In which I discuss my obvious qualifications to be a game reviewer

[ObliqueRed]

For some time now, I've been thinking to myself, "Self, you should really stop playing video games and do the laundry before you have to show up to work in your wedding dress." But then I completely reject such a silly idea! Hah Hah! Why would I do something so frivolous as laundry when I could focus on becoming a minor internet celebrity through writing REVIEWS of some of the (many) games I play?

Also, that way my friends and family will stop hiding behind the couch when I come over because they are so sick of hearing about whatever it is I'm playing this week.

So, reviews! I shall write some. But before I get started I thought we should do a little expectation setting. After all, how can you know if you're likely to agree with my opinions of games unless you know what I do and don't like to play?

So- things about me:

1) I'm female. This seems pretty normal to me, but apparently is still something of a novelty in that I actually started playing games long BEFORE the Wii came out. But I have a problem with the games that are supposedly "for women" when actually they are just "about dresses" or "covered in glittery pink princess crap and unicorns." Final Fantasy X2, I'm looking at YOU. But on the flipside, I have no problems with games that are genuinely cute, or even about dresses, as long as they're honest about it and also FUN TO PLAY.
2) I play in cycles. I will go three months playing little to nothing and then get in the gaming mood and put in four hours a day and 12 on the weekends. That's just the way I roll.
3) I like games that rely on my brain as much as if not more than my thumbs. Sims, strategy, RPGs, puzzles, and adventure games always have a chance with me. Action-adventure, platformers, side-scrollers, and arcade games do too, but only if they've got originality or art direction or humor or SOMETHING to grab my attention. Shooters, fighting games, and other twitchfests, not so much. Sports games, ditto.
4) I flirt with MMORPGs from time to time but the monthly fees always make me quit within a few months, because as soon as I hit a low game period (see #2) I start feeling guilty about wasting the money. Plus, don't they seem kind of, I dunno, worky to you? If I get a second job, I at least want a paycheck or some free lattes or SOMETHING.
5) I'm cheap. So unless I start getting sent review copies of things, I'll mostly be reviewing older games, or retro games, or "Greatest Hits" titles, or whatever, because I don't usually buy a game until the price drops at least twice unless it's something I am absolutely sure will be worth it.
6) I calculate value in terms of "entertainment hours per dollar" so I love games that are either quite long or have a lot of replay value.

So... that's it, really. That's what you can expect from me. My first review will follow fairly soon. It was going to be Psychonauts, but I'm holding off on that until I at least play the infamous suicide-inducing last level; so instead, I'm going to review one of my few "buy it new" titles and give you my take on Professor Layton and the Curious Village.

[RoxofSpazhouse]

I to game in cycles. For us women cycles rule our world.

Will you be reviewing hand held games? For me that is the way to game. I am a lazy electronic gamer. A handheld game such as Puzzle Quest on the DS is a simple game you can pick up and put down.

I just feel I can not invest time into electronic roleplaying. Tabletop is a different matter since it means getting together with my friends sharing snacks.

I have tried WOW with a Skype hookup. That worked fine but if no one was around then I would get bored. You are right about the work thing. In WOW I wanted intrigue and not trying to find ingredients for some weird pie that sounds gross.

Good for you on doing gaming on the cheap. Let the fan boys give money to the companies.

Well game on.

[ObliqueRed]

I usually try to delay my gaming cycle by enough that I'm ready for the new releases after they've come down in price. Generally, I'll pay $20 for a game I want, $30 for a game I really want, but more than that - well, I have to be DESPERATE to get it to go up to $40, unless it comes with a peripheral (like Guitar Hero or one of the Wii games that comes with a controller.) It helps that I love games like Final Fantasy, because you can easily spend 150 hours + doing all the sidequests and getting the legendary weapons and such, and by the time you've tapped that vein, there's another one been out for six months. :)

As for the handheld - I will indeed! I should have included the platforms that I will review for (the ones I have):

Nintendo Wii (and Gamecube)
Nintendo DS (and GBA)
Playstation 2 (and Playstation 1)
XBox
PC (but not bleeding-edge PC)
And I'll probably do some retro reviews from time to time, mostly for the NES and Super NES.

[RoxofSpazhouse]

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Hack_a_Nintendo_DS_to_Make_an_Awesome_Digital_Sketchbook

Here is a cool hack found on Wired.