Forums > Contributor Zone > RotW // 1st June – 17th June // Podium Privileges For All

THIRD - Atom RPG [PC] Brian

The obvious issue this review has is sheer length. Look at it! So many words! Sometimes, when you have a lot to say, you can justify having four million words to say it in, but a lot of this review seems like kind of a tangent. There’s comparisons to the original Fallout that are obvious and well made, and the thesis is that Atom is a game very much made for that fanbase. But there’s also time put into the argument that if Fallout was released today, it wouldn’t be as acclaimed, which isn;t really an argument that needed to be made.

Still, this is an exhaustive review on its subject material, and it’s hard for me to be mad regardless because “It Don’t Mean A Thing, Comrade, If It Ain’t Got Stalin’” is top tier pun work.


SECOND Turmoil [SWH] Jason

Remember back when Jason reviewed stuff? Well, he’s doing that thing again, dropping two reviews that, for the majority of the week, were the only thing I had to read. Both this weeks; reviews are for the Switch’s commendable and ever growing foray into Indie gaming, and, as luck would have it, both follow the same formula of a decent but flawed game that Jason talks up and tears down clinically. In Turmoil, he talks about a fun management game that can be beat by refining one true tactic and learning which investments aren’t worth making. The point about how the game fails to force you to change your approach was well made and easily understood. Ant-Gravity, I felt, was also a good review, with the best non-pun related line of the week (So about those bosses... They suck.)

WINNER Mega Man III [GB] Joe

I found that the review got odd to a weird start with a twisting tone of praise. The first paragraph rapid fire lists a bunch of negatives, but then the second paragraph starts listing positives, but I didn’t find that initially obvious and tried to figure out why you considered all the good sounding things as bad. Maybe I’m alone in this, as the first line of the second paragraph could trigger a tone change, but I read past it a couple of times before it clicked.

Other than that, the review works well, going through how MM3 GB basically mashed MM3 and MM$ on the NES together for a very uneven experience padded out with overlong levels and rage quit fuel. Playing this patchwork game off the original foundations as well as theorising lengths gone to so as to distinguish itself against it predecessor was not only well written, but lends an authoritative air. I am pleased with this week’s offering.

TAGLINE OF THE WEEK
Brian says: "In Soviet Russia, the Fanbase Keeps the Legacy Alive"

For us. For them. For you.

Thanks for the comments on my reviews, and for getting this topic out in a timely manner. I wasn't exceptionally proud of either of my reviews, but I was glad to find a bit of time to review, between my games database work... which continues. Here in a few months, maybe I'll be a more regular face in these topics again. Because maybe I'll be reviewing regularly again. And then, world? Watch out!

Congrats to the others who contributed this week, by the way. Good stuff all around!

"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

I thank you for the win and the topic! For the most part, MMIII was a mixed bag, but one I rated below average. It had some good things and was poised to outdo its predecessors, but dropped the ball hard enough in the second half that it more than negated any good will I had for it. Thankfully, IV seems to be doing just the opposite so far.

Also, 7th or 17th?

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