Amusingly bad reviews

[Sumez]

I honestly don't think that Astro City quote is too bad. Yeah it's misunderstanding some things, but you also gotta keep in mind that these people need to appeal to all walks of life, so this description of what it means to 1cc, and why credit feeding is bad, isn't the worst approach for explaining it to the layman.

[BIL]

Concurred - I do think it's pretty even-handed, even without comparing it to the really abject stuff out there. I have to question the arcade v console thing - I know of some abominably shoddy, cheapshot-ridden console games, ones that unlike the most classic coinops tend to fold like a house of cards once you've memorised their bullshit - but his basic point, that coinops generally want you dead with an intensity unseen on console, is of course sound.

It's more the invoking of "git gud" I question, as something to be trudged after in the pursuit of value 4 cash. If you don't get an innate, hobbyist's satisfaction from grappling with and eventually overcoming a short, balls-hard game, maybe going on to completely demolish it, perhaps you shouldn't in the first place. I tried playing the PS3's Zombie Movie The Game, having enjoyed PS2-era survival horror. Fantastic effort by the devs, but I couldn't justify the timesink for what amounted to an interactive movie. I watched my fat dumb STG-hating friend play it instead, occasionally. Had a good time. Earlier this year during lockdown, I watched him play Zombie Movie The Game 2: Queen of Painal. Shit game, great time!

The best mainstream review I've seen (it's been almost twenty years, so I may be rose-tinting it a bit) is EDGE Magazine's PS2 DOJ one. It elucidated why for an arcade audience, "git gud" isn't merely some gruelling ritual but an end in itself, and a bridge to further ends. It also emphasised that arcade games by their nature aren't going to appeal to everyone. It wasn't all that different from this review, just markedly free of hangdog. To be fair, it surely helped that the EDGE writer was reviewing a single, polished game and not a jumble of varying quality.

[Rastan78]

I honestly don't think that Astro City quote is too bad. Yeah it's misunderstanding some things, but you also gotta keep in mind that these people need to appeal to all walks of life, so this description of what it means to 1cc, and why credit feeding is bad, isn't the worst approach for explaining it to the layman.

I think he's frustratingly close to getting it right. I mostly agree with you that it's not that bad. Where I think he's off the mark is in saying that a lot of these games were designed around credit feeding. He's saying that the games were balanced in arcades only because of the limit imposed by spending money and they become unbalanced when you play them at home with unlimited continues. Where he really takes it a step to far is saying only some of the games can be cleared without credit feeding. Sure there are probably some crappy unbalanced games in the collection, but they could all be cleared with practice. Telling a mainstream audience that arcade games were badly designed and don't reward skillful play because they're so unfair as to be unbeatable without credit feeding is still bad to say to a mainstream audience bc it's misinformation.

He's basically saying they're like rigged carnival games. You're throwing a baseball at a cement milk jug painted to look like glass. It's designed in an unfair way simply to take your money. You'll never knock it over so don't waste your time.

I also think people from all walks of life are totally capable of understanding that arcade games are usually tough but fair games designed around playing for 1 credit clear or high score. Getting to that point will probably be beyond most, but the knowledge that it's possible adds to the fun. Im a shitty player at pool and darts but that doesn't stop me from enjoying the challenge.

Also I should say amusingly bad review isn't really appropriate for this. As far as the rest of the review of the Astro City it's a good review of the product for sure.