+sramirez2008 Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 The Video Game Critic reviewed Rikki and Vikki? https://videogamecritic.com/mobile/7800mr.htm?e=24334#rev5369 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 I know much of this is subjective and the grade may seem fair enough, but curious how far into the game the Video Game Critic actually played. The only mention of enemies are "Some levels have militant bunnies..." which are found in the Rock Cavern (AKA 1st level about 10-15 mins long). The high score too suggest going about that far into the game. Everything else written about Rikki & Vikki could be said about, and experienced in, the Rock Caverns as well and completely misses out on the majority of the game. No statement on enemy variety or level design specifics of Sand, Flame, Bubble, and Metal Caverns or all the different boss characters. Firing lasers, on/off light switches, teleportation, and other features encountered later in the game, not a thing stated about them. There are a plethora of enemies and bosses, including unique strategies that have to be employed in beating them, just completely overlooked. It also lacks the detail of how the 1 player and 2 players games are different in level design and contain different boss characters. Reviews on that website are brief, but it appears like the Video Game Critic basically played the first level through only, was impressed with presentation and package design (rightly so), would have given it an "A", but since no password or save feature, knocked the game to an "A-". Playing a little further, the Video Game Critic would have come across intermissions with Dut and the DirectDut Deposit option, which provides the player infinite lives in exchange of no score. Sadly, there is no mention of that game option and play path either. 7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 VGC is not known for being an "in depth" reviewer. That said, the fact he gave a homebrew that high of a score is quite a rarity. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 2 hours ago, Greg2600 said: VGC is not known for being an "in depth" reviewer. That said, the fact he gave a homebrew that high of a score is quite a rarity. So? I'd rather see him give a low score to a game that he didn't like after thorough playtesting, instead of a relatively high one based on a superficial assessment. What's the point of reviewing games if you're not going to actually tell the reader about all of its features and flaws? Just imagine the blowback he'd get if he decided to review a modern game based on a half-hour of gameplay. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Anyone who doesn't give this game an A+ is out of their mind. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 10 hours ago, Greg2600 said: VGC is not known for being an "in depth" reviewer. That said, the fact he gave a homebrew that high of a score is quite a rarity. A review so "shallow" that it fails mentioning the majority of sections in the game, along with significant features and gameplay aspects, leans towards grading that is hollow. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 4 hours ago, Trebor said: A review so "shallow" that it fails mentioning the majority of sections in the game, along with significant features and gameplay aspects, leans towards grading that is hollow. 11 hours ago, davidcalgary29 said: So? I'd rather see him give a low score to a game that he didn't like after thorough playtesting, instead of a relatively high one based on a superficial assessment. What's the point of reviewing games if you're not going to actually tell the reader about all of its features and flaws? Just imagine the blowback he'd get if he decided to review a modern game based on a half-hour of gameplay. Both of your points are accurate, I'm not going to dispute them! He did create a user voting system, which appears under his grades, and often is more "accurate." That being said, VGC has always been this way. He does brief reviews and even briefer writeups. His first impression plays a dominant role, which in some sense is not that different from most movie reviewers. Back in the days before flash carts and YouTube, I myself used his reviews a lot to read a quick sense of a game before buying from a classic game store. Again, I realize it may not be the proper way, but it's his way. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 4 minutes ago, Greg2600 said: Both of your points are accurate, I'm not going to dispute them! He did create a user voting system, which appears under his grades, and often is more "accurate." That being said, VGC has always been this way. He does brief reviews and even briefer writeups. His first impression plays a dominant role, which in some sense is not that different from most movie reviewers. Back in the days before flash carts and YouTube, I myself used his reviews a lot to read a quick sense of a game before buying from a classic game store. Again, I realize it may not be the proper way, but it's his way. I don't know about it "always" being that way. The Midnight Mutants review found earlier on the same page mentions: "...explore creepy locations like a church, barn, cabin, lab, pumpkin, patch, and sprawling mansion." To get to the barn area, and even more so the lab, that is not just a 10-15 minutes play through. You have to spend a good amount of time with the game to discover and see those places. He also makes the points: "The first boss is a screen-sized ram skull which is downright alarming to behold...there's a nice variety of enemies in this game including bats, crows, spiders, ghosts, werewovles, plant-people, and an assortment of zombies. When you kill a zombie with an axe, its body splits in two and its head falls straight down." Plant-people and werewolves, to state the least, are not enemies you encounter early on. He even mentions specifics on death animation. Again, it's evidence of spending a significant amount of time playing, or at least watching more of the game than just the first several minutes, before writing the review. It would have been nice to have seen that same kind of time spent and details mentioned with Rikki & Vikki, but to each their own. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 22 minutes ago, Greg2600 said: Both of your points are accurate, I'm not going to dispute them! He did create a user voting system, which appears under his grades, and often is more "accurate." That being said, VGC has always been this way. He does brief reviews and even briefer writeups. His first impression plays a dominant role, which in some sense is not that different from most movie reviewers. Back in the days before flash carts and YouTube, I myself used his reviews a lot to read a quick sense of a game before buying from a classic game store. Again, I realize it may not be the proper way, but it's his way. And I'm certainly not shooting the messenger. That being said, if I want to know more about an Atari game (proto), I'll head to Tempest's amazing site first. His reviews are thoroughly-researched, well-written, and always amusing; THAT'S how you do this, and do it well. I wish VGC well, but his site comes across more as an acquisitive vanity project (Mean 18 review: "it took me more than 10 years to acquire this cart!") than it is a useful database for users. To each their own, I suppose! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 3 minutes ago, Trebor said: I don't know about it "always" being that way. The Midnight Mutants review found earlier on the same page mentions: "...explore creepy locations like a church, barn, cabin, lab, pumpkin, patch, and sprawling mansion." To get to the barn area, and even more so the lab, that is not just a 10-15 minutes play through. You have to spend a good amount of time with the game to discover and see those places. He also makes the points: "The first boss is a screen-sized ram skull which is downright alarming to behold...there's a nice variety of enemies in this game including bats, crows, spiders, ghosts, werewovles, plant-people, and an assortment of zombies. When you kill a zombie with an axe, its body splits in two and its head falls straight down." Plant-people and werewolves, to state the least, are not enemies you encounter early on. He even mentions specifics on death animation. Again, it's evidence of spending a significant amount of time playing, or at least watching more of the game than just the first several minutes, before writing the review. It would have been nice to have seen that same kind of time spent and details mentioned with Rikki & Vikki, but to each their own. Have you e-mailed him about this? I thought about it, but don't want to speak on behalf of Penguinet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gambler172 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 11 hours ago, Shawn said: Anyone who doesn't give this game an A+ is out of their mind. RnV is a great game...no doubt...but i miss Password or save option.....and HSC support. So only 9 out of 10 ?o And it is damn heavy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 2 hours ago, davidcalgary29 said: And I'm certainly not shooting the messenger. That being said, if I want to know more about an Atari game (proto), I'll head to Tempest's amazing site first. His reviews are thoroughly-researched, well-written, and always amusing; THAT'S how you do this, and do it well. I wish VGC well, but his site comes across more as an acquisitive vanity project (Mean 18 review: "it took me more than 10 years to acquire this cart!") than it is a useful database for users. To each their own, I suppose! For the above reasons and more... 2 hours ago, davidcalgary29 said: Have you e-mailed him about this? I thought about it, but don't want to speak on behalf of Penguinet... ...not going to bother with an email. It's one person's opinion. The web page comes across as more quantity over quality, in which I've already spent way too much time entertaining. No ill-will towards the messenger or Video Game Critic, but that site is definitely not of consistent quality with the reviews posted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Pac-Lander Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 It's an A+. I believe it is the best game currently available on the 7800, period. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 5 hours ago, davidcalgary29 said: Have you e-mailed him about this? I thought about it, but don't want to speak on behalf of Penguinet... Well like I said, he has a feedback section you're all welcome to challenge his review in. I've done it in the past years ago. https://videogamecritic.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=39461&t=18780&sid=800decd4d39ea8f5329e08244ec4853d 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Let's put the pitchforks aside, please. Everyone here knows what the VGC is all about, his brevity, etc. You're free to use the voting mechanism as mentioned, if compelled. There are those that are vocal every chance they get, about not being into long walls of texts, yet bitch about (despite the awesome grade) abbreviated reviews such as his? So he missed something or didn't play the game all the way through. C'mon. There's enough of the 'thought police' mentality going on today. Tell me how to live, or otherwise dictate how someone should go about a review. My way or the highway. No need to carry *that* poisonous water over to this hobby, is there? I mean really... A+ or A-? Like splitting hairs with a chainsaw. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+slx Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 I think his site is good to get an overview and general idea and you have to keep in mind he seems to like some types of games better than others. If in need of an in-depth review/playthrough, there are usually additional resources on the web. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 I personally like the brief reviews and while I think it is better I don't think A- is bad. I think BBCQ is either the best or second best on the 7800 but I remember people not liking the platforming. Almost any review I take a plus one minus one take. I think I would say with VGC reviews it is usually within one letter grade for me. It was a good grade and put a review out there for more people to see and discover. That to me is a win. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 13 hours ago, save2600 said: Let's put the pitchforks aside, please. Everyone here knows what the VGC is all about, his brevity, etc. You're free to use the voting mechanism as mentioned, if compelled. There are those that are vocal every chance they get, about not being into long walls of texts, yet bitch about (despite the awesome grade) abbreviated reviews such as his? So he missed something or didn't play the game all the way through. C'mon. There's enough of the 'thought police' mentality going on today. Tell me how to live, or otherwise dictate how someone should go about a review. My way or the highway. No need to carry *that* poisonous water over to this hobby, is there? I mean really... A+ or A-? Like splitting hairs with a chainsaw. 7 hours ago, slx said: I think his site is good to get an overview and general idea and you have to keep in mind he seems to like some types of games better than others. If in need of an in-depth review/playthrough, there are usually additional resources on the web. 6 hours ago, MrBeefy said: I personally like the brief reviews and while I think it is better I don't think A- is bad. I think BBCQ is either the best or second best on the 7800 but I remember people not liking the platforming. Almost any review I take a plus one minus one take. I think I would say with VGC reviews it is usually within one letter grade for me. It was a good grade and put a review out there for more people to see and discover. That to me is a win. Pitchforks?! Grades?! The complaint here is that the review is superficial and does not present a balanced overview of the game. And that isn't a valid criticism? No one's suggesting that he take it down, or change his grade, or send an apology to Penguinet. Period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Video Game Critic has been around for a LONG time...and I mean a LOOOOOOOONG time! Some of his reviews are more "in depth" than others and he doesn't just hand the "A" grades out (I've seen him give "decent" homebrew games an F grade before) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nanochess Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 32 minutes ago, Crazy Climber said: Video Game Critic has been around for a LONG time...and I mean a LOOOOOOOONG time! Some of his reviews are more "in depth" than others and he doesn't just hand the "A" grades out (I've seen him give "decent" homebrew games an F grade before) Good to see you here Crazy Climber! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TailChao Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Huh. I've been on hiatus from the boards, but this was brought to my attention as a problem. So here I am. I have zero issues with this review, the Video Game Critic paid for their copy of Rikki & Vikki and can have whatever opinion they like about it. If we had given them a free cartridge in exchange for a lengthy article - then this would be a complication. But that wasn't the case. Is longer and more detailed feedback preferred? Sure, but it's not required. What's written is enough to indicate aspects of the game they enjoyed and didn't. I'm certainly not going to complain about getting high marks either. If a player only trots through the first ten minutes of a game but really enjoys it, that's fine. Considering the issues we had getting any coverage for Rikki & Vikki, having a short review is better than nothing - even a bad review is better than nothing. Any sort of visibility is a huge deal. We had a bump in sales after this review went up, so I'm quite happy it exists at all. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Climber Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 56 minutes ago, nanochess said: Good to see you here Crazy Climber! Thanks man! Good to see you too! 53 minutes ago, TailChao said: We had a bump in sales after this review went up I know just bought one because of it The game looks sweeeeeeet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevEng Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 1 hour ago, davidcalgary29 said: Pitchforks?! Grades?! The complaint here is that the review is superficial and does not present a balanced overview of the game. And that isn't a valid criticism? No one's suggesting that he take it down, or change his grade, or send an apology to Penguinet. Period. The irony being that some seem to think a critque shouldn't be open to it's own commentary and critique. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 1 hour ago, TailChao said: Considering the issues we had getting any coverage for Rikki & Vikki, having a short review is better than nothing - even a bad review is better than nothing. Any sort of visibility is a huge deal. We had a bump in sales after this review went up, so I'm quite happy it exists at all. Now that is awesome. I hope this increased exposure helps you sell those last few copies quickly! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 10 hours ago, MrBeefy said: It was a good grade and put a review out there for more people to see and discover. That to me is a win. 2 hours ago, TailChao said: Huh. I've been on hiatus from the boards, but this was brought to my attention as a problem. So here I am. I have zero issues with this review, the Video Game Critic paid for their copy of Rikki & Vikki and can have whatever opinion they like about it. If we had given them a free cartridge in exchange for a lengthy article - then this would be a complication. But that wasn't the case. Is longer and more detailed feedback preferred? Sure, but it's not required. What's written is enough to indicate aspects of the game they enjoyed and didn't. I'm certainly not going to complain about getting high marks either. If a player only trots through the first ten minutes of a game but really enjoys it, that's fine. Considering the issues we had getting any coverage for Rikki & Vikki, having a short review is better than nothing - even a bad review is better than nothing. Any sort of visibility is a huge deal. We had a bump in sales after this review went up, so I'm quite happy it exists at all. And that's what I'm talking about! Glad to hear about the bump. I always try to push it when the opportunity presents itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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