Rotw: March 21-27, 2022 -- A little less late

Alas, I am late with this newest RotW, as I was the one before it. Again, my time spent with Elden Ring is largely to blame, though not quite to the same extent. I'm actually about done playing that game and will possibly review it soon. But anyway, the week I am posting a topic for appears to be mine, based on a continuing four-person rotation. We're down by one, I believe, but I'd rather get this one posted in a close to timely nature and figure out finer details later. Also, this was a lite week with contributions from the same two writers I ranked a month prior, so it feels right. On with the festivities!

Sparklite (Switch) by JoeTheDestroyer

I enjoyed this review, which I believe does a great job of describing a game I find interesting even though with your write-up it has now received "mediocre" billing from two especially insightful members of this community. Most of what you wrote felt a bit like you were going through the motions, until you hit the end and really dug deep into why the game didn't come together for you, but those motions were effective and filled me in on a lot of the details that built the necessary foundation for the subsequent insight. My only (minor) complaint is this sentence, which seems to be missing a word: "Honestly, you can survive without the aforementioned inventions, as they hardly come handy against tougher monsters." I think you mean "come in handy" there. Anyway, as much as I liked this review, I liked your write-up for Xenia more.

Runner Up: D-Force (SNES) by overdrive

This is one of your strongest reviews in a while, I feel, and I don't really have any complaints of substance. I loved the way you took what sounds like an interesting premise--two approaches to shooter stages--and showed why in this case it doesn't work and just results in a disappointing experience. Even though it's kind of cheesy, I also liked your tagline suggesting that the "D" could stand for "Dumb," which works best perhaps because it feels juvenile (which is fitting, given the failed game you're describing). It was just a really fun review without a lot of excess, probably a much better write-up than its subject matter deserved. Thanks!

Review of the Week: Xenia (PC) by JoeTheDestroyer

I am that pedantic guy, and people don't like me. So your review's introduction checks out well enough, in addition to pointing to a truism that most people will find relevant. I would be pretty disgusted myself if I were to buy a Metroidvania and find that it belonged in a different genre. I'm not sure my dismay would even count as pedantry; that feels like a pretty big blunder by the marketing team. The stalactites also don't sound like a good deal, especially after your insightful comments. A lot less planning went into those hazards than I suspect went into your review, which is excellently organized with great transitions and knowing comments featured throughout its duration. One of your best reviews I've read in awhile.

Thanks for keeping the reviews coming, guys! These were a lot of fun to read and continue to expand our coverage in familiar but still interesting directions. There are so many games out there to cover, and I'm delighted to see us doing so even after all this time. Choosing which review to rank first was very difficult, because both authors showed me (I felt) some of their best recent work and totally nailed everything. My advice to anyone watching from the sidelines is to read all three reviews. Terrific stuff!

Thanks for the kind words. D Force is one of those games that's horrible, but weirdly found a way to worm itself into my heart. A long time ago, I gave it a brief whirl and thought the game stunk, but it was really weird how the first stage was a generic military shooter and the second stage was a very short prehistoric level where you could switch altitude. For that reason, it had been on the periphery of my mind for ages as something I had to play. On one level, I regret that decision, but on another level, I at least had fun writing about it. Far more than I did playing it.