30 reviews to go and I hit 600

May 03, 2011

Just so you know, I only need to post another 30 reviews and I will have 600 of my reviews live on this site at once. I've posted that many over the years, but in the early days some of my content sucked and was written from memory after not playing certain games for years, so I have long since removed those reviews. When I hit 600 this time, it'll be something special.

Not so very long ago, I remember talking to Masters on AIM and I was around 35 or 40 reviews from hitting 500 reviews. It seemed like such an impossible number to me, and each new review was like pulling teeth at the time. Now, here I am in a similar situation as I approach 600 reviews. I don't know why big numbers like that psych me out, but they do and always have.

I'll probably hit 600 reviews, and probably by the end of the year. Maybe down the road, if things go well, I'll hit 700 and 800, maybe even 1000. Right now, though, 600 remains the hurdle. Do any of you find yourself psyched out by similar hurdles?

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Feedback

Masters - May 03, 2011 (09:06 AM)
That's awesome dude. I'm cheering you on.

But no, I don't face those kinds of hurdles because I don't actually keep track of how many (how few, ha) reviews I've been writing.

Perhaps if I checked and saw that I had five or fewer to go, it might make a difference. But then again, probably not.

wolfqueen001 - May 03, 2011 (09:10 AM)
That's a lot of freaking reviews. Good for you, though. I don't think I've even played many games, let alone to be able to write that many reviews on them.

RandomDeath - May 03, 2011 (09:32 AM)
You've only played shitty,niche games though, and haven't even played major releases like Mass Effect 2, Red Dead Redemption, or Portal, so you're still a novice, and have nothing to brag about.

honestgamer - May 03, 2011 (09:43 AM)
Thanks for that. Now I can leave for work smiling. :-)

True - May 03, 2011 (10:52 AM)
You've only played shitty,niche games though, and haven't even played major releases like Mass Effect 2, Red Dead Redemption, or Portal, so you're still a novice, and have nothing to brag about.

Where as your list of reviews is...oh...zero. There's an old saying, and it's mine: Only when you've achieved the same feat are you allowed to criticize. Basically it means if you don't have the balls or talent to attempt something you have no room to judge.

And again, who are you? Jason's wife? Are you watching what he plays all the time? No, you're not. Who's to say he's not playing these games, and opting to do the less glamorous reviews simply to provide fans of obscure titles somewhere to go and gain information? That was rhetorical, because if I know one thing about Jason it's that he is entirely, utterly committed and though it may not always be glorified he's incredible at what he does. 600--even 570--is an incredible number. Something your ball-sniffers at IGN may not even be able to boast.

And I know I should not be poking the troll with my very large stick, but things like that just piss me off. That is, of course, your point though isn't you lonely 40-year old virgin still living in your mother's basement, playing WoW and tugging it in the bathroom with the water running so you don't get caught while envisioning your L.A.RPING and dreaming about a world where you don't have to be or deal with yourself. Again, rhetorical. I know you do.

I'm a troll, too. :D

overdrive - May 03, 2011 (11:41 AM)
Very impressive tally. Hopefully I hit 300 before you get to 600. I think I have 8 or 9 shitty niche games that no one in the whole wide world cares about because they aren't the big-name shiny new ones that get 50 reviews published to GameRankings-affiliated sites within a week of their release to get through before that happens!

True - May 03, 2011 (01:15 PM)
No, Rob. You must only play games published by money-bloated developers, that garner far greater advertising, in an effort to invoke capitalism into the gaming world, thereby eliminating independent publishers--although they more often than not make a far superior product.

It's the world I want to live in and I command it.

Masters - May 03, 2011 (01:29 PM)
Looks like me, Rob and Emp are all near 300 reviews. Hurray for us.

RandomDeath - May 03, 2011 (02:26 PM)
Imagine a movie reviewer having not watched Raging Bull,Vertigo or Citizen Kane, instead some arthouse Eastern European movies. I can guarantee you ,you won't find games like Ys Seven or Tales of Vesperia in a Best Games of All Time poll,just like you won't find obscure movies like The Leopard or Rome,Open City in Sight and Sound poll,unless you're Jonathan Rosenbaum, or someone like that.

Just out of curiosity ,here are the Top 10 lists of Gamasutra since 2006. How many games out of them have you played ?

2006

5.Elite Beat Agents
4.Okami
3.Gears of War
2.The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
1.Wii Sports

2007
10. Puzzle Quest
9. Pac-Man CE
8. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction
7. Persona 3
6. Crackdown
5. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
4. Rock Band
3. Super Mario Galaxy
2. BioShock
1. Portal

2008
10. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
9. Valkyria Chronicles
8. Braid
7. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
6. Persona 4
5. Left 4 Dead
4. No More Heroes
3. LittleBigPlanet
2. World of Goo
1. Fallout 3

2009
10. Retro Game Challenge
9. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War II
8. Plants vs. Zombies
7. The Beatles: Rock Band
6. Flower
5. Batman: Arkham Asylum
4. Left 4 Dead 2
3. Demon's Souls
2. New Super Mario Bros Wii
1. Dragon Age

2010
10. Civilization V
9. Mass Effect 2
8. Minecraft
7. Fallout: New Vegas
6. Rock Band 3
5. StarCraft II
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Bayonetta
2. Super Meat Boy
1. Red Dead Redemption

wolfqueen001 - May 03, 2011 (03:15 PM)
If the lame troll bothered to look, he would know that we have reviews for at least 80% of the games on those lists. Of course, that's assuming one judges the quality of games based on top ten lists. You know, because they're toe word of God.

Piss off and go bother some other site. You're just going to be banned again. Heathen.

honestgamer - May 03, 2011 (03:16 PM)
I'm not arguing for a second that there's no value in being familiar with the "big" games of the year that everyone is talking about. I try to at least familiarize myself with them. However, those lists are open to interpretation and they're hardly a stopping point. I've played a lot of great games that I never would have experienced if I stuck to a Gamasutra list, or to a list from any other publication. Those games matter, too. Some of them wound up on lists that other publications put together.

As for the 50 titles you mentioned, I've only played 13 of them extensively but I've read up on the others. Many of them I have even purchased and could play at any point I like. Some of them I probably will play soon.

In any event, it's not necessary to play every "Top 10" game from every year to know what you're talking about when you review games. Experience with a given genre is helpful, for instance. The breadth of experience that comes from playing promising titles from other publishers also adds value that you just don't get otherwise.

When I started playing Shin Megami Tensei games because I enjoyed Disgaea and SMT: Nocturne interested me enough to warrant a day-one purchase based on my time with the other niche title and my trust in Atlus as a result, the series was nowhere near as popular in North America as it is today and Atlus was barely recognized. Now look at how things have developed. Was I wasting my time when I latched onto Persona 3 and posted one of the first reviews for the North American version that was available online? Obviously not. It later made a list.

espiga - May 03, 2011 (04:30 PM)
Imagine a movie reviewer having not watched Raging Bull,Vertigo or Citizen Kane, instead some arthouse Eastern European movies. I can guarantee you ,you won't find games like Ys Seven or Tales of Vesperia in a Best Games of All Time poll,just like you won't find obscure movies like The Leopard or Rome,Open City in Sight and Sound poll,unless you're Jonathan Rosenbaum, or someone like that.

Just out of curiosity ,here are the Top 10 lists of Gamasutra since 2006. How many games out of them have you played ?

2006

5.Elite Beat Agents
4.Okami
3.Gears of War
2.The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
1.Wii Sports

2007
10. Puzzle Quest
9. Pac-Man CE
8. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction
7. Persona 3
6. Crackdown
5. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
4. Rock Band
3. Super Mario Galaxy
2. BioShock
1. Portal

2008
10. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
9. Valkyria Chronicles
8. Braid
7. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
6. Persona 4
5. Left 4 Dead
4. No More Heroes
3. LittleBigPlanet
2. World of Goo
1. Fallout 3

2009
10. Retro Game Challenge
9. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War II
8. Plants vs. Zombies
7. The Beatles: Rock Band
6. Flower
5. Batman: Arkham Asylum
4. Left 4 Dead 2
3. Demon's Souls
2. New Super Mario Bros Wii
1. Dragon Age

2010
10. Civilization V
9. Mass Effect 2
8. Minecraft
7. Fallout: New Vegas
6. Rock Band 3
5. StarCraft II
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Bayonetta
2. Super Meat Boy
1. Red Dead Redemption

Your point is now invalid.

RandomDeath - May 03, 2011 (04:37 PM)
Hmm, i'm not a gook-lover,so i don't understand the cryptic allusion.

espiga - May 03, 2011 (04:42 PM)
Hmm, i'm not a gook-lover,so i don't understand the cryptic allusion.

hmd - May 03, 2011 (04:46 PM)
John McCain posts here?

radicaldreamer - May 03, 2011 (04:47 PM)
Crackdown on a top ten list? And you try to use Gamasutra as if they're an authority on the gaming "canon"?

zigfried - May 03, 2011 (04:52 PM)
People who cite lists to 'prove' a point are dumb. People who cite lists they don't even agree with to 'prove' a point are something else altogether.

I ban those people.

//Zig

FlatulentFlamboyance - May 03, 2011 (04:56 PM)
Crackdown was Jeremy Parish's Game Of The Year 2007,and i can guarantee you he is even more hardcore and has played more niche games that you'll ever play in you boring pathetic life.

espiga - May 03, 2011 (04:58 PM)
Crackdown was Jeremy Parish's Game Of The Year 2007,and i can guarantee you he is even more hardcore and has played more niche games that you'll ever play in you boring pathetic life.

True - May 03, 2011 (05:08 PM)
I love you, Kyle.

FlatulentFlamboyance - May 03, 2011 (05:09 PM)
Simple minds are easily amused.

espiga - May 03, 2011 (05:13 PM)
Simple minds are easily amused.

True - May 03, 2011 (05:18 PM)
Trust me, Flamy. He will not run out of videos. Ever.

FlatulentFlamboyance - May 03, 2011 (05:20 PM)
Like he ran out of biochemical signals from his synapses ?

espiga - May 03, 2011 (05:23 PM)
Like he ran out of biochemical signals from his synapses ?

zigfried - May 03, 2011 (05:32 PM)
I was hoping that people had learned, but apparently not. I'm fed up.

FlamboyantFlatulence has been banned for making annoying posts.

//Zig

ThreatNotOver - May 03, 2011 (05:32 PM)

Good gooks are dead gooks.

PatFloydIsFaggot - May 03, 2011 (05:35 PM)
Hmmm.

hmd - May 03, 2011 (05:35 PM)

RivetingRemembrance - May 03, 2011 (05:38 PM)

Good gooks are dead gooks.

hmd - May 03, 2011 (05:40 PM)

espiga - May 03, 2011 (05:47 PM)

Feedback
	Masters - May 03, 2011 (09:06 AM) That's awesome dude. I'm cheering you on. But no, I don't face those kinds of hurdles because I don't actually keep track of how many (how few, ha) reviews I've been writing. Perhaps if I checked and saw that I had five or fewer to go, it might make a difference. But then again, probably not.
	wolfqueen001 - May 03, 2011 (09:10 AM) That's a lot of freaking reviews. Good for you, though. I don't think I've even played many games, let alone to be able to write that many reviews on them.
	RandomDeath - May 03, 2011 (09:32 AM) You've only played shitty,niche games though, and haven't even played major releases like Mass Effect 2, Red Dead Redemption, or Portal, so you're still a novice, and have nothing to brag about.
	honestgamer - May 03, 2011 (09:43 AM) Thanks for that. Now I can leave for work smiling. :-)
	True - May 03, 2011 (10:52 AM) You've only played shitty,niche games though, and haven't even played major releases like Mass Effect 2, Red Dead Redemption, or Portal, so you're still a novice, and have nothing to brag about. Where as your list of reviews is...oh...zero. There's an old saying, and it's mine: Only when you've achieved the same feat are you allowed to criticize. Basically it means if you don't have the balls or talent to attempt something you have no room to judge. And again, who are you? Jason's wife? Are you watching what he plays all the time? No, you're not. Who's to say he's not playing these games, and opting to do the less glamorous reviews simply to provide fans of obscure titles somewhere to go and gain information? That was rhetorical, because if I know one thing about Jason it's that he is entirely, utterly committed and though it may not always be glorified he's incredible at what he does. 600--even 570--is an incredible number. Something your ball-sniffers at IGN may not even be able to boast. And I know I should not be poking the troll with my very large stick, but things like that just piss me off. That is, of course, your point though isn't you lonely 40-year old virgin still living in your mother's basement, playing WoW and tugging it in the bathroom with the water running so you don't get caught while envisioning your L.A.RPING and dreaming about a world where you don't have to be or deal with yourself. Again, rhetorical. I know you do. I'm a troll, too. :D
	overdrive - May 03, 2011 (11:41 AM) Very impressive tally. Hopefully I hit 300 before you get to 600. I think I have 8 or 9 shitty niche games that no one in the whole wide world cares about because they aren't the big-name shiny new ones that get 50 reviews published to GameRankings-affiliated sites within a week of their release to get through before that happens!
	True - May 03, 2011 (01:15 PM) No, Rob. You must only play games published by money-bloated developers, that garner far greater advertising, in an effort to invoke capitalism into the gaming world, thereby eliminating independent publishers--although they more often than not make a far superior product. It's the world I want to live in and I command it.
	Masters - May 03, 2011 (01:29 PM) Looks like me, Rob and Emp are all near 300 reviews. Hurray for us.
	RandomDeath - May 03, 2011 (02:26 PM) Imagine a movie reviewer having not watched Raging Bull,Vertigo or Citizen Kane, instead some arthouse Eastern European movies. I can guarantee you ,you won't find games like Ys Seven or Tales of Vesperia in a Best Games of All Time poll,just like you won't find obscure movies like The Leopard or Rome,Open City in Sight and Sound poll,unless you're Jonathan Rosenbaum, or someone like that. Just out of curiosity ,here are the Top 10 lists of Gamasutra since 2006. How many games out of them have you played ? 2006 5.Elite Beat Agents 4.Okami 3.Gears of War 2.The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 1.Wii Sports 2007 10. Puzzle Quest 9. Pac-Man CE 8. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction 7. Persona 3 6. Crackdown 5. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass 4. Rock Band 3. Super Mario Galaxy 2. BioShock 1. Portal 2008 10. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia 9. Valkyria Chronicles 8. Braid 7. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 6. Persona 4 5. Left 4 Dead 4. No More Heroes 3. LittleBigPlanet 2. World of Goo 1. Fallout 3 2009 10. Retro Game Challenge 9. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War II 8. Plants vs. Zombies 7. The Beatles: Rock Band 6. Flower 5. Batman: Arkham Asylum 4. Left 4 Dead 2 3. Demon's Souls 2. New Super Mario Bros Wii 1. Dragon Age 2010 10. Civilization V 9. Mass Effect 2 8. Minecraft 7. Fallout: New Vegas 6. Rock Band 3 5. StarCraft II 4. Super Mario Galaxy 2 3. Bayonetta 2. Super Meat Boy 1. Red Dead Redemption
	wolfqueen001 - May 03, 2011 (03:15 PM) If the lame troll bothered to look, he would know that we have reviews for at least 80% of the games on those lists. Of course, that's assuming one judges the quality of games based on top ten lists. You know, because they're toe word of God. Piss off and go bother some other site. You're just going to be banned again. Heathen.
	honestgamer - May 03, 2011 (03:16 PM) I'm not arguing for a second that there's no value in being familiar with the "big" games of the year that everyone is talking about. I try to at least familiarize myself with them. However, those lists are open to interpretation and they're hardly a stopping point. I've played a lot of great games that I never would have experienced if I stuck to a Gamasutra list, or to a list from any other publication. Those games matter, too. Some of them wound up on lists that other publications put together. As for the 50 titles you mentioned, I've only played 13 of them extensively but I've read up on the others. Many of them I have even purchased and could play at any point I like. Some of them I probably will play soon. In any event, it's not necessary to play every "Top 10" game from every year to know what you're talking about when you review games. Experience with a given genre is helpful, for instance. The breadth of experience that comes from playing promising titles from other publishers also adds value that you just don't get otherwise. When I started playing Shin Megami Tensei games because I enjoyed Disgaea and SMT: Nocturne interested me enough to warrant a day-one purchase based on my time with the other niche title and my trust in Atlus as a result, the series was nowhere near as popular in North America as it is today and Atlus was barely recognized. Now look at how things have developed. Was I wasting my time when I latched onto Persona 3 and posted one of the first reviews for the North American version that was available online? Obviously not. It later made a list.
	espiga - May 03, 2011 (04:30 PM) Imagine a movie reviewer having not watched Raging Bull,Vertigo or Citizen Kane, instead some arthouse Eastern European movies. I can guarantee you ,you won't find games like Ys Seven or Tales of Vesperia in a Best Games of All Time poll,just like you won't find obscure movies like The Leopard or Rome,Open City in Sight and Sound poll,unless you're Jonathan Rosenbaum, or someone like that. Just out of curiosity ,here are the Top 10 lists of Gamasutra since 2006. How many games out of them have you played ? 2006 5.Elite Beat Agents 4.Okami 3.Gears of War 2.The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 1.Wii Sports 2007 10. Puzzle Quest 9. Pac-Man CE 8. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction 7. Persona 3 6. Crackdown 5. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass 4. Rock Band 3. Super Mario Galaxy 2. BioShock 1. Portal 2008 10. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia 9. Valkyria Chronicles 8. Braid 7. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 6. Persona 4 5. Left 4 Dead 4. No More Heroes 3. LittleBigPlanet 2. World of Goo 1. Fallout 3 2009 10. Retro Game Challenge 9. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War II 8. Plants vs. Zombies 7. The Beatles: Rock Band 6. Flower 5. Batman: Arkham Asylum 4. Left 4 Dead 2 3. Demon's Souls 2. New Super Mario Bros Wii 1. Dragon Age 2010 10. Civilization V 9. Mass Effect 2 8. Minecraft 7. Fallout: New Vegas 6. Rock Band 3 5. StarCraft II 4. Super Mario Galaxy 2 3. Bayonetta 2. Super Meat Boy 1. Red Dead Redemption Your point is now invalid.
	RandomDeath - May 03, 2011 (04:37 PM) Hmm, i'm not a gook-lover,so i don't understand the cryptic allusion.
	espiga - May 03, 2011 (04:42 PM) Hmm, i'm not a gook-lover,so i don't understand the cryptic allusion.
	hmd - May 03, 2011 (04:46 PM) John McCain posts here?
	radicaldreamer - May 03, 2011 (04:47 PM) Crackdown on a top ten list? And you try to use Gamasutra as if they're an authority on the gaming "canon"?
	zigfried - May 03, 2011 (04:52 PM) People who cite lists to 'prove' a point are dumb. People who cite lists they don't even agree with to 'prove' a point are something else altogether. I ban those people. //Zig
	FlatulentFlamboyance - May 03, 2011 (04:56 PM) Crackdown was Jeremy Parish's Game Of The Year 2007,and i can guarantee you he is even more hardcore and has played more niche games that you'll ever play in you boring pathetic life.
	espiga - May 03, 2011 (04:58 PM) Crackdown was Jeremy Parish's Game Of The Year 2007,and i can guarantee you he is even more hardcore and has played more niche games that you'll ever play in you boring pathetic life.
	True - May 03, 2011 (05:08 PM) I love you, Kyle.
	FlatulentFlamboyance - May 03, 2011 (05:09 PM) Simple minds are easily amused.
	espiga - May 03, 2011 (05:13 PM) Simple minds are easily amused.
	True - May 03, 2011 (05:18 PM) Trust me, Flamy. He will not run out of videos. Ever.
	FlatulentFlamboyance - May 03, 2011 (05:20 PM) Like he ran out of biochemical signals from his synapses ?
	espiga - May 03, 2011 (05:23 PM) Like he ran out of biochemical signals from his synapses ?
	zigfried - May 03, 2011 (05:32 PM) I was hoping that people had learned, but apparently not. I'm fed up. FlamboyantFlatulence has been banned for making annoying posts. //Zig
	ThreatNotOver - May 03, 2011 (05:32 PM) Good gooks are dead gooks.
	PatFloydIsFaggot - May 03, 2011 (05:35 PM) Hmmm.
	hmd - May 03, 2011 (05:35 PM)
	RivetingRemembrance - May 03, 2011 (05:38 PM) Good gooks are dead gooks.
	hmd - May 03, 2011 (05:40 PM)
	espiga - May 03, 2011 (05:47 PM)

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