Editorial RPG Codex Retrospective: Roguey smashes the patriarchy in Josh Sawyer's Icewind Dale

[Tigranes]

Why is anyone imagining this is a review? It's not, it's "what I think when I played this game Josh Sawyer lol". I thought everyone knew better than to actually treat this thing as an intelligent discussion of the game.

My real disappointment, however, was that it wasn't very funny. Disappointed but hoping for more Josh Sawyer in the next one kthx

 

[HobGoblin42]

i for one care highly about whether or not women who play roleplaying games are attractive

By the way hobgob you chaos chronicles dudes should be playing expeditions: conquistador right now for some perspective

I already did, bought it on day one. Despite the missing initiative list and some minor graphical flaws, the combat isn't so different to ours.

 

[Mortmal]

You know A woman is paper-bag ugly when she is a feminist and her twitter profile pic is a dog.

Fixed.

ShamefuL.. I was not expecting that from you , there is very good looking feminists and they do play rpgs , i hope you were joking they are interested inchaos chronicle too you know.

Good looking women who are really interested in turn-based RPGs? Wake up, man, wake up.

(Disclaimer: feel free to prove me wrong )

Not the best idea to post pictures here in this savage den of troglodytes... I could ask them to do some with the mandatory "rpgcodex is for fag" , unlikely they accept although.

 

[groke]

Lesbians don't count

Lesbians can't spel, either!

 

[Arkadin]

I think there were some good things going on in this article, and I only wish Roguey had gone into a little more depth. I enjoyed the analysis of what works, doesn't work in different sections of the game. However, breaking down who wrote/designed parts of the game is tiresome, and only amusing if one has the background of Roguey's post history. I don't really understand how an auteurist reading of games makes any sense at all.

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

but only after slam dunking an Icewind Dale sequel of course.

Stopped reading right here.

Wait...

 

[Roguey]

You very much completely skip how well-developed is the subplot of the elf/dwarf/orc war and how many things are left in the dark all the time concerning the main plot (calling them just "mini-mysteries" can't even be called an understatement), the downright excellent cinematics that connect the chapters and the spectacular music and art direction that add a fuckton to the atmosphere.

Here's my opinion of any story that involves elves being their usual white supremacist selves: Fuck 'em.

Here's my opinion about cinematics, music, and graphics: I don't care.

And don't make me laugh about the fourth section. Your "description of the gameplay" boils down to a chapter-by-chapter lazy-ass writeup of "there was an encounter with x enemies, it was cool/boring lol! (also sawyer)" paragraphs that are repeated to no effect whatsoever. And it would appear you can't even drive that one thing home, given how you state "Sometimes I'll find an encounter interesting if it has a unique aspect to it", and yet I would have to look for those with a flashlight, unless you consider "two shamans" to be a unique aspect of a generic lizardmen mob.

Adding two spellcasters to a mob when most mobs have no spellcasters at all does in fact make it unique. I didn't believe I had to explain my reasoning as if I were speaking to someone who had never played any kind of D&D RPG before.

almost no value to novice players thanks to the confusing plethora of inside jokes, tropes, and acronyms crowding an already too-short review.

Which jokes, tropes, and acronyms?

I don't really understand how an auteurist reading of games makes any sense at all.

Every area Josh had ownership of was decent (except the first) the others were significantly lacking. Had he not been on the project it very likely could have turned out to be a prettier Dungeon Siege.

 

[Infinitron]

I still think you're not appreciative enough of the Severed Hand, Roguey. Even if the combat was less mechanically diverse than in the preceding chapter, I think it was a necessary change of atmosphere. After the free-for-all WTF IS GOING ON HERE dungeon crawl experience of Dragon's Eye, you got this more strongly themed area where everything made sense. It was a good change of pace.

Personally, I thought that fighting your way through the never-ending final day of the siege of the Hand of the Seldarine, from the orc troops at the bottom, through the barricades, up to the elven defenders at the top was just kind of a cool experience. And yeah, the enemy units weren't particularly interesting in and of themselves, but the nature of the level architecture itself meant they were often in interesting positions.

 

[Grunker]

I still think you're not appreciative enough of the Severed Hand

Not too mention way too lenient on that POS Dragon's Eye

 

[Darth Roxor]

Here's my opinion of any story that involves elves being their usual white supremacist selves: Fuck 'em.

Here's my opinion about cinematics, music, and graphics: I don't care.

GOOD INFORMATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING THERE BRO


BEST REVIEW IN RECENT TIME 10/10

 

[Commissar Draco]

Shit Game, Shit Josh Sawyer ego masturbation Review on a site turning into shit... 10/10

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Most of the things named in the second paragraph were added with HoW. I guess it would be a good idea to mention that since IWD is one of these games that got significantly improved with the expansion and is simply a worse experience without it. Didn't bother to read the rest.

 

[Black]

RPG Codex Retrospective Review: Roguey

That's as far as I got so far, does it get any better?

 

[wergle]

Here's my opinion of any story that involves elves being their usual white supremacist selves: Fuck 'em.

Here's my opinion about cinematics, music, and graphics: I don't care.

This is the key to understanding Roguey.

 

[Kane]

i for one care highly about whether or not women who play roleplaying games are attractive

Damn well they should be attractive. Can't allow them oil tankers to sully our glorious games.

 

[Kane]

RPG Codex Retrospective Review: Roguey

That's as far as I got so far, does it get any better?

 

[May God Gently Caress You]

Just do this when Sawyer is doing crowd-funding. Them, it doesn't matter whether it's a review or fanboi/gal thing - Just gather further attention using a different string and the job done.

 

[Excommunicator]

Here's my opinion of any story that involves elves being their usual white supremacist selves: Fuck 'em.

Here's my opinion about cinematics, music, and graphics: I don't care.

This is the key to understanding Roguey.

I've been questioning whether or not to read it and given the above, I will not waste my time. You think you are deserving of peer support when you feel you can leave out reviewing certain content because "you don't care" about that content? Well that you see, is your disqualification.

This is not a review. People need to get their shit straight around here.

Call it a feature, an editorial, an opinion piece, but I believe with everything the Codex tries to represent - especially given the recent reviewer drama - the term "review" needs to have some standards and those standards should require looking at and analysing all aspects of the game to the best of your ability. Grotsnik will surely agree.

Don't "review" the full scope of content and you are disqualified as far as I'm concerned. You get nothing.

 

[Grunker]

the term "review" needs to have some standards

http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=236

It's pretty hilarious how many people will shout grafix-whores all day and still care deeply that Roguey reviewed the gameplay of IWD. Sure, it's got tons of cool other shit that I care about as well, but this is a review of IWD's gameplay. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

[Maiandros]

sorry;

IWD? Shit.
In fact, Sawyer games and combat? Shit.
Obsidian and getting the balance right between say storyfag and combat? Shit.
Fallout 1? Shit. Let's make a whole fucking thread in RPGCODEX out of all sites, and pluck its eyes out.
KotC? Shit. (well,for some individuals in specific ^^)
Daggerfall? Shit. It's Shitthesda, so it must be.
Planescape? Fuck that combat bro. You know what? Shit. Few more threads about just -how- much shit that combat is.

Wabbabooboo jeeboo forums? Check!!!!
LARP contests? Check!!!
Anime (i'm male, single and horny, can't get any but i sure am complexed as FUCK)? Check!!!
Dozens of members brofisting anti-decline posts but frequenting DESUDESU or MMO sub-board? Check!!!
Hundreds of members all edgy and shit despite owning xbawks and Jerkstation? And not even shamed to admit it? Check!!!

Codex member writing their opinion on one of the genre's top 20/30?
oh my fucking gawd, DECLINE

 

[Excommunicator]

the term "review" needs to have some standards

http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=236

It's pretty hilarious how many people will shout grafix-whores all day and still care deeply that Roguey reviewed the gameplay of IWD. Sure, it's got tons of cool other shit that I care about as well, but this is a review of IWD's gameplay. There's nothing wrong with that.

What's your point? I didn't read that review because I haven't got any interest in DA2, but at least a search returns the results "sound" "graphics" "music". I'm not going to claim to have read it nor that it fits the standard but it's already a step ahead of Roguey's in that aspect. It probably still falls short elsewhere but that's not the topic right now.

I'm also not going to sit here and not call people out when they have double standards. If another website did it, and the reviewer made those comments that Roguey made, I guarantee it would be posted in the BTE.

When you know your shit and claim to know your shit, you aren't exempt from criticism, you're even more vulnerable to it. This was put on the front page under no different circumstances than Grotsnik's editorial. Practice what you preach around here. Acknowledge it's just a feature and not a review.

 

[Infinitron]

Excommunicator Changed post category to "Editorial". It has now instantly become a GOOD post and you are not at all butthurt.

 

[Excommunicator]

That's good, but it's an empty gesture if people don't believe it's justified. Do you not think it falls short of what a real review should be?

I'm just arguing on principle here which is largely what this place represents, at least to me. If I was on staff I'd also put a disclaimer at the beginning stating how it's an editorial and that it doesn't necessarily conform to the Codex's expectations and ideals of what a review should be.

What would the main benefit of that be, you ask? So that when we put forth real reviews they are made stronger by the implication that there are standards that they conform to. They represent the standards we expect from others in the industry. That would be a big thing.

This is all quite reasonable don't you think?

 

[Infinitron]

That's good, but it's an empty gesture if people don't believe it's justified. Do you not think it falls short of what a real review should be?

I'm just arguing on principle here which is largely what this place represents, at least to me. If I was on staff I'd also put a disclaimer at the beginning stating how it's an editorial and that it doesn't necessarily conform to the Codex's expectations and ideals of what a review should be.

This is all quite reasonable don't you think?

I've changed the category to Editorial. I don't see the need to do anything else.

Other than that, I would say that a "Retrospective Review" comes with different expectations than a plain old "Review". They are two different things. Icewind Dale had its standard reviews when it was released 13 years ago. We don't need any more of those.

 

[Roguey]

Don't "review" the full scope of content and you are disqualified as far as I'm concerned. You get nothing.

http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=129
I only skimmed this article but I don't see any mention of graphics, music, the opening and ending cinematics, nor does it discuss the ~awesomeness~ of the Dark Brotherhood questline that a bunch of people liked so much.