Missteps of the "Video Game Critic"

[esteban]

I apologize in advance if we already had a thread about this fellow.

I think we have. I vaguely recall discussing VGC on a forum at some point, anyway.

I'm not going to crucify this goofball because I disagree with some of his reviews...I just wonder how much time he actually spends with a game before he writes up his capsule "review"...

http://videogamecritic.com/t16sz.htm#Valis_III_(CD)

GRADE: D.

It's amazing how a game can be terrific on one system and lousy on another. The Genesis version of Valis III was an enthralling combination of swordplay and platform jumping, but on the Turbografx it's just exasperating. The game kicks off with an overwrought introduction conveyed with colorful (but mostly static) images and plenty of voice dialogue. You'd think the narrator would possess a deep voice to lend weight to the epic storyline, but instead you get some squeaky-voiced geek. The cut scenes are lengthy (probably to justify the CD format), and they periodically require a few seconds to load. Unless you're really into anime, you'll just want to hit the Run button and get on with it. Valis 3's gameplay is pretty standard. By switching control between various female characters, you slash your way through scenic lands filled with mythological creatures. The graphics are sharper than the Genesis version, but not as attractive. The city lights in particular look like crap. The pace of the game is faster, but the controls are far less forgiving. Whenever an enemy strikes you, you automatically roll back, often off the edge of a cliff! In the poorly designed second stage, I couldn't determine how to leap between a series of well-spaced ledges. After a bit of research, I discovered you actually have to slide between the ledges! Yes, slide across a chasm in mid-air. Idiotic stuff like that makes me want to slap an F on the game and be done with it. Valis 3 is also plagued by cheap and mandatory hits, making the game far more difficult than it should be. The soundtrack is of high quality, but the voice acting is vomit-inducing. Check out this dramatic exchange. Boss: "My intro was a bit flashy, but do you like it?" Yuko: "Why do you do something like that?" Boss: "Hey, ask your sword, Yuko." This game is a mess. If you have a choice, stick with the Genesis version.

STATUS: The Genesis version is for pussies. (OK, just kidding.) As I have argued umpteen times in the past, Valis III is the highlight of the series. The ledges he whines about are an example, IMHO, of *inspired* level design: initially, platforming obstacles *appear* to have a conventional solution (i.e. hop, hop, hop)...but experimenting with different characters rewards the player with alternative (and SUPERIOR) solutions to obstacles (i.e. SLIDE!). Moments like this JUSTIFY the existence of multiple characters with different abilities.

Furthermore, I don't think VGC was able to make any real progress in the game. I honestly don't think he played more than a few stages. Why? Well, he doesn't whine about the "infamous" extra stage in the TG/PCE version (you know the one...the gorgeous "ancient Grecian aqueduct" stage). Believe me, if he made it to this level, he most certainly would have complained about it. The extra stage in the TG/PCE version is challenging...but once you figure it out (and I did, back when the game was released, sans interwebz/game FAQs/magazine guides), you feel *genuine* satisfaction.

Valis III is not a perfect game, but it provides consistent fun (plus some genuinely wonderful moments)...

[Tatsujin]

I don't even want to start with all the vice versa critics..lol

[esteban]

TO ALL: Read this fellow's review of Alien Crush...

[MrFlutterPie]

I laughed when he had such difficulty with Cadash.  It's like one of two or three Turbo games I can beat lol.

However, with video games it's so subjective. For example I don't like Mega Man 2 (or any NES Mega Men) Thar series is super popular but there will always be somebody who doesn't like it even though the general consensus is that it is good.

On the flip side people often talk trash about Bad Street Brawler and Clatfighters 63 1/3.  These games often come up on worst games lists and discussion but I love them.  Another example of such differing from general opinion. 

In the end it all comes down to personal opinion.  Technically nobody is right or wrong as there will never be 100% agreement on any one game.

[toymachine78]

This guy is a whiney beeotch

[Tatsujin]

but at least he gives some good revs to most of the excellent games.

he even likes za kan fuu!!

[Necromancer]

It doesn't sound like he spends much time with the games at all, so it's more 'first impressions' than 'personal opinion' based on sufficient experience, and he's all too often flat out wrong.  Look at Splash Lake for a good laugh - he thinks it's extremely difficult (even the first board) and lacks co-op play; and I bet y'all didn't know that Landis (LoT) is a mech.

[Tatsujin]

yeah sprash rake was hillarious., and it's true, he does't spend waste too much time on his gems, which are most probably emulation only anyway.

[Tatsujin]

this made me rolf!

http://videogamecritic.com/genno.htm#Outrun

[Tatsujin]

HAHAHA, RAIDEN FRAUD an  A?

http://videogamecritic.com/genpr.htm#Raiden_Trad

[Black Tiger]

I laughed when he had such difficulty with Cadash.  It's like one of two or three Turbo games I can beat lol.

However, with video games it's so subjective. For example I don't like Mega Man 2 (or any NES Mega Men) Thar series is super popular but there will always be somebody who doesn't like it even though the general consensus is that it is good.

On the flip side people often talk trash about Bad Street Brawler and Clatfighters 63 1/3.  These games often come up on worst games lists and discussion but I love them.  Another example of such differing from general opinion. 

In the end it all comes down to personal opinion.  Technically nobody is right or wrong as there will never be 100% agreement on any one game.

Working Designs games weren't sold in Canada, but a rental chain opened up with several Turbo games which were only available in the U.S.

I finished Cadash my first time through.

[esteban]

Cadash is very challenging if you are blindfolded.

[MrFlutterPie]

I laughed when he had such difficulty with Cadash.  It's like one of two or three Turbo games I can beat lol.

However, with video games it's so subjective. For example I don't like Mega Man 2 (or any NES Mega Men) Thar series is super popular but there will always be somebody who doesn't like it even though the general consensus is that it is good.

On the flip side people often talk trash about Bad Street Brawler and Clatfighters 63 1/3.  These games often come up on worst games lists and discussion but I love them.  Another example of such differing from general opinion. 

In the end it all comes down to personal opinion.  Technically nobody is right or wrong as there will never be 100% agreement on any one game.

Working Designs games weren't sold in Canada, but a rental chain opened up with several Turbo games which were only available in the U.S.

I finished Cadash my first time through.

I bought my copy of Cadash in 2012.

I played it as a kid on the arcade machine At a local Zellers.  I have searched for the name of that game for years before stumbling onto a Youtube video of the arcade. Once I had the name I realized that a great port was available for the Turbo.  I then remembered seeing a CIC at a local store and went down and picked it up.  I was so happy

Ninja FTW!!!!!!

*Haha I just found my old post another forum asking for help lol. 

"Hey guys I want to figure out the name of an arcade game I played in the early 90's.  I believe it is pre 95.
 
All I can remember was you had 2 characters to choose from.  One was a ninja who threw little triangle darts and a guy who had a crossbow that fired a chain with a ball on the end.
 
One of the early bosses is a giant octopus and you fight him on docks with the octopus being in the water.
 
If anybody has a clue about what I'm talking about please post here.  I have been searching for the name for a couple of years now.
 
Thanks so much!"

[BigusSchmuck]

He doesn't like Guardian Heroes very much for the Saturn neither. http://videogamecritic.com/satfl.htm

[Elder]

As someone that reviews games all the time, I'm used to people having a different opinion than me, but there is such a thing as journalistic integrity.  I am a super strong proponent of finishing every game I review.  I never understood how someone can review a game if they haven't experienced everything it had to offer.  In modern games I finish the single player game, and then play online until I feel I've got a good enough essence of what the game had to offer in order to say my thoughts.  I've always felt reviews are nothing more than that, one's thoughts and opinions on a game.  So it's ok for people to disagree, but it's not ok to review a game if you only experienced 25% of it.  There's nothing wrong with saying Initial Impressions, but then don't call it a review.

That's my two cents on the subject anyways.  I much prefer reviewing retro games because I always put a spin on how they hold up today for someone in 2014 experiencing them for the first time.  Sometimes old games that many people love might not be so incredible to someone playing them for the first time today, but usually a true classic or gem will almost always hold up well.  To be honest I've been surprised lately by just how many hold up so well.  I've covered Gate of Thunder, Lords of Thunder, and Star Parodier recently and all three play incredibly well today, just as they did way back when.  Those are the best types of reviews I enjoy tackling.