In some ways this is a follow up to my last Evening Topic where we discussed fanboyism. Everything from films to plays gets reviewed in some form or another and video games are, of course, no exception. But video game reviews have a tendency to stir up a lot of controversy, especially among fans of certain games.

Not only are reviews a source of fanboy rage, there’s also a strange eschewment of the review system in general. Certain sites and publications seem almost too soft on games, rarely giving out anything less than a 6/10 while other sites and publications are deemed too hard, rarely giving out their highest grade. So I ask:

- Do you consider certain sites/magazines’ reviews to be more professional than others’?

- Have you ever read a review you absolutely disagreed with, even if you respected the source of the review?

- How much playtime should go into a review?

- Does a game need to be finished in order to be reviewed properly?

It seems to me like we’re living in the age of nostalgia, where many of us are almost constantly looking back to what we remember as a golden age of gaming, when all the games were great and no one was shouting “noob” at us from across an internet connection. The Xbox Live Arcade has slowly built up a library of remakes, reboots and upgrades of old arcade classics like Asteroids, Centipede, Pac-Man and Galaga.

Another such title just released is Qix++, an improved version of the old arcade game from 1981. Originally released by Taito, the point of Qix (pronounced /kɪks/) according to Wikipedia, is to fence off, or “claim” a majority of the level’s playing field. Every level is a large, empty rectangle containing the titular Qix, a computer virus according to the game’s back story.

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This is one of the most far out, yet most awesome thing I’ve seen on the internet all day.

For those not in the know, a YouTube user have been creating his own versions of Super Mario World levels that plays themselves and makes music as a result. They’re fun, crazy and at times kinda confusing to watch, but the final result is a pretty awesome experience.

This time it’s Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” being played by four different Mario levels running simultaneously. I’ll be quiet now so you can watch it and behold the awesomeness.

Continuing on from A Review on Reviews Part 1, we return to dissect the parts that make up a review. From words, to numbers, to the person behind it all. All of these pieces create this much talked about part of games journalism.

The actual review serves a couple of different purposes that play to the different parties interested in it. The main goal is to provide a consumers guide to that specific game. Ultimately they are the people who will listen to them the best. Whether they listen or not is something that will be discussed later.

Another purpose the review serves is to be a mirror for game developers. It can spot out major flaws or strengths that a developer can use to better their current or future games. The text of a review is a description of the ups and downs that take place through-out the game and weigh them for their merit.

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Siliconera has taken a look at the Japanese Wii Music site, and discovered the first few confirmed tracks from the game.

There are six in all, with probably more on the way:

* My Grandfather’s Clock
* Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
* Ode to Joy
* Super Mario Brothers Theme
* The Legend of Zelda
* Animal Crossing Wild World

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” has also been shown in videos on Gametrailers.

Wii Music launches in Japan in only two days.

Speaking to Famitsu magazine, Hideo Kojima hints that he might announce his next next year.

“Until the end of this year, I have my hands full with Metal Gear Online, but at next year’s show, I think it’s okay that I should be able to announce something,” he said

In the same article, Kojima also mentions he feels the Japanese games industry has lost, when compared to the West.

Thanks Kotaku!