Game Reviews - a short disclaimer

I play PC games a lot from 1996 to around 2003 after my degree. Most of them obviously found their way to the recycle bin (or virtual trash can) but many survive in the memories of truly fulfilling gaming time and was surely time well-spent. Many lesser gems spend their lifetime never quite making it to the top of their genre; some mediocre ones richly deserve their also-ran reputation but quite a lot of uncut diamonds are left unnotived and may slip further into oblivion. Some issues I'll discuss in this forum here:-

1. To provide a sometimes biased view on games (specifically PC) which I believe was not receiving enough attention. I don't mean to prove anything and don't need to go all out to do so, but a little knowledge goes a long way.

2. I don't profess to ace every game I set my hands on, but rather mastery of the game techniques and sufficient grasp on getting to the full potential every gamer is entitled to. I suck at most games and never liked Warcraft III and its other spawn. I don't review MMORPGs as they are not my type of games which I enjoy playing with.

3. For IP (intellectual property) rights with regards to the screenshots used in the game, I only use the screenshot feature if allowed/enabled by default in the game and not the common technique of taking a screenshot via the usual method. So all screenshots are legal and are squeaky clean.

4. Where the accuracy of the information portrayed is slightly off tangent, I take responsibilty for the inaccuracies and will only take effort in rectifying them if it leads to making sense in doing it.

5. Unlike most other blogs which shoot out the warning NOT to take its contents seriously, I urge you to read the contents with a degree of honest effort. After all, why bother doing something if you're not serious about it. They probably meant not to get all worked up and emotional over their issues, but then again; if the issues discussed are bound to start a fire, then a conscious effort to tone it down should have been done. Or at least complain to someone who would care to listen to them.

6. I don't advocate software piracy, so buy original and stick to it. It'll be money well-spent and give the programmers and other parties involved their paycheck which they deserve. How'd you accept the fact that you've worked your ass off and expected a paycheck at the end of the month only for the employers to screw up their finances and take off pronto without reimbursing your coffers. I'm not being naive here, but a little thoughtfulness will ensure that the people who produce these games have something to work for.

7. The system which I've tested the games has been outdated for 3 years but still possess a useful 128MB video RAM for some nifty and neat graphics eyecandy. Where possible, the screenshots are of the best quality my system can milk out. If it doesn't reflect the best that the software engine is capable of, try it out on your own.

8. Certain patches/mods and other add-ons might be available for certain titles of which I may not be aware of, or that I've refused to endorse due to certain circumstances which do not permit.

9. I can breach certain technical issues or some game hints in these reviews, but as a 1-man team, sometimes this can fall short.

10. Most importantly, do try out the software which I recommend. Since I don't benefit financially from these efforts, you've got nothing to lose. Some cost a fraction of what they were originally priced at while others are probably freeware.

I'll start passing reviews soon.


Ik hou van Oranje,
ArturV