How my reviews work

As I begin writing my first "review," I figure I should give some explanation as to how I will go about reviewing games. First of all, I have precious little of both spare time, and spare money, so don't expect reviews to be prompt or plentiful. I will review what I have, when I have it, and when I have time for it. Sorry, but unless someone plans on hiring me to write about video games exclusively (PLEASE?!), that's how it's got to be.

Secondly, my reviews will be delivered in three parts:

1) First impression — First impressions are the most important, especially with video games. If you're not pulled into a game immediately, chances are you'll put it away in favor of more interesting games. In my case, first impressions help me determine if a game was worth the purchase or not. Here I'll let you know how excited I am (or am not) about continuing a game after the first hour or so.

2) Extended Play — Once the initial novelty (if there is any) has worn off, you hope the game continues to provide an engaging and original experience. In this section I'll give you an idea of how much the game has held my interest, and how eager I am (for better or for worse) to reach the conclusion.

3) Final Thoughts — You've poured x monetary units and y hours into a game. If you're really lucky, it was a memorable and enjoyable experience to which you'll want to return soon. If you're really unlucky, you'll wish you hadn't rescheduled that root canal your dentist recommended so you'd have more time and money for gaming. While I can't tell you what you'd like, per se, I can tell you whether I thought it was worth my precious resources, and if I feel it's worth a repeat play-through.

I've got a couple of partial reviews in the works right now, so stay tuned!