Kemco RPG review that just didn't stand out enough to snag higher placement.

Runner Up: Super Mario World (SNES) by hastypixels

This is one of the best reviews in hastypixel's growing catalogue, and as cheerful and bright a rundown of Super Mario World as I've encountered in a long time. I disagree with a number of the points (Super Mario Bros. 3 is the superior game, in my estimation), but there's no question this review captures beautifully the nostalgia and the sense of wonder that admittedly surrounded the game's initial release. That's no small feat. However, there is what seems to me a factual error, when the review talks about a lack of mini-bosses. I remember the game's mini-bosses well: those fire-breathing dinosaurs that sat on those platforms on the large spinning wheels at the end of some stages. Also, the review opens with discussion about how it's not really worth talking about things like graphics and sounds, but then proceeds to do so anyway. So there were a few minor weak points, but this was still a dang fine read overall.

Review of the Week: Iconoclasts (PC) by JoeTheDestroyer

This is one of Joe's strongest reviews in some time, with an interesting introduction to the game's slow opener that is effectively referenced in the concluding paragraph. The descriptions throughout are great, and Joe knows just what points to address, like when he talks about how the game looks like a Metroidvania but isn't really but still sort of is. He does a great job of getting into the nuts and bolts without lingering too long on any point, and I feel that anyone who is interested in hearing about the game and the experience it has to offer will come away with the information needed without getting bored in the process. Terrific stuff!

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And that's it for this week! Thanks and congratulations to all who participated, and it's already looking like next week may be a bit busier. Let's see what develops!

"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

Congratz to everybody!

Okay, you got me. I arrived at the halfway mark and realized it was going to be too short of a review. I suppose I meant that I wasn't going to go on about the graphics exhaustively... but that's what I get for not outlining my review beforehand.

As for mini-bosses... you mean the ones oddly attributed somehow to Trent Reznor? They clearly jumped off some platform in my mind straight into the lava. I think I'll go back and revise that... the point is they're so underwhelming as to be entirely forgettable. Apparently.

Glad to place, and I'm grateful for the feedback. It's good, but I do hope to see more submissions in the coming weeks.

Look, the only time I'm not wrong is when I'm right, so...

With review drafts, I probably spend around 1/3 of my time on the initial draft, and then I go over it 5 or so times and punch up transitions and look for errors and so on and so forth. Before I did that, one of the main complaints people had about my writing was that I was inconsistent. Now one of the main complaints (sort of) they have is that I'm consistent. ;-)

"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

Thanks for the comments and placement. After having a three-person week and giving Marc his (allegedly) first ever 3rd out of 3, it now happens to me. Well, I'm not positive this is my first one, but if not, it's close to that number.

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

Thank you very much, for the win and the words. Also, thanks a bunch for getting this topic out so quickly.

I'm kind of torn on which Mario I like better. I always say World, but I feel 3. It's pretty much a toss up for me. 3 set standards that virtually every 2D platformer aped, and World allowed you to save so you didn't have the play the whole thing in one sitting. 3 made up for the lack of save files by giving you warp whistles, but even then you had to know where to find them.

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

I'm glad I didn't contribute as I promised myself I would; the only thing worse than third out of three is fourth out of four.

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