First update

Hey all this is my first foray into the wonderful world of blogging.

My primary interest is videogames so thus it's only natural that this is a videogame blog. Aside from featuring reviews of titles both old & new I also want to look at the amazing world of game design. 

Game design can mean anything to anyone. This blog will look at my interpretation of the subject. To me game design is about identity. This pursuit of identity is the most aspect of a videogame. Certainly games should be fun and challenging, maybe even make you think. However without identity there is little reason to play different games because one would simply play the best one and leave the rest. Granted I'll consistently point to games that I consider to be the best designed but that does not mean they should be a template for all future titles. Instead what one should take away from all this is the importance of creating an identity and developing it properly so the player can understand and enjoy the game.

Important aspects that are paramount to developing a good game will also be discussed in this blog. There are many tools and small instances that don't seem like much but they are worth noting and explaining as they can add quite a bit to the experience. 

Unfortunately due to my limited means I typically won't be able to refer to a well-constructed playthrough to explain every facet of a game. Thankfully most of the games discussed in this blog are affordable and readily available if one is interested in following along.

For starters I'd recommend the following:

Taito Legends 2 (Playstation 2) - $12.99 new or $6.99 used at Gamespot. Can be found elsewhere for similar prices

Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (Playstation 3, Xbox 360) - $29.99 new though it should be easy to find for $20 or less used.

A PC purchased within the last 6 or 7 years.

Of course as this blog progresses the chance exists that I'll look at games that are on relatively unpopular systems but chances are if you're reading this blog you already own them and possibly the respective game I'm discussing so don't worry too much about it.

With all of this in mind the first game I'll be looking at is the Taito shooter Metal Black (which is available on Taito Legends 2). Check back soon for the update.