New stuff on the way

Just experimenting with putting my reviews up top so I can still add new blog posts. Trying to find the right javascript code to make it appear when you click it. So far no such luck.

Coming soon, a story I wrote back at primary school. :)

Game Reviews

Hey guys, I won't really be writing on this blog for the time being, as I'm busy helping out writing for ButtonMasher. Though I will keep this post at the top of the blog and keep it updated, showing all the reviews I've done (most recent at the top).

2010 Reviews
January 25 - Dark Void via ButtonMasher

2009 Reviews
December 1 - Encleverment Experiment via ButtonMasher
November 24 - Plants vs. Zombies via ButtonMasher User Blogs
November 4 - Tales of Monkey Island: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood via ButtonMasher
October 25 - South Park: Let's Go Tower Defense Play! via ButtonMasher
October 22 - Lucidity via ButtonMasher
September 30 - Tales of Monkey Island: Lair of the Leviathan via ButtonMasher
September 27 - Dissidia: Final Fantasy via ButtonMasher
September 21 - Batman: Arkham Asylum via Salient
August 24 - Tales of Monkey Island: The Siege of Spinner Cay via ButtonMasher
August 11 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time: Re-Shelled via ButtonMasher
August 5 - Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures - Episode 4: The Boegy Man via ButtonMasher
July 9 - Tales of Monkey Island - Episode 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal via ButtonMasher
June 24 - Lode Runner via Xbox Forums (Winner!)
March 30 - Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned via Salient

2008 Reviews
December 18 - Gears of War 2 via Xbox Forums (Winner!)
September 15 - Army of Two via Salient
September 1 - Guitar Hero III via Salient
August 4 - The Simpsons Game via Salient
July 8 - Everybody's Golf 2 via ButtonMasher
May 19 - Grand Theft Auto IV via Salient
May 12 - Stuntman: Ignition via Salient
April 7 - Burnout Paradise via Salient

Opinion
October 18 - The Digital Distribution Take Over via ButtonMasher User Blogs

new direction

I've been thinking of a new direction for this blog and I have decided to split it up into two blogs:

One for personal posts which is at www.mriceguy.blogspot.com

&

the games blog at www.thatgamer.wordpress.com (www.thatgamer.com also directs there)

I'll see if I can come up with an interesting name for my personal blog, instead of just Mriceguy's blog!

my xbox 360 has a blog

Now my Xbox 360 has its own blog!

http://www.360voice.com/tag/Michael%20Gray

Seriously, this is some weird stuff right here... your xbox blogs about you!

there's not much on my page right now, so check out Jeff Gerstmann's!

http://www.360voice.com/tag/Gamespotting



*Michael*

procrastination

Isn't procrastination one of the most annoying things in the world?? Once you put something off just a couple of times, it's extremely hard to go back. It's like this invisible force, a propellor blowing you in the opposite direction. So you find something else to do. This happens to be a case with reviewing games on this blog. I do enjoy writing reviews don't get me wrong. There's just this pressure in that other people will be reading what I have to say. I want each review to be perfect. But perfection is impossible and ultimately I can't do impossible. Someway, somehow, I will have to get over it...

Until next time,
Michael

100!

100!

I have had 100 readers since my decision to go game-centric. Thanks to you all for dropping by. Remember that this blog is a work in progress, I am new to the whole blogging scene. You can leave comments, suggestions, whatever just using the link below each post.

Happy gaming everyone ! :)

reviews coming soon

I will try to finish a game before I make a review. Of course games these days don't just come with a simple story mode, theres unlockable extras, online multiplayer, the list goes on.

And I'm playing quite a few games a the moment from all over the place! So get ready for...

PS2
The Warriors
Shadow of the Colossus
Gran Theft Auto: San Andreas

N64!!!
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Xbox 360
Halo 3
Stuntman: Ignition

I'm still unsure if I should write a review for Ratchet and Clank: Locked and Loaded, the second game in the Ratchet series, after playing the first one not too long ago...

If you have a preference of what game you want to see first, give me a shout out, and post a comment below :)

my scoring system

So with my Ratchet and Clank review coming soon, and more reviews on the way, I thought now would be a good time to share the scoring system I will be using.

As most gamers already know, there are a number of scoring systems already out there on the net, GameSpot and IGN being the most well known. And what those systems usually use are several ratings for each part of the game, for graphics, sound, gameplay etc. But this is no use to anyone, as games come in all sorts of different styles. For example, Singstar's graphics do not measure up to God of War. And it does not need to, because the graphics suit the game's purpose.

So my scoring system has a single number out of ten that will give an overview of the game's overall quality. Remember to read the full review though, the score is just an indication.


(1) Shocking
Avoid playing this game at all costs!

(2) Awful
Don't waste your time.

(3) Bad
This game is just not fun to play.

(4) Poor
There's something making this game even less than mediocre.

(5) Okay
There are a number of issues with this game that prevent it from being recommended.

(6) Good
A fun game, although not spectacular.

(7) Great
An enjoyable experience.

(8) Awesome
A recommended title, it entertains well.

(9) Amazing
One of the few out there, a must-play.

(10) Perfect
This game is absolute perfection. Go buy it now!

EDIT: I am no longer going to use a scoring system to rate games due to the explanation above. Games and other media like music and film, you really just can't put a number on them.

game journalism

From this day forward, I will be centering this blog around the games industry, including important news, game reviews and more. And occasionally you will still see some pieces here and there about me. My goal is to grow a reader base so more people can learn through a kiwi's insight into the world's fastest growing entertainment, video games.

So the reason behind this change is that I've had a sudden realization. Since 12 years old I've wanted to be a video games programmer/designer. And I've just been so focused on getting that job and nothing else, that I've blocked out all the other billions of opportunities there are. After my first year courses in computer science, I found programming extremely boring, unsatisfying and difficult. Now why would you waste your life doing something you don't love? I know that university costs money and I still have to pay off my student loan. But it's better to use up one year, than many more down the track. My deep gratitude goes towards Robin Sharma and Steve Pavlina, for helping me realize this.

Now moving forward, I still love video games, don't worry! I've been paying attention to game journalism for a while now, reading reviews, news, video features, podcasts etc. but I never considered doing that for myself, until now. I've always had a passion for writing. And what could be better for me than playing video games and writing about them! Game journalists are needed more and more, now that games are becoming entertainment of choice. My big career goal now is to get a job at a New Zealand game magazine (eg. The Game Console) or website (eg. nzgamer.com). So this blog and these reviews will be a great way to train myself up. And also to stop the Sony Bias , I will hopefully go out and get a Xbox 360 soon. Even with the PlayStation 3 at $799 now, I have to stop myself from getting one one just yet... LittleBigPlanet isn't out until next year!

Because I'm still playing a whole lot of PlayStation 2 games I haven't had a chance to play yet, I will be reviewing some older games to begin with. If you've missed out on some old games, here's your chance to see if you should really go back for them. I will also have my own, "Michael Gray's Game Scoring System" (name pending!).

So, Ratchet and Clank (2002) review, coming soon!

Queries, questions?

holidays

well holidays are over now... i really have so much i want to write and i know that i can write whatever and always edit it later but for some reason i feel as if i need to enough time to write it good enough the first edit!

Hopefully when i get back into the swing of things with uni starting again tomorrow i can write some new posts, especially about poverty and the No More Excuses campaign...
www.nomoreexcuses07.org
www.nomoreexcuses07.bebo.com

comments

i've finally turned on comments for anyone. so feel free to post anonymous tips or... well, comments!

the future of 'there'

I'm looking forward to using this site more frequently... writing is always a good way to get your ideas straight!