Sorry about the delay to getting to this, after EmP and I changed slots this one time around, but it has been a bit of a week. And now, without further ado, here are the week's top three placers...
Third Place: VA-11 Hall-A: A Cyberpunk Bartender Action (PC) by Brian
There were a lot of odd sentence structures and a number of grammatical missteps throughout this review, which I felt made the text less effective as a whole. The focus wasn't as tight as I might have liked, either. Even so, you did a good job of describing how a game you maybe shouldn't have enjoyed somehow managed to defy your expectations and offer you a good time. I think readers who haven't yet played the game will find a lot to like.
Runner Up: Tales of Zestiria (PS4) by overdrive
This was a good review, and your best bits related to the plot. Specifically, I thought your comments regarding character development in this game (compared to the development in other Tales games) showed a suitably critical eye while giving readers information they might find useful when deciding whether the game is for them. The comments about the gameplay mechanics didn't tell me a lot, really, and the intro to the review as a whole felt a bit aimless, but this was still some terrific work.
Review of the Week: Ziggurat 2 (PC) by EmP
So it's a roguelike shooter with sentient vegetables. Okay. Sounds fun. Your review itself was also fun, especially your opening paragraphs detailing how the carrots made you their bitch. It must have been difficult not to include a ton of food metaphors in this review, but you refrained and I suppose that's okay. And your last sentence was pretty clever, so that also worked in your favor!
Thanks to all who participated on this rather lean but still high-quality week of reviews. Whoever judges next week's topic, remember to consider the obvious early favorite: my review for Sanrio Characters Picross on 3DS. It wasn't eligible this week. ;-)
Third Place: VA-11 Hall-A: A Cyberpunk Bartender Action (PC) by Brian
There were a lot of odd sentence structures and a number of grammatical missteps throughout this review, which I felt made the text less effective as a whole. The focus wasn't as tight as I might have liked, either. Even so, you did a good job of describing how a game you maybe shouldn't have enjoyed somehow managed to defy your expectations and offer you a good time. I think readers who haven't yet played the game will find a lot to like.
Runner Up: Tales of Zestiria (PS4) by overdrive
This was a good review, and your best bits related to the plot. Specifically, I thought your comments regarding character development in this game (compared to the development in other Tales games) showed a suitably critical eye while giving readers information they might find useful when deciding whether the game is for them. The comments about the gameplay mechanics didn't tell me a lot, really, and the intro to the review as a whole felt a bit aimless, but this was still some terrific work.
Review of the Week: Ziggurat 2 (PC) by EmP
So it's a roguelike shooter with sentient vegetables. Okay. Sounds fun. Your review itself was also fun, especially your opening paragraphs detailing how the carrots made you their bitch. It must have been difficult not to include a ton of food metaphors in this review, but you refrained and I suppose that's okay. And your last sentence was pretty clever, so that also worked in your favor!
Thanks to all who participated on this rather lean but still high-quality week of reviews. Whoever judges next week's topic, remember to consider the obvious early favorite: my review for Sanrio Characters Picross on 3DS. It wasn't eligible this 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 world
"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 world
