Forums > Contributor Zone > RotW: Dec. 13-19 -- AKA: My last one for 2021. That I sped through, as I have way too much to do.

Looks like I have six reviews to get through this week. And limited time because I still haven't done all my Christmas shopping, so who knows how cut-rate this week's edition of RotW will wind up being.

To tackle my monthly movie-watching in brief: The Evil was a solid horror flick that kind of fell apart a bit at the end. Even if representing the devil as a chubby older dude who was constantly chuckling was kind of cool in a funny way. Tragic Ceremony was a cool Italian horror film that at times had a neat and surreal nightmarish kind of vibe. Happy Birthday To Me was an okay slasher/mystery to watch around my actual birthday. Arguably the best part of it was a bit of backstory where veteran actor Glenn Ford was in the cast, hated having to do a slasher film and got drunk throughout filming, leading to him punching a production assistant for calling for lunch while he was working a scene. The best part: BOTH guys had to apologize to each other, with the PA being told that if he didn't also apologize, it might be hard for him to find future work. The Case of the Scorpion's Tail was a pretty good giallo with the nudity and kills and red herrings that one might expect from those films. Also, Zombie 3 is one of those Italian zombie films that easily reaches the So Bad, It's Fucking Awesome threshold. I could spend hours just writing about how hilarious it was.

In brief: Jason's review for a Picross game was short, but fairly informative, briefly describing the game of Picross and bringing up things like accessibility features to let us know how the experience can be altered if you so wish. Not a lot to say about it, but it is a sound review! Joe's Pang Adventures was a look at a modern take on an older arcade game, made easier to play due to not having to worry about blowing change. EmP did a good job tacking a tricky sort of thing to review: a DLC that seems to mainly (only) add a number of extra fights to one's time with the base game. To make up for not having much to really write about that probably wasn't already covered in his review of the base game, there is some very witty writing, so it's worth reading.

And now for the placers.


THIRD PLACE

Joe's Nakawak (PC)

This was a good review. You do a nice job of discussing the improvements made in the version as compared to the previous, while also noting that some of the changes didn't really improve the game. And then you also added that the game itself, while having potential, really isn't all that good, as it's happy to simply be a lesser take on Metroid, as opposed to something that's actually ambitious and truly worth being played. You do a good job of making your points and putting them all together to make an easy and enjoyable read.

SECOND PLACE

dagoss' Sega Ages: Phantasy Star (Switch)

Over the course of this year, you've gotten really good at writing these longer, but really thoughtful reviews on older games and this is no exception. I think your main point from the introduction really hits on an important element to consider when playing these old games. Particularly how, as time progresses, technology evolves and stuff that was a big part of a game is now considered an inconvenience. I know; I'm currently playing Shining in the Darkness and using the Internet for my maps because if I'm drawing one, it's in the style of Etrian Odyssey where I can fill in my lower screen with all the map stuff. No more graph paper for me. This leads to a very nice review of a modern port of Phantasy Star that stays accurate to the original, while also adding bells and whistles for today's gamer, such as auto-drawn maps and an altered encounter frequency. I really enjoyed reading this one.

REVIEW OF THE WEEK (aka: Overdrive Place)

mariner's Blue Fire (Switch)

This review brought a lot to the table. It was ambitious and pulled it off, in my opinion. You took a game that included elements of many popular games and discussed both what those elements were and how they serve to remind one of those classics; while also illustrating how each of those elements is subverted enough that this game doesn't feel like it's simply copying others. All of which makes this a very good read where, despite having never heard of Blue Fire, I was able to keep up with what you were saying and understand how this or that aspect both is and isn't just like something in, say, Super Meat Boy. This was a strong week overall and, for me, this was the strongest of the strong.


My next RotW will be my first one of a new year. Whether that is good or bad has yet to be determined.

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

Fix snubber! (Thank you for the topic, and for the comments on my review.)

"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 was hoping to go out on a win this year, but oh well--congratulations to mariner for his great review.

I haven't played Shinning in the Darkness yet--I hope you review it. Are you mapping yourself using an online tool or just using a posted map? Etrian Odyssey is kind of interesting because mapping isn't really a big deal in that series, since the dungeons aren't very complicated. Compared to something like the The Dark Spire, where understanding the map *is* the puzzle, EO's mapping just for fun.

I find it interesting how different it is to play a game by mapping on paper vs using a guide or whatever. I've done both. The slow plodding of mapping by hand gives me a weird sense of accomplishment, but I only like doing it where the floor bounds are easily known (e.g. 20 x 20 grid). I tried mapping the Dark Heart of Uukrul, but it sprawls around and ran off my paper all the time, which annoys me.

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Dagoss,

Just using the ones at rpgclassics. The goal is to review it; I've just about gotten through the early-game grind where you grind for ages in order to beat Kaiser Crab and then grind for ages to build up Milo and Pyra so they can survive stuff, too.

I know what you mean about not liking to map stuff that doesn't fit into an even box. One of my worst times was when I borrowed Deadly Towers from a friend. For many reasons, but in particular because, since you always get stuck in those giant hidden dungeons, I figured I'd map them so I could quickly get out. And then found out that they have no borders, but just wrap around, making them effectively near-impossible to effectively map, since you'll just be drawing in rooms over and over again infinitely.

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

Tough week for Rob, so props on getting through it. Also to Mariner, who keeps cropping up with really good reviews on game I didn't know I wanted until he talks about them. I loved Dagoss' review (as seems to increasingly be the norm), but it aklso helps that I also love Phantasy Star and have a lot of positive memories firmly wrapped up in that series. I wasn't going to hang with those kind of reviews with a arena DLC, but it was good to take part in one of the more solid contribution weeks. And also contribute what might be my favorite tagline of the year.

For us. For them. For you.