Stuart Campbell's GOTY is Raiden III

Molloy · Post by **Molloy** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:23 am

http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/

Stuart was recently voted the worlds best game journalist (I'm a huge fan of his work myself, the Gran Tourismo 4 review is a bloody masterpiece - explains everything that's wrong with videogames today) and has selected Raiden III as his best game of 2005. It's a pretty cool writeup.

Thought you guys might find it interesting.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:04 am

\

In the entire historic catalogue of videogaming offensive armament, across all game genres and styles, it's doubtful that there's ever been a more fun, more popular weapon - or one less in need of mucking about with - than Raiden 2's famous "Toothpaste Laser".

Why. I hate this weapon.

In Raiden 3, every single enemy is actively, directly, fervently trying to kill you, and that means that every single second is a life-or-death battle. It's intense, man.

Or moving left, then right, then left, then right. The weakness of the mighty "they aim right at you!"

benstylus · Post by **benstylus** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:06 am

voted by whom?

I agree his work isn't bad, in fact it's better than what I see at the big sites, but best in the world?

Anyone who's read a Tim Rogers article might want to disagree.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:19 am

Stuart Campbell is stupid.

Good thing he is talking good about a shmup, but this doesn't stop him from being a shithead.

No one here ever heard about his argument with Dino Dini (Creator of Kick Off)?

He used to work at Sensible Software (creators of Sensible Soccer) .....

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:23 am

Well, even though I've never heard of him until now, all his cerdibility just went out the window by naming a shitburger Game of the Year.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:27 am

Oh, and he used to hang at the EAB forums... he was really annoying...

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:44 am

Well, he's not stupid, I actually appreciate his articles on WOS. Check the Raiden DX review, for example. Or the Tempest X3 review, one of the few that actually do the game justice, instead of ditching it just because Minter whines about the droid...

And on soccer, he's right... Kick Off was popular, but when Sensible came out, it was just so much better in all ways.

However, as clever his writing is he isn't flawless, of course:

http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/gh.htm

http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/lesson1.htm

Enjoy how he falls in love with an incredible average product (G.Heaven), while putting Turrican in a list of so-so games.

Sadly, the Raiden III article seems to fall in this category... The anti-GTA rant at the bottom makes me think that he just chose the first shmup he had on the shelf to badmouth licensed soundtracks and famous voice actors...

It's really depressing when one pretends to be "hardcore" at any cost...

P.S. what was Edge on Raiden III again? 2/10? Truly a love/hate product...

Post by **Shatterhand** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:49 am

I agree Sensible was better, but you need to see his arguing with Dino Dini to understand how stupid he is.

OR try to stay in a webforum where he is a regular poster too... (Thank god he left EAB)

Once he was complaining in a way like "Why the hell Winuae doesn't emulate game X? THat's why I think the Amiga was a stupid computer, games always crash on it" or something stupid like that.

And he also complained harshly that no one could answer a question he made, saying all members of the forum were a bunch of useless people (or something to that effect).

Not exactly a nice guy.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:53 am

Turrican wrote: P.S. what was Edge on Raiden III again? 2/10? Truly a love/hate product...

Disagree, I think most people think it's average or slightly above.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:58 am

Turrican wrote: what was Edge on Raiden III again? 2/10? Truly a love/hate product...

I just read the Hardcore Gamer review today, and it was a 2.5 out of 5. The review was quite sensible at moments, but it wasn't very "hardcore" to fail to mention Raiden DX in the review or to say:

"The game is unplayable in this mode [tate mode] unless you happen to have a computer monitor that can rotate its screen."

Hmmm. I seem to be playing that mode quite nicely with my tv.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 2:06 am

Okay, you knew him in the forums, so I take your words... and yes, I imagine he must not be the most kind of guys around.

http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/koff.htm

http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/ko.htm

^ the ending of this one is especially amusing, anyone so cynic to link Kick Off to Pol Pot deserves a reading

btw, you can download Skullmonkeys song from his feature:

http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/skull.htm

The problem I have with WOS is that's extremely hard to navigate... If anyone knows other articles worthy a mention, please share the url with us.

Thunder Force · Post by **Thunder Force** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 2:08 am

Molloy wrote:Stuart was recently voted the worlds best game journalist

To suggest that is possibly offensive to many hard working game journalists out there. If I recall this particular journalist got named something like "UK's most famous celebrity games journalist", but otherwise has received more than an average share of criticism for his sometimes tabloid-style attacks on games, and even MAME revisions, etc.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 2:22 am

I think he got a column in the new Retro Gamer.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 3:29 am

Turrican wrote:Well, he's not stupid, I actually appreciate his articles on WOS. Check the Raiden DX review, for example. Or the Tempest X3 review, one of the few that actually do the game justice, instead of ditching it just because Minter whines about the droid...

Aside from the droid, Minter actually liked the game, if I remember correctly.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 3:51 am

professor ganson wrote:
Turrican wrote: what was Edge on Raiden III again? 2/10? Truly a love/hate product...
I just read the Hardcore Gamer review today, and it was a 2.5 out of 5. The review was quite sensible at moments, but it wasn't very "hardcore" to fail to mention Raiden DX in the review or to say:

"The game is unplayable in this mode [tate mode] unless you happen to have a computer monitor that can rotate its screen."

Hmmm. I seem to be playing that mode quite nicely with my tv.

That is almost sig-able.

Acid King · Post by **Acid King** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 3:52 am

"Duck over to the left to avoid a squadron of attacking enemies on the right, and where the Toothpaste Laser would have wiped out all the bad guys for you while you dodged their fire, the Crap Green Laser comes with you, diligently concentrating its powerful beam uselessly into empty space in the direction you're moving, away from the very thing that's causing you to flee in the first place."

Yeah, having to actually aim at the things you are shooting at sucks.

Neo Rasa · Post by **Neo Rasa** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 4:06 am

Who the hell puts ANY Turrican installment in a list of so-so games? Even what I would consider the "worst" ones are way above average for their kind.

elvis · Post by **elvis** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 4:42 am

Acid King wrote:Yeah, having to actually aim at the things you are shooting at sucks.

Heh... I was thinking the same thing. I wonder... if the "toothpaste" laser was included, would he have marked it down for being too easy?

Herr Schatten · Post by **Herr Schatten** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 9:05 am

Neo Rasa wrote:Who the hell puts ANY Turrican installment in a list of so-so games?

Or the Rick Dangerous games. Those are bloody brilliant. Stuart seems to be the typical guy who never thinks it very likely that a mistake is on his side. If he sucks at playing a game, it must be the game's fault, right?

Stuart wrote:The bullet must have been hidden by an explosion or something. But it wasn't.

Since he's talking about Raiden III, it probably was.

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 9:58 am

Or the Rick Dangerous games. Those are bloody brilliant. Stuart seems to be the typical guy who never thinks it very likely that a mistake is on his side. If he sucks at playing a game, it must be the game's fault, right?

I enjoyed them myself, but they were a bit trial and error weren't they?

I think he's a great writer, self-opinionated at times maybe, but that just makes his stuff more enjoyable to read. No one is ever gonna agree with everything that any journalist writes, but at least he's entertaining. Though I think he's spot on about the craptastic Kick-Off. And much as I loved the Turricans at the time, they do seem a bit sprawling and unfocused now.

Herr Schatten · Post by **Herr Schatten** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:39 am

Marc wrote:
Or the Rick Dangerous games. Those are bloody brilliant. Stuart seems to be the typical guy who never thinks it very likely that a mistake is on his side. If he sucks at playing a game, it must be the game's fault, right?
I enjoyed them myself, but they were a bit trial and error weren't they?

A bit? They were practically a memorization marathon. I thought that was the whole point of the games, though, and I liked exactly that about them. You know, a bit like a platformer version of R-Type.

ST Dragon · Post by **ST Dragon** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:43 am

"Toothpaste Laser". A wide, snaking whip of pinky-purple plasma

Is he referring to the Green Plasma laser that covers the whole screen like a snake once fully powered up?
Because it's not pinky-purple.

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:58 am

A bit? They were practically a memorization marathon. I thought that was the whole point of the games, though, and I liked exactly that about them. You know, a bit like a platformer version of R-Type.

Funny what sticks with you, I just had a quick bash on the original on C64 and could have played the first level through blindfolded, despite thinking that I wouldn't remember a damn thing.

qatmix · Post by **qatmix** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:30 am

The thing which is good about stuart is that he has an opinion, and he doesnt bow down to anyone elses.

I do think he is one of the best games Journos out there as he loves games a great deal, I dont always agree with him but I always enjoy readign his articles.. However anyone that disputes the fact that the Rick Dangerous games were anyhting other than pure sh1t really does need their head examining

ST Dragon · Post by **ST Dragon** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:09 pm

Agreed.
I remember my friend spending hours trying to complete Rick Dangerous II on his old 286, no sound card PC, while I was playing Turrican II on the AMIGA.

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:27 pm

Horses for course an all that guys...

Not everyone thought the Turrican games were the best thing since sliced bread. Especially Super Turrican 2, a Contra 3 clone vithout the visuals, action, level design or excitement...

ST Dragon · Post by **ST Dragon** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:30 pm

Actually I was referering to Turrican II. Super Turrican 1, 2, or Super Contra III, can't even touch it.

Sly Cherry Chunks · Post by **Sly Cherry Chunks** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:22 pm

Neo Rasa wrote:Who the hell puts ANY Turrican installment in a list of so-so games? Even what I would consider the "worst" ones are way above average for their kind.

Everything after Turrican II was a let-down for me.

I'd never heard of this Stuart guy but reading through his stuff reminds me of when me and my bro used to argue about whether R-Type was better than Robocop when we were 10 year olds. I could make a website explaining how history has proved me right but I'm just not that pathetic.

Randorama · Post by **Randorama** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:27 pm

I wonder how people can take seriously the so called "game journalists". Especially when they're scrubs. I would add some witty comments, but i don't think they're really necessary. Oh, and please note, technically i'm a game journalist as well.

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:30 pm

elvis wrote:
Acid King wrote:Yeah, having to actually aim at the things you are shooting at sucks.
Heh... I was thinking the same thing. I wonder... if the "toothpaste" laser was included, would he have marked it down for being too easy?

Including the "toothpaste" laser in Raiden III would have made the scoring system pointless as you'd be nailing almost every enemy at a 2.0x with little-to-no effort.

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Stuart Campbell's GOTY is Raiden III

Stuart Campbell's GOTY is Raiden III

Re: Stuart Campbell's GOTY is Raiden III

Re: Stuart Campbell's GOTY is Raiden III