Introducing Player 1, PJ Hruschak

So, just who is qualified to write
video-game reviews?

PJ HRUSCHAK | CIN WEEKLY CONTRIBUTOR

PJ Hruschak still has his original Atari 2600. E-mail him at player1@cincinnati.com.

Some would say only a hard-core gamer who has played every game, reads all the gaming magazines and even knows the production credits of the latest Final Fantasy game.

But have you ever hung out with that guy? If you have, chances are pretty good that when you had to go to his house you brought your own snacks and a sanitary seat cover.

Video games are a crazy combination of several art forms. They have artistic design, voice acting, special effects, a storyline and even a musical score. The ideal situation would be to find a person who has expertise in each area and have each one critically comment on that portion of a game.

Instead, it comes down to me, a liberal arts generalist who happens to have played hundreds of video games.

Like any critic, I'll offer my opinion and hope it provides a rudimentary guide that falls in line with those who most often play video games while periodically trying to expose people to something they may not ordinarily play.

In other words, I'll be a gaming slut and tell you all about it. Wink.

I'll try anything once, just don't expect me to like it or to want to play it again. I don't even expect everyone to agree with me. If that happened, I'm certain some ethereal vortex would open and suck up the universe as we know it.

Even though I have personal preferences, that does not mean I won't give every game a chance. There are simply games I prefer to play when I have a free moment and want to have fun. Face it, what is fun for me might be torture to you.

On the bottom of my list are games that require a long time to learn or with super complex button combinations, such as many sports games or personal computer games with thousands of key combinations that are just beyond fun without a week of dedicated learning time.

Games with gratuitous shooting (hence the name "shooters") are always fun, simply due to the instant gratification of wrecking the crap out of stuff for extended periods of time. RPGs (role-playing games), though time consuming and often complex, have an oddly addictive quality that keeps me enticed for hours, and are most certainly dull for others to watch.

So you gamers - or you who claim to be gamers - relax. You opinions are right, but just for you. I'm no more of an idiot when it comes to what is cool than you are. If you disagree, that's fine. Let me and even your friends know.

Again, it all comes down to personal preferences. It's art, baby, and only you know what you like.

You may not think I am the most qualified game critic, but that's fine. I'll play one in print, and even on TV. I just hope I can occasionally help you save a few bucks so you find something you'll truly enjoy.