💾 #1 On Reviewing
Welcome to Save Point, my how-do-you-do journal on the stuff I'm consuming and the manmade horrors of The Online World
Welcome to Save Point 💾
Hey everyone. Something sinister has sprung from the inner sanctum of the Federal Bureau of Postmode. It’s a newsletter-within-a-newsletter (denoted by a floppy disk emoji) called Save Point. This is my first experiment in adding some kind of structure to this entropic endeavour. Just in case you didn’t read the subhed (I don’t have a better explanation), Save Point is my how-do-you-do journal on the stuff I'm consuming and the manmade horrors of The Online World. You’ll see - it’s coming up right after this, in any case.
I’ve found that I don’t want to devote whole newsletters to the smaller ideas flying around my brain, the not-quite-essays, check this out’s, observations and half-thoughts that are probably worth writing down. With that in mind, I’m adopting a Broderickian structure (I love
so much, pls forgive me) with big headings and lots of sections to cover all the stuff I wanna talk about in a given week.I think this will allow me to get closer to my original intention for this newsletter. I mean, just last week I published this unwieldy piece that devolved from ‘Meet Your Maker is cool!’ into an existential treatise on the terrors of A.I. I love a tangent, so I need to reign it in a bit. So here I am holding myself accountable for that. Which means we have to stop here and get into it now, even though I could easily continue rambling.
On Reviewing
I reviewed the new Arkane game, Redfall, for VGC. Once you’re done with the review, check the replies to my tweet about it. Or maybe the replies to the tweet from the VGC account. Yeah… it’s been an interesting 36 hours! Mine is (so far) the most positive review in a sea of negativity. I’ve spent some time reading and valuing a lot of the other reviews out there. I think it’s a good thing when there is a lack of critical consensus, as it puts the ball in the reader’s court.
My review is a very critical four out of five, but it’s a four out of five regardless, and that’s what matters, I guess. I stand by my score, but I wonder, if I had reviewed it for Polygon or Eurogamer (who don’t score their game reviews), would I be so inundated with the 'paid review’ and ‘dogshit opinion’ comments, some of which from people who probably haven’t even played Redfall, or were actively praying on its downfall?
Reviewing a big game for a big outlet is always an interesting experience. I got Redfall code on Thursday night, and played for 13 hours through the long weekend to deliver a draft on Monday for the Tuesday morning embargo. Pretty tight! But I was, thankfully, also pretty free, and Redfall isn’t that long, so I didn’t have to rush it. My (very kind and good) editor didn’t want me to rush it anyway, so it was a win-win. Ultimately, as much as I am ravenous for a Dishonored 3, I liked it for what it was, and not for what it wasn’t.
General sentiment for the game was already at a crisis point after the 30 FPS debacle, so when a bunch of reviews leaked ahead of the embargo, including one calling it ‘One of the Worst Games I Played So Far In 2023’, I went into the brace position for an inevitable shitstorm. Regardless of it like, just being my opinion, man, I’ve been in the game long enough to know people were going to be mad online about it for all manner of reasons, so when the embargo lifted, my heart was racing, and the anxiety did not come from a lack of conviction.
In an ideal world I shouldn’t have to feel like that, but we don’t live in an ideal world. I’m lucky to have been doing this long enough to have a thick skin when it comes to these situations, and some learned security provisions. It’s kind of par for the course for me, anyway, as a person living with GAD.
As much as I had fun playing Redfall over the long weekend, it was still a job, and I spent precious hours of my life doing it to the best of my ability. I was curious, sure, but I mainly assessed it for the sake of the people who are considering whether they should buy it, so that they have a perspective (one of many) to examine before they lay down their hard-earned cash. Games criticism is a kindness, as this Kotaku article so eloquently puts it, but it can often feel like the opposite. I often have to remind myself that a lot of people online don’t feel the need to respond. Many (myself included) just read something and move on, informed, perhaps leaving a comment if the writing really struck a chord.
After the initial fallout, there have actually been a bunch of folks (randoms and friends) sending me nice messages and engaging meaningfully with the piece. Now the ascerbic dust has settled, there are a good few replies in those threads from players saying how much they’re enjoying Redfall, and how they agree with my review. Turns out I’m in good company in the Redfall Likers Community, anyway. Christian Donlan, who also played it solo (and mindfully, at that) seems to dig it.
VERTICAL LADYBUG DESTRUCTION
Sorry. We were getting a bit emo there, so I had to pivot, and pivot hard. I saw this tweet from Dave Lloyd of Powerhoof the other day. Fuck me, that’s an elevator pitch, isn’t it? Killbug launched as I was writing this, and I’m playing it tomorrow, I think. Gun + Fast + Art Style + Leaderboards = success, in my eyes. I should really finish Neon White…
I haven’t met Turgle yet, but I really like the Holomap in Jedi Survivor
One big game that I didn’t get to review is Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, and after playing it for a few hours, I’m kind of thankful. Because it’s huge. And I like to methodically pore over each area BEFORE I approach the next story beat. I’m one of those guys. A sicko, you might say. Which means I’m still on Koboh, brushing up against every ‘BLOCKED PATH’ icon I can find before I go see what Glup Shitto is up to, or whatever that guy’s name is. Deez Tritus? Koboh was also a guess. I hope that’s right.
Anyway. The opening level left a bad impression on what is shaping up to be a very good game, in my eyes. I was just fanging to be let loose on the open world and all of its feedback loop riches. Give me all of the systems so I can do my dance, please! Eventually, Jedi Survivor did just that (though I imagine there’s a bunch more systems to come) and I am loving it. Giving it an hour or so every day. Jumping off when it feels right. Slow burn fun. The map, therefore, feels like an important part of the experience for me, and reader, it rules. Look at it.
I check it a lot, which sounds like a bad thing, but it’s not, actually, because it’s so good to look at. It’s beautiful. Reminds me of Metroid Prime. I can see the vertical challenges of each space, and I LOVE how it blocks out the unknown with these neat yellow ‘Undiscovered Area’ bars. My brain loves this in a big way. Some people really don’t like it, but I think they might not like the map in Metroid Prime either. But there’s a joy in looking at a map and trying to interpret where to go, isn’t there. Not everything has to tell you exactly what to do, you know. When I was a kid we didn’t have Google Maps… *trails off, unintelligible*.
Anyway, I tapped out the other night (Oggdo) and was served this very cool tweet from a Respawn dev. I always think it’s nice when we get to see folks shout about the work they put into a massive project like this. Look at that Holomap cake! That rules! Well deserved!
My Cal is Bogan-pilled
Ok, I’m gonna go now. I think that’s enough. I’ve already made a draft with a bunch of other nuggets. Let me go meet Turgle and get back to you, alright? Feels important to me.
The Pitch Parlor
Couple of freelance opportunities for you, as a chaser! Keep on keeping on.
Friend of the show Daryl Baxter (iMore) is looking for features about Apple products
Maddy Myers (Polygon) is looking for Video Game Fashion Week pitches!
Dan Gentile (SFGate) is looking for Tears of the Kingdom features with a Bay Area hook
Read-Only Memory is looking for videogame book pitches. Cool!