Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?

I've been writing a screenplay for enjoyment and playing a lot of Yume Nikki recently, so I would have to say the past several days have had a theme of introspection. From my last entry I think I made it clear that I was a fan of American McGee's Alice, but I had been skeptical enough to avoid getting hyped about the sequel before launch to the point where I largely avoided any news or updates about it. You see, I'm quite the cynic when it comes to video games, especially in regards to series that I care a lot about. I never fangush about anything anymore, and that's really because I've just been disappointed so many times. So, generally I try and avoid games that I think will cause me to react in an overly subjective manner until I've actually played them.

Anyway to the point...

In my last entry, I promised a review, which I plan to deliver, but I thought I should go ahead and say a few things first. Typically, me reviewing a game around it's release date is a rare occurrence. This is mainly because games are way too expensive for my broke college student self when they first come out, and it's rare that I can make the investment right away. But also because I have this ethical perception of how games should be reviewed when they are new versus when they've been available for a few weeks or so. I believe anyone who calls himself a video game reviewer has the duty to review a game as objectively as possible when it's just been released, mostly because reviews have the ability to persuade gamers to spend money on a game or not, thus increasing or hindering the sales.

My review style is somewhat unique and basically revolves around subjectivity entirely. I discuss little about whether a game is "good" in the traditional since, and focus on the artistic merits instead, which is why I feel very self-conscious about reviewing a recently released game. So know that in rare situations such as this, if I do review a game so close to it's release, I will most likely stick to the same formula of the "challenge as a support for the experience". However, due to my self-implemented ethical policy, I will remain as objective as I possibly can be, while retaining my own style and voice.

So that said, stay tuned for a review of Alice: Madness Returns...

"You don't like any of your games."

The quote in the title was from my fiance, who uttered it after putting up with hours of me complaining about some particular games. At the time I found it subtly hilarious, but now feel that it's increasingly poignant... in a dark, tongue-in-cheek kind of way.

These past couple weeks since the semester ended, I've decided it would be good to finish playing through all the games in my collection in which I have yet to finish. Actually, calling the games I own a "collection" is absurd, because I feel that the term implies that there must be some sort of cohesive theme. When really, a surprising percentage of the games I own seem to have been purchased sporadically with little rhyme or reason. This has lead me to into numerous situations in which I began playing through a game, found no incentive to finish, and thus said game ends up gathering dust on my shelf for years. Typically the lack of incentive came from how often these randomly selected games ended up being completely uninspiring wastes of time (i.e., big slices of fecal surprise). These past weeks have only been a reminder of that, as my patience has been tested every time I've picked up a controller.

I thought this was worth sharing, because it has reminded me of what I can and can't stand about less than perfect games. And as we shall see, many of the games I love the most are far from perfect. It's been interesting to see how many flawed mechanics or half-baked ideas I can suffer before my reason for playing a game becomes lost or desperate, and also, it's been somewhat educational to find how much less of said bullshit I can tolerate as I've gotten older. I guess it's always good to go back and review, problem is now I'm a bit intimidated about going back and playing many of the obscure games that I've claimed as some of my all time favorites.

Perhaps it's time to dust off the beloved ones and get ready to dash away the good (albeit cloudy) memories. Should be interesting.