Just about anyone who surfs the User Reviews has seen the NewClassic treatment. So, in complete fairness to all of the first-time posters I've given the NewClassic treatment, I'm going to give it to myself. My first review, to be exact. So, here we go, NewClassic does the treatment to a more jovial, younger NewClassic.
One of my rules of thumb to follow in life is I'm not really allowed to take myself too seriously. Doing so tends to make me think I'm all big and pompous,This sentence is very grammatically awkward, and otherwise needs a lot of refinement. then I start gaming too competitively, and helpsNotice the complete lack of subject here. me avoid turning into "that guy" as Yahtzee to gracefully puts it.Also, this was one, very awkward, very clunky sentence.
One of the benefits of not taking oneself terribly seriously is you're allowed to take a step away from seriousness, and dwell in the land of silly.Redundant. After about 2 - 3 hours into Secret Agent Clank, I was already graced with thea good level of humor, action, and general screwiness that High Impact Games does so well.
The overall atmosphere of the game does a good job of immersion, with "Stealth Bonus" multipliers for when you successfully sneak past a guard, or kung-fu him in a stealth assassination.Also very awkward... The missions do a good job of staying fairly taxing, without additions of gadgets not gettingbecoming too cumbersome, or without being too sparse.
The largest immediate flaw is one that's always been present in the PSP titles. Mostly the screen is large enough to be a good width, but not height.Something of a poor statement, as there are games that do this very well on the PSP. Not usually remake or games transferred from the PS2, but most PSP-only titles do this wonderfully. So it's hard to keep a wide enough field of vision for the game, making it very easy to for enemies to sneak up on your, and slap you around while your secret-agent back is turned.Something about this just screams "Wrong!" to me. I'm not sure why, but it doesn't read correctly.
The other major flaw is every character that isn't Ratchet or Clank (The named partners in the series, name's on the door).I didn't explain this, but this is a reference to William Shatner's character "Denny Crane" on Boston Legal. Quark's character is right on par with the over-the-top screwiness of the series, and especially fitting for the character, but otherwise fairly clunky to control and taxing to play.Although I don't explain why. And I should. It's not bad, overall, but the entire fondness of the Ratchet and Clank sequences dissipates when you have to take over Quark or the Gadgebots. AndTo proceed with the story, you must do them, so the whole appeal gets thinned out to be a very bumpy ride from end to end.Which is also too brief to really explain how it goes. It's detail and adjective heavy, but fails to describe. I was writing filler...
Overall, the game is definitely well-done enough to pick up and play, especially if you're a fan of the Ratchet and Clank series, but expect the game to slow down once or twice between the nail-biting missions in favor of opera singing as Quark, or nibbling on opposing card-players' shins as the Gadgebots.Dear God, that was a single, triple-run-on sentence...
For all the nits I've picked, I actually like this game, and will continue to play it. It's a good game, with intermittent hiccups that detract, but by no means break, the best part of the game. If you're a fan, buy it. If you're not, buy it anyway.Noting here that while this is an alright summary, it's just as sparse as the rest of the review, and really doesn't answer enough questions about a game.
As well as all of the above, the entire review is image-heavy, content light, and otherwise really fails to accomplish the aim of the review. As well as that, nothing flowed well. I almost felt like I was just wasting space just to waste it.
On top of that, the content was word-rich in filler, but still unbearably short and far too content-light. There's a lot wrong with this review, and considering the length of the game, really should've been completed before writing a review. In retrospect, I could've done just about everything better on this review.
It's been a fun trip to go back and look at my old work, and see how I've changed as a writer between now and then. Although, I feel like I wasn't quite harsh enough, that I went a little too easy on me.
So, fair readers, do you have any other notes to add, or comments to make? I want this to sort of be a workshop for my reviews in general, considering I feel like I could never have enough critiquing. You're welcome to give any of my reviews the NewClassic treatment, or your own personal flavor of treatment, however you want. It can be any review of mine you want. Any at all. Or just comment on my critiques on Secret Agent Clank. It's up to you.
This is...interesting to say the least. Not often you get to see someone critique their own work, and it's even less often you see it done properly. In fact, I don't believe I've ever seen anyone actually critique their own work as if it was someone else's, but you've done it here.
That said, I don't think you were too soft on yourself. Takes a very objective person to analyze what's wrong with their own work.
Jobz: That said, I don't think you were too soft on yourself. Takes a very objective person to analyze what's wrong with their own work.
Props, Nuke.
Thanks much, but I do believe I wasn't harsh enough on myself. I know there are phantom quirks in there that honestly need to be hammered out, and I just don't see them from a personal stand-point.
galletea: Interesting, but I'd have preferred it if you did it in sections with footnotes, as the small type gets a bit confusing to read at times.
I would do footnotes if I wasn't such a ditz. I tried doing them once, but I had to re-read the review several times to remember what the hell the numbers corresponded to. I forget that kinda thing easy, which is weird.
No, I'm just being fair to all of the users I've given this kinda treatment to. I tend to dislike mocking people, unless they deserve to be mocked. Which you don't.
One of my rules of thumb to follow in lifeJust One of my rules of thumb should do is I'm not really allowednot to take myself too seriously. Doing so tends to make me think I'm all big and pompous, then I start gaming too competitively, and helps me avoidtaking yourself too seriously or not taking yourself too seriously helps you avoid, it's not really clear turning into "that guy" as Yahtzee to gracefullyso gracefully? puts it.Awkward sentence, I agree.
One of the benefits of not taking oneself terribly seriously is you're allowed to take a step away from seriousnessPerhaps vary your choice of words a bit?., and dwell in the land of silly. After about 2 - 3 hours into Secret Agent Clank, I was already graced with thea good level of humor, action, and general screwiness that High Impact Games doesdo so well.
The overall atmosphere of the game does a good job of immersion, granting you "Stealth Bonus" multipliers for when you successfully sneaking past a guard, or kung-fuing him in a stealthStop saying stealth. assassination. The missions do a good jobAgain variation of words of staying fairly taxing, without additions of gadgets not gettingbecoming too cumbersome, or without being too sparse.
The largest immediate flaw is one that's always been present in the PSP titles. Mostly the screen is large enough to be a good width, but not height. So it's hard to keep a wide enough field of vision for the game, making it very easy to for enemies to sneak up on your, and slap you around while your secret-agent back is turned on them.
The other major flaw is every character that isn'tbesides Ratchet and Clank (The named partners in the series, name's on the door).Quark's character is right on par with the over-the-top screwiness of the series, and especially fitting for the character, but otherwise fairly clunky to control and taxing to play.Explanation very much needed I agree It's not bad, overall, but the entire fondness of the Ratchet and Clank sequences dissipates when you have to take over Quark or the Gadgebots. AndTo proceed with the story, you must do them, so the whole appeal gets thinned out to be a very bumpy ride from end to end.
Overall, the game is definitely well-done enough to pick up and play, especially if you're a fan of the Ratchet and Clank series, but expect the game to slow down once or twice between the nail-biting missions in favor of opera singing as Quark, or nibbling on opposing card-players' shins as the Gadgebots.
For all the nits I've picked, I actually like this game, and will continue to play it. It's a good game, with intermittent hiccups that detract, but by no means break, the best part of the gameit's best part. If you're a fan, buy it. If you're not, buy it anyway.
Reviewing other websites reviews, reviewing old reviews, reviewing how to write reviews, reviewing sandwiches and staplers... There's a lot of odd subject matter being picked at right now.
I'd say "interesting without being overly necessary," but that describes a lot of the material posted in this particular forum. Could you post a link to the original thread?
Maet: Reviewing other websites reviews, reviewing old reviews, reviewing how to write reviews, reviewing sandwiches and staplers... There's a lot of odd subject matter being picked at right now.
I agree-- while some of these "reviews" are well written and humorous, it's really just a big "look at me!" contest with each writer attempting to one-up the last one with a review of something obscure/overly specific/just plain dumb. It's blatant attention-seeking.
That said, it is neat to see how NewClassic has improved as a writer. I wouldn't say that it's "difficult" to grade one's past writing-- grammar isn't exactly "objective". But "neat", nonetheless-- we often do not recognize just how much our writing matures over time.
galletea: Interesting, but I'd have preferred it if you did it in sections with footnotes, as the small type gets a bit confusing to read at times.
I would do footnotes if I wasn't such a ditz. I tried doing them once, but I had to re-read the review several times to remember what the hell the numbers corresponded to. I forget that kinda thing easy, which is weird.
I've given a couple of posts the Danny treatment. Apparently the mods don't like it when you chop up posts, so I alternate between bold, italics, and underlining phrases for analysis. Like so:
Red is green green is red blue is orange nothing rhymes with orange
No it isn't. Interesting analogy. This is becoming quite existential. Ok, now you're just being stupid.
Although, I'm not sure how well this would work implemented within a long review. Maybe try doing (Analysis:Ed) notes within the quoted text?
joethekoeller: I Give this 2000+ word review your treatment.
Wow. Uh, alright, I s'pose. Check your PMs.
Lvl 64 Klutz: Haha. NewClassic: Not as narcissistic as you might think.
Clever idea. Clever, indeed.
And it was something of a learning experience for me, which is always fun. I somewhat wish more people would tear into my reviews, though. I do have a lot of learn.
Maet: Reviewing other websites reviews, reviewing old reviews, reviewing how to write reviews, reviewing sandwiches and staplers... There's a lot of odd subject matter being picked at right now.
I'd say "interesting without being overly necessary," but that describes a lot of the material posted in this particular forum. Could you post a link to the original thread?
Not necessary, but I do need to learn too. And clicking on my name will re-direct to the original post, just like any quote will. Just click the blue name.
HSIAMetalKing: While some of these "reviews" are well written and humorous, it's really just a big "look at me!" contest with each writer attempting to one-up the last one with a review of something obscure/overly specific/just plain dumb. It's blatant attention-seeking.
That said, it is neat to see how NewClassic has improved as a writer. I wouldn't say that it's "difficult" to grade one's past writing-- grammar isn't exactly "objective". But "neat", nonetheless-- we often do not recognize just how much our writing matures over time.
And while I would likely be in-line to agree with you, and while I do enjoy a bit of "Hey look at me" that I freely admit to, I do want to get some learning from this "review" of sorts. I can learn a lot just by watching someone really tear into my writing, which is something I don't see very often. Instead of writing poorly just to see if people notice, I'd much rather ask that people really go into detail about what they read. So that's what this thread is for.
Danny Ocean: Maybe try doing (Analysis:Ed) notes within the quoted text?
Y'know, I did this before, and it worked well. Why don't I do it now? I honestly have no idea. Maybe I'll pick it up again.
P1. Writer talks about himself; this should contain your statement about the article. Give your readers the gist of what you are writing. From this paragraph, I feel like you are going to give us a history of your life as a gamer.
P2. Another half paragraph about yourself. We already know much more about you than the game. You use a vague metaphor to describe the emotions this game evokes. It is usually better to write your review with the intention of being as informative as possible; having never visited the land of silly, I do not know what that means to you. It would probably be better to cut the sentence altogether, and end it with "and take a step back." The term "graced with" can mislead the reader in crediting the author with those attributes, rather than the game. I changed it to 'inundated.' I like the word much more than graced 'with', however feel free to substitute whatever you like. That is one of those "no right answer" deals.
P3. Your last sentence leaves me puzzled; I have no idea what you are trying to say. Either way it requires a re-write to make it clearer. The word order in your second sentence was cumbersome. I suggested "You recieve stealth bonus multipliers when you successfully sneak past a guard, or silently assassinate him with your kung-fu."
P4.You need to expand on this first sentence. Perhaps you could give some other examples of games that suffer from the PSP's small screen. This is a big statement to not discuss in depth. To be honest with you, the rest of this section needs a lot more than an editor. It needs a complete rewrite. You did well by connecting the screen size and the next paragraph. However, the last few sentences are wholly unreadable and your bumpy ride metaphor is like being dragged behind your daddy's pick-up by your ankles after you fell off the flatbed. Also, change "do them" to something more specific. Seems a little suggestive to "do" Ratchet and Clank.
P5. Avoid using "overall" in the summary of your review. We know that the last paragraph is where you're going to let us know how all that information adds up. Announce it only when it isn't obvious. Game's aren't well-done, steaks are. Again, be more specific. Give a description of the care that has been taken in making this game. Saying it's "good" isn't a very convincing argument.
P6. Try to merge this with your summary. It's like you took an extra paragraph to to write a second summary. I don't see any reason why you can't connect the two paragraphs.
This is really fascinating. It's pretty rare to see someone criticize their own work, and even more so to do it fairly. But more than that, there are some really good pointers in here that are going to help me, and probably many other people write good... er?
So, phase two of this little social experiment, is to re-review Secret Agent Clank, and open that to the floor, to be done and re-done. So, as it should've been, NewClassic redoes SAC.
A NewClassic Re-Vamp: Secret Agent Clank
Secret Agent Clank is the kind of game that reminds a gamer just how wondrously silly a game can be, and still get the message across. Secret Agent Clank is a 3D platformer for the Sony PSP, and a quasi-spin off to the Ratchet & Clank series that debuted on the Playstation 2. Keeping within the theme and aesthetic as the rest of the series, Secret Agent Clank is a fun and easy to pick up platformer that makes good use of weapons, gadgets, and humor to drive a humorous story through the length of a fun game.
The story-line starts with Secret Agent Clank, a small robotic companion to Ratchet, preparing to infiltrate a museum. During this brief intro sequence, we're given a bare-bones explanation that Ratchet has been found guilty of theft and thrown into maximum security prison. The game then proceeds to satirize the "Secret Agent" tropes often found in cinema, from taking light-hearted pot shots at the James Bond and Mission Impossible films to creating absurd Get Smart-style gadgets and weapons. The plot then leads the player, and Clank, to discovering the secrets behind Ratchet's arrest.
Falcooooooon... CINDER BLOCK! Wait, what?
Gameplay-wise, the controls are familiar to anyone whose played the previous games, and simple to pick up for anyone who hasn't. Most of the movements feel natural, and the auto-targeting and default camera angles keep the game smooth-running, simple to play, and fun without any major frustrations from bad camera or complex controls. That's not to say the camera or platforming elements won't be occasionally unforgiving, but the majority of the game will progress without non-player-induced mishaps and shenanigans.
The mission-content, and "Stealth Multipliers" are a fun dynamic that really fit well into the otherwise run-and-gun action of the previous R&C titles, and manages to make the transition fairly seamlessly. Occasionally, because the system was not designed for that style of gameplay, spanners will be thrown in the works, especially where the camera is concerned. Though, the majority of the game works very well with the R&C style engine, but the MGS-style gameplay.
Much like the Clank-based missions, Ratchet's arena-style prison skirmishes are fun and creative, and provides interesting interludes to the secret agent levels. The humor here, much like the Clank missions, is also over-the-top and wacky, including being sent a cake in the shape of whatever gun Clank purchased from the Secret Agency Phone Booth Shop.
Hey guys, when do I get to be cool?
However, the game shines much less brilliantly during the Quark and Gadgebot missions found sprinkled between the Rachet & Clank missions. The reasoning for this is because they are not the usual platformer-style games, but rather a form of mini-game that's been "enriched" and added to the main plot. The problem with this, though, is that the entire process instead feels somewhat akin to busy-work, distracting the player from the main plot points by tacking on side content into the main story. Although most times this missions are brief, they provide a powerful immersion-smashing device that hurts the overall experience.
Graphically, the game is about what one should expect from a PSP title, and doesn't lag the system nor does it call for something the system is incapable of. The level-design and visual appearance of the entire story is consistent, as well as attractive and stylish. Very few complaints, although sometimes it seems like the game is just a little too-bright, and seems a little out of place, although is is so rare it's hardly worth bringing up. (And subject to disagreement, considering the games have always had a "cyber-world" undercurrent to them.)
Keeping with the atmosphere, though, is the music in the game. The soundtrack revolves around the "Secret Agent" theme, and fits in wonderfully for the game. The soundtrack, highly reminiscent of the aforementioned Bond movies, provides a very pleasant background pulse to the storyline, with voice acting and sound-effects joining in the effort. The end result is a very fine selection of tracks and voices, that add to the game in a simple and effective manner.
Would'ye believe a music mini-game and some lasers?
Verdict
Buy It. Despite the Quark/Gadgebot missions and the occasionally frustrating gameplay elements, Secret Agent Clank does a lot more right than wrong. Between the stylish gameplay, the occasionally silliness, and the included intermittent rhythm-based mini-games, Secret Agent Clank has a lot to offer fans of 3D platformers, regardless of history with the series.
Post-Script: Although, just a note, the game references a lot of past events and items, and should be noting the a familiarity with the series is highly encouraged. I'd suggest starting with the first game on the PS2, but the previous PSP title, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, is also a good place to start as well.
Secret Agent Clank is the kind of game that reminds a gameryou just how wondrously silly a game can be, and still get the message across. Secret Agent Clank is a 3D platformer for the Sony PSP, and a quasi-spin off to of the Ratchet & Clank series that debuted on the Playstation 2 (you might say in what year). Keeping within the theme and aesthetic (a little too general? Try describing the theme and aesthetic, not everyone interested will have played other games in the series.) as the rest of the series, Secret Agent Clank is an fun and (Fun isn't descriptive enough, could it be fun because it's easy to pick up?) easy to pick up platformer that makes good use of weapons, gadgets, and humor to drive a humorous (redundant) the story. through the length of a fun game.(Lose it or expand on it.)
The story-line starts with Secret Agent Clank, a (Does he have another robotic companion?) the small robotic companion to Ratchet, preparing to infiltrate a museum(Which museum? You could be specific here perhaps it will give the reader a feeling for the world.). During this a brief intro sequence cutscene, we're given a bare-bones brief explanation that Ratchet has been found guilty of theft and thrown into a maximum security prison. The game then proceeds to satirize the "Secret Agent" tropes often found in cinema, from taking light-hearted pot shots at the James Bond and Mission Impossible films to creating (Consider revising, the game doesn't actually create the weapons.)absurd Get Smart-style gadgets and weapons. The plot then leads the player, and Clank, to discovering the secrets behind Ratchet's arrest.
Gameplay-wise, the controls feel are familiar to anyone whosewho has played the previous games, and simpleeasy to pick up for anyone who hasn't. Most of the movements feel natural. andThe auto-targeting and default camera angles keep the game smooth-running, simple to play, and fun without any major frustrations from bad camera or complex controls.(Was a run-on sentence) That's not to say the camera or platforming elements won't be occasionally unforgiving. butThe majority of the game will progress without non-player-induced mishaps and shenanigans.(Clarify, this sentence is horrible.)
The mission-content, and "Stealth Multipliers" are a fun dynamic that really fit well into the otherwise run-and-gun action of the previous R&C titles, and manages to make the transition fairly seamlessly. Occasionally, because the system was not designed for that this style of gameplay, spanners will be thrown in the works, especially where the camera is concerned. Though,The majority of the game works very well with the R&C style engine, but the MGS-style gameplay. (Clairfy what MGS-style game play is, stealth right? Not everyone who will read your review should be required a dictionary of terms just to know what you're talking about.)
Much like the Clank-based missions, Ratchet's arena-style prison skirmishes are fun and creative, (what is fun about them, could it be that the creativity has somthing to do with it? 'Fun' isn't descriptive enough)and provides interesting interludes to the secret agent levels. The humor here, much like the Clank missions, is also over-the-top and wacky, including being sent a cake in the shape of whatever gun Clank purchased from the Secret Agency Phone Booth(use parenthesis, strike-through is for editing.) Shop.
However, The game shines much less brilliantly during the Quark and Gadgebot missions found sprinkled(sprinkles are on top of something, interlaced is between, feel free to use another word that means the same thing) interlaced between the Rachet & Clank missions. The reasoning for this is because they are not the usual platformer-style games, but rather a form of mini-game that's been "enriched" (Unclear, consider revising this statment.)and added to the main plot. The problem with this, though, is that the entire process instead feels somewhat a little like akin to busy-work, distracting the player from the main plot points by tacking on side content into the main story. Although most times this missions are brief, they provide a powerful immersion-smashing device (More description, what is this device? How does it smash the immersion, is it even possible to smash immersion? Perhaps use a better descriptive verb here or consider rewriting the entire sentence) that hurts the overall experience.
Graphically, the game is about what one should expect from a PSP title. and It doesn't lag the system nor does it call for something the system is incapable of (For example?). The level-design and visual appearance of the entire story is consistent, as well as attractive and stylish. Very few complaints, although sometimes it seems like the game is just a little too-bright, and seems a little out of place(Another example of a part of the game where you felt it was too bright would help with the description of the issue.), although is it is so rare it's hardly worth bringing up. (And subject to disagreement, considering the games have always had a "cyber-world" undercurrent to them.)
Keeping with the atmosphere, though, is the music in the game. The soundtrack revolves around the "Secret Agent" theme, and fits in wonderfully forwith the rest of the game. The soundtrack, highly reminiscent of the aforementioned Bond movies, provides a very pleasant background pulse to the storyline, with voice acting and sound-effects joining in the effort.(how do the join in? Poorly? We don't know, you didn't tell us) The end result is a very fine selection of tracks and voices, that add to the game in a simple and effective manner.
Verdict
Buy It. Despite the Quark/Gadgebot missions and the occasionally frustrating gameplay elements, Secret Agent Clank does a lot more right than wrong. Between the stylish gameplay, the occasionally silliness, and the included intermittent rhythm-based mini-games, Secret Agent Clank has a lot to offer fans of 3D platformers, regardless of history(Whose history?) with the series.(Run-on sentence.)
More to the point, he's a very good editor. If I can ever write anything without Wilson red-penning it, then I'll consider myself very much improved. Something I noticed is he's very no-nonsense, and cuts down a lot of the pointless language I throw around in reviews without realizing it.
Anyway, excellent work Wilson, and I appreciate the edits quite a bit. I'll have to clean up my writing quite a bit in the future.
To be honest, it was 3 in the morning when I posted that. I think what I was going for is the review of a review, which was subsequently reviewed. Thus the never ending cycle of NewClassic-ery.
NewClassic, you must stop! Stop before you complete the next in the step! I know where this is going, and it will kill millions! I've seen this before, on the third one there will be an infinitely repeating wall of corrections until the internet explodes killing everyone sitting in front of a computer! Don't do it! For the love of god!
Anyway, I'm quite enjoying this. It's rather perverse if you think about it.
If Wilson can point out so many corrections in the updated review, which I thought worked rather well, I'd be interested, if frightened out of my mind, to see what could be made of my own reviews.
Anyway, this is a very interesting approach - accepting the mistakes in your previous reviewing style is one thing, but sorting them out is another matter entirely, and not something that many people can do. Well done on a notable improvement since your first review - I look forward to all of your reviews these days.
Just about anyone who surfs the User Reviews has seen the NewClassic treatment. So, in complete fairness to all of the first-time posters I've given the NewClassic treatment, I'm going to give it to myself. My first review, to be exact. So, here we go, NewClassic does the treatment to a more jovial, younger NewClassic.
As well as all of the above, the entire review is image-heavy, content light, and otherwise really fails to accomplish the aim of the review. As well as that, nothing flowed well. I almost felt like I was just wasting space just to waste it.
On top of that, the content was word-rich in filler, but still unbearably short and far too content-light. There's a lot wrong with this review, and considering the length of the game, really should've been completed before writing a review. In retrospect, I could've done just about everything better on this review.
It's been a fun trip to go back and look at my old work, and see how I've changed as a writer between now and then. Although, I feel like I wasn't quite harsh enough, that I went a little too easy on me.
So, fair readers, do you have any other notes to add, or comments to make? I want this to sort of be a workshop for my reviews in general, considering I feel like I could never have enough critiquing. You're welcome to give any of my reviews the NewClassic treatment, or your own personal flavor of treatment, however you want. It can be any review of mine you want. Any at all. Or just comment on my critiques on Secret Agent Clank. It's up to you.