3rd official update: November 23rd, 2022

Oh boy, it’s been a while.

While I was pleased to finally hit the halfway point, my pace for posting articles was glacial. I’d go on a run of doing 3 or 4 entries in a week, then have months of inactivity. Consistency is key, I just haven’t figured out a good method or schedule to ensure I don’t suffer from writer’s block.

I think I’m getting better, and it really helps to get sporadic feedback from friends. All of it is positive, some bewilderment. When I haven’t seen a buddy in a while and they ask me how my blog is going I just say “slow and steady.” Emphasis on the slow.

Honestly since it’s been 3 years since my last update, reviews aren’t super fresh in my mind. I think I danced a minefield respectably with my Dragon’s Crown entry. Super Bomberman brought a massive smile to my face. I’m a fan of having buddies write guest posts, and I think Mitch did a great job with Halo: Reach. 

Onward! It’s bizarre that my last update was before the pandemic. Here we are, in late 2022 and we’re just recently getting back to normal. You’d think being stuck inside for a year plus would have led to a record number of posts, but I suppose other things occupied my time. I’m pleased with my top 10 articles and 2022 should be an interesting one. I think a skill I want to try for future personal development is making gifs. Static pictures don’t exactly display games at their best and I think I could draw readers in more if they saw exactly what I saw.

As I get further up the list, the games get better and, theoretically, easier to write about. Here we go!

Thanks for reading.

-Henry

2nd official update: November 24th, 2019

I couldn’t have done this yesterday?

Another two years have passed since my last official update. It’s a bit disappointing that my progress has slowed on an already glacier-paced project. I managed 100 entries in my first two years, this time I’m down to 72. If I’m ever going to finish this, I’ll need to ensure I maintain my discipline in terms of doing an entry a week.

Typically though, that doesn’t happen. Some games, no matter how much I enjoyed them, leave me stuck. Either I go on vacation and lose momentum, or I just can’t think of anything to say. Complete writer’s block. I thought as I got higher on the list it would become more enjoyable to write entries, and that’s true for the most part. But some titles really stumped me; I couldn’t get going on Nintendo Land for the longest time. Hearthstone, Team Fortress 2 and a few others were infuriating to get done. They exist in a weird gray area – good enough to be highly rated, but still a long way from me claiming them as one of my favorites.

Still, not all is lost. I find I’m happier with the general writing quality as I take more time to edit and be mindful of intricacies of the game. I visited a lot of pleasant memories and even had my first bit of help with an article – Eric shared some of his thoughts on F-Zero X, and a sample of his guitar sampling from the soundtrack should be up shortly.

I wish I was more creative with some entries. I loved how Fallout 4‘s review turned out, and I think I went into appropriate depth with Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. I mostly cobbled Folklore’s review from my Snackbar days and I’m glad I did. It’s such a fun game to write about.

I’m hoping slow and steady wins the race, but I also have to remember the goal was to not necessarily to finish – the goal is to improve my writing skills, keep up with the latest games in the Top 10 and, most importantly, have fun.

Thanks for reading.

-Henry

1st official update: November 23rd, 2017

Hard to believe I started the 500 nearly two years ago. It’s been the most challenging project I’ve worked on from a writing standpoint in every regard; it’s difficult to be original, it’s difficult to remain disciplined, it’s difficult not having a good editor (somebody other than myself, I mean), it’s difficult to look ahead knowing that I have 400 games to go.

But 100 are down. And that’s not bad.

It can be really fun, too. I haven’t promoted the site heavily so I shouldn’t be too surprised at my low views, but the feedback I have received has been largely positive and motivates me to keep going.

Look for my next Top 10 around the end of January. I like to give myself a little bit of extra time and let the dust settle, unlike most media outlets that have things like a staff, a budget and experience. Minor details.

Some entries I’m really happy with. Aladdin, Cool Spot, Nidhogg and Tales of Zestiria turned out great. But it’s not always the case – some posts I’m not proud of, no matter how much I edit. I try my hardest to stay away from being dull, bland and repetitive but some games on here don’t give me any choice. They may have made the list, but they didn’t leave enough of an impression on me to dive any deeper. C’est la vie.

I can’t thank you all enough for reading, even if it’s just one post. If I stir something in your little nook of gaming memories, get a chuckle out of you, or an outraged exclamation that your favorite game is nowhere near the top, then I’m pleased. If I haven’t succeeded in eliciting any of those out of you, then I have more work to do.

Thanks for reading.

-Henry

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This page is purely for entertainment purposes only and any and all opinions are just those – opinions. Please contact me with any questions or feedback at dollerz@gmail.com

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