Thanks for your responses, Young. A couple of the artists from last season responded to the discussions here, too (although not on these boards). So no apologies necessary; we're happy to have you.

You make a lot of good points, most of which I agree with. I'm going to push back a little on "game reviewers are enthusiasts and fans first." I think this is true of too many game critics but not true of all, far from it.

Seconded. The obsession with game-review scores is over the top and is unbelievably corrosive to the discourse. I wish I never had to give out a score again. I hate putting grades/scores/whatever at the end of my reviews.

I've haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but now I'll make an extra effort to do so. Thanks for the heads-up!

Credit where credit's due: Most of the time, Todd is the one who writes the secret caption on the photo. (That applies to my reviews and others.) I agree they are a little extra treat.

I like the person-by-person shortlist idea. We'll do something like that this year. In my ideal world, the year-end pieces would just be "stuff we liked," but I recognize that lists are fun, and everyone has a good time debating them, writers and readers both.

Your observation about the top-10 lists is fairly accurate. I think it can mainly be explained by the fact that these things are put together by having a bunch of games writers get together and make a list. The games that more people have played thoroughly (nobody plays everything) are likely to come up the most in…

I am genuinely relieved that you took the time to figure out this mystery. I couldn't understand it, either.

Holy shit! Amazing catch. I don't understand this. WHO DOESN'T LOVE OWLS AND WHY????

Ha, I thought the second applause was strange, too. I guess that the answer to your question is "yes," when Sarah Jessica Parker is an executive producer of the show you are on.

I would be impressed by a "go fuck themselves" sentiment if the judges actually deserved it, but they don't. The judges seem to do their best to offer honest assessments of the work and provide the artists with germane insights on their process, within the context of the reality format. I definitely agree that it's…

That's a fair interpretation, and it's certainly cool that the rant made you see the work in a new light. I just don't see anything in The Sucklord's rant that remotely indicates he was thinking along those lines. Upon rewatching, it seems like he mentioned literal and abstract because they were contrasting ideas, not…

Very good analysis. You're right, Miles was more diabolical and interesting. I'm a little less impressed with The Sucklord this morning after having it pointed out that his speech was more of a throw-shit-at-the-wall exercise than anything. I do find The Sucklord's lack of artistry amusing in its own way, though.

I checked. It was "literal." That one letter makes a huge difference. So instead of arguing for or against a certain interpretation, he was just saying anything he could think of.

Yeah, it's a little confusing. The reason is that Anya studied graphic design at Parsons, not fashion design.

Ohhh, I see. Yes, you make an excellent point. I guess in that review, I meant "super" in terms of Superman-type flashiness. He's not the in-your-face Lex Luthor type; his public body of work is pretty thin. I probably could have worded it better.

Good thread. I think a black woman (or man) designing for black women could win Project Runway, but I think it would help a lot if the production made more of recruitment effort to find and attract talented black designers. As scatteredsong said, a lot of the invisibility of black fashion on Runway is rooted in the…

Ha! I stand by my praise for flamboyant Moriarty, but I think he would make an even better Project Runway contestant. I mean, that's really what the show needs — a flamboyant Moriarty.

That's a fair, eloquent response, but I think it's rooted in a misreading of how I approach the shows I review. So allow me to respond, with apologies for potentially gaseous length, because you've touched on something that is important to me.

I found Dusty's trashcan amusing at the very least, so I'll stand by my mild affection for it. Your distaste is certainly quite reasonable, though.