Wait, they still do that? Loved reading those as a kid.
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Tom Chick's (Quarter to Three) Top 10 Lists for 2016
- Thread starter sonicmj1
- Start date
People say this every year because they dont like that Tom doesnt follow consensus. Also they like to argue with his snarky blurbs rather than his reviews. I dont even like his tastes but its annoying to see people make up bullshit so they can comfortably dismiss him.
TissueBox
Member
Tom Chick is a critic whose critiques I find a bit of a treasure (I know, how contrarian) even in disagreement, but still, NMS as overrated is kind of funny to put in the same sentence for me. That's coming from GAF, however, so it makes sense. In other circles, it may be more lauded than trashed on, and vice versa. It still got a decent aggregate either way.
Guess you don't follow Tom Chick then.
Interesting list overall. He sure does slaughter some golden calfs in that piece.
JustSomeone
Member
If Civ 6 and stellaris are "casual", then what games aren't?
I love Tom's list. I really always mean to check out his site throughout the year but only ever dig it up when I want his opinion on a strategy game. I think he's wrong about a lot of stuff, but most of the time he does an excellent job explaining why he thinks such a way and that's great. Then sometimes he's kind of lazy and just settles for a one liner.
Yikes, he's one of the oldest strategy game critics around. He literally wrote the manual for galciv2.
Yikes, he's one of the oldest strategy game critics around. He literally wrote the manual for galciv2.
Hearts of Irons and Europa Universalis?
I agree with him on Stellaris. I've only played like 30 hours because the game feels lifeless...
EDIT:
EDIT:
It's hard to think of strategy games less casual than civilization.
Is this your first Tom Chick thread?
His pretty straightforward and is less dazzled by the marketing hype of the big games.
Sorcerer Supreme
Member
i never thought he'd be into it
Love the Tom Chick style. Nothing about Tokyo Mirage Sessions though 
? I would have even been satisfied with a complete bashing too if it came to that .
More importantly he's a great source for giving games the spotlight that have slipped through my cracks (or were generally ignored on here). Like how did I not know about Quadrilateral Cowboy? I'm a fan of Gravity Bone and QC is something I would have wanted to hear more about.
? I would have even been satisfied with a complete bashing too if it came to that .More importantly he's a great source for giving games the spotlight that have slipped through my cracks (or were generally ignored on here). Like how did I not know about Quadrilateral Cowboy? I'm a fan of Gravity Bone and QC is something I would have wanted to hear more about.
He gushed about it on his podcast. Especially the food lol.
Basileus777
Member
He's right about Stellaris. The game was Paradox's failed attempt to blend 4X and grand strategy and the result was just a bland and lifeless game that's not very good as a 4x or a grand strategy game.
Uh Civ has always had a pretty broad audience that goes beyond traditional hardcore gamers. Trying to depict it as the antithesis of casual is way off.
Or, you know, liked NMS better than them. The horror, I know.
Agreed. I come for the snark, and stay for the opinions.
Lionel Richie
Member
Seriously, fuck this logic. One could argue that DOOM turned out to be better than expected, but id Software never released a terrible game.
He didn't care for Rage. That's probably why.
My thing with Tom Chick is that (to be frank) he has a huge conflict of interest which makes a lot of his commentary suspicious at best for strategy games, He is employed by Stardock, was credited in the GalCiv 2 manual and involved in Galciv3's development. He has a huge tendency (as you can see by these lists) to heavily, heavily criticise strategy games that compete with Stardock titles, whilst at the same time hugely underplaying the unmitigated piles of *crap* that Stardock has released over the last few years.
I mean, I fully get the criticism of Stellaris - look at the thread, you can see my own complaints there. But Galciv 3 was equally broken on release, with several non-working systems and an AI my cat could beat - and yet no mention in 2015. Equally, in 2015 he lists a bunch of "middling" minor RTS games in his "most disappointing games " list of the year, yet in 2016 the outright embarrassment that is Ashes of the Singularity doesn't get a mention.
When it comes to Stardock games, or games in competition with Stardock games, he seems to have a different set of standards.
I mean, I fully get the criticism of Stellaris - look at the thread, you can see my own complaints there. But Galciv 3 was equally broken on release, with several non-working systems and an AI my cat could beat - and yet no mention in 2015. Equally, in 2015 he lists a bunch of "middling" minor RTS games in his "most disappointing games " list of the year, yet in 2016 the outright embarrassment that is Ashes of the Singularity doesn't get a mention.
When it comes to Stardock games, or games in competition with Stardock games, he seems to have a different set of standards.
Chubzdoomer
Banned
Which game was he alluding to by saying that Civ VI was 1UPd?
Captured my 30 hours with FFXV perfectly in a tiny blurb in the overrated list.
Also OP should either link the whole blurb or none of it with the lists. So much debating will occur from people not seeing his whole argument by clicking the links.
Also OP should either link the whole blurb or none of it with the lists. So much debating will occur from people not seeing his whole argument by clicking the links.
Civ 5. He went on and on about it.
TemplaerDude
Member
Ehhhh it's not your usual kind of RTS, I can easily see the controls translating well to controller.
cleveridea
Member
Entered thread for the outrage but some great picks on the top 10 list
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
Love it! Even if I don't agree I love that he doesn't fall in line with the majority. Plus he backs his shit up.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
Naw, Tom is actually coming up with great arguments for all of his opinions. We need many more writers like him in these parts, but unfortunately there's a weird pressure from the gaming community for critique to merely confirm its own beliefs, rather than to hear a unique voice.
I'll have to read his review of the Witness but I'm not quite getting his complaint about it.
Glass Shark
Banned
Overwatch on most overrated, and calling it Team Fortress 3? Nah, son.
TF2 made me think I hated class-based objective shooters. Overwatch made me realize that I just hated TF2. I don't think I can relate to anyone who sees Overwatch as just a clone.
I can get on board with everything about his lists otherwise. Definitely gave me a few games to check out.
TF2 made me think I hated class-based objective shooters. Overwatch made me realize that I just hated TF2. I don't think I can relate to anyone who sees Overwatch as just a clone.
I can get on board with everything about his lists otherwise. Definitely gave me a few games to check out.
Patrick S.
Banned
Tom Chick is the best writer writing about video games today.
I respect him for his choice of going independent with his site, and feel saddened that nowadays he often seems to be a bit desperate for income. Tom deserves better. It saddens me to see that most of the articles on his front page generate a dozen comments at the most, when there is a number of YouTubers who's only talent is playing GTA Online or talking about cars, and have millions of followers and film themselves buying Lamborghinis at the age of sixteen.
I respect him for his choice of going independent with his site, and feel saddened that nowadays he often seems to be a bit desperate for income. Tom deserves better. It saddens me to see that most of the articles on his front page generate a dozen comments at the most, when there is a number of YouTubers who's only talent is playing GTA Online or talking about cars, and have millions of followers and film themselves buying Lamborghinis at the age of sixteen.
Mr_Appleby
Member
Oh. I read the title as Top 10 Lists. Kinda disappointed to see none of the listed lists listed any lists.
decoyplatypus
Member
Well, he's not very well going to use his site to savage his employer's product. Disclosing his relationship to Stardock* and then not reviewing or rating the games on his year-end lists seems like a reasonable way to handle the situation.
*I'm not certain what the relationship is or whether/where/how he disclosed it on the site, so maybe there is some work to be done there.
"1UP't" = one-unit-per tiled. He, like many other players, was not happy with how the change to 1UPT affected Civ 5, and his broad complaint about Civ 6 is that it is built on 5's compromised foundations.
Frameworker
Neo Member
The Last Guardian
Patrick S.
Banned
Brad Wardell posts/used to post on QT3 and got a lot of shit there for being kind of a huge ass. But maybe Tom just treats him with some respect because BW is/was a member of his community.
darth_infamous
Member
His quote about Overwatch hurts but it's absolutely true.
Man, Quadrilateral Cowboy. That one would be on my personal most disappointing list from a developer I usually enjoy. Charming but a cumbersome chore to actually play, the kind of game that sounded way better in my head than in practice the more time I spent with it.
On the flip side I could see his Stellaris pick for most disappointing coming a mile away after his initial sourpuss review. I get the let down if you're a Paradox fan with great expectations but the game is far from the dreadful Sci-Fi he colorfully describes it as and has been steadily improving since launch, like all other Paradox games. Civ VI I'm with him on for the most part, it has issues, though again dude leans into the viciously negative and I kind of glaze over what's otherwise a pretty solid critical take.
Finding 20 games to put down every year for your annual year end roundup is just not an approach I'm all that interested in, especially when I can't really line up tastes to determine if Tom's recommendations and criticisms even mean anything to me.
On the flip side I could see his Stellaris pick for most disappointing coming a mile away after his initial sourpuss review. I get the let down if you're a Paradox fan with great expectations but the game is far from the dreadful Sci-Fi he colorfully describes it as and has been steadily improving since launch, like all other Paradox games. Civ VI I'm with him on for the most part, it has issues, though again dude leans into the viciously negative and I kind of glaze over what's otherwise a pretty solid critical take.
Finding 20 games to put down every year for your annual year end roundup is just not an approach I'm all that interested in, especially when I can't really line up tastes to determine if Tom's recommendations and criticisms even mean anything to me.
The only game that seems to be causing an issue there is The Witness, so I might grab a bigger excerpt for it.
Sorry to let you down. I couldn't think of a cleaner way to phrase it.
Now you've got me thinking about my Top 10 Top 10 Lists.
Maybe it only extends to games they developed, since Offworld Trading Company was published by Stardock.
AHA-Lambda
Member
fargofallout
Member
I liked Quadrilateral Cowboy quite a bit, but I encountered too many bugs. I don't know if I can even justify putting it on my top ten.
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