Review Reflections
Wanted to look back at some of my past reviews as I've been on a self-reflecting mood. Like anyone, there's a lot of ones that I felt I could've done a better job on. Most of the ones I feel suffer the most are about current (at the time of writing), hyped-up, popular games. The honeymoon period is very much a real thing, and I was often way more positive or forgiving on the game then how I feel now.
Something that I struggle when writing reviews, truth be told, is how enthusiastic I am towards a game. I'm actually a very low-energy kind of person, as in "exhausted 24/7" energy ("chill" if we're nicer). This is actually why I tend to sound more positive in my writing, not that I'm an overly positive person but rather I can't be bother drudging up anything I think are either obvious or not anything important. My sense for excitement and disappointment are fairly dull. Certain aspects like ludonarrative dissonance, or how alive and well-realized the fictional world is, I can't bring myself to care. Especially mechanics that are intentionally clunky or frustrating. Example: Lack of party control in Persona 3. I'm not one to care about the motifs of such a decision and how it serves the characterization, I only see a baffling lack of control for the player.
My reviews, all things considered, tackle the very basics of a game, cause that's mostly what I care for a game. I do greatly admire those who can truly dissect the inners of a game. Really dig deep into the thematics and mechanics between player and game, how it defines its genre or forges its own genre, the subtle innovations or missteps that can create a domino effect towards immaculateness... or disaster. All you guys do excellent jobs, even if I have a much simpler mindset.
Something that I struggle when writing reviews, truth be told, is how enthusiastic I am towards a game. I'm actually a very low-energy kind of person, as in "exhausted 24/7" energy ("chill" if we're nicer). This is actually why I tend to sound more positive in my writing, not that I'm an overly positive person but rather I can't be bother drudging up anything I think are either obvious or not anything important. My sense for excitement and disappointment are fairly dull. Certain aspects like ludonarrative dissonance, or how alive and well-realized the fictional world is, I can't bring myself to care. Especially mechanics that are intentionally clunky or frustrating. Example: Lack of party control in Persona 3. I'm not one to care about the motifs of such a decision and how it serves the characterization, I only see a baffling lack of control for the player.
My reviews, all things considered, tackle the very basics of a game, cause that's mostly what I care for a game. I do greatly admire those who can truly dissect the inners of a game. Really dig deep into the thematics and mechanics between player and game, how it defines its genre or forges its own genre, the subtle innovations or missteps that can create a domino effect towards immaculateness... or disaster. All you guys do excellent jobs, even if I have a much simpler mindset.
Maurith
2 months ago