Forums > Contributor Zone > RotW: Nov. 4 to Nov. 10, 2019 -- A nutless month of novel writing

Thanksgiving aside, this month is best known for two things (give or take a few), and one of them is the annual NaNoWriMo challenge. It's often a bad month for reviews, because creative sorts are hard at work on the next great American novel. But that didn't stop three reviews from going live on the site during this most recent week. One of those was written by yours truly, in fact. Which means this week comes down to a contest between two great reviews. Without further ado, here are the top three two placers:

Runner Up: Glaive: Brick Breaker (Switch) by mariner

Much like the developers of Glaive (I suspect), I never really thought about how hitting a ball with one edge or the other of the paddle tends to cause it to rebound at a different angle in the typical brick breaker. That's just something I've always taken for granted. It feels intuitive even though you're right when saying it shouldn't. So from what you describe, I can imagine finding in Glaive a game that has trouble standing taller than the relatively low bar I set for brick breakers. You chose a great angle for the review, and followed through well. Better, I thought, than you acknowledge within your own text. You suggest a few times that it's mostly pointless to bother saying more about the game, but then you find other interesting criticisms and information to impart, so I think ultimately the text would read slightly better without those asides (or maybe without the second one). It's a strong review for a game that's not especially remarkable. Such games don't provide exciting material for writers, but they still benefit from coverage. I appreciate seeing you cover this one--and well--here at HonestGamers.

Review of the Week: The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors (PS4) by pickhut

I bought this game on Switch but haven't played it. When I saw you were reviewing it, I hoped you would tell me how awesome it is, so I could look forward to a fulfilling adventure. Alas, it was not to be! Your review is strong throughout, but I felt you were at your best when discussing the intricacies of crowd control (or rather, how little power you have to manage that feat). You did a good job of explaining how it works here, and giving me a sense for how it worked for the original (about the same). I'm not sure I agree with your conclusion that the developers should have just built a sequel instead. I'm generally quite happy to see old classics revisited, and then sequels can follow from there as warranted. But our difference of opinion on that matter didn't stop me from finding this review helpful and interesting. In some ways, I feel this review and mariner's review are a lot alike (both build mostly around a single flaw and also do a great job of establishing context weaker reviews ignore), but ultimately I felt this one has a slight edge that was enough to win it this week's top placement.

Thanks for participating, you two! I enjoyed both of your reviews and I'm sure anyone else who reads them will also. As sometimes happens, this wasn't a terrific week in terms of volume, but the quality I expect and hope for was definitely on display. On to next week!

"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 RotW! I forgot you did this week, so I figured it was gonna be a three-off.

As for the game, I think you might still enjoy it compared to my experience. I seem to be a bit more critical when it comes to beat 'em ups, but that's only because I know the genre can do a lot more, so it's always a bit disappointing for me when a dev decides to make a pretty straightforward game. I think the thing that rubbed me the wrong way the most is that you can literally one-hit kill nearly all enemies by walking into them; that's it. No amount of special moves or gimmick characters can change or take away from that method of defeat.

Thanks as well to mariner! It's always nice seeing additional Switch coverage on the site, especially for a game I've never heard. Can't believe they managed to mess up a concept like brick breaking.

I head spaceshit noises.

I love Switch coverage, and it performs VERY well in terms of traffic, in my experience. There's a lot of interest in Switch coverage from people who visit, which is one of many reasons I focus my efforts there when I contribute reviews of my own.

"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