NGR Blog Update

Today Netto's Game Room underwent one of our first major updates. From this day forward, NGR will now be integrated with our Google + page, and will be able to make use of Google + features.

On the surface, the blog hasn't changed at all. We will continue operating the way we always have, the site will still work the same, anyone who subscribed to us via Google, Email, or RSS feed will still receive updates, and you can still comment on blog posts as a Blogger member or as a guest. This aspect of the blog is still the same, and will not be changing anytime soon; however, if you're a member of Google +, some things will be different.

Now that NGR is linked with Google +, you have the option to comment with your Google + profile, you can easily +1 and share posts with your friends, and you can also use our  +Netto's Game Room to keep track of us. Since the site is now integrated with our + page, blog posts go live there the moment they are published on the blog. Before there was a gap between our publish time and our share time simply due to the fact we had to do it by hand, but this is no longer an issue. Publishing is almost instant, and it makes it easier for everyone.

Besides the Google + integration, a few other minor changes were made as well. New tags were added to our review list for games only released in specific regions, and we also made a minor update to our contact page. For quite awhile now we have been getting contacted by game developers asking if we would support their games. While we were more than happy to show our support, we never really had anything explaining if we would do this sort of thing or not. Well, we have now added a section to do just this. As explained under contact, Netto's Game Room is always more than happy to show our support for the gaming industry. If you are a game developer who would like to promote your game, or have us review one of your games; we are more than happy to do so.

Other than these updates, a few others are in the works as well. Just lately I (NettoSaito) was asked to be a writer for Answers.com, and I accepted. What this means is, soon some new blog posts will become Answer.com exclusive, and they will be linked to via our other social channels (such as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr on top of Google +). While this will not have a major impact on our main page, it will draw more traffic towards the blog as all Answer.com articles will link back to here. We also have a few other updates in the works, but at this time I am unable to comment on them.

Anyway, thank you guys for reading, and if you'd like to check out our new Google + comment system, feel free to do so!

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Netto's Game Room - Games of the Year Coming Soon

Every year here at Netto's Game Room we have always done our version of the "Game of the Year" award. At the end of each year/during the beginning of the new year, each writer takes their time to look back at all of the games released over the past year, and then they choose one to be their top game to discuss.

While normally our reviews and articles tend to stay on the "professional" side of things, our Game of the Year posts are actually quite a bit different. They are articles on the personal level, where we each get to state our opinions and our opinions alone. They are not reviews, and they are not articles to talk you into playing the games, they are our own personal feelings, and they will be very informal.

As of right now there is no time frame for when these articles will go live. Each writer is free to publish them at anytime, but I can say that it will be awhile before mine goes live. I still have a lot I need to take care of, and I am unsure of when I will have the free time to actually write the article. On top of that I also have a few reviews in the works which I would personally like to publish very soon, but time just won't allow it.

On another note, the Tumblr, Google +, and Facebook pages will go back into full swing very soon. The tragic loss of my uncle has put a stop to things for awhile, but I will get things up and running again very soon. I'm sorry that we had to semi-shut down, but I would like to thank you all for understanding.

Well, until next time guys... And thanks again.

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About NettoSaito

Before we move on with this blog, I felt that I should explain just who I am. Now I know there's an "About me" tab to the right of the page, but I figured that writing a post to explain everything would be a bit more personal. So anyway, lets get started.

About Me:

As I said before I'm "NettoSaito!" In real life I'm actually a CAD Drafter, but online just about everyone knows me as a video game freak. You see I've been playing video games ever since I was 1 1/2 years old, way back when I got my very first NES. Although I wasn't very good at games back then, I still remember sitting there in front of the TV trying to make my way through the original Super Mario Bros, as well as quite a few other games (such as Top Gun, Rampage, Punch Out, etc...) Ever since that day I have been a major video game fan, and I have been collecting video games ever since.

Jump ahead 20 years, and now here we are today. Currently I own just about every system out there (NES, SNES, N64, GCN, Wii, Wii U, GBC, GBA, GBA SP, DS, DSi, 3DS, PS1, PSOne, PS2, PS3, PSP, PS Vita, Sega DreamCast, Xbox 360), and I have also played just about every major game series. Really I'm always on the look out for new games to try out, and I also love to play them "hidden gems" that most people haven't heard about as well. The truth is there's thousands of video games out there, and a lot of the time a lot of the good news end up becoming unknown games. The way I see it, most of us only have about 100 years to live, and before that time comes for me, I want to play as many of them as possible!

My Review Style:

Now if you haven't already read one of my reviews yet (which are also published on quite a few other websites), then let me explain my review style. You see the thing about reviewing anything is that EVERYONE has their own personal opinions, and them opinions are normally what make it into their reviews. If someone hates a game, it'll get a bad rating, but if someone loves it, it'll get a good one! This is the standard pattern you'll see with just about every review out there, and it's also the pattern I try to avoid as much as possible! Yep you heard me right!

The thing a lot of people don't understand about video games is that everyone likes different types of games. While one person may be a die hard platformer fan, they might actually hate games such as first person shooters; now, how do you think that platformer fan would review a game like Call of Duty? Chances are they would give the game a bad rating, and tell everyone to stay away from it at all costs right? I mean it isn't a platformer, so how could it be a good game right? Well, that really isn't the case. Now I'm not saying all reviewers out there are like this, but I'm sure a lot of you have seen it time and time again. So, what do I do differently?

Every time I review a game, I look at the game itself. I don't judge the game based on if its the type of game I like or not, but rather how it's designed, what content it has to offer, and how enjoyable it might be to play. Just because I hate a game type, doesn't mean there aren't people out there who will love it, and it also doesn't mean it is a bad game. For the most part I try to keep my personal opinions of how I feel about that game out of my reviews, and I always try to give them a fair ratings.

A really good example of this for me would be a game like Sonic Colors. Now let me go ahead and get this out of the way, but yes, I am a fan of the Sonic series; however I really haven't liked any of the games in a long time. In my opinion, Sonic Colors really isn't that great of a game, and it wasn't the revival of the series for me. I didn't care for the level design, didn't care for the story, I didn't like the power ups, the way Sonic moved annoyed me, and nothing really stood out to me to make this one of them must have games; however that ISN'T what I would say in a review.

The truth is, Sonic Colors is actually a well designed game, and there's a lot of people out there who would enjoy it. The music is nice, the graphics look nice, the power up system is a pretty cool idea, the controls are actually pretty solid, the story isn't bad for a kids game, and the game is loaded with content! Really if you're a platformer fan, or a Sonic fan, Colors is a game I would recommend trying out. Sure you might not like it, but there's also a pretty good chance that you'll fall in love with it. It's a solid entry in the series, and a pretty big improvement over Unleashed in a lot of ways. Still if you're not a fan of this type of game, you should stay far away from it.

See? That's what I'm talking about. You always have to keep in mind that EVERYONE likes different things, and you should keep that in mind as well. Just because I say a game is amazing, it doesn't mean you'll actually like the game, and that's why I also always try to explain games in as much detail as possible. Since my reviews are in fact written reviews, you really can't see what the game is actually like; you have to be able to paint that picture on your own based off of what I told you. If a game review sounds like it's something you would like, then chances are you'll like it, but if the review talks about aspects of a game you hate, then chances are you'll hate it. Game ratings are simply numbers, and I believe you should always go off of how you feel rather than what someone else thinks.

Closing:

Well anyway that about does it for this post! If you guys have any questions please leave a comment below, but if not I guess I'll see you all again later! Who knows, maybe we'll meet again somewhere off site! I'm quite active on quite a few gaming forums out there after all!

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