Category: Video Game Musings

How about some fun behind the scenes stories or something? Because I’ve honestly got nothing else to talk about at the moment and if I do, I’m saving it for a later date.

I make no qualms about the fact that I tend to not like my earlier video stuff. Granted, I was just starting off, I was learning what I can, and I was trying to be cute at times… which took a few years for me to get out of that particular habit. So I have no real issue in getting to a point where I want to revisit a game that I covered ages ago and give a fresh new look with a fresh new perspective based on a little more insight.

The other side of that equation is that a lot of those earlier video reviews were basically video versions of what I had written on GameFAQs, only slightly tweaked so that there’s no arbitrary scoring system. Those GameFAQs reviews, written years earlier and with even less quality or care, have not aged well. A lot of those reviews are also not very relevant; if you were to go back and read those reviews, especially those posted in the early 2000s, they do not reflect my feelings on said games today. Something to bare in mind is that those reviews were written quickly and briefly – usually to satisfy some word limit imposed. And during those early days of video posting, YouTube usually imposed a 10-15 minute on how much video you can actually post until said limits were eventually removed. Since those written reviews were short enough to cover the bases, I just used those.

In hindsight, not the smartest idea, but I worked with what I have.

In some strange way, I miss the days when you were only allowed a certain amount of time to upload video. I know people prefer the more longform videos that let you people go into every nook and cranny about stuff, but the video limits often forced you to be creative in how to present your material. It’s easy to run off and talk about a game for hours on end, going into the history of this, this, and that… but to me, a review has always been and quite frankly, should always be about “What’s the product, what are the good points, what are the bad points, and who does this appeal to?”

In terms of that particular scope, it should not take you more than ten to fifteen minutes tops to get those points across. You don’t need an two hour essay to determine whether Mega Man 2 is a good game; that’s being overly superfluous. Hell, even in terms of covering something bigger like an RPG, a straightforward review does not need to be hours on end. Context can be helpful, but all I care about is whether something is worth my investment or not and why. When you had a runtime limit, that forced you to be creative and more cohesive in your thoughts. It forced you to determine what the key points were that people needed to know about something.

That’s something I try to maintain. I don’t dwell into every detail. I try to hit the points that seem relevant, I keep my thoughts as brief as possible – or at least, try to – and I try to keep it short. That’s always been my thing.

So nowadays, I write this stuff on the side. I have a lot of things written and sometimes, I give it space and leave it laying for a bit before going back to it and seeing if there’s anything that needs to be updated. I’ve had reviews that started one way and turned into another. The Symphony Of The Night review – which languished for years – became a thing that was different from its original inception, which was much simpler and much shorter… but apparently, I had a lot to say about that one.

And so, as we dive deeper into this review recycle, there may come a point where earlier reviews are revisited and we might give some of these things another look… sometimes, you revisit things that you thought were bad and years later, you’re like “Maybe I was too hard on this.” Or maybe it’s vice-versa.

Yeah, it’s usually vice-versa.

There’s an idea I’ve been toying with for the October set of reviews – a possible revisit of the Castlevania games, with some added perspective and experience tossed in for good measure. If it doesn’t happen this year, it might be next year. I’m using the time off that isn’t spent dealing with healing and family stuff to get some stuff together for the sake of having stuff ready to go in the event that another episode happens, so at least, there’s SOMETHING going on.

But on a whole… yeah, I’ve been feeling a bit better these days. The struggle continues, but one step at a time.

And on a final note… happy birthday, Dwayne. Go fuck yourself.

Later.