Teph

@Lucky48

Yeah, I posted it here too in case it got lost in sea of replies on the other article. It's not to prove a point nearly as much as to 'spread the word'. Whether you agree with it or not, it is the they do their list and I mostly wanted to make sure people understood it, factually.

After you understand how it works, feel free to still disagree with the list or how it's done. I'm not really trying to sway opinions.

As I stated later on the other article, I think it should be presented more clearly, or done more traditionally. Leaving everyone in the dark clearly seems to lead to animosity and possibly lost readers.

@Lucky48

Thanks.
I actually agree with you, at least in a way. I'm perfectly fine accepting that this is the way they do their top 10, and I actually think it's fun and different.

However...

I think if they choose to do their list this way they should make a bigger effort to make the community understand it. It's well and good that I listen to the podcasts and whatnot, but I don't think one should HAVE to do so just to understand this crazy process they have in place.

I'm happy they have the balls to do their own thing, but it almost seems like they don't have the balls to call enough attention to the fact that it's different. Maybe they're afraid that admitting their list isn't carefully discussed, honed, and polished as a group effort will create an impression that they aren't serious journalists or something? I dunno.

While I absolutely love the guys (and gal) who work (or worked) for the 'stiq, and I love this crazy list they do every year, I can certainly agree that the community deserves a bit more from them.
Either fully explain the process and make sure it's known and understood, or standardize it to be more like what the average reader expects it would be.

Personally I'm fine either way.
Again, I think it's unique and worth while. It just needs to be better advertised.

Everyone needs to understand some things-

1. This is not a list that is batted about amongst all the editors to ensure that everyone agrees on the selections. Every editor submits their top 10 (privately), and Luddy throws all of them through a crazy formula that weighs all entries and spits out a top 10. That's the final list, end of story.

2. The editors understand that the higher they place a game on their list, the more weight it will have and better chance for it to make final list AT ALL. So the editors stack their list to help give 'their personal favorites' more weight.

3. If two (or more) people stick a game they don't think will get any recognition up unto a really high spot (like say, Bastion, for instance), it ends up with 'more weight' than they were expecting and a game they hoped would make 8 or 9 or 10 lands at 5. In that same vein, if an editor assumes SOMEONE will place a game high up on their (say, Uncharted 3), they feel free to use their slot on something else ("Surely Uncharted will make it!", they say). It's very possible this is nothing more than a case of everyone expecting someone else to put it on their list, only to later find no one did.

Joystiq's list is almost like a crazy white elephant gift game for the folks at joystiq. There's strategy and bargaining and guessing and bluffing and fake outs. While you might find it to be an injustice to your favorite game, it's pretty fun for the joystiq staff and anyone in the community close enough to understand the process and appreciate the unique personalities found in this great group of reviewers (following their podcasts makes this pretty easy).

Game critique, like every other form of criticism, is about learning the personal preferences and tastes of the critic (reviewer) and weighing their opinion against those of others. This list isn't meant to hurt you personally.
Joystiq is also not some soulless machine with an overarching agenda. It's comprised of individual people, and in a way, the site is a tool to push their own personal opinions around for others to enjoy and consider. If you don't like the results of these peoples opinions, you have plenty of other sites to choose from.

TL:DR Joystiq isn't the only site out there with a top 10 list

@8bitartist

Everyone needs to understand some things-

1. This is not a list that is batted about amongst all the editors to ensure that everyone agrees on the selections. Every editor submits their top 10 (privately), and Luddy throws all of them through a crazy formula that weighs all entries and spits out a top 10. That's the final list, end of story.

2. The editors understand that the higher they place a game on their list, the more weight it will have and better chance for it to make final list AT ALL. So the editors stack their list to help give 'their personal favorites' more weight.

3. If two (or more) people stick a game they don't think will get any recognition up unto a really high spot (like say, Bastion, for instance), it ends up with 'more weight' than they were expecting and a game they hoped would make 8 or 9 or 10 lands at 5. In that same vein, if an editor assumes SOMEONE will place a game high up on their (say, Uncharted 3), they feel free to use their slot on something else ("Surely Uncharted will make it!", they say). It's very possible this is nothing more than a case of everyone expecting someone else to put it on their list, only to later find no one did.

Joystiq's list is almost like a crazy white elephant gift game for the folks at joystiq. There's strategy and bargaining and guessing and bluffing and fake outs. While you might find it to be an injustice to your favorite game, it's pretty fun for the joystiq staff and anyone in the community close enough to understand the process and appreciate the unique personalities found in this great group of reviewers (following their podcasts makes this pretty easy).

Game critique, like every other form of criticism, is about learning the personal preferences and tastes of the critic (reviewer) and weighing their opinion against those of others. This list isn't meant to hurt you personally.
Joystiq is also not some soulless machine with an overarching agenda. It's comprised of individual people, and in a way, the site is a tool to push their own personal opinions around for others to enjoy and consider. If you don't like the results of these peoples opinions, you have plenty of other sites to choose from.

TL:DR Joystiq isn't the only site out there with a top 10 list

@maveric101

The security guard that was trampled to death a few years ago at a Walmart would beg to differ.

@jasoncourt

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who couldn't enjoy this game.
For me it was more than the visuals though. I thought the UI was a mess, and the gameplay was bland and the controls dissatisfying.

Maybe I have an unfair bias, as I've been playing Orcs Must Die, but I prefer it far and above DD.

I would say it's a real shame that OMD doesn't have Co-Op, as I'm a sucker for it, but I'd rather play OMD by myself than subject my family and friends to DD. I just couldn't like any part of it.

@Metalfacedoom

I was thinking the same thing

@(Unverified)

If you learned to read, you'd see that he was banned for saying "COD dies out after about 3 months"

Then Chris proved how wrong his statement was.

It wasn't his opinion that got him banned- it was his false facts spouting that did.

@Vidikron

I agree. He definitely meant it as a joke.

I guess I'm the only one who thought it was hilarious.

2player isn't doing the Penny Arcade stuff anymore.

It's Vantage Point now.