Hello there, ladies and gentlemen.  For all of you who have been suggesting additional categories for Week in Review, I suggest you read the section below the 'Top Ten' board.  I've been busy preparing the revamped version of Week in Review, which will start in January.  Between that and The Binding of Isaac, I haven't had much free time, which is why there's no video this week.  I'm going to be posting the first episode of my new let's play series this week (probably).  I think you guys are going to like it.  ;)

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Finally, at long last, I get to talk about something out of World of Keralis.  It’s about Goddamn time.  Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to announce that the best structure of the week (by far) was The City of Gallitzin, created by KeralisCreative.



If you’re sitting at your computer, not knowing what the hell ‘World of Keralis’ is, then shame on you!  Your ignorance offends me, and you’ve been reported to the FBI.  Tremble in the wake of the federally mandated bullets that are about to rain down upon you!



But if you are aware of WoK, then look in wonder at their works, all ye mighty, and despair!  This city is the result of a team of people working under a tyrannical building regime that exists for one purpose and one purpose only: World domination!  Not our world, mind you.  They’re building their own.  Step 1: Build.  Step 2: Invade.  Step 3: ???  Step 4: Profit.



In all seriousness though, this is an architectural marvel of such range and variety, that it defies all we know and hold dear.  Well, maybe not that much, but it defies quite a bit.  Take the architecture, for example.  There’s not one building in this cluster of skyscrapers that looks even remotely similar.  They all sport their own style, ranging from modern to classic motifs.



It’s this diversity that defines ‘real world’ cities, like New York or Chicago.  Not every building was made at the same time, or by the same person.  There’s a sort of raw, mixed disorder that arises.  And don’t get me wrong; Gallitzin doesn’t bear the likeness of any specific city in the world.  It looks realistic, yet it’s completely unique and of its own flavor.



All of this structural mastery is bound together by grids of streets, tramways, and a coastal marina of sorts.  And this is all but a fragment of WoK in its entirety.  I guess only in that megalithic server is something so large viewed as such a tiny piece.  In my world, this a practically continental mega-build.  I think that sums it up pretty well.

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Ever wonder what it would be like to stumble onto a vast fortune and live the rest of your life in limitless luxury?  Well, look no further.  Let’s say you’re aboard a commercial airliner, soaring across the ocean.  One of the engines explodes.  You end up floating in a rubber dinghy, adrift amongst monstrous ocean waves (yes, I’m ripping off the entire plot of Cast Away; deal with it!).  You wash ashore a strange, uncharted island.  Guess what?  The island is made of gold.  You’re rich!



Such is the theme of a terrain titled Gold Rush Island, created by kesteve.  This is a shimmering, tumorous blob of gold anchored in the middle of the sea.  If you end up stranded on this island, you’re automatically the richest person who’s ever lived.  Whether or not you survive remains to be seen.



Seriously though, the way this plot of land shimmers is just jaw-dropping.  If wealth could take natural, blatant form, this is certainly what it would look like.  Six-trillion metric tons of solid gold, waiting to be claimed by whoever calls dibs first.



Then again, this much gold added to the world economy would almost certainly cause the value to plummet.  I guess now you can finally afford that nice, 24-karat gold Rolex you’ve been saving up for.  It’s now available for $9.99 at Walmart.  You can go grab one while you’re buying Fritos and ice cream tomorrow.



When you look at this map close-up, it’s clear that this is an amalgamation of gold ore, glowstone, sand, stone brick, and gold blocks.  But when you stand back, and look at it in its grand totality, well, it’s pretty clear that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.



As kesteve says in his description, ‘the gold flows as if it were lava’.  It does, indeed.  The curves, crevices, and peaks create shadows and lighting effects that give the island a fluid nature.



Like all of kesteve's work, this isn’t one of those 12k x 12k mega terrains.  Kesteve is all about creativity, pushing boundaries, and reimagining society’s interpretation of what a good terrain should look like.  Nobody terraforms like this, and that’s the main reason it’s so surprising and so mind-blowing when you see it.

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And finally, as if your mind hasn’t been blown enough for one day, the best organic work of the week is a build titled Turtle, created by CreaTruth.  The simplicity of the title doesn’t quite prepare you for the majestic nature of this behemoth work of art.



Picture a tortoise in your head, swimming in the currents of the ocean.  Does it look like the picture above?  Well then, I guess CreaTruth did a pretty good job capturing all the tiny details and nuances of what you perceive a turtle to be.  Mission accomplished.



This is so incredibly spot-on, and that’s especially impressive due to the fact that this was built with blocks.  I don’t see blocks here.  I see an HD image straight off the cover of National Geographic.  No, seriously, that’s what it looks like.  I suppose the render helps a great deal, but still.



And then, as if creating a beautiful turtle wasn’t enough, CreaTruth had to show off and build an entire fleet of ocean animals along side it.  I don’t know why, but my eye keeps gravitating to the the pufferfish under the turtle’s left fin.  His gaze is emanating through my computer screen.  Every time I close my eyes, I see his black, dead apertures staring into my very soul.  The eyes of the beast . . .



Sorry, what was I saying?  Oh, yes, the turtle.  Well, as if this hasn’t already gotten weird, it’s about to get even weirder.  You see, the turtle has a hole in his shell.  And, instead of a variety of turtle-organs, there’s a bustling ecosystem of coral and plant life.  I know, it makes no sense, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t look absolutely beautiful.



Oh well, I guess I could speculate on how the hollow interior represents some profound, symbolic idea, but I’d rather not.  My brain has been pushed to the limit just by looking at that damn creepy pufferfish.  Nightmares for me tonight.

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Thanks for stopping by!  Don't forget to read the special section above, and I'll see you guys next week.