I know this entry is late since Thanksgiving has come and gone, but I wanted to get this in. As I look back through this tough year, I highlight four items that I am thankful for as well as four items I am not so thankful for. Here they are...
I'm Thankful For...
Being Alive and Functioning: The biggest thing I have to be thankful for this year is that I'm still alive, breathing and thinking. It has been one hellish year with everything going on in life. It may seem I had more darker moments to remember than brighter ones. But in the end, as long as I can wake up to another day, that's what ultimately matters. Whatever I think about what is going on is secondary to just living life. I hope to continue to live to take in whatever life throws at me.
Still Working at a Job Earning Income: Despite my frequent comments on my loathing of responsibilities at my current occupation, I am thankful that I am still working at a job earning my own income. The country has been devastated by growing unemployment as companies continue to cut jobs to operate at a margin deemed satisfactory. I had to take a small pay cut for the first half of the year due to my company issuing a mandatory five day unpaid day off initiative, but I am still earning a decent amount. I will continue to need the income to help my family and pay for all expenditures.
Reading David Foster Wallace's Kenyon College Commencement Speech: If there was one moment this year that blew open my mind, it was reading the late Wallace's Kenyon College commencement speech through the Wall Street Journal. Essentially, his message to the graduating students at the time was to take control over what you would normally think in all situations, especially those frequent petty tasks and annoyances you hate to deal with. Unfortunately, Wallace lost his battle against depression and committed suicide in 2008. I hope to heed these words and live life as best as I can in spite of all the negativity both the world brings and what I conjure up myself.
Those of You Who Read What I Write: I don't know how many people here read my journal. To those who at least read my entries, I give you my thanks! I know my blog has been bogged down by my constant frustrations with work and life. I will do my best to write something else once in a while. In the meantime, I will continue to write my usual life experiences for you to read. In turn, I will continue to read what you have to share to the world. Thanks again!
I'm Not Thankful For...
My Responsibilities at Work: Those of you who have followed my blog know frequently about my unhappiness at work. I am doing my best to not let it get the best of me, but many times I have been constantly frustrated over what I have to take care of at work. I will not bother writing up all the complaints I have here, but it'd be enough to at least write and publish a book on.
Petty Annoyances from Family: No one is perfect. Everyone is different. Everyone has issues. Some of the issues that grate me the most are the insignificant ones people take too much of an issue over. The most annoying insignificant arguments I tend to deal with comes within my family. Again, I will spare all of you from the details of what my family constantly frets over. I will say that I am no better than my father, mother and younger brother in all of the petty battles that ensue.
People Thinking There's a "Magic Bullet" for Everything: Another thing that bothers me from what I have gathered this year is that so many people expect something to be done for them without much effort on their part. People think that there's a magic bullet for everything! If we did have a magic bullet for everything, wouldn't everyone be at peace with each other? Alas, there are those that still think things revolve around them and expect others to obey all of their desires. If you want something to happen, you have to get up and take care of it yourself!
Spending Too Much on Non-Essential Items: One of the goals I set myself for this year was to not spend too much on non-essential items because of the lousy economy. I was doing well halfway through the year, but that all imploded in the second half. I really don't need all these video games and music albums to feed my inner-self. Next year, I will do my best to not spend as much as I did this year. You may never know when you will need that money for something much more meaningful.
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Black Friday Purchases
- Left 4 Dead 2 [X-Box 360, $35 (on sale), Best Buy]
- Assassin's Creed II [X-Box 360, $60, Best Buy, for my cousin]
- Left 4 Dead 2 [PC, $30 (on sale), Gamestop, for younger brother]
- PS3 Controller [$55, Gamestop, thought it was on sale... it wasn't]
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Future Entries
- My Ten Favorite Music Albums of This Year
- Not Having as Much Fun with This Generation's Video Games
- Christmas / New Year's
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I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving in the United States! I hope all of you are doing well with your lives as of late! To those who still read this journal, I give my thanks! Till next entry...
With lots of new stuff coming out like Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin's Creed 2 and no money, it's a perfect time to revisit an old favourite. This week Battlefield Bad Company. Now I say old favourite, but I guess it isn't that old. Played through the campaign and some multiplayer forgot; how much I enjoyed that game!
Anyways, if you ever find yourself unable to get the new stuff or bored of your current game, try reliving an older favourite. All you need is a few months away from it and it comes back like an old friend.
Gearing up for a sequel? Go back and play the original. Nothing gets me more pumped up for a new release like playing the original. Couple weeks back I played through Bioshock and totally loved it! My roommate is playing Assassin's Creed 1! Sometimes we get caught up in all the new releases and forget about the great games that we used to play. Heck, every now and then I play goldeneye N64!
What games would replay?
Thanks for reading another Rant of The F. Hope you enjoyed wasting your time -_-
About two weeks ago, I went out and purchased a Wii. YAY GO ME.
Anywho, I don't have any games other than Super Paper Mario.
I should be getting a few around Christmas, who knows.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my GS friends and "family" 
I'm thankful for a lot this year. Most of all my little miracle.. Chloe. After so many years of thinking I couldn't ever have children.. turns out I was wrong, and I was blessed with her
I'm thankful for Robert.. my family.. and his family.
I'm thankful for a friend recently being back in my life
And I'm thankful for all the friends who stuck with me for so many years.. and loving me for who I am. I'm not the most easy person to get along with sometimes 
Have a blessed day everyone! xoxo
Finished Dragon Age Origins (360) over the weekend. I played as a Human Noble and it was a blast. I was a good guy so I think I got a good ending and everyone was my ally. Very satisfying ending for me. The writing is superb and the voice acting is even more impressive. They got a lot of the same actors from Uncharted 2 which was kinda cool. I'm just really impressed with how developed the world is and how much thought was put into all my party members and NPCs. I don't think I need to say more other than this is a must play and one of my fave RPGs in this generation. I plan on playing as the other origins when I have time. It should be interesting to see how the world unfolds when I choose different dialogue options. Btw, this game probably has the longest credits roll in gaming history. Soooo many people were involved, wow... 
Also finished Assassin's Creed 2 (360) this week. What an amazing experience. Ubisoft really improved upon everything over the original and thensome. I loved the original AC and this sequel beats it in both gameplay and story. The story actually unfolds in a similar way to the GTA franchise except with better pacing. Ezio is a really likeable guy and his story is way more developed than Altair's.
Speaking of AC1, AC2 is a direct sequel in every sense of the word. The game literally opens up with the final shot from the first game. It's pretty cool for us AC1 fans cuz AC1's cliffhanger ending is instantly resolved. Yay. There's also a ton of callbacks and information that AC1 fans will enjoy. I think if you didn't play or finish AC1, you might be missing out on a few bits of information and names that pop up. AC2 stands well on its own but people who played AC1 will definitely appreciate the story and revelations way more. And boy, the revelations are awesome.
The gameplay is incredibly addictive as one mission just keeps popping up after another. There's also a diverse amount of sidequests that kept me playing. The combat is also very satisfying and incredibly fun since you can switch weapons and upgrade your armor/outfits. The final armor looks pretty damn sessy. The collectables also make sense and actually help you and affect the main game. They're no longer simply achievement/trophy hunter type stuff. It's all really well implemented. I'm only two achievements away from getting the full 1000.
But not everything was perfect, the game has some minor glitches which happened a few times. They're not game-breaking stuff but they're somewhat distracting. The game also has some janky facial animation for a few characters (Lucy has it worst), but most are fine. These minor issues probably kept this game from beating Batman: AA and Uncharted 2 from my personal GOTY. But overall, this was an amazing experience with a lot of fun conspiracy stuff and the world is really well done. Must play for everyone (including people who didn't like AC1). Loved it.
I also just got God of War Collection (PS3) and I'm playing it to see all the enhancements. Looks pretty damn good. I haven't played it in a long time so there are many things that surprised me. Still awesome and still fun. I'll probably have more detailed impressions when I dig into GoW2 in the collection after I beat GoW1 all over again. Oh yea, lotsa boobies too, lol...
Zebra flavor is my favorite.
Bad jelly: my Windows is tripping again! 
It just yesterday returned from repairs.. I have no idea why this is happening.
Also, I was tagged by Mufujifi. More on that later.
Good jelly: stuff!
First of all, Estpolis (the Lufia DS remake) got an official site and a trailer! So much hype over that, the game's looking really good.
Also, the next Layton game was revealed (whoa, that was quick)! It's titled Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, but otherwise there's no info on the game. However, the title refers to the mask worn by the new villain Death Call in Devil's Flute, so it's clearly continuing from the previous one. Also, a second Layton movie is underway! 
I just wish we'd get the third one here soon.. x.x'
Oh, almost forgot! Check out this new Character Trailer for Super Street Fighter IV -- it shows ALL the new characters in one clip! Well, maybe not all of 'em, but at least two new ones.
Now, what have I been gaming? Well, I downloaded Gravity Crash's demo and fell in love. I'll definitely get the full game at some point. Also, even though I'm an FPS hater, I've been enjoying the Bad Company 2 closed beta. It's surprisingly fun, you know. Massive maps and lengthy matches. There are a few flaws, but hey, it's still just in beta state.
A friend of mine lent me Valkyria Chronicles recently, but thanks to the exam week, I won't have time to play it in a while.
Also, another friend lent me Siren: Blood Curse, which I'm really eager to try out as soon as I have the time.
Okay, so.. With my exam week starting and my Windows going down AGAIN, I won't be around that much. I'll try to check up on you when I can. Now for the 10 things and then I'm out!
1. I have Stiches! As in, level up. What a lame number one, eh?
2. I'm saving up so that I may continue my studies in Japan in a couple of years! I've got the grades, but the money's a different thing.. x.x
3. I used to be a PS3 hater! 
That was during the console's first year. However, I looked into it, and reached enlightenment. To me, it offers more than the 360. However, I'm as far from a fanboy as you can possibly imagine.
4. In my life, I've had the priviledge to enjoy a psychotic disorder! Hoooowever, I like to think I'm all cured now. Well, so what if I'm still manic-depressive? The manic parts are fun.
5. I like olives.
6. I.. can't come up with anything else. 6 is all you can have. Hell, I don't think my life even includes 10 separate factors.
That's all, kids! Now, I'll tag.. that newspaper over there. Tell me 10 things I don't know, newspaper!
..Thought so. Ha. Why? Because I know everything.
Bye, and enjoy Thanksgiving.. Mega Man styIe!
- Rabbids Go Home (Wii)
There will be a big haul arriving next week
I haven't tried the most recent Xbox 360 demos but here is a list of demos I just played:
Batman: Arkham Asylum. This demo didn't feel like a demo at all. I was highly addicted to the game already. Just swooping down and face kicking enemies. Too bad I got shot up during and died during that amazing scene. I'm not sure how long the demo is, but this is how demos should be. A good length with all regular features the original game starts off with.
Forza Motorsport 3: OMG, How I love this racing game. I never played a Forza game before, but this customizing and physics of the car takes the cake. Though I think the demo had a couple of races before you have to ultimately buy the game, it had some nice runs. I love how they assist you while driving. Though I didn't even know they fully assist you, such as they will slow down or speed up your car according to the arrows on the ground. The arrows has three colors- red, to slow; yellow to prepare for slowing; and green, to speed up. The scenery was gorgeous.
NFS: Shift: This is another racing game I have to have to top my 2009 list. This game also assists you in with the color speed meter on the ground. With this I was able to win my first race. But I'm already an experienced driver and know how to shift and glide and all that. This game is different from FM3 because it focuses more on the speed of the races. I only played NFS in the arcade so I couldn't compare to previous NFS games.
In other news: I took the test for the TSA Airport Screener. I passed it and now awaiting for a confirmation of background check and drug test appointment. Reps said it will take like 5 weeks (4 more weeks from now) for full background check that includes national and international reports. Good Grief. Hopefully I am well qualified enough for this job. *crosses fingers*
In more news: The Wicked Gaming Community is getting more users at the forum. This is awesome. But we still need some more exposure, so if you have Facebook, please become our fan. If you have twitter, please add our Twitter. If you know others who are into social networking and posting in forums, please mention Wicked Gaming Community. We just talk about games and then cool stuff like anime, music, movies, etc. Oh and if you like toolbars, please download our toolbar because it is very useful. I just updated it recently also.
and the Wickedness goes on...
Well today is my birthday. Usually I don't do anything special, but since I turned 18 today I was planning on going out with some of my friends. Unfortunately I felt like crap when I woke up, so that spoiled my plans. As far as presents go, I got a 32" HDTV. For the size of my room it's pretty big and certainly an upgrade over my previous 23" HDTV. Also, my old TV didn't have 1080p resolution but this new one does. I also got Assassin's Creed II so I'll be playing that this week. That's about it for my 18th birthday. Not very exciting, I know. I just had to get sick today, didn't I? Oh well, I'm happy with my new TV and I ate some delicious cake, so today was still alright. Take care everyone.
Got myself a Wii today with basically nothing other than a point card. I borrowed Smash Bros from a relative but other than that my only other game for Wii is Majora's Mask which I bought.
So I was browsing through my games and found some stuff I nostalgiaed on pretty bad.
Luigi's Mansion- I didn't imagine this game could actually be so good but it really really was.
Super Mario Sunshine- My Favorite Mario game. I might beat this one all over again. 109 shines is the highest I got.
OoC, WW, TP(Zelda for those who are crazy)- I may very well beat all of these again.
Tales of Symphonia- This was one of the first RPG's I remember getting into since I never got far is Final Fantasy 7,8,or 9.
I would also play through Soul Caliber II but I don't see the point since I was somewhere around Lvl 87 and there is a lack of story mode.(or at least a deep one)
Paper Mario- I bought this game when it became player's choice because of all the hype and I never got very far. Probably give it a second chance.
Anyway RECOMMEND SOME WII GAMEZSZSZSZSZ!!!
I already have my sights on
On a Side note. I Bought Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon for DS and sadly....a World of Warcraft Time card. I know you don't have to tell me. I was in the middle of playing Fire Emblem for the GBA(with Lyn & Roy's father(Eliwood)) but after a data erase problem I haven't really got back to it since I returned to the chapter I was at on a second play through.
I also beat Biker Mice from mars and got near to the end of Joe and Mac. I also got Marvel Ultimate alliance and I'm waiting for a buddy to come over so we can clear right through it, Spidey FTW. I also got to the third world in Kirby's Nightmare in Dream land. If anyone remember how to beat the cloud with spikes plz tell me, too lazy to look it up I guess. And lastly, I think, I got a tiny bit through Final Fantasy 5 which I may also play simply because it has a job ****system which I really like.
-Full Metal-
Stuff I've bought recently. Yeah, a lot of older things this time, along with the DSi and DS lite I got up north, and that silly Nintendo R.O.B. And Harvest Moon plushies. Aww, cute. ^_^
I've been playing Dragon Age a lot lately. It's better than I had expected. I might actually finish it and even play through it again. O_O
Yeah, that's it for this blog.
Oh? You want something more? Then here's a picture of my kitty. And another. And another. And another. And... hey, don't run away! =O
Hey people. Hope you're doing well.
Well, it seems the Modern Warfare 2 storm has passed, leaving behind it shattered records and broken egos. Do any of you realize what happened just a short week ago? The world of video games made its presence felt, while Modern Warfare 2 sold 4.7 million copies in one day, with sales of $310 million, which made it the biggest entertainment launch in history. One. Day. And that's just counting sales from Canada, the US and the UK. No matter if you like the game or not, gamers everywhere should be proud of this accomplishment, as it sheds a very bright spotlight on the medium.
Naturally, I was one of the 4.7 million who snagged a copy upon its release. I spent the first 3 days playing online and, to be quite honest, I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. Don't get me wrong, the structure of the multiplayer is absolutely incredible, with the multitude of perks and guns you earn while leveling up, and the vast selection of modes to play in. However, I feel that, for someone as horrible as me in online multiplayer games, there is no way I can get better. Now, I won't go throw the blame on snipers or campers or hackers or whatnot. The blame is solely on myself. You guys out there are so good that even if I played for 24 hours non-stop for the next 2 weeks, I would still be unable to compete at your level. Also, I do not have the patience or will to stick around and try to get better. I don't find dying every 3 seconds enjoyable, so I just decided to take my abysmal kill / death ratio and go home.
As for Modern Warfare 2's single player experience, there were some highs and some lows throughout the very short campaign. I played on Normal and finished it just over the 6-hour mark. To sum up the campaign without spoiling anything, let's just say that the story is very confusing and ambiguous, the plot is non-existent and the voice actors are horrible, while some of the scenes are brilliantly executed and breathtaking. I've played some games which had much better storylines and voice actors *coughUncharted2cough*. The other mode in the game, called Special Ops, allows you to replay certain missions from COD 4 and MW 2. The 2-player missions are fun to execute for the most part and add another layer to the online play, although I would've settled for co-op during the campaign over this.
Would I call Modern Warfare 2 a disappointment? Not at all, since I pretty much knew what to expect from the guys at Infinity Ward. However, I did let the hype bug bite me in the butt a little too hard. I'm not disappointed, but I'm not thoroughly satisfied either.
Now, onto Assassin's Creed II and Left 4 Dead 2. Oh, and would you guys be interested in the return of DBoy's Den? Just throwing that out there...
Later!
Wow, just wow. It's been WAY too long since I last posted up a blog. It's mainly my fault for not checking my page out, though I've been on GS posting in the unions mostly. Where to start off...well, those sad times I endured the beginning of the year are no more because I have money in my pocket aka a job. Nothing else special has really happened over the past months, so this blog must suck. XD Gaming-wise, I've been on a good streak with playing some pretty awesome games. The most recent being Demon Soul's which I got from a great friend of mine and Borderlands.
Demon's Souls - Great RPG, especially since it's from Atlus. A bit on the difficult side, but it wouldn't be very fun if it wasn't if you ask me. Loving everything about it from the gameplay to the graphics. Quick thing though, if you're new to the game and see dragons in the beginning of the game, do not walk towards them. XD
Borderlands - What can I say about this without instantly talking about the the online co-op? Well, it's a fun RPS or Role Playing Shooter like the box says. It's safe to say this could be a great equivalence to Fallout 3, if not better. My favorite class has to be the Siren, so far
"Look at her, trying to play that innocent female status, we all know what's she's capable of."
Next I'll mention the co-op. Just awesome! It kicks the single player mode in the balls that's for sure. Played it earlier with my friends Ron, Max, and Andy. We had a hell of a time going through missions and though I didn't have a bluetooth, I still blended in with the rest of the guys. XD We should play definitely play online games more often.
Hmm, I'll cut this short by saying if anyone who usually read my banners and was wondering where I was, I'm all right and I may start posting more blogs. If you wanna find me be sure to check out the RPG Temple Union. Great place for anyone to join.
Chaos is out and I'll see you guys next time.
If any of you have talked to me lately, you know that i've been more on the angry, nervous, somewhat depressed side. Work has been leaving its toll and me, and school makes it worse. I'm clueless in school, i have no idea what I wanna do, i don't really like school, etc etc. Basically, I'm having some issues that are bugging me and I need time to figure it out. I might be on GS tomorrow, I might not be on for a few days or who knows. I just need to time off, a change of pace might help. I'll keep you updated on how i'm feeling
Alright first of all, I would like to say sorry to everyone for inactivity! XD. I have been way too busy with school (I'm a high school and part-time college student XD). Plus Golf (Varsity baby ;D) has taken up a good part of September - October...but guess what? Season is over so now I'm free .
On to the topic, I'm sure all of you have heard of, or saw the leaked footage from Modern Warfare 2 right? Well yeah I'm gonna be talking about that. If you haven't seen it, good luck in finding it. Activision is really cracking the whip on finding all of the videos that are scattered over the internet. I'm sure you can find a torrent if you are really that desperate.
Ok, so please don't scroll down if you don't want spoilers xD.
SPOILERS
As those of you who know about the video, or have seen it, it's very...well disturbing. I was quite shocked when I viewed the video for the first time. Rubbed my eyes because I could not believe what I was seeing. I mean...you playing as a...TERRORIST?...killing civilians? That is just a bit too far there Activision. Way to promote terrorism to little kids ALL OVER THE DAMN WORLD. It's a little too traumatic. America is still sensitive to the whole "terrorist" subject. 9/11 attacks, school shootings, etc. The media (especially Jack Thompson type people) is all over this. The majority of the people throwing a hissy fit are the people who are un-informed. That is completely understandable because they do not know much about the game itself. You're a CIA agent going undercover as a Russian Terrorist, and you shoot up a ton of civilians in an airport. It is pretty gruesome and disturbing. The footage was pretty shocking to watch...just imagining kids all around the world saying "hey guys! look what I'm doing! Shooting up random defenseless people muwahahaha I'm a terrorist!". Watching a cutscene isn't as bad as a completely interactive shoutout with defenseless civilians. It's just absurd. Hopefully it won't promote these kinds of acts in kids, or any other player of the game. There is a possibility for that...which is why it shouldn't even be in the game in the first place. There are too many people out there that could be hurt by this, more than the people that would enjoy this. It's a little too hurtful...
But on the other hand...I can totally see why Activision decided to include this into the game. It builds a whole new level of emotion to the game. The level has a much bigger impact on you compared to the alternate solution, a cutscene. It's almost like the difference between watching a clip on the news, and actually being there. It's a whole different kind of feeling that you get. And seriously, the game is rated "Mature' for MATURE PEOPLE....YEAH THAT'S RIGHT YOU LITTLE 12 YEAR OLDS! If a 12 year old kid can't comprehend that it's a game then he's obviously not mature enough. Everyone who is treating this whole thing as a negative part of the game is a little too sensitive. Yeah it's a touchy subject but if you don't want to see it just choose "skip" when it prompts you to. It's the same as if you don't want to go eat Chinese food, yet you walk straight into a Chinese restaurant and complain. Parents are just over reacting. There are far worse things then an undercover CIA agent (yeah he's a good guy....so it's not like you're really playing as a terrorist ). I honestly believe GTA is far worse but I just think the media needs something to b*$%@ and moan about right now.
And besides those two paragraphs....how in the hell did they all bring two guns each, into a high security level airport? I mean what the hell is that? There must be some idiot guard on duty. "Um sir, is that a machine gun you got there?" "Oh no officer, it's just my tennis racquet..." "Oh, okay! =D"
Well that's just my two cents. What's yours?
-Bass7/Toshio
I really wanted to save this for the Ninja Power Hour but Terry's lazy as hell. So yeah I just about got the SSI money in my hands in a day or so am getting my medical card when means I get free medical care until I either lose my SSI or die. Turns out am getting about $12,000 in back pay. Now I won't get it all at once but I get it in payments over time but am getting those payments much sooner than I thought I would I thought it would take a few mouths but I was wrong am getting them every few weeks. I also was learned I was wrong about how much those payments are going to be I thought it was going to be like a few hundred but no it's a few thousand and my first payment is going to be around $2,000. My main SSI payment is going to be $675 a mouth which after my cost of living and cable and internet will leave me about $200 so am going to buy whatever I want every mouth. I also learned that my lawyer was full of **** when he told me that SSI would force me to pay my mother for living but that lady I talked to at the SSI office was it wasn't any of they're business and this is something me and Dana have to deal with but since she when I moved in with her said I could stay for free during the time I didn't have SSI and I never said would pay her for that time I was there or signed anything that said I would so she can pretty much **** off and enjoy her white trash hell it's my money not her's. So yeah am set for life am not a rich man but sure as hell not poor anymore no more trailers for me.
Totally got the website completely redone and now it looks much much more professional now.
Come check it out you wont regret it.. Some sections are even 18+!!!!
Well I started school a couple of months ago and have been very busy. I've been having a TON of homework, papers,tests and sports stuff; so if you are wandering where I am or have been it's because of that.
Now I'm not going to say my reviews are perfect, they're not. My vocab is severely lacking and I often either tend to ramble on or be way too brief with making points, so sorry if even just the idea of making this comes off as egotistical or self promoting. Its come to my attention however that reviews are becoming less and less of what they should be, and more and more just stupid, controversial or a sad attempt at comedy. So without further attempts to justify myself, lets get into it, 5 rules every reviewer should realize.
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1. Every fantasy universe has the right to set their own rules, whether it takes place in the real world or not. Don't complain about recharging health because it's unrealistic, don't complain about how people should die in 1 shot to the face from any gun, and don't you dare bring up the scientific effects of what radiation does to a man. Most of the time this directly applies to people demanding realism, but it can also apply to other stuff. Example, people complain about the anime style "power of heart and friendship" in kingdom hearts and other such stuff. So what? In their universe it's a mysterious physical power, let them make it that way. If the street fighter devs want their characters to be bullet proof, so be it. Fantasy is fantasy and a game designer can be given whatever rights to the rules of the universe as they want. Otherwise we don't have a fantasy world, we just have world number 2.
2. Balance the good and the bad in what you write. If you write a review purely to address how much you think it sucked, you will definitely overlook what some people actually play the game for. If you write a review raving about how amazing the game is, you're most likely overlooking an very brutal flaw just to tell us about all the features we already know. In this respect, I don't mean your reviews should be 50/50, but just try to address the other side. People looking for bad, try to understand what the maker was actually trying to accomplish and give it a small shot before ripping it a new one, and goody goodys should try to admit a flaw here or there at the very least and continue the good act talking about how you got over it or how it wasn't that big a deal in the end.
3. Don't give in to hype, no matter what side you take. Many people take this advice the wrong way and these people are some of the most obnoxious reviewers I have ever met. Not giving into the hype doesn't mean yelling at the fanbase about how wrong they are and arbitrarily hating a game, it's about not giving into heaven or hell on this scale. You should always be out to give an honest review, not just out to rip the game to shreds in an attempt to balance out all the people who are giving the game a perfect 10. outside influence shouldn't play a part and the game should be reviewed as if you just got it as a birthday present and had no prior knowledge about the game.
4. Play a game as far as you can before you decide to review it. I don't care if the game just came out and you're eager to tell everyone about it. Your love of it should build up over the time you play it and shouldn't be just a blinding light in your face. further more you also shouldn't quit a game you got frustrated with and just dub it not worth playing half way in. Let the hate or love of the game build up over time so you actually get the full experience of it. The only reason you should ever review before you finish is if there is a game stopping moment that happens on multiple occasions which is literally almost impossible to get past, or if you've beaten the game, little extras excluded, and seen the end credits of all it has to offer the average player. Until then, keep your comments and criticism to what you tell people in your IM buddy list.
5. Play the game to enjoy the game. What is a videogame? A videogame is a interactive experience made with computers to bring pleasure to the user. If you walk into every game with this mindset, your reviews become a lot better. This isn't to say you're supposed to enjoy every game the same way. Some games are enlightening and others are just about delivering a punch to someone's face. This also doesn't mean you're going to like every game either, there are good and bad games in this world and that's why we do what we do. I just say this because a lot of people walk in with the wrong mindset when turning on a game and that immediately sabotage the review one way or the other. This is just the way to walk into it without any problems and with reaching the most people.
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Take my opinion as the opinion it is, even if it's an opinion on how to form proper opinions, but these are rules to keep in mind. Can you never ever break a rule? No, otherwise I'd be calling them laws of reviewing. Are these the only rules? No, there's probably more, but I just felt like addressing whats in the media today. Reviews are becoming a joke and it's almost saddening. People say never to take their advice, but we have the good intentions of just trying to guide you into what's worth your money and not. People are also making reviews almost a complete parody. Rather than giving a structured review, we're fed a reviewer trying to be a character while throwing trash on a game to be funny. As entertainment, I won't question whether it's funny or not, but as these becoming real reviews, we're entering a dark age of reviewing here.
Now I've gone on way too long of a rant on this. Thank you anyone who read all that, and as for personal life, nothing much other than continual progress of my own game and college which is a drag. I'll brief you more on the game when I can get a tiny bit further, art is hard to make when you're no artist.
