The Video Game Critic

The Video Game Critic

The Video Game Critic main page in 2010.
URL www.videogamecritic.net/
Type of site Video game journalism
Owner David Mrozek
Launched 1999
Alexa rank 253,044[1]
Current status online

The Video Game Critic is a website focused on video-game reviews and run by David Mrozek. It was established in 1999, and is known for featuring comprehensive reviews on many early gaming platforms.[2]

Contents

History

Mrozek, a self proclaimed fan of early platforms such as the Atari 2600 and modern platforms, such as the Nintendo Wii,[3] has been noted as having an "immense" knowledge of gaming.[4] He is by profession a computer programmer, and established Dave's Video Game Reviews in 1999, citing an inspiration from the reviewing format of the website "Tomorrow's Heroes". An early version of his site was primarily text-based, and featured reviews solely on the Atari 2600.[5] The platforms reviewed eventually expanded, and by 2000 the name of the site had changed to The Video Game Critic.[6] The original URL, www.thevideogamecritic.com, was stolen by a gambling website when Mrozek forgot to renew the domain, so the URL was shortened to its current address.[7] Besides being consulted for video game reviews,[8] Mrozek has given advice on setting up video hardware.[3] He has also been referenced in research journals regarding gaming systems,[9][10] appeared in a podcast for RetroGaming,[4] and written for Retrogaming Times.[11]

Reviews

The Video Game Critic contains approximately 3,800 video game reviews spanning across 40 consoles and portables.[6] The site is known for providing information on some of the rarer consoles, such as Astrocade system,[12] as well as being featured on early videogaming platform-specific sites such as AtariAge[13] and MobyGames.[14] It is referred to regarding other classic platforms, such as the NES,[15] Magnavox Odyssey²,[16] Sega Genesis,[17] and ColecoVision,[18] and has been used as a preferred database by contemporaries, such as by Stephen Glicker.[19] It also has been used as a resource for the class "Fundamentals of Game Engine Development" at Westwood College,[20] and as a reference in a thesis for game development.[21] The rating system used by The Video Game Critic is similar to the grading system used by educational institutions, and has a range of "A+" to "F-". One striking difference between many other review sites is that The Video Game Critic rates primarily on the gameplay, or the level of enjoyment. Secondarily, he factors in the games graphics, sound and control, and the length of the review is typically a paragraph.[6] Critiquing the way other review sites tend to dismiss early video games, Mrozek has said "I was also tired of reviewers trashing old games solely because of their antiquated graphics while being totally oblivious to their excellent, timeless gameplay".[6]

In 2003, The Video Game Critic named White Men Can't Jump the "worst video game of all time".[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Videogamecritic.net Site Info". Alexa Internet. Amazon.com. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/videogamecritic.net. Retrieved 24 November 2010. 
  2. ^ Hartlaub, Peter (July 2, 2002). "A crushing disappointment: Mayhem missing from Monster Jam". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/07/02/DD39854.DTL. Retrieved 29 November 2010. 
  3. ^ a b Nobles, Ethan C. (May 9, 2010). "Help! My HDTV set hates my classic video game console!". First Ark: News from the Natural State. http://firstarkansasnews.net/2010/05/help-my-hdtv-hates-my-classic-video-game-console/. Retrieved 21 November 2010. 
  4. ^ a b "RetroGaming with Racketboy Podcast Episode #1". RetroGaming. Racketboy. http://www.racketboy.com/retro/2009/10/retrogaming-with-racketboy-podcast-episode-1.html. Retrieved 21 November 2010. 
  5. ^ "The Video Game Critic". RetroGaming with Racketboy Podcast Episode #1. Racketboy. http://randomracket.com/podcast/racketboy-podcast-0001.mp3. Retrieved 21 November 2010. 
  6. ^ a b c d Mrozek, David. "The Video Game Critic's FAQ". The Video Game Critic. http://www.videogamecritic.net/faq.htm. Retrieved 22 November 2010. 
  7. ^ Mrozek, David. "How My Domain Was Stolen". The Video Game Critic. http://www.videogamecritic.net/stolen.htm. 
  8. ^ Knapp, Linda (December 3, 2003). "Computer tools, toys round out wish list". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/personaltechnology/2001808820_ptgett06.html. Retrieved 21 November 2010. 
  9. ^ Collins, Karen (Spring 2007). "Video Games Killed the Cinema Star: It's Time for a Change in Studies of Music and the Moving Image". Music, Sound, and the Moving Image (Liverpool University Press) 1 (1). doi:10.1353/msm.0.0009. ISSN 1753-0768. http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/music_sound_and_the_moving_image/v001/1.1.collins.pdf. 
  10. ^ Baha, Ehsan; et. al. "Short Cycle Product Creation Processes". http://www.bahase.com/download.php?file=short_cycle_product_creation_processes.pdf. Retrieved 28 November 2010. 
  11. ^ Mrozek, David (June 2009). "How I discovered the secret of Missile Command". Retrogaming Times (Retrogaming Times Monthly) (61). http://www.retrogamingtimes.com/rtm61/. Retrieved 28 November 2010. 
  12. ^ Nobles, Ethan C. (November 13, 2010). "Bally Astrocade — should have been a contender". First Ark: News from the Natural State. http://firstarkansasnews.net/2010/11/bally-astrocade-should-have-been-a-contender/. Retrieved 21 November 2010. 
  13. ^ "Atari 2600 Reviews". AtariAge. http://www.atariage.com/system_reviews.html?SystemID=2600. Retrieved 21 November 2010. 
  14. ^ "Batman: The Video Game". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/batman-the-video-game_/mobyrank. Retrieved 28 November 2010. 
  15. ^ Nobles, Ethan C. (November 26, 2010). "Nintendo Entertainment System — revitalizing the console market". First Ark: News from the Natural State. http://firstarkansasnews.net/2010/11/nintendo-entertainment-system-revitalizing-the-console-market/. Retrieved 28 November 2010. 
  16. ^ Nobles, Ethan C. (November 15, 2010). "Magnavox Odyssey 2 — an ‘also-ran’ with a devoted fan base". First Ark: News from the Natural State. http://firstarkansasnews.net/2010/11/magnavox-odyssey-2-an-also-ran-with-a-devoted-fan-base/. Retrieved 28 November 2010. 
  17. ^ "The Video Game Critic Reviews: James “Buster” Douglas Knockout Boxing (Sega Genesis)". The Video Game Trader. Isadoo Publishing. September 7, 2009. http://www.videogametrader.com/2009/09/07/the-video-game-critic-reviews-james-buster-douglas-knockout-boxing-sega-genesis/. Retrieved 28 November 2010. 
  18. ^ Nobles, Ethan C. (November 21, 2010). "ColecoVision — finally bringing the arcade home?". First Ark: News from the Natural State. http://firstarkansasnews.net/2010/11/colecovision-finally-bringing-the-arcade-home/. Retrieved 28 November 2010. 
  19. ^ Glicker, Steve (June 29, 2005). "Have You Played Atari Today?". Gaming Steve. http://www.gamingsteve.com/archives/classic/?p=4. Retrieved 21 November 2010. 
  20. ^ "SG210: Fundamentals of Game Engine Development". Westwood College. Westwood College Library. http://library.westwood.edu/ico/SG/SG210.html. Retrieved 21 November 2010. 
  21. ^ Chan, Norman (May, 2007). "A Critical Analysis of Modern Day Video Game Audio". Department of Music. University of Nottingham. http://www.gamessound.com/texts/chan.pdf. Retrieved 28 November 2010. 
  22. ^ Haas, Kevin (June 23, 2009). "High Voltage Software takes aim at breaking ground on the Wii". Galesburg Register-Mail. http://www.galesburg.com/entertainment/x931202250/High-Voltage-Software-takes-aim-at-breaking-ground-on-the-Wii. Retrieved 21 November 2010.