Hmm... what was the monster? It's possible he did this damage, considering all of the variables involved. Basically, he rolled a really good strike (+crit?), and your dude didn't dodge it at all (there can be partial dodges etc.) Thanks. Well, there are certainly some bugs that needed fixing, like the incorrect count when using lockpicks etc., some balance issues, and other things that just had to be addressed. Beyond that, well new stuff is always good to make the game play more varied. I can only hope it'll be approved by Xmas... no idea how long it will take once it's submitted. But if it's not, then should be approved shortly afterward.
Slide To Play review is out - rating 2/4. Sounds a bit strange as I'd give it a 4/4 (or better a 5/5, as I hate their rating system).
Wow the reviewer obviously hates roguelikes if he gives this game that rating. Hell, even someone that hates roguelikes should give it at least 3/4 if not only for the obvious polish, style and fluid gameplay. The reviewer is Jordan Minor - anyone familiar with his other reviews? I'll quote one of his lines, "That’s where the fun comes from, since there’s not much interaction beyond moving around the dungeon and initiating battles. But because you end up seeing the early areas so often, progress seems incredibly slow if not non-existent." What about managing items, scrolls and playing smart? There's tons of depth in this game but you have to open your eyes and play it for a few hours to see it. Sounds like this guy was rushing every level and dying often. I've died 3 times since I started playing and I learned fast enough what NOT to do, I'm already almost at floor 20. 2/4 for this game is brutal, but that's the problem with reviews, they're subjective and opinionated, and some reviewers spent way too little time understanding an app before rating it... And that's my opinion of his opinion - Jorlen
Yeah, this type of game isn't for everyone I guess... but those people are obviously brain-damaged. Seriously though, this is a good review because it gives the viewpoint from those who are not into this sort of game, and this exposes the perceived "flaws" that we need to consider in order to make it fun for them too. So aside from the initial sinking feeling I had when I saw "2/4" I can appreciate what is being said in this review, heh. So thanks STP for reviewing Sword of Fargoal... now when are you going to review Saucelifter, dammit!?
This was the same kind of crap Rogue Touch and even Shiren (on the DS) had to deal with. While clearly not everyone's cup of tea, there is nothing more annoying than somebody who doesn't get the intent of a Roguelike game and just checks off intended aspects as a shortcomings: 1) Random dungeon levels: Clearly a lazy developer who couldn't take the time to craft a clever one. 2) Lack of in-game cutscenes/storyline: Again, the lazy developers just skipped on this crucial aspect or simply have no clue how to write a story. 3) No in-depth character development: Evidently this developer needs to step up to the modern era of RPGs You get the picture.
As a supporter of this game, I registered an account on STP in order to comment on this review and disagree. Perhaps if.. more of us did the same... hint hint
Man you can say that again. I felt so bad for CommanderData releasing such a phenomenal game only to have it trashed by people who don't know what a roguelike is. Seems that Sword of Fargoal shares the same problem.
Wow. Jordan is an idiot. Who gave him contributor access? Someone at STP must have been bogarting the blunt that day. However he managed to fool someone into thinking he's a reviewer, he clearly doesn't get it. Perhaps he should put the iPhone down and review something more his speed ... like ... accounting programs or something. I bet he could write up a storm about Peachtree.
I don't know if he's an idiot - but from his overly negative review of Roguelikes, I'm guessing he had a negative impression of the game even before it was assigned to him to read. I've had nothing but fun with this game, though I'm heavily biased in the opposite direction, I love Roguelikes and have spent years playing games like the original (which is somewhere in the garage with my C64) and similar games like the Temple of Apshai games (tapes!?!) all the way through Gateway to Apshai (cartridge, much faster loading! ) And to truly date myself: the first Roguelike I played was D&D on a Commodore PET, in 1979...
Yes i agree. This was a biased review. It's obvious from his comments that he doesnt like roguelike or if he ever did, he doesnt anymore. Oh well, we all know what great game this is even for non-Roguelike fans like myself. I'm having a blast.
1. A reviewer should be able to distance himself from his personal preferences and be able to review something objectively. 2. Ignoring the fact that a reviewer who cannot do that has zero credibility, one who cannot do this should not pick a game he doesn't like or want to review. 3. A reviewer who voluntarily does neither of these things is an idiot. Q.E.D. Speaking as an erstwhile reviewer myself, so call it a pet peeve.
So is it time for me to review one of the iPhone's many "Racing Games" (a genre I have less than no interest in)? Real Racing: Slick graphics but very repetitive racing around a track multiple times at high speed. The player at no point is really given a good reason as to WHY they are racing (where is the player's motivation?). Graphics alone don't make for a good game 2/4 stars! Can I be a real gaming journalist now?
Lulz!!! Anyone who has played this game with even of the slightest liking of games of this genre has loved it if you look back on this thread. I love it and it's my first rogue like adventure. I think more people who post their love here should be writing reviews on itunes too! last time I looked there was only 7 reviews on there. PS: Got out with the sword!!!! I was going to try and hold out for the updates before playing again, but I don't think I can!
I think my favorite abused review term is "repetitive". Repetitive= Doing something in a game repeatedly that bores the crap out of you. What game out there isn't "repetitive" in some manner (like in Bejeweled all you do is make lines of 3+ of the same pieces again and again)?
It's possible to give a fair review to something you have no personal interest in without denigrating it or giving it low marks because it wasn't your cuppa tea. I've reviewed metric pantloads of stuff I didn't care for on a personal level but was still able to review them on their merits and give them the marks I felt they deserved. Review it based on its graphics, presentation, feature set, ease of play, level design (where applicable), potential for replayability, sound, music, controls, load times, degree of polish -- any of a dozen or more talking points that help build a complete picture of the app for the reader. Whether or not you personally enjoyed it is relevant but unnecessary as "fun" is relative. Offering your opinion on its entertainment value is fine, but if you didn't like it just because you don't like that genre, letting it colour your valuation of the game is irresponsible when you're in a position to influence people's buying habits, and thus the developer's success on the App Store -- not to mention that it damages your credibility. Bias does not become a reviewer -- although if you offer full disclosure that you're biased for/against a particular type of game then at least you're letting the reader know that opinions of praise/damnation should be taken with a grain of salt. Jordan's STP review is biased -- but more than that, it's ignorant. Like an art pundit who doesn't know much about art, Jordan's complaints and comments about what's wrong with the game are part of the point of the game's deliberate design. The things he dislikes are things that were designed that way on purpose, and they add to the game's neo-retro charm by maintaining clear roots to its 80s original while updating the game with modern notions where it makes the most difference. That shows that Jordan doesn't "get" it, which tells me he's either too young or not enough of a gamer to hold the position that he does. He lets his bias colour his valuation, and his ignorance of the more esoteric aspects of game design is, quite frankly, a bit of an embarrassment. Maybe I take it a little too much to heart because I've been both a reviewer and a game designer, so I tend to look at things from a much more objective and somewhat more technical standpoint. But I think anyone who writes reviews should at the very least assert a certain self-imposed degree of standards to which they hold fast, and failure to do so says some rather unpleasant things about your integrity as a reviewer. And possibly yo mama. Math and I, we had a falling out somewhere around high school and have had a rather chilly relationship ever since. So much so in fact that I didn't know Q.E.D. was a term used in math. It just means quot erat demonstrandum -- "which was to be demonstrated" -- or more urbanely, "Like I said, yo."
RossC, congrats! It's OK if you start again... when the update happens, you'll see some of the new stuff in your 1.0 game, just not all of it. But seriously... the current strategies for rescuing the sword ain't gonna work in the update. You'll have to be wily... The game is certainly repetetive by nature, but some people are more OCD than others. I keep saying it, but I'll say again... variety! Most updates will be focused on this concept, while keeping the simple play interface.
I've never come out in a post and criticized a STP review before, but I must say it seems like the reviewer didn't know what a roguelike is. This line in particular got me: "This remake reveals several flaws of its predecessor as well as the entire genre of randomly generated dungeon crawlers." I'm the one who reviewed the game here at TouchArcade and have quite enjoyed the title as well as the pre-release versions I'd been playing with. The original was a very highly rated game and the iPhone version is full of polish that takes the roguelike formula and packages it in an easy-access format for those who are not already fans of the genre. I was quite surprised by the review. blakespot
