New MAME / Arcade games blog (Ratings and other stuff)

[pinzach]

Started a new blog about MAMEing a couple of weeks ago.  I've got my favorite games by genre, Games of the Day (every day), links to other good stuff, polls, etc...  You get the picture.

Hopefully those into MAME can find a hidden gem they may have not previously discovered and those new to MAME can have a jumping off point for games to try.

Check it out if you want at....

http://mamezach.blogspot.com/

Today I added my list of the top Miscellaneous Shooters... (and, of course, today's game of the day).

Thanks,

PZ

[Donkbaca]

Just one suggestion:  Ditch the rating system, the graphics/sound/etc. don't really matter, especially considering the different eras, what was considered awesome graphics in 1986 would be considered crap in 1996, things like that are hard to compare across eras.  The only thing that really matters is gameplay. Simplify it and just rate how fun it is to play, and talk about what makes the game fun, that could incorporate things like music/sound/graphics. 

Putting out a chart, you are really trying to look objective, when really its all subjective.  The only thing that matters at the end is one question "is it fun?" answer that question and you have the reader's attention.

[pinzach]

I appreciate your point and it is hard to compare (especially old vs new), however I'm a total numbers guy, so I like to rate stuff.  In the end, I'm not really trying to compare graphics from '81 to something from '95, I'm just looking at the graphics of any given game and deciding whether I like them a lot and if they fit well and contribute to my enjoyment of the game.  It is also a way for me to distinguish what reasons contribute to why I like the games so much... Some games have great graphics and mediocre game play and some are the opposite.  Thanks for the input.

Galaga and Tempest have simplistic graphics, but I still love how they look 30 years later...  Do they compare to Gunbird 2???  Apples and oranges.  I take them both for what they are.

PZ

http://mamezach.blogspot.com/

[Donkbaca]

Yeah, I get that, I am just saying that I look at your site, I see all these numbers next to a game, and then there is some overall some of the numbers, but there is no rating for the really the only thing that matters - a "fun factor"

Take for example one of my favorite MAME games - Pigskin football 621 A.D.  Graphics are average, gameplay is overly simplistic, sound is nothing to take notice of, etc.  From a ratings standpoint its pretty mediocre, but its pretty fun to play.  Its cool you have these different buckets, it just takes away from the most important point, and really the main goal of what you are trying to accomplish - trying to tell people which games are fun to play.

[Gray_Area]

Alternatively, you could go here.

[pinzach]

Added a new list of my favorite games today...  Best Miscellaneous games.

http://mamezach.blogspot.com/