The Biggest Game Project on this Planet

The Beginning & The Rules

Yes! It is finally here! My First Blog!
Join me, will you not, as I partake in the Biggest Game Project of all time (until someone else with more games decides to imitate me. I know you're watching!).
I will play through my entire collection of video games (223) in Alphabetical order!

What's that? "Loser!" I hear you shout? Well screw you! At least I'm not here to read about it!
Since this is such a fantastically unique project many many people (1) advised me to keep a blog of my experiences during this harsh project, so here it is! Completely Free!

Unfortuntaly, I started this project around the end of july 2004, so I've already progressed a little. I'm, currently working through Dark Chronicle (PS2) and Dino Crisis (PSX).
I won't dig back in my memory for all the sh*t I've played before, so you'll just have to live with that. But starting today YOU too, can enjoy reading about some lame-ass playing video games all day long! And who said a college education would lead nowhere!?

Refer to "The Big List" in the links section to see my entire collection.
All scores I gave are up to date up to the letter D, other titles have scores that are based on recollection and are very likely to change.



Let me lay down the rules here:

- All games I own will be played through in Alphabetical order, regardless of system.

- Order of publication overrules order of alphabet. So Chrono Trigger comes before Chrono Cross. Note that this is Publication I'm talking about, not order of story.
For instance, I will play Xenogears before Xenosaga, even though story-wise, Xenosaga comes first.

- When playing through a series I will allow myself to skip all other entries in a series while working on one, to continue with other games, to prevent myself from having to play the same kind of game every free moment I have. So, when I start playing FF4, I can skip 5,6,7,8,9,X and X-2 to move on.

- I am of course also allowed to skip games when circumstances don't allow me to play them, e.g. if I've lent them to a friend, or if it turns out they don't work properly anymore. (Some of the games I own are rather old, and don't come with boxes, so it is possible that some don't function too well anymore).

- I don't want to make it too easy on myself either, so any collection games (like Super Mario Collection (SNES) and Mega Man Collection (GC) will be played FULLY. I am allowed to substitute one or more of the games on the collection by their separate counterparts if I own them for other systems though.

- In the event that I buy a new game that comes in the alphabet before the game I'm currently playing, then everything will be put aside to let the new game go first.

- I will only play games of which I own the ORIGINALS. No pirated copies or ROMs.
Owning the booklet or the case is not a prerequisite, as long as I have the actual official CD/DVD/Cartridge


Now let me try to explain something regarding my score system, although it's largely arbitrary :S

- I judge games mostly on fun and playability. Frustration is something that guarantees low scores. It's good when a game is challenging, but many MANY games rely on cheap methods of difficulty and I do not condone that. People play games to have fun and be entertained. I don't want to shell out over 50 Euro's to get the shit annoyed out of me. I have cable TV for that.

- Mediocre games can redeem themselves by excelling in story or presentation. I don't mean that pretty graphics or a good soundtrack can save the game (although it helps!), I mean that originality, player-friendliness, good interface and a well though out story can make something better of a game that does not excell in the gameplay department.

- Reward is very important. I HATE having to go through a lot of trouble to get absolutely NOTHING in return. I'm talking about taking lengthy side-roads to find one treasure chest with a potion in it. Also, Games should reward skill and exploration, not punish incapability or people who just want to play for the story or something.
I'm particularly talking about games like Breath of Fire V that are ROCKHARD and then fuck you royally in the ass in the extremely likely event that you die before the end, by taking away basically anything that you had.

- Variation, multiple routes, multiple endings are good. Linearity is bad. But not always. ;)

On Scoring:

No, this is not a guide to making yourself popular with the ladies! Geez, I have to explain everything to you, don't I? Eediot!
No, this is just a brief explanation to what the grades mean, in general, easy to understand terms.

0 ~ 5,5 = Ranging from Atrocious to Just Don't Bother. A 5,5 means it's on the very thin line between total crap and only barely playable.

5,5 ~ 6 = Barely playable. Chances are you'll hate it, but it has some things that you might enjoy, if only for the novelty value.

6 ~ 7 = Very Mediocre. You'll only want to check this out if you're a die-hard, hardcore fan of the genre, or perhaps the series. Otherwise, don't bother.

7 ~ 8 = Decent, not bad by any means, but not enough to totally grip you. Can also be a good game with too many tiny flaws.

8 ~ 9 = Great Stuff. Worth checking out if you ever get the chance. Not made of pure gold, but definitely one of the better games in the genre. In fact, if you like the genre, don't miss out on this.

9 ~ 9.5 = Excellent. If you're a fan of the genre, play this game. You probably already have. Even if you're not a fan of the genre, it's highly likely you'll enjoy this. Only minor flaws stop if from being perfect.

9.5 ~ 10 = Play this or DIE. Really. If you're consciously avoiding this game, you NEED TO DIE. For the greater good. If you don't like this game, you have no taste or sense whatsoever, and you should again die. Doesn't matter if you like the genre, you WILL like this game. You have to play it, it's classic all over.
It's perfection in a cartridge/CD. There may be some extremely tiny flaws, but only if you're nitpicky and bitchy. Play this NOW. Bitch.

posted by Ingen! @ 9:24 PM