Seriously, what are you going on about? ME is a game with dozens upon dozens of hours of gameplay. How could you possibly expect that there would be a review within 1 day of its release? I have the game and I think it's pretty cool, but whether or not it gets reviewed pretty much boils down to if any of us have the time to do so. We are only a staff of a few people, so it's not always that easy to do full blown reviews of games like this. The post from today is letting everybody know that it's out and that Necromancer was free, just to make sure and get the game some exposure. I'm really impressed with the enthusiasm for ME in the forums, I really am But we are only human and can only do what we can within our means. As for Aralon, we had a copy of that game well in advance so we were able to have a review pop out right when the game went live. Not so with ME, although we did ask. Also, both Crescent Moon and Galoobeth Games that are responsible for Aralon are both independent developers, so your example isn't very good I think in the grand scheme of things TouchArcade has covered more independent developers than any other website out there.
I think the front page mention was pretty good. It linked to the forum thread and if you ask me you can get a lot more info about a game from a forum full of customers than you can from one person's review. People seem to care a lot about the TA reviews but in the end it's just one opinion of many, head into the game thread and you can find dozens. Just because they're not all staff members doesn't mean they're any less knowledgeable or informative.
Really?! I get a completly different story from Ryan, he tells me he was ignored and did not get a response, it looks to me like a communication problem or something else. I do not question the veracity of your post, I'm just surprised considering that I am aware that Ryan did try to send you guys a preview built, the message must have not gotten to the right person.
We asked for a preview build on 2/21. No response. That being said, I'm not crazy about the game now that I've played it upon release.
Fair enough, thanks for response editors! Touch Arcade does seem to review a lot of indie games. I know Mission Europa is lengthy but maybe at least an feature editorial would be interesting (even if it ends up negatively towards the game so be it). Personally I think Mission Europa could be a contender for game of the year and if nothing else it's a step away from javascript/flash ports or shovelware for that plague the format.
Sort of off topic, and may not apply to this situation, but may i also gently remind people to send any review requests to [email protected]. On the other hand, posting in the middle of a 30 page thread "why hasn't toucharcade reviewed this" is about as effective as yelling it out of your window. arn
The fact that you are even talking about it is review enough....your forums have had big views, members are creating threads everywhere from help, FAQ, item trading....even if you don't care for the game you can't ignore the fact that there must be something to it..Thanks for being the launching pad that has given the game the opportunity to be noticed.
I am also running through the game now, seeing what it's all about, FYI. I did request a beta / ad hoc a month ago and didn't hear back -- so it's not as if it hasn't been on my / our radar. blakespot
Why do you care if it's not reviewed? Are you the developer's PR person or something? Play the game if you like it. Personally I don't really care about this game. Interface and graphics are absolutely terrible.
Then go away! You're missing out with shallow views like that. We've been mocking your kind in the thread!
No, I'm just surprised that what was posted on his blog is different than what I'm hearing here, that's all. It's not like I know all the facts, I just read what's posted like everybody else.
I think there's some kind of communication problem going on. I've also sent him an email and a couple of PMs with no reply. I'm sure he's not just ignoring everyone given how hard he's working at promoting his game around here.
At this point it's up to administrators if they want to review or post official impressions (and I'm sure an official decision has already been made). It seems to me that if there's a promising game it should get mention on sites dedicated to the iOS format in the interest of promoting continued quality releases. Regardless of your opinion regarding Mission Europa's game mechanics I'm sure we'd all agree that a lot of work went into making this a more serious game, which I think is a step in the right direction for iOS games at large. If this thread has descended into a whine-fest then feel free to close, I originally posted it in the spirit of promoting quality gaming apps for iOS. Sometimes I feel like I've living in a shovelware landfill and at other times I'm curious about behind-the-scenese decisions on which games to attend too. I'm very grateful to hear the discussion from administrators and editors who seem more approachable than I thought. Hopefully we all will continue to see more involved games for iOS regadless of whether or not Mission Europa gets the attention I think is deserves. See... it's getting some administrative play-time. TOFTT Blakespot [but trust me, it's good]!