pickhut's Infinite: Beyond the Mind review

This could be so many indie games these days. Or even just so many games in general. They're competent and then some, but is there a lot of reason to play unless you've exhausted the classics they mimic and really love the genre? Maybe not. You did a great job reviewing this. Thanks!

Funny you should say that, because I actually brought up that subject in one of the original openings for the review; I eventually removed it because it was just taking away needless space from the actual game itself. Thanks for reading!

Edit - Oh, found it in all its drafty glory:

In an age where 3D gaming became the norm, proclaiming something as a 2D sprite-based action game, inspired by classic titles of yesteryear, used to be novel. Used to. Nowadays it's treated more as a gimmicky incentive to get people to buy their games, and, more times than not, they end up playing games with very questionable quality. It has gotten to a point----- (I abandoned it here when I realized this was getting needlessly meaty.)

That was probably the right call. There's nothing wrong with your scrapped text, except that it could be written just as easily about so many games and it detracts from the focus you wanted to place on the game actually being reviewed. That kind of discussion might also do a better job closer to the end of a review, because it's generally important to kick things off with immediate relevance. The further you get into a review without discussing the essential facts (such as the game's genre or your general thesis about its quality), the more you risk alienating all but the friendliest of readers. These are the sort of thoughts that keep me up at night. Anyway, good job with this review, as I said. Your instincts remain strong!

Yeah, it would've worked better as a closer; it's amazing how many opening paragraphs I've written that ultimately became closing paragraphs. Opening paragraphs are usually my toughest opponents when it comes to writing a review. Sometimes I'll go with a "message" or some kind of analysis/history lesson which actually has a chance of working with the game, and other times it becomes a jumbled mess by the second paragraph. When that happens, it's just best to get to the point with the very first sentence. Just go for it, even if it means you'll have a drastically smaller review on your hands; at least everything about the game, good and bad, was explained.