Reviews of mine that people liked, I guess.
Bandwagoning here. I have two people that I'm following who have done this, so why can't I?
I'm not going to name this list as they have, though, because a) another review could always show up that gains more traction, b) I don't really like to brag, even if it's humble, and c) my opinions are almost universally subject to change over time.
Also included are insights for each review I wrote.
I'm not going to name this list as they have, though, because a) another review could always show up that gains more traction, b) I don't really like to brag, even if it's humble, and c) my opinions are almost universally subject to change over time.
Also included are insights for each review I wrote.
15 Games
REVIEW.
In terms of reviews that meet the criteria for this list, I'm almost as proud of myself for writing this as I am for a couple of the other reviews you'll see on this list, and part of that is because it gained traction, but not for the reasons you might assume.
I wish I could share those with you, but for reasons that I refuse to share, I cannot discuss them.
The only thing I can say, in public, on the record, is that I still chuckle when I think about the analogy I wrote here. I'm glad that others might have thought the same.
In terms of reviews that meet the criteria for this list, I'm almost as proud of myself for writing this as I am for a couple of the other reviews you'll see on this list, and part of that is because it gained traction, but not for the reasons you might assume.
I wish I could share those with you, but for reasons that I refuse to share, I cannot discuss them.
The only thing I can say, in public, on the record, is that I still chuckle when I think about the analogy I wrote here. I'm glad that others might have thought the same.
REVIEW
I'm not proud of this one.
I jumped to conclusions that I shouldn't have, and a lot of this review was influenced by someone else's opinion. I did not consciously clock this while I was writing it. I will probably walk this one back at some point, but for right now, I'm too chicken shit to do more than leave an admission of my own wrongdoing here.
This was writing practice for me, but I'm glad others appreciated that, at least.
I'm not proud of this one.
I jumped to conclusions that I shouldn't have, and a lot of this review was influenced by someone else's opinion. I did not consciously clock this while I was writing it. I will probably walk this one back at some point, but for right now, I'm too chicken shit to do more than leave an admission of my own wrongdoing here.
This was writing practice for me, but I'm glad others appreciated that, at least.
REVIEW
I didn't write this one. I have no fucking idea why it took off in the way it did.
Going back to what I outlined in the brief reflection for my FC6 review, I am purposefully limiting what I say about this here.
What I can and feel proud to say is that I'm keeping this review up as a tribute of sorts. I'm not going to be pretentious or dramatic about it, but while there was an active (albeit small) community of people in the voice channels of Backloggd's Discord server, I occasionally liked to join in on them. And I wouldn't call myself friends with the people I spoke to because I rarely got to know them very well. But for what little time I spent there, I did actually have a couple of nice conversations, I got to hang out with some pretty cool people, and just generally speaking, just being there made my days slightly better. The community for that seems to be six underground for the time being, so as a show of gratitude to those who will not see how thankful I truly am or even care, I am okay with the fact that the joke written for this review, in particular, did not come from me.
If you want to see someone actually talk about this game, Cadensia wrote about it at length a couple of months ago. I haven't read everything they've written so far, but they're one of the great writers on this site that I still find inspiration in, and you should support those efforts when and where you can.
I didn't write this one. I have no fucking idea why it took off in the way it did.
Going back to what I outlined in the brief reflection for my FC6 review, I am purposefully limiting what I say about this here.
What I can and feel proud to say is that I'm keeping this review up as a tribute of sorts. I'm not going to be pretentious or dramatic about it, but while there was an active (albeit small) community of people in the voice channels of Backloggd's Discord server, I occasionally liked to join in on them. And I wouldn't call myself friends with the people I spoke to because I rarely got to know them very well. But for what little time I spent there, I did actually have a couple of nice conversations, I got to hang out with some pretty cool people, and just generally speaking, just being there made my days slightly better. The community for that seems to be six underground for the time being, so as a show of gratitude to those who will not see how thankful I truly am or even care, I am okay with the fact that the joke written for this review, in particular, did not come from me.
If you want to see someone actually talk about this game, Cadensia wrote about it at length a couple of months ago. I haven't read everything they've written so far, but they're one of the great writers on this site that I still find inspiration in, and you should support those efforts when and where you can.
REVIEW
Let it be known that I only proofread my reviews extensively after I post them. This is mostly out of habit, and I have no particular interest in claiming my own hackneyed writing process as a particular style of sorts. I will say that the pressure of having your ideas in the public eye forces you to reevaluate what you say somewhat, and thus, I have a tendency to revise some of my old reviews from time to time, even if nobody reads those revisions.
Dreams is probably one of the better examples of that, although, as you'll see throughout this list, it's not alone. The impetus for this review was really just one of those shower thoughts I had in the middle of the day and a half-remembered video by Caddicarus from the before times. I put it into words, not because I thought it was smart, but because I wanted to see if there was any merit to it. And I wrote a lot, so I have to assume there's a seed of truth in there, somewhere.
I don't know. I really wish this game took off more than it did, but that's entertainment for you.
Let it be known that I only proofread my reviews extensively after I post them. This is mostly out of habit, and I have no particular interest in claiming my own hackneyed writing process as a particular style of sorts. I will say that the pressure of having your ideas in the public eye forces you to reevaluate what you say somewhat, and thus, I have a tendency to revise some of my old reviews from time to time, even if nobody reads those revisions.
Dreams is probably one of the better examples of that, although, as you'll see throughout this list, it's not alone. The impetus for this review was really just one of those shower thoughts I had in the middle of the day and a half-remembered video by Caddicarus from the before times. I put it into words, not because I thought it was smart, but because I wanted to see if there was any merit to it. And I wrote a lot, so I have to assume there's a seed of truth in there, somewhere.
I don't know. I really wish this game took off more than it did, but that's entertainment for you.
REVIEW
If I'm not mistaken, I was dethroned at one point. But that review doesn't exist anymore, so I have to explain myself here.
fuck...
Okay, so I was also influenced while I was writing this one. The influence was two-fold, as I had legitimately done a playthrough of this before I wrote my review. So, recency bias definitely played a role; you should know that. But, like my "review" for Postal 4, I was also influenced by somebody else's opinion on this. It's really funny to think about how much I gassed this up in retrospect when Disco Elysium was released within the same decade, and Fallout New Vegas was released within the same year by the same developers!
I mentioned that they make some uncomfortable jokes about SA in this game, and I would like to not amend that, but question why I didn't think that through more. Those jokes aren't super explicit, but I don't know that they should be considered light jabs, either. That, on its own, deserves at least one half-star less.
If I'm not mistaken, I was dethroned at one point. But that review doesn't exist anymore, so I have to explain myself here.
fuck...
Okay, so I was also influenced while I was writing this one. The influence was two-fold, as I had legitimately done a playthrough of this before I wrote my review. So, recency bias definitely played a role; you should know that. But, like my "review" for Postal 4, I was also influenced by somebody else's opinion on this. It's really funny to think about how much I gassed this up in retrospect when Disco Elysium was released within the same decade, and Fallout New Vegas was released within the same year by the same developers!
I mentioned that they make some uncomfortable jokes about SA in this game, and I would like to not amend that, but question why I didn't think that through more. Those jokes aren't super explicit, but I don't know that they should be considered light jabs, either. That, on its own, deserves at least one half-star less.
REVIEW
If I had played more of Beton Brutal before writing about it, my score would have been far lower. The level design itself isn't bad, it's the fact that the game has no real guard rails. Save scumming through Beton taught me that there's a fine line between difficult and enjoyable, and difficult and tedious. The tedium here nearly undoes what good design there is. Simply put, it doesn't feel "hardcore", or masochistic, or any number of adjectives you could use to project a niche quality onto it. It feels unfinished and half-baked at best. What Beton Brutal is lacking is an extra layer that keeps the game from feeling like bullshit but reinforces the tension its tight, precision platforming favors. Yes, that means checkpoints, and no, I don't think that's a bad thing!
This is the review I sincerely wish I wrote for Beton Brutal because I think anything else is being too kind to it.
If I had played more of Beton Brutal before writing about it, my score would have been far lower. The level design itself isn't bad, it's the fact that the game has no real guard rails. Save scumming through Beton taught me that there's a fine line between difficult and enjoyable, and difficult and tedious. The tedium here nearly undoes what good design there is. Simply put, it doesn't feel "hardcore", or masochistic, or any number of adjectives you could use to project a niche quality onto it. It feels unfinished and half-baked at best. What Beton Brutal is lacking is an extra layer that keeps the game from feeling like bullshit but reinforces the tension its tight, precision platforming favors. Yes, that means checkpoints, and no, I don't think that's a bad thing!
This is the review I sincerely wish I wrote for Beton Brutal because I think anything else is being too kind to it.
REVIEW
This review is now a time capsule, and I really wish it weren't. This is kind of similar to what I said about Ys, but on a far more personal level.
I spoke with someone who once told me that not every person you meet will stick with you. I'm still trying to get used to it, but god if it doesn't hurt sometimes.
This review is now a time capsule, and I really wish it weren't. This is kind of similar to what I said about Ys, but on a far more personal level.
I spoke with someone who once told me that not every person you meet will stick with you. I'm still trying to get used to it, but god if it doesn't hurt sometimes.
REVIEW
I rewrote this one from scratch. Here's an extra bit of lore about my writing "process": if I write a review, read it, and have enough of a bad feeling about it, I delete it. There was a funny review I wrote about S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl a couple of years ago that's gone now because I decided to write a more updated one after beating it recently, only to find out that the only way I could nuke that new version was if I removed everything. I wasn't ashamed of the fact that I was stupid back then, in case you're wondering.
For Shadow President, in particular, my original draft was more matter-of-fact, and I didn't resonate with that because it hardly dug into the reasons I love this game. I love this game because, quite sincerely, I don't. I have never played it seriously. I can tell it has depth, at least! That's the one bit of this review I would write differently today; I would spend no time gassing it up because it's old and probably outdated nowadays, anyway. And what was with that Paradox Games bit? That was all word-of-mouth; I have never put a substantial amount of time into any of their games. I still likeeverything else, and I'm glad my work got noticed.
I rewrote this one from scratch. Here's an extra bit of lore about my writing "process": if I write a review, read it, and have enough of a bad feeling about it, I delete it. There was a funny review I wrote about S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl a couple of years ago that's gone now because I decided to write a more updated one after beating it recently, only to find out that the only way I could nuke that new version was if I removed everything. I wasn't ashamed of the fact that I was stupid back then, in case you're wondering.
For Shadow President, in particular, my original draft was more matter-of-fact, and I didn't resonate with that because it hardly dug into the reasons I love this game. I love this game because, quite sincerely, I don't. I have never played it seriously. I can tell it has depth, at least! That's the one bit of this review I would write differently today; I would spend no time gassing it up because it's old and probably outdated nowadays, anyway. And what was with that Paradox Games bit? That was all word-of-mouth; I have never put a substantial amount of time into any of their games. I still likeeverything else, and I'm glad my work got noticed.
REVIEW
This led to what is probably my most extensive work on any list to date, so I'm glad I wrote it for that reason alone. Not so glad for some of the batshit takes I've had in the past, but whatever.
Once again, this review was influenced by outside media. What's curious in this game's case is that the media wasn't an opinion piece, but just an edited video of somebody going through the quiz. I found the dated reference humor not particularly endearing, but fascinating in the way a historical artifact is. And I still do. It will be weird when flash games become historical artifacts worthy of being playable in a museum in the way some of those ancient arcade games are, but because of The Impossible Quiz, I genuinely believe there's some historical merit to preserving these old games. What that might be, I don't know. But my gut says it's definitely there.
This led to what is probably my most extensive work on any list to date, so I'm glad I wrote it for that reason alone. Not so glad for some of the batshit takes I've had in the past, but whatever.
Once again, this review was influenced by outside media. What's curious in this game's case is that the media wasn't an opinion piece, but just an edited video of somebody going through the quiz. I found the dated reference humor not particularly endearing, but fascinating in the way a historical artifact is. And I still do. It will be weird when flash games become historical artifacts worthy of being playable in a museum in the way some of those ancient arcade games are, but because of The Impossible Quiz, I genuinely believe there's some historical merit to preserving these old games. What that might be, I don't know. But my gut says it's definitely there.
REVIEW
I'm going to keep my discussion of this and two other games on this list to a minimum because of another project I'm still working on.
Do I still agree with this, though? Eh. It's a lot more complicated than a simple yes or no would lead on, but sort of? Not really, though.
I'm going to keep my discussion of this and two other games on this list to a minimum because of another project I'm still working on.
Do I still agree with this, though? Eh. It's a lot more complicated than a simple yes or no would lead on, but sort of? Not really, though.
REVIEW
As with Game Dev Tycoon, I'm keeping hush on this for now. Unlike Game Dev Tycoon, my review for Game Dev Studio gives away what I'm working on. (Kind of).
I still mostly agree with my review for GDS, in any case.
As with Game Dev Tycoon, I'm keeping hush on this for now. Unlike Game Dev Tycoon, my review for Game Dev Studio gives away what I'm working on. (Kind of).
I still mostly agree with my review for GDS, in any case.
REVIEW
At some point, I should probably finish Dead Island 2. I guess at this point, I'm just waiting for the Steam version to go on sale so I can play it with my brother.
I do stand by everything I said in this review, but in hindsight, I'm a bit mixed on whether it deserves 3 1/2 or 3 stars. It's good fun for a few hours, but it clearly wears out its welcome. Bummer, I was looking forward to this pre-release. But I certainly can't say it didn't meet my expectations. It feels bizarre to say it, but Dead Island 2 is one of those rare cases where hype didn't let me down. It was everything it sold itself as, and that's kind of a problem if you were looking to see more from it.
At some point, I should probably finish Dead Island 2. I guess at this point, I'm just waiting for the Steam version to go on sale so I can play it with my brother.
I do stand by everything I said in this review, but in hindsight, I'm a bit mixed on whether it deserves 3 1/2 or 3 stars. It's good fun for a few hours, but it clearly wears out its welcome. Bummer, I was looking forward to this pre-release. But I certainly can't say it didn't meet my expectations. It feels bizarre to say it, but Dead Island 2 is one of those rare cases where hype didn't let me down. It was everything it sold itself as, and that's kind of a problem if you were looking to see more from it.
REVIEW
My memory is usually fuzzy, so aspects of this recollection (refuse to say "review") are likely incorrect. But otherwise, this is, to the best of my knowledge, as accurate as it could be. I have nothing new to add.
My memory is usually fuzzy, so aspects of this recollection (refuse to say "review") are likely incorrect. But otherwise, this is, to the best of my knowledge, as accurate as it could be. I have nothing new to add.
REVIEW
Not many people like these games, but I do. And no, I will not be apologizing for that.
Not many people like these games, but I do. And no, I will not be apologizing for that.
Yultimona
1 month ago