Updated Review Policy and a Return to Form
So, I know I've said this before, but I will be back to normal posting soon. I got taken out by a mix of overworking myself and getting sick in the middle of doing that, all without giving myself time to recover. That being said, at the start of June me and my day job have worked it out, and they know I won't be putting in the extra hours to constantly cover for everyone as I have been doing. That said, I think it's time to update my review policy, as well as detail other things I'll be working on.
Gaming Reviews -
I will be completing most games I review here. If ever I play a game and review it without completing it, I will specify why. Most of the time this will be because there are some mechanical issues with the game, bugs for example, that make it extremely difficult if not impossible to complete. If a bug causes me to lose, say, several hours of progress I may also throw my hands up and call it there.
There is also the case of games that can take 30+ hours to complete. If, after twenty hours I still hate the game and can't find a good reason to continue, that may also be where I stop and do my review. I figure there is a certain point where if the problems after that long keep me from enjoying it, nothing will change my opinion.
All that said, I will do what I can to point out the things I like even in games I hate, and things I hate even in games I like. I understand some things will bother me more than other people, and vice versa.
There may also be cases like in Doom Eternal where I liked it, but I suck far more than is reasonable. I stopped playing that game and moved on to the review just so I could get a chance to play something else before finally getting good enough at that game to beat it. Again, if something like this occurs, I will be entirely forthcoming with the reasons the game was reviewed without beating it.
Anime Reviews -
I have a six-episode minimum for any review I do. This does not mean I will stop watching just because I don't like it, I will stop watching when the show gives me no reason to keep watching past that point. While the average rule of thumb is three episodes for most people, I figure since I am at least somewhat a professional I should have a bit of a higher standard. That said I do have a day job, so I do give myself some slack.
There will also be no reviews of the third season and beyond, at least until the show is complete. Those reviews just feel largely pointless. You don't need a review to tell you to keep watching if you are already hooked on seasons one and two. That said, an overall review of the show upon completion could still be handy to those waiting for the entire thing to end.
Aspect Analysis -
This is where I dive into a single aspect of a show or game, one that would generally be too in-depth for an overall review. A while back, for example, I looked at Final Fantasy VIII's junction system, and went into how everything interacted with it and why I feel the system was a bit of a flop. Looking at that from every angle like I did there could borderline fill an entire review on it's own. I'll also do story beats that could result in spoilers, though I will give for-warnings anytime I will be delving into those.
Old Man Yells at Clouds -
Similar to aspect analysis, except it's usually about stupid things no one really cares about. This can be anywhere from ranting about the pointless nature of strategy guides to people using the term 'Western Anime' as if that means something. They are a ton of fun to write, but really shouldn't be taken too seriously.
The Adventures of The Monk and The Monarch -
This is the monthly podcast hosted by Mildra the Monk and myself. Each episode has a different topic we focus on. Somethings things regarding the greater anime community (For lack of a better term, neither Mildra nor I are too fond of it), to diving into a specific director and their works, Satoshi Kon being an example of one we have done.
These will first be livestreamed on Kick the last Saturday of each month, and then uploaded to Youtube and Rumble with some minor editing.
The Monarchs Tribunal -
This is the renewal and rebranding of an old show I use to do. Inspired by Judgment Day, the best show that use to air on G4, I bring on a second guest with a different opinion than mine on any game or anime, possibly a more general topic, and we have a fun back and forth on it. There may be times I play a bit of devil's advocate if I can't find someone who disagrees much at all with my opinion, but it's a good way to get multiple viewpoints on something.
As it will only air when I have guests, this won't have a set schedule. However, like Adventures, it will be streamed on Kick and later uploaded to youtube.
Adventures and Tribunal can both be found on Kick for Livestreams: https://kick.com/the-mad-monarch-di
Youtube for the cut-down versions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDta30eRy9MbHD2kVqps-Gg
Rumble for the Cut-Down Versions:
Geek Watch -
Every Sunday, Mildra hosts a topic with a panel of guests. I will be doing this rather regularly starting in June, at least whenever there is a topic I have anything to add. This really is a variety of topics, so I can't really narrow it down here, but it's worth checking out.
The Valley of the Judged -
Another one of Mildra's projects, every Thursday we will be taking looks at various Tabletop RPGs. We break down RPGs over a month, each day covering a different part of the RPG. The last day involves doing a One Shot of the game. The idea is to provide more options to people who are looking for a different kind of TTRPG that isn't going to be any of the major ones.
Both Geek Watch and Valley can be found on Mildra's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/akhitek/videos
Building a Pathfinder 1E Campaign Setting -
I was originally planning to Livestream this as well, but I don't really like following a chat while I'm actively working on something, so what I'll be doing instead is updating with posts whenever I make significant progress. The premise of the campaign setting is to tweak the skill system to have a greater focus on survival, tweak the magic classes to slightly lower their power ceiling, and tweak weaker classes like Ranger to give them a bit more oomph and variety.
A class like Fighter will get a complete rebuild, though we'll get to the exact details as the posts come.