Taking time from trying to finish a review to do this. Same rules apply, where I judge reviews and pick three, with no more than one per person eligible.
And with no further ado, here are the winners! And with a lot of reviews, you really earned something if you placed today!
THIRD PLACE
hastypixel's Skyborn (PC)
Huh, Kemco's not the only company making all sorts of indie JRPGs. Their games are cheaper than these, even with the Bundle sale, but interesting. You did a good job of explaining what works and doesn't work here, and much like a Kemco game, there's apparently a solid foundation that's somewhat let down by how, as you said, "There's no getting away from the fact that this is an Indie RPG". It's a good, comprehensive review with only one real flaw: it could use a bit more organization, as sometimes, you'll be making a point and then suddenly shift directions and comment on something else out of the blue. For one example, just look at the last paragraph before the "What's fun?" and so on conclusion. You're talking about how the graphics look good and suddenly segue into "The things Skyborn does well are marred by the things it doesn't get quite right." To me, that's the sort of statement that leads into what didn't work -- not a conclusion after you've already done a good job of mentioning all the things that didn't work out. Still, as I said, this is a very detailed look at a game I hadn't heard of that was able to break into the top three this week.
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SECOND PLACE
EmP's Umbrella Corps (PC)
Oh…wow…this was interesting. I hadn't even heard of this RE-based title and for good reason, I guess. I think the main thing I liked about this review was simply the tone, where I got the idea you played this game and found it almost impossible to take seriously in that, "Yeah, it's bad, but there's something kind of funny about it" sort of way. The zombie jammer stuff was kind of neat and your "almost disbelief" at how players move more quickly while slithering on their bellies and how the cover system doesn't really work was really effective in portraying a game that's not good, but not a complete loss, as it does provide a certain amount of entertainment (even if inadvertently).
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REVIEW OF THE WEEK (aka: Overdrive Place)
Nightfire's Darkest Dungeon (PC)
For the second straight time that I've done RotW, you win and EmP gets second. Interesting. This is just a legitimately effective review, as you talk about how fun and cool this game was, highlighting all sorts of neat elements such as the quirks and insanities a character might gradually get inflicted upon him or her, as well as how that ties in with the rogue-like setting. And then…boom. It all goes up in smoke because a vocal group of players decided the game HAD to be a lot more difficult, leading to the designers adding all sorts of annoying, "fake difficulty" things that detracted from all the stuff that worked. Seems there should have been a better way to make the game tougher like, I don't know, nerfing that good character build that was overpowered, but what do I know? Anyway, this was just an awesome review to read. It wins.
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And that's that for this week. Tune in later to see more reviews getting judged by other people.
And with no further ado, here are the winners! And with a lot of reviews, you really earned something if you placed today!
THIRD PLACE
hastypixel's Skyborn (PC)
Huh, Kemco's not the only company making all sorts of indie JRPGs. Their games are cheaper than these, even with the Bundle sale, but interesting. You did a good job of explaining what works and doesn't work here, and much like a Kemco game, there's apparently a solid foundation that's somewhat let down by how, as you said, "There's no getting away from the fact that this is an Indie RPG". It's a good, comprehensive review with only one real flaw: it could use a bit more organization, as sometimes, you'll be making a point and then suddenly shift directions and comment on something else out of the blue. For one example, just look at the last paragraph before the "What's fun?" and so on conclusion. You're talking about how the graphics look good and suddenly segue into "The things Skyborn does well are marred by the things it doesn't get quite right." To me, that's the sort of statement that leads into what didn't work -- not a conclusion after you've already done a good job of mentioning all the things that didn't work out. Still, as I said, this is a very detailed look at a game I hadn't heard of that was able to break into the top three this week.
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SECOND PLACE
EmP's Umbrella Corps (PC)
Oh…wow…this was interesting. I hadn't even heard of this RE-based title and for good reason, I guess. I think the main thing I liked about this review was simply the tone, where I got the idea you played this game and found it almost impossible to take seriously in that, "Yeah, it's bad, but there's something kind of funny about it" sort of way. The zombie jammer stuff was kind of neat and your "almost disbelief" at how players move more quickly while slithering on their bellies and how the cover system doesn't really work was really effective in portraying a game that's not good, but not a complete loss, as it does provide a certain amount of entertainment (even if inadvertently).
---
REVIEW OF THE WEEK (aka: Overdrive Place)
Nightfire's Darkest Dungeon (PC)
For the second straight time that I've done RotW, you win and EmP gets second. Interesting. This is just a legitimately effective review, as you talk about how fun and cool this game was, highlighting all sorts of neat elements such as the quirks and insanities a character might gradually get inflicted upon him or her, as well as how that ties in with the rogue-like setting. And then…boom. It all goes up in smoke because a vocal group of players decided the game HAD to be a lot more difficult, leading to the designers adding all sorts of annoying, "fake difficulty" things that detracted from all the stuff that worked. Seems there should have been a better way to make the game tougher like, I don't know, nerfing that good character build that was overpowered, but what do I know? Anyway, this was just an awesome review to read. It wins.
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And that's that for this week. Tune in later to see more reviews getting judged by other people.
I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle
